The Spirtual Forge

Pontius Pilate - The Man Who Washed His Hands

2012-02-13T07:49:00.000-08:00

The Pilate Inscription at Caesarea

PONTIUS PILATE

I have had requests for a post on Pontius Pilate, so I thought I would share with you in this article. That he is an actual individual, and not someone who was just made up, the picture to the left shows an inscription from Caesarea, discovered in 1961 on a limestone block dedicated to Tiberius Caesar from "Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea." As a person of history, Pontius is his family name indicating he was of the tribe of Pontii. He was appointed by Tiberius in A.D.26 and made Caesarea Maritima his official residence and designated it the Roman Capital of Judea under direct control of the Roman Government. This area included all of the southern half of Palestine, Idumea and Samaria. His official title was " procurator cum porestate, (possessing civil, military, and criminal jurisdiction)" although his chief responsibility was fiscal to the Roman Government. According to Flavius Josephus, Jewish/Roman historian of the day (Ant, XVIII, iv, 2) Pilate held the office in Judea for 10 years.

To say that Pilate receives mixed reviews, goes without saying. What ruler doesn't? There is one thing for certain, Pilate was a Roman at heart, and his actions demonstrate such. Pilate made an immediate impression upon the Jews of the day by moving his army headquarters from Caesarea to Jerusalem. Marching into Jerusalem bearing Roman standards and the image of the "divine emperor" he set up the headquarters right in the corner of the Temple in a palace-fortress designated "The Fortress of Antonia"(Josephus Ant. 18.3.1-2; Wars 2.9.2-4). To say that his relationships with the Jews were stressed during this 10 year period is a matter of historical record. There are numerous other incidents, to which the Jews were virtually incited to riot that are too long for this post.

Bronze coin of Pontius Pilate,
Procurator of Judaea. Roman,
AD 30/1 From Judaea
(modern Israel). British Museum.

What is interesting about the historical encounter, is that it is not just the Bible that confirms Pilate's meeting with Jesus. The crucifixion of Jesus takes place around AD.30-33 depending upon sources consulted. If so, then this encounter takes place about midway through Pilate's tenure. While the Bible is more concerned about Jesus than Pilate, the encounter is recorded long enough to show us in the scripture, what history shows us in the man. He is a man known in historical record for at times indecisive, questionable and politically motivated decisions. That Pilate was politically motivated in the death of Jesus, is a matter of both scripture and historical record.

What happens to him after this though? Josephus (Ant, XVIII, iv, 1, 2) states that a religious fanatic arose in Samaria who promised the Samaritans that if they would assemble on Mt. Gerizim, he would show them the sacred vessels which Moses had hidden there. A great multitude of people came but were attacked by Pilate's cavalry, and many were slaughtered. The Samaritans therefore sent an emissary to Vitellius, the legate of Syria (immediately above rank to Pilate), to accuse Pilate of murdering innocent people. Vitellius, wanted to maintain friendship with the Jews, therefore removed Pilate from office and appointed Marcellus in his place. Pilate is ordered to go to Rome and answer the charges made against him before the emperor. Pilate set out for Rome, but, before he could reach it, Tiberius had died and Gaius (Caligula) had succeeded as Emperor. From this point onward history knows nothing more of Pilate from scripture or history. Speculative theories however are rampant - some saying that he was exiled to Gaul and there committed suicide, while others state he was thrown into the Tiber River or buried on some unknown mountainside. Other fanciful legends have him becoming a Christian and have him commemorated as a saint.

It is interesting to me, that while Pilate faded into history, Jesus became emblazoned in it.

Jim

Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon — 556–539 B.C. | Ferrell's Travel Blog

2012-02-12T09:24:00.000-08:00

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Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon — 556–539 B.C.

Posted on February 12, 2012 | 1 Comment

Evil-Merodach (562-560 B.C.) was assassinated by Nergal-Sharezer, who ruled as king of Babylon for four years. Nothing about his reign is recorded in the Bible, but he is mentioned in Jeremiah 39:3 and 13 from the time of the destruction of Jerusalem (587 B.C.). At that time he served as one of the officials of Nebuchadnezzar.

After four years on the throne, Nergal-Sharezer was followed by his son,Labaši-Marduk, who ruled only 9 months.

Nabonidus, who is not named in the Bible, came to the throne in 556 B.C. According to Wiseman the king,

… campaigned in Syria and N Arabia, where he lived at Tema for 10 years while his son BELSHAZZAR acted as co-regent in Babylon. About 544 his people and the kings of Arabia, Egypt and the Medes being favourably disposed, Nabonidus returned to his capital…, but by this time the country was weak and divided. (New Bible Dictionary (3rd ed.), 115).

The mother of Nabonidus was made a high priestess in the temple of Sin at Harran. Our first photo shows the top of a stela from Harran. Nabonidus is portrayed standing before symbols of the principle gods he served. Incidentally, the museum at Sanliurfa, Turkey, has a nice collection of archaeological artifacts tastefully displayed.

Nabonidus Stela in Sanliurfa Museum, Turkey, near Harran. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The next photo shows a terracotta foundation cylinder of Nabonidus. The sign accompanying the cylinder in the British Museum tells us that “this document records the reconstruction of temples to the Moon-god at Harran and to the Sun-god and the goddess Amunitum at Sippar.”

Nabonidus Cylinder in British Museum. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

In a future post we plan to comment on the relationship of Nabonidus andBelshazzar.

Jesus and the Moneychangers | Ferrell's Travel Blog

2012-02-09T17:06:00.000-08:00

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Jesus and the Moneychangers

Posted on February 9, 2012 | Leave a comment

We noted in a previous post that there are two accounts of Jesus cleansing the temple. By this we mean the temple precinct (the hieron), not the sanctuary where only priests were allowed (the naos). For the first account, early in his ministry, see John 2:13-25. The second account, toward the close of his ministry, is recorded in Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-18; and Luke 19:45-48.

Artist Balage Balogh illustrates the scene of Jesus and the Money Changers. See more of his work at Archaeology Illustrated here.

Jesus and the Money Changers. Balage Balogh, ArchaeologyIllustrated.com.

The biblical account also mentions the animals and birds that were for sale to those coming to Jerusalem to worship (John 2:16; Matthew 21:12).

Money changers. (English versions use moneychagers, money-changers, andmoney changers.) The Jews normally would not bring the foreign money as an offering to the temple. The money had to be changed into the half-shekel of ancient Israel. This would necessitate money changers. Those who have traveled to foreign countries understand that money changers are common and necessary. Alfred Edersheim, who wrote a book on The Temple: Its Ministry and Services, pointed out that the total sum derived annually from the Temple tribute was large. The money changers were simply in the wrong place.

It is generally held that the coin used by the Jews for the temple tax was the Tyre shekel, which after 19 B.C. was most likely minted in Jerusalem (cf. Hendin,Guide to Biblical Coins, 175).

A hoard of coins including Tyrian Shekels, half shekels, and denarii bearing the image of Roman Emperor Augustus (30 B.C.– A.D. 14) was found a few years ago at Ussifiyeh (Isfiya), a Druze village on Mount Carmel.

Ussifiyeh hoard of coins including Tyrian Shekels. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The information sign in the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv says,

The hoard probably represents a delivery of Temple tax intercepted and hidden away due to the events of the Jewish War which broke out in 66 C.E.

You, God, and Quiet Moments

2012-02-06T07:37:00.000-08:00

“The LORD does not look at the things people look at.

People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7

What is the right attitude to have when you and God have your quiet moments together? This is an interesting question. Job's quiet time of "mourning" his existence was to lash out at God. He did not deny Him and maintained faith in Him, yet, he let God know that he did not like what was happening to Him. Others come to their quiet time and don't see God at all. Still others find quiet moments exhilarating times when God speaks loudly and clearly from His Word. What about for you? How do you approach your time with God in your quiet moments?

1. Be eager to come and hear. Remember, you’re meeting with God. God has always invited and wanted man's fellowship, to "walk with Him in the Garden in the cool of the day (Gen.3:8). You should want to have a good time with him and receive a blessing from doing so. Acts 10:33 "Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord."

2. Come with reverence. Even though you are "just praying" and "just studying the bible" don't forget that you are coming into the presence of God. You need to prepare your heart by being still before him. Psa 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

3. Come alert. If you made an appointment with someone to come and talk with them about something important, you would be insulted if in the process of the conversation, they fell asleep! Jesus even talked with His disciples about this the night before his trials and crucifixion! Psa 5:3 "O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

4. Come with a heart to obey. In the passage stated above, Acts 10:33 and Jn.4:42 these people came with a heart not only to hear what God had to say, but they came with the intent that when God spoke - they would do! We too need to tell the Lord we have already decided we are going to say “yes.” Mar 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Author Bruce Wilkinson states, "A moment of gratitude makes a difference in your attitude." Have a good attitude before you when you come before God and you can expect a good result from your quiet time.

Jim

The Kings of Babylon and Bible History | Ferrell's Travel Blog

2012-02-05T10:11:00.000-08:00

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The Kings of Babylon and Bible History

Posted on February 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

It is important as we study the Bible that we have some understanding of the historical background and setting of the events described. There is no place where this is more obvious than in the Book of Daniel.

Daniel and his friends were taken to Babylon by the new king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, Nebuchadnezzar. It was during the early reign of Nebuchadnezzar that Daniel’s friends were thrown into the fiery furnace (Daniel 3).

Daniel was cast into the den of lions during the reign of the king Darius the Mede, who gained control of Babylon in 539 B.C. Thus, at least 66 years pass from the time Daniel was taken to Babylon until he was put in the den of lions.

To put this is practical terms for modern readers, the events mentioned above are as far apart as events during the presidency of Harry S. (1945-1953) and Barack Obama (2009–).

The Neo-Babylonian Empire came to power in 626 B.C., and fell in 539 B.C. Perhaps this list of the kings of Babylon will be helpful in your study. The rulers mentioned in the Bible are listed in bold type.

Nabopolassar — 626-605 B.C.
Nebuchadnezzaar — 605-562 B.C.
- 2 Kings 24; Daniel 1-5; et al.
Evil Merodach — 562-560 B.C.
- 2 Kings 25:27; Jeremiah 52:31.
Nergal-Sharezer — 560-556 B.C.
- Jeremiah 39:3, 13, when he was an official of Nebuchadnezzar.
Labaši-Marduk — 556 B.C. (ruled only 9 months)
Nabonidus — 556-539 B.C. Not named in the Bible. His son, Belshazzar, served as co-regent the last ten years of the reign.
- Daniel 5-8.

The names and dates above have been summarized from the article by the late D. J. Wiseman in The New Bible Dictionary (3rd edition).

Map of world showing Babylon in the center. British Museum. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Perhaps later we will be able to describe in more detail the Biblical events during the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

Nabopolassar, father of Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed Nineveh | Ferrell's Travel Blog

2012-02-01T04:49:00.000-08:00

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Nabopolassar, father of Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed Nineveh

Posted on February 1, 2012 | Leave a comment

Babylonian king Nabopolassar ruled over the rising empire from about 626 to 605 B.C. The Babylonian Chronicle for the years 615-609 B.C. tells of the fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C. The wounded Assyrian Empire would collapse seven years later at the battle of Carchemish. The British Museum item number is BM 21901.

Babylonian Chronicles for years 615-609 B.C. British Museum. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins

The name of Nabopolassar is not recorded in the Bible, but the events of this period of time are highly significant.

The Chronicle of Nabopolassar describes the activity of the king for the years 608-605 B.C. The struggle of the Babylonians with the Egyptians (Pharaoh Necho) for control of the western portion of the Assyrian Empire is also described. This included the kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem. The crown-prince Nebuchadnezzar, the most celebrated Babylonian king mentioned in the Bible, became the leader of the Neo-Babylonian Empire at the battle of Carchemish (605 B.C.). The British Museum item number is BM 22047.

Chronicle of Nabopolassar. British Museum. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The prophet Nahum describes the fall of Nineveh in vivid language.

Woe to the city guilty of bloodshed! She is full of lies; she is filled with plunder; she has hoarded her spoil!
2 The chariot drivers will crack their whips; the chariot wheels will shake the ground; the chariot horses will gallop; the war chariots will bolt forward!
3 The charioteers will charge ahead; their swords will flash and their spears will glimmer! There will be many people slain; there will be piles of the dead, and countless casualties– so many that people will stumble over the corpses.
4 “Because you have acted like a wanton prostitute– a seductive mistress who practices sorcery, who enslaves nations by her harlotry, and entices peoples by her sorcery–
5 I am against you,” declares the LORD who commands armies. “I will strip off your clothes! I will show your nakedness to the nations and your shame to the kingdoms;
6 I will pelt you with filth; I will treat you with contempt; I will make you a public spectacle.
7 Everyone who sees you will turn away from you in disgust; they will say, ‘Nineveh has been devastated! Who will lament for her?’ There will be no one to comfort you!” (Nahum 3:1-7 NET)

Exploits of Samson | Ferrell's Travel Blog

2012-02-01T04:35:00.000-08:00

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Exploits of Samson

Posted on January 31, 2012 | 2 Comments

The exploits of Samson are well known to Bible students. Samson was a strong man who was unable to control his own desires. One of the best known stories about him is recorded in Judges 15.

So Samson went and caught 300 foxes and took torches. And he turned them tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails. And when he had set fire to the torches, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines and set fire to the stacked grain and the standing grain, as well as the olive orchards. (Judges 15:4-5 ESV)

The photo below is of a Sand Fox. Samson used 300 similar foxes to destroy the wheat fields of the Philistines.

A Sand Fox at the Hai Bar Reserve, north of Eilat. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Our next photo is of a wheat field near Maresha, not far from the Sorek Valley, and typical of many fields in the Shephelah. It is typical in modern Israel for an area between the road and the field to be cleared. This is done to protect the grain from fire in the event that someone tosses a lighted cigarette along the edge of the road. Imagine the damage of the 150 pair of foxes in the ripe grain as they tried to release themselves from the burning torches.

Wheat field near Maresha in the Shephelah. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

I enjoy hearing from teachers who find this material helpful in their classes.

The Bible - and YOU!

2012-01-30T08:42:00.000-08:00

From our study in the Exodus, we have seen how important God considered the people's following ONLY Him. After the incident with the Calf, God gave them the Covenant and once again wrote the Laws of the covenant for them (as Moses had broken the tables the first time) - Ex.34. It was so important that they have God's word in them, that he stated to the generation that would go into the Promised Land "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Dt 6:6-9" God knew that when they came into the land, that there would be a King that they would desire, other than Him. He gave instruction for that King, "And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them.Dt.17:19 "

Billions of us have access to God's Word these days, and yet in spite of this, many believers are more faithful to reading their daily newspaper or email than their Bibles. It seems strange that we cannot seem find three minutes just to read the Bible, yet they will find 20 or 30 minutes to play an online game, or peruse the Internet.

It’s no wonder why we don’t grow personally in spiritual fruit and in development of our gifts. Many who claim to believe the Bible “from cover to cover” have never read it from cover to cover. Did you know that if you cut out one 30-minute television program a day and read your Bible instead, you will read through the entire Bible twice a year.Reading God's word keeps us in tune to God's voice and God's working in our lives. This is why He was so insistent for the people to always keep it before them, and for the King to always have it by his side.

But don’t just keep it near you; read it regularly! A simple tool that is helpful for this is a daily Bible reading plan. It will prevent you from just skipping around the Bible arbitrarily and overlooking sections.

Here are a few questions for you to consider:

How do you think 15 minutes a day in God’s Word would change the way you approach your everyday life?
Being in God's presence, changed the physical countenance of Moses. What do you think being in God's presence with His Word daily would do to your countenance?
Is God's word a topic of conversation in our homes? Do we keep it before us as we walk through the day?
Do we put reminders around our houses, on our calendars, mirrors, etc. like we do with other things, to remind ourselves of what God says - to keep it?
If not any of the above - why not?

Mary and Joseph went a day’s journey. Where did they stop? | Ferrell's Travel Blog

2012-01-27T15:26:00.000-08:00

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Mary and Joseph went a day’s journey. Where did they stop?

Posted on January 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

After his presentation in the Temple, there is no record of Jesus returning to Jerusalem until he is 12 years of age.

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. (Luke 2:41-42 ESV)

When the Feast of the Passover ended, his parents began the return to Nazareth. We can easily imagine that a large caravan of people were traveling together on this trip that would take several days. Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem spending time among the teachers, “listening to them and asking them questions.” Because Mary and Joseph had relatives and acquaintances in the caravan they assumed that Jesus was among them until the end of the first day.

Keener provides some background on caravan travel.

Caravans, which afforded protection from robbers, were common on pilgrimages for the feasts in Jerusalem. Traveling with a caravan, in which neighbors from their town would watch the community children together, Mary and Joseph might assume that the near-adult Jesus was with companions, especially if by now they had younger children to attend to. If we assume a pace of twenty miles per day (though perhaps slower, depending on transportation and the children), Nazareth would be a little over three days’ journey along the shortest route. (Keener, C. S., The IVP Bible background commentary : New Testament)

Where did Mary and Joseph stop at the end of that first day of travel? We can not be certain of the route taken from Jerusalem to Nazareth. Travel from Galilee to Jerusalem was often through Perea on the eastern side of the Jordan Valley. We later find Jesus traveling north along the central mountain range through Samaria (John 4).

Ruins of medieval church beneath a Mosque in El Bireh. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Tradition identifies the stop at El Bira. Tradition has it that the first day’s stop after leaving Jerusalem was at a place now known as El Bira (or Bireh) east of Ramallah. El Bira is an Arab town. There is a spring and ruins of a medieval church. The Hachette World Guides: The Middle East (1966) says that the tradition associating this event with El Bireh dates to the 16th century. Eugene Hoade says it is probable that this church was built in 1146 “in memory of” the event mentioned in Luke 2 (Guide to the Holy Land). The apse of the church is visible in the photo below. The Hachette World Guide says the building was destroyed in 1915 and the stones were used for building bridges along the mountain route.

This site is only about 8 miles north of Jerusalem, but with a large caravan including women and children it is possible that a short distance was covered the first day. It was necessary to stop where water and various food supplies were available (John 4:6-8; Luke 9:51-53).

Ruins of the medieval church in El Bireh. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Is this Beeroth? Since the time of explorer Edward Robinson (1867), some scholars have identified El Bireh with the Old Testament Gibeonite city of Beeroth. The word Beeroth indicates the presence of a well. Biblical references include Joshua 9:17, 18:25, Ezra 2:25, and Nehemiah 7:29. Beeroth was considered part of the tribe of Benjamin (2 Samuel 4:2).

David Dorsey, after surveying the scholarship on the matter, says,

At present, therefore, the site of biblical Beeroth remains a matter of dispute. The most likely candidate would still seem to be the one originally proposed by Robinson, i.e., el-Bireh. (The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary)

John baptized in the river Jordan | Ferrell's Travel Blog

2012-01-26T15:05:00.000-08:00

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John baptized in the river Jordan

Posted on January 25, 2012 | Leave a comment

John the Baptist proclaimed the coming Messiah in the Wilderness of Judea. The Gospel accounts point out that many people from Jerusalem and all Judea and the region about the Jordan came to be baptized. These were Jews who were being called to repent and confess their sins.

Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. (Matthew 3:5-6 ESV)

The photo shows a view of the River Jordan at the traditional site where John was baptizing. This photo was made in the spring of the year when the river shows the flow of mud as a result of the spring rains.

Jordan River (view south) where John baptized. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Jesus was baptized by John, not because he was a sinner, but because it was part of God’s plan for him “to fulfill all righteousness.”

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17 ESV)

Inn from the Good Samaritan Parable Becomes a Museum – Bible History Daily

2012-01-23T06:05:00.000-08:00

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Inn from the Good Samaritan Parable Becomes a Museum

Israeli archaeologist Yitzhak Magen brings together mosaics from synagogues and churches in Israel

Biblical Archaeology Society Staff • 01/11/2012

The site of the inn from the Good Samaritan parable in Luke’s gospel has been restored and converted into a museum by Israeli archaeologist Yitzhak Magen and his team. Drawing on the relevance of the parable for Jews, Samaritans and Christians, Yitzhak Magen decided that the new museum would feature important mosaics and reconstructions from Jewish and Samaritan synagogues and Christian churches in Israel.

The Good Samaritan parable begins on the ancient road between Jerusalem and Jericho, where a man is robbed, brutally beaten and given up for dead before finally being helped by a passing Samaritan. The Samaritan brings the injured man to an inn and pays for his care before continuing on his journey. Although no additional details are given in Luke’s gospel as to the whereabouts of the inn, by the fifth century, the church father Jerome writes that the site of the inn is identified as Ma’ale Adummim, along the Jerusalem-Jericho road, and that there is a way-station for travelers located there.

In the late 1990s, Yitzhak Magen, the staff officer of archaeology for the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria, began an excavation at Ma’ale Adummim. He discovered that the site had been rebuilt in several historical periods—the late Second Temple period, the Byzantine period, the Crusader period and the Ottoman period—and in every phase the site had apparently functioned as a khan, or way-station for travelers. In the Byzantine period a church was also built at the site (in the basilical style, like many early churches in Israel), suggesting its importance as a pilgrimage site for early Christians. The floor of the church was once a beautiful mosaic of geometric patterns that had largely disappeared in modern times, so Yitzhak Magen decided that he and his team would restore the mosaic based on early photographs taken before the tiles had disappeared.

After the successful restoration of the church’s mosaic floor, Yitzhak Magen decided that he would take the project further and, using the newly acquired expertise of his mosaic team, create a mosaic museum at the site. Because the Good Samaritan parable is connected to Jews, Samaritans and Christians, Yitzhak Magen determined that the new museum would feature mosaics important to all three religions. He brought important mosaics (or reconstructions if the original was already displayed elsewhere) from Jewish and Samaritan synagogues and Christian churches in Israel and set them up in attractive displays both inside and outside of the former inn, creating a diverse collection of mosaics that is unique in the Holy Land.

When God Does Not Show Up | Parchment and Pen

2012-01-23T01:38:00.000-08:00

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WHEN GOD DOES NOT SHOW UP

by C Michael PattonJanuary 22nd, 2012 2 Comments

There have been so many times in my life when God has not shown up. So many times when I am at my wits end, when it is forth and long, ninth inning, I put up a last hope three pointer and the ball hits the tape and falls gently on my side of the court. My mixing of sports metaphors is not an accident. It represents the confusion I often experience as I mêlée through the options of rescue God could use. After all, he must win the game in one of the metaphors. But not only do I lose the tennis match, but the football, baseball, and basketball game as well. I just can’t seem to sync up my game with his. You know . . . the ones where victory is claimed (not just proclaimed).

Half the time is seems that things simply function just the way one would expect if God was in heaven playing darts. Our lives are filled with so many things that go from bad to worse. The hardest part about it for me is that the things we request are very often good things. On our best days, we seek God’s renovation. We long for it. We lay down at night and dream about it. Our eyes sting due to tearful begging for it. Who could argue that someone praying for a better marriage, obedient children, a quenched addiction, a calm spirit, an obedient heart, or a bill responsibly paid are outside of God’s will? Who could argue that praying for the ability to gird up our will and make serious changes in overcoming sin in our lives is wrong? I know that there are “those” stories out there. You know, the one’s where a person becomes a Christian, then all of the sudden everything has changed (for good!). I have a love-hate relationship with those stories. I love them as I love an epic movie where the hero has saved the world. I love to know it is out there. But those are just stories. I have very few (if any) of those stories. Most of mine involve a seemingly never-ending pattern: stumble, fall, dirt in mouth, think about staying down, renewing hope, getting back up, trying again, stumble, fall, dirt in mouth . . . ad infinitum. In fact, I am still in many of these stories.

At this point a mob forms in my subconscious rallying to find a way to express my anger and frustration with God. Yet no form of this finds a definite incarnation either in my words or deeds. “Why do you put up with this guy?” the mob yells. “Yeah, let’s take him to court. We can win!” Win what? A settlement with God? What would that look like anyway? I don’t have any grounds. There were no guarantees that he has failed to accomplish. The hope that I grope for was never here.

And those things we do get can taint reality in every way.

Entitlement. That is the word. Entitlement. I am entitled to have a good marriage. I am entitled to have financial stability. I am entitled to have health. I am entitled to be able to get a good night’s sleep. I am entitled to a sound mind. I am entitled to have children. I am entitled to a new television. I am entitled to be employed. I am entitled to never have an overdraft fee. I am entitled to have a family that follows the Lord. I am entitled to have a little more and the next cool thing out there.

Entitlement. Where did we get this? It certainly was not from Jeremiah. I love the way (relatively speaking) that he speaks of being on the run from the Lord.

Lam. 3:10-14
He [God] is to me like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in secret places. He has turned aside my ways and torn me to pieces; He has made me desolate. He bent His bow and set me as a target for the arrow. He made the arrows of His quiver to enter into my inward parts.

I think that Jeremiah just felt entitled to being safe from his Saviour. His Shepherd was now, from his often entertained perspective, a predator seeking the carnage of his soul. In “secret places” God hides, ready to make his next strike. Not only was God failing to show up and rescue him from the harm of those outside, but he was, to Jeremiah, the one bringing about the harm. I wonder if these thoughts represent the mob of Jeremiah’s subconscious. His mind eventually turn back to reason (Lam. 3:21-23). But I am glad he had a parchment and pen handy to write these down. I am grateful for his transparency here. Jeremiah was the first great blogger. (How would you like to see the comments on his blog? I fear to go there.)

When I am at a loss, it rarely comes from the “big” things. Normally, it is the little nagging things that seem so meaningless. You know, the things that it would be easy for God to take care of. Maybe it is not the dinner bill that he fails to provide for, but the gratuities that we have to cover which eventually break us. I get tired. Then I read this:

Jer. 12:5
If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, Then how can you compete with horses?

I have often said to the Lord: “But Lord, the footmen are wearying me. Footmen! I can’t even keep up with them. I can’t compete with horses. I can’t. Ever. I am sorry.”

Back to Lamentations: Is it okay to say that God is a bear lying in wait? Is it okay to thinkthat? Is it okay to think that God is not going to show up? At least in the way we think? I don’t know, but rarely do we humans pull off the okay.

Then there are those who encourage us. We need to be encouraged, so we listen. “Things will change,” they tell us. “You just have to believe that God will pull off a miracle.” I have mustered up “belief” before, but it was empty, vain, and totally destructive to my spiritual well-being. The damage done by mustering up hope in promises that God has never made stay with many people until death. Disappointment with God for not fulfilling commitments he never made. How much spiritual depression can be summed up in that?

Sometimes we need to take a cold hard look at Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, and see that life is hard and it will be until the end. Not always. But often. But our ultimate hope and God’s faithfulness are very specific, being positioned to take the world at the final stand. Our duty is not to mêlée for God to show up in places he is not supposed to or to do things that are outside of his program, but to wait with eagerness and expectation for the kingdom which is to come. The carnage that we see in us and around us, like it was with Jeremiah, are allowed for now. But not then. Then God will show up and we will have no doubt that it is him. That is what we are entitled to. Keep the faith with me until then?

Lam 3:21-2421
This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.

John was a man of history | Ferrell's Travel Blog

2012-01-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

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John was a man of history

Posted on January 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

In recent posts we have called attention to Luke’s account of the events surrounding the birth of John the Baptist. Some readers may treat Zacharias, Elizabeth, John, and even Jesus, as fictional. Luke deals with the characters and events as historical.

Notice especially how Luke deals with the beginning of the ministry of John.

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. (Luke 3:1-2 NAU)

Luke treats John as a man of history by placing him at a specific place (“the district around the Jordan” – v. 3), and a specific time, in the reign of specific political and religious leaders.

In the 15th year of reign of Tiberius Caesar
Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea
Herod [Antipas] was tetrarch of Galilee
Herod Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis
Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene
High priesthood of Annas & Caiaphas

In the absence of a calendar such as the one we use, one could hardly be more precise. All of these are historical characters. They are known in other written records, by coins bearing their image, by inscriptions, by statues, and one is know by his ossuary (burial bone box).

There is too much here for us to deal with each of these characters at this time. Let’s look at Pontius Pilate. Pilate is known in written records aside from the New Testament (more than 50 times), and Josephus (more than 20 times). Tacitus, the Roman historian, says that “…Christ, was put to death by the procurator Pontius Pilate…” (Annals XV.44.2).

Use our search box to locate other posts we have written about Pilate. Begin with this one. The photo below shows the replica of the inscription bearing Pilate’s name that was found at Caesarea Maritima in 1961. The original is in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

Replica of inscription bearing the name of Pontius Pilate.Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

For accounts in which Pilate played an important role, read Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 18.

BiblePlaces Blog: New Excavations Slated for Azekah

2012-01-19T18:54:00.000-08:00

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New Excavations Slated for Azekah

from BiblePlaces Blog by Todd Bolen

One of the most significant cities in the Shephelah of Judah, Azekah has never been scientifically excavated. Victim to the spades of Robert Alexander Stewart Macalister and Frederick J. Bliss in 1898-99, Azekah’s secrets have remained hidden while major expeditions have studied the nearby cities of Gezer, Beth Shemesh, Gath, and Lachish. Now the Wissenschaftlich-Theologisches Seminar of Heidelberg University has joined withTel Aviv University to lead an international consortium in a survey and excavation of the site and vicinity.

The excavation will be directed by Oded Lipschits and Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University along with Manfred Oeming of Heidelberg University. The first season runs from July 15 to August 24, 2012 and volunteers areencouraged to apply. Three courses are offered for credit for university students.

The importance of Azekah is clear from its mention in Assyrian and biblical texts.

The Canaanites escaping from Joshua’s attack fled as far as Azekah (Josh 10:10-11).
The Philistines and their giant Goliath were camped between Azekah and Socoh (1 Sam 17:1).
Rehoboam fortified Azekah (2 Chr 11:9).
An Assyrian king, possibly Sargon II, said of the city, “Azekah is a stronghold which is situated in the midst of the mountains, located on a mountain range like a pointed dagger, it was like an eagle’s nest and rivaled the highest mountains and was inaccessible even for the siege ramps and for approaching with battering rams it was too strong.”
Azekah was one of the two last cities holding out against the Assyrian king Sennacherib (Jer 34:7; cf. Lachish Letter #4).
Azekah was resettled after the Babylonian exile (Neh 11:30).

HT: G. M. Grena

Azekah and Elah Valley from the east

Zacharias asked for a writing tablet | Ferrell's Travel Blog

2012-01-18T04:17:00.000-08:00

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Zacharias asked for a writing tablet

Posted on January 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

When John was born, the neighbors and relatives thought they would call the child “Zacharias, after his father.” His mother, Elizabeth, said that he should be called John. The guests made signs to the mute Zacharias to have him say what he wanted the child called. Luke says,

He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. (Luke 1:63 NET)

The Greek word Luke used for tablet is pinakidion. It is used only here in the New Testament. BDAG Lexicon says the term is used of a “little (wooden) tablet esp. of a writing-tablet for notes.” Louw-Nida says the word describes “a small writing tablet (normally made of wood).” The Study Note in the NET Bible points out that “The writing tablet requested by Zechariah [Zacharias] would have been a wax tablet.”

Wooden writing tablet (Roman period from Egypt). British Museum. Photo by F. Jenkins.

Ralph Earle comments on the tablet:

It was a wax-coated, small, wooden “writing tablet” (NIV)—something quite different from a “writing table” (KJV). — Word Meanings in the New Testament.

A little insight into the culture of the time makes the Bible come alive.

Origen, c. 185–c. 254, comments on this verse in his Commentary on Matthew Bk. XIII.

Shining up our scars. | Stuff Christians Like – Jon Acuff

2012-01-18T04:04:00.000-08:00

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Shining up our scars.

January 18, 2012 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

I don’t remember what it felt like when the steel bar tore through my face. The moment it happened, my body was flooded with adrenaline and I got drunk on survival. I hit the ground running, blood pouring from a wound that would require plastic surgery and hope. But I probably need to back this story up.

In the seventh grade, I was in love with my Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp skateboard. It was my whole world. And one day, I thought it would be fun to jump off a concrete loading dock at a factory. (I was constantly gleaming the cube in the seventh grade.) The plan was to grab what I thought was a stable bar and swing from it while my skateboard sailed off the four-foot drop.

Unfortunately, they load and unload things on loading docks, and the bar was unattached for convenience. When I grabbed it, the bar fell immediately, catching me squarely on a nose that would never be the same. I could have been killed, the force of the blow sandwiching my head between the concrete loading dock and the steel bar. The doctor said I could have lost all my teeth, but they were anchored in from the braces I had received a week earlier.

So for a few crazy seconds I ran through the streets, my face in my hands, my blood on my arms, while cars streamed around me angrily reacting to what they thought was a teenage prank. Finally, a red pickup truck stopped and gave me a ride.

Some of that day has begun to blur, the edges becoming fuzzy under the weight of so many years. But one thing I will never forget is the look on the driver’s face when I gave him my personal assessment of the accident. I clearly remember his expression, when I turned to him and said:

“I hope this is just a bloody nose.”

That would prove to be a foolish statement. It ended up taking dozens of stitches to keep my nose on my face. My cheekbones were fractured. Years later I had to get plastic surgery to stay hott with two t’s. It was a serious accident.

And yet I told a stranger I probably had a bloody nose.

I think sometimes we do the same thing with our faith. We take the blood and gore of our lives, the sin and the failure and the hurt and the horror, and we tell everyone that everything is OK. We cover our limps with holy-looking actions and keep moving on with our lives. We hide the bad stuff and highlight the good stuff until no one can tell that things aren’t perfect. We shine up our scars until they look good enough to not be considered scars.

I don’t know where this temptation comes from. It might start the minute you become a Christian. It can be such a powerful, life-transforming experience. Things feel different, and you feel alive sometimes like you’ve never felt before. And when the gross creeps back in, when the high of a retreat wears off, when reality comes back and we realize we aren’t perfect, we get afraid. We fear that our initial moment of faith was fake or not good enough. It didn’t “count.” Christianity “didn’t take” to us.

So instead of telling people we know that things are bad, that we are still doing things that are opposite of what God calls us to, we sweep them under the rug. We take our first hit of the very dangerous drug called “Hide.”

And there’s a great story about hiding in the Bible. If you’ve read this site for more than 15 minutes, you already know exactly what story I’m talking about. Luke 15 and the Prodigal Son.

Have you ever thought about what type of party the father threw the son?

A welcome home party.

The father doesn’t throw him a “you never left” party. He doesn’t call the servants excitedly to get things ready for the “everything is fine” party. Not at all, he makes a point of saying, “Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’

He says that twice. Once to the servants and once to the older brother. The father got it. The reason to celebrate was not that things were perfect. It was that the son had been lost, voluntarily so, and was now found. He had been willingly dead by leaving but was now alive. The hopelessness of being lost and dead was part of what made the reality of being found and alive so bright and true and undeniable.

The truth is that I don’t know your story. And I’m not telling you to get into a “look how bad my past was” contest with other people or that “if you want an even bigger party, wreck your life in even bigger ways first!” I don’t know what kind of baggage you’re carrying right now or what kind of scars you’re shining.

I don’t know if you hate God or left the church years ago for some really valid reasons. Maybe this post isn’t for you, and you’re supposed to send it to a friend. I don’t know your story, but I do know mine. I used to write church prayer devotionals during the day and take ecstasy at night. I mortgaged years of my life to things that wrecked me. I’ve been a sucky husband, a bad dad, and an embarrassing son. But you know what? God loves me.

Stop shining your scars. It’s OK for them to be painful. The things you did and the things you had done to you hurt, and admitting that out loud doesn’t add more failure to your heart. If anything, it creates a lighthouse of sickness in you for the doctor, Jesus, who came looking for the sick.

We’re having a welcome home party. And it won’t be nearly as fun or as sarcastic or as interesting without you.

Understanding the Good Samaritan Parable – Bible History Daily

2012-01-17T03:19:00.000-08:00

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Understanding the Good Samaritan Parable

Who were the Samaritans?

Biblical Archaeology Society Staff • 01/10/2012

Dr. Amy-Jill Levine of Vanderbilt University explains how getting an accurate answer to the question “Who were the Samaritans?” can shed light on how shocking the Good Samaritan parable would have been for Jesus’ audience.

The Good Samaritan parable is one of the most beloved gospel stories for young and old alike. The story is told in Luke 10:29–37: A man going from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked by robbers who strip him and beat him. A priest and a Levite pass by without helping him. But a Samaritan stops and cares for him, taking him to an inn where the Samaritan pays for his care.

As Dr. Amy-Jill Levine discusses in a column in the January/February issue ofBiblical Archaeology Review, the story has proven a popular one for sermons over the years, and it has been interpreted in many different ways—ranging from a tale about ritual purity to lessons about personal safety and even freedom fighters or universal healthcare. These sometimes-unusual interpretations are no doubt an attempt to find meaning in the parable for the times and concerns of a changing audience. And although that may be a worthy cause, Levine notes that in order to grasp the full import of the story, one must understand the times and concerns of first-century Judea, where Jesus and his followers lived. To do this, one must understand the relationship between Jews and Samaritans. This is sometimes hinted at in modern interpretations of the parable but rarely fully grasped.

So who were the Samaritans, really? Levine explains that they were not simply outcasts; they were the despised enemies of the Jews. Yet where listeners would have expected a Jew to be the hero of Jesus’ story, instead they would have been shocked to hear that it is a Samaritan. Only by understanding this reality does the powerful message of the parable come through about loving one’s neighbor.

Earliest evidence of a New Testament verse in stone | Ferrell's Travel Blog

2012-01-17T02:57:00.000-08:00

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Earliest evidence of a New Testament verse in stone

Posted on January 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

In two previous posts we have mentioned the so-called Tomb of Absalom in the Kidron Valley here and here. We noted that the horizontal inscription on the south side of the monument reads,

This is the tomb of Zacharias, martyr, very pious priest, father of John.

We know from Luke 1 that Zacharias was a priest and the father of John (the Baptist). Whether the monument was actually used as the tomb of Zacharias is a matter of conjecture, but the inscription does show what the common belief in the 4th century A.D. about Zacharias and John.

We noted that there are two inscriptions on the Absalom monument. The horizontal inscription is the one mentioned above. The vertical inscription is the one we wish to mention in this post. (In fact, there is a third inscription consisting of a cross and the words “The nephesh.”)

The long vertical inscription consists of the five lines in Greek. Puech translates them as follows,

The tomb of Simeon who was
a very just man
and a very devout el(der)
and (who was) waiting for
the consolation of
the people.

After considerable study, the scholars thought it was clear “that the scribe had engraved the main part of a verse from a gospel, Luke 2:25.” The drawing below shows the six lines of the inscription and the same in modern Greek. Click on the image for a larger, clearer one.

Inscription on south side of Absalom Monument.

Luke 2:25 is part of the account of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple by Mary. Verse 25 reads,

And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. (Luke:25 NAU)

The word Israel is changed in the inscription to read people.

Puech and Zias comment about the use of Luke 2:25 in the stone inscription.

So, the inscriptions on the tomb bear witness to the written traditions from the Byzantine period as well as those of the early church fathers. Moreover, the inscription from the Gospel of Luke is identical to that found in the Codex Sinaiticus, dated to the second quarter of the fourth century, prior to a correction according to the text of the Codex Vaticanus (εὐσεβὴς prima manu instead of εὐλαβὴς) around the middle of the sixth century, thus showing that the local Palestinian text was widely accepted as authoritative by the early church of Palestine….
Thus this inscription is the earliest evidence for a New Testament verse engraved in stone, and it fits Palestinian tradition (Puech and Zias 2004: 572).

Most of my information comes from Near Eastern Archaeology, Dec. 2005.

The photo below shows the Kidron Valley. The Mount of Olives is visible in the upper right of the photo. The tomb of Absalom is visible in the lower right. The view is to the northeast. The low hill with buildings in the distant left is Mount Scopus.

View of Kidron Valley from SE corner of Temple Mount. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

One never knows where the next significant discovery will be made.

INTIMIDATION! - A Godly Trait?

2012-01-16T06:44:00.000-08:00

It is known biblical fact, that Jesus was attacked by Satan, religious Jews (Sanhedrin, Pharisees) and by secular political forces (Herodians, Romans). Strategically, the attacks focused on Jesus’ Identity/Authority (Jesus is not God, a carpenter nobody) and on Jesus’ teachings on Sabbath, table fellowship, marriage, etc.

These tactics included direct confrontation/debate, public harassment/intimidation, character assassination (Jesus is morally corrupt: a blasphemer, associates with sinners, a glutton, crazy, dangerous), subversive attacks (plots, schemes, infiltration), political manipulation (Jews ally with Romans) and ultimately, killing. These same tactics are used against Jesus and His people by those who would deny Truth. It is here though that things start getting a little murky. We state, "Yes, I know...wasn't that horrible?" and yet all the while these things go on around us everyday. Satan makes no secret, that he is out to attack anything GOD oriented, that is why Peter states to believers "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Pt.5:8)." But, when straight on tactics will not prevail, this is where Satan's subtlety can be seen. He will use others to get to us. The first involved, are usually family unfortunately. Among the first to attack Job when he was being tempted to deny God, was his own wife (Job 2:9). If family cannot do it, then he uses friends (Lam.1:2), if not friends - then influences (3 Jn.9).

Why would someone wish to try to do things such as this, or try to be intimidating? There's an old adage that states "The bully intimidates because he is afraid." Afraid of what? That he will lose his influence? Very likely. In a dog pack, if the Alpha Male shows weakness, the pack turns on him (Mt.2:1-16). That he will lose his ability to be persuasive over those he does intimidate? Again, very likely, the Jewish leaders attacked Jesus because the feared the loss of authority (Mt.21:26). That he will have to change? Probably. Many become content with their positions, opinions, etc. and do not want to have to search things out to make sure they are right. They have what they have chosen to believe is the truth and see no need to examine it in the light of what others may bring up (Acts 26:27-32).

Let's remember here, the words of James in James 3, "And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell." Before you choose to quip back to someone "Your mother wears army boots", or try to malign the character of another - ask yourself why you're getting ready to say or do whatever it is. If it is to cast a shadow on another person's character - this is not the way that God has taught (1 Cor.13:5). Satan is using us to achieve his purposes (1 Cor.3:3; Jas.3:14-17).

Jim

Let the Lower Lights be Burning | Ferrell's Travel Blog

2012-01-15T10:15:00.000-08:00

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Let the Lower Lights be Burning

Posted on January 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

Lighthouse at Cozumel, Mexico. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

One of the great gospel songs that I remember from my childhood is Let the Lower Lights Be Burning (or Brightly Beams our Father’s Mercy). I understood the song even before I saw a lighthouse.

The song was written by a talented young musician names Philip P. Bliss in 1871. Osbeck tells the story of the writing of the hymn. Bliss was traveling with Dwight L. Moody and was impressed by an illustration about a violent storm on Lake Erie that was often used by Moody.

On a dark, stormy night, when the waves rolled like mountains and not a star was to be seen, a boat, rocking and plunging, neared the Cleveland harbor. “Are you sure this is Cleveland?” asked the Captain, seeing only light from the lighthouse.
“Quite sure, sir,” replied the pilot.
“Where are the lower lights?”
“Gone out, sir!”
“Can you make the harbor?”
“We must, or perish, sir.”
With a strong hand and a brave heart, the old pilot turned the wheel, But alas, in the darkness he missed the channel, and, with a crash upon the rocks, the boat was slivered and many a life lost in a watery grave.
“Brethren,” concluded Mr. Moody, “the Master will take care of the great lighthouse. Let us keep the lower lights burning.”
Osbeck, K. W. (1985). 101 more hymn stories (175). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications.

Here are the words of the hymn.

Brightly beams our Father’s mercy from His lighthouse evermore,
But to us He gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.
Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave!
For to us He gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.
[or Some poor struggling, sinking sailor you may rescue, you may save.]

Dark the night of sin has settled, loud the angry billows roar;
Eager eyes are watching, longing, for the lights, along the shore.
Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave!
Eager eyes are watching, longing, for the lights, along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother, some poor sailor tempest tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor, in the darkness may be lost.
Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave!
Trying now to make the harbor, some poor sailor may be lost.

I located the lyrics to this old hymn at hymnlyrics.org.

The next photo is of the lighthouse at the Crusader city of Akko on the Mediterranean. Akko (Acre) was known as Ptolemais in New Testament times. The Apostle Paul stopped at the city on the return from his third preaching journey (Acts 21:7).

The Akko Crusader City lighthouse. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Utilizing the power of some of the photo tools I use, I thought about what this lighthouse might look like if the lights did not burn at night. Add a heavy fog and it would be impossible for the captain (pilot) of the ship to see it, let alone the “lights along the shore.”

Akko Crusader City lighthouse as it might appear at night. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Two great New Testament texts come to mind:

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Jesus; Matthew 5:16 NAU)
… so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, (Apostle Paul; Philippians 2:15 NAU)

Thinking that some readers might like to use this illustration in a lesson, I have provided hi-res images. Just click on the images above.

Absalom’s Pillar and the Tomb of Zacharias, father of John | Ferrell's Travel Blog

2012-01-13T07:46:00.000-08:00

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Absalom’s Pillar and the Tomb of Zacharias, father of John

Posted on January 13, 2012 | Leave a comment

Yesterday we wrote about the mistaken identification of a first century B.C. tomb in the Kidron Valley as the monument Absalom built for himself (2 Samuel 18:18).

About 12 years ago an art history student at Hebrew University turned in a paper to Joe Zias which included an old photo of an inscription on the south side of the Pillar of Absalom. The inscription is difficult to see because the monument is cut from the natural rock. After many late afternoon visits to the site in 2002, waiting for the sun to be in the right spot to highlight the inscription, Zias finally saw it. Afterwards, efforts were made to photograph it.

South side of the Pillar of Absalom. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Zacharias & Simeon inscriptions on the Absalom Pillar.

There are two inscriptions on the south side of the monument. This little drawing, made available shortly after the announcement, shows a horizontal inscription and a vertical one. The horizontal inscription is the one pertaining to Zacharias and John. In my photo you only see a small portion of the area where the Zacharias inscription is located.

Due to a number of circumstances it was thought best to make a cast of the inscription so it could be studied in the lab. Numerous scholars from various fields of study were called in to assist and give advice. This photo shows Joe Zias, a physical anthropologist, with the cast.

Joe Zias with cast of Zacharias inscription from Absalom Monument.

The inscription is written in Byzantine Greek of the fourth century A.D. Zias teamed up with Fr. Émile Puech, a professor at the École Biblique in Jerusalem, to read the inscriptions. The horizontal inscription reads,

This is the tomb of Zacharias, martyr, very pious priest, father of John.

Luke records the naming of John by Zacharias this way:

And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. 60 But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished. 64 And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. (Luke 1:59-64 NAU)

I had the opportunity to hear Joe Zias and Émile Puech make their presentation about this discovery at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in 2003. The discovery was published in Revue Biblique, July 2003.

Could this be the priest Zacharias (also spelled Zechariah in some English versions) the father of John the Baptist? We may think that it does, but it might be best to agree with Jerome Murphy-O’Connor who says that this inscription only reflects a tradition from the 4th century A.D.

Such Byzantine identifications reflect the piety of the period and have no historical value.

Another scholarly article appeared in Near Eastern Archaeology, Dec. 2005. It includes photos showing how these scholars were able to make the cast. One of the best popular articles I saved was published in The Christian Science Monitor. I see that it is no longer available online. If you have additional interest you might take a look at the Associated Press article here.

The vertical inscription may be even more significant. Perhaps I can get to that in a future post.

Men who honor themselves. Exhibit one: Absalom | Ferrell's Travel Blog

2012-01-12T15:31:00.000-08:00

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Men who honor themselves. Exhibit one: Absalom

Posted on January 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

Both Old Testament and New Testament provide illustrations of men who honor themselves, and the folly of doing so. The elder John wrote of a man named Diotrephes “who loves to be first” among his brethren (3 John 1:9).

In the Old Testament no case is more prominent than that of Absalom the rebellious son of David.

Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a pillar which is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to preserve my name.” So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day. (2 Samuel 18:18 NAU)

In earlier times it was common for pilgrims to the Holy Land to be told that this or that structure belonged to a certain Biblical character or event. I will show you one such example.

The photo below was made in the Kidron Valley with a view to the south. On the right you see the eastern wall of the Old City of Jerusalem. On the left of the photo, where the valley becomes narrow, you can see the top of the monument called Absalom’s Pillar. An image suitable for presentations is available here. This photo would look good in PowerPoint. There is room on the upper left side sky to include appropriate scriptures.

Kidron Valley view to the south. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

In AD 1170 Benjamin of Tudela associated this monumentsin the Kidron Valley with the monument of Absalom. The monument actually belongs to the early first century B.C., and not to the time of Absalom. It is a funerary monument in front of an eight-chambered tomb.

A closeup view of the monument may be seen in the following photo.

Absalom's Pillar. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Soon I plan to explain what this monument might have to do with Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist.

En Karem (Ain Karim) — traditional home of John the Baptist | Ferrell's Travel Blog

2012-01-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

En Karem (Ain Karim) — traditional home of John the Baptist | Ferrell's Travel Blog:

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En Karem (Ain Karim) — traditional home of John the Baptist

Posted on January 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

Tradition has it that John the Baptist was born in En Karem (or Ain Karim) in the hill country of Judea. According to Shimon Gibson, the earliest document linking John to En Karem is a legendary account dated to A.D. 385-395 (The Cave of John the Baptist, 30). In that account En Karem is said to be “in the mountain” and with a “spring of water” (31). From the sixth to the eighth centuries the traditions multiply.

En Karem is about 5 miles west of Jerusalem. This photo shows a general view of the hill country of Judea. En Karem is in the valley below.

The vicinity of En Karem in the hill country of Judea. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Luke provides the account of the announcement of the birth of John, Mary’s visit to Elizabeth the mother of John, and the birth of John (Luke 1). It is interesting that Luke prefaces the announcement of the birth to Zacharias by saying that it was “in the days of Herod, king of Judea” (Luke 1:5).

No specific town is mentioned, but Luke says that Mary visited Elizabeth in the hill country of Judah.

Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. (Luk 1:39-40 NAU)

The biblical text says that after the birth of John,

Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. (Luke 1:65 NAU)

In the next view we see several churches. The one right of center with the single tower is known as the Church of St. John the Baptist. A church was built at this site as early as the 5th century A.D.

Several churches are visible in this view of En Karem. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

PaleoJudaica.com

2012-01-10T03:05:00.000-08:00

PaleoJudaica.com:

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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

ANCIENT MENORAH STAMP FOUND IN AKKO (IAA press release):

A Stamp with the Temple Menorah was Uncovered in Excavations near Akko

The tiny stamp was used to identify baked products and it probably belonged to a bakery that supplied kosher bread to the Jews of Akko in the Byzantine period
A 1,500 year old seal bearing an image of the seven-branched Temple Menorah was discovered near the city of Akko.
A ceramic stamp from the Byzantine period (6th century CE) was discovered in excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is currently conducting at Horbat Uza east of Akko, prior to the construction of the Akko-Karmiel railroad track by the Israel National Roads Company. This find belongs to a group of stamps referred to as “bread stamps” because they were usually used to stamp baked goods.

According to Gilad Jaffe and Dr. Danny Syon, the directors of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “A number of stamps bearing an image of a menorah are known from different collections. The Temple Menorah, being a Jewish symbol par excellence, indicates the stamps belonged to Jews, unlike Christian bread stamps with the cross pattern which were much more common in the Byzantine period”. According to Syon, “This is the first time such a stamp is discovered in a controlled archaeological excavation, thus making it possible to determine its provenance and date of manufacture. The stamp is important because it proves that a Jewish community existed in the settlement of Uza in the Christian-Byzantine period. The presence of a Jewish settlement so close to Akko – a region that was definitely Christian at this time – constitutes an innovation in archaeological research”. The excavators add, “Due to the geographical proximity of Horbat Uza to Akko, we can speculate that the settlement supplied kosher baked goods to the Jews of Akko in the Byzantine period”.

The stamp is engraved with a seven-branched menorah atop a narrow base, and the top of the branches forms a horizontal line. A number of Greek letters are engraved around a circle and dot on the end of the handle. Dr. Leah Di Segni, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem suggested this is probably the name Launtius. This name was common among Jews of the period and also appears on another Jewish bread stamp of unknown provenance. According to Dr. Syon and Gilad Jaffe, “This is probably the name of the baker from Horbat Uza.”
Horbat Uza is a small rural settlement where clues were previously found that allude to it being a Jewish settlement: a clay coffin, a Shabbat lamp and jars with menorah patterns painted on them were discovered there.

Dr. David Amit of the Israel Antiquities Authority, who has made a study of bread stamps, adds, “A potter engraved the menorah image in the surface of the stamp prior to firing it in a kiln, whereas the owner’s name was engraved in the stamp’s handle after firing. Hence we can assume that a series of stamps bearing the menorah symbol were produced for Jewish bakers, and each of these bakers carved his name on the handle, which also served as a stamp. In this way the dough could be stamped twice before baking: once with the menorah – the general symbol of the Jewish identity of Jewish bakeries, and the private name of the baker in each of these bakeries, which also guaranteed the bakery’s kashrut.

Click here to download high resolution photographs:

1. General view of the excavation. Photograph credit: Sky View Company, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority

2, 3. Dr. Danny Syon, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

For further information, kindly contact: Dr. Danny Syon from the Israel Antiquities Authority, 052-5991712 / dovrut@israntique.org.il

Here are the three photographs:

Media coverage so far in Arutz Sheva (with a predictable spin): Temple Menorah Stamp Affirms Jewish Claim to Land.

Although the interpretation proposed in the press release is plausible enough, it should be noted that it isn't quite certain. Menorahs were a common Jewish symbol in antiquity, but there is some evidence that Christians used them too, possibly even on a bread stamp. See Ross S. Kraemer, "Jewish Tuna and Christian Fish: Identifying Religious Affiliation in Epigraphic Sources," HTR 84 (1991), 141-62, esp. p. 151. (The article is twenty years old, but I am unaware of a follow-up that re-evaluates the evidence she collects. If there is such, please drop me a note with the bibliographic information.)

More on ancient menorahs here and links.

(IAA press release via Joseph I. Lauer.)

Relinquishing My Role as the Holy Spirit | Evangelism.net

2012-01-09T12:53:00.000-08:00

Relinquishing My Role as the Holy Spirit | Evangelism.net:

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Relinquishing My Role as the Holy Spirit

JANUARY 9, 2012 | WRITTEN BY ALAN CHAMBERS

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I had a dream last night that my wife, Leslie, and I were in a Life Group at church and a gay couple joined. The two men were friends of mine from 20 years ago and had since adopted children. They obviously knew me, how my story had evolved, and joined the group anyway. During the group one of the members awkwardly blurted out, “Alan, tell the group about your ministry.” I knew what the man was trying to do. He was reacting in a way that most evangelicals often do. We see a sinner and right away jump into “convert” mode with no thought of getting to know them or simply relating over common interests. Our default is to share our biblical conviction and immediately try to win them. We allow our performance-oriented Christianity to impact the way we interact with unbelievers. We approach them as projects to be managed and conquered instead of as people to be in relationship with. We are uncomfortable with what appears to be messy and challenging and want to put it in some religious order as soon as possible. We are ready for people modify their behavior before we have even introduced them to the One who died to change more than that behavior.

The question I ask myself a lot these days is, “What would Jesus do?” followed by, “What would He have me do?” They are not always one in the same. The fact is we are not Jesus. We have no power to heal or change anyone. We can point to His life and ministry through the Bible and our own experiences, but we aren’t Him. We are His representatives. Sometimes I think we are actually guilty of trying to be Him, or at least the Holy Spirit. It isn’t our job to bring conviction or judge. We fail to trust the Holy Spirit to do His job well when we attempt to usurp that role. So, in the context of a situation like the one in my dream, what are we to do?

Let me finish telling you my dream. When asked, I honestly cannot remember what I shared about my ministry. That wasn’t the point of the dream. I remember being uncomfortable with the direction of the “evangelism” and yet unwilling to be dishonest about my story. The group ended with all of us talking and planning for the next group. I made a point to talk with the gay couple and eagerly introduced our children to one another. I was thrilled they were there and encouraged them to come back. It wasn’t a dream about church leadership or ethics or anything like that. It was a dream about unlikely people deciding to join an unlikely church. I woke up inspired.

God isn’t grey and neither is His truth, but life is. People are. It’s not all neat and tidy outside the Church and we shouldn’t pretend like it is inside the Church, either. I want the church to be full of “pre-process”, “in-process” and “I don’t even know that there is a process” people. Messy people. People like you and me. People who need a Savior. What’s our answer for a gay couple that comes to church? The same answer that we have for anyone seeking Christ and community – you can find both here.

What if the best thing for a gay couple with children isn’t to immediately end their relationship and split their family and confuse their kids? Sometimes God’s plan for a messy situation is beyond our ability to understand and therefore we are simply to be on call for the time when He may choose to use us. Until that time, we love and serve the people He brings to us. Loving and serving might include honest conversations where you share your thoughts on sin. But, remember, you aren’t exempt from struggle or sin and honestly and humbly sharing that reality can go a long way in building trust and authenticity with those new to your community.

Time for Plowing and Planting

2012-01-09T05:04:00.000-08:00

“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”

- Psalm 25:9

Florida this time of year, is a nice place to live. The weather is mild with a touch of cold here and there. It is the time of year to begin thinking of what you will plant in the garden, the best dates for doing so, etc. Yet, this is also an unpredictable time of year in which the weather can play tricks with you - frosting one day only to be in the 70's the next. Plant too soon, frost can get the plants that come up unless you can cover them. Plant too late, and the heat will burn them up. So, what to do?

In the same way, we are to be about the Lord's business of plowing the spiritual gardens and planting spiritual seeds. We all want the garden to grow, but that is God's venue. Ours is to plant and water - God gives the increase (1 Cor.3:6,7). Therefore, whether plowing or planting, we need to admit we need a guide! God made you so that you would not be able to see into the future no matter how much you try. Why did God do this? He did it so you would depend on him.

“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death”

Prov.14:12

We all don’t want to admit we need direction or that we need a guide. Our quest for independence doesn't want to admit the reality that we’ve all made decisions that at the time seemed right but later on turned out to be wrong. Some paths lead to dead ends and we end up off track. That’s why we need to admit, “God, I need help.”

When is the right time to plow? When is the right time to plant? Farmers for years have gone to the old Farmer's Almanac for advice. I have. Doesn't it make sense then, that if we are going to work in a Spiritual Vineyard, planting spiritual seed, that we would consult the book that tells us about what, when, where, and how to do that? Consider this as you go about plowing and planting both in your own spiritual Garden as well as the world.

Jim