Digging deep together - ONE FOR ISRAEL

Dr Erez Soref President of  ONE FOR ISRAEL  Shalom! Here at Israel College of the Bible the landscape of the Scriptures and the history of Israel is right outside our door! So we make the most of the opportunities to take our students outside, and go on field trips together. On Thursday we will explore the northern town of Zippori, a feast for archaeologists. It was here that Herod Antipas lived, and it was an important center of Rabbinic Judaism for a while, where the Sanhedrin used to meet. We will see well-preserved mosaics and ancient synagogues, but we will also enjoy some unhurried fellowship time with the students. STAFF IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Andreas Stutz, Faculty staff  You know Moti, Eitan and Erez by now, but we would love to introduce you to some of our staff who are not so often in the spotlight! Here is Andreas Stutz, who teaches Theology here at Israel College of the Bible. Andreas is from a Jewish family who made aliyah to Israel from Switzerland when he was three years old. After serving in the Israeli army, he married and moved with his wife to Germany to study Theology.  He has studied in three seminaries there, and earned his most recent qualification from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary at the Bibelseminar Bonn. Andreas pastored a Church in Germany for five years and has now returned to Israel with his family, as a valued member of our faculty at Israel College of the Bible.  Andreas teaches several courses, including Theology, Introduction to the Bible for our "Firstfruits" foundation course, Wisdom Literature, and is currently teaching a course on the book of Acts. He has a great passion for exegesis with a view to preaching, and regularly shares his love of text-driven preaching with our students! Israeli Jewish Millionaire  found her lifestyle to be empty.  Watch her amazing journey to...JESUS! PRAY FOR LONDON AND LEARN HOW TO OVERCOME ISIS   There are some twisted people who are so committed to their religion that they will kill for it. But we are led by a matchless Messiah who never harmed a soul, never encouraged violence, and was even willing to die for his enemies - the very opposite. As we follow Yeshua, are we willing to follow in his footsteps of self-sacrificial love? Martyrs for Yeshua don't kill, but offer life, even to their murderers. Continue reading... WE ARE COMING TO OREGON! On May 20th, we will be at Life Bible Church, 23650 Peoria Road, Harrisburg, Oregon, to speak about the exciting things that God is doing among us here in Israel, and how you can be a key part of it! The event will be 5-8pm, with doors opening at 4:30pm. It will be an invitation only event, so if you would like to join us, please register no later than May 6th.  FOLLOW US:

More at: www.oneforisrael.org

ONE FOR ISRAEL, 47 Pinkas david St. POB 13401, Netanya, 42138 Israel

Israeli Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Inscriptions in Jesus' Language - CBN News

Israeli Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Inscriptions in Jesus' Language

01-29-2016 CBN News

Israeli archeologists unearthed Greek and Aramaic inscriptions in northern Israel, suggesting a Jewish presence in the land dating back to the first century.

The three 1,700-year-old epitaphs were discovered by the Israel Antiquities Authority Wednesday in a cemetery dating back to the ancient Galilean capital city of Zippori.

"Zippori was the first capital of Galilee from the time of the Hasmonean dynasty until the establishment of Tiberias in the first century CE. The city continued to be central and important later on," researchers explained in a press release announcing the discovery.

So far, researchers have been able to decode one Greek word meaning "Jose," a common Jewish name at the time, and three Aramaic words meaning "the Tiberian," "forever," and "rabbi." The researchers believe that Aramic was the language spoken by Jesus.

Motti Aviam, of the Kinneret Institute for Galilean Archeology, said in a statement about the discovery that the inscriptions were surprising.

"One of the surprises in the newly discovered inscriptions is that one of the deceased was called 'the Tiberian,'" said Aviam. "This is already the second instance of someone from Tiberius being buried in the cemetery at Zippori."

However, the discovery has left researchers unsure who "the Tiberian" was. Aviam explained that the researchers have two theories about who "the Tiberian" could be.

First, deceased Galilean Jews could have been brought for burial in the Zippori cemetery because of "the important activity carried out there by the Rabbi Yehuda Ha-Nasi," a second century rabbi who edited post-biblical Jewish traditions.

Aviam also suggested that the "the Tiberian" could simply mean that the man's hometown was Tiberias.

Another surprising find was the Aramaic word "le-olam," meaning "forever." Researchers said that was the first time that word had appeared in Zippori.

"The term le-olam is known from funerary inscriptions in Bet She'arim (in Galilee) and elsewhere and means that the deceased's burial place will remain his forever and that no one will take it from him. Both inscriptions end with the Hebrew blessing 'shalom' (peace)," Aviam explained.

Although the Aramaic inscription mentions a "rabbi," researchers admit that they are unsure what that meant 1,700 years ago in Zippori, a city characterized by its numerous Torah scholars.

The discoveries of the archaeologists and researchers confirm an already extensive knowledge of a Jewish presence in ancient Israel.

Researchers also noted that the Greek inscription of the common Jewish name "Jose" shows that although Aramaic was the primary language, some Jews spoke Greek.

The IAA explained in a press release that their discoveries confirm what they already believed to be a thriving Jewish culture in ancient Zippori and surrounding northern Israel.

"The Jewish life in the city was rich and diverse as indicated by the numerous ritual baths (miqwe'ot) discovered in the excavation; while at the same time the influence of Roman culture was also quite evident as reflected in the design of the town with its paved streets, colonnaded main roads, theater and bathhouses. The wealth of inscriptions from the cemeteries attests to the strong Jewish presence and the city's social elite in the late Roman period," they concluded.

The findings of this excavation contradict the Palestinian Authority's fervent denial of a Jewish connection to the Holy Land and insistence that Israel is "Judaizing" the country.

1700-Year-Old Gravestones of Unknown Rabbis Uncovered in Northern Israel - by Michael Bachner BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

(Photo: Courtesy/TPS)

1700-Year-Old Gravestones of Unknown Rabbis Uncovered in Northern Israel

By Michael Bachner January 28, 2016  BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast the understanding.” (Job 38:4)

Three ancient gravestone epitaphs written in Aramaic and in Greek were recently uncovered in the Galilee region in northern Israel. The people commemorated in two of the inscriptions are described as rabbis, but their exact names and identities have yet to be identified by further research.

The two epitaphs end with the Hebrew greeting word “shalom” (meaning ‘hello’ or ‘peace’). The Greek inscription mentions the name “Jose”, which at the time had been a very common name among Jews in Israel and in the diaspora.

The gravestones were buried in the western part of the cemetery of the Jewish community of Zippori in the Lower Galilee region, which was a major Jewish city in ancient times. The information that ultimately led to the discovery originally came from residents of the community.

The excavation was conducted by researchers from the Kinneret Institute for Galilean Archaeology in Kinneret College, and from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

“One of the surprises in the newly uncovered inscriptions is that one of the people buried is nicknamed as ‘The Tiberian’,” said Dr. Motti Aviam from the Kinneret College. “This is the second case of a person from Tiberias buried in the Zippori cemetery. Perhaps Jews from all around the Galilee chose to be buried in Zippori due to Judah the Prince’s important activities in the city.”

Judah the Prince, nicknamed simply ‘Rabbi’, was the chief redactor of the Jewish Mishnah (the first major work of Rabbinic literature) and he lived in Zippori during the Roman occupation. Zippori was the first capital of the Galilee region in Hasmonean times, until Tiberias was founded in the first century CE.

The city was a bustling Jewish center as indicated by the many artifacts discovered in the city, including Jewish ritual baths (mikveh) and 17 epitaphs, mostly in Aramaic which had been the spoken language among Jews at the time. Some of them also spoke and wrote in Greek.

“The significance of the gravestones lies in the fact they reflect the daily life of Jews in Zippori and their culture 1,700 years ago,” said Dr. Aviam.

Gravestone with Inscription in Aramaic Commemorating Rabbis, Uncovered in Zippori 27.1.16
Process of cleaning the inscription. (Photo: Miki Peleg, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)

“One of the inscriptions features the Hebrew word ‘leolam’ (meaning ‘forever’), for the first time in Zippori,” he added. “The word is known from epitaphs in other locations, and means in this context that their burial place shall remain his forever, without anyone robbing it from them.”

The inscriptions will be researched further, and the researchers believe that more research will likely produce new discoveries. The IAA and the Kinneret College also stated that the gravestones will be on display for the general public.