Yearly Archives: 2010

Witherington and Crossan on the Message of Jesus

Posted on March 6, 2010 | Leave a comment

Last week I attended The Greer-Heard Point-Counterpoint Forum in New Orleans. The forum is briefly described by Paul F. South, NOBTS Communications:

Two of the world’s best-known religious scholars will dialog at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary on a question that has sparked debate for some 2,000 years: What did Jesus really teach?

John Dominic Crossan and Ben Witherington III will be the featured speakers at the  2010 Greer-Heard  Point-Counterpoint  Forum, Feb. 26 and 27 at Leavell Chapel.

The event marks the seminary’s sixth Greer-Heard Point-Counterpoint Forum. The Forum is designed to provide a venue in which a respected evangelical scholar and a respected non-evangelical scholar discuss critical issues in religion, science, philosophy, or culture.

Audio CDs, MP3, or DVDs are available for all of the previous forums at a reasonable rate. Go here and click on STORE. The most recent forum (The Message of Jesus) is not on the list, but it is available. I think you can find a contact link somewhere on the page.

In addition to Witherington and Crossan, the other speakers were Darrell Bock, Craig Evans, Amy Jill Levine, and Stephen J. Patterson. Perhaps you recognize these names as representing both liberal and conservative perspectives on Jesus.

Crossan speaks while Witherington (R) waits his turn. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Crossan (L) speaks while Witherington (R) waits his turn. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

He does not say so, but I think Ben Witherington III has posted his paper on his Bible and Culture blog here. It is a little difficult to read. Copy the document and save it in your word processor and it will be easier to read.

All of the speakers are distinguished scholars who have spent a great deal of their academic life writing on the general theme of Jesus Studies.

Leave a comment

Posted in Bible Study, Biblical Studies, New Testament

Tagged , ,

From the Temple Mount to the Pool of Siloam

Posted on March 5, 2010 | Leave a comment

Chris Mitchell, CBN News, reports on the steps leading from the Temple Mount to the Pool of Siloam.

Ancient steps and a storm sewer dating back to King Herod are two of the recent finds in Jerusalem.

The discoveries help tell the story of the Jewish pilgrimage to the Temple in the time of Jesus.

“I was glad when they said to me let us go to the house of the Lord,” King David wrote in the Psalms.

Some 2,000 years ago, Jewish pilgrims might have recited this psalm of ascents as they climbed stairs on their way to worship at the Temple.

Three times a year, the Bible commanded the Jewish people to go up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feasts of the Lord.

“They probably camped outside the city in the valleys in the Kidron Valley… came in the city through the southern gate into the pool to take a ritual bath and then went up to the Temple Mount to pay their respects to the God of Israel,” said Haifa University archaeologist Roni Reich.

The excavation is located just outside the City of David. Many believe the area was Jerusalem at the time of King David.

Recently archaeologists uncovered the other side of the broad stairway leading to the Temple Mount. Paved with large limestone blocks, it is thought to be about 140 feet wide and climbs less than a half mile uphill to the Temple Mount.

Reich said Jesus, too, most likely walked the steps.

Just outside is the pool of Siloam, where Jesus healed the blind man as mentioned in the Gospel of John.

Read the full report, or watch a nice video featuring Archaeologists Ronnie Reich, here.

HT: Dr. Claude Mariottini

Leave a comment

Posted in Archaeology, Israel, New Testament, Old Testament

Tagged

Alexander coins found in northern Syria

Posted on March 4, 2010 | 4 comments

The Global Arab Network, in an article by H. Sabbagh, reports here on the discovery of a collection of Hellenistic coins in northern Syria. The photo shows the coins dating back to the time of Alexander the Great. They were found in the Aleppo district.

Hellenistic coins from discovered in northern Syria.

The coins were found by a local man as he was preparing his land for construction, uncovering a bronze box that contained around 250 coins. He promptly delivered the coins to the authorities who in turn delivered them to Aleppo Department of Archaeology and Museum.

Director of archaeological excavations at Aleppo Department of Archaeology and Museum Yousef Kanjo said the box contained two groups of silver Hellenistic coins: 137 tetra drachma (four drachmas) coins and 115 drachma coins.

One side of the tetra drachma coins depicts Alexander the Great, while the other side depicts the Greek god Zeus sitting on a throne with an eagle on his outstretched right arm. 34 of these coins bear the inscription “King Alexander” in Greek, while 81 coins bear the inscription “Alexander” and 22 coins bear “King Phillip.”

The drachma coins bear the same images as the tetra drachma, with “Alexander” inscribed on 100 of them and “Philip” on 15 of them.

HT: Dr. Claude Mariottini

4 Comments

Posted in Bible Study

Tagged , ,

Shechem in biblical history

Posted on March 3, 2010 | 2 comments
Tell Balata (Shechem) was excavated by Germans working periodically between 1907 and 1934. In 1956, G. Ernest Wright led the Drew-McCormick Expedition. Work continued in 1969 under the direction of Edward F. Campbell.
I had the privilege of visiting the ruins of Shechem last December. At the time I thought how sad to see such an important site neglected. Shechem is important in biblical history. Some of the significant events associated with the city are listed below.
  • Shechem is the first city of Canaan mentioned in the Bible. The land promise to Abraham was restated here (Genesis 12:6-7).
  • Jacob and his family settled at Shechem (Genesis 33:18). Jacob purchased a parcel of ground and erected an altar here.
  • Joseph’s brothers had gone from Bethlehem to near Shechem to graze their flocks (Genesis 37:12-13).
  • After entering Canaan, the Israelites gathered at Shechem on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal to hear Joshua read the blessings and cures of the Law (Joshua 8:30-34; cf. Deuteronomy 28-30).
  • Shechem was within the territory of Ephraim and served as a city of refuge (Joshua 20:7; 21:21).
  • Joseph was buried in a parcel of ground bought by Jacob (Joshua 24:32).
  • The Shechemites supported Abimelech in his bid to be ruler and gave him money from their temple of Baal-berith (Judges 8:33; 9). Jotham’s addressed the people of Shechem from Mount Gerizim with a fable (Judges 9:7ff.).
  • After the Exile, Shechem became a major religious center of the Samaritans. Their temple was built on Mount Gerizim (John 4:20-21).
  • Jesus visited Jacob’s Well near Shechem (John 4).

The photo below shows the excavated ruins of Tell Balata (Shechem). Mount Gerizim is on the left (to the south). Mount Ebal is on the right (to the North). The view is toward the west. The modern Arab town of Nablus is in the valley between these two mountains.

Shechem in the valley between Mount Gerizim & Mount Ebal.

Shechem — in the valley between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.

2 Comments

Posted in Archaeology, Bible Places, Bible Study, New Testament, Old Testament

Tagged

Biblioblog rankings for February

Posted on March 3, 2010 | Leave a comment

The Biblioblog rankings for February are posted at Free Old Testament Audio Website Blog here. Our rankings, based on the Alexa numbers, is 12 in the list of 362 blogs. Thanks to each of you for coming our way.

Leave a comment

Posted in Biblical Studies, blog

Palestinian archaeology gets a boost at Shechem

Posted on March 2, 2010 | Leave a comment

Ha’aretz reports that the Dutch government has donated 300,000 euros (about $408,000) to the Palestinian Authority to finance the excavation and conservation of Tell Balata in Nablus. This is the biblical city of Shechem. The full account is here.

The site, according to the Ma’an report, is listed by UNESCO in the Inventory of Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites of Potential Outstanding Universal Value in Palestine, with experts estimating some of its towers and buildings from the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age dating back 5,000 years.
The Netherlands’ representative to the PA, Jack Twiss Quarles van Ufford, said the initiate was meant to bolster PA Prime Minster Salam Fayyad’s plan to work toward a unilateral declaration of Palestinian by 2011.
“The creation of institutions can only be sustainable if it goes hand in hand with the strengthening of the cultural identity of the Palestinian people,” Twiss told Ma’an, adding that “sites like Tell Balata are simply too important to be neglected.”
The photo shows the previously excavated ruins of Tell Balata (Shechem) in the valley below Mount Gerizim.
Ruins of Tell Balata (Shechem) below Mount Gerizim. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Ruins of Tell Balata (Shechem) below Mount Gerizim. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

In the next post we will note the importance of Shechem in biblical history.

HT: Joseph I. Lauer

Leave a comment

Posted in Archaeology, Bible Places, Bible Study, Culture, Old Testament

Tagged

Todd Bolen’s Bible Places Newsletter

Posted on February 27, 2010 | 1 comment

The February issue of the Bible Places Newsletter has been released. If you do not receive the Newsletter, I suggest you check it now (here). When you reach the bottom of the page you will see a link that allows you to subscribe.

The current issue of the Newsletter features photo from the Early 20th-Century History, the seventh volume in The American Colony and Eric Matson Collection. You will be able to download a PowerPoint presentation featuring these historic photos.

The entire album of more than 400 historic photos is available at the discounted price of $15. The entire 8-volume collection is on sale for $99. This is a great and important collection. Read about it at Life in the Holy Land.

Palestine was under the control of the Turkish Ottoman Empire from 1517 to 1917. The photo below shows General Allenby and the British troops entering Jerusalem through the Jaffa Gate, Dec. 11, 1917.

General Allenby enters Jerusalem through Jaffa Gate - 1917.

General Allenby enters Jerusalem through Jaffa Gate - 1917.

1 Comment

Posted in Bible Places, blog, Israel, Jordan, Turkey

Older than the pyramids

Posted on February 26, 2010 | Leave a comment

Newsweek, March 1, 2010, has an article here about a temple complex in Turkey that is said to predate the pyramids.
Göbekli tepe in southeastern Turkey. The site is southeast of Sanliurfa, the Moslem traditional birthplace of Abraham. It is east of Haran, the home of Abraham according to Genesis 12:4, and north of the Syrian border.

German archaeologist Prof. Klaus Schmidt is directing the dig at the site said to have a temple built 11,500 years ago — 7,000 years before the pyramids.

Ben Witherington has a good post about this temple and some of the biblical implications at his Bible and Culture blog here. Among other good things he says,

The importance of this find for Biblical thinking is this— the Bible says that from the outset, human beings were created in God’s image.  Human beings were religious creatures from Day One.  Archaeologists and sociologists have long dismissed this theory saying organized religion comes much later in the game than the beginning of civilization and city building.  As  Ian Holder director of Stanford’s prestigious archaeology program says— this is a game changer. Indeed, it changes everything experts in the Neolithic era have been thinking.   Schmidt is saying that religion is the cause of civilization, not the result of it. Towns were built to be near the Temple complex. Agriculture was undertaken to feed those living there and supply the temple complex, and so on. The first instincts of humans were to put religion first. Maybe there is more to that Genesis story than some have been willing to think or admit. Maybe human beings are inherently homo religiosis.

This short video features Prof. Schmidt at Göbekli tepe.

HT: Ben Witherington

Leave a comment

Posted in Archaeology, Bible Study, Old Testament, Turkey

Manatees and Rock Badgers

Posted on February 25, 2010 | 1 comment

Tuesday we took our 5-year-old grandson to the Manatee Viewing Center on Tampa Bay (Gulf of Mexico). Our local electric power company (TECO) has provided excellent walkways that allow visitors to see the Manatees who come during the winter months to enjoy the warm water discharged from the power plant.

Manatees at the TECO Manatee Viewing Area. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Manatees at the TECO Manatee Viewing Center. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Our grandson enjoyed the visit, especially when he saw a large number of the Manatees moving about in the water. Well, he enjoyed turning $1.53 into three smashed pennies, too. In the learning center there are several exhibits of interest both to children and adults.

How Big Are Manatees? Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

How Big Are Manatees? Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

How Big Are Manatees? The poster says that adult manatees average 880-1220 pounds and are 8-9 feet long. The last statement under the question is this:

“The closest animal relative to the manatee is the elephant and the hydrax (a small gopher-size mammal.”

You may have wondered how I could relate this visit to traveling in the Bible lands. Well, here it is.

The hydrax is identified with the shaphan of the Hebrew Bible. English translations use some of the following terms:

  • hydrax (CSB)
  • shephan (NAU)
  • rock badgers (NET; ESV; NKJ). The NET notes say this is the Syrian Hydrax.
  • badgers (RSV)
  • conies (KJV; ASV); coneys (NIV)

Fauna and Flora of the Bible identifies this animal as the Syrian Coney (Procavia syriacus).

The rock badger lives among rocks from the Dead Sea valley to Mt. Hermon.

One of the best places to see the rock badgers is at En Gedi on the west shore of the Dead Sea.

Rock Badger at EnGedi. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Rock Badger at EnGedi. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The Rock Badger is mentioned in the book of Proverbs among things that are small, but exceedingly wise. There is a great lesson here. Even though they are not mighty, they build their homes in secure places. This is similar to the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 7:24-25. Notice the reading of  Proverbs 30:26 in a few of the English translations:

The shephanim are not mighty people, Yet they make their houses in the rocks; (NAU)

rock badgers are creatures with little power, but they make their homes in the crags; (NET)

the rock badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; (ESV)

hyraxes are not a mighty people, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; (CSB)

1 Comment

Posted in Bible Places, Family, Israel, New Testament, Photography

Tagged

First Temple Period gate and wall

Posted on February 23, 2010 | 2 comments

The headline writers are going wild. Arutz Sheva says, “Dig Supports Biblical Account of King Solomon’s Construction” here. The article includes a short video featuring Dr. Eilat Mazar at the site here.

The Associated Press article is headed “Archaeologist Sees Proof For Bible In Ancient Wall” here. The AP headline at Yahoo News reads, “Archaeologist sees proof for Bible in ancient wall,” here.

The news release from the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs reads, “Jerusalem city wall from 10th century B.C.E. uncovered,” here.

A good report in the Trumpet (here) reads, “Solomonic Wall Discovered in Jerusalem.”

Dr. Eilat Mazar, of Hebrew University, has been working for several years in the City of David excavation. For the past three months she has been working in the area north of the City of David next to the street that runs along the south side of the Temple Mount. The area is part of what is called the Ophel. Eilat Mazar worked here with her grandfather, Benjamin Mazar, in the 1980s. You can see the area in this aerial photo I made December 15, 2009. In fact, a portion of the excavation is covered by a tarp.

Jerusalem Aerial of Second Temple excavation. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Aerial view of Second Temple excavation. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Thirteen photos are posted on the Hebrew University Facebook album here.

Todd Bolen (here and here and here) and Leen Ritmeyer (here and here) point out that, in spite of the news release, this excavation goes back many years. Dr. Eilat Mazar has spent the past three months working in the area.

Below is a photo of the gate area showing the west chambers that I made in 2005. Benjamin Mazar and his grand daughter Eilat published a report on this area in 1989.

Gate from First Temple Period. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins 2005.

Gate from First Temple Period. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins 2005.

Compare the photo above, and the schematic drawing on the sign below (from 2005), with photos 12 and 13 in the HU Facebook album.

Marker indicated First Temple Period gate. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins 2005.

Marker indicated First Temple Period gate. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins 2005.

It seems uncertain whether this gate belongs to the 8th century B.C., 9th century, or 10th century. Eilat Mazar says it belongs to the 10th century B.C. based on pottery and a comparison of the architecture with that in other excavated cities. We must patiently wait to see the evidence. [See the comment by barnea levi selavan on Ritmeyer’s blog. He points out several significant things not included in the news reports.]

I look forward to seeing the area that has been recently cleaned. The news reports, including the video by Prof. Mazar, do not distinguish between what we already knew and what is new.

No one would enjoy seeing an inscription reading “Built in the 950 B.C. by King Solomon, son of David” more than I. Until more evidence is forthcoming we must leave Solomon out of this picture.

And this is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon drafted to build the house of the LORD and his own house and the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer. (1 Kings 9:15 ESV)

P.S. I was about 5 minutes away from posting this early today when my wife came to say that we must leave to pick up our grandson for the day. I chose the better part!

2 Comments

Posted in Archaeology, Bible Places, Israel, Old Testament, Photography

Tagged