Nadene Goldfoot
Philistines, by nature a fighting people, that abominable enemy of Israel, were a Mediterranean people, apparently originating from Asia Minor and Greek locations. They found and settled in Israel's land in waves of emigration. They were a pagan people, believing in human baby sacrifice. Canaanites and their Phonician neighbors who burnt babies believed in human sacrifice. They prayed to Dagon. He has also been called dgn, Dagana, and Dagan. Dagan and dgn both mean ''grain'' in the Semitic languages. In the Bible, Dagon was characterized as the chief god of the Philistines, who lived in the Canaan region, which is the location of modern-day Palestine, from about the 12th century BCE to 600 BCE. Abraham (1948 BCE died in about 1773 BCE at age of 175. He was buried in a cave of Machpelah. He had put an end to human sacrifice when he attempted to sacrifice his son, Isaac and was stopped. This is something he taught his people.
1. One group during the pre-Abraham-Isaac-Jacob period and settle South of Beersheba in Gerar where they fought with Abraham and Isaac. Gerar was in the Western Negev. It's king was Abimelech and Abraham and Isaac had visited him. Abimelech was a Philistine king. Abraham concluded a pact of friendship with him as told in )Gen 20) that resembles, in some respects, the story of the latter's relations with Abraham's son Isaac in (Gen 26.) To Abimelech, because of his friendly association with both Abraham and Isaac (our Patriarchs, the rabbis accorded him a place in Paradise among the Pious Heathens. That's quite an honor given to the major enemy of the rabbis' people, showing that a people are not born bad but can become bad!
He reigned in the time of Abraham (Genesis 20:1-18).By an interposition of Providence, Sarah was delivered from his harem, and was restored to her husband Abraham. As a mark of respect, the king gave to Abraham valuable gifts, and offered him a settlement in any part of his country; while at the same time he delicately and yet severely rebuked him for having practiced a deception upon him in pretending that Sarah was only his sister.
2. Another group came from the island of Crete after being forced out of Egypt by Rameses III in 1194 BCE, which is 579 years after Abraham had died. They seized the southern coastal area of pre-Israel where they founded 5 cities; Gaza, Ascalon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath. They came to dominate parts of Judah during the period of the Judges. King Saul, Israel's 1st king, at first repelled the danger but was ultimately defeated. King David, 2nd king, however, ended the era of Philistine domination and overran Philistia. He reigned in the time of Abraham (Genesis 20:1-18).
By an interposition of Providence, Sarah was delivered from his harem, and was restored to her husband Abraham. As a mark of respect, the king gave to Abraham valuable gifts, and offered him a settlement in any part of his country; while at the same time he delicately and yet severely rebuked him for having practiced a deception upon him in pretending that Sarah was only his sister. He reigned in the time of Abraham (Genesis 20:1-18)..
GAZA =2 miles from the sea, was trading post in Nabatean times passing from the Red Sea to Mediterranean, had served as a base for Egyptian expeditions to the North. In the 12th century it was captured by the Philistines and became THEIR important city. housing their Temple of Dagon. Moses gave it to the tribe of Judah but it remained in Philistine hands, and place of imprisonment and death of Samson. In 720 BCE it was annexed by Sargon of Assyria, and then in 521 by Cambyses of Persia. Alexander the Great made it a hellenistic city in 332. Annexed by Antiochus III of Syria in 198.
It was in Israel's hands after 1967, but they gave it to the Palestinians where many now live.
Ascalon/Ashkelon=, is a coastal city in the Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, 50 kilometres south of Tel Aviv, and 13 kilometres north of the border with the Gaza Strip. Mentioned in Egyptian execration texts of 19th cent. BCE. At the end of the 13th century BCE, it was captured by the Philistines and became one of their 5 chief towns. it retained its independence during the period of the Israelite kingdom but was captured by Assyria in 734 BCE. In hellenistic times, Ashkelon was a center of Greek culture. Herod adorned Ashkelon with gardens and fine buildings, although it was not under his rule. Jews lived there in mishnaic and talmudic times, but it was considered outside the boundaries of Palestine-named as such after 135 CE. Modern Ashkelon has been developed sine 1948 and incorporates the former Arab town of Migdal and the Afridar section. Many South African Jews live here now. It's a tourist resort and also the terminal of an oil pipeline from Elath. Population in 1990 was 56,800.
Ashdod=20 miles south of Jaffa, a Philistine center in the 11th cent. BCE, site of a temple of Dagon. In 711 BCE it became the capital of an Assyrian province. later it was captured by the Hasmoneans. Pompey took it in 63 BCE, but returned to Herod in 30 BCE. During British mandate, it was an Arab village. A new town was developed there in 1956 with 74,700 in it in 1990. It has a deep-water harbor that serves southern Israel, and an industrial area now.
Ekron=most northerly of the 5 Philistine cities in ancient Palestine, mentioned in Assyrian and Egyptian sources and the Bible where the local god is called Baal Zebub. the city was captured by Sargon in711 BCE. It was given to Jonathan the Hasmonean in 147 BCE, and was a large village of Jews in the 3rd century CE. Today's town of Mazkeret Batyah is thought to be sitting on Ekron's original site.
Gath=One of the 5 Philistine cities sitting on the coastal plain, home of Goliath the giant. The city was captured by David, fortified by Rehoboam, and lost to Assyrian king, Sargon in the 8th cent. BCE. In 1942 it became a communal settlement by eastern European youth. then town of KIRYAT GAT is in the same vicinity but not Gath which is now a tel.
The history of Crete goes back to the 7th millennium BC, preceding the ancient Minoan civilization by more than four millennia. The palace-based Minoan civilization was the first civilization in Europe.
After the Minoan civilization was devastated by the Thera eruption, Crete developed an Ancient Greece-influenced organization of city-states, then successively became part of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Venetian Republic, the Ottoman Empire, an autonomous state, and the modern state of Greece once again. The
Much later, when the Israelite kingdom dissolved (after king Solomon died in 920 BCE and Judah was ruled by Rehoboam from 933 to 917 BCE and Israel was ruled by Jeroboam (933-912 BCE) , the Philistines re-established their independence but were never thereafter a serious factor.
In the Persian and Greek Periods, foreign settlers---chiefly from the Mediterranean islands--overran the Philistine districts. From the time of Herodtus, Greeks called Palestine after the Philistines, (Syria, Palaestina). Under Hadrian, the Romans gave the name officially to the former land of Judah-Palaestina-to rub the noses of the Jews in it because they were THE number 1 main enemy of the Israelites for such a long time.
The Jews under General Bar Kokhba had re-taken Jerusalem in 132 CE and held it until 135 and the Romans were embarrassed and so angry as to being caught with their pants down and allowing this to even happen.
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