In Unique Discovery, Archaeologists Find King Hezekiah's Seal - ARI RABINOVITCH/REUTERS CHARISMA NEWS

A projected image of a clay imprint, known as a bulla, which was unearthed from excavations near Jerusalem's Old City, and later discovered to be from the seal of the biblical King Hezekiah, is displayed during a news conference at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. (Reuters)

In Unique Discovery, Archaeologists Find King Hezekiah's Seal

 12/2/2015 ARI RABINOVITCH/REUTERS  charisma news

Join us on our podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

---

Israeli archaeologists have discovered a mark from the seal of biblical King Hezekiah, who helped build Jerusalem into an ancient metropolis.

The circular inscription, on a piece of clay less than a centimeter (0.4 inches) long, may very well have been made by the king himself, said Eilat Mazar of Jerusalem's Hebrew University who directed the excavation where it was uncovered.

Hezekiah ruled around 700 BC and was described in the Bible as a daring monarch—"There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him" (2 Kin. 18:5)—who was dedicated to eliminating idolatry in his kingdom.

"This is the first time that a seal impression of an Israelite or Judean king has ever come to light in a scientific archaeological excavation," Mazar said.

The clay imprint, known as a bulla, was found at a dig at the foot of the southern part of the wall that surrounds Jerusalem's Old City, an area rich in relics from the period of the first of two ancient Jewish temples.

It had been buried in a refuse dump dated to the time of Hezekiah and was probably tossed from an adjacent royal building, Mazar said. It contains ancient Hebrew script and the symbol of a two-winged sun.

The bulla was initially cataloged and put in a closet, along with 33 others, after a first inspection that failed to establish its true identity.

Only five years later, when a team member scrutinized it under a magnifying glass and discerned dots in between some of the letters, did the meaning become clear.

The dots help separate the words: "Belonging to Hezekiah (son of) Ahaz king of Judah."

Mazar said the back side of the clay imprint of the seal had markings of thin cords that were used to tie a papyrus document.

"It's always a question, what are the real facts behind the biblical stories," Mazar said. "Here we have a chance to get as close as possible to the person himself, to the king himself." 

© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW - Life in the Spirit is your Spirit-filled teaching guide. Encounter the Holy Spirit, hear God speak to you, and enjoy timeless teachings on love, mercy and forgiveness.LEARN MORE!

My beloved.

She is my beloved.

Laura Jean Unzicker Martin

Saluda, NC Oct. 18, 2015

Yeshua (Jesus) is our Beloved 

and

we are Yeshua's (Jesus') beloved.

Mutual Delight in Each Other - Song of Songs 6

1“Where has your beloved gone,

            O most beautiful among women?

            Where has your beloved turned,

            That we may seek him with you?”

      2“My beloved has gone down to his garden,

            To the beds of balsam,

            To pasture his flock in the gardens

            And gather lilies.

      3“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,

            He who pastures his flock among the lilies.”

      4“You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling,

            As lovely as Jerusalem,

            As awesome as an army with banners.

      5“Turn your eyes away from me,

            For they have confused me;

            Your hair is like a flock of goats

            That have descended from Gilead.

      6“Your teeth are like a flock of ewes

            Which have come up from their washing,

            All of which bear twins,

            And not one among them has lost her young.

      7“Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate

            Behind your veil.

      8“There are sixty queens and eighty concubines,

            And maidens without number;

      9But my dove, my perfect one, is unique:

            She is her mother’s only daughter;

            She is the pure child of the one who bore her.

            The maidens saw her and called her blessed,

            The queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying,

      10‘Who is this that grows like the dawn,

            As beautiful as the full moon,

            As pure as the sun,

            As awesome as an army with banners?’

      11“I went down to the orchard of nut trees

            To see the blossoms of the valley,

            To see whether the vine had budded

            Or the pomegranates had bloomed.

      12“Before I was aware, my soul set me

            Over the chariots of my noble people.”

      13“Come back, come back, O Shulammite;

            Come back, come back, that we may gaze at you!”

            

      “Why should you gaze at the Shulammite,

            As at the dance of the two companies?

Song of Solomon 6 (NASB)

Historic Scenes of the Holy Land - Israel's History - a Picture a Day

Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta)

---

Breaking News: Thousands of Vintage Newsreel Films Just Went Online. Films Include Historic Scenes of the Holy Land Posted: 20 Apr 2014  Scene of the Western Wall from a British Pathé newsreel The giant newsreel archive, British Pathé, released its entire collection of 85,000 films to the public this week. The films, dating from 1896 to 1976, include hundreds of newsreels from Palestine prior to the establishment of Israel in 1948.  We found of particular interest the films of combat between British and Turkish forces during World War I and the brave attempts to push desperate Jewish refugees from Europe past British barriers in the 1930s and 40s. "This unprecedented release of vintage news reports and cinemagazines is part of a drive to make the archive more accessible to viewers all over the world," British Pathé announced. “Our hope is that everyone, everywhere who has a computer will see these films and enjoy them,” said Alastair White, General Manager of British Pathé. “This archive is a treasure trove unrivalled in historical and cultural significance that should never be forgotten. Uploading the films to YouTube seemed like the best way to make sure of that.” We present here several of the exciting films now on the British Pathé YouTube collection. Many of the newsreels are silent films. Video: Dedication of Hebrew University and speech by Earl Arthur Balfour (1925)   Video: 1929 disturbances against Jews, a crude Jewish barricade,  and the arrival of a British naval ship in an attempt to restore order. Item title reads - Thousands of American Jews take part in [1929 "monster"] demonstration before offices of the British Consul, demanding protection for their kinsmen in Palestine. New York, U.S. Responsible archivists and librarians digitize their historical treasures.

You are subscribed to email updates from Picture a Day To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Earl Balfour Jerusalem (1925)

First Pictures Of Palestine Aka First Pictures From Palestine (1929)

Thousands Of American Jews (1929)

Christians Rediscovering Passover - DAVID PARSONS/FOR JNS.ORG

More and more, Christians are embracing their Jewish heritage. (Facebook)

Christians Rediscovering Passover

4/14/2014 DAVID PARSONS/FOR JNS.ORG - charisma magazine

For Jews and Christians, the Passover season is a special time for reflection on the rich spiritual truths contained within this remarkable holiday. Indeed, we can all observe the command to remember the incredible Israelite deliverance from bondage in Egypt.

For Christians, the events of a momentous Passover some 15 centuries later have given added meaning to this holiday, so that the truths of the first are reinforced in the latter. Deliverance from Pharaoh’s taskmasters became freedom from slavery to sin. The blood of a lamb on the doorposts became a typology of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Yet the parallels between Pesach and Easter were lost for centuries to most Christians when the early church fathers deliberately severed our faith from its Jewish roots. In time, this hostility to Judaism produced vicious blood libels against Jews at Passover.

Today, however, multitudes of Christians are rediscovering our Hebraic roots. Indeed,Time magazine recently identified growing Christian interest in our faith’s Jewish heritage as one of the 10 top trends of our day.

Even respected Jewish scholars have started joining Christian theologians in rediscovering the “Jewishness” of Jesus and the Hebraic origins of Christianity. One notable expert in this regard is the late Prof. David Flusser of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, considered the leading Orthodox Jewish expert on the Second Temple era and Early Christianity.

Flusser placed Jesus within the Pharasaic tradition and viewed Him as among the great sages of his time, such as Hillel and Ben-Shammai. But Flusser concluded that the Galilean preacher went boldly beyond the classic Judaism of that day, for instance by proclaiming the advent of the kingdom of God and espousing a radical ethic of loving one’s enemy.

As a result of such groundbreaking scholarship, the Feast of Passover is one occasion when the lineage and cultural identity of Jesus as a “son of the covenant” now holds so much more meaning for Christians. In fact, nothing reattaches Christians to their Jewish roots faster than realizing the Last Supper was actually a Passover seder meal being led by a Jewish rabbi.

Thus, we can now see in the Gospel narratives just how closely Jesus held to Jewish traditions in presiding over the Passover meal with His disciples—or rather, His talmidim.

For instance, He followed the custom then developing in first-century Judaism of serving four cups of wine at the Passover meal to mirror the four great “I wills” of Exodus 6:6-7. When Jesus took the third cup—considered the “cup of redemption”—He used it to seal a new covenant with His followers.

Interestingly, He also used customary Jewish words of betrothal at that same moment, promising to go build them all mansions in His Father’s house and to come back for them one day as a bridegroom for His bride (John 14:2-3).

In serving them wine and unleavened bread, Jesus further played off the command to remember the Passover by instructing His disciples to always partake of it “in remembrance of [Him].”

Then one of the most extraordinary moments of the Last Supper came when He washed the feet of His disciples.

Like other great rabbis of His day, Jesus had developed a unique preaching style by telling parables, many of which are universally known to this day, such as the parables of the good Samaritan and the prodigal son. But He was different in the way He also practiced what He preached. In washing the feet of His disciples, the rabbi Jesus taught by deed and not just words what it means to be a servant in His kingdom (John 13:14-15).

And finally, Jesus demonstrated tremendous grace that evening when He gave the place of the guest of honor to His immediate left to Judas, even though He knew this was the one about to betray Him. What a difference it would have made down through history if Christians had understood that Jesus was never bitter toward Judas.

Sadly, it is too late to change that history. But we are witnessing a sea change in Christian attitudes towards the Jewish people today as we understand better the Jewish matrix of our faith. This historic shift is helping to build Christian support for an embattled Israel at a critical hour. And just as importantly, it is shielding multitudes of Christians against modern-day blood libels and other anti-Semitic lies now being hurled at the Jewish state.

David Parsons is an ordained minister who serves as media director for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (www.icej.org).

Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive CHARISMA MAGAZINE by email.

Jerusalem - from a Hebrew University viewpoint

Jerusalem - looking south

On one of our adventures within Jerusalem, we came across this viewpoint of Jerusalem from a Hebrew University lookout point. I also did a short video which you can watch on our YouTube channel. Click on the link below.

Steve Martin

Love For His People

Jerusalem - looking across the Kidron Valley

YouTube: Jerusalem view from Hebrew University

The Mount of Olives & Jerusalem - video tour

with Dr. David Reagan of Lamb & Lion Ministries

Tour the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem with Dr. David Reagan on the show Christ in Prophecy!

See all of these sites: Eastern Gate (Golden Gate), Kidron Valley, Church of All Nations, Church of Mary Magdelene, Hotel of the Seven Arches, Hebrew University, Mount Scopus, Old City, Temple Mount, Garden of Gethsemene, City of David, plus a lot more.

A good way to walk the streets of Jerusalem and see many of the historical and spiritual sites.

To see more videos by Dr. David Reagan:

Christ in Prophecy video

Click here: Lamb & Lion Ministries website

About - Dr. David R. Reagan

ShareThis:

Print: On/Off

Font: S/M/L

Dr. David R. Reagan serves as the Senior Evangelist for Lamb & Lion Ministries. He is a native Texan who resides in a suburb of Dallas. He is married and is the father of two daughters. His wife, Ann, is a retired first grade teacher. They have four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Dr. Reagan is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Texas in Austin. His graduate degrees were earned in the field of International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy of Tufts and Harvard Universities.

Dave — as he prefers to be called — was the founder of Lamb & Lion Ministries in 1980. Before entering the ministry he had an extensive career in higher education which included the following positions: Assistant to the President of Austin College in Sherman, Texas; President of South Texas Jr. College in Houston; Director of Pepperdine University's Center for International Business in Los Angeles; and Vice President of Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma.

In the mid-60's Dave served as a Fulbright Lecturer at the University of the Philippines and toured all of Southeast Asia lecturing on U.S. foreign policy in behalf of the U.S. Information Agency.

Dave is a life-long Bible student, teacher, and preacher. He entered the full time ministry in 1976 when he was called to serve as the pulpit minister for a church in Irving, Texas. His ordination as a Christian minister has been formally recognized by three different Christian groups.

He is the author of many religious essays which have been published in a wide variety of journals and magazines. He has written 11 books — The Man of Lawlessness, Jesus the Lamb and the Lion,Eternity: Heaven or Hell?, God's Plan for the Ages, Wrath & Glory: The Meaning of Revelation, The Christ in Prophecy Study Guide, America the Beautiful?, Trusting God, Living for Christ in the End Times, An Overview of Revelation Study Guide, and Jesus is Coming Soon! which is a book for children. He has co-authored another book called The Parched Soul of America. His books have been translated into several languages.

Dave's sermons have been distributed worldwide. He has led more than forty pilgrimages to Israel that focus on the prophetic significance of the sites visited. He has also conducted prophecy conferences in Russia, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria, Belarus, Israel, South Africa, Mexico, the Philippines, India, England (including Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland), and China.

Dave is the host of Lamb & Lion's weekly television program called "Christ in Prophecy." This program is broadcast nationally on seven Christian networks which combined have access to 80 million homes in the United States. And through DayStar, the program is available to every country in the world. The program deals with the prophetic significance of national and international events

About - Nature & Purpose

ShareThis:

Print: On/Off

Font: S/M/L

Purpose

Lamb & Lion Ministries was founded in 1980 as a non-denominational, independent ministry. The Ministry does not seek to convert people to any particular church. Rather, it seeks to lift up Jesus and draw people to Him as Lord and Savior.

The Ministry was established for the purpose of proclaiming the soon return of Jesus. We do not believe it is possible to know the date when Jesus will return. But we do believe it is possible to know the season of the Lord's return, and it is our conviction that we are living in that season.

The message of the Ministry is directed at both believers and non-believers. To the unsaved, the Ministry says, "Flee from the wrath that is to come by fleeing into the loving arms of Jesus." To believers, the Ministry says, "Commit yourselves to holiness as you await the appearance of your Blessed Hope."

We believe that Jesus is the only hope for the world today. He is the Gospel — the "Good News."

We believe the Church, as expressed through the local congregation, is the basic unit of God's plan for the proclamation of the Gospel and the discipling of believers. Lamb & Lion Ministries exists to serve the Church in its effort to win souls for Christ and to disciple those who accept the Lord.

read more...

Governance

The Ministry is governed by a Board of twenty-two Trustees who come from a variety of Christian fellowships. The Trustees establish all the policies of the Ministry, and they meet quarterly to review the Ministry's operations.

All the Trustees are committed Evangelicals who affirm that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God; that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that Jesus is returning soon.

read more...

Outreach

The Ministry proclaims its message in a variety of ways. One of the most significant is through its weekly television program called Christ in Prophecy. This program is broadcast nationally over the DayStar, Inspirational, NRB and Church Channel networks. The television program provides commentary on national and international events from a Biblical perspective, showing that many of these events are signs of the times pointing to the soon return of Jesus.

The Ministry conducts meetings and seminars all over the country in all kinds of churches. The Ministry's seminars focus on Bible prophecy. The meetings cover either prophecy or spiritual renewal or a combination of the two.

Other forms of outreach include resources such as topical teaching videos, audio programs, books, multimedia training materials, a bi-monthly magazine called the Lamplighter, and the periodic Bible Prophecy Insights magazine. The magazines alway contain a featured article on some aspect of Bible prophecy.

Another form of outreach consists of pilgrimages to Israel which are conducted a few times a year by the ministry for educational and spiritual purposes.

read more...

Missions

In recent years the Lord has opened up many doors of opportunity for the Ministry to proclaim its message in foreign countries. Prophecy conferences and evangelistic crusades have been conducted in South Africa, Poland, Beloruss, the Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Russia, England, India, the Philippines, Israel, Mexico and China.

Bibles and all types of study materials have been sent to churches and missions in countries all over the world. The Ministry's books about Bible prophecy have been translated into Russian, Hungarian, Czech, Polish, Hindi, Tagulu, Urdu, Spanish, and Chinese.

Particular attention has been given to aiding the Jewish refugees that God is regathering back to the land of Israel from the four corners of the earth. The Ministry has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the assistance of the refugees.

read more...

Finances

Lamb & Lion is a faith ministry. We do not charge fees for any of our services. Items such as the e-newsletter and electronic magazine are offered free of charge. Meetings and seminars are conducted on a love offering basis. The Lord knows our needs, and we rely upon Him to supply the finances needed for our operations.

The salaries of all staff members are determined by the Board of Trustees. Donations to the Ministry go for staff salaries, operations, and outreach — mainly outreach.

The Ministry operates on a cash basis and has been blessed to end every calendar year of its existence with all its bills paid.

The Ministry has no debts. Its buildings, property, and equipment are all paid for. A financial statement is produced monthly, and copies are available on request. All financial records are audited annually, and the audit reports are also available on request.

The Ministry is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. That means the Ministry operates according to the highest ethical principles with regard to both fund raising and the expenditure of funds.

read more...

Location

The Ministry's headquarters is located on five acres of land in a rural area near Princeton, Texas, about 35 miles north of Dallas.

read more...

Unearthed treasure confirms Jewish history in Jerusalem

Thursday, September 12, 2013 |  Ryan Jones, Israel Today 

Share on bloggerShare on twitterShare on facebookShare on gmailMore Sharing Services7

• Enlarge

Related Stories

• King David's suburban palace unearthed
• Archeology again appears to back up biblical account
• Inscription from time of King David found in Jerusalem

Topics:

Archeology

Recent excavations near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem unearthed a literal treasure trove once again confirming an ancient Jewish presence in the city.

Led by archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University, the excavating team found a total of 36 gold coins, gold and silver jewelry and a very special gold medallion.

On the medallion can be seen the images of a menorah (seven-branched candelabrum), a shofar (ram's horn) and a Torah scroll. Researchers believe the medallion was in fact an ornament for a Torah scroll, perhaps the oldest such adornment ever found.

For Dr. Mazar, the discovery, especially of the Torah ornament, is downright sensational: "We have already made many discoveries in this area from the time of the first Jewish Temple. But the image of a seven-branched candelabrum has totally surprised us."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fully shared that sentiment, stating in a phone call to Dr. Mazar: "This is a magnificent discovery. Nationally, it attests to the ancient Jewish presence and to the sanctity of the place; this is as clear as the sun and it is tremendous. ...This is historic testimony, of the highest order, to the Jewish People's link to Jerusalem, to its land and to its heritage – menorah, shofar, Torah scroll. The essence of the Jewish People could not be any more succinct and clear. This is a wonderful gift to the Jewish People."

The treasures were found 50 yards from the southern wall of the Temple Mount. "The most likely explanation for the location of the treasure is that it was intended as a contribution to the building of a new synagogue in the vicinity of the Temple Mount," explained Dr. Mazar. "However, one can assume that this mission was not successful."

Want more news from Israel?

Other stories:

Dr. Eilat Mazar

“And he said unto me: ‘What seest thou?’ And I said: ‘I have seen, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and its seven lamps thereon; there are seven pipes, yea, seven, to the lamps, which are upon the top thereof…” (Zechariah 4:2)

Third generation archaeologist Eilat Mazar, of Hebrew University, revealed Monday morning (Sept. 10, 2013) that an unusual cache of gold coins and other related artifacts, dating to the seventh century CE, were discovered this summer at the Ophel excavation site near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

“We have been making significant finds from the First Temple Period in this area, a much earlier time in Jerusalem’s history, so discovering a golden seven-branched Menorah from the seventh century CE at the foot of the Temple Mount was a complete surprise,” Mazar said.  The discovery is being called the “Ophel treasure,” and consists of 36 gold coins, as well as some gold and silver jewelery and a large medallion embossed with a menorah (seven-branched candelabrum), a shofar (ram’s horn) and Torah scroll, and hanging from a chain.  This is especially significant because it points to a Jewish presence in the area at the time.

The menorah continues to be an important Jewish symbol today, serving as the emblem of the state of Israel, where it is flanked by two olive branches, as described in the book of Zechariah.  The original menorah was constructed, at God’s command, from a single piece of gold (Exodus 25:31-40) and lit first in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple.  It was also famously depicted on the arch of Titus, commemorating the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE.

Mazar points out the chain on the medallion as a clue to its original use.  She explains it was likely an ornament for a Torah scroll.  It was found buried along with a smaller gold medallion, two pendants, a gold coil and a silver clasp, likely all ornaments for the scroll.  The coins were found loose, leading to the theory that they were abandoned when the bearer failed in his task.  “It would appear that the most likely explanation is that the Ophel cache was earmarked as a contribution toward the building of a new synagogue, at a location that is near the Temple Mount,” said Dr. Mazar. “What is certain is that their mission, whatever it was, was unsuccessful. The treasure was abandoned, and its owners could never return to collect it.”

The coins, dating to the reigns of various Byzantine emperors from the mid-fourth to early seventh centuries, were discovered a mere five days into the excavation and just 50 meters (164 feet) from the Temple Mount, in the ruins of a Byzantine public structure.  Lior Sandberg, numismatics (currency) specialist at the Institute of Archaeology, identified this as the third collection to be found in Jerusalem excavations.

Given the date of the items and the manner in which they were found, Mazar estimates they were abandoned in the context of the Persian conquest of Jerusalem in 614 CE.

After the Persians conquered Jerusalem, many Jews returned to the city and formed the majority of its population, hoping for political and religious freedom. But as Persian power waned, instead of forming an alliance with the Jews, the Persians sought the support of Christians and ultimately allowed them to expel the Jews from Jerusalem.

The Ophel project has been funded by Daniel Mintz and Meredith Berkman of New York since 2009. The project includes archeological excavations, the processing of the finds for publication, as well as the preservation and preparations of the site for its opening to the public.

The Israel Antiquities Authority is carrying out the preservation works and preparing the site for the public for an unspecified date.

Article from: Breaking Israel News