The process of wet-sifting debris from excavations below Robinson’s Arch on the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount has revealed a 1st-century seal impression inscribed with “pure for the Lord.” Scholars believe that this mark was used to certify offerings as acceptable for temple use. The Aramaic inscription is about 3/4 of an inch (2 cm) in diameter and has six letters.

IMG_8833Photo: IAA/Vladimir Naykhin

Excavation directors Eli Shukron and Ronny Reich commented on the value of the object:

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that such an object or anything similar to it was discovered in an archaeological excavation and it constitutes direct archaeological evidence of the activity on the Temple Mount and the workings of the Temple during the Second Temple period.

The full press release includes more details from the Mishnah about ritual tokens. The Israel Antiquities Authority has also released five high-resolution photos of this and related discoveries (zip file).

IMG_8827

Photo: IAA/Vladimir Naykhin

The Jerusalem Post has a three-minute video interview with Ronny Reich. The article’s statement that the inscription was found near the Pool of Siloam contradicts the official report of the IAA that the object was found next to the Temple Mount. The story is also reported by the AP, Reuters, and Arutz-7.

IMG_0351

Photo: IAA/Vladimir Naykhin
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Jerusalem’s city engineer has ordered that the only access route for non-Muslims to the Temple Mount be closed immediately. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation has one week to submit objections. Haaretz reports:

Jerusalem municipality officials stressed that the wooden bridge poses a severe security threat since it is highly flammable and in danger of collapsing. They warned that if a fire breaks out it could spread to the Temple Mount.

I can’t help but thinking that this is a political move, not primarily an issue of safety. The bridge has been made of wood since it was constructed and did not become “highly flammable” yesterday. As for a fire spreading to the Temple Mount, the doors at the gate might burn, but everything else in the area is made of stone. In other words, there seem to be other reasons for this urgent order. Of course, is there anything in Jerusalem that is not political? Yet the news reports make no such suggestion, so it seems worth pointing out to those less familiar with the situation.

A brief review of recent history of access to the Temple Mount may be helpful:

Sept. 2000 – Muslims close access to Temple Mount and its shrines to all non-Muslims.

Aug. 20, 2003 – Israel re-opens the Temple Mount to tourists over Muslim objections (photos here). Shrines remained closed.

Feb. 14, 2004 – The earthen ramp to the Mughrabi Gate collapses after a snowstorm (photos here).

Mar. 2005 – A wooden bridge is constructed to permit access to the Temple Mount.

Jan. 2007 – Excavations begin on the earthen ramp (photos here). Muslims protest after being told by
their leaders that the Temple Mount is being undermined. Israelis halt the excavation in June.

Mar. 2011 – Construction of a new bridge is authorized by an Israeli judge.

June 2011 – Israel delays construction of a new bridge until September.

Oct. 2011 – Jerusalem’s city engineer orders that the Mughrabi bridge be repaired or closed.

Nov. 2011 – Prime Minister Netanyahu orders that closure of the ramp be postponed.

This review excludes other relevant events, including the opening of the Western Wall tunnel, the illegal excavations on the Temple Mount, the resultant bulges on the southern and eastern walls, and the continuing political impact of these events.

Today’s story is reported by the Jerusalem Post and Haaretz. An aerial photo with the relevant sites labeled is posted here.

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After the city engineer of Jerusalem demanded that the Mughrabi bridge be repaired or closed for safety reasons, Israel’s prime minister has ordered that the reconstruction of only non-Muslim access to the Temple Mount be postponed because of Muslim opposition. From the Jerusalem Post:

According to the report, work on the bridge – which received approval in March – was to have begun early Sunday morning.  The initial work of demolishing the existing structure would have necessitated the deployment of large IDF and security forces in Jerusalem and around the Temple Mount, as well as stepped up army preparedness in the West Bank. Channel 2 reported that Cairo and Amman warned Jerusalem that the work would likely lead to "disruptions" in both Jordan and Egypt.  
Officials in both the Prime Minister’s Office and the Jerusalem Municipality refused Sunday night to relate to the reports.
Previous work on the bridge caused widespread rioting in neighborhoods throughout the Jerusalem area and in Jordan. […] Under the plans, a permanent bridge is to be built to replace the current temporary wooden structure that has been in use since a 2003 earthquake and winter storm caused part of the original bridge to collapse. The bridge is used as the main entry point for non- Muslim tourists and security forces entering the Temple Mount.

The full story is here. Haaretz has additional details. For background, see this post from one month ago.

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News:

Plans are being made for a renovation of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, beginning with a long-delayed replacement of the roof.

Paleobabble gives a summary of Randall Price’s recent presentation on the 2011 search for Noah’s Ark.

The Israeli government is planning to relocate 30,000 Bedouin in the Negev.

The seed of the date palm discovered at Masada has now grown to a 8-foot (2.5 m) tall tree after more than five years. The tree was planted last week at Kibbutz Ketura in the Arabah. Previous updates were posted in 2006 and 2008.

A new study of textiles has determined that the Qumran inhabitants differentiated themselves from their contemporaries by what they wore.

“Moammar Gadhafi’s forces tried to flee Tripoli with a sack of ancient Roman artifacts in hopes of selling them abroad to help fund their doomed fight, Libya’s new leaders said Saturday as they displayed the recovered objects for the first time.”

The Jerusalem Post has added a two-minute video on the dating of the southwestern corner of the
Temple Mount, including sound bites from Ronny Reich and Eli Shukron.

Joseph Naveh passed away this week. His life and publications are remembered by Christopher Rollston.

HT: Biblical Flora, Joseph Lauer, Jack Sasson

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Museums:

The Museo Egizio di Torino has recently posted 11,000 objects from ancient Egypt online.

Six new galleries for ancient Egypt and Nubia opened today at the Ashmolean Museum. The Ashmolean is the most popular free UK museum outside of London.

The British Museum will close its Department of the Middle East to visitors from December 12, 2011 to January 20, 2012.

John E. Curtis will be lecturing on “Babylon: A Wonder of the Ancient World” at the Met on December 19.


Resources/Sales:

The latest production by SourceFlix is now available. You can watch the trailer of “The Sacrifice” at their site. It looks great.

The Logos version of Austen Henry Layard’s Nineveh and Its Remains will close in community bidding on Friday. It’s now at $18 but may well go down to $16 or $14.

BAS has dozens of items for sale this weekend only, including 50% off Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, Freeing the Dead Sea Scrolls, The Copper Scroll, and Scholars on the Record.

Glo Premium is available for only $35 through Monday. The special includes a free DVD.

Accordance is selling all Carta modules and combos for 20% off through December. The sale includes Ritmeyer’s The Quest, Rainey and Notley’s The Sacred Bridge, and Eusebius’ Onomasticon.

Tyndale Tech explains why Perseus, now available for free in Logos, is the best collection for studying backgrounds of the New Testament.

HT: Jack Sasson

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The discovery announced yesterday was analyzed by a number of writers:
Doug Petrovich (ANE-2) notes that “it long has been accepted” that King Herod did not finish the Temple Mount project and that “all this find does is to date more precisely the building of the SW corner of the Temple Mount (to AD 17/18).”

Ferrell Jenkins observes that “we already knew” what archaeologists claim to have discovered, given the record of Josephus and John 2.

Alexander Schick provides photos of the incomplete section on the northern end of the Western Wall, suggesting that the story is sensational only because the New Testament evidence was ignored.
(Google translation link)

Shmuel Browns was at the press conference and provides his own summary. He also makes some observations and poses some questions in a comment to yesterday’s post on this blog.

The Reuters story provides one solution to the press release by suggesting that academic historians are aware of Josephus but that tour guides are not.

Leen Ritmeyer explains the phases of construction of the western and southern walls of the Temple Mount. This is a must-read for any tempted to claim that Herod did not build the Western Wall.

Ritmeyer’s expert diagrams will help you to understand even if you are not familiar with some of the terms and place names. Read it!

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