Excavations along a highway in northern Israel revealed a 50-acre site dating to the Neolithic period. One of the most impressive discoveries was a small stone bowl with several hundred stone beads.
Among the special finds that were uncovered in the excavation is a group of small stone bowls that were made with amazing delicacy. One of them was discovered containing more than 200 black, white and red stone beads. Other important artifacts are clay figurines of animals (sheep, pig and cattle) that illustrate the importance of animal breeding in those cultures. The most importance finds are stone seals or amulets bearing geometric motifs and stone plaques and bone objects decorated with incising. Among the stone plaques is one that bears a simple but very elegant carving depicting two running ostriches. These objects represent the world of religious beliefs and serve as a link that connects Ein Zippori with the cultures of these periods in Syria and Mesopotamia. According to Milevski and Getzov, “The arrival of these objects at the ʽEin Zippori site shows that a social stratum had already developed at that time that included a group of social elite which used luxury items that were imported from far away countries”.
The University of Oxford and the Vatican Library plan “to digitize 1.5 million pages of texts from their collections and make them freely available online.”
A large 3rd or 4th century poolside mosaic has been uncovered in southern Turkey, not far from biblical Attalia.
Check out Wayne Stiles’ descriptive and devotional thoughts about Tel Dan. “By providing alternative places of worship [at Dan and Bethel], Jeroboam appealed to the laziness of the human spirit.”
If you’re looking for full-color, poster-size maps of biblical history, take a look at WordAction’s Bible Teaching Maps. The $35 set includes 10 large maps and 10 reproducible charts. The maps were produced by Zondervan and Oxford University Press.
They are easily mounted on foam board for display and transport.
I’ve been updating the previous post with links to good articles about the subject, including questions of the discovery’s authenticity, genre, and significance. The “blockbuster” documentary airs in 10 days and that rightly concerns everyone not making money off of it. There also is some movement afoot to use this discovery to support the spurious claims made by “Jesus Tomb” proponents who allege that Jesus had a wife and family. Here’s the updated list:
The problem with today’s headline story is not the discovery of an ancient document that suggests that someone once believed that Jesus had a wife. There were many false and unbiblical teachings in ancient times, just as there are today. The problem is the media can very easily make a minor story into something sensational that appears to threaten historic Christianity.
A papyrus fragment from the fourth century contains a phrase in which Jesus refers to “My wife,” which a U.S. scholar says is the first evidence supporting the belief among early Christians that he was married.
That’s the version that most will read. Contrast that with first paragraph of the academic paper on which the story is based (bold font mine):
Published here for the first time is a fragment of a fourth-century CE codex in Coptic containing a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples in which Jesus speaks of “my wife.” This is the only extant ancient text which explicitly portrays Jesus as referring to a wife. It does not, however, provide evidence that the historical Jesus was married, given the late date of the fragment and the probable date of original composition only in the second half of the second century. Nevertheless, if the second century date of composition is correct, the fragment does provide direct evidence that claims about Jesus’s marital status first arose over a century after the death of Jesus in the context of intra-Christian controversies over sexuality, marriage, and discipleship. Just as Clement of Alexandria (d. ca 215 C.E.) described some Christians who insisted Jesus was not married, this fragment suggests that other Christians of that period were claiming that he was married.
A few observations:
1. We have known for a very long time that some people around the year 200 argued that Jesus had a wife.
2. A newly discovered but poorly preserved fragment may suggest that some people around the year 200 argued that Jesus had a wife.
3. Ancient texts that showed that some people believed that Jesus had a wife were non-existent until the discovery of this fragment.
4. There were many “Christian” groups in the first few centuries that had bizarre beliefs that contradicted Scripture.
5. The early church was in wide agreement that Jesus did not have a wife.
6. No first-century document ever mentions or hints at the possibility that Jesus had a wife.
7. Jesus understood his identity and his atoning death from the beginning of his earthly ministry, and he knew that marriage was not part of his mission.
Karen L. King, the author of the academic paper, gives a good introduction to the discovery on this video produced by Harvard Divinity School.
As I learn of good articles on the subject, I will add them below.
The Gospel of John could well be titled “Jesus and the Jewish Festivals,” given the author’s focus on Jesus’ presence in Jerusalem during Passover, Tabernacles, and Hanukkah. Gary M. Burge has just written the latest in his “Ancient Context, Ancient Faith” series, looking at the Jewish background that informs Jesus’ bold claims in the Fourth Gospel. The book answers many questions that the Christian with less knowledge of the Old Testament and the Jewish world will naturally have, including:
How did Jesus exploit the central feature of Passover in feeding the 5,000?
How did Jesus use shock and irony in his claims at the feast of Tabernacles?
How did Jesus use Hanukkah to reveal his identity?
The 140-page book is loaded with great illustrations and should have a wide appeal to Christians of different backgrounds and educations. $10 at Amazon.
Jesus and the Jewish Festivals is the sixth volume in the series. Readers here may be interested in the other volumes as well:
“The ‘Exodus’ and Settlement of the Land of Israel: Examining the Literary and Archaeological Evidence.” Four Monday evening lectures are scheduled:
Oct 15, 2012: “The Exodus from Egypt in Biblical Literature and Tradition” by Dr. P. Kyle
McCarter, Jr., Johns Hopkins University
Oct 22, 2012: “The Exodus Narrative — Did it Really Happen? An Egyptologist’s Perspective” by Dr. Donald Redford, Pennsylvania State University
Oct 29, 2012: “The Israel Stela of Pharaoh Merenptah: Earliest Extra-Biblical Reference to Israel” by Dr. Peter Brand, University of Memphis
Nov 5, 2012: “The Settlement of the Hill Country of Canaan around 1200 BCE” by Dr. Robert Mullins, Azusa Pacific University
I do wish they had asked someone to present the biblical view. Whether or not it’s “extremist,” it is at least as defensible as any other view. (If you attend, I’d appreciate knowing if anyone acknowledges the problem of Merneptah Stela.)
Lectures are $22, or $76 for the whole series, payable with a mail-in form and a check. More details about each lecture is available at the website. The recordings will be available on CD and DVD.
The BiblePlaces Blog provides updates and analysis of the latest in biblical archaeology, history, and geography. Unless otherwise noted, the posts are written by Todd Bolen, PhD, Professor of Biblical Studies at The Master’s University.
