I won the BIBLICAL ARCHEOLOGICAL REVIEW MAGAZINE'S scholarship to participate in an archeological dig. I will be in Bethsaida (Aramaic for "House of Fishermen") in June.
Bethsaida
Bethsaida is one of the most frequently mentioned towns in the New Testament, with at least three (Peter, Andrew, Philip) of the 12 apostles born there. It is the purported place where Jesus performed several of his major miracles: walking on water, healing the blind man, and feeding the multitudes. But unlike many other well-known cities of antiquity, Bethsaida was never re-discovered by modern (20th Century) archaeology. In fact, the site was of such importance to pilgrims because of its relevance to Jesus' ministry that it was believed to be a mythical city. Pilgrims, archaeologists, and travelers searched for Bethsaida for nearly 2000 years.
Bethsaida is frequently mentioned in the Second Temple period sources. Bethsaida means "House of the Fisherman". According to the New Testament, Jesus performed some of his most important miracles there, including the "Feeding of the Multitudes," and the "healing of the Blind Man," and from the Bethsaida shores, he was seen walking on the Sea of Galilee. Three major Apostles: Peter, Andrew, and Phillip, were from Bethsaida, and later Christian traditions associate other apostles with the city. Ultimately, Jesus condemned the city stating: "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!"
The ancient Jewish historian, Josephus Flavius, recounts that in the year 30 CE, Phillip, the son of Herod the Great, raised the village of Bethsaida to the status of a Greek city and renamed it Julias, after Livia-Julia, the wife of the late Emperor Augustus. Four years later, Phillip died and was buried at his beloved Bethsaida. According to Josephus, Bethsaida also played a role in the opening battles of the First Revolt against Rome in 67 CE.
Bethsaida was well known in rabbinic literature as a town located at the historic borders of the land of Israel. According to second century figures, Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel and the Emperor Hadrian speak of the abundant fish and fowl present at the city. Despite the large number of literary accounts in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Christian pilgrim accounts throughout the Middle Ages could not pinpoint its location.
In 1987, Israeli archaeologist Dr. Rami Arav undertook a ten-day probe of et-Tell (literally "the mound") located 2 km from the northeastern coast of the Sea of Galilee in Israel to determine if the 21 acre site was indeed Bethsaida. His conclusions were promising, but Dr. Arav knew more work must be done to reveal more of the ancient layers. In 1990, Dr. Arav and several colleagues from around the world joined together to form the Consortium of the Bethsaida Excavations Project, which since then has been housed in International Studies and Programs at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. It is the CBEP's mission to excavate the ancient city of Bethsaida, research the data discernible from the remains, and disseminate the conclusions to both academic and popular audiences.
In addition to uncovering the Hellenistic-Roman city of Bethsaida, a surprising discovery happened in 1996. In this season, the remains of an Iron Age (time of Hebrew Bible) City Gate complex were uncovered, which has led the scholars on a new quest-to find out more about the Iron Age city that no one expected to find underneath the Hellenistic-Roman remains. It is now believed the Iron Age Bethsaida was the capital of the kingdom of Geshur. Geshur is notable in the Hebrew Bible for its visit by King David, and his subsequent marriage to Ma'achah, the daughter of the king of Geshur. The past four seasons of excavations have focused heavily on the Iron Age City Gate complex (one of the biggest and best preserved in the region) and its link to a previously excavated palace.
The End of Days?
A pastor predicted that 21 May 2011 would be "Judgment Day." The 21st came and went. Others have similarly made such predictions. The Jehovah's Witnesses and the 7th Day Adventists are offshoots of a group of people who followed a man named Millar who predicted the end of the world would come in 1944. On the other hand, New Agers and Neo-pagans are saying that the end of the world will come on December 21, 2012. Now this belief is widespread and Christians are not advocating this date. I expect widespread mass hysteria in the end of 2012. I recently came across Tim Lahay's "Charting the End Times: A visual Guide to Understanding Bible Prophecy." In it, Mr. LaHay outlines what will happen in the last days, according to his interpretation of certain texts of the Bible. Now, Mr. LaHay does not put a date out for the coming of the Lord. He is saying, here are the signs to look for and here is what will happen once the last days begin. I recently bought "The Complete Guide to Bible Prophecy" by Stephen M. Miller. This book presents a more balanced review of biblical prophecy and he complains about "Prophecy Teachers" such as Hal Lindsey and others. He says, "I grew up in a time and place where folks were revved about prophecy. They gunned their engines. I remember charts and timelines in Sunday school class. Meticulous outlines about how things were going to turn out here on Planet Earth. So far, no good. Didn't happen…I've had my fill of end-times specialists telling me how things are going to turn out. They thing they seem to get right is getting it wrong."
One problem with the book: Is the re-birth of the State of Israel a prophetically significant event. It seems to be. Instead of tackling the issue, Mr. Miller seems to ignore it.
Bruce Metzger put out a book and video series on "Exploring the Apocalypse from the Book of Revelation." I read another book entitled "Thunder and Love" about the Johannine Corpus, in which the author suggested that the Book of Revelation was written for a first century audience. Much of what is in the book of Revelation spoke to the people living at the time John wrote the Revelation. The Roman Emperor, as a Beast, was persecuting the church. The theme of the Book of Revelation is the church of God enduring persecution and the truth that, although we see trials, disasters, tribulations and lying wonders-God is still in control and He and his people will prevail. I am interesting in reading Hank Hanegraf's "Apocalypse Code." He is a preterist and I am not-however, I think that we need to re-think our interpretation of bible prophecies.
When I was a child, the cold war was still going on. Bible prophecy teachers had identified Russia with Gog and Magog. (Incorrectly-I believe.) (Gog and Magog are armies that fight with the anti-Christ against God's people.) When atheistic communism fell in Russia, many Christian people were angry and outraged. This didn't fit in to their eschatology. (Eschatology means a theology concerning the end of the world.) They were disappointed when Russians converted to Christianity and religious freedom was established. This wasn't supposed to happen. The Russians were supposed to be anti-Christ. We should have been rejoicing that Russia was free but many people I talked to were angry and disappointed that there was a revival in Russia. This was because they misinterpreted biblical prophecies.
COIN
"COIN" refers to "counter insurgency" operations in the military. With COIN, instead of fighting terrorism-we try to make friends and join forces with them. It is a strategy of appeasement of the terrorist mentality. In the long run this "doctrine" will be shown to be a failure. "Men's Journal" in its Dec 2010-Jan 2011included an article entitled "Is this any way to fight a war?" In the article Gian Gentile, an army colonel, calls COIN, what it is BS. It doesn't work. People think that General Petraeus is someone special. I have several problems with this man. First, you can never win a battle against Islamic radicalism by appeasing it. It is a fatal naivety. I gave school supplies and candies out to kids. I have nothing against that. But that isn't a war strategy. The first sign I had that something was wrong with COIN was when I was reading the "Counter Insurgency Manual." In it, General Petreus says that we should avoid using Assyrian Christian or Arab Christians as interpreters when we are speaking with Muslims. I have problems with this for many reasons. First, I have worked with Assyrian interpreters. They are the best we have. Secondly, as non-Muslims, with the vast majority of Christian interpreters, you don't have to worry about questioning their allegiance. (We had this problem with Major Hassan. He was an officer in the American army-but his primary allegiance was with Islam-so much so that he massacred several American soldiers.) Thirdly, the reason that General Petraus says we shouldn't use them is because Muslims may hold them in disdain since they are non-Muslims. So, here you have it folks-Petraus advocated religious discrimination and has a strategy that encourages and strengthens Islamic intolerance against non-Muslims. So Petraus says here-Muslim discriminate against Assyrians-therefore we should re-enforce this behavior. So, we continue to strengthen radicalism. Then Petraus showed himself to be a real jerk when he was offended that some military scopes for rifles had Bible verses alluded to in their serial numbers. So what? But the media was offended and so was Petraus. There is one path to victory. It includes first decisive military victory. We need firmness not weakness and equivocation. The key to victory and the path to peace is the four principles of moderate Islam:
- No Jihad-at all anywhere
- Sharia Law has no legal authority-it is merely a personal lifestyle choice
- Non-Muslims are fully equal to Muslims everywhere in the world-including Mecca and Medina-the Muslim holy cities.
- All Muslims everywhere-have the right to leave Islam-and become atheists, agnostic, Jewish, Christian, or Hindu-or whatever belief system they so choose.
These four principles must be practiced everywhere. We must go to war and eradicate off the face of the world any group that does not abide by the four principles. If we don't-non-Muslims are doomed.
The History Channel is developing a 10 hour long dramatization of the Bible from Genesis to the Apocalypse.
Please Pray for me while I am in Bethsaida
I am going to Bethsaida to participate in an archeological expedition there. Bethsaida was the city of the apostles Andrew, Phillip and Peter. It was where Jesus walked on water and miraculously fed the 5,000. Bethsaida means "house of the fishermen" in Aramaic.
The Rock in Daniel
The cover illustration is from the Aramaic section of the Book of the Prophet Daniel.
Country Commandments
Worship only one god.
No gossipin' 'bout others
Church meetin' on Sunday
Ain't yours…don't take it.
No wantin' others stuff.
No foolin' around if'n your married.
Honor your ma and pa.
Ain't no idols allowed.
Killing others ain't OK.
No cussing yall.
…ya hear now?
(Some may argue that Saturday is the proper day for "church meetin'".)
Ancient Assyrian Language revived
Biblical Archeological Review magazine has an Article in the May/June 2011 about scholars trying to revive Akkadian-the language spoken by the ancient Babylonians and Assyrians. (Modern Assyrians and "Chaldeans" speak Aramaic.) The article says that scholars are trying to "approximate how Babylonian would have sounded. (The article calls the Akkadian language "Babylonian." But, it wasn't just the Babylonian language. On the other hand, the study of ancient Babylonia is called "Assyriology.") The article says, "Babylonian belongs to the Semitic language family, so one of the ways Assyriologists reconstruct its pronunciation is to look at sounds in related languages, such as Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic and Arabic." The Hebrew word for palace heykal pronounced hay-kal for example, may provide a clue that the closely related Babylonian word for palace ekallum was pronounced with a long rather than a short vowel sound at the beginning. Thus ay-kallu. To see 30 different Akkadian voice recordings and to see word-by-word transcriptions go to www.soas.ac.uk/baplar.
The Ancient Assyrians were anti-Abortion
I became anti-abortion by reading the Apostolic Fathers. Ancient pagans were also anti-abortion. This includes the founder of medical ethics-the Greek "father of medicine" Hippocrates. Traditionally, doctors took the oath of Hippocrates in which they swore never to perform an elective abortion. The Middle Assyrian Law-code of Tiglath Pilesar I (ruled 1115-1077 BC) states at A, article 53 "If a woman has an abortion, then , after due process, she is impaled on a stake and left unburied. If a woman has an abortion and dies, then her body is impaled on a stake and left unburied. If a citizen hides a woman so that she can have an abortion, and does not charge her before the ruler…" See page 122 of Old Testament Parallels by Victor H. Matthews and Don C. Benjamin.
When was Jesus crucified?
"Last Supper was a day early, scientist claims"
LONDON (AFP 18 April 2011) – Christians have long celebrated Jesus Christ's Last Supper on Maundy Thursday but new research released Monday claims to show it took place on the Wednesday before the crucifixion. Professor Colin Humphreys, a scientist at the University of Cambridge, believes it is all due to a calendar mix-up -- and asserts his findings strengthen the case for finally introducing a fixed date for Easter. Humphreys uses a combination of biblical, historical and astronomical research to try to pinpoint the precise nature and timing of Jesus's final meal with his disciples before his death. Researchers have long been puzzled by an apparent inconsistency in the Bible. While Matthew, Mark and Luke all say the Last Supper coincided with the start of the Jewish festival of Passover, John claims it took place before Passover. Humphreys has concluded in a new book, "The Mystery Of The Last Supper", that Jesus -- along with Matthew, Mark and Luke -- may have been using a different calendar to John.
"Whatever you think about the Bible, the fact is that Jewish people would never mistake the Passover meal for another meal, so for the Gospels to contradict themselves in this regard is really hard to understand," Humphreys said. "Many biblical scholars say that, for this reason, you can't trust the Gospels at all. But if we use science and the Gospels hand in hand, we can actually prove that there was no contradiction." In Humphreys' theory, Jesus went by an old-fashioned Jewish calendar rather than the official lunar calendar which was in widespread use at the time of his death and is still in use today. This would put the Passover meal -- and the Last Supper -- on the Wednesday, explaining how such a large number of events took place between the meal and the crucifixion. It would follow that Jesus' arrest, interrogation and separate trials did not all take place in the space of one night but in fact occurred over a longer period. Humphreys believes a date could therefore be ascribed to Easter in our modern solar calendar, and working on the basis that the crucifixion took place on April 3, Easter Day would be on April 5.
Bill O'Reilly: preaching to the unconverted
By Bill O'Reilly
President Obama once again addressed the Muslim world, urging the Middle East and North Africa to institute economic reform, treat their people with dignity and generally clean up their acts. The president promised economic help for Egypt and Tunisia, and generally laid out a roadmap for Arab countries to succeed in the modern world. Mr. Obama was well-intentioned, but naive.
A new Pew poll says that most Muslims in the world do not like Mr. Obama despite his aggressive outreach. Over the past two years, his approval rating in Muslim nations has dropped dramatically.
In Egypt, just 20 percent of the population now likes Barack Obama. That is down from 27 percent. In Jordan, just 13 percent of the population approves of Mr. Obama, down 12 points in two years. And in Turkey, an anemic 10 percent of the population is supportive of Mr. Obama, down 4 points.
The question is: Why?
The answer is complicated, but does reflect my opinion that there is a Muslim problem in the world.
The United States and the West are largely secular societies that believe in human rights. The Muslim world is centered on religion, and many Muslims believe if you don't worship Allah, you are an infidel and, therefore, you don't deserve human rights.
In fact, in certain parts of the Muslim world, if you are not the proper sect of Islam you can be persecuted and even killed. That divide is enormous, and children all over the Middle East are being taught that infidels and women are not worthy of decent treatment.
In addition, you have the Jewish situation. Because the USA supports Israel and many Muslims hate Jews, we are tarred by that hatred. It is centuries old. It is not going away any time soon.
The USA has poured trillions of dollars into the Muslim world, fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan designed to liberate those people from tyrannical governments. But apparently, the vast majority of Muslims are not grateful. They despise President Obama as much as they hated George W. Bush.
Despite that, Mr. Obama is doing the right thing in trying to convince the Muslim world to get into the real world, to compete economically and stop persecuting their own. But American policy cannot be based on hope, and, thus far, Mr. Obama has not been confrontational with countries like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia that are hurting the USA by supporting terrorists. To be fair, there is little the president can do about it. We need Arabian oil and we need access to Afghanistan through Pakistan.
Here's the sad truth: There is a Muslim problem in the world and it's getting worse.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/oreilly/transcript/bill-oreilly-preaching-unconverted#ixzz1MzT51jUa
Contact Stephen: www.youtube.com/aramaic12, www.aramaicherald.blogspot.com
Biblical Archeology Review Dig Scholarship
January 15, 2011
I am Stephen Andrew Missick. I am a chaplain in the National Guard and I have recently returned from a deployment to Iraq.
I hope to teach at a Christian college and to get into a doctoral program.
I would like to dig at Beth Saida. (I would prefer the Ashkelon dig. However, the Beth Saida dig gives me flexibility with the dates as I do have military obligations. Also, Jesus ministered in Beth Saida and I am very interested in the history and archeology of the first century.) I want to dig because I want to become a better Bible scholar and so that I have experience digging in the field. Experience at a dig I believe would be invaluable. With such experience I would better understand archeological reports that I read during research. With such experience perhaps in the future I could do my own dig.
My goal is to be a professor at a seminary or Christian college. If I have the experience of going on a dig perhaps I can inspire my students with how exciting history and archeology is and perhaps inspire them to go on a dig themselves. I have returned from Iraq without a job here waiting for me. If I won the scholarship I would be able to go on a dig. Without the scholarship I can't afford to go.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
May 12, 2011
Dear Stephen Andrew Missick,
Congratulations. You have been awarded a $1,000.00 BAS scholarship for your participation at the dig at Bethsaida. This scholarship should be used for travel arrangements or the dig registration fees only. Please provide proof of your acceptance as a participant in the dig. You must stay on the dig for at least two weeks. It is our policy not to award scholarships to recipients of 2011 ASOR fellowships. You may be required to reimburse BAS if you do not adhere to these guidelines.
Attached is an agreement outlining these requirements. Please sign it and return it to BAS, 4710 41st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20016 so that we can issue your check.
When your dig experience is complete, please write a short description of your dig experience and send us a few high resolution color photographs of you on location for possible inclusion in our annual digs section in our January/February 2012 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. Please also write a thank-you letter to the donor who made your scholarship possible; we will forward the letter to your donor. We'd like to receive these items by mid-September.
If for some reason you are no longer able to participate in the excavation, please notify us immediately so some other student may receive the scholarship.
Best wishes to you as you prepare for travel and archaeological excavation.
Sincerely,
Hershel Shanks
Founder and Editor
Biblical Archaeology Review
I am going to the city of Bethsaida to participate in an archeological excavation there. But what is the significance of Bethsaida.
Firstly, Bethsaida is Aramaic for "House of the Fisherman." Bethsaida is mentioned several times in the Gospels. As a fishermen's village, Bethsaida was the home of Andrew and Peter, Phillip and Nathaniel.
It is especially noted that Phillip was from Bethsaida.
John 1:44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.
John 12:21 These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we want to see Jesus."
(Although Jesus was from Nazareth, the city of Capernaum became "his city." It was the base of his operations. Jesus was from Galilee. Nazareth is in the region of Galilee but is a distance from the Sea (actually lake) of Galilee.
Jesus rebuked the city of Bethsaida for its lack of faith.
Luke 10:13 and Matthew 11:21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
So, what sort of Mighty works were done in Bethsaida?
JESUS WALKING ON THE WATER:
Mark 6:45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat, and to go ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he himself sent the multitude away.
THE HEALING OF A BLIND MAN:
Mark 8:22 He came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to him, and begged him to touch him.
The FEEDING OF THE 5000:
Luke 9:10 The apostles, when they had returned, told him what things they had done. He took them, and withdrew apart to a deserted place of a city called Bethsaida.
Despite Jesus performing such wonderous signs, the city of Bethsaida refused to believe in him. So, Jesus pronounced a woe upon the city. As a consequence, like the fig tree, the city of Bethsaida dried up, withered away, and disappeared. It has recently been rediscovered by archeologists.
A city east of the Jordan River, in a "desert place" (that is, uncultivated ground used for grazing) possibly the site at which Jesus miraculously fed the multitude with five loaves and two fish (Mark 6:32; Luke 9:10). It may be possible to identify this site with the village of Bethsaida in Lower Gaulanitis which the tetrarch
Herod Philip I raised to the rank of a polis in the year 30/31, and renamed it Julias, in honor of Livia, the wife of Augustus. It lay near the place where the Jordan enters the Sea of Gennesaret (Ant., XVIII, ii, 1; BJ, II, ix, 1; III, x, 7; Vita, 72). This city was most likely located at et-Tell, a ruined site on the east side of the Jordan on rising ground, 2 km from the sea.
Tectonic rifting has uplifted et-Tell ( the site is located on the Great African-Syrian Rift fault)the water level has dropped from increased population usage, land irrigation, and, the Jordan delta has been extended by sedimentation. A lagoon at Bethsaida dried up and the city was abandoned (and disappeared) at 65 AD.
The ancient Jewish historian, Josephus Flavius, recounts that in the year 30 CE, Phillip, the son of Herod the Great, raised the village of Bethsaida to the status of a Greek city and renamed it Julias, after Livia-Julia, the wife of the late Emperor Augustus. Four years later, Phillip died and was buried at his beloved Bethsaida. According to Josephus, Bethsaida also played a role in the opening battles of the First Revolt against Rome in 67 CE.
Bethsaida was well known in rabbinic literature as a town located at the historic borders of the land of Israel. According to second century figures, Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel and the Emperor Hadrian speak of the abundant fish and fowl present at the city. Despite the large number of literary accounts in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Christian pilgrim accounts throughout the Middle Ages could not pinpoint its location.
Bethsaida Found
In 1987, Israeli archaeologist Dr. Rami Arav undertook a ten-day probe of et-Tell (literally "the mound") located 2 km from the northeastern coast of the Sea of Galilee in Israel to determine if the 21 acre site was indeed Bethsaida. His conclusions were promising, but Dr. Arav knew more work must be done to reveal more of the ancient layers. In 1990, Dr. Arav and several colleagues from around the world joined together to form the Consortium of the Bethsaida Excavations Project, which since then has been housed in International Studies and Programs at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. It is the CBEP's mission to excavate the ancient city of Bethsaida, research the data discernible from the remains, and disseminate the conclusions to both academic and popular audiences.
In addition to uncovering the Hellenistic-Roman city of Bethsaida, a surprising discovery happened in 1996. In this season, the remains of an Iron Age (time of Hebrew Bible) City Gate complex were uncovered, which has led the scholars on a new quest-to find out more about the Iron Age city that no one expected to find underneath the Hellenistic-Roman remains. It is now believed the Iron Age Bethsaida was the capital of the kingdom of Geshur. Geshur is notable in the Hebrew Bible for its visit by King David, and his subsequent marriage to Ma'achah, the daughter of the king of Geshur. The past four seasons of excavations have focused heavily on the Iron Age City Gate complex (one of the biggest and best preserved in the region) and its link to a previously excavated palace.
I returned from Israel on Tuesday, June 28. I participated in the archeological dig at Bethsaida (Aramaic for "House of the Fishermen") in Israel. (Actually, Bethsaida is in what used to be the Golan Heights territory of Syria. Syria had a toehold on the coast of the Sea of Galilee-which they used, of course, as a base from which to attack Israel. Syria lost the territory during the 1967 war. It has been incorporated into the state of Israel. (Unlike the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.) Israel may return the land to Syria in exchange for a peace treaty-provided it become a de-militarized zone. However, that is unlikely to happen any time soon. Even if the Alawite regime collapses-as it is in the process of doing, Syrian hostility towards Israel will most likely continue. Even if a new Syrian leader desired to make peace with Israel, he wouldn't do it, because it would make him look weak-especially if he made such a move soon after coming to power.)
What did I do in Israel?
I arrived on a Monday. I took a bus from Tel Aviv to Tiberius and from there I went to Ginnosar. I checked in and checked out the famous "Jesus Boat" which is located in a special museum dedicated to it in Kibbutz Ginnosar. The next day I went to Bethsaida and we began the dig. We would wake up in the morning and catch the bus at 530 and we would dig from 600 until 900. At 900 we would have breakfast. Then, after 30-45 minutes from breakfast we would work until 1130 when we would have "popsicle break." We would start cleaning up at 1145 and be done at 1215. Then we had lunch at about 100. Then we had a break until 400. At 400 we would have "pottery reading." (This means we would sort the pottery and count it. Then our experts would examine it and take out the valuable finds. They had a professional photographer and he would take professional photographs of the important finds.) Then at 800 we would have a lecture. We had a lecture by a different professor every night. The dig is tiring-so it was hard to stay engaged with the lectures-especially if the professor was longwinded. We had the weekend off. On the first weekend, I was able to join the Australians for a tour. (So, who was at the dig? About 60 people. Some would come and go. A few people come to the dig every year. We had a Truman University group, an Australian group and a New Zealander group.) So, I went on a Galilee tour with the Australians. We went to Chorizen, Capernaum and Tabgha. (Tabgha is traditionally, the location of the feeding of the Five Thousand.) Then we went to Baneaus (also called Caesarea Phillipi). After that we went to Tel Dan. I went on a wilderness hike and made it to the ruins of Dan-where the Israelite king Jeroboam built a temple. We then went to Gamla-but we were denied entrance because they people at the facility were tired and wanted to go home early. The next day, I went (alone) to "Yardenit" which is a place on the Jordan River that is open for baptisms. There was a sign that argued that the site was "Beth Arbara." John the Baptist baptized at different places-so it may be a site where he baptized. In the evening I went on a boat across the Sea of Galilee. The next day it was back to digging. Midweek, I was able to go to Nazareth, where I went to Nazareth Village. In the last weekend, I joined the Truman University group and we went to Megiddo, Beth Shemarim (which is an important Rabbinic cemetery and a very impressive site), Sephoris and then we went to Chorizen again. The next day I went, by myself, to the ancient Talmudic village at Qatzrin. I tried to go to Gergesa-where the incident with the demonic took place-it got late and I wasn't able to go. The following day, I climbed Mount Arbel (by myself) and I went to Magdala. I climbed to the top of Mount Arbel-but not to the peak- I was alone and I was concerned about my safety. I like to take risks-but if I feel that I am alone and I could really get hurt –sometimes I chose not to take that risk. If I had a partner with me, I would have gone to the peak. I had a great trip-but with only a few minor disappointments-I didn't get to Kursi (Gergesa) and I didn't climb to the peak of Arbel. I hope to do both some day.
Return from Israel
So, what did I learn from my trip to Israel? Several things. Firstly, the Galilee is a very spiritual place. Also, we had several academics there. I think I am as smart as they are-I need to complete my doctorate soon. The dig was hard work.
Lets now look at some specifics.
- The Jesus Trail: When I was at Nazareth Village, I picked up a book entitled "Hiking the Jesus Trail and other Biblical Walks in the Galilee" by Anna Dintaman and David Landis. In this book they discuss "Pilgrimage." They list important themes of pilgrimage-which are
- Pilgrimage moves-Pilgrims are not static, but are active and dynamic.
- Pilgrimage remembers-Pilgrimages lead us to places of sacred and historical value.
- Pilgrimage inspires and transforms.
- Pilgrimage moves-Pilgrims are not static, but are active and dynamic.
I walked a portion of the "Jesus Trail" when I climbed Mount Arbel. Most of the time I was too busy for hiking.
- Capernaum: I was able to visit Capernaum-which is described as "Jesus' City" in the Gospels. (Jesus was from Nazareth-but he centered his ministry in Capernaum. Apparently, Capernaum was like his base.) I was able to purchase the report on the excavation of Capernaum which is entitled "Recovering Capharnaum" by Stanislao Loffreda.
- The Sea of Galilee: I was able to get two interesting resources on the Sea of Galilee.
- "The Sea of Galilee and Its Fisherman in the New Testament" by (the late) Menel Nun. This is a very helpful resource on the fishermen of Galilee and provides very interesting insight into the cultural background of the New Testament. Mr. Nun was an expert fisherman in the Galilee and founded a museum called "The Anchor Museum" which is dedicated to Galilean fishermen.
- The Galilee Boat A boat from the time of Jesus was found in the Sea of Galilee near Magdala in the late 1980s. It was preserved and is housed in a museum at Kibbutz Ginnosar-which is where I stayed when I was in Israel. I was able to pick up two resources on the "Jesus Boat"-"An Ancient Boat Discovered in the Sea of Galilee" by Orna Cohen and "The Boat and the Sea of Galilee" by Lea Lofenfeld Winkler and Ramit Frenkel.
- Chorizen I visited Chorizen twice. This is a city that was rebuked by Jesus for its lack of faith. At Chorizen is a "Seat of Moses" which Jesus spoke about when he rebuked the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Scribes.
- Capernaum In the Bible, Capernaum is called Christ's city. It was the base of his operations. In Capernaum, archeologists discovered the House of Saint Peter and Aramaic and Syriac graffiti inside it. (Capernaum is on the coast of the Sea of Galilee.)
- Bethsaida and Magdala I excavated at Bethsaida. Magdala is close to Tiberius. I was able to see the excavations that are currently being carried out in Magdala.
- "The Sea of Galilee and Its Fisherman in the New Testament" by (the late) Menel Nun. This is a very helpful resource on the fishermen of Galilee and provides very interesting insight into the cultural background of the New Testament. Mr. Nun was an expert fisherman in the Galilee and founded a museum called "The Anchor Museum" which is dedicated to Galilean fishermen.
- Nazareth Village Nazareth Village is a recreation of Nazareth as it was in Christ's time. There is a similar "Talmudic Village" in Katrin. Nazareth is in Galilee-but it isn't one of the coastal cities.
Aramaic
I was able to uncover many Aramaic resources during my journey to Israel. First, at Yardenit-a baptismal site on the Jordan river-the verse from the Bible describing the baptism of Jesus Christ is placed in many languages upon the walls-including Aramaic. But people are probably more interested in ancient Aramaic inscriptions-and I did find many.
- Katzrin: This is an Israeli village in the Golan Heights. Archeologists discovered a "Talmudic Village" there. They found a Synagogue, the house of a rabbi and a carpenters house. The Talmudic era is from the 2nd to the 6th century (or thereabouts). They discovered inscriptions in Aramaic identifying the owners of the houses.
- Capernaum: Near the Synagogue are Aramaic inscriptions. Aramaic and Syriac inscriptions were also found in the House of Saint Peter.
- Beth Shear'im: This is a Talmudic rabbinic cemetery. It is near to Sepphoris. There were many Aramaic inscriptions found here.
- Chorizen: The Seat of Moses has an inscription on it-in the Aramaic language.
OBAMA ENDANGERS AMERICA AND COPTIC CHRISTIANS BY GIVING LEGITIMACY TO ISLAMIC TERRORISTS GROUPS
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," June 30, 2011.
MONICA CROWLEY, GUEST HOST: Well, it is official, the Obama administration is recognizing the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and preparing to sit down with the group at the negotiating table. Hi, everybody, I'm Monica Crowley in tonight for Sean Hannity. According to a senior administration official, quote, "the political landscape in Egypt has changed and is changing. It is in our interests to engage with all of the parties that are competing for parliament or the presidency." Well, I wonder how the administration plans to engage with a group that flies its flag under the motto, quote, "Allah is our objective, the prophet is our leader, the Koran is our law, Jihad is our way, and dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope." And while President Obama and his liberal allies may be seduced by the Muslim Brotherhood's renunciations of violence, the Brotherhood stated the objectives reveal its wishful thinking. The Brotherhood's own documents indicate that the group seeks, quote, "Grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house by their hands and the hands of their believers so that it is eliminated." Nonetheless, the administration's latest move shouldn't surprise anybody who is paying attention during the 2008 campaign. Senator Obama made his intentions crystal clear on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS FROM CNN) PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I will meet not just with our friends but with our enemies. OBAMA: I would meet without preconditions. OBAMA: I do think that it is important for the United States not just to talk to its friends but also to talk to its enemies. (END VIDEO CLIPS)
CROWLEY: Enemies indeed. (Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/hannity/2011/07/01/obama-administration-recognizes-egypts-dangerous-muslim-brotherhood#ixzz1R2nLu63b)
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