Archaeology & the Bible #1 - WordPress.com · Web view1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the

Archaeology & the Bible #57

The fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:30-31) is recorded on the Cyrus Cylinder. The document was issued by the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great in the form of a clay cylinder. The cylinder was created following the Persian conquest of Babylon in 539 BC, when Cyrus overthrew the Babylonian king Nabonidus and replaced him as ruler, ending the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

The text of the cylinder denounces Nabonidus as impious and portrays the victorious Cyrus as pleasing to the chief Babylonian god Marduk. It goes on to describe how Cyrus had improved the lives of the citizens of Babylonia, repatriated displaced peoples (such as the Jews) and restored temples and cult sanctuaries (like the Temple in Jerusalem). Freeing of Jewish captives in Babylon by Cyrus the Great is described in Ezra 1:1-4:

1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing: 2 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. 4 And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’”

Cyrus’ description of himself on the cylinder is quite something: I am Cyrus, king of the world, the great king, the powerful king, king of Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four quarters of the world…

The cylinder was discovered in 1879 by the Assyro-British archaeologist Hormuzd Rassam in the foundations of the Esagila, the main temple of Babylon, where it had been placed as a foundation deposit. (christiananwers.net & wikipedia.org)

Paul

- To add an e-mail address to this list, click “reply” and type the address with something like “please add to the e-mail list…”

- Corrections are welcomed by replying to this e-mail address.- Archived at www.ntbc.wordpress.com.


Found/excavated: The royal palace in Shushan (Susa). Once a magnificent city, it is now an immense mass of ruins. Here Daniel saw one of his visions (Dan. 8); and here also Nehemiah (Neh. 1) began his public life. Most of the events recorded in the Book of Esther took place here where she was queen under King Xerxes. (Esther 1:2; 2:3, 5, 9, 16).

In September 2010 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended a ceremony to unveil the Cyrus Cylinder in Tehran. Modern Iran sees itself as the legacy of the Persian Empire. You may have read that the Iranians protested the US Navy’s use of Arabian Gulf rather than Persian Gulf.

A great hall of marble pillars was found which stands on an elevation in the center of the mound, the remainder of which we may well imagine to have been occupied, after the Persian fashion, with a garden and fountains. Thus the colonnade would represent the 'court of the garden of the king's palace' with its 'pillars of marble.'

Modern explorers have brought to light numerous relics, and the ground-plan of the splendid palace of Shushan, one of the residences of the great king, together with numerous specimens of ancient art, which illustrate the statements of Scripture regarding it, ‘1 In the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me. 2 In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal.” (Daniel 8:1&2).

The great hall of this palace is described in Esther 1: 1 This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush: 2 At that time King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa, 3 and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present. 4 For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. 5 When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa. 6 The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. 7 Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality. 8 By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink with no restrictions, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.

Nehemiah served King Artaxerxes there: 1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.” (Nehemiah 1)

Archaeological research found that the hall "consisted of several magnificent groups of columns, together with a frontage of 343 feet 9 inches [104.8 meters], and a depth of 244 feet [6.2 meters]. These groups were arranged into a central phalanx of thirty-six columns (six rows of six each), flanked on the west, north, and east by an equal number, disposed in double rows of six each, and distant from them 64 feet 2 inches [19.6 meters]."

The inscriptions on the ruins represent that the palace was founded by Darius and completed by Artaxerxes.

An inscription is located on the ruins in Old Persian cuneiform script, which mentions that this building was made by king Cyrus the Great and must have been added by Darius I since that script was not in use at the time of Cyrus. Some words are repeated in Elamite and Babylonian.

Some of the ruins were destroyed during the First Gulf War.

christiananwers.net, jfb.biblecommenter.com/esther/1.htm, wikipedia.com, The Lutheran Study Bible, http://www.livius.org/pan-paz/pasargadae/pasargadae_palace_p.html

Paul




I have trouble keeping the kings of Persia straight and in line with biblical events. Maybe you do as well. Here’s my attempt to bring together the basics…

- Paul

Jerusalem & Solomon’s Temple Destroyed

In 587 BC by the Babylonians.

Cyrus the Great ??? BC to 530 BC

About 120 years before Cyrus, Isaiah wrote, " 13 I will raise up Cyrus[a] in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the LORD Almighty.” (Isaiah 45:13) Isaiah died about 681 BC.

By conquest, Cyrus created an empire that was the largest the world had known which included Babylonia and its empire with the exiled Jews.

In 539 BC the Jews who were taken to exile in Babylonia were allowed to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple which was completed in 516 BC. This action of Cyrus is in keeping with policies described on the Cyrus Cylinder and, more significantly, in keeping with the prophecy of Isaiah.

Daniel lived through the capture of Babylon by Cyrus from King Belshazzar the last king of Babylon and prophesied during Cyrus’ reigh.

Cambyses III ???BC tp 521 BC

Son of Cyrus the Great

Darius I 550 BC to 486 BC

Son-in-law of Cyrus the Great.

Invaded Greece but was defeated by Athenians at Marathon (490 BC).

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2045:13&version=NIV#fen-NIV-18575a%23fen-NIV-18575a

The Persian Empire was at its peak during his reign with the addition of Egypt and into Europe.

Made Aramaic the official language of the empire. Wtill the most common language in Judea and Galilee through the time of Jesus.

Haggai and Zechariah are written.

Xerxes 519 BC to 465 BC

Son of Darius, grandson of Cyrus the Great.

Invaded Greece. Defeated Spartans and Athenians at Thermopylae but was defeated by the Athenian navy at the Battle of Salamis (480 BC).

Esther is married to Xerxes about 478 BC.

Artaxerxes I ??? BC to 424 BC

Son of Xerxes, Grandson of Darius, Great-grandson of Cyrus the Great.

Ezra allowed to return to Jerusalem (457 BC).

Nehemiah allowed to return to Jerusalem to rebuild its walls (445 BC).

Note: Ezra and Nehemiah are recorded as being together for the reading of the Law in Nehemiah 8:9 and for the dedication of Jerusalem’s wall in Nehemiah 12:26, 36.

Xerxes II, Darius II, Artaxerxes II, Artaxerxes III, Artaxerxes IV

Darius III

Defeated by Alexander the Great

Josephus wrote that when Alexander approached Jerusalem, the city opened its gates, surrender, and showed Alexander the prophesy of Daniel Chapter 8 of a Greek king that would defeat the Persians. Because of some or all of these actions, Alexander did not attack or destroy Jerusalem.

christiananwers.net, jfb.biblecommenter.com/esther/1.htm, wikipedia.com, The Lutheran Study Bible.

Paul




I am reading Caesar and Christ by Will Durant (1885 – 1981). It is providing the overall understanding of Roman history I have found lacking with just enough detail to keep interest without overwhelming the reader.

Mr. Durant provides a nice description of the Roman historian Tacitus including The Annals of Tacitus which include a description of Christian persecution under Nero following the fire of Rome. (Note that Tacitus thought none too highly of the lowly Christians.) What follows is from Vol. V of the Loeb Classical Library edition of Tacitus, 1937 and is from The Annals of Tacitus Book XV, paragraph 44 as found at: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Tacitus/Annals/15B*.html

But neither human help, nor imperial munificence, nor all the modes of placating Heaven, could stifle scandal or dispel the belief that the fire had taken place by order (of Nero). Therefore, to scotch the rumor, Nero substituted as culprits, and punished with the utmost refinements of cruelty, a class of men, loathed for their vices,27 whom the crowd styled Christians.28 Christus, the founder of the name, had undergone the death penalty in the reign of Tiberius, by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilatus,29 and the pernicious superstition was checked for a moment, only to break out once more, not merely in Judaea, the home of the disease, but in the capital itself (City of Rome), where all things horrible or shameful in the world collect and find a vogue. First, then, the confessed members of the sect were arrested; next, on their disclosures, vast numbers30 were convicted, not so much on the count of arson as for hatred of the human race.31 And derision accompanied their end: they were covered with wild beasts' skins and torn to death by dogs; or they were fastened on crosses, and, when daylight failed were burned to serve as lamps by night. Nero had offered his Gardens for the spectacle, and gave an exhibition in his Circus, mixing with the crowd in the habit of a charioteer, or mounted on his car. Hence, in spite of a guilt which had earned the most exemplary punishment, there arose a sentiment of pity, due to the impression that they were being sacrificed not for the welfare of the state but to the ferocity of a single man.

Just what was the “superstition” mentioned by not identified by Tacitus? Could it be that “Christus” had risen from the dead?! I guess that “superstition” had not been “checked” in Judea as Tacitus supposed if it reappears all the way in Jerusalem some 50 years later!

Here Jesus’ death is corroborated by a Roman with details of the timing under Pilate who served under Tiberius – just as described in the Gospels.

22 The charges bandied about in the next century were those always favored in such cases: ritual murder, nameless abominations with extinguished lights. Christians were often thought to be cannibals, eating body and drinking blood!29 The only mention of Pilate by Romans.

Tacitus (Durant’s description with a few of my notes and editing)Born in 55 or 56 AD, about the time Paul was imprisoned in Rome. His father may have been a procurator (governor like Pontius Pilate) of Belgic Gaul (roughly modern Belgium, Netherlands and western German, at that time Belgic Gaul was not far from the barbarous Germans). Certainly the historian was descended from well-to -do, if not wealthy, parents, for he enjoyed the best education of his day, had the full political career of the nobility, and early married well. He won reputation as an orator, wrote about oratory and history, some of which are preserved including the Annals which covered the reign of the four Roman Emperors succeeding Caesar Augustus. The parts of the work that survived from antiquity cover most of the reigns of Tiberius and Nero. The title Annals was probably not given by Tacitus, but derives from the fact that he treated this history in a year-by-year form. The original title was most likely Ab excessu divi Augusti, "Following the death of the divine Augustus".

Will DurantAccording to Wikipedia, “Will Durant was a prolific American writer, historian, and philosopher. He is best known for The Story of Civilization, 11 volumes written in collaboration with his wife Ariel Durant and published between 1935 and 1975. He was earlier noted for The Story of Philosophy, written in 1926, which one observer described as "a groundbreaking work that helped to popularize philosophy. Will and Ariel Durant were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1968 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.”

Paul


http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Tacitus/Annals/15B*.html#note31



http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Tacitus/Annals/15B*.html



Before reading the article below, it is important to know that many historians and archaeologists do not agree with Scripture that Jerusalem was a large city at the center of a prosperous, successful kingdom under David and then Solomon. They say there was no king, no court, no palaces, no Temple, or, if they existed, they were much less grand than the “exaggerations” included in the Bible. But then the inscription “the house of David” was found outside the Holy Land where it was used to describe a later king of Israel. Gee, maybe there’s something to the King David after all! An now, evidence of a “first-class scribe” is found that dates to a time BEFORE David conquered the city which was then called Jebus. Read on…

Oldest script found in JerusalemPosted by Victor Vejil at 5:38 pm on July 30, 2010

An ancient clay fragment dating back to the 14th century BC was recently discovered by a Hebrew University excavation led by Dr. Eilat Mazar. The find contains Akkadian cuneiform script, making it the oldest text ever found in Jerusalem. It appears to have once been part of a tablet.

Archeologists deciphered the words “you,” “you were,” “them,” “to do,” and “later” from the fragment.

According to Hebrew University Prof. Wayne Horowtiz, the high quality of the writing “indicates that the person responsible for creating the tablet was a first-class scribe.” Dr. Mazar believes the fragment likely came from a royal court.

Horowitz said, “In those days, you would expect to find a first-class scribe only in a large, important place.” Horowitz also explained the fragment was made from Jerusalem clay, further attesting to Jerusalem being a central city of the area at that time.

The 14th century BCE predates the ancient Israelites’ entrance to the Promised Land, but Bible history reveals Jerusalem was an important city prior to King David’s rule. It was the location where Abraham paid tithes to King Melchizedek (Genesis 14:17-20), and it later became a Jebusite stronghold (1 Chronicles 11:4).

The tiny fragment is 2 cm (0.8 inch) long and 1 cm (0.4 inch) thick and was found during wet sifting two months ago. It was pulled out of fill from an area of ancient Jerusalem know as the Ophel—the area between the Old City’s southern wall and the City of David.

Dr. Mazar released the find to the press only after the piece was carefully analyzed. She called the discovery “one of the most important finds we’ve ever had.”

http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?q=7380.5961.0.0

Paul




http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?q=7380.5961.0.0

http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?author=49

Samaritan Temple Found

Note: Shechem (Old Testament town) = Sychar (John 4:5) = Sychem (Acts 7:16) = Flavia* Neapolis (Roman and the Byzantine Empires) = Nablus (today)

* Founded by Emperor Vespasian whose family name was Flavius. He began the Flavian Dynasty of Roman emperors.

The Samaritan Bible consists of only the Hebrew Pentateuch, the five books of Moses which includes Genesis through Deuteronomy, but they changed key portions to fit their religion. They claim that they held to the true Bible but the Jews changed the Bible during their exile in Babylonia.

This view is looking west toward the Mediterranean Sea. The modern city of Nablus, ancient Shechem of Samaria, lies between Mt. Gerizim on left and Mt. Ebal on right.

The city and mountains have quite a history!

It is first mentioned in connection with Abraham's journey from Haran. At the oak of Moreh in the vicinity he reared his first altar to the Lord in Israel (Gen 12:6 f).

Jacob, the son of Abraham bought property here (Genesis 33:18) and, it is believed, dug a well. There is good (not certain) evidence that the well identified as such is located at the lowest level of an Eastern Orthodox Church in Nablus. The photo right is from our trip to the Holy Land in 2000 led by Dr. Carl Moser who had the honor to raise water out of the well. The water was refreshingly cool on a hot June day!

Joseph’s brothers were caring for their sheep near Shechem when they kidnapped him and sold him into slavery. (Genesis 37)

Upon entering the Promised Land, the blessings of the Lord were recited on Mt. Gerizim and the curses on Mt. Ebal (Deuteronomy 11:29-30, 27:11-14). The Israelites built an altar on Mt. Ebal and set up the Tent of meeting at Shiloh, about ten miles south. (Joshua 18:1)

Centuries later, the Samaritans changed portions of the Hebrew Old Testament including moving both the altar AND the Tent of Meeting onto their holy mountain, Mt. Gerizim. The Samaritan scripture even includes an extra commandment direction people to worship on Mt. Gerizim.

This is where Joshua gathered the people together and said the famous words, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

Joseph was buried at Shechem on the ground purchased by his ancestor

This was the first capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel formed by ten tribes that split from Benjamin and Judea including Jerusalem following the reign of Solomon whose son Rehoboam went to Shechem to be crowned king Israel but was turned away by the people who made Jeroboam their king.

Where Jesus met Samaritan “the woman at the well” who said, “Our fathers (Samaritan) worshiped on this mountain (Gerizim), but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship."

How the Samaritan religion came to be is quite interesting.

(Some of this information is from Nehemiah and some from Josephus.)

After the defeat of the Northern 10 Tribes of Israel, the Assyrians took many of the people to other countries and brought in people from those countries who mixed worship of their gods and the true God. These people become know as Samaritans.

After the defeat of Judah, the Babylonians took many of the people to Babylon. Later, the Persians allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem.

Some Jewish men married and had children with gentiles including Samaritans. (Nehemiah 13:23-27).

Under Ezra, such marriages were prohibited and those who had married gentiles were ordered to abandon their wives and their children.

Manasseh, a Jewish priest who shared high priestly duties with his brother of had married the daughter of Sanballat, the governor of Samaria. Ezra commanded Manasseh to either divorce his wife or no longer serve at the Temple.

Abandoning wives and children seems harsh but maybe Ezra traced the downfall of Judah to Solomon’s wives turning him from the Lord and didn’t want a repeat of that disaster (divided kingdom, defeat of both parts of the kingdom, 80 years of exile in Babylon, etc.) In fact the effect of Solomon’s wives is mentioned in Nehemiah 13:26.

According to the Jewish historian Josephus, Sanballat promised if Manasseh would remain married to his daughter, then Sanballat would build a temple fashioned after the Jerusalem temple and make Manasseh high priest. Manasseh took the deal.

Archaeologists have identified the Samaritan Temple on Mt. Gerizim, just 35 miles north of Jerusalem. They found that it is structured much like the Temple in Jerusalem.

After hundreds of years of use, the temple was destroyed by a Jewish army under John Hyracanus I and the city was destroyed by fire.

The temple was not rebuilt and now lies beneath the ruins of the Byzantine Church of Mary Theotokos.

Over time, wars, conversion to Christianity and conversion to Islam have drastically reduced the number of Samaritans. Today, 712 Samaritans (in 2007 by their own count) still worship in the old way, even sacrificing animals on Mt. Gerizim near the ruins of their temple.

Biblical Archaeology Review, November/December 2010

Paul




Excavations at the Temple Mount recovered a fragment of a small vessel that had been inscribed with the Hebrew word “korban” (sacrifice) and two crudely drawn birds. In ancient Judea, birds were regularly sacrificed as ritual offerings, especially on the occasion of the birth of a child. It is possible that such vessels were sold to families as ready-made offerings of thanksgiving that could then be deposited in the Temple. (BAR, July-October 2009)

I understand that Jews could not bring animals with them to the Temple for sacrifice. They HAD to buy “certified sacrifice-ready” animals from the Temple. I also understand that the people did not actually touch or even see the animals sacrificed on their behalf. Instead, they were given a sort of token as proof of purchase. They delivered that token to a priest at the sanctuary who saw that the appropriate sacrifice was made.

You may recall from Luke 2 that Mary was required to sacrifice "a pair of doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering" (Leviticus 12:8) which Joseph might have purchased from vendors in the Royal Stoa on the south side of the Court of Gentiles. Had he been wealthier, Joseph would have bought a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove. To bring a pair of doves or two young pigeons was the sacrifice of the poor. That tells us something of Joseph’s economic means and the lifestyle of our Savior.

By the way, archaeologists have found the remains of strange stone structures with nooks hallowed in the walls. They were puzzled about the function of the strange little buildings until they realized that they were aviaries for the raising of doves and pigeons for meals and for sacrifice. The nooks were fashioned for nests. There were many poor people so there was, sadly, a need for many small sacrificial birds.

Some information from www.welcometohosanna.com/LIFE_OF_JESUS/006_Presentation.htm

Paul

- To add an e-mail address to this list, click “reply” and type the address with something like “please add to the e-mail list…” Two addresses were recently added. You may know other people interested in topics covered here!



For nearly 3,000 years the location of the mines of King Solomon, and, for some, whether they existed at all, has remained a mystery.

No longer. Researchers using carbon dating techniques at a site in Khirbat en-Nahas (Arabic for Ruins of copper) in southern Jordan have verified that copper production took place there around the time King Solomon ruled the Israelites.

An Aerial View of the Remains of King Solomon's Mines & Smelting

Thomas Levy of the University of California San Diego, who led the research, said their work placed copper production at Khirbat en-Nahas in the 10th century BC…well in line with the biblical narrative of Solomon’s rule, and represents a confluence between the archaeological and scientific data and the Bible.

http://seedsofchristianity.com/wordpress/?attachment_id=1559

A Map of Solomon's Kingdom


Map showing location of Khirbat en-Nahas, Solomon’s Mines (A “wadi” is a river bed that is usually dry. Here in Arizona we use the terms “arroyo” or a “wash”.

As you can see from the map, Solomon’s influence encompassed the entire region. Khirbat en-Nahas is an arid region south of the Dead Sea, which the Old Testament identifies as the Kingdom of Edom. As early as the 1930’s, archaeologists linked the site to the Edomite kingdom, but their claims were dismissed in subsequent years because it was believed that the area was unsettled in Solomon’s time. “Now … we have evidence that complex societies were indeed active in 10th and 9th centuries BC and that brings us back to the debate about the historicity of the Hebrew Bible narratives related to this period,” Levy said.

It’s not every day that science and the Bible come together to tell a piece of history. Modern dating methods have determined that these huge mines in Jordan are 3000 years old, supporting the idea that they were the Biblical mines of Edom ruled by King David and his son Solomon.

The results of carbon dating on samples of charcoal used to smelt the ore were extremely consistent and leave no doubt as to the period during which the mines were active. This new evidence suggests that the site, one of the oldest, largest, and best preserved mines in the world, really is the one mentioned in the Bible.

The team sampled charcoal from successive layers throughout a 20-foot-deep stack of smelting waste. The carbon at the base of the pit, the transition point between virgin earth, is 3000 years old. This indicates that smelting activity began there around 1000 BC. This initial phase is estimated to have lasted about 50 years. After that a large building was constructed on the site and copper production continued until around 800 BC.

Getting to the Bottom of the Charcoal

In what would have been the floor level of the building, archaeologists found two ancient Egyptian stone and ceramic artifacts: a scarab and an amulet. Since neither one of them is made of local materials, they are believed to have been brought in during the military campaign of the Egyptian pharaoh Sheshonq I, known as Shishak in the Old Testament. (1Kings 11:40 and 14:25, 2 Chronicles 12:1-10)

They are dated around the time of the building’s construction when an abrupt change in the rate of copper production occurred. This is believed to be evidence for the role Sheshonq I may have played in the disruption of the largest known copper factory in the eastern Mediterranean.

Edited from http://seedsofchristianity.com/wordpress/?tag=biblical-archeology

Paul




Documents

Archaeology & the Bible #1 - WordPress.com · Web view1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the