For seasons, days, and years

2010. We say it is a New Year. All of this depends on the goodness and lovingkindness of the Lord. Today I will post a few scriptures to remind us of the source of all material blessings.

God created the earth, and the entire universe, as a place for man to dwell. He arranged the sun, moon and stars so we might have seasons, days, and years.

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. (Genesis 1:14-15 NAU)

The New Testament teaches that Jesus, the Word, was active in creation, and that He keeps everything going as it should.

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16-17 NAU)

The words of Psalm 106 express an appropriate thanks to the Lord for His provisions.

Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. (Psalm 106:1 NAU)

Happy New Year!

A lone fisherman on the Sea of Galilee at sunrise. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

High over Israel

A guide friend in Israel notified me that one of his neighbors was experienced in aerial photography, and asked if I would be interested in going up during the recent trip to Israel. I indicated an interest and we began to work on the details. The pilot, Yoav, had to get permission and clear us with Israeli security well in advance of the flight. The first day we scheduled was scrubbed due to bad weather coming in. The following day was sunny and fairly clear. Certainly it was one of the best weather days we had during the first two weeks of December.

We flew from the Sde Dov Airport. This is a small airport along the Mediterranean coast immediately north of the Yarkon River in Tel Aviv. Arkia Airlines operates here with flights to Eilat, Rosh Pina, and perhaps other places. When we arrived at the airport to meet our friend and the pilot we had to go through strict security even though we had sent all of our passport details in advance. Once that was completed we headed for the plane, a Cessna 172 Skyhawk. Our pilot was well aware of most of the places we wanted to visit. He would tell us to be ready in two minutes, or in 30 seconds, for the best photos. We flew over Gezer, Zorah, Beth Shemesh, the Zorek Valley, Lachish, Jerusalem, the Herodium, Aphek/Antipatris, and lots of terrain in between in two hours and six minutes. I made 1754 photos during that time, filling an 8 gig card and two 4 gig cards. Probably not a Guinness record, but a record for me.

Perhaps over the next few weeks I will be able to share a few of these photos with you. Let’s begin with the Coastal (or Maritime) Plain south of Tel Aviv/Joppa. This area is also referred to as the Plain of Philistia because the Philistines lived in the region in Old Testament times. The Philistine cities of Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Gaza were in the southern coastal plain.

The plain of Philistia may be as much as 20 miles wide as we move further south. This photo gives one some idea of the territory immediately south of Tel Aviv as we fly south east to Gezer. Our altitude here was 800 feet.

The Coastal Plain of Philistia, south of Tel Aviv. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

This region is now an important part of Israel, but in Bible times few Israelites lived in the area.

Don’t try this on your first trip

Some adventuresome souls who have been reading the posts about the recent trip to Israel may have in mind doing the same. After all, you have some friends who went to Europe on their own, bought an Eurail pass and saw everything in two weeks.

Not that I think that is the best way to see Europe in a limited amount of time, but I definitely warn against this for the first trip or two to Israel, Turkey, Jordan, or Egypt. When you read about a trip like the one I just completed the first two weeks of December, keep in mind that I have been traveling to Israel almost annually since 1967.

Your best choice for a first or second trip to the Bible Lands (or Holy Lands) is to travel with someone who has experience in this area. Look at a lot of itineraries before you make a decision. Look at the qualifications of the person leading the tour. Examine carefully the details such as class of hotels, number of meals, etc.

The most important thing you can do is to study about the places you will visit for several months in advance of the trip. A few weeks ago we presented a list of books that we suggest for this purpose here. Your most important study will come during the first year after you return from your trip. Because then you will have a better understanding of what you are reading about.

And don’t take too much luggage. It can spoil a good trip. I caught this photo of two tourists coming out of a hotel near the Dead Sea. Perhaps they had packed for a group.

Overloaded at the Dead Sea. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Vandalism of the Midras Ruins rolling stone tomb

The Midras Ruins (Horvat Midras) in Israel are part of the Adulam Grove Nature Reserve east of Hwy 38 between the Elah Valley and Beit Guvrin. According to the Parks department sign at the site, the ruins are part of an ancient settlement including caves, pits, and other installations. The Carta touring atlas says the area was continuously inhabited from the time of the Kings of Judah to the Roman period.

For several years I had wanted to visit the Midras Ruins. In August, 2008, I went there for the first time. It was hot, and the hour was late. Elizabeth and I looked for the burial cave with a rolling stone from the Roman period, but were not able to locate it. We spoke with some visitors from near Tel Aviv who had been crawling through the tunnels, but they were unable to help. Earlier this month Leon and I went to Midras and spent a lot of time searching for the burial cave. There are no signs pointing specifically to this burial site. As we searched the area we called a guide friend who told us we should go to the right of the entry. We tried that without success.

On another day our guide friend went with us. He said he had been there since the burial cave was restored. After we got to the site he called a friend who lives in the nearby village. He assured us that the cave was to the right of the entry. After more searching we noted that the older entry from the main road (Hwy 38) had been closed. Now the parking and entry is from the side road about a mile from the main road. Instead of the cave being to the right of the entry, it is to the left of the end of the trail. Here is the sign you need to look for.

Midras Ruins sign. Go toward Pyramid Tomb. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Go toward the Pyramid Tomb. The burial cave is marked as number 4 on the left side of the trail. The sign at the cave indicates that it was in use from the first century B.C. until the Bar Kochba revolt (about A.D. 135). The site was vandalized about 15 years ago.

Midras Ruins Burial Cave.

It was getting dark by the time we located the tomb, but I had a good flash attachment with me that allowed some fairly good photos.

Midras Ruins Burial Cave 4. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins 2009.

I am not able to make out the graffiti above the tomb. Here is a closer view of the rolling stone.

Midras Ruins Burial Cave 4 with rolling stone. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

This tomb is supposed to have been restored. Compare the way it looks now with the way it looked before the vandalism. There are two sources that I know about.

Dr. Carl Rasmussen, Holy Land Photos, says,

In 1976 part of the cemetery was excavated. Several tombs were uncovered, including, in my estimation, THE BEST ROLLING STONE TOMB in the country. Unfortunately in the late 1990’s the tomb site was totally destroyed by vandals.  BUT it has been reconstructed and is now visible in the Adullam Park!

Carl has six photos of the tomb here. Open a new browser and compare the tomb now with the photos he made earlier.

Todd Bolen, BiblePlaces Blog, has an excellent photo of the tomb before and after it was vandalized here. Here you may see the original photo with some restoration photos by A.D. Riddle. I think you will agree that the restoration is not very good.

Why is this tomb important enough that I would go to so much trouble to locate and photograph it? It is because this illustrates the type of tomb in which Jesus was buried.

And Joseph [from Arimathea] took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. (Matthew 27:59-60 ESV)

Why would anyone want to vandalize this tomb? Probably the same reason!

Several other tombs with a rolling stone are known in the Bible lands.

First century residence uncovered in Nazareth

A simple Jewish residence from the first century has been unearthed in Nazareth, according to an announcement made by the Israel Antiquities Authority today.

Excavation of first century Nazareth residence. Photo courtesy IAA.

An archaeological excavation the Israel Antiquities Authority recently conducted has revealed new information about ancient Nazareth from the time of Jesus. Remains of a dwelling that date to the Early Roman period were discovered for the first time in an excavation, which was carried out prior to the construction of the “International Marian Center of Nazareth” by the the Association Mary of Nazareth, next to the Church of the Annunciation.

According to the New Testament, Mary, the mother of Jesus, lived in Nazareth together with her husband Joseph. It was there that she also received the revelation by the Angel Gabriel that she would conceive a child to be born the Son of God. The New Testament mentions that Jesus himself grew up in Nazareth.

In 1969 the Church of the Annunciation was erected in the spot that the Catholic faith identified with the house of Mary. It was built atop the remains of three earlier churches, the oldest of which is ascribed to the Byzantine period (the fourth century CE). In light of the plans to build there, the Israel Antiquities Authority recently undertook a small scale archaeological excavation close to the church, which resulted in the exposure of the structure.

According to Yardenna Alexandre, excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “The discovery is of the utmost importance since it reveals for the very first time a house from the Jewish village of Nazareth and thereby sheds light on the way of life at the time of Jesus. The building that we found is small and modest and it is most likely typical of the dwellings in Nazareth in that period. From the few written sources that there are, we know that in the first century CE Nazareth was a small Jewish village, located inside a valley. Until now a number of tombs from the time of Jesus were found in Nazareth; however, no settlement remains have been discovered that are attributed to this period”.

In the excavation a large broad wall that dates to the Mamluk period (the fifteenth century CE) was exposed that was constructed on top of and “utilized” the walls of an ancinet building. This earlier building consisted of two rooms and a courtyard in which there was a rock-hewn cistern into which the rainwater was conveyed. The artifacts recovered from inside the building were few and mostly included fragments of pottery vessels from the Early Roman period (the first and second centuries CE). In addition, several fragments of chalk vessels were found, which were only used by Jews in this period because such vessels were not susceptible to becoming ritually unclean.

Another hewn pit, whose entrance was apparently camouflaged, was excavated and a few pottery sherds from the Early Roman period were found inside it. The excavator, Yardenna Alexandre, said, “Based on other excavations that I conducted in other villages in the region, this pit was probably hewn as part of the preparations by the Jews to protect themselves during the Great Revolt against the Romans in 67 CE”.

In a few of the archaeological excavations that were carried out in this crowded city, a number of burial caves dating to the Early Roman period were exposed that are situated close to the inhabited area. The modern Church of the Annunciation was constructed in the heart of Nazareth, above the Crusader Church of the Annunciation and atop the ruins of a church from the Byzantine period. In the middle of these churches is a cave that was already ascribed in antiquity to the house of Jesus’ family. Many storage pits and cisterns, some of which date to the Early Roman period, were found in the compound of the Church of the Annunciation.

Excavation of Nazareth residence and Church of Annuciation. Photo: IAA.

The Ha’aretz article includes several additional photos here. The article in the London Telegraph includes a photo of the excavation director Yardenna Alexandre here.

Attempts to link this house to Joseph, Mary, and Jesus are unfounded at this time.

But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: “He shall be called a Nazarene.” (Matthew 2:22-23 ESV)

Video of high waves at Caesarea Maritima

December 13th I wrote about the high waves at the Herodian harbor of Caesarea Maritima here.  While in Israel I tried to post a short video I made, but it did not play smoothly and I gave up. Back home, I note that it plays correctly on my home computer. See if you get a good play.

If you have trouble playing the video, try the direct link here.

On USA soil

If being in the Atlanta airport qualifies, I am on USA soil. The flight from Israel was scheduled for 13 1/2 hours (longer than I mentioned in the previous blog), but we had a good wind and made it in 13 hours. From touchdown it took a full hour and a half to make it through passport control, customs, luggage collection, Atlanta security to enter the airport, etc. In Israel we arrived at the airport and started through the security process about three hours ahead of departure. That makes a total of 17 1/2 hours, and I still have a flight home (about 2 hours counting collecting luggage). Add in the wait here and that makes another 2 1/2 hours. Total time is now at 20 hours. Don’t forget getting to/from the airport. Travel is fun! But I have time to blog.

Israeli security has a deserved reputation as being the best in the world, but I did not have to remove my shoes.

We flew Delta for this trip. I think every seat was full on the return. Flights were departing Tel Aviv for Philadelphia and New York about the same time last night. This is not the most popular time for travel to Israel. We saw a few American groups, but there were several Asian and Indian groups.

The comments left on the blog, and Emails from friends are appreciated. I did note, however, that almost every friend who wrote also made a request. Sorry I did not have time to answer. Don’t expect one tomorrow, either! I will do my best. Several Emails came from folks who were unaware that I was in Israel. That is a sure giveaway that they do not follow the blog. Shame! Shame!

Yesterday we went to Nabi Samwil (or Nebi Samwil), the traditional burial place of Samuel the prophet. According to the Bible Samuel was buried at Ramah, a short distance from Nebi Samwil.

Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land. (1 Samuel 28:3 ESV)

We know from the Old Testament that Samuel anointed both Saul and David as kings of Israel. Both Old and New Testaments acknowledge the importance of Samuel as a prophet.

And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the LORD. And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD. (1 Samuel 3:20-21 ESV)

And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. (Acts 3:24 ESV)

Traditional Burial Place of the prophet Samuel at Nabi Samwil. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins 2009.

The Herodian Family Tomb

In the morning we visited Nabi Samwil, the traditional tomb of the prophet Samuel. Some scholars think this may be the biblical Mizpah. Others believe that Mizpah should be identified by Tell en-Nahbeh.

Now Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah. (1 Samuel 10:17 ESV)

The site at Nabi Samwil provides a great view of the biblical territory of Benjamin.

Later we went to the traditional family tomb of Herod the Great (37 – 4 B.C.) which is located on the west side of the Old City, and behind the famous King David Hotel. We know from Josephus that Herod buried certain family members in Jerusalem (Wars 1:581). Herod was buried at the Herodium near Bethlehem.

This first photo shows the general area of the tomb which is cut from solid rock.

Herodian Family Tomb in Jerusalem. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins 2009.

The photo below shows the rolling stone. In more recent time a door has been places at the opening of the tomb. Murphy-O’Connor says the tomb was found empty because robbers got there before the archaeologists (The Holy Land).

Herodian Family Tomb Rolling Stone. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins 2009.

We also visited the Skirball Museum at the Hebrew Union College. Some artifacts from Gezer and Dan have been displayed at this small museum. Today we learned that the museum is closed. The lady at the reception desk said she did not know when or if it would be opened. She allowed us to look at a few items displayed in cases along a corridor among the offices. This was a disappointment. One item of interest that is in the poorly lit cases is a replica of the inscription from Dan that mentions the “god” who is in Dan.

The site of Kiriath-jearim is now Abu Ghosh

Conditions for photography today were about the best I have seen. We had a busy day but have run out of time to write very much. We have one more day before this wonderful study and research opportunity comes to an end.

This morning we stopped in the Judean Hills, about nine miles west of Jerusalem, at the Arab town of Abu Ghosh. This is the biblical site of Kiriath-jearim (or Kiriath Jearim).

Kiriath-jearim’s highest honor is in the association with the ark of the covenant. The Israelites took the ark from the tabernacle at Shiloh to the battle field at Ebenezer when they were fighting with the Philistines (1 Samuel 4). The ark was captured by the Philistines and taken to Ashdod, then to Gath, and finally to Ekron before they decided to get rid of it. The ark was returned to Beth-shemesh (1 Samuel 4-6).

The men of Beth-shemesh sent messengers to the residents of Kiriath-jearim asking them to come and take the ark to their town. The ark was brought into the house of Abinadad on the hill. His son, Eleazar, was consecrated by the men of the city to keep the ark of the LORD. The ark remained there for many years until David had it brought to Jerusalem (1 Samuel 6:21-7:2; 2 Samuel 6).

The town of Abu Ghosh, site of biblical Kiriath-jearim. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Our photograph shows the hill of Kiriath-jearim. Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant Church was built in 1911 on the ruins of a fifth century Byzantine church.

Museums and Tels

It was cloudy this morning, so we decided to visit the Eretz Israel Museum on our way from the coastal plain to Jerusalem. The Eretz Israel Museum on the campus of Tel Aviv University is built around Tel Qasile, a Philistine city established in the mid-12th century B.C. A sign at the site calls this the port city of the period of the kings and judges of Israel.

The excavation of Tel Qasile, Israel’s first archaeological dig, began in 1949 under Prof. Benjamin Mazar and uncovered three stages in the city’s history (strata XII-X). During the 10th cent. B.C.E. conquest of the region by King David, the city was destroyed by fire. Later rebuilt. It became part of the kingdom of David and Solomon (strata IX-VIII). Lebanese cedars, used to build the temple in Jerusalem, may have been transported via Tel Qasile.

Abandoned during the divided kingdom period, Tel Qasile was settled during the time of King Josiah (stratum VII) and from the Persian period to the Middle Ages (strata VI-I).

The Bible indicates that the Cedar was brought by sea to Joppa, but perhaps Tel Qasile was close enough to Joppa to have been used. It is near the Yarkon River. King Hiram is quoted as saying,

And we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 2:16 ESV; cf. Ezra 3:7)

The museum is composed of several buildings. One has a good section on copper mining at Timna, north of Eilat. There are buildings devoted to glass, coins and stamps. Several examples of winepresses are located on the grounds. The glass museum has the finest collection of first century glass that I have seen.

Free-blown perfume bottles from 1st century A.D. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins 2009.

On the way to Jerusalem we stopped by Gezer. The tel is visible from a good highway, but it is difficult to reach. It is another of those tels that can not be reached without taking dirt roads through fields. Gezer was  discovered by Clermont-Ganneau in 1871. It was first excavated by R.A.S. Macalister between 1902 and 1905. A major excavation was carried out from 1964-1974. The most recent excavation began in 2007.

This photo shows what is often called the Solomonic Gate. It is a six-chambered gate similar to those discovered at Hazor and Megiddo. You may click on the photo for a larger image suitable for use in teaching presentations.

"Solomon's Gate" at Gezer. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins 2009.

And this is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon drafted to build the house of the LORD and his own house and the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer. (1 Kings 9:15 ESV)

The mountains of Judea are visible in the distance. Photograhically, it was a good day.