The Persian background of Iran

Posted on August 13, 2008 | 3 comments

The August, 2008, issue of National Geographic has a good article on the Ancient Soul of Iran. The emphasis is on the rich Persian history of the area. The article is online at ngm.com. The article includes many of those fabulous NG photographs. Most of them were shot in low light to evoke the past glory of Iran. There are more photos at the website than in the magazine. You might be able to buy a copy of the magazine at your local bookseller.

Iran is the only major area of the Bible world that I have been unable to visit. Maybe that will change within the next few years. Marguerite Del Giudice says,

In fact, the first thing people said when I asked what they wanted the world to know about them was, “We are not Arabs!” (followed closely by, “We are not terrorists!”

The article features the people of Iran, and not the government. There are some interesting comments on the influence of Zoroastrianism’s teaching.

Many of the great museums of the world have ancient Persian artifacts. This is especially true of the Louvre, the British Museum, and the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. Here is a photo from the Louvre of one of the Persian archers.

Archer from the Palace of Darius in the Louvre. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Archer from the Palace of Darius in the Louvre. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The Persians played a significant role in the Restoration of the Judeans to their land after the Babylonian Exile. Here are a few highlights.

  • Cyrus, who conquered Babylon, allowed the Jews to return to their land in 536 B.C. See 2 Chronicles 36, and compare the Cyrus Cylinder (in the British Museum).
  • Darius I allowed the Jews to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (520-516 B.C.; Ezra 6:1-5).
  • Xerxes is the Ahasuerus of the book of Esther.
  • During the reign of Artaxerxes I, the second group of Jews return under the leadership of Ezra (458 B.C.). Nehemiah returned to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (444 B.C.).

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

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Video introduction to the ESV Study Bible

Posted on August 10, 2008 | Leave a comment

Here is a promotional video about the ESV Study Bible which is to be released October 15th

I think the maps and drawings will make this Bible especially useful for Bible students who want to put their study into a geographical and historical setting.

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China Olympics opening is spectacular

Posted on August 10, 2008 | Leave a comment

I suspect that everyone reading this post saw either the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympics or at least a few news clips about it. The Olympics originated with the Greeks centuries before Christ. The Isthmian games were conducted at Isthmia, a few miles from Corinth.

Paul used several illustrations relating to athletics in the epistles to the Corinthians.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;  but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NASB)

The Greeks had two words for crown. The diadema was the crown of the king. The stephanos was the crown of the victor in the races. This is the term used by Paul in the text above (the word wreath). Here is a photo of a nice sculpture displayed in the Athens National Archaeological Museum showing a young athlete wearing the stephanos. Incidentally, the stephanos was often made of olive branches, or other perishable items.

Young athlete wearing a crown (stephanos). Athens National Archaeological Museum. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Young athlete wearing a crown (stephanos). Athens National Archaeological Museum. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

John also speaks of the stephanos. To the saints at Smyrna (modern Izmir in Turkey) he says,

Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Revelation 2:10).

Enjoy the Olympics, but think of the more important spiritual lessons.

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Posted in Bible Lands, Greece, New Testament, Revelation, Turkey

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Summary of the blogs

Posted on August 8, 2008 | Leave a comment

Over at the Biblical Studies Info Page, under Scholarly, then Blogs, I keep a list of several blogs that I regularly check. Here is a brief summary of some current items you might find of interest.

Todd Bolen calls attention to the continuation of the Western Wall excavations here. This excavation is on the extreme western side of the Western Wall plaza.

Aren Maer gives a wrap-up of the recent excavations at Gath (Tell es-Safi) here.

Ben Witherington includes a seminar paper by one of his doctoral students in review of Barth Ehrman’s Lost Christianities here. This has to do with the formation of the canon.

Mark Copeland has posted good photographs of 299 Sermon Charts pained by Steve Hudgins here. Steve pained a few charts for me, and some of my tour banners, years back. This shows the type of visual aids that some of us used. It was before flannel boards, opaque projections, overhead projections, and PowerPoint. The biggest problem is that the audience knew when we were only half finished! I doubt any of you will want to use a chart like this now, but you can get some great ideas for sermon starters, put them in PowerPoint, and see if they will gel.

Claude Mariottini has called attention to the problem of Fake Degrees, even among ministers and professors of biblical studies, here. Every now and then I see some preacher who wouldn’t know how to write a research paper advertising himself as Dr. So-and-so. Shameful.

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Posted in Archaeology, Bible Places, Bible Study, Biblical Studies, blog, Books, Israel

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Restricting information

Posted on August 8, 2008 | Leave a comment

China has been in the news a lot in the past years. Most recently we have seen them assuring us they could resolve a severe pollution problem within weeks. Then there were all of those toys containing lead. One day we told our little grandson to take something from his mouth that he had picked up off the floor. He said, “Why, was it made in China?” We heard that the media in China to cover the Olympics would have free access to the Internet, but then certain sites were blocked.

More serious than all of this are those matters pertaining to human rights and the restriction of religious rights. In 1986 we carried a few Bibles into the country and gave them to individuals or left them where they might be picked up. Several friends who have visited China, or lived there for short periods, have mentioned the restrictions and the secrecy under which Christians meet for study of the Bible and the worship of Christ.

Here is a photo I made in 1986 in one of the cities we visited. The only news the people got was what the government posted for them. Such censorship is deplorable whether in China or elsewhere. It is based on fear. I was in Bangkok when I learned of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. The next few days in Hong Kong I saw marches protesting what was happening in mainland China. Several people had copies of newspaper reports about the incident. They wanted us to fax or mail them to their friends in China.

Men lined up to read the news in China in 1986. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Men lined up to read the news in China in 1986. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

We hope the time will come when the people of China will have free access to the Bible and all other information so readily available to those who live in freedom.

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China, then and now

Posted on August 6, 2008 | Leave a comment

The media, especially NBC, is giving lots of attention to the upcoming Olympic games from China. Many changes have taken places in China over the past few decades. Some good; some not so good. In 1986 we took a tour to China. This morning I dug out a photo of the group that we made before climbing the Great Wall, and thought that some of you might enjoy seeing it.

Wonders of China group led by Ferrell Jenkins at the Great Wall in 1986.

Wonders of China group led by Ferrell Jenkins at the Great Wall in 1986.

If you know some of the folks who have traveled with us in the past you may click on the image to see a larger copy.

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Tutankhamum and the World of the Pharaohs

Posted on August 4, 2008 | 1 comment

The premier exhibition of Tutankhamum and the World of the Pharaohs is current open in Vienna. Maybe you will not be able to get to Vienna, but there are some wonderful photos on line. The exhibit web page is here.

To get to the photos click on the English (UK) flag at the top of the page. (Pay attention. This will not work on the German page.) Then click on Press and Media. The photo here shows the top of one of the canopic jars in the the King Tut tomb. This jar, made of alabaster, was used to store one of the major organs of the body. Click on the photo for a larger image.

The top of a canopic jar from the tomb of Tutanhkamum. Photo by Sandro Vannini.

The top of a canopic jar from the tomb of Tutanhkamum. Photo by Sandro Vannini.

Howard Carter discovered the intact tomb of King Tut in 1922. Tut lived between 1341 and 1323 B.C. This is about a century after Moses was in Egypt if we depend on the dates given in certain Old Testament references like 1 Kings 6:1.

Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

The fourth year of Solomon’s reign would have been about 966 B.C.

When one sees the wealth represented in the tomb of King Tut he must be impressed with the statement made by the writer of Hebrews regarding the treasures of Egypt.

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. (Hebrews 11:24-26 NASB)

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Posted in Archaeology, Bible Study, Old Testament, Photography

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Seal of Zedekiah’s minister found

Posted on August 1, 2008 | Leave a comment

The Jerusalem Post is reporting here on the discovery of a seal impression belonging to Gedalyahu ben Pashur (English versions have Gedaliah the son of Pashhur). The relevant text from Jeremiah reads,

Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah was saying to all the people (Jeremiah 38:1 ESV)

Here are a few excepts from the Jerusalem Post article:

The seal impression, or bulla, with the name Gedalyahu ben Pashur, who served as minister to King Zedekiah (597-586 BCE) according to the Book of Jeremiah, was found just meters away from a separate seal impression of another of Zedekia’s ministers, Yehukual ben Shelemyahu, which was uncovered three years ago, said Prof. Eilat Mazar who is leading the dig at the site.

…

Other Biblical-era bullae were previously found a quarter century ago at the City of David site. In 1982, the Israeli archeologist Yigal Shiloh discovered a cache of bullae in a nearby site, including one with the name of Gemaryahu ben Shaphan – mentioned in the Bible as a minister and scribe during the reign of King Jehoiakim (608-597 BCE).

Hopefully a nice photo of the seal with be forthcoming shortly.

HT: Paleojudaica

Update. For a photo of the inscription check the Trumpet.

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Posted in Archaeology, Israel, Old Testament

The ESV Study Bible

Posted on August 1, 2008 | 1 comment

Quite a bit of attention is being given to the forthcoming (October 15) English Standard Version Study Bible. Dr. Leen Ritmeyer has served as archaeological and architectural editor for the new study Bible. On his blog he calls attention to two interviews with Justin Taylor, Project Director and Managing Editor of the ESV Study Bible.

The first interview is “What Did Calvary Look Like?” Evidence for the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Garden Tomb is summarized. Golgotha on this drawing is now the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Drawing showing Golgotha.

Drawing showing Golgotha.

The second interview is “What Did Jesus’ Tomb Look Like?”

If you teach the Bible you will want to download the large drawings associated with these interviews. Some sample pages in PDF (Introductions to Luke, Revelation, and Psalms) are available for download here.

Taylor explains the high quality of these drawings (“paintings”):

Using Dr. Ritmeyer’s extensive research and new drawings, we then turned to the illustration firm Maltings Partnership (in Derby, England) to produce the final, full-color paintings. We knew of Maltings’ superb work from their reconstruction drawings in the DK Travel Guides and the National Geographic Traveler guides. We could not be happier with the final results.

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Posted in Archaeology, Bible Study, Books, Israel, New Testament

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New study material online (including Español)

Posted on July 31, 2008 | Leave a comment

Over at BibleWorld I have posted the following items including Español el material de estudio de la Biblia.:

  • La Authoridad Biblica (under Foreign Language Materials). This book is for class or individual study.
  • Introduction to the Prophets. (This, and the other items below, are under Old Testament Studies.) Brief introductory outline showing the role of the prophets in Israel.
  • Analysis of the Book of Isaiah. This is the analysis by George L. Robinson.
  • Comparison of Kings of Israel, Judah, and Foreign Rulers. Helpful chart with dates for all rulers.

One you get to BibleWorld click on the Download Study Material in PDF link. Then scroll to the material you would like to take a look at and download if you wish.

Here is the link to BibleWorld.

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