Todd Bolen, Author at BiblePlaces.com

New Seals Found in City of David

I don’t remember seeing this published elsewhere and you might miss it under the title “What Happened to the Clerks and Merchants of the 8th Century BCE?” Ronny Reich and Eli Shukrun have discovered more seals in the City of David, these from the 8th century (the time of kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah). These excavators had previously discovered a collection of seals from the 9th century, and these did not bear inscriptions. But they recently found two stone seals and three bullae (seal impressions), all inscribed with Hebrew names. The best preserved has the name “Rephaihu (ben) Shalem.” The article is brief and includes a photo of the complete seal.

Though they operate without much fanfare, Reich and Shukrun’s excavation in Jerusalem over the last 13 years has produced more interesting results than probably any other dig in Israel, including discovery of the two towers at the Gihon Spring, the reinterpretation of Warren’s Shaft, the discovery of the Pool of Siloam, and many other related architectural features and small finds.

HT: Joe Lauer

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem

Report Released on Temple Mount Destruction

If you’re keeping up on the damage caused to the Temple Mount by multiple “excavations” of dubious legality, you’ll be interested in the report, “The Latest Damage to Antiquities on the Temple Mount,” published by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. The report surveys the situation since the 1990s, most of which is well-known to those who have followed the news, but this report handily summarizes the main points. The major focus of the article is who is in control and thus who is responsible. It concludes:

The Waqf, the Islamic Movement, and various Islamic groups have exploited the situation and have seriously damaged Temple Mount antiquities. The Israel Police plays the dominant Israeli role and its activities are coordinated with the prime minister’s office and the office of the attorney general, while the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Jerusalem municipality have only limited influence over what is done at the Temple Mount.

Tagged Jerusalem, Temple Mount

Earthquake Damage at Hazor Museum

I noted here a couple of days ago that the Hazor Museum is closed indefinitely. That closure apparently contributed to the delay in noticing that 700 objects in the museum were damaged in the recent earthquake. From the Jerusalem Post:

An earthquake that shook Israel 10 days ago damaged some 700 archeological artifacts displayed in a museum at Kibbutz Ayelet Hashahar in northern Israel, Channel 1 reported Wednesday evening.
Most of the artifacts were excavated at the nearby Tel Hazor site. Heavy rains have prevented researchers from ascertaining whether the site itself was affected by the quake.
The damage was discovered only several days after the event, since the museum has been closed recently due to a lack of visitors. Dr. Zvika Zur, the exhibit’s curator, told Channel 1 that while some of the items – many of which date back to the Canaanite era – could be mended, many others had been damaged irreparably.

HT: Joe Lauer

Vessels from 14th century B.C. tomb on display at Hazor Museum (before earthquake)

UPDATE (3/3): A few photos of the damage can be seen at the Hebrew version of articles at Haaretz and MSN.

Tagged Galilee

Speak Biblical Hebrew: A Program in Israel

I’ve not participated in this, but I know many who have and they rave about it:

At first glance the ulpan at Kibbutz Tzova, about 20 minutes west of Jerusalem, may seem no different than any other. But within a couple of minutes of listening to the exchange between students and teachers, it becomes clear that there is something fishy about the Hebrew spoken here. Welcome to the Biblical Ulpan, a framework that allows students to study biblical Hebrew in its original context. In place of the conventional grammar-driven approach to Hebrew study that often includes memorizing elusive rules and arcane verb charts, biblical Hebrew is the medium through which the language is taught here to Christian and Jewish students. “Studying a text needs the ‘code’ [the language] and the culture, history and geography in order to be most fully understood,” explains Randall Buth, who founded the ulpan 10 years ago. “Students may be throwing a plastic sheep in the class after hearing a command like ‘hashlech et hakeves el hatalmid sham’ [Throw the sheep to the student over there], without realizing that the verb is part of the hif’il pattern [causative grammatical form],” he says. “When they finally know a few verbs or forms from these categories they will receive a presentation that organizes the forms into a system. The binyan system that is dreaded by many a beginning student is cut down to size and more easily understood.” Buth, who holds a doctorate in Semitic languages from UCLA, has also studied theoretical linguistics. He worked for the United Bible Societies in Africa for 20 years supervising Bible translation projects into local languages.

See the JPost article for the rest. You can get more details at the program’s website at http://www.biblicalulpan.org/

Tagged Opportunities

A Response to the "Jesus Tomb" Theory

A new book on the “Jesus Tomb” is out: Buried Hope or Risen Savior? The Search for the Jesus Tomb, edited by Charles L. Quarles. The publisher, Broadman and Holman, describes the contents:

Buried Hope or Risen Savior? argues for the credibility of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, engaging the issue in relation to the recent “Jesus Family Tomb” claims that continue making headlines around the world. Among the contributors, Steve Ortiz (professor of Biblical Archaeology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) discusses the general background of this type of tomb and the archaeology of the Talpiot tomb site. Craig Evans (New Testament professor at Acadia Divinity College) writes about ossuaries and tomb inscriptions. Richard Bauckham (New Testament professor at Scotland’s University of St. Andrews) gives the history of Jewish names, extrabiblical writings, and Mary Magdalene. William Dembski (SWBTS research professor in Philosophy) discusses the statistical ev idence for the names found on the Talpiot tomb to have been “Jesus.” Mike Licona (North American Mission Board director of Apologetics and Interfaith Evangelism) responds to claims that finding the bones of Jesus would not disprove Christ’s resurrection. Gary Habermas (Apologetics & Philosophy chair at Liberty University) summarizes the evidence for the bodily resurrection of Jesus. And Darrell Bock (New Testament professor at Dallas Theological Seminary) addresses the importance of the resurrection and how Christians should respond to challenges upon their faith.

On his blog, Justin Taylor notes the chapter by Ortiz, “The Use and Abuse of Archaeological Interpretation,” and he provides this extract from pages 29-30:

The scripts for all of these amateur portrayals are similar and follow the same basic 10 points: 1. The prevailing hypothesis affirmed by the consensus of the scholarly community is wrong. 2. The “discoverer” is not a trained archaeologist but is self-taught, and he knows the “true story” that all others have overlooked. 3. An expedition is planned for one season, and (lo and behold) at the first attempt they find exactly what they are looking for. 4. This is all documented while a camera crew happens to be filming the discovery. 5. The process is “detective work” that has been missed by the academic community, and they (amateur archaeologists) are the ones who are able to unravel the mystery or solve the problem that has perplexed the experts. 6. No new data is presented, only a reworking of previously published data. A corollary is that not all the data is consulted. 7. Upon the presentation of the discovery, the scholarly community scoffs at the find, and it is claimed that there is a secret monopoly by those in power to suppress the information. 8. The amateurs sensationalize the “discovery” by claiming that it is so revolutionary that it will change our way or thinking and our lifestyle. 9. The old “discovery” is presented to the media as a “brand-new” discovery. 10. Usually a book or movie comes out within a week of the “new” discovery. The presentation of The Lost Tomb of Jesus follows the above script.

Tagged Tomb of Jesus

Flash Flood at En Gedi

Flash floods in Israel are deadly; it seems that people are killed by them each year. From today’s Jerusalem Post:

A US citizen was killed Monday afternoon in one of the fiercest floods Ein Gedi had seen for years, police and rescue officials said.
The man’s girlfriend, who had been missing and feared dead, was later found alive by rescue services.
According to staff at the Ein Gedi nature reserve, the pair was seen entering the Nachal David gorge earlier in the day. Strong rains have brought about a sudden flooding of the riverbed, and in the early afternoon the body of the American tourist was discovered in the water.
Rescuers that found the victim’s car parked nearby noticed a pair of high-heeled shoes in the vehicle, leading them to assume he was accompanied by a woman. The local staff confirmed that two people were seen entering the area.
Army helicopters and police forces were searching for the woman and said they feared for her life.
At roughly the same time, a group of 30 travelers stranded in another riverbed nearby were rescued unharmed.
Nature reserve officials said the flood was very sudden, with little prior warning.

Previous coverage of flash floods on this blog include a video and photos.

Nahal David, En Gedi

Bridge washed out in 2001, Nahal Arugot, En Gedi

Other photos of En Gedi are here.

Tagged Weather