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Critique: Cornuke’s Video on Paul’s Shipwreck on Malta

Robert Cornuke is well known in evangelical circles as a non-archaeologist with several astonishing archaeological discoveries. His latest video describes “possibly the Biblical find of this century!” He claims to have discovered the four anchors from Paul’s shipwrecked vessel off the coast of Malta.

Gordon Franz does us all a service by evaluating Cornuke’s presentation. He notes a series of minor mistakes, but he focuses on the four pillars of Cornuke’s case, concluding that:

1. Cornuke’s video misleads in claiming that only his location has the ocean depths as given in Act 27.

2. Cornuke’s video fails to inform viewers that there are other qualified bays that have a beach.

3. Cornuke’s greatest mistake is claiming that sailors would not have recognized the east coast of Malta.

4. Cornuke’s argument cannot account for the specifics of the shipwreck as described in Acts 27.

Franz’s article expands upon each of these points and addresses other problems with this sensationalized “discovery.”

For previous posts on Cornuke’s work on Malta, see here and here.

St. Thomas Bay as seen from Munxar Reef, location of Cornuke’s discovery

Tagged Mediterranean Islands, Pseudo-Archaeology

Update on the Grand Egyptian Museum

Today the museum committee begins reviewing bids for the construction of the main exhibition halls.

The new museum is scheduled to open in March 2015. The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is located near the pyramids of Giza.

From Al-Ahram Online:

Mohamed Abdel Maqsoud supervisor of the GEM pointed out that the first and second phases of the GEM project have been completed and included construction of the labs, storehouses, power station and fire fighting unite.
He told Al-Ahram Online that until now 10,000 objects were transferred to the GEM from archaeological galleries all over Egypt and before the opening of the museum set for March 2015, the other 80,000 objects will be transferred.
Among the objects on display are the unique funerary objects of Tutankhamun, Hetepheres, mother of the Pharaoh Khufu, Yuya and Thuya, the grandfathers of Pharaoh Akhenaten, Senedjem, the principal artist of Pharaoh Ramses II, the royal mummies and the treasures of Tanis.
Mohamed Abdel Fatah secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) said that the museum will also house a conference centre with an auditorium for 1,000 to cater for theatrical performances, concerts, conferences and business meetings. The main auditorium will be supplemented with seminar rooms, meeting halls, a multi-purpose hall, along with an open plan gallery for accompanying exhibitions. A special section for children will be created in order to encourage young people to learn about their heritage.

The full story includes two illustrations.

Tagged Egypt, Museums

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

Timna Park, 20 miles (32 km) north of Eilat, has benefitted from a multi-million dollar spending spree, resulting in the creation of four new bicycle paths, hundreds of shade trees, and talk of a new hotel. The article says not a word about the best attraction of the park: the life-size model of the tabernacle.

In a BAR editorial, Aaron A. Burke describes how his detective work in the records of a deceased archaeologist revealed more about the city of Joppa (Jaffa) and cleared the archaeologist of claims of misdeeds.

At the Bible and Interpretation, Paul V. M. Flesher describes what a synagogue of Jesus’ time looked like.

CITYsights takes viewers on a one-minute video tour of Solomon’s Quarries (Zedekiah’s Cave) in
Jerusalem. The audio track consists of music only and if you turn the volume off, you’ll enjoy it more.

The Jerusalem Post has more details of Jerusalem: IMAX 3D, slated for release in 2013.

The headline of this Arutz-7 story would lead you to believe that it is about Ein Gedi, but it is primarily about the synagogue at the site.

BibleX notes that the Biblical Archaeology Society has 17 free e-books (with login/registration).

A group in Jordan is threatening to sue Israel over its opening of a baptismal site on the Jordan River.

They claim that the Israeli site is located in Jordan.

A story about ancient graffiti in caves in Israel is accompanied by a six-minute video.

Wayne Stiles in the Jerusalem Post: “There’s much to see in the area of Tel Maresha and Beit Guvrin.

Remnants of pottery, war, industry, entertainment, and tombs—all gifts of archaeology.”

Cave at Maresha/Beit Guvrin with ancient staircase

Tagged Jerusalem, Negev, Resources, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

There is so much going on that I need to make an early start on the Weekend Roundup. There will be more tomorrow.

Ferrell Jenkins and Leon Mauldin are now traveling in Israel, with the goal of visiting places they have never seen before. Ferrell’s first post shows a well-preserved Roman road in the western hills of
Judah and Leon’s features a Roman milestone.

Shmuel Browns posts his list of “Top Ten” Jerusalem Sites. You might bring this list on your next visit to Jerusalem (or hire Shmuel to guide you around).

Joe Yudin guides his readers on a tour of significant tombs in Jerusalem, including “King David’s tomb,” the so-called family tomb of King Herod, the Muslim cemetery in Mamilla, and Jason’s
Tomb. I think an illustration or two would enhance the article.

A group of archaeologists and students in Israel have submitted a petition to lawmakers to drop support for a law that would allow the continuation of excavations in the City of David that are funded by Elad.

If you missed the “Office Hours” interview with Carol and Eric Meyers on Thursday, you may watch the video online. In the 50-minute interview, they discuss both professional and personal aspects of their lives in archaeology, including vandalism of sites, their children’s presence on digs, middle-of-the-night excavations, how to get a start in archaeology, and forthcoming books.

Reuters has a brief story about tunnel systems carved by rebels during the first and second Jewish
revolts.

Jason’s Tomb in Jerusalem

Tagged Jerusalem, Lectures, Shephelah, Weekend Roundup

Lectures on the Historicity of Solomon

The Memory and Identity Working Group, University of California, Berkeley is hosting a lecture entitled “Mining for Solomon” by Professor Steven Weitzman (Stanford University) on Tuesday, September 6, 2011, 4:00 pm, 254 Barrows Hall.

After a century-long search for traces of the historical King Solomon, archaeologists have recently claimed to locate the possible source of his fabled wealth in southern Jordan. Has scholarship at last found evidence of the real King Solomon? Weitzman’s presentation will address this question by exploring the pre-history of the archaeological quest for Solomon, a quest with surprisingly important historical consequences that go beyond our understanding of the biblical past.

For other upcoming lectures sponsored by the group, see their website.

Trinity Evangelical Divinity School invites the public to a lecture by William G. Dever entitled “The Golden Age of Solomon: Fact or Fancy?” The lecture will be held on Monday, October 3, 2011 at 7:00 pm in Hinkson Hall, Rodine Building. A flyer may be viewed here (pdf).

HT: Jack Sasson, A.D. Riddle

Tagged 10th Century, Lectures

2011-12 Lectures at Southern Adventist University

September 21: Steven M. Ortiz, Gezer: The Search for the City of Solomon

October 12: Michael G. Hasel, The 2011 Excavation Season at Khirbet Qeiyafa, Israel

February 15: Martin G. Klingbeil, Ancient Near Eastern Passports: Two Stamp Seals from Khirbet Qeiyafa

March 21: Daniel Master, Transformations in the Twelfth Century BC: The Coming of the Philistines to Ashkelon

All lectures begin at 7:00 p.m., are free of charge, and are open to the public. For more information, see the website of the university’s Institute of Archaeology. SAU is located in Collegedale, Tennessee. Previous lectures may be ordered on DVD for $10, including shipping. (The above information is taken from the Institute newsletter, as the website has not yet been updated with this year’s schedule.)

Tagged Lectures