Scholars: Oldest Evidence of Jesus? (202 views) Subscribe   
  From:  Minister Falcon (OSMFalcon)     10/21/2002 8:30 pm  
To:  ALL   (1 of 19)  
 
  455.1  
 
Scholars: Oldest evidence of Jesus?
By Jeordan Legon
CNN
Monday, October 21, 2002 Posted: 10:18 PM EDT (0218 GMT)


   
Scientists say that this box dates from A.D. 63.  
 
 
  
 
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A limestone burial box, almost 2,000 years old, may provide the oldest archeological record of Jesus of Nazareth, according to several experts who announced the finding Monday. 

The ossuary, as the bone boxes are known, dates to A.D. 63 and has an inscription in Aramaic which translates to: "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus," said Andre Lemaire, an expert in ancient writing who identified the writing on the box in Jerusalem last spring. 

Aramaic, an ancient Semitic language, was the lingua franca of the Middle East for many centuries. At the time of Jesus' life, Aramaic was the common language of the Jews. Hebrew was the language of government, religion and the upper classes. 

Writing about his findings in the new issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Lemaire, who teaches at the Sorbonne in Paris, called it "very probable" that the box belonged to Jesus' brother James, who by Christian tradition was the leader of the early church in Jerusalem. 

Some scholars expressed doubt that the box, which is 20 inches long by 11 inches wide, could be definitively linked to Jesus, a Jewish carpenter by trade revered by Christians as the son of God. 

"We may never be absolutely certain. In the work I do we're rarely absolutely certain about anything," said Kyle McCarter, a Johns Hopkins University archaeologist, who said that the finding was probable, but that he had "a bit of doubt." 

While most scholars agree that Jesus existed, no physical evidence from the first century has ever been conclusively tied with his life. 

Two scientists from the Israeli government's geological survey tested the box last month, inspecting the surface patina and inscription under a microscope. They concurred that the object is more than 19 centuries old, the archaeology magazine reported. 

"It's hard to avoid the conclusion that these three names refer to the personages so identified in the New Testament," said Hershel Shanks, editor of Biblical Archaeology Review. 

Many of the conclusions reached by experts relied on the inscription written on the ossuary. The boxes commonly were used by Jewish families between 20 B.C. and A.D. 70 to store the bones of their loved ones. 

Lemaire said out of hundreds of such boxes found with Aramaic writing only two contain mentions of a brother. From this, scholars infer that the brother was noted only when he was someone important. 

James, Joseph and Jesus were common names in ancient Jerusalem, a city of about 40,000 residents. Lemaire estimates there could have been as many as 20 Jameses in the city with brothers named Jesus and fathers named Joseph. 

   
The inscription reads, "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus," according to scholars.  
 
 
 
But it is unlikely there would have been more than one James who had a brother of such importance that it merited having him mentioned on his ossuary, Lemaire said. 

Lemaire found the box in June by accident, said Shanks, who was able to inspect the box personally. 

The owner is reported to be a collector of ancient Jewish artifacts. The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, bought the box some 15 years ago from an antique dealer for $200 to $700, Shanks said. 

The boxes "are not popular on the market because ... people don't want a bone box in their living room," Shanks said. 

The collector, who is Jewish, was not aware that Jesus had a brother. He discovered the interest in the object only when he met Lemaire at a dinner party last spring and asked him to decipher some Aramaic written on a number of collectibles, Shanks said. 

The box owner "didn't realize the significance," Shanks said. "He threw up his hands, 'How could the Son of God have a brother?'" 

Plans are under way to exhibit the box at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada, during the annual meeting of Bible scholars in November, Shanks said. 

But he said whether the box belonged to Jesus' brother, it still provides a powerful link with the past. 

"This is something that provides a bridge over time," he said. "My reaction is not so much excitement as it is awe." 
 
  
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    10/21/2002 8:58 pm  
To:  Minister Falcon (OSMFalcon)    (2 of 19)  
 
  455.2 in reply to 455.1  
 
Excellent Post!

In the book "Signature of God" by Grant Jefferies

http://www.grantjeffrey.com/intfra.htm

He describes how containers for both Ananias and Sapphir (Acts 5:1-11) were located. Unlike James these two names are very uncommon in Israel and both of their containers were inscribed with Christian symbols and located in a small but growing Christian cemetery in Jerusalem.

Jewish and Biblical Christian relics are easier to pinpoint than many people realize.

Because for the last 2,000 years much of Israel has been abandoned leaving Ancient Israel intact.

Here is a brief timeline 

Year 1 A.D.  Jesus was born (Approximately)

Year 35 A.D. Jesus is Crucified

Year 70 A.D. Jerusalem is destroyed by the Roman army

Year 1948 A.D. Jews resettle Israel in mass. (Although there has Always been a Jewish population in Israel as many Jews refused to leave during the various evictions by ruling countries like, Rome, Turkey, and England)

Year 1947-1957 Dead Sea Scrolls are found in several different caves by various nomadic shepard boys.

year 1967 A.D. Jews Reclaim Jerusalem as their Capital city during a war with Arabs.

So if a person discovers an artifact in Israel it likely dates to pre 70 A.D. and is either a Christian or Jewish artifact.

God Bless You,

David



David A. Brown
Basic Christian: Forum
www.BasicChristian.org




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Edited 10/22/2002 10:53:28 AM ET by David (DAVIDABROWN) 
  
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    10/22/2002 10:21 am  
To:  Minister Falcon (OSMFalcon)    (3 of 19)  
 
  455.3 in reply to 455.1  
 
Hi,

Last night I e-mailed this article to one of my past Theology Professors from the School of Ministry that I attended. It just so happens that Professor Dr. David Hocking is also one of the worlds foremost experts on Israel Biblical Times.

I got his email address off of his web site and Im positive that he doesnt know me or remember me and I didnt expect a reply from Dr. Hocking but he was gracious enough to reply so Im going to post his reply for others to read as well.

This is basically an acknowledgment email from Dr. Hocking, I listen to his radio program almost every day so if he does speak about further details about it there is a good chance I can update us about it.

God Bless you

David A. Brown



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Certainly its presence in BAR and its commendation by Herschel Shanks is important. However, time will tell. First of all, Jewish sources make it clear and so does the NT that Jesus and His disciples spoke Hebrew, not Aramaic has is commonly held. Aramaic was the trade language of the Middle East, of course, but the Jews of the first century spoke Hebrew - if you refer to the common people. The archaeological find is interesting, perhaps more so because it confirms what the NT teaches about the brother of Jesus - James (Ya'acov) - that he was the first pastor of the church in Jerusalem.

e-mail reply from Dr. David Hocking:


David A. Brown
Basic Christian: Forum
www.BasicChristian.org

 
  
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  From:  Minister Falcon (OSMFalcon)     10/22/2002 10:34 am  
To:  David (DavidABrown)    (4 of 19)  
 
  455.4 in reply to 455.3  
 
Very interesting....mind if I pass this on?
 
  
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    10/22/2002 10:50 am  
To:  Minister Falcon (OSMFalcon)    (5 of 19)  
 
  455.5 in reply to 455.1  
 
I certainly agree with Dr. David Hocking that Hebrew is the Language that was commonly spoken by Jesus and His fellow Jews in the days of Jesus as the Bible says. Here are some Biblical examples that Hebrew was the common language and not Aramaic.

It was Hebrew that was written by Pontius Pilate and put on the cross of Jesus for the people to see and not Aramaic. John 19:20 
The Apostle Paul when he got his one chance to address his message to his beloved Jewish brethren in Jerusalem he spoke to them in Hebrew and not Aramaic and Paul certainly wanted to be heard and understood by the entire crowd of Jews. Acts 22:40 
On the cross when Jesus cried "Eli" Eli" and the Jews thought that he was calling for Elijah. It is my understanding that "Eli" in Aramaic would not be Confused with Elijah but that "Eli" in Hebrew would be close to Elijah and therefore confused for Elijah Matthew 27:46-47. Meaning that it is possible that New Testament Hebrew Language references like "Eli" were re-written into Aramaic by an early anti-Jewish movement. 
The majority of Archeology household finds are in fact written in Hebrew, meaning that when common people wrote notes to themselves or others, usually on clay tablets or clay jars, that they wrote in Hebrew and not in Aramaic.
I think this topic is important because here in insisting that Aramaic was the common language is another example where "Scholarly Inventions" just do not match the Bible.

I used to subscribe to BAR (Biblical Archeology Review) Magazine but in the end I chose not to renew my subscription because every issue seemed to have some "Scholarly" slant that went against good Archeology practices and the Bible yet was true to their own "Scholarly" agenda. The final straw was when their issue regarding the Temple Mount in Israel gave several references but left out entirely the most notable modern expert because his theory didnt match their theory.

God Bless you,

David



David A. Brown
Basic Christian: Forum
www.BasicChristian.org




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Edited 10/22/2002 1:59:26 PM ET by David (DAVIDABROWN) 
  
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  From:  Minister Falcon (OSMFalcon)     10/22/2002 12:28 pm  
To:  David (DavidABrown)    (6 of 19)  
 
  455.6 in reply to 455.5  
 
I know in my own studies that I have found err in some scholarly writings.  That's what makes us human, I guess...perfection has not been achieved....yet!  Amen?

However, I too reject scholarly writings if they conflict with bible assertions...the rule of thumb, scripture interprets scripture.  However, when you are looking into historical findings...archeologists, historians, and scientists often conflict.  I tend to trust the historical and scientific community IF they have a Christian background and are researching to prove the bible accuracies.  Glad to see that you don't throw your money away on prejudical and subjective teachings...~Minister Falcon

 
 
  
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  From:  SweetDesire2   10/31/2002 5:56 pm  
To:  David (DavidABrown)    (7 of 19)  
 
  455.7 in reply to 455.3  
 
[edited]  .. The gist of the one book I read and the one chapter of a second book I skimmed is that the natural order of a man is to be the Master of a woman. 
[edited] .. 

Ironically enough I had believed these very lies when I first became a christian and God spent years freeing me from these deceptions and healing me. Years ago had I read this nonsense I would have crumbled in pain and confusion. Now what I would like to do is find out information on how women were treated culterally by the Jewish people in the ancient days and how slaves were treated I am not finding information on these topics. Can anyone here help me?



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Edited 10/31/2002 9:25:18 PM ET by David (DAVIDABROWN) 
  
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    10/31/2002 6:23 pm  
To:  SweetDesire2 unread  (8 of 19)  
 
  455.8 in reply to 455.7  
 
Hi Sweetdesre2,

That teaching sounds really bad.

Of course Christianity is about being free and being no mans slave, or no demons slave for that matter, but being in friendship with God.

I think an ancient Jewish scholar/historian named Josephus might be a good start most of his writings have survived intact to this day. He was born just about the time of the cross of Jesus in 32 A.D. and he was an eyewitness to the Roman Armies destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. You might have to do some gleaning to get family and slave info though.

God Bless you,

David



David A. Brown
Basic Christian: Forum
www.BasicChristian.org




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Edited 10/31/2002 9:30:05 PM ET by David (DAVIDABROWN) 
  
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    11/7/2002 1:17 pm  
To:  Minister Falcon (OSMFalcon)    (9 of 19)  
 
  455.9 in reply to 455.6  
 
Source: www.JPost.com

Breaking his silence, the reclusive owner of an ancient burial box said Thursday he will never sell what may be the oldest archaeological link to Jesus, but that he is willing to have it exhibited in Israel.

The inscription on the limestone box, or ossuary, reads "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus," leading some scholars to believe it contained the remains of James, the brother of Jesus of Nazareth. Others have said it might be a forgery, or that it might have been the burial box of a different James, unrelated to Jesus Christ.

The existence of the ossuary was revealed last month at a news conference in Washington by the Biblical Archaeology Review. At the time, the editor of the magazine, Hershel Shanks, said the owner insisted on not being identified.

The owner, Oded Golan, a 51-year-old engineer from Tel Aviv, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Thursday that he had refused to come forward until now because he is a very private man. "It's a character issue. I don't like publicity," he said.

Golan said he agreed to a limited number of interviews after an Israeli daily published his name this week.

Golan has been questioned by inspectors from the Israel Antiquities Authority who wanted to know more about the origin of the ossuary, both to help with the scientific inquiry and to determine whether laws had been broken.

Golan insisted Thursday that he bought the James ossuary in the mid-1970s from an antiquities dealer in the Old City of Jerusalem for about $200 and that he cannot remember the dealer's name. "I had three ossuaries in those years, and I don't remember who I bought each one from," he said.

However, antiquities inspectors, who have questioned several Old City dealers, are also checking suspicions that Golan bought the ossuary only a few months ago. In such a case, those involved in the sale could be prosecuted for dealing in stolen goods, said Amir Ganor, head of the anti-robbery unit in the Antiquities Authority.

Israel's antiquities law was passed in 1978, and it would be difficult to prosecute transactions made before then. The law itself is somewhat murky, allowing a private trade in antiquities even now, despite the likelihood that most artifacts reaching dealers would necessarily come from robbers.

Golan said he did not remember the exact year he bought the ossuary. He said he was certain that by 1976, when he got an engineering degree from Israel's Technion Institute, it was already in his possession.

Golan's father, Eliezer, said the box was stored on the balcony of the family's Tel Aviv apartment for years, and that his son took it with him when he got his own place 15 years ago.

Shanks told last month's news conference the collector bought the ossuary 15 years ago. Trying to explain the contradiction, Golan said Shanks apparently misunderstood when he told him the ossuary had been stored in his apartment for 15 years.

Golan said he was unaware of the potential importance of the find because he knows little about Christian tradition. "I certainly didn't tie it to the family of Jesus of Nazareth," he said.

Golan said several months ago, he invited French scholar Andre Lemaire to his apartment to examine a different ossuary in his collection, and that at the time, Lemaire also took a look at the James ossuary. Golan said he has one of the largest private antiquities collections in the world and that he owns dozens of burial boxes.

The ossuary is to go on display, starting Nov. 16, at the Royal Ontario Museum.

It was cracked in several places in transit to Canada, with one crack running through the inscription. Museum officials in Toronto have said the ossuary was damaged because its packing fell short of the standard, which involves double wooden crates separated by stiff materials.

Golan said an experienced packing company wrapped the ossuary with many layers of bubble wrap and a special type of paper. "Then the ossuary was placed in a small box of cardboard that is hard, but flexible, and then it was placed in a larger carton," Golan said.

The Antiquities Authority, which had issued a temporary export permit, insisted the ossuary be back in Israel by the end of February. At that time, it will be more thoroughly investigated by Israeli experts.

Golan said he has no plans to return the ossuary to his apartment because it would cost too much to insure. However, he said, he would not sell it. "This is part of my collection," he said.

"It (the box) can sit in a safe, or in a museum that will do the insurance, or in another protected place that is open to the public," he said, adding that the artifact would have to remain in Israel.

Ganor, the antiquities inspector, said that if it turned out the ossuary was traded recently, it could be seized by the authorities.



David A. Brown
Basic Christian: Forum
www.BasicChristian.org

 
  
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    11/7/2002 1:37 pm  
To:  ALL   (10 of 19)  
 
  455.10 in reply to 455.9  
 
In my opinion it looks like this burial box is going to unravel as a hoax.

I have a few doubts about it.

1. The lack of Christian symbols on the box. The early Church relished symbols to represent the Christian faith. Most known early Christian burial boxes were marked with a Christian witness of their faith.

2. The writing is in Aramaic instead of Greek or Hebrew.

3. The claim of scientist that it is exactly the right age. Viewing sciences really bad track record in artifact dating this is a sure sign of a hoax.

In order to establish the authenticity of ancient artifacts there is a very strict code scholars follow and the chain of custody and authenticity has not been established.

I have to place this artifact right there with the Shroud of Turin as a likely non-Christian artifact. Because the Shroud of Turin does not match the description of the burial of Jesus in the Bible.

But I do look for the Arc of Noah to be accurately Recovered for a Last Days Witness of Gods second Global Judgment to come.

Just a thought about artifacts.

Besides there are literally thousands of manuscripts and other artifacts that do testify of Jesus and other biblical people, places, times and events so anything new just confirms existing established protocal.

God Bless you,

David



David A. Brown
Basic Christian: Forum
www.BasicChristian.org

 
  
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  From:  Minister Falcon (OSMFalcon)     11/7/2002 1:46 pm  
To:  David (DavidABrown)    (11 of 19)  
 
  455.11 in reply to 455.9  
 
I agree David....thanks for the info...~Minister Falcon 
  
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    12/19/2002 7:35 pm  
To:  ALL   (12 of 19)  
 
  455.12 in reply to 455.11  
 
I just wanted to update this issue a little.

There is some speculation that this whole event  story is a plant, a planned event, aimed and timed directly at the Catholic Church and those who are Catholics.

This is considered a specific attack on the Catholics as the Catholic teaching is that Jesus does not have any physical earthly brothers or sisters and of course this bone box is inscribed as a brother of Jesus.

The timing is of course right after the much publicized devastating homosexual behavior of some of the Priests.

I for one am honored by the Catholics who are continuing to stand strong in Jesus and not be swayed by the productions [propaganda] of the nightly news and other mass media outlets.

God Bless you,

David



David A. Brown
Basic Christian: Forum
www.BasicChristian.org

 
  
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  From:  sparrow40   1/4/2003 2:06 pm  
To:  David (DavidABrown)    (13 of 19)  
 
  455.13 in reply to 455.8  
 
Thank you 
  
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    6/18/2003 7:26 am  
To:  Minister Falcon (OSMFalcon)    (14 of 19)  
 
  455.14 in reply to 455.1  
 
source www.CS.com  
6/18/2003

Jesus Mystery: Bone Box Ruled a Fake 
Last November, an Israeli named Oded Golan produced a limestone box, called an ossuary, that purportedly held the bones of Jesus' brother, James. (An ossuary was used in ancient times as a burial box.) It bears the inscription, "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." Thought to be the oldest archeological link to New Testament figures, the inscription has now been ruled a forgery by Israel's Antiquities Authority, reports The Associated Press. James, who is referred to as the brother of Jesus in Matthew 13:55, became the head of the church in Jerusalem. 

Although the limestone box itself is authentic and dates from ancient times, the Antiquities Authority determined the inscription in it was a modern-day forgery. "The box is original; probably we have in our storeroom hundreds of the same or similar ossuaries. The inscription is false," Shuka Dorfman, head of the Antiquities Authority, told AP.
This is the evidence that proves the inscription is a forgery:
--The words were cut through the ancient box's patina, which is a thin coating that is acquired only with age. That proves the writing was not ancient.
--The inscription was written by someone of modern times who was attempting to reproduce ancient characters. 


Golan, the owner of the ossuary, dismissed the officials' findings insisting they had "preconceived notions." Had the artifact been authenticated, it would have been worth between $1 million to $2 million. Golan claims he purchased the box in the mid-1970s from an antiquities dealer in the Old City of Jerusalem for about $200. However, antiquities inspectors think he may have purchased it more recently. If that's the case he and others involved in the sale could be prosecuted for dealing in stolen goods. The police investigation continues.



David A. Brown
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  From:  Minister Falcon (OSMFalcon)     6/18/2003 2:44 pm  
To:  David (DavidABrown)    (15 of 19)  
 
  455.15 in reply to 455.14  
 
This is interesting!  You were right David, you thought it might be a forgery...amen for discernment!  ~Minister Falcon 
  
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    6/18/2003 5:32 pm  
To:  Minister Falcon (OSMFalcon)    (16 of 19)  
 
  455.16 in reply to 455.15  
 
Hi OmsFalcon,

 

When something doesnt match the Bibles account it always turns out to be a hoax.

 

The Bible is so accurate and detailed it really is a Miraculous document.

 

In this case the Bible says that the Language of Israel in the days of Jesus was Hebrew. Aramaic was not even mentioned. It is only scholars that promote the Aramaic idea so as soon as I read that it was in Aramaic and saw the sloppy letters I figured it was a hoax.

 

Besides there are many of those Real bone boxes for both Jews and Early Christians and the early Christians have Crosses, fish, vines and other Christian symbols on them.

 

God Bless you,
David



David A. Brown
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    6/24/2003 11:20 am  
To:  ALL   (17 of 19)  
 
  455.17 in reply to 455.16  
 
 Israeli Authorities Conclude 
Burial Box Inscription Forged 

( ABP) -- An inscription on an ancient stone box that has been touted as the only physical evidence of Jesus' existence is almost certainly a forgery, a panel of Israeli archaeologists has concluded. 

Officials with Israel's Antiquities Authority announced June 18 that the inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" on the stone ossuary was almost certainly forged in recent decades. 

Ossuaries -- small coffins for holding the skeletal remains of deceased persons -- were commonly used as burial containers by families in first-century Palestine. The discovery became worldwide news in October, when an article in the Biblical Archaeological Review cited it as the first direct physical link to Jesus' existence and claimed that it was "very probable" that the box actually had held the bones of Jesus' brother, James. 

But months of investigation by archaeologists and antiquities authorities have raised doubts about the authenticity of the inscription. A statement released by the Israeli officials said, "The inscription appears new, written in modernity by someone attempting to reproduce ancient written characters." 

The archaeologists cited close investigations of the inscription -- written in Aramaic, an ancient Palestinian language -- that seemed to show that the letters had been carved through layers of patina, or discoloration caused by aging, on the stone. If the letters had been carved in the stone around the time it was produced, the patina would cover the inscription as well. 

But Hershel Shanks, editor of Biblical Archaeological Review, said June 19 he is "not convinced at all" that the inscription is a forgery, according to the Washington Post. Shanks' magazine subjected the ossuary to extensive testing before publishing its article. He also said that archaeological politics may have caused the Israeli board to be biased against the inscription's authenticity. 

The box's Israeli owner also stood by his discovery's authenticity. "I am certain the ossuary is real, I am certain that the committee is wrong regarding its conclusions," said Oded Golan, according to the Associated Press. Golan said he got the artifact from a Jerusalem antiquities dealer in the mid-1970s. 

But the Israeli experts said there was another piece of evidence that the ossuary probably didn't actually belong to James. They said the stone used to make it likely came from Cyprus or northern Syria rather than ancient Palestine. 

 2003 Associated Baptist Press 
 2003 Maranatha Christian News Service 

(Post date: June 23, 2003) 



David A. Brown
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    9/10/2003 7:04 pm  
To:  ALL   (18 of 19)  
 
  455.18 in reply to 455.17  
 
http://printerfriendly.abcnews.com/printerfriendly/Print?fetchFromGLUE=true&GLUEService=ABCNewsCom

Tests Confirm Ancient Jerusalem Tunnel

Tests Confirm Ancient Jerusalem Tunnel Built Under Hezekiah's Reign, As Described in the Bible

The Associated Press


Sept. 10  

A tunnel that snakes under the ancient walls of Jerusalem likely was built around 700 B.C. during the reign of King Hezekiah, as described in the Bible, a new study suggests.

The tunnel's age had been debated by biblical scholars, a few of whom had suggested it was built centuries later. The only surviving clue to its age had been an inscription discovered in 1880 on a tunnel wall, which supported the link to Hezekiah but did not specifically name him.

In the new study, analysis of stalactite samples from the ceiling of the Siloam Tunnel and plant material recovered from its plaster floor both confirm the biblical record, researchers say.

"We believe this point is now clearly settled," said Amos Frumkin, a geologist and director of the Cave Research Center at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He and colleagues present their analysis in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.

Hershel Shanks, an expert on the history of Jerusalem who writes for the Biblical Archaeology Review, said "it's nice to have scientific confirmation for what the vast majority of biblical scholars and archaeologists believe."

Shanks, who didn't participate in the new study, said confirmation of the tunnel's age was important because so little scientific testing has been done to date biblical structures.

"If you can couple various technological capabilities and science with more traditional scholarship and other historical analysis, and reach the same conclusion, that's a pretty powerful argument," said Bruce Zuckerman, a University of Southern California religion professor and expert in biblical archaeology.

Testing is difficult, they say, because sample material from buildings and structures mentioned in the Bible are hard to identify and may be poorly preserved, or access by scientists may be restricted for political or religious reasons.

The tunnel's plant fragments were subjected to radiocarbon dating, which measures age by the decay of a radioactive form of carbon. Core samples from the stalactites underwent chemical testing and other examination to determine age.

As far as Frumkin or other experts such as Shanks and Zuckerman could determine, the tests marked the first time that a well-identified biblical structure had been subjected to extensive radiocarbon dating.

Biblical accounts mentioned in Kings and Chronicles say the 1,750-foot-long tunnel was constructed to move water from the Gihon spring all the way across the ancient city of Jerusalem into the pool of Siloam to protect the city's water supply from an Assyrian siege. The Assyrian empire was consolidating its control of the area after a rebellion led in part by Hezekiah.

The serpentine tunnel, now a tourist attraction, still bears pick marks from workers who occasionally had to adjust their course to meet with a second team of workers coming from the opposite side of the city.

The frequent direction changes suggest it was a struggle to connect the two ends of the tunnel without following the natural fissures and openings in the rock, Shanks said.

"The tunnel is extraordinary, but these guys didn't know where they were going a lot of the time," Shanks said.


On the Net:

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem:

Biblical Archaeology Review:


Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 




David A. Brown
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www.BasicChristian.org

 
  
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   From:  David (DavidABrown)    Dec-25 9:15 am  
To:  ALL   (19 of 19)  
 
  455.19 in reply to 455.14  
 
Source www.cs.com

Holy Land: Amazing New Testament Find 
The clue was barely legible. At first, it was just the name that was visible: Simon. It was carved in Greek letters high atop the mammoth and weather-beaten burial monument called Absalom's Tomb that dates from the time of Christ. Emile Puech and Joe Zias, two Jerusalem scholars who credit the serendipity of seeing that almost-faded name in a photograph shot in exactly the right light just as the sun was setting, have also found inscribed on the 60-foot-high tombstone a verse from the Gospel According to St. Luke, specifically Luke: 2:25, that was so faded it was never before visible, reports The Associated Press. The inscription says the monument is the tomb of "Simeon who was a very just man and a very devoted old (person) and waiting for the consolation of the people." Simeon is the Greek version of Simon. The words are identical to Luke 2:25 as they appeared in the 4th-century Bible, also called the Codex Sinaiticus, notes AP. 

Find out the words of another inscription that appears on this tombstone referring to the father of John the Baptist. 

Such archaeological finds are extremely rare. While several Old Testament verses have been found on monuments, this is believed to be the first discovery of a New Testament verse carved onto an ancient Holy Land shrine. Jim Strange, a New Testament scholar from the University of South Florida, told AP that ancient people believed that chiseling verses of Scripture into monuments debased the sacred words. It wasn't until 1000 A.D. that Bible verses became more common on shrines, and then they were found in Europe--not the Holy Land. 

This find is significant because it supports what have always been scant references to a Byzantine-era belief that three biblical figures--Simon, Zachariah, and James, who was the brother of Jesus--shared the same tomb. Earlier this year, an inscription referring to Zachariah, who was John the Baptist's father, was found on the same monument by the two Jerusalem scholars. Now Puech and Zias will continue their close-up examination of the tombstone in the hopes of finding an inscription that refers to James, the brother of Jesus. If they find that, the trio is complete. The research was presented by the two scholars at the annual conference of the American Schools of Oriental Research in Atlanta. 

Part of the Old Testament has been proven true. Find out more! 

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{The entire Bible both Old and New Testaments is True and has NEVER been disproven.}

God Bless you,
David



David A. Brown
Basic Christian: Forum
www.BasicChristian.org

 
  
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