Archeology in the Holy Land

 

Biblical Archeology and Galilee

Intro: Jesus is often referred to as Jesus the Galilean. The Galilee is a region in Israel. Recently, Biblical archeologists have made many significant discoveries in Galilee that illuminate Jewish culture at the time of Christ. Joining us today is Stephen Missick who recently participated in an archeological excavation in Israel.

Tell us about what you were excavating in Israel and how you got there:

I actually won a scholarship with Biblical Archeological Review magazine! In my application I mentioned my military experience, my academic background-and how I wanted to dig in Bethsaida because Jesus was there!

What is Bethsaida? In Aramaic Bethsaida means "House of the Fisherman." It is a fishermen's village not far from the coast of the Sea of Galilee.

How do we know that Jesus was in Bethsaida? Because the Bible says he was! According to the Bible, it was near Bethsaida were Jesus walked on the water. Phillip and Nathaniel were from Bethsaida, as were Peter and Andrew-although they had moved to Capernaum. It is believed that King Herod Phillip was buried in Bethsaida but his tomb hasn't been found yet.

What does the Bible say about Bethsaida? In the Gospels, Jesus rebukes the town of Bethsaida for its lack of faith in him. He also rebuked Capernaum and Chorizen, two other Galilean towns that have been excavated.

What did you find at Bethsaida? The excavations at Bethsaida began in 1987. Since then, they have found a fisherman's house a vine-growers house and roads from the first century that Jesus and the apostles must have walked on. They found a city gate at Bethsaida from a period much older than the time of Jesus. It is believed that this older find is the Kingdom of Geshur-the place where Absalom fled to when he fled from King David his father. While I was digging we find fragments of pottery, coins and scarabs. A scarab is an Egyptian style pendant that was often used as a form of identification.

What is it like to participate in an archeological excavation? Well, its dirty work! I sent most of the day digging and I got covered with dirt! We got to the site at the break of dawn and had breakfast. Then we would get to work. We took a break at about 1130 and continued working until 1 in the afternoon and then we finished for the day.

What kind of insight into the Bible did you gain by participating in an archeological excavation?

Digging is part of the pursuit of knowledge. We dig and then the archeologist take our finds and interpret them. Digging is the slow painstaking work that eventually leads to expanding our knowledge of the Bible and its times. There were two archeological educational parks that I thought were very helpful. One was at Nazareth. It is called "Nazareth Village." It a small area they re-created life as it was in the time of Jesus. They built an authentic first century style synagogue a carpenters shop and other recreations of life as it was at the time of Jesus. There was also a mikveh-which is a type of baptistery for Jewish ritual cleansing. There was another archeological park called "Qatzrin Talmudic Village." It was from a period slightly later than the time of Jesus-but a period in which life was mostly the same. At Qatzrin it was like stepping back in time-and everything was still there-but everyone had stepped out for a moment.

What else did you see in Galilee?

I went to Tiberius a few times. Tiberius was built by Herod Antipas and named in honor of the Emperor Tiberius. Later it became an important center for Judaism. I lived near to Magdala where Mary Magdalene came from. Back in the late 1980s-a boat from the time of Jesus was found on the shore when the coastline receded during a drought. The boat which is called the "Jesus Boat" has been preserved and is on display at Ginnosar-where I stayed during the dig. I also visited Capernaum. Although Jesus was from Nazareth, Capernaum is described as "his city" in the Gospels. Capernaum became the center of Christ's operations. Also, in the 1970s and 1980s Francisan archeologists excavated Saint Peter's house in Capernaum. They built a church with a glass floor over the ruins so you can look down into Peter's house. We also went to Chorizon-where they have a "Seat of Moses" in a synagogue they discovered there. Chorizon was another town Jesus visited and he also rebuked it for its lack of faith.

What else where you able to do in Israel?

Now I have been to Israel once before. The first time I focused on Jerusalem and visited with "Palestinian" Christians. During this visit I was able to worship with Arab Christians in Nazareth. But this time I excavated and traveled in the north. I was able to see the ruins of an Israelite temple at Dan, visited Caesarea Phillipi-where Jesus said, "Who do men say that I am?"

I also went to Tel-Megiddo, the Biblical Armageddon and saw the rabbinic tombs at Beth Shemerim-where the famous Rabbi Gamaliel was buried.

What kind of impact did Galilee have upon you? Now the Sea of Galilee is actually a lake-it is about eight miles across. That means you can see across to the other side wherever you are there. But it is a very beautiful place. It was spiritual and tranquil. I felt that it was a fitting place for Jesus to chose to begin to preach about the Kingdom of God. To me it's a place where there is a connection between God's kingdom and this earth.

http://aramaicherald.blogspot.com/2012/09/archeology-in-holy-land.html

Exploring the Semitic Roots of Christianity

 

"Jewish Roots, Semitic Roots, Hebrew Roots and Pagan Roots"

Many people are on a quest to re-discover a more authentic form of Christianity. Indeed, some people are trying to discover the Jewish Jesus and are even rejecting the title "Christian." If you come into contact with this movement you will see that it is extremely diverse. In this manual, we are going to examine some of the issues that arise in the "Jewish Roots" movements-not movements is plural because there are several movements.

The Sacred Name and Restorationist Movements

A "restorationist" movement is a sect that believes that Christianity became hopelessly corrupt in antiquity and needs to be restored. The problem with this ideology is that the church never lost the New Testament. If the New Testament represents the teachings of Jesus and it was never lost-how could it be said that the teachings of Jesus were lost. In a sense, you could think of the Baptist Church and the entire Protestant Reformation as a type of Restorationist movement. But, better examples would be the Jehovah's Witnesses/Seventh Day Adventists, and better yet, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Joseph Smith taught that all spiritual knowledge was lost from the death of the Apostle John until he came.

Some Hebrew Roots organizations do believe that the canon of the New Testament needs to be revised. An example would be Monty Judah, who advocates removing the Epistle to the Hebrews from the New Testament. Many, Hebrew Roots movements now have their own translations of the Bible.

The Jehovah's Witnesses and the Seventh Day Adventists have a huge influence on the Hebrew Roots movement. Their influence is divisive and controversial but it is there. Michael Rood is a former disciple of the Way International-an organization highly influenced by the Jehovah's Witnesses. Much of what Michael Rood teaches is what he learned when he was a member of the Way International.

The first issue where you see their influence is with the Sacred Name. In the Old Testament, God has two names-one is Elohim-which is used about 2,500 times in the Old Testament. The other "Name of God" is called the Tetragrammaton. This word means "four letters." The letters are YHWH. This Name of God has been translated as "Jehovah" in the past. In the Old Testament period-we know from the text of the Bible and from archeological evidence, that Jews spoke the name "Yahweh." YHWH is used in the Old Testament about 6,000 times. Many scholars think the name of God was Yahweh but it may have been pronounced as "Yehowah." The fact of the matter is the pronunciation is lost and exactly how the Name was pronounced is no longer known with certainty. At about 200 BC, a Jewish sage named Simon the Just introduced the practice of not saying the Name out of reverence. Circumlocutions were used (this means other words were substituted for the Divine Name). The commandment says "thou shalt not use the name of Yahweh your God in vain." Well, if you never say the name Yahweh-then you aren't going to break that commandment. So, the Jews substitute words for Yahweh such as "Ha-Shem," meaning "the Name," and "Adonai," meaning the Lord. For the most part, this is a Jewish practice that has been adopted by Christians. In fact, it seems Jesus himself observed this tradition and used circumlocutions for the name of God and generally referred to God as "Abba, Father," or by the name El, or Elaha in Aramaic. Jewish people find it sacrilegious and deeply offensive to pronounced the "Ineffable Name of God."

Certain "Sacred Name" believe that you must call upon God by Yahweh-or some variation-or you will be damned. And if you don't pronounce it exactly the way that they say you must pronounce it then you are going to hell. There are even groups that say that Yahweh and Elohim and two different God and cast aspersions on those who worship the one or the other.

Bible Versions and Translations

Since the Sacred Name is that important to these people they produce Bible versions that use the Sacred Name. Some of these groups also teach that it is necessary to practice all 613 Commandments of Moses. One of these leaders is named Israel Hawkins and he believes that since Moses and the Patriarchs practiced polygamy-he and his followers would too-since the Law of Moses is the ultimate standard of morality. Hawkins has produced his version of the Bible. Some of these people disagree with calling the Bible-the Bible because the word "Bible" is derived from the pagan city "Byblos." The problem is that the word Bible merely means book and Byblos was actually called Gebal and the people there believed that Elohim founded the city. So, they call the Bible the "Beshora," The Sacred Scriptures-or some other title.

I personally don't have any problem with a Sacred Name Bible, as long as they accurately reflect the text of Scripture. Now there is a plethora of "Hebrew Roots" Bibles and it seems like there is a new one all the time and it seems confusing.

The "Jewish New Testament" and "The Complete Jewish Bible" follow the Jewish tradition and do not use the Sacred Name but use the word Adonai instead.

The Name of Jesus

Having dealt with the name of God, we now move on to the name of Jesus. The name "Jesus," is derived from the name Joshua. This name was originally "Yehoshua" and means "Yahweh is Salvation." Later this name became "Yeshua" and it seems like this is the name that Jesus would have went by. However, it is also possibly that the name was pronounced as "Yeshu." However, the rabbis created an acronym for the name Yeshu-which was "May his name be accursed forever." So, Yeshu-although it may have been how Jesus' name was pronounced was made into a Jewish curse word. For this reason, Israeli Christians now call Jesus "Yeshua," instead of the traditional Hebrew pronunciation of "Yeshu." Certain "Messianics" also argue about how to pronounce the name of Jesus. Some say that "Jesus" means "Hey Zeus!" This is absurd. The Greeks used an I or a J for the Y letter and didn't have an SH sound in their language so they substituted an S. Greek has case endings because nouns such as names must be declined. This is how the "S" was added to the end of the name "Jesus."

What about the Afterlife?

Another area where we see the influence of the Seventh Day Adventist/Jehovah's Witnesses is in the idea of the Afterlife. In the New Testament, Jesus is very clear that he believes in a heaven and a hell and an immortal soul. He teaches that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are with God presently in heaven and taught about a beggar named Lazarus who died and went to heaven. The Adventist movement came out of the Millerite movement of the 1800s. When the JWs/Adventists were developing (they have common origins) séances were extremely popular in America due to the "Spiritualist" movement. To counteract this movement the Millerites began teaching that essentially, there is no life after death-until the resurrection at judgment day. Jesus stood with the Pharisees in their belief in heaven and hell against the Sadducees, a sect that denied the afterlife. So, the Millerites are teaching the opposite of what Jesus taught. The Old Testament teaches that the souls of the dead descend into Sheol where they enter their eternal rest. Many people have become confused because they don't understand what the ancient Israelites believed about Sheol and incorrectly believe that the ancient Israelites did not believe in the afterlife.

Was Jesus a Pharisee or a Karaite Jew-or an Essene?

Nehemiah Gordon is an associate of Michael Rood. He teaches that modern Judaism is Phariseeism. This is true. Modern Judaism did evolve out of the Pharisee movement. Mr. Gordon has rejected the Orthodox Judaism and has embraced what he called "Karaite Judaism." Some of his criticisms of Rabbinic Judaism are valid. (For example-why do Jews call the Old Testament "the Tenach"? It isn't even a word? Some traditions-like how to tie your shoe laces according to rabbinic tradition are tedious.) But, Karaite Judaism is the offshoot of the Sadducee movement. The authentic Karaite Jews are Sephardic Jews who live in Egypt-or the communities that have emigrated from Egypt. Mr. Gordon argues that Jesus was a "Karaite Jew" in that he rejected rabbinic tradition and followed only the Torah. Other people argue that since Jesus agreed with the beliefs of the afterlife held by the Pharisees and since some of his teachings are similar to the famous Pharisee Hillel, then Jesus must have been a Pharisee. Still others will say that since Jesus was baptized and baptized like the Essenes-he must have been an Essene. My position is that Jesus is the Son of God and didn't belong to any sect of Judaism. Just because Jesus affirmed certain beliefs of different sects doesn't mean that he belonged to them.

Is Greek bad?

Michael Rood and others teach that we have to "leave behind our Greco-Roman thinking" and rediscover our Hebraic Roots. What is "Greco-Roman" thinking and why is it so bad?

What should be recognized at first is that Greek has had an influence upon Judaism. The word "Synagogue" is a Greek word. As is Sanhedrin. In the Passover-there is the Afrikomen-another word derived from the Greek.

The Septuagint, which is an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek, was translated by and used by Jews. Also, the Septuagint is an important witness to the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. Important Jewish thinkers such as Philo of Alexandria and Josephus wrote in Greek (Josephus claimed that he wrote an initial draft of the Jewish War in Aramaic.) The Apocrypha-which is Jewish literature from the inter-testamental period-is largely written in Greek.

The New Testament is also written in Greek-although certain portions may have had a Hebrew/Aramaic original. I think that the Greeks brought tremendous human progress. They were great thinkers and advance knowledge and have had a profound effect on human history. I don' t understand what the purpose is of demeaning the Greeks.

Jewish and Christian Relations

The apocrypha is ancient Jewish literature. It was preserved by Christians and not by the Jews. The Books of Maccabees tells the story of Hanukkah. Christians preserved it-Jewish versions of the Hannukah story are inaccurate and are derived from Maccabees. (I am referring to the Megillath Antiochus.) During the Crusades, Christian bishops protected Jewish communities from rogue crusader who carried out anti-Semitic attacks. (See "God's Battalions" by Rodney Stark.) Saint Augustine argued that Christians should grant the Jewish communities toleration. The Catholic Church began the practice of using Unleavened bread for the Eucharist in an attempt to reconnect with the Jewish roots of the faith. The first printed Hebrew Bible was a joint project of Jews and Christians. The Catholic Church also prepared the Complutensian
polyglot-it was a parallel Bible with different versions of the Old Testament including Hebrew and Aramaic made in the early 1500s, before the Protestant Reformation. The early church affirmed the Old Testament and rejected the anti-Semitic teachings of Marcion in the mid 100s. Origin of Alexandria around 180 produced an important six columned edition of the Old Testament called the Hexapla. Saint Jerome lived in Israel and studied Hebrew from Rabbis there and translated the Old Testament directly from the Hebrew. He also noted that the Apocryphal books were not part of the Old Testament. So, at times, Christians and Jews had cordial and productive relations and cooperated in Bible scholarship.

Anti-Semitism is very dangerous and the church must be honest about its history regarding the Jews-but we need a balanced approach. Historical revisionism that exaggerates the mistreatment of the Jews or demonizes the entire church isn't helpful. There are Jewish sources that are polemical and strongly anti-Christian. Such as the "Toledoth Yeshu," an anti-Gospel that has circulated among the Jewish community for centuries. In the "Toledoth Yeshu," Jesus is a black magician who is raped by Judas Iscariot. People have also found offensive passages from the Talmud and took them out of context in order to incite anti-Semitism. What I am saying is that Christians should be familiar with the church fathers before rejecting them all based on one or two remarks that may seem anti-Semitic today.

The Hebraic Mindset

Many of the Hebrew Roots/Messianics/Yahwist and other groups believe that in order to be acceptable to God you have to "think Hebraically." But what does this mean? Some people believe that it is necessary to know Hebrew well-and to think in Hebrew-before you can understand and be received by God. Other believe that the "Hebraic Mindset" means observing the Jewish or Biblical feastdays (or "the Feast of Yahweh"), keeping a Kosher diet, observing the Sabbath and all of the 613 Commandments of the Torah that apply to you.

Still others, such as Scott Cloud, teach that you have to think cyclically. Apparently, Easterners don't use linear thinking or apply logic the way westerners do.

http://aramaicherald.blogspot.com/2012/09/exploring-semitic-roots-of-christianity.html

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

 

Tuesday, August 28, 2012: (St. Augustine)
Jesus said: “My people, in today’s Gospel you read how I criticized the Pharisees for being hypocrites in their religious practices. They washed the outside of their cups and followed giving tithes in their donations, but inside their souls there were many sins. It is important for My faithful to practice what you preach by your actions. Do not just go through the motions of being religious, but you need to cleanse your sins in frequent Confession, and perform true works of charity for your neighbors. Focus on Me in your prayers, and consecrate everything that you do for My sake. People should be able to tell you are a Christian by your humility, faith, and your actions. Guard your tongue from any bad language, and control your behavior from any outbursts of anger. In essence, you need to give a good example to others so they can see that you are not hypocrites like the Pharisees were.”

http://www.johnleary.com/index.php/2012/08/30/tuesday-august-28-2012/

Monday, August 27, 2012

 

Monday, August 27, 2012: (St. Monica)
Jesus said: “My people, today’s feast day of St. Monica helps people to remind them to keep praying for their own children as she prayed for her son, Augustine, and his conversion. Many mothers can identify with her desires to have her son return to the faith. St. Monica was blessed that her son became a bishop and a doctor of the Church. I can encourage My faithful to keep praying for any relatives or friends who have left their faith. If these souls have died, they need prayers, Masses, and fasting to help them if they are in purgatory. Evangelizing or reconverting souls should be your most important work. So do not give up on any soul, but constantly pray for their conversion. In the vision you look down the road of your life, and you think that you have a long time to convert. Some people do not realize how quickly your time passes away, and you could die at any time. It is better to stay close to Me in daily prayer, and frequent Confession so you can keep a clean soul, and you will always be ready to meet Me on the day of your death. Do not keep putting off your conversion to another day, because you could pass on at any time. Rejoice and give Me praise when a soul is converted, because it is a joy to see the reward of your effort for that soul. All of heaven also rejoices over one soul that repents and is saved.”

Jesus said: “My people, as you look at a dead body in the casket, you start thinking of how some day you will be dead in a casket. It is not easy to face the fact that your body is mortal, and you could die at any time. The important fact is not only that you are going to die, but that you need to have your soul prepared for the death of your body on any day. Once you die, you will have to face your Maker at your first judgment. This is why you want to have a pure soul at all times so you are ready for your judgment. The other reason for this vision is to have mercy on the deceased person’s soul. You do not always know the disposition of that soul in how that person was judged. Assume that the person is in purgatory so you can pray for that soul and offer Masses up for their intention. If that soul is not in purgatory, your prayers and Masses will be applied to your other deceased family members. Rejoice when souls have finished their missions on earth, because now they can pray for souls on earth.”

http://www.johnleary.com/index.php/2012/08/30/monday-august-27-2012/

Sunday, August 2012

 

Sunday, August 26, 2012:
Jesus said: “My people, you have some beautiful messages of life in today’s readings. You have a faith declaration from Joshua when he said: ‘As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’ This is a faith message for life that his family knows the importance of keeping the tradition of acknowledging Me as Lord and Master of their lives. The message of St. Paul is for married people to not only be submissive to each other, but they need to be submissive to Me in their lives. Just as St. Paul calls husbands to love their wives, I call on all peoples to love Me as I love all of you. When a man and woman marry, they become one flesh as you are one with Me. I call on parents to love their children, and bring them up in the faith. In the Gospel reading you see a continuing account of when people did not understand how I would feed them My Body and Blood under the appearances of bread and wine. Some of My disciples left Me, but My apostles remained faithful because St. Peter said I had the words of eternal life. This understanding of My Real Presence in My Eucharist has to be taken on faith because it is a mystery. This gift of My Presence in My consecrated Host, is a blessing so I can always be with you in My sacraments. You can receive Me in Holy Communion or visit Me in My tabernacle whenever you wish to share your love or your troubles with Me. It is also a time to ask My help in discerning any important decisions that you need to make in life. Rejoice, My people, that I am providing for your daily needs, and I am always listening to your prayer petitions.”

http://www.johnleary.com/index.php/2012/08/30/sunday-august-2012/

Saturday, August 25, 2012

 

Saturday, August 25, 2012: (St. Louis)
Jesus said: “My people, I am grateful that you are giving devotion to My Blessed Mother of Fatima. Heaven knows that you are battling the evils of this day, and the many apparitions of the last hundred years are helping you to bear your trials. Some people have been impatient with heaven that We have not ended this evil. You will be seeing a culmination of evil’s last throes when you are faced with the tribulation of the Antichrist. Before you will see the Era of Peace that was spoken of by My Blessed Mother, My faithful will be tested dearly. When you see the coming into power of the Antichrist, you will know My victory is not far off. In My messages I am giving you hope of My protection at My refuges. I will be with you in My Blessed Sacrament to feed you My graces and strength to endure this time of evil that will grow worse. Trust in My Blessed Mother’s weapon of the rosary, and My angels who will protect you. If you are facing evil times, call on Me and My angels to help you. I have asked you to be prepared both physically and spiritually for the major events that are coming soon. I will notify My faithful when it is time to come to My refuges, so you will be protected from the enemy’s viruses and death threats.”

http://www.johnleary.com/index.php/2012/08/30/saturday-august-25-2012/