New-York tribune., 1909-09-26
THE PHILISTTNE.S
Andre7c Lang on Their Harness and
Deeds.
Deeds.
From The Illustrated London News

From The Illustrated London News
- How much more vivid the middle parts of Old
testament history have become during the last
zen years No Bible story is more familiar than
the tale of David and Goliath to all minds more
serious than that of Tom Sawyer who declared
that Goliath was the first of the APOSTLES
children do make such errors and know of q
class OF girls who, in English history can never
dlScrimnate between Pym and Prynne.
TO return to Goliath that great Philistine
champion. Mr.. H. r. Hall, in the .'Procccdincs
OF the Society for Biblical Archaeology" explains
who the Philistines really were-nOt a half
IdpuIous race of giants, but adventurers from
Crete, who came down on the coast of Palestine
much as the Danes descended the shores Of
England. The islands were restless" says an
ancient Egyptian record. Mortimer from the
Danube region pressed down on Greece exactly
as the Celts and Goths later came down ON
Rome and Greece. They invaded Crete and
burned the great palaces, and the Cretans l
presume. passed il on" schOolboys say. to
Palestine, settled at Gath and Ashdod and tried
under the name If Philistines to eat up the chill
dren OF Israel But these children noto-
rouSly tough.
This Philistine dominion. it seems. lasted for
niue more than century, and | calculate that
they were going strong about 10Do-@0 b. G.
They "stalked in their brazen mail among rbe
foreign hills of Canaan. a terror and a horror
to the Orlentals. Just as those other European
warriors, the Crusaders were to be 2UHn wears
later But soon the Crusaders found il time
Tor US To go, as did the PhiliStineS leaving ono
Of their beautiful bronze swords. such as Homer
describes, to be found lately at the Biblical
When turn to Goliath in the Book of sam
ucl, we find that he was very moral of the
huge Greek champion Alas. the dull strong
PorthoS of the Had with his bronze armor and
his shield like tower when he challenged the
best in Troy. Homer was singing about
the time when Goliath was fighting. and Goliath
is Just such another Alas Both had "a he'll
met of bronze on the head, and were clothed
with coats OF bronze (shrtS of bronze i'm Ho-
meri. and had gredVeS of bronze upon their
legs. and targets Of bronze between their shoul-
derS. q Samuel Xvii. 80 II does not seem
certain that the Biblical target is the hug
shield. probably not for "one went bearing a
shield before Goliath" His spear as heavy as
had iron head: Goliath appreciated iron Alas
tooleC with bronze David was. like the lesser
Alas in Homer, "a light armed man. singer
not clothed in bronze. but in linen. Saul
clothed David with his clothes. that is. in his
shirt and leg guards of bronze. There is Il very
ancient pair of these bronze leg guards 81
grcavcs. il the British Museum. from cyprus
they Were fastened up with bronze wire. David
tried on the bronza clothes. but not at
in them and like Homers Locrian light in
fantry. used his sling, with notable success
Then. having slain the huge Cretan he cut his
head off exactly Vict0rs do in the IliatD and
brought II to Jerusalem. where. | dartsaY. he
stuck il ny the palisade above the wall. as
the Trojans threatened to stick the head II
PatrOcluS. The whole affair. War-ChariotS and
all Uhough the Philistines also had mounted
mem corruborat s Homer's descriptions, they
corrOboratt those of the Bible
Yet the learned critics ask us to believe that
armor of bronze. COrSeletS, helmets. leg guards
-cricket-pads of metal-did not come into ust
till three centuries later. Some extant thSs
fasteu with cas!s which take the part OF ou
leather straps.