Crown suggests Queen Arsinoë II ruled ancient Egypt as female pharaoh

Crown Suggests Queen Arsinoë II Ruled Ancient Egypt as Female Pharaoh

ScienceDaily (Nov. 29, 2010) — A unique queen's crown with ancient symbols combined with a new method of studying status in Egyptian reliefs forms the basis for a re-interpretation of historical developments in Egypt in the period following the death of Alexander the Great. A thesis from the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) argues that Queen Arsinoë II ruled ancient Egypt as a female pharaoh, predating Cleopatra by 200 years.

---

See Also:

Fossils & Ruins

• Ancient Civilizations
• Fossils
• Archaeology
• Origin of Life
• Anthropology
• Lost Treasures

Reference

• Amarna letters
• Egyptian pyramids
• Rosetta Stone
• Tutankhamun

Researchers are largely agreed on Queen Arsinoë II's importance from the day that she was deified. She was put on a level with the ancient goddesses Isis and Hathor, and was still respected and honoured 200 years after her death when her better-known descendant Cleopatra wore the same crown. But the reasons behind Arsinoë's huge influence have been interpreted in many different ways.

Maria Nilsson has studied her historical importance by interpreting her personal crown and its ancient symbols. The crown, which has never been found but is depicted on statues and Egyptian reliefs, was created with the help of the powerful Egyptian priesthood to symbolise the qualities of the queen. The thesis questions the traditional royal line which excludes female regents, and defies some researchers' attempts to minimise Arsinoë's importance while she was still alive.

"My conclusion instead is that Arsinoë was a female pharaoh and high priestess who was equal to and ruled jointly with her brother and husband, and that she was deified during her actual lifetime," says Nilsson. "It was this combination of religion and politics that was behind her long-lived influence."

But it was not only Cleopatra who wanted to re-use Arsinoë's important and symbolic crown. Male descendants -- all named Ptolemy -- used her crown as a template when creating a new crown which they gave to the goddess Hathor to honour the domestic priesthood and so win its support when Egypt was gripped by civil war.

The thesis is clearly structured around the crown and includes its wider context in the reliefs. Nilsson paints an all-round picture of the queen, how she dressed, the gods she was depicted with, the titles she was given, and so on.

The source material comes from Egypt and can be used as a basis for understanding the country's political and religious development. At the same time, Nilsson paves the way for future studies of Egyptian crowns as symbols of power and status, and of the development of art in a more general sense.

"The creation of Queen Arsinoë's crown was just the beginning," she says.

Where did Peter preach on Pentecost? | Ferrell's Travel Blog

Where did Peter preach on Pentecost? | Ferrell's Travel Blog

Posted on November 26, 2010 by ferrelljenkins| Leave a comment

A questions comes from a young friend who has traveled to Israel with me, and who is preparing a sermon related to Peter’s sermon on Pentecost (Acts 2). He asks,

Where do you think that Peter spoke from on Pentecost? I ask because I plan on using pictures and visuals in PowerPoint and I want to make sure I’m showing pictures of the right places. From my research, it seems most likely that Peter would have either spoken from the southern steps leading up to the Temple Mount (the double gate) or from the actual Temple Mount. I plan to show just how large the area was, and why there would have been so many people at the Temple that day and at that time (9:00 am).

I have gathered a few comments that express some of my thoughts on this matter.

Some scholars begin with the “one place” where the disciples were gathered (Acts 2:1). It is said to be a “house” (Greek, oikos, Acts 2:2). Kistemaker indicates the place was a house and not in the precincts of the temple. He says we can not be certain, but assumes it was a place near the temple.

Where were the believers? Luke tersely writes that they were “in one place.” If we think of the upper room (1:13), we question whether this room could accommodate a group of 120. Luke, however, indicates that they were sitting in a house (v. 2) and not in the precincts of the temple.³ We admit that we are unable to achieve certainty, but we presume that the meeting place was near the temple, where the apostles stayed continually praising God (compare Luke 24:53). — New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Acts of the Aposltes, 76.

Longnecker discusses references where the term house is used of the temple. He says,

… in the temple precincts they would have had the best opportunity of addressing a large crowd.

His conclusion is,

Therefore it is likely that Luke meant us to picture that same upper room as the setting for the miracle of the Spirit’s coming and the place from where the disciples first went out to proclaim the gospel.

The view that the preaching of Acts 2 took places in the house (upper room) does not provide suitable explanation for the larger group suggested in the text. About three thousand persons accepted the gospel and were baptized on that day (Acts 2:41). There were obviously many who did not obey.

Acts 2 begins in a house, but closes in the temple (Acts 2:46). Marshall expresses my thoughts.

We must assume that at some point the disciples moved outside from the upper room and came in contact with the crowds assembled in Jerusalem for the feast; dwelling need not necessarily imply permanent residence, although many Jews did return to Jerusalem from the Dispersion to end their days there. (Acts: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries)

We should note that the term for temple in Acts 2 is hieros. This is the term used of the “temple courts” (NET) or the “temple complex” (CSB).

Second Temple model at the Israel Museum. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The temple precinct or complex is large. I was in Jerusalem one year at the close of the Moslem Ramadan when it was reported that more than 100,000 persons were present in the area. This would have provided adequate space for the activities of Acts 2.

The LORD prophesied through Isaiah about the events of the Pentecost of Acts 2.

And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3 NAU)

It is true that the term Zion was sometimes applied to the entire city of Jerusalem, but it frequently seems to have a more specific reference to the temple area.

The disciples continued to go up to the temple at the hour of prayer (Acts 3:1). Their number soon grew to five thousand men and they met in Solomon’s Portico, thought to be on the east side of the temple platform (Acts 4:4; 5:12).

Where did Peter preach? I can’t be absolutely certain, but I opt for the temple complex. A copy of the photo suitable for presentations is available by clicking on the image.

The Woman at Jacob's Well

Before I begin this article, I'm going to assume a couple of things. First, I'm going to assume that you are a believer in the Bible, or at least in God. Second, I'm going to assume that you believe Jesus to be the Messiah. If not, then please feel free to write me and I will be glad to discuss this and your views.

John 4:25

The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh (he that is called Christ): when he is come, he will declare unto us all things.

This comment is made by the Samaritan Woman at Jacob's well to Jesus. It is an interesting one, when you know the background of the Samaritans and of this encounter with Jesus. Especially when you read just a little further that she goes and tells those of her village, and Jesus goes and speaks to them, showing them from THEIR scripture that HE is the Christ/Messiah. I want to delve into this a little further to see what we can learn from this encounter, not necessarily in a theological way, but in a practical way about encountering those who don't necessarily believe the same way that we do..

The whole encounter by Jesus with this woman is intriguing. John goes to great pain to give us the details behind this and the things that can be drawn from it. He is quick to emphasize that

1. She is a woman of Samaria (vs.7) and therefore not Jewish.
2. That the Jews of the day, did not have anything to do with Samaritans (vs.9)
3. That Jesus is alone with her at the well (vs.8) at the time of this discussion. (vs.27)
4. She is "living with" a man, to whom she is not married (vs.17)

All of the items above, were taboo for orthodox Jews of the day. Samaritans, had long been considered "non-Jews" by the time of Jesus. The name "Samaritan" appears only once in the Old Testament, in II Kings 17:29 where it is used for those colonists transplanted by the Assyrians, who persisted in their pagan ways. The majority of the population though, consisted of Israelites from the northern tribes who had not been deported. They were mostly farmers and common folk made up of the “mixed” faith of worshipping God outside of the tenets of the Law and not returning to Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:29). The mixed population of Samaria was not accepted as "Jewish" by those returned from the Babylonian Exile and began to rebuild the Temple, because of their persistent idolatrous practices and primarily because they refused to adhere to the scripture (2 Ki.17:41) that Jerusalem was the place designated by God in the Law to worship (Ezra 4:1-24). The Samaritans maintained their hostile attitudes and actions through the years, and were directed against Nehemiah (Neh 6:1-13). Their opposition proved unsuccessful but the division was now complete. Samaritans were forbidden to offer sacrifices at the Jerusalem Temple or to intermarry with Jews, while the Samaritans built their own temple on Mount Gerazim, near Shechem. Their Bible consisted of the Pentateuch (first 5 books of Moses) alone. The text features minor deviations from the accepted Hebrew text, but the primary deviation is the alternation specifically mentioning Mount Gerazim as the site of the temple ("in mount Ebal" (Deut. 32:4) to "in mount Gerizim") It is this mountain that the woman mentions in John 4.

A couple of striking things come from Jesus' discussion with the woman, that stand to us as lessons of teaching today.

1. Just because "orthodox" religion doesn't consider someone to be teachable or acceptable to be considered worthy of spiritual enlightenment, should not mean that they are right. While the orthodox of the day of Jesus thought these people unacceptable, and teaching them to make one unclean, Jesus shows us that truth is for EVERYONE (see Jn.3:16).
2. Just because someone believes differently than I do, does not mean that they cannot be taught, and that we cannot have civil conversation.
3. Jesus talks with the woman regardless of societal views. Then as now, it is considered a "taboo" thing to speak to a woman alone, without anyone else around as a 'witness." It was considered by the Jews of the day as indecorous to talk with a woman in public, and the rabbins held that to talk with such an inferior creature was beneath the dignity of a doctor of the law. Jesus, talks with her showing us that both of these perceptions are wrong.
4. The woman is "living with" a man that is not her husband. The hint of immorality and stigma of this is very much implied, especially as it related to the way that the Jews of the day viewed this. Once again, Jesus shows us, that teaching the truth to someone and helping them to find God, is more important than social stigma. He was not there to judge her, He was there to help her.
5. John 4:40-42 shows us the value of what the Lord did with this one woman. It is interesting here, that Jesus spends 2 more days there teaching them. It is also interesting that they state, "we have heard Him ourselves and know that this is truly the Christ, the Savior of the world." It did not matter whether they were right or wrong on the point of WHERE God was to be worshiped. Jesus answers this with the woman in (Jn.4:21). What was important was not only truth, but SPIRIT. Both are required. So, there are two maxims here.. a.) When truth is right, the SPIRIT will shine. b.) When the SPIRIT is right, truth will be manifest.

Jesus also takes the time here in this chapter to teach His disciples the value of teaching, and to not let teaching be swayed by prejudice. Opportunities are all around, if one will just open their eyes and hearts to see. We might argue, "but they don't even have the same Bible that we do." The Samaritans didn't either, but Jesus took the opportunity to speak with and teach them.

In "The Fourfold Gospel" by J.W.McGarvey and Phillip Pendleton (http://www.ccel.org/m/mcgarvey/ffg/FFG000A.HTM) it states, "His delight at the woman's conversion, as a part of the work which his Father had given him to do, overcame for a time his desire for food. Food has several characteristics: 1. enjoyment; 2. satisfaction of desire; 3. refreshment and strength. God's work had these characteristics to Jesus, whose life fulfilled the principle that man shall not live by bread alone."

Wouldn't this be a wonderful thing, if we were this way too?

Jim

Presenting the Gospel Naturally and Quickly while Blessing the Food | Evangelism.net

Presenting the Gospel Naturally and Quickly while Blessing the Food | Evangelism.net

There is one very simple opportunity many people get that they tend to underestimate the impact it can have. That is asking the blessing at a meal.

Sometimes when you’re with someone and they sense you ought to ask a blessing, perhaps because you’re there they go one step further and say, “Would you like to return thanks?” I always welcome that kind of opportunity because it’s such a good way to present the gospel. I’ve found several things that are important.

One, it’s important to realize that you’re actually blessing the Lord, not the food. When you look in Scripture the psalmist blesses the Lord for who He is and the benefits we receive from His hand are because of that. So when I return thanks I’m making it clear in my prayer that we’re praising God for being such a giver of all good gifts. And then I mention that the food in front of us is an indication of how good He is. I even mention in my prayer how grateful we are that He gives us what we don’t deserve and gives it to us in abundance.

With that thought in mind, it then allows me to say something to the extent of, “And Lord we thank you for the greatest gift you’ve ever given us – the gift of eternal life by allowing your Son to die on a cross as our substitute, take the punishment for our sins, and rise again. And we thank you as we trust in Him alone as our only way to heaven, we can have the greatest gift of all, eternal life.”

In so doing, I’ve shared the gospel very informally, being careful to mention it’s a free gift because of what Christ did on the cross. I then close my prayer with what I started, by thanking God for being such a giver of all good gifts, and ask Him to help us to walk in the spirit of gratitude after we’ve enjoyed the meal together.

One more thought. As you thank the Lord for the food, keep your blessing brief. Remember, it’s a blessing, not a sermon. It only takes a portion of a minute to say everything I’ve just mentioned above. Another thing you might do as you thank the Lord for the food is mention particular people that helped prepared it, and thank the Lord for them as well.

When you have an opportunity like this, use it wisely and use it well. You could put a thought in someone’s mind that God will use to bring them to Christ.

It's Your DESTINY!

It's Your DESTINY!

"Therefore, pay careful attention to how you conduct your life

— live wisely, not unwisely. Use your time well, for these are evil days"

Eph.5:15,16

Destiny is defined as "that to which any person or thing is destined; a predetermined state; a condition foreordained by the Divine or by human will; fate; lot; doom. The fixed order of things; invincible necessity; fate; an irresistible power or agency conceived of as determining the future, whether in general or of an individual." We seldom pause to think about reaching the end of something that is yet in our future. That's because we're alive today and we have it to get through. But this is a serious question. Whether by an untimely death, or natural causes, what am I doing to prepare for that day when I will meet destiny?

It is interesting that in the telling of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Lk.16) that both men had destiny to meet. It is also interesting that this destiny they were yet to meet, was based upon what they did and their conduct while alive here. Many of us though, like the writer of Ecclesiastes, come to points in our lives when we state, "So I came to hate life, because the activities done under the sun were loathsome to me, since everything is meaningless and feeding on wind (Ecc.2:17)." Yet, God's ultimate goal for our life is not comfort, but character development. Paul states, "but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ (Eph 4:15)."

In all of creation, only human beings, are made "in God's image." This is a great privilege and gives us dignity. We don't know all this phrase covers, but we do know some of the aspects it includes. The Bible says that all people, not just believers, possess part of the image of God (Genesis 6:9; Psalm 139:13-16; James 3:9). But that image has been damaged and distorted by sin. So God sent Jesus to restore the full image that we have lost. What does the full "image and likeness" of God look like? The Bible says Jesus is "the exact likeness of God," "the visible image of the invisible God," and "the exact representation of his being." (2 Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3)

Many religions and New Age philosophers say that this is our destiny - to "become gods." That prideful lie is Satan's oldest temptation. Satan promised Adam and Eve that if they followed his advice, "you shall be as gods." (Genesis 3:5) This desire to be "a god" shows up every time we try to control our circumstances, our future, and people around us.As creatures, we will never be the Creator. God doesn't want us to become "a god." He wants us to become GODLY - taking on HIS values, attitudes, and character. We are meant to take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life. Paul wrote, "God's Son was before all else, and by him everything is held together. He is the head of his body, which is the church. He is the very beginning, the first to be raised from death, so that he would be above all others. God himself was pleased to live fully in his Son. And God was pleased for him to make peace by sacrificing his blood on the cross, so that all beings in heaven and on earth would be brought back to God. Col.1:17-20"

Just like the Rich Man or Lazarus, we choose our destinies. God wants us to grow up spiritually and become like Christ, but, He does not force us to do so. "Furthermore, we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called in accordance with his purpose; because those whom he knew in advance, he also determined in advance would be conformed to the pattern of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers; and those whom he thus determined in advance, he also called; and those whom he called, he also caused to be considered righteous; and those whom he caused to be considered righteous he also glorified! Rom.8:28-30" The question us, what do our lives, character, and actions say about what our destinies are? Are they with God, with Christ? or somewhere else that we don't want to go?

Luke16:28 "Let him warn my five brothers, so they won't come to this horrible place."

Jim