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At a time when a majority of people in the "Christian" West now reject the veracity of the Bible, believers with a more academic background are increasingly setting out to prove the Scriptures reliable.
One such Christian academic is Dr. Scott Stripling, head of the Associates for Biblical Research and director of a new excavation at Shiloh, where the Bible records the Tabernacle of God was located for 369 years.
Stripling told The Times of Israel: "There are some who say the Bible is unreliable. We have found it to be very reliable. We’re taking the Bible as a serious historical document, but the evidence is what the evidence is."
Stripling and his team of dedicated Christian researchers intend to dig at Shiloh and other sites in Israel for decades to come.
Already, they have uncovered large clay pots that were abandoned, which would hint at the biblical narrative that suggests Shiloh's sudden destruction. I Samuel chapter 4 records Israel's defeat at the hands of the Philistines and the subsequent loss of the Ark of the Covenant. The Prophet Jeremiah (7:12) later indicates that Shiloh itself was sacked following that defeat.
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The excavation site in the Russian Compound. One can see the sling stones on the floor, which are tangible evidence of the battle that was waged here 2,000 years ago. (Yoli Shwartz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.)
Excavation Reveals Spot Where Romans Breached Jerusalem’s Wall 2,000 Years Ago
“And they burnt the house of God, and broke down the wall of Yerushalayim, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.” II Chronicles 36:19 (The Israel Bible™)
Exciting evidence of the breaching of the third wall that surrounded Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple period was uncovered last winter in the Russian Compound at the city center. The discovery was made in an archaeological excavation the Israel Antiquities Authority conducted in the location where the new campus of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design is slated to be built. In the course of the excavation, archaeologists discovered the remains of a tower jutting from the city wall. Opposite the tower’s western facade were scores of ballista and sling stones that the Romans had fired from catapults at the Jewish guards who were stationed at the top of the tower.
According to Dr. Rina Avner and Kfir Arbib, excavation directors on behalf of the IAA, “This is a fascinating testimony of the intensive bombardment by the Roman army, led by Titus, on their way to conquering the city and destroying the Second Temple. The bombardment was intended to attack the sentries guarding the wall and provide cover for the Roman forces so they could approach the wall with battering rams and thereby breach the city’s defenses.”
A 2,000 year old jar as it was discovered in the field. (Yoli Shwartz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.)
The historian Josephus, an eyewitness to the war, provided many details about this wall. According to him, the wall was designed to protect the new quarter of the city that had developed outside its boundaries, north of the two existing city walls. This quarter was named Beit Zeita. The building of the Third Wall was begun by King Agrippa I; however, he suspended its construction so as not to incur the wrath of Emperor Claudius and to dispel any doubts regarding his loyalty. The construction of the Third Wall was resumed some two decades later by the defenders of Jerusalem, as part of fortifying the city and the Jewish rebels’ preparations for the Great Revolt against Rome.
Josephus described in detail the route of the wall that began at Hippicus Tower, which is now identified with David’s Citadel. From there the wall continued north to the enormous Psephinus Tower, which defended the northwestern corner of the city wall. At that point the wall turned east and descended toward the Tomb of Queen Helena, which is identified with the place known as the Tombs of the Kings.
A spearhead from the battle against Titus’ army. (Clara Amit, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)
It seems that the new discovery has resolved a debate among researchers reaching back to the early twentieth century, as to the location of the third wall and the question of Jerusalem’s boundaries on the eve of the Roman onslaught led by Titus. According to the dig in the Russian Compound, we now have proof of the wall’s existence in that area.
The excavation findings will be presented at a conference entitled “New Studies in the archaeology of Jerusalem and its Region,” Thursday, October 27, at the Mount Scopus campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Photo above: During a pre-construction survey prior to building a new road, Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists excavated a 7,000-year-old settlement in a northern Jerusalem neighborhood. (Courtesy/CBN News)
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During a pre-construction survey prior to building a new road, Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists excavated a 7,000-year-old settlement in a northern Jerusalem neighborhood.
IAA archaeologists say the rare find dates to the Chalcolithic period, or the fifth-century B.C., when people began using copper (chalcos in Greek), not just stones, to make tools (lithos in Greek).
The team uncovered two houses and a treasure trove of relics, including well-preserved floors, pottery, beads and tools.
"The Chalcolithic period is known in the Negev, the coastal plain, the Galilee and the Golan, but (it) is almost completely absent in the Judean Hills and Jerusalem," said Dr. Omri Barzilai, head of the IAA's prehistory branch. That makes the find in the predominantly Arab neighborhood of Shuafat even more unusual.
The few traces of settlements during this period have been extremely sparse, Barzilai said, so evidence of a thriving 7,000-year-old settlement in Jerusalem is indeed unique.
Excavation director Ronit Lupo explained the significance of some of the discoveries.
"Apart from the pottery, the fascinating flint finds attest to the livelihood of the local population in prehistoric times: small sickle blades for harvesting cereal crops, chisels and polished axes for building, borers and awls, and even a bead made of carnelian, indicating that jewelry was either made or imported," Lupo said.
"The grinding tools, mortars and pestles, like the basalt bowl, attest to technological skills as well as to the kinds of crafts practiced in the local community," she continued. "We also recovered a few bones of sheep (and) goat(s) and possibly cattle. These will be analyzed further in the Israel Antiquities Authority laboratories, permitting us to recreate the dietary habits of the people who lived here 7,000 years ago and enhancing our understanding of the settlement's economy."
Meanwhile, archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem are excavating the remains of a 12,000-year-old village in the Jordan Valley.
The site, named NEG II and located near the middle of a stream flowing west to the Sea of Galilee, has yielded finds from the Old Stone Age (Paleolithic period) and the New Stone Age (Neolithic period), including flint and bone tools and human burial remains.
"It is not surprising that at the very end of the Natufian culture, at a suite of sites in the Jordan Valley, that we find a cultural entity that bridges the crossroads between late Paleolithic foragers and Neolithic farmers," said Hebrew University archaeologist Dr. Leore Grosman, who led the excavation.
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By Chris Mitchell CBN News Middle East Bureau Chief Tuesday, February 11, 2014
MAGDALA, Israel -- Discoveries from a new archaeological dig are creating excitement in the area where Jesus began his ministry. The village is called Magdala (Migdal in Hebrew), and it's the home of Mary Magdalene.
"She lived here and she met Jesus here and she continued with Him. Yes, it's that place," senior Israeli archaeologist Arfan Najar, who oversees the excavation at Magdala, told CBN News.
Najar said the city lay hidden all this time by just a small layer of dirt.
"Some place almost you touch the surface and you have the wall, waiting for us for 2,000 years to when we are coming," he said.
The most important discovery in Magdala has been a synagogue dating back to the time of Jesus. According to archaeologists, it's the first one discovered in the Galilee.
"An expression that appears many times in several places of the Gospel, 'Jesus went around Galilee preaching in their synagogues," Father Solana, general director at the Magdala Center, explained. "So this is the closest synagogue to Capernaum where He lived. So it was likely He was here many times."
In the synagogue, the team discovered a 2,000-year-old treasure. They call it the Magdala Stone, and some archaeologists say it's the most important discovery in decades.
Magdala Stone
CBN News first reported on the stone just after it was uncovered in 2009. Father Kelly, of the Catholic order Legionnaires of Christ, showed CBN News a replica while overlooking the Temple Mount.
Father Eamon Kelly
- Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center
"This particular Magdala Stone is the most important discovery ever made in relation to the Second Temple, the temple at the time of Jesus, which Herod redid. So that's quite the statement," Father Kelly said.
The Menorah (six-lamp candelabrum) on the stone is one of a kind, the first one discovered before the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. The Legionnaires of Christ own the land and are building an entire center at Magdala with an archaeological park, hotel and spiritual center.
Father Solana dreamed up the project and wants it to be a center for all.
"I'm pretty sure it's a gift for the world, for culture, for religions, for Israel of course," he said.
Visitors to the center see the Bible come to life.
"The altar is in the shape of a boat, a fisherman's boat," said Monica, a Christian pilgrim from Australia. "You're reminded of Jesus standing in the boat and preaching to the people on the shore."
Fisherman's boat on the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret)
Jane, another Christian from Australia, said "…the whole Gospel story has come alive for me here. It will never mean the same ever again."
Father Solana sees the motto of the center, "Duc in Altum," Latin for "go into the deep," as a message for today.
Jesus walks on water
"Somehow Jesus tells to all of us, 'Go into the deep, try again, you can. Go, go, go!'" he said. "So I think this a beautiful message that the world needs in this moment. Financial crisis, problems with jobs, many situations and we need to try again. God is on our side."
1,500 Year Old Byzantine Church Uncovered (Photos)
Posted by: Lea SpeyerJanuary 23, 2014 Breaking Israel News
“The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” (Psalms 145:9)
(Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority)
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) revealed to the public on Wednesday an impressive archeological find. Law in Israel states that before to any type of new construction, the land on which the construction is to take place must be excavated. A salvage excavation, prior to the construction of a new neighborhood at Moshav Aluma in the Shafir Regional Council, uncovered 1,500 years worth of history.
Headed by archeologists Dr. Daniel Varga and Dr. Davida Dagan, the excavation revealed magnificent mosaics in pristine condition and five inscriptions from the Byzantine time period (330-638 CE). Dr. Varga and Dr. Dagan believe that “The Church probably served as a center of Christian worship for neighboring communities.”
The church itself is situated in what once was a large and important Byzantine settlement. The settlement, which was located near the main road that ran between Ashkelon on the coast to western Israel and cities such as Beit Guvrin and Jerusalem to the east, is believed to have “made its living from the production and exportation of wine via the coast to the entire Mediterranean region.”
Dr. Varga explained: “An impressive basilica building was discovered at the site, 22 meters long and 12 meters wide. The building consists of a central hall with two side aisles divided by marble pillars. At the front of the building is a wide open courtyard (atrium) paved with a white mosaic floor, and with a cistern.”
“Leading off the courtyard is a rectangular transverse hall (narthex) with a fine mosaic floor decorated with colored geometric designs; at its center, opposite the entrance to the main hall, is a twelve-row dedicatory inscription in Greek containing the names Mary and Jesus, and the name of the person who funded the mosaic’s construction.”
The main hall (nave) is designed with a colored mosaic floor containing images of vine tendrils that form to create forty medallions. Each medallion depicts different animals such as a zebra, leopard, turtle, wild boar, various winged birds, botanical, and geometric designs. Three of the medallions depict inscriptions in Greek that are meant to commemorate the senior church dignitaries Demetrios and Herakles who were the heads of the local regional church.
(Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority)
Each side of the nave is lined by two narrow halls (side aisles) which also contain similar colored mosaic floors, geometric and botanical designs, and numerous Christian symbols.
Next to the church, a pottery workshop was also discovered. The workshop is believed to be mainly for the production of jars such as amphorae, cooking pots, kraters, bowls, and different types of oil lamps. Glass containers which were very common in the Byzantine period were also discovered at the site.
