/ Gathering Stones aka Biblical Archaeology: November 2006

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Luke 2:8-16

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

From verse 10, euaggelizomai umin caran

Those are glorious words in Greek. I believe this is the first time that the word "evangelize" is used in the New Testament, and it is the angels who are telling the "good news"

A note from Robinson's Word Pictures of the New Testament:

I bring you good tidings of great joy (euaggelizomai –min caran megalhn). Wycliff, "I evangelize to you a great joy."


The tense of the word "evangelize" is different than anything in English, reflective meaning that the angels were telling the Good News as upon themselves or for their benefit...

My brothers and sisters in Christ, the angels could not retain their joy at the birth of Jesus, and therefore, their good news is "I evangelize you to this joy...."

We have no greater joy in this world than to "evangelize" others just as the angels brought the message of "I evangelize you" to the shepherds.

In verse 11, it should be noted by any apologist that this passage identifies that Jesus was born the Christ, He did not become the Christ as some secular and cultic teachings indicate.

Again from Robinson's:

Christ the Lord (Cristoß Kurioß). This combination occurs nowhere else in the N.T.


Verlyn Verbrugge translates from the KVJ,

"Peace on earth, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14 KJV). You have probably all received Christmas cards containing this part of the angel's song to the shepherds on the fields of Bethlehem. But most modern translations read differently: "on earth peace to men on whom his [God's] favor rests" (NIV): "and on earth peace among those whom he [God] favors (NRSV).

The difference between the KJV an the others is the difference betweren the nominative and the genitive. The Greek manuscripts used to translated the KJV contains eudokia (nomination), whereas the older manusripts used to translate the modern versions contain eudokiaV (genitive) -- literally translated, "of good will" or "characterized by [God's] good pleasure."

In other words the peace that the angels sang that belonged to the earth as a result of the birth of Christ is not a generic, worldwide peace for all humankind, but a peace limited to those who obtain favor with God by believing in his Son Jesus (see Romans 5:1). What a difference a single letter can make in the meaing of the text!

posted by ~serapha~ at 7:51 PM 0 comments

Monday, November 06, 2006

Archaeological supports for the Gospel of Luke

Luke 2:6-7

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

This segment is about Bethlehem, and the archaeological evidences that point to the Christ child being born there.


For some picture of Bethlehem,
http://www.bibleplaces.com/bethlehem.htm
http://www.bethlehem-city.org/Photo_...w/gallery2.htm



For some pictures from 100 years ago


http://www.eretzyisroel.org/~dhershkowitz/pic242-m.jpg
http://www.eretzyisroel.org/~dhershkowitz/pic239-m.jpg

A David Roberts' lithograph from about 1840

http://www.medinaarts.com/HG073.htm

BTW... David Roberts was an artist who traveled throughout the Middle East leaving us with an indication of what life was like about 175 years ago. His lithographs have proven to be quite accurate.


Early Christian writings...

http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/justinmartyr-firstapology.html

CHAPTER XXXIV -- PLACE OF CHRIST'S BIRTH FORETOLD.
And hear what part of earth He was to be born in, as another prophet, Micah, foretold. He spoke thus: "And thou, Bethlehem, the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come forth a Governor, who shall feed My people." Now there is a village in the land of the Jews, thirty-five stadia from Jerusalem, in which Jesus Christ was born, as you can ascertain also from the registers of the taxing made under Cyrenius, your first procurator in Judaea.


From my notes...

I remember as a child how I was taught that Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem because there was no room for them in the inn. As I grew older, I learned that Jesus was probably born in a cave, and I thought, how unusual for a cave to be used as a stable.

Now that I have traveled in Israel and I have learned the Jewish traditions, I don't find it unusual at all that our Lord and our Savior was born in a stable, a cave in the city of David known as Bethlehem. The area around Bethlehem contains soft limestone that could be hewn into living quarters--first for man and, then later, for the animals when a home is built on top of the cave. There was not an abundance of building materials in the early periods of civilization in Israel other than stones.

Homes were built with stone walls upon stone foundations and with stone floors. The common four-space living quarter was the standard for the Canaanite/Israelite family. One space of the living quarters was usually a court area of some sort where the cooking was performed outdoors and the animals were stabled at night. But in Bethlehem, the caves were used as stables, and the home as the central living area was built above the cave.

According to The Holy Bible and Jewish law, when a woman had an issue of blood for any reason, she was ritually unclean for that time and for seven days thereafter. She remained ceremonially unclean or ritually unclean until she was purified by entering a mitzvah in the witnessing presence of a rabbi. While she was ritually unclean, she had to live separately from the rest of the family so as not to defile the people in the household and by her presence rendering them ceremonially unclean.

Therefore, during those times, the woman would leave the standard living area and stay in an area where she would not defile the home. In Bethlehem, that would be in the cave under the house, the stable for the animals. So, in Jewish history, it would not be uncommon to find women living part of their lives in the stables with the animals, particularly in the smaller homes of the less privileged people,

During childbirth and with the issue of blood loss, the same rule applied to the woman. If she were to give birth in the common living area, she would defile the family making it necessary for them to be ceremonially purified by both a ritual bath and a sacrifice; therefore, women would leave the common living area to give birth. In other words, it would not have been uncommon in the first-century family in Bethlehem, for the woman to enter the cave or stable area to give birth. After the cessation of blood and the required time of waiting for purification, the woman and child would perform the necessary ritual bath to be ceremonially clean and return to the household with the rest of the family.

When He arrived in Bethlehem, his ancestral home, he had Mary with him and it was time for her to give birth to the Christ child. The Luke account of the birth states that there was “no room for them in the inn;” however, considering the Jewish rituals and purification laws, and in knowing that childbirth was imminent, Mary and Joseph would have been turned away from the inn even if there had been room available.

The birth of a child and the presence of blood would have defiled the inn and defiled those within the inn. It was a common practice when children were born, to leave the home and give birth elsewhere, as in a cave or stable. We view the concept as strange, but it would have been common for the purification of the entire household. The four-space structure of the standard Israelite home afforded such a space as one space was designated the area for women in the household when they were either in their “monthly time” or during childbirth.

posted by ~serapha~ at 6:48 PM 0 comments