Michael Thompson
New Member
Reproduction. Everything from plants, animals, to people has the ability to reproduce itself by the seed that’s sown, and it’s a constant cycle. That’s how I understand it
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The Bible - Why Trust It
- Thread starter nPeace
- Start date
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
I dont see how the two relates.
I had to go back. Forgot I commented on this thread.
If there were no scripture how would I know creation comes from god in general and even more, a specific god?
Creation in context just says there is a pattern to life but it doesnt explain nor need to explain its origin since there is none. Everything runs in a cycle. No origin aka no god.
I mean, how do you know this for yourself; how did you test to see creation as part of god beyond what you read?
Leg work?
Michael Thompson
New Member
The Bible is comprised of multiple aspects besides history, such as poetry, songs, genealogies, promises about giving, health, books about wisdom, and revelation. It’s useful for doctrine(teaching), reproof(conviction), correction, and training in righteousness. What supernatural claim are you referring to? I’ll see if I can answer it
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
I mean, the Buddha's teaching of the Dharma, the Pali suttas is over 20,000 and the mahana sutras are 222 not counting commentaries. The bible is only one book with only 1,200 pages. The teachings in the Dharma are direct and it addresses so far all points in life.
While I understand the importance of the bible as seeing instruction through analogy and interpretation, but it doesnt scratch the surface of any teaching before it.
So, why trust the bible? Thats more of a personal question. I wouldnt see a need to trust the bible. The Dharma talks about life and being alive and helping others out of suffering in order to stop rebirth. There is no human sacrifice regardless the means.
So, its individual. Some people rather relate to a sacrifice of blood and flesh. Other people do not; they relate to life and cultivation of spirit, mind, and body with or without their said god or belief. It just depends.
While I understand the importance of the bible as seeing instruction through analogy and interpretation, but it doesnt scratch the surface of any teaching before it.
So, why trust the bible? Thats more of a personal question. I wouldnt see a need to trust the bible. The Dharma talks about life and being alive and helping others out of suffering in order to stop rebirth. There is no human sacrifice regardless the means.
So, its individual. Some people rather relate to a sacrifice of blood and flesh. Other people do not; they relate to life and cultivation of spirit, mind, and body with or without their said god or belief. It just depends.
Michael Thompson
New Member
Well here’s the thing, humans create things all the time. Another word for creator is inventor. Dmitri Mendeleev created the periodic table of elements, some say he had a dream about it and remembered it. Dreams are a way that god can communicate to people, there are examples in the Bible but we’re dealing with if there was no Bible. I saw a news report about 1000s of Muslims encountering Jesus through a dream they had with him( this was a while back by the way). Paul McCartney says he heard the melody for his song “yesterday” in a dream one night and he worked on it the next morning. Creation(inventing) normally has a process: plan, organize, and implement
If you study genesis 1 notice the steps that was taken.
How do I know this for myself? 1st I’m not AFRAID to believe or accept what’s true. The reason I say AFRAID is because fear can convince people of things that are both true and untrue. As a kid growing up, especially in college, I’ve always been involved with church and ministry. This formed a foundational belief and relationship with him. One other thing I’ve done is write out my prayers instead of only speaking them out loud, which god has answered before.
I’m not sure if this cleared up anything, but reading is fun for me and good relationships are important to me
Michael Thompson
New Member
for me it’s about self sacrifice and preparation
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
Hmm. Humans, like the physical universe, don't create we form "new" things from preexisting objects to make what we consider new but to the universe just the same material put together in another way. The physical universe does the same thing. There is no origin just really recycling.
As for leg work, accepting what's true is highly different than figuring it out on your own. Being part of a ministry just confirms what hasn't been tested just accepted. Confirmed bias.
Dreams aren't spiritually related. That's how we want to see them. We can't change the definition and purpose just because we, ourselves, define it differently than what it is to begin with.
For example, god can be used for Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Pagan, jewish, bahai, and pantheist god. Being a part or translated in English as god of the Bible is highly vague. It is not part of the definition of the word. That's all humans.
We can't change things just because we chose to see them differently than their nature. We can see a chair as a divine object to where only jesus defines it but that doesn't negative it's wood (or whatever), four sticks, a flat board as a seat and headrest. But we call this a chair even though that's not it's origin. We can't create a tree nor rocks nor anything natural. It's considered artificial.
That leads me back to my question. I can't assume there is a different explanation of the origin not creation of the universe. I can't take any books word for it when the Bible and other books were written by people who do not know the universe at all. I have to do my own leg work.
Unfortunately, I reply on scientists to define much of the universe for me but if I had resources I can double check their findings from an outside source to see if their findings line up.
Same Bible. Acceptance doesn't make anything fact. How did you personally come to understand the universe is created from god without taking the Bibles word for it and basing your findings on it without outside sources relates to scripture and confirmation or it?
Where is the Christian god when I look at the universe after reading the Bible?
What exactly should I see in the universe that IT defines a creator not the other way around?
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
We can do that from many faiths we just don't all use human sacrifice to sacrifice oneself and (spiritual) preparations.
Yes.
With reference to the Tanakh, it is the victim of appropriation and inkblot theology.
I'm sorry, Michael, but I fully suspect that it would differ little from the apologetics that I've encountered here for over a decade.
BTW, welcome to the Forums.
Michael Thompson
New Member
Michael Thompson
New Member
Thank you
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
Hey. You forgot a and quote. You have to break up the posts so it's easier to read your points.
Michael Thompson
New Member
Sorry, were you trying to include a quote, cause I didn’t see it just this
nPeace
Veteran Member
There can be no denying it. The evidence supports the truthfulness, and accuracy of the Bible in relation to it being historical accurate, prophetically reliable, and overall harmony.
Biblical archaeology involves the recovery and scientific investigation of the material remains of past cultures that can illuminate the periods and descriptions in the Bible, be they from the Old Testament (Tanakh) or from the New Testament, as well as the history and cosmogony of the Judeo-Christian religions.
If the Bible says the people of Sai rode unicorns, and archaeologists dug an area of Sai, and found evidence of unicorns being riden by people, then the Bible is shown to be historically accurate.
If it said spaghetti monsters ate people, in the days when King DoeDoe ruled Elon, and archaeologists found such evidence, then the Bible is shown to be historically accurate.
Arcchaeological evidence does verify that the Bible is indeed historically accurate.
The Bible was written over a 1600 year period.
Its writers lived at different times and came from many walks of life.
Despite the varied backgrounds of its writers, the Bible is harmonious from beginning to end.
This is evidence that the Bible, even though written by men, has one author, to which the writers give credit - 2 Timothy 3:16.
What other reasonable explanation can there be for this?
How is it possible for this, if the Bible did not have one author, and how is it possible for the author to be mortal?
The Bible contains prophecy, many of which have been fulfilled accurately.
This has been challenged many times. For example, it was claimed that the prophecies in the book of Daniel were written after the fact, but this challenge was refuted with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which proved that the book of Daniel was written well before later dates claimed by critics.
The Jewish historian Josephus, stated that the prophecies of Daniel were shown to Alexander the Great when he entered Jerusalem. This occurred in about 332 B.C.E., more than 150 years before the Maccabean period, and nearly 200 years after Daniel recorded this prophecy.
Another prophecy concerns Babylon. Not only does the book of Daniel mention how and by whom Babylon would be destroyed, but it also foretold (Isaiah 13:20, 21) 20 She will never be inhabited, Nor will she be a place to reside in throughout all generations. No Arab will pitch his tent there, And no shepherds will rest their flocks there. 21 The desert creatures will lie down there; Their houses will be filled with eagle owls. The ostriches will reside there, And wild goats will skip about there.
The Dead Sea Scrolls include a copy of the complete book of Isaiah.
The historian Josephus indicated that the canon of the Hebrew Scriptures had been fixed long before his day.
The Greek Septuagint, a translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, was begun in the third century B.C.E. and was completed by the second century B.C.E.
As foretold, not only by Isaiah, Babylon eventually became mere “piles of stones.” (Jeremiah 51:37) 37 And Babylon will become piles of stones, A lair of jackals, An object of horror and something to whistle at, Without an inhabitant.
According to the Hebrew scholar Jerome (fourth century C.E.), by his day Babylon was a hunting ground in which “beasts of every type” roamed.
Babylon remains desolate to this day.
[GALLERY=media, 8638]Babylon_1932 by nPeace posted Aug 12, 2018 at 11:13 AM[/GALLERY]
[GALLERY=media, 8639]Babylon_Ruins by nPeace posted Aug 12, 2018 at 11:14 AM[/GALLERY]
Isaiah 13:20; 14:22, 23.
How could the writers have know these details before they actually occurred?
Rather than the Bible being a book of myths, as claimed by its opposers,, there is solid evidence that the Bible is indeed reliable, and trustworthy, and truly - not from man - but inspired by God, as it claims to be. 2 Peter 2:21
There are many prophecies we have seen fulfilled in our time, and many yet to be fulfilled, which we are actually seeing taking shape right now. Christian have concrete evidence - a solid basis for faith.
They also have good reasons for believing everything in the Bible is true.
More evidence can be found in he practical wisdom found in the Bible.
Biblical archaeology involves the recovery and scientific investigation of the material remains of past cultures that can illuminate the periods and descriptions in the Bible, be they from the Old Testament (Tanakh) or from the New Testament, as well as the history and cosmogony of the Judeo-Christian religions.
If the Bible says the people of Sai rode unicorns, and archaeologists dug an area of Sai, and found evidence of unicorns being riden by people, then the Bible is shown to be historically accurate.
If it said spaghetti monsters ate people, in the days when King DoeDoe ruled Elon, and archaeologists found such evidence, then the Bible is shown to be historically accurate.
Arcchaeological evidence does verify that the Bible is indeed historically accurate.
The Bible was written over a 1600 year period.
Its writers lived at different times and came from many walks of life.
Despite the varied backgrounds of its writers, the Bible is harmonious from beginning to end.
This is evidence that the Bible, even though written by men, has one author, to which the writers give credit - 2 Timothy 3:16.
What other reasonable explanation can there be for this?
How is it possible for this, if the Bible did not have one author, and how is it possible for the author to be mortal?
The Bible contains prophecy, many of which have been fulfilled accurately.
This has been challenged many times. For example, it was claimed that the prophecies in the book of Daniel were written after the fact, but this challenge was refuted with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which proved that the book of Daniel was written well before later dates claimed by critics.
The Jewish historian Josephus, stated that the prophecies of Daniel were shown to Alexander the Great when he entered Jerusalem. This occurred in about 332 B.C.E., more than 150 years before the Maccabean period, and nearly 200 years after Daniel recorded this prophecy.
Another prophecy concerns Babylon. Not only does the book of Daniel mention how and by whom Babylon would be destroyed, but it also foretold (Isaiah 13:20, 21) 20 She will never be inhabited, Nor will she be a place to reside in throughout all generations. No Arab will pitch his tent there, And no shepherds will rest their flocks there. 21 The desert creatures will lie down there; Their houses will be filled with eagle owls. The ostriches will reside there, And wild goats will skip about there.
The Dead Sea Scrolls include a copy of the complete book of Isaiah.
The historian Josephus indicated that the canon of the Hebrew Scriptures had been fixed long before his day.
The Greek Septuagint, a translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, was begun in the third century B.C.E. and was completed by the second century B.C.E.
As foretold, not only by Isaiah, Babylon eventually became mere “piles of stones.” (Jeremiah 51:37) 37 And Babylon will become piles of stones, A lair of jackals, An object of horror and something to whistle at, Without an inhabitant.
According to the Hebrew scholar Jerome (fourth century C.E.), by his day Babylon was a hunting ground in which “beasts of every type” roamed.
Babylon remains desolate to this day.
[GALLERY=media, 8638]Babylon_1932 by nPeace posted Aug 12, 2018 at 11:13 AM[/GALLERY]
[GALLERY=media, 8639]Babylon_Ruins by nPeace posted Aug 12, 2018 at 11:14 AM[/GALLERY]
Isaiah 13:20; 14:22, 23.
How could the writers have know these details before they actually occurred?
Rather than the Bible being a book of myths, as claimed by its opposers,, there is solid evidence that the Bible is indeed reliable, and trustworthy, and truly - not from man - but inspired by God, as it claims to be. 2 Peter 2:21
There are many prophecies we have seen fulfilled in our time, and many yet to be fulfilled, which we are actually seeing taking shape right now. Christian have concrete evidence - a solid basis for faith.
They also have good reasons for believing everything in the Bible is true.
More evidence can be found in he practical wisdom found in the Bible.
Kelly of the Phoenix
Well-Known Member
Hebrew language - Wikipedia
Why, the bible is so accurate it was written in Hebrew before Hebrew was written!
Why, the bible is so accurate it was written in Hebrew before Hebrew was written!
nPeace
Veteran Member
Apparently, just like Aramaic, Greek, and today, English, there was a time when the Hebrew known in the 10 century BCE. began to be used.
If man could trace language all the way back to its origin, they would likely discover the language used by the earliest ancestors.
Historically, it is regarded as the language of the Israelites and their ancestors, although the language was not referred to by the name Hebrew in the Tanakh. The earliest examples of written Paleo-Hebrew date from the 10th century BCE.
It is expected though that man doesn't have this answer, as he doesn't have a clue as to how, where and when, or what language was spoken back then.
Language - Origin
Theories about the origin of language differ in regard to their basic assumptions about what language is. Some theories are based on the idea that language is so complex that one cannot imagine it simply appearing from nothing in its final form, but that it must have evolved from earlier pre-linguistic systems among our pre-human ancestors. These theories can be called continuity-based theories. The opposite viewpoint is that language is such a unique human trait that it cannot be compared to anything found among non-humans and that it must therefore have appeared suddenly in the transition from pre-hominids to early man. These theories can be defined as discontinuity-based. Similarly, theories based on Chomsky's generative view of language see language mostly as an innate faculty that is largely genetically encoded, whereas functionalist theories see it as a system that is largely cultural, learned through social interaction.
Keep in mind that language changes even though it may carry the same name. For example, the Hebrew and Greek, and other languages, are not the same today, as was in the past.
Even our English has changed.
Shakespeare was enjoyed in his time, but who today speaks that way.
nPeace
Veteran Member
Biblical Archaeology
Tel Arad
Arad Ostraca #24 (597 BC) Zedekiah and the Edomite invasion into Judah
Introduction to Arad and Tel Ira Ostraca: 608, 597 BC
Jehoiakim | Zedekiah | Nico II | Solomon's Temple | Edomite invasion into Judah
Ostraca, Tablets and Inscriptions of the Bible
Biblical period ostraca
Additionally, the lots drawn at Masada are believed to have been ostraca, and some potsherds resembling the lots have been found.
In October 2008, Israeli archaeologist, Yosef Garfinkel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has discovered what he says to be the earliest known Hebrew text. This text was written on an Ostracon shard; Garfinkel believes this shard dates to the time of King David from the Old Testament, about 3,000 years ago. Carbon dating of the Ostracon and analysis of the pottery have dated the inscription to be about 1,000 years older than the Dead Sea Scrolls. The inscription has yet to be deciphered, however, some words, such as king, slave and judge have been translated. The shard was found about 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem at the Elah Fortress in Khirbet Qeiyafa, the earliest known fortified city of the biblical period of Israel.
Historical Israelites
The name Israel first appears c. 1209 BCE, at the end of the Late Bronze Age and the very beginning of the period archaeologists and historians call Iron Age I, on the Merneptah Stele raised by the Egyptian Pharaoh Merneptah.
The Mesha Stele, also known as the Moabite Stone, is a stele (inscribed stone) set up around 840 BCE by King Mesha of Moab (a kingdom located in modern Jordan). Mesha tells how Chemosh, the god of Moab, had been angry with his people and had allowed them to be subjugated to Israel, but at length Chemosh returned and assisted Mesha to throw off the yoke of Israel and restore the lands of Moab. Mesha describes his many building projects. Some say it is written in the Phoenician alphabet, but others say it is written in the Old Hebrew script, which is closely related.
The Mesha stele, the longest Iron Age inscription ever found in the region, constitutes the major evidence for the Moabite language, and is a "corner-stone of Semitic epigraphy," and history. The stele, whose story parallels, with some differences, an episode in the Bible's Books of Kings (2 Kings 3:4–8), provides invaluable information on the Moabite language and the political relationship between Moab and Israel at one moment in the 9th century BCE. It is the most extensive inscription ever recovered that refers to the kingdom of Israel (the "House of Omri"); it bears the earliest certain extra-biblical reference to the Israelite god Yahweh, and—if French scholar André Lemaire's reconstruction of a portion of line 31 is correct—the earliest mention of the "House of David" (i.e., the kingdom of Judah). It is also one of four known contemporary inscriptions containing the name of Israel, the others being the Merneptah Stele, the Tel Dan Stele, and the Kurkh Monolith. Its authenticity has been disputed over the years, and some biblical minimalists suggest the text was not historical, but a biblical allegory, but the stele is regarded as genuine and historical by the vast majority of biblical archaeologists today.
The stele is currently on display in France at the Louvre museum and Jordan has demanded its return.
The Tel Dan Stele is a broken stele (inscribed stone) discovered in 1993–94 during excavations at Tel Dan in northern Israel. It consists of several fragments making up part of a triumphal inscription in Aramaic, left most probably by Hazael of Aram-Damascus, an important regional figure in the late 9th century BCE. Hazael (or more accurately, the unnamed king) boasts of his victories over the king of Israel and his ally the king of the "House of David" (bytdwd). It is considered the earliest widely accepted reference to the name David as the founder of a Judahite polity outside of the Hebrew Bible, though the earlier Mesha Stele contains several possible references with varying acceptance. A minority of scholars have disputed the reference to David, due to the lack of a word divider between byt and dwd, and other translations have been proposed. The stele was not excavated in its primary context, but in its secondary use. The Tel Dan stele is one of four known inscriptions made during a roughly 400-year period (1200-800 BCE) containing the name "Israel", the others being the Merneptah Stele, the Mesha Stele, and the Kurkh Monolith.
The Tel Dan inscription generated considerable debate and a flurry of articles, debating its age, authorship, and authenticity; however, the stele is generally accepted by scholars as genuine and a reference to the House of David. It is currently on display in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
The Samaria Ostraca are 102 ostraca found in 1910 in excavations in Sebastia, Nablus (ancient Samaria) led by George Andrew Reisner of the Harvard Semitic Museum. Of the 102, only 63 are legible. The ostraca are written in the paleo-Hebrew alphabet, which very closely resemble those of the Siloam Inscription, but show a slight development of the cursive script.
These ostraca were found in the treasury of the palace of Ahab, king of Israel (Samaria) and probably date about his period, 850–750 BC. They are currently held in the collection of the Istanbul Archaeology Museums.
.........
These lists of names bear clear testimony as to the co-existence of Ba'al worship alongside of the worship of Jehovah in Northern Israel.
Biblical names
The names Kheles, Akhinoam, Akhimelek, Kha-nan, Ba'ara (female), Gomer (female), Meribaal, are all Biblical, while Gaddiyau and Shemaryau are the northern forms of Gedaiah and Shemariah. Some of the Ba'al combinations are of course, Phoenician - e.g., Ba'alzamar. The names Abiba'al, Akhaz, Sheba9 Elisha, 9Uzza, Ela, Gera, Rafa, and Natan (Nathan), are all Biblical.
The Mesad Hashavyahu ostracon
One of the most important finds at Mesad Hashavyahu is an ostracon containing a written appeal by a field worker to the fortress's governor regarding the confiscation of his cloak, which the writer considers to have been unjust. The worker makes his appeal to the governor on the basis of both the garment's undeserved confiscation and by implication, the biblical law regarding holding past sundown a person's cloak as collateral for a debt (Exodus 22; cf. Deut 24). Although the petition does not specifically cite the law, it would have been commonly known by rulers and peasants alike. The ostracon also bears the first known extra-Biblical reference to the Hebrew Sabbath day of rest (Saturday).
Concerning who was in control of this area of the Philistine Plain, Shmuel Ahituv states, "The letter is written in good biblical Hebrew, plus a possible scribal omission here or there, and the script is that of a trained scribe. The work supervisor mentioned in the text bears a clearly Judaean name, Hoshavyahu. All these factors point to a time of Judaean control over the area." Naveh agrees, "The four Hebrew inscriptions together testify to this fortress having been under Judaean control at the time. ... It seems likely that Josiah placed a military governor in charge of the fortress, and that the force garrisoned there was supplied with provisions by the peasants living in the unwalled settlements in the vicinity."
The ostracon was found under the floor of a room adjacent to the guardhouse/gate complex, is approximately 20 cm high by 16.5 cm wide, and contains 14 visible lines of text. In all, seven key artifacts were recovered, six of them inscribed ostraca in the Hebrew language. Pottery shards in the layer above represented Greek (early Ionian/Southwest Anatolian) or Persian-period pottery. The ostraca from this site are currently located in the Israel Museum at Jerusalem.
Tel Arad
Tel Arad (Hebrew: תל ערד) is an archaeological tel, or mound, located west of the Dead Sea, about 10 kilometres (6 miles) west of the modern Israeli city of Arad in an area surrounded by mountain ridges which is known as the Arad Plain. The site is divided into a lower city and an upper hill which holds the only ever discovered "House of Yahweh" in the land of Israel. Tel Arad was excavated during 18 seasons by Ruth Amiran and Yohanan Aharoni.
The lower area was first settled during the Chalcolithic period, around 4000 BCE. Excavations at the site have unearthed an extensive Bronze Age Canaanite settlement which was in place until approximately 2650 BCE. The site was then apparently deserted for over 1500 years until resettled during the Israelite period from the 11th century BCE onwards, initially as an unwalled piece of land cut off as an official or sacred domain was established on the upper hill, and then later as a garrison-town known as "The Citadel".
The citadel and sanctuary were constructed at the time of King David and Solomon. Artifacts found within the sanctuary of the citadel mostly reflect offerings of oil, wine, wheat, etc. brought there by numerous people throughout the reign of the kings of Judah until the kingdom's fall to the Babylonians. However, during the Persian, Maccabean, Roman, and early Muslim eras, locals continued to transport these items to the sacred precinct of the upper hill. Markers of these ancient Israelite rituals remain to this day, with broken pottery littering the entire site.
Under the Judaean kings, the citadel was periodically refortified, remodeled and rebuilt, until ultimately it was destroyed between 597 BCE and 577 BCE whilst Jerusalem was under siege by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II.
Among the most significant artifacts unearthed at Tel Arad are 91 ostraca in paleo-Hebrew referring to the citadel as the House of Yahweh. They are mostly orders to the quartermaster, commands and lists of names. The Eliyashiv Ostraca, all found in the same room, are addressed to a person named Eliyashiv, ordering him to deliver a specific quantity of wine, flour, etc.
The lower area was first settled during the Chalcolithic period, around 4000 BCE. Excavations at the site have unearthed an extensive Bronze Age Canaanite settlement which was in place until approximately 2650 BCE. The site was then apparently deserted for over 1500 years until resettled during the Israelite period from the 11th century BCE onwards, initially as an unwalled piece of land cut off as an official or sacred domain was established on the upper hill, and then later as a garrison-town known as "The Citadel".
The citadel and sanctuary were constructed at the time of King David and Solomon. Artifacts found within the sanctuary of the citadel mostly reflect offerings of oil, wine, wheat, etc. brought there by numerous people throughout the reign of the kings of Judah until the kingdom's fall to the Babylonians. However, during the Persian, Maccabean, Roman, and early Muslim eras, locals continued to transport these items to the sacred precinct of the upper hill. Markers of these ancient Israelite rituals remain to this day, with broken pottery littering the entire site.
Under the Judaean kings, the citadel was periodically refortified, remodeled and rebuilt, until ultimately it was destroyed between 597 BCE and 577 BCE whilst Jerusalem was under siege by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II.
Among the most significant artifacts unearthed at Tel Arad are 91 ostraca in paleo-Hebrew referring to the citadel as the House of Yahweh. They are mostly orders to the quartermaster, commands and lists of names. The Eliyashiv Ostraca, all found in the same room, are addressed to a person named Eliyashiv, ordering him to deliver a specific quantity of wine, flour, etc.
Arad Ostraca #24 (597 BC) Zedekiah and the Edomite invasion into Judah
Introduction to Arad and Tel Ira Ostraca: 608, 597 BC
Jehoiakim | Zedekiah | Nico II | Solomon's Temple | Edomite invasion into Judah
Ostraca, Tablets and Inscriptions of the Bible
Biblical period ostraca
Additionally, the lots drawn at Masada are believed to have been ostraca, and some potsherds resembling the lots have been found.
In October 2008, Israeli archaeologist, Yosef Garfinkel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has discovered what he says to be the earliest known Hebrew text. This text was written on an Ostracon shard; Garfinkel believes this shard dates to the time of King David from the Old Testament, about 3,000 years ago. Carbon dating of the Ostracon and analysis of the pottery have dated the inscription to be about 1,000 years older than the Dead Sea Scrolls. The inscription has yet to be deciphered, however, some words, such as king, slave and judge have been translated. The shard was found about 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem at the Elah Fortress in Khirbet Qeiyafa, the earliest known fortified city of the biblical period of Israel.
Historical Israelites
The name Israel first appears c. 1209 BCE, at the end of the Late Bronze Age and the very beginning of the period archaeologists and historians call Iron Age I, on the Merneptah Stele raised by the Egyptian Pharaoh Merneptah.
The Mesha Stele, also known as the Moabite Stone, is a stele (inscribed stone) set up around 840 BCE by King Mesha of Moab (a kingdom located in modern Jordan). Mesha tells how Chemosh, the god of Moab, had been angry with his people and had allowed them to be subjugated to Israel, but at length Chemosh returned and assisted Mesha to throw off the yoke of Israel and restore the lands of Moab. Mesha describes his many building projects. Some say it is written in the Phoenician alphabet, but others say it is written in the Old Hebrew script, which is closely related.
The Mesha stele, the longest Iron Age inscription ever found in the region, constitutes the major evidence for the Moabite language, and is a "corner-stone of Semitic epigraphy," and history. The stele, whose story parallels, with some differences, an episode in the Bible's Books of Kings (2 Kings 3:4–8), provides invaluable information on the Moabite language and the political relationship between Moab and Israel at one moment in the 9th century BCE. It is the most extensive inscription ever recovered that refers to the kingdom of Israel (the "House of Omri"); it bears the earliest certain extra-biblical reference to the Israelite god Yahweh, and—if French scholar André Lemaire's reconstruction of a portion of line 31 is correct—the earliest mention of the "House of David" (i.e., the kingdom of Judah). It is also one of four known contemporary inscriptions containing the name of Israel, the others being the Merneptah Stele, the Tel Dan Stele, and the Kurkh Monolith. Its authenticity has been disputed over the years, and some biblical minimalists suggest the text was not historical, but a biblical allegory, but the stele is regarded as genuine and historical by the vast majority of biblical archaeologists today.
The stele is currently on display in France at the Louvre museum and Jordan has demanded its return.
The Tel Dan Stele is a broken stele (inscribed stone) discovered in 1993–94 during excavations at Tel Dan in northern Israel. It consists of several fragments making up part of a triumphal inscription in Aramaic, left most probably by Hazael of Aram-Damascus, an important regional figure in the late 9th century BCE. Hazael (or more accurately, the unnamed king) boasts of his victories over the king of Israel and his ally the king of the "House of David" (bytdwd). It is considered the earliest widely accepted reference to the name David as the founder of a Judahite polity outside of the Hebrew Bible, though the earlier Mesha Stele contains several possible references with varying acceptance. A minority of scholars have disputed the reference to David, due to the lack of a word divider between byt and dwd, and other translations have been proposed. The stele was not excavated in its primary context, but in its secondary use. The Tel Dan stele is one of four known inscriptions made during a roughly 400-year period (1200-800 BCE) containing the name "Israel", the others being the Merneptah Stele, the Mesha Stele, and the Kurkh Monolith.
The Tel Dan inscription generated considerable debate and a flurry of articles, debating its age, authorship, and authenticity; however, the stele is generally accepted by scholars as genuine and a reference to the House of David. It is currently on display in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
The Samaria Ostraca are 102 ostraca found in 1910 in excavations in Sebastia, Nablus (ancient Samaria) led by George Andrew Reisner of the Harvard Semitic Museum. Of the 102, only 63 are legible. The ostraca are written in the paleo-Hebrew alphabet, which very closely resemble those of the Siloam Inscription, but show a slight development of the cursive script.
These ostraca were found in the treasury of the palace of Ahab, king of Israel (Samaria) and probably date about his period, 850–750 BC. They are currently held in the collection of the Istanbul Archaeology Museums.
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These lists of names bear clear testimony as to the co-existence of Ba'al worship alongside of the worship of Jehovah in Northern Israel.
Biblical names
The names Kheles, Akhinoam, Akhimelek, Kha-nan, Ba'ara (female), Gomer (female), Meribaal, are all Biblical, while Gaddiyau and Shemaryau are the northern forms of Gedaiah and Shemariah. Some of the Ba'al combinations are of course, Phoenician - e.g., Ba'alzamar. The names Abiba'al, Akhaz, Sheba9 Elisha, 9Uzza, Ela, Gera, Rafa, and Natan (Nathan), are all Biblical.
The Mesad Hashavyahu ostracon
One of the most important finds at Mesad Hashavyahu is an ostracon containing a written appeal by a field worker to the fortress's governor regarding the confiscation of his cloak, which the writer considers to have been unjust. The worker makes his appeal to the governor on the basis of both the garment's undeserved confiscation and by implication, the biblical law regarding holding past sundown a person's cloak as collateral for a debt (Exodus 22; cf. Deut 24). Although the petition does not specifically cite the law, it would have been commonly known by rulers and peasants alike. The ostracon also bears the first known extra-Biblical reference to the Hebrew Sabbath day of rest (Saturday).
Concerning who was in control of this area of the Philistine Plain, Shmuel Ahituv states, "The letter is written in good biblical Hebrew, plus a possible scribal omission here or there, and the script is that of a trained scribe. The work supervisor mentioned in the text bears a clearly Judaean name, Hoshavyahu. All these factors point to a time of Judaean control over the area." Naveh agrees, "The four Hebrew inscriptions together testify to this fortress having been under Judaean control at the time. ... It seems likely that Josiah placed a military governor in charge of the fortress, and that the force garrisoned there was supplied with provisions by the peasants living in the unwalled settlements in the vicinity."
The ostracon was found under the floor of a room adjacent to the guardhouse/gate complex, is approximately 20 cm high by 16.5 cm wide, and contains 14 visible lines of text. In all, seven key artifacts were recovered, six of them inscribed ostraca in the Hebrew language. Pottery shards in the layer above represented Greek (early Ionian/Southwest Anatolian) or Persian-period pottery. The ostraca from this site are currently located in the Israel Museum at Jerusalem.
nPeace
Veteran Member
Biblical Archaeology
Khirbet Qeiyafa - Wikipedia
Releasing the preliminary dig reports for the 2010 and 2011 digging seasons at Khirbet Qeiyafa, the Israel Antiquities Authority stated: "The excavations at Khirbat Qeiyafa clearly reveal an urban society that existed in Judah already in the late eleventh century BCE. It can no longer be argued that the Kingdom of Judah developed only in the late eighth century BCE or at some other later date."
Khirbet Qeiyafa ostracon
On January 10, 2010, the University of Haifa issued a press release stating that the text was a social statement relating to slaves, widows and orphans. According to this interpretation, the text "uses verbs that were characteristic of Hebrew, such as ‘śh (עשה) ("did") and ‘bd (עבד) ("worked"), which were rarely used in other regional languages. Particular words that appear in the text, such as almanah ("widow") are specific to Hebrew and are written differently in other local languages. The content itself, it is argued, was also unfamiliar to all the cultures in the region besides that of Hebrew society. It was further maintained that the present inscription yielded social elements similar to those found in the biblical prophecies markedly different from those current in by other cultures that write of the glorification of the gods and taking care of their physical needs.
Beit Shemesh - Wikipedia
Tell en-Nasbeh - Wikipedia
Beersheba - Wikipedia
Beersheba
List of artifacts in biblical archaeology
Khirbet Qeiyafa - Wikipedia
Releasing the preliminary dig reports for the 2010 and 2011 digging seasons at Khirbet Qeiyafa, the Israel Antiquities Authority stated: "The excavations at Khirbat Qeiyafa clearly reveal an urban society that existed in Judah already in the late eleventh century BCE. It can no longer be argued that the Kingdom of Judah developed only in the late eighth century BCE or at some other later date."
Khirbet Qeiyafa ostracon
On January 10, 2010, the University of Haifa issued a press release stating that the text was a social statement relating to slaves, widows and orphans. According to this interpretation, the text "uses verbs that were characteristic of Hebrew, such as ‘śh (עשה) ("did") and ‘bd (עבד) ("worked"), which were rarely used in other regional languages. Particular words that appear in the text, such as almanah ("widow") are specific to Hebrew and are written differently in other local languages. The content itself, it is argued, was also unfamiliar to all the cultures in the region besides that of Hebrew society. It was further maintained that the present inscription yielded social elements similar to those found in the biblical prophecies markedly different from those current in by other cultures that write of the glorification of the gods and taking care of their physical needs.
Beit Shemesh - Wikipedia
Tell en-Nasbeh - Wikipedia
Beersheba - Wikipedia
Beersheba
There are several etymologies for the origin of the name "Beersheba". The oath of Abraham and Abimelech (well of the oath) is the one stated in Genesis 21:31. Others include the seven wells dug by Isaac (seven wells) though only three or four have been identified; the oath of Isaac and Abimelech (well of the oath in Genesis 26:33); the seven lambs that sealed Abraham and Abimelech's oath (well of the seven).
Be'er is the Hebrew word for well; sheva could mean "seven" or "oath" (from the Hebrew word shvu'a). In this case the meaning is probably "oath", as the ancient Hebrews believed seven to be a lucky number, and the Hebrew "shvu'a" (to take an oath) literally means "to seven oneself".
The Arabic toponym can also be translated as "seven wells" or, as more commonly believed, "lion's well".
During Ottoman administration the city was referred as "بلدية بءرالسبع" Birüsseb'.
Be'er is the Hebrew word for well; sheva could mean "seven" or "oath" (from the Hebrew word shvu'a). In this case the meaning is probably "oath", as the ancient Hebrews believed seven to be a lucky number, and the Hebrew "shvu'a" (to take an oath) literally means "to seven oneself".
The Arabic toponym can also be translated as "seven wells" or, as more commonly believed, "lion's well".
During Ottoman administration the city was referred as "بلدية بءرالسبع" Birüsseb'.
Beersheba is mainly dealt with in the Hebrew Bible in connection with the Patriarchs Abraham and Isaac, who both dig a well and close peace treaties with King Abimelech of Gerar at the site. Hence it receives its name twice, first after Abraham's dealings with Abimelech (Genesis 21:22-34), and again from Isaac who closes his own covenant with Abimelech of Gerar and whose servants also dig a well there (Genesis 26:23-33). The place is thus connected to two of the three Wife–sister narratives in the Book of Genesis.
According to the Hebrew Bible, Beersheba was founded when Abraham and Abimelech settled their differences over a well of water and made a covenant (see Genesis 21:22-34). Abimelech's men had taken the well from Abraham after he had previously dug it so Abraham brought sheep and cattle to Abimelech to get the well back. He set aside seven lambs to swear that it was he that had dug the well and no one else. Abimelech conceded that the well belonged to Abraham and, in the Bible, Beersheba means "Well of Seven" or "Well of the Oath".
Beersheba is further mentioned in following Bible passages: Isaac built an altar in Beersheba (Genesis 26:23–33). Jacob had his dream about a stairway to heaven after leaving Beersheba. (Genesis 28:10–15 and 46:1–7). Beersheba was the territory of the tribe of Simeon and Judah (Joshua 15:28 and 19:2). The sons of the prophet Samuel were judges in Beersheba (I Samuel 8:2). Saul, Israel's first king, built a fort there for his campaign against the Amalekites (I Samuel 14:48 and 15:2–9). The prophet Elijah took refuge in Beersheba when Jezebel ordered him killed (I Kings 19:3). The prophet Amos mentions the city in regard to idolatry (Amos 5:5 and 8:14). Following the Babylonian conquest and subsequent enslavement of many Israelites, the town was abandoned. After the Israelite slaves returned from Babylon, they resettled the town. According to the Hebrew Bible, Beersheba was the southernmost city of the territories settled by Israelites, hence the expression "from Dan to Beersheba" to describe the whole kingdom.
Zibiah, the consort of King Ahaziah of Judah and the mother of King Jehoash of Judah, was from Beersheba.
According to the Hebrew Bible, Beersheba was founded when Abraham and Abimelech settled their differences over a well of water and made a covenant (see Genesis 21:22-34). Abimelech's men had taken the well from Abraham after he had previously dug it so Abraham brought sheep and cattle to Abimelech to get the well back. He set aside seven lambs to swear that it was he that had dug the well and no one else. Abimelech conceded that the well belonged to Abraham and, in the Bible, Beersheba means "Well of Seven" or "Well of the Oath".
Beersheba is further mentioned in following Bible passages: Isaac built an altar in Beersheba (Genesis 26:23–33). Jacob had his dream about a stairway to heaven after leaving Beersheba. (Genesis 28:10–15 and 46:1–7). Beersheba was the territory of the tribe of Simeon and Judah (Joshua 15:28 and 19:2). The sons of the prophet Samuel were judges in Beersheba (I Samuel 8:2). Saul, Israel's first king, built a fort there for his campaign against the Amalekites (I Samuel 14:48 and 15:2–9). The prophet Elijah took refuge in Beersheba when Jezebel ordered him killed (I Kings 19:3). The prophet Amos mentions the city in regard to idolatry (Amos 5:5 and 8:14). Following the Babylonian conquest and subsequent enslavement of many Israelites, the town was abandoned. After the Israelite slaves returned from Babylon, they resettled the town. According to the Hebrew Bible, Beersheba was the southernmost city of the territories settled by Israelites, hence the expression "from Dan to Beersheba" to describe the whole kingdom.
Zibiah, the consort of King Ahaziah of Judah and the mother of King Jehoash of Judah, was from Beersheba.
Antiquity
Human settlement in the area dates from the Copper Age. The inhabitants lived in caves, crafting metal tools and raising cattle. Findings unearthed at Tel Be'er Sheva, an archaeological site east of modern-day Beersheba, suggest the region has been inhabited since the 4th millennium BC. The city has been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries.
Israelite era
Tel Be'er Sheva, an archaeological site containing the ruins of an ancient town believed to have been the Biblical Beersheba, lies a few kilometers east of the modern city. The town dates to the early Israelite period, around the 10th century BC. The site was probably chosen due to the abundance of water, as evidenced by the numerous wells in the area. According to the Bible, the wells were dug by Abraham and Isaac when they arrived there. The streets were laid out in a grid, with separate areas for administrative, commercial, military, and residential use. It is believed to have been the first planned settlement in the region, and is also noteworthy for its elaborate water system; in particular, a huge cistern carved out of the rock beneath the town.
Human settlement in the area dates from the Copper Age. The inhabitants lived in caves, crafting metal tools and raising cattle. Findings unearthed at Tel Be'er Sheva, an archaeological site east of modern-day Beersheba, suggest the region has been inhabited since the 4th millennium BC. The city has been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries.
Israelite era
Tel Be'er Sheva, an archaeological site containing the ruins of an ancient town believed to have been the Biblical Beersheba, lies a few kilometers east of the modern city. The town dates to the early Israelite period, around the 10th century BC. The site was probably chosen due to the abundance of water, as evidenced by the numerous wells in the area. According to the Bible, the wells were dug by Abraham and Isaac when they arrived there. The streets were laid out in a grid, with separate areas for administrative, commercial, military, and residential use. It is believed to have been the first planned settlement in the region, and is also noteworthy for its elaborate water system; in particular, a huge cistern carved out of the rock beneath the town.
List of artifacts in biblical archaeology
And, the Laws on washing and being clean (mentioned some 400 times in the Mosaic Law) were way ahead of their time!
Grief, even up until the 1800's (CE), doctors were going from the morgue straight into the maternity, and not washing their hands, causing many post-natal deaths of women and infants!
Subduction Zone
Veteran Member
And denied by Jesus. How do you interpret that?