Carmel (biblical settlement)

In the Hebrew Bible

There are several references to Carmel in the Bible. Carmel is mentioned as a city of Judah in the Books of Samuel and also in . It is mentioned as the place where Saul erects a monument after the expedition against the Amalekites (). Carmel is mentioned in as the place of Nabal's possessions, who was the husband of Abigail.

Beside the agricultural importance of the site, Carmel had also a strategic importance because of it containing the only reliable natural spring of water in the immediate area, which waters are collected in a man-made pool. Carmel, in relation to Maon, lies directly to its north, within close proximity.

Roman and Byzantine period

Mentioned in Eusebius' Onomasticon as a village "10 milestones east of Hebron," the village housed a Roman garrison after the Bar Kochba revolt. The Jewish settlement is thought to have prospered until the Persian army of Chosroes forced the Roman garrison of Heraclius' army to leave Palestine. With a lack of market for their wine, the Jewish settlement declined, with the synagogue finally being abandoned in the 9th century.

In the Byzantine era, around the 6th or 7th century CE, a church was built here, on the western side of the remains. Outlines of a further two churches were uncovered to the immediate north and south.

The abandoned synagogue, which still stands in the Palestinian town now known as al-Karmil, is one of the best preserved ancient synagogues in the West Bank.

Crusader period

During the period of the Crusades in the 12-century CE, a castle was built at Carmel under the command of Renaud of Châtillon. William of Tyre mentions Carmel as the camp of King Amalric in 1172.

References

Bibliography

• Kuhnen, H-P., Studien zur Chronologie und Siedlungsarchaologie des Karmel (Israel) zwischen Hellenismus und Spatantike (Wiesbaden, 1989).
• Lozovyy, Joseph. (2006). Saul, Doeg, Nabal and the "Son of Jesse": Readings in 1 Samuel 16-25. Ph.D. Thesis at the University of Edinburgh

References

1. Amit (n.d.), pp. 226–228
2. [[C. R. Conder. Conder]] & [[HH Kitchener. Kitcherner]] (1883), p. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp03conduoft#page/312/mode/1up 312]
3. Lemche, Niels Peter. (2004). "Historical dictionary of ancient Israel". Scarecrow Press.
4. Lozovyy (2006), s.v. 1 Samuel 16-25
5. Calmet's Dictionary of the Holy Bible, 1832. p 280
6. In typical old-style error of the use of quadrants to determine cardinal directions, as the actual location of ''Khirbet al-Karmil'' (Carmel) is south, southeast of Hebron, rather than due east.
7. Chapmann III, ''et al.'' (2003), p. 66
8. [[Epiphanius of Salamis. Epiphanius]] (1935), p. 77 (section 77)
9. Rey (1871), pp. [https://archive.org/stream/etudesurlesmonum00reye#page/102/mode/1up 102]-104
10. Mader (1918), pp. [https://archive.org/stream/altchristlicheba00made#page/177/mode/1up 177]-185
11. Pringle (1997), p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=-_NbE5obqRMC&pg=PA61 61]
12. Bar (2003), pp.401-421; 413
13. [[Jerome Murphy-O'Connor. Murphy-O'Connor]] (2008), p. 351
14. [[Ronnie Ellenblum. Ellenblum]] (2007), pp. 108, 254, 309