Gathering Stones aka Biblical Archaeology: April 2006

Thursday, April 27, 2006

The Written Record... Outside Biblical Sources...

The Written Record
Outside Biblical Sources...

Jews for Jesus, Volume 5, Number 5, September 1, 1987, "...there is no real evidence that he ever existed"

Josephus Jewish Antiquities (c.93 C.E.)
(later interpolations in brackets)

"Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man [if it be lawful to call him a man], for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. [He was the Messiah.] And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him [for he appeared to them alive again at the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him]. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this date.1

Pliny the Younger Letter to Trajan (c.111-117 C.E.)

"...they maintained that their fault or error amounted to nothing more than this: they were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before sunrise and reciting an antiphonal hymn to Christ as God, and binding themselves with an oath not to commit any crime, but to abstain from all acts of theft, robbery and adultery, from breaches of faith, from repudiating a trust when called upon to honour it."2

Tacitus Roman Annals (c.115-117 C.E.)

"They got their name from Christ, who was executed by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius. That checked the pernicious superstition for a short time, but it broke out afresh--not only in Judea, where the plague first arose, but in Rome itself, where all the horrible and shameful things in the world collect and find a home."3

Sanhedrin 43a (200-500 C.E.)

"On the eve of the Passover Yeshu4 was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, 'He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostacy. Any one who can say anything in his favour, let him come forward and plead on his behalf. But since nothing was brought forward in his favour he was hanged on the eve of Passover!"5

1 Antiquities xviii. 33 (early second century) from F.F. Bruce, Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 37.
2 Pliny, Epistles x.96, from Bruce, p.26.
3 Tacitus, Annals xv, 44, from Bruce, p. 22.
4 Talmudic designation of Jesus.
5 "Sanhedrin," vol 3 of Nezikin, Babylonian Talmud, edited by Isidore Epstein, reprint (London: Soncino, 1938), 281.

The Written Record... Eyewitness Accounts...

The eyewitness accounts of Peter and Paul are recorded in The Holy Bible. Both Peter and Paul have been proven to have existed by historical evidences and archaeological evidences outside the Bible. One may find evidences for Peter at the Vatican and for Paul in Cyprus archaeology as well as in Rome.

Jack Finegan's research indicates that relatives of Jesus were still alive and living in Israel, he believes at Nazareth, The Archaeology of the New Testament, Jack Finegan, Princeton University Press, 1992. The fact that relatives of Jesus were still living in the area becomes significant because they could verify the birthplace of Jesus, the family living in Nazareth, and the circumstances of the death and resurrection of Christ.

But what happened to the descendents of the family of Jesus?

An excerpt from the text,

“With respect to the possible resemblance of any particular location in Nazareth associated with the life of Jesus, it is possible to recall that, according to positive evidences, members of the family of Jesus were still living in Palestine, some of them perhaps in Nazareth, until the end of the first century and the beginning of the second, and further descendants were probably there much longer than that. ... Symeon (who succeeded James, the brother of the Lord, as head of the church in Jerusalem, and was himself a cousin of Jesus, being son of Clopas who was brother of Joseph) lived to the age of 120 and suffered martyrdom... that two grandsons of Jude, the brother of Jesus ... In their examination before the emperor these two men admitted that they were indeed of the house of David, but declared possession between them of only a piece of land thirty-nine quarter-acres (nXéeewv Xo')... Upon release the two men also became leaders of the churches, both because they were witnesses (ýtagrveas) and because they were relatives...”

It becomes more important to know that descendents of the family of Jesus were still living in the area when the excavations of Nazareth begin to reveals such things as inscriptions.

Nazareth is rich with inscriptions and references to Conon which, according to the written record (and which Finegan writes)... was a descendent of the family of Jesus.

Finegan writes:

"... who come from both towns and kept the records of their descent with great care. Also a martyr named Conon, who died in Pamphylia under Decius (249-251), declared at his trial: "I belong to the city of Nazareth in Galilee, and am a relative of Christ whom I serve, as my forefathers have done" (Kopp 1959, p. 90; SWDCB I, p. 621)"

Along with speaking of Nazareth and Cochaba as Jewish villages, Africanus in the same passage also tells of the (greek symbols) or relatives of the Lord, who come from both towns and keeps the record of their descent with great care.¨

The Vatican and Paul’s Grave

February 19, 2005
The Vatican will make a public announcement soon that archeologists have positively identified the tomb of St. Paul the apostle, according to Catholic World News. (WorldNetDaily via Considerettes.)

From Catholic World News:
“A sarcophagus which may contain the remains of St. Paul was identified in the basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, reports Giorgio Filippi, an archeology specialist with the Vatican Museums. The sarcophagus was discovered during the excavations carried out in 2002 and 2003 around the basilica, which is located in the south of Rome.

~serapha~

The Written Record... Inscriptions...

Inscriptions are another form of historical record and there are hundreds, even thousands, of inscriptions concerning the historical Jesus. The best evidences of Jesus of Nazareth being the Christ, the Son of God, and also being the Lord God Almighty are the inscriptions at the location known as Peter's house in Capernaum. The plaster in the walls where the inscriptions were found can be dated by the chips of pottery that were used in the plaster, making them some of the oldest archaeological evidences of the historical Jesus.

Another location of inscriptions that are verifiable is at the Vatican on the "red wall" of Peter's tomb. The inscriptions on the red wall of the Vatican and in the catacombs of Rome are evidences that support of the existence of Jesus Christ, even identifying Jesus Christ as the Lord God Almighty. The inscriptions at Capernaum carry the “chi rho” while the inscriptions at the Vatican carry the “chi rho epsilon” symbol that represents both Jesus Christ and the apostle Peter.

The book, The Bones of St. Peter, by John Evangelist Walsh, Doubleday and Company, 1982, explains the excavations under the altar at the Vatican and the inscriptions that were found on the red wall under the altar regarding the name of Christ and Peter.

The text explained in some detail that in addition to using the "chi-rho" for a symbol of Christ, inscribers would extended the "leg" of the 'P' (rho) and add an epsilon next to it. There are a number of abbreviations that were used in leaving messages on that wall and the abbreviation for Peter was PE, sometimes written from the rho of the symbolism of Christ and sometimes separately.

The research of the chi-rho-epsilon symbolism for Peter has been found outside the Vatican and is not limited to funeral inscriptions.

"...it could be found scratched on ancient monuments, inked onto old documents of all kinds, worked subtly into wall mosaics, incised on the margins of public signs, roughly stamped on medals, coins, rings, statuettes, pots, and similar household wares, even painted on gaming boards." (The Bones of St. Peter, page 97)

There are inscriptions on ossuary boxes which are related to the historical Jesus. Ossuary boxes are an excellent source of historical accuracy because they are from a limited frame of time and a limited area, dating to the time of Christ. The stonemasons who were building the Second Temple were also using their talents to make ossuary boxes for burials. One group in particular, points to the historical Jesus and is dated within a decade of the life of Christ.

The Official Guide to Israel, Tel-Aviv: 1950, 247 cites:

"About seven hundred metres behind Talpiot a tomb was excavated in 1945 and several ossuaries containing human bodies were found. Inscriptions and coins proved that the burial in the tomb took place in the years 41-42. Two ossuaries were found marked with the word "Jesus," and some others have so far been undeciphered. It has therefore been assumed that followers of Jesus had been buried in this tomb. If this assumption proves correct, this tomb would show the earliest historical evidence known about the followers of Jesus."

The ossuaries are inscribed in Greek or Hebrew and contain the name and identification of the deceased. They were often painted or engraved with an iron pointer on the sides or the lids of the ossuaries.

Hebrew names include: Salome, wife of Judah with a cross; Judah with a cross; Simeon the Priest; Martha, daughter of Pasach; Eleazar, son of Nathalu; and Salamston, daughter of Simeon the Priest. In Greek: Jesus with a cross and Nathaniel with a cross. Three have been found with the name Eleazar which is the Hebrew form of Greek name Lazarus along with the names Martha and Mary. One ossuary on the Mount of Olives contains an dedication “to Yeshua.” An ossuary inscription has been found with the name Shappira inscribed with a cross. Another found several years ago was inscribed with "Alexander, son of Simon of Cyrene," as well as a cross. (Mark 15:21) "Now they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear his cross."

Perhaps an important evidence by historical standard is the sign of the cross as making the sign of the cross was done as an exchange between believers. The sign of the cross has been found in the written records of such activities (historical evidences), the mosaics containing the cross (archaeological evidence), the early reliefs (archaeological evidence), and the early jewelry that is found in Christian tombs (archaeological evidences).

Now, we have an ossuary box that contained a coin dated to AD 41-42 with an inscription to Christ and the symbol of the cross. Therefore, within a decade of the death of Christ, followers of Christianity were being buried with an inscription to glorify Christ and with the sign of the cross. They were alive during the ministry of Jesus and they considered the sign of the cross as related to Christianity. Many of these inscriptions were two decades before the New Testament Scriptures were being written.

The Written Record... Manuscripts...

Critics of the Bible, cite that since there are no original manuscripts; therefore there is no proof that the Word of God has been accurately preserved. I disagree with that criticism.

Papyrus 52, the John Rylands fragment, is the oldest known record of the Gospels. It records John 18:31-33, and 37-38. In Eyewitness to Jesus, Page 126, Dr. Carsten Thiede notes P52 "has been dated to the first quarter of the second century but could be still older..." That places the document within two to three decades of the time that it was written. Such a close dating increases the credibility of the manuscript witness as it reduces the possibility of any type of transmission error.

Additionally, the stringent rules for copying manuscripts provide an assurance of preservation with a system of checks and balances.

The first step was to use an acceptable written material. Parchment was the preferred material, but not just any parchment. The parchment must be from a ceremonially clean animal according to the Levitical laws. The parchment must be prepared by a Jew and the strings which fastened the pages of the parchment together must also be prepared with the same strict requirements.

The ink used in writing must be prepared from a specific recipe.

Each manuscript page could not have less than forty-eight lines nor more than sixty lines. Specific letter forms and spacing were required and each word and letter was counted. An addition or deletion of a letter or the fact that two letters touched could deem a manuscript to be condemned.

No one could transcribe from memory, but rather, each word had to be spoken, then written. In a scriptorium, one person might read the original manuscript while numerous scribes made additional copies, first speaking the word, then writing it.

Each time the word “Elohim” was written, the writing utensil had to be cleaned. Each time the name “Jehovah” was used, the scribe had to ritually cleanse his body less the Holy Name of God would be defiled or contaminated.

Within thirty days of the completion of a manuscript, it had to be verified or destroyed. One mistake on a page condemned the page. Three mistakes on a page condemned the entire manuscript and it would be destroyed.

With this understanding of the strict requirements for manuscript transmission, one can believe that the Word of God has been preserved just as God promised that He would do.

~serapha~

Evidences for the Historical Jesus

The Gospels are filled with accounts concerning Jesus’ ministry. Historical and archaeological supports exist for these accounts. Historical evidences are the written evidences: the manuscripts, the ostraca, the inscriptions, the written records that are found in excavations. The archaeological evidences are those things which prove the physical existence of a previous society; the artifacts and relics that support that society. A manuscript is archaeological evidence while the images on that manuscript are historical evidences.

The strongest evidences for the historical Jesus are the 1) manuscripts, 2) the inscriptions, and 3) eyewitness accounts.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Gathering Stone on Stone Floors

8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. (Luke 15:8-10)

I just smile every time I read this passage. "If she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?"

If you have ever excavated a private residence in Israel, then it is a simple process to understand WHY it is necessary to

One... light a candle
And two... sweep the house
And three... seek diligently for the coin.

For goodness sakes, there are but four types of floors in ancient Israel. The richest of homes have a marble or mosaic floor (tesserae); but the middle-class people don't have marble or mosaic floors, they have a rock floor with dirt or plaster mortar holding it together. If they have extra money in the household, there might be a layer of plaster over the rock floor to help level it and smooth it out or a foundation of mud brick. But, in the poorest of homes, the floor is dirt. Wooden floors were the exception rather than the rule.

When excavating, there are a couple of clues that indicate that one is nearing a floor. 1) There will be pottery sherds beginning to appear in the strata. At first, the sherds will be standing upright, but in moving closer to the floor, the sherds will be lying on the floor itself. And 2) "coins" might appear where they were dropped in a house lost by a woman such as in the passage above.

I smile every time I read that passage because, in actuality, in a home with a stone floor, I have news for you. The floor isn't level. It curves along with the stone. And should a coin be dropped, chances are.... It will be lost until some archaeological volunteer digs it up some 2,000 years later. That coin is going to hit stone or hit the dirt/plaster mortar. If it hits the dirt, it may be gone forever from that moment on. If it hits the stone, it's going to roll until it hits the dirt, and ditto my last statement, it may be gone forever.

The lady of the house will need to light a candle to see inside the small stone home with only one or two small windows to let in natural light. If she is in a tenement house on the upper level, then there will probably only be one window, and then there is a choice, in cold weather, as to closing a shutter over the window and being somewhat warmer but sitting and working in the dark, or allowing some sunlight in and to lose what little heat would be available.

That text implies that a single candle light will be sufficient to see a coin lodged in a stone floor with dirt mortar in a small home with limited natural light. I smile at that thought.

Diligent? Yeah, she will have to be diligent to seek and to find that lost coin that's entrapped in one of the dozens of cracks in the stone floor.

Rejoice? Oh yeah, she's going to rejoice "if" she finds the coin, and when she does, she will be proclaiming out her small, natural-light window to her neighbors who will rejoice with her for having found a lost coin on a stone floor.
Yeah, I smile every time I read that passage.

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Gathering Stones at Wadi el-Kharrar

And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias....( Luke 1:17)

But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. (Matthew 17:12)
And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet And he answered, No. (John 1:21)

The Wadi el-Kharrar or the Tel el-Kharrar...

This is the area of the "wilderness" in "Bethany beyond Jordon" where John the Baptist and his disciples were living and it is traditionally considered to be the site where John the Baptist was baptizing "all" who came from the area around Jerusalem. It was at the Wadi el-Kharrar that Jesus was first called the “Lamb of God.” It was at the Wadi el-Kharrar that The Holy Bible records the only event that is directly correlated to the Trinitarian Godhead. It was, again, at the Wadi el-Kharrar that Jesus escaped the persecution of the Pharisees in Jerusalem in John, Chapter 10, and it was at the Wadi el-Kharrar that many came to know and believe in Jesus (John 10:42).

It is documented that the River Jordon has changed its course several times in the past, and the place that is traditionally accepted as the baptismal site for Jesus' baptism is about 1.5 km away from five churches that were recently excavated.

Interestingly enough, this is the same "wilderness" where Elijah was sent by God and who was to be fed by the ravens.

17:2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
17:3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
17:4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
17:5 So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
17:6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.
17:7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land

In Arabic, the next valley to the Wadi Kharrar, is the Wali Gharab which means "the valley of ravens." The Tell El-Kharrar is also called Elijah's Hill or Tell Mar Elias in Arabic because it is the place that Elijah was taken up into heaven on a chariot of fire.

Given all the history of the area, that John the Baptist was in the same wilderness as Elijah, living in the same area, being a prophet from God, that there was a prophecy that Elijah would return....

Is there no wonder that the people questioned that John was Elijah as a fulfillment of prophecy?

Luke 1:17And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias....

Matthew 17:12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.

John 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet And he answered, No

John was not Elijah, but he was the spirit and power of Elijah, and Christ confirmed that when He stated that Elias is already come.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Gathering Stones in Sychar

For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13)

Water is a precious commodity in Israel because of the arid conditions. From mid-April until mid-October, there is relatively little or no rainfall in the region to sustain life; therefore, in ancient Palestine, cisterns were hewn out of the limestone rock base. They were plastered on the inside walls to prevent the loss of water through cracks in the limestone foundation, and during the "early" and "latter" rains of winter, water would be diverted to the cisterns for storage until it was needed in the dry summer months.

Until the water was needed and used, it remained in the cisterns, uncirculated and growing stagnant by the stillness of the water. Animals or rodents might be found floating in the water that would later be used for cooking, drinking, and other household uses. In Hebrew, this water was termed "still waters" because of deadness of the water.

In contrast, the water of running streams was identified as "living waters" as the flowing water sustained life. Shepherds who were herding their flocks in the open would eventually be seeking the "living waters" to sustain them in the arid regions. Without the "living water" in the grazing lands, the shepherd and the sheep would die, therefore, the shepherd would seek out the "living waters" of river streams or Wadi flows.

"Living water" was also the source for the ritual purification baths whereas the water that was used in the seamless mikvah was received from water untouched by human hands.

So, where does this fit in the Bible?

5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:5-14)

Jacob's well has two sources of water, both from the surface and from the underground, so the water could be determined to be either "living water" or "still water" depending on the content of the water. The woman came to the well to draw water knowing that wells were normally a source of "still water". Jesus spoke to her and offered her the gift of God, the gift of "living waters" that would never die. Jesus offered her a sustaining, everlasting supply of life that could not be offered by any other person.

"Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst." Jesus doesn't give a drink from a "still water" source that will be stagnant and filled with bacteria. Jesus is the source of "living water" that will flow continuously and never run dry.

1890 Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee.

Going northward to Judea of Galilee Jesus "must needs go through Samaria." On this journey He came to Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph, where Jacob's Well is still found. Here we are upon undisputed ground. ... Here the conversation took place between Jesus and the woman of Samaria. We could look to Mount Gerizim on our left and remember the temple to which the woman pointed when she said: "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain." ... The well is now seventy-five feet deep and seven feet six inches in breadth. The diameter of the opening is seventeen and a half feet.

~serapha~

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Gathering Stones at Capernaum

But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. (Matthew 18:6. KJV)

Jesus always gives examples that the disciples and other listeners could relate with life application. The setting for the passages on "millstones" is Capernaum. One of the leading industries for ancient Capernaum was the manufacture of millstones for use as grinding grains, both for personal home use and also for commercial use. The closest town to Capernaum is Tabgha (about 2 miles) which was an area for commercial milling for grinding grains. Millstones were also for the shipping industry and fishing industry as anchor stones for boats. Between the two sites, the Franciscan side of Capernaum as well as in the "Anchor Museum" at Ein Giv (Israel), there are hundreds of millstones and anchor stones on that were collected from the Sea of Galilee and from archaeological sites around the Sea.

The Greek word used in both texts, is a millstone which was in two parts, the bottom was stationary and the top stone was pulled by a donkey, so the millstone in question in the parable would have been a large millstone to insure certain drowning if placed around the neck.

Under Jewish law, there were no provisions for a punishment such as attaching a millstone around the neck of an offender and throwing them into the Sea. The capital offenses in Judaism were stoning, burning, strangulation, or decapitation (also know as using the sword). The use of millstones to weight down a body to cause drowning was a Grecian/Roman practice, but there are few occurrences of its application in the historical references. Josephus describes the practice in the death of Judas the Zealot in a lake.

"Little children" is not a term that was limited to "children" but also to those who were in need of care; i.e. the poor, the sick, and the injured (any type of needy person) as well as the very young. This is also identifiable by the term, "which believe in me", indicating babes in Christianity.

Millstones were a necessary part of life for all people, and were usually found in every home. A millstone could not be taken from a poor person for a pledge (Deut 14:6, also The Writings of Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews: Book 4, Chapter 8, 26)

Therefore, the disciples understood the implication of using a "millstone" around the neck of an offender was not limited to their religion, but to the governing authority. That punishment was rarely used, and therefore, can be understood to be used for only the worst of offenders in the worst of cases--an extreme measure; not limited to "young children" but to any deprived individual unable to care for themselves and who is taken advantage by other people; or, a babe in Christ.

~serapha~

Gathering Stones at Tabgha

When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.

And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.
(Mark 8:19-20)

Isn't it amazing how accurate the Word of God is? When one reads the two verses above in the English language, one gets the impression that Christ is comparing the two miracles of multiplication. But somehow, the effectiveness of the passage has been lost in the translation from Greek to English.

And here's why.

Mar 8:19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many ** baskets** full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.

Mar 8:20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many **baskets** full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.

In verse 19, the word for baskets is "kophinos", and in verse 20, the word for baskets is "spuris." And what is the difference? That's the significant point that is lost in the translation.

"Kophinos" is a small type of basket that was used by Jews when they traveled, something of a knapsack that could be carried on their back and which held a specific amount of measurement. In the 1871 commentary by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, the authors note: “The 'kophinos' was part of the luggage taken by Jews on a journey--to carry, it is said, both their provisions and hay to sleep on, that they might not have to depend on Gentiles, and so run the risk of ceremonial pollution.” It was a wicker basket made of twigs or branches particularly used by the Jews for carrying kosher food, and the capacity was equivalent to about two gallons or two-thirds bushel of food. (Vine's Expository Dictionary)

And the significance to the reference of "kophinos"? The passage in verse 19 took place on the Jewish side of the Sea of Galilee.

Now, in looking at verse 20, the word for basket is "spuris" which is a reed basket, which could be a lunch basket, but which can be much larger such as a hamper. In Gentile Damascus, Paul was lowered from the city wall in a "spuris" (Acts 9:25)

A "spuris" was the type basket that was favored by the Gentiles. A "spuris" signifies "something round, twisted or folded together" (connected with speira, "anything rolled into a circle;" Eng., "sphere"); hence a reed basket, plaited, a capacious kind of hamper, sometimes large enough to hold a man. Matt. 15:37; 16:10; Mark 8:8, 20 (Vine's Expository Dictionary)

A "spuris" was measurable to six and one-fourth bushels, significantly larger than the measurement of a "kophinos". And the significance of the "spuris"? The feeding of the four thousand was on the "other side" of the Galilee, the Gentile side of the Sea where the use of "spuris" was the preferred basket over the Jewish "kophinos".

When Jesus spoke the words in Mark, He identified the difference in the miracles of the multiplications, but man's simplification of the text took away the location (Jewish or Gentile side of the Galilee) and the difference of the abundance. For considering the size of the baskets, the abundance was greater in the Gentile miracle of multiplication (7 baskets x 6..25 = 43.75 bushels) than in the Jewish miracle of multiplication (12 baskets x .66 = 8 bushels).

God's Word is so accurate if we allow it to stand alone.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Gathering Stones at Caesarea Philippi

Matthew 16:13-17
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi...

Isn't that word "coasts" a bit misleading, for there is the implication that with a coast, there will be a body of water, and it simply isn't so concerning Caesarea Philippi. The word “coasts” used in this context is best rendered as in the outer regions of Caesarea Philippi or the outskirts of the city. However, there is a water source at Caesarea Philippi as one of the three tributaries feeding the River Jordon originates deep within the cave dedicated to the Greek god, Pan.

Can't you just see the picture that is being painted in those words?

Jesus and His disciples are walking along the outskirts of Caesarea Philippi, and Jesus turns to the craggy crest of rock face before them, and He points to the grotto of Pan and then to the temple to the Roman deity, and ...

He asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

In actuality this is a multiple choice question, because, given the location of Jesus and the disciples, the background is a pagan temple built to the god Pan on one side, and the other side is a temple built to a Roman ruler.

Whom do men say that I am?

Was Jesus to be compared to a mythological Greek god?Was Jesus to be compared to the ruling authority who often thought they were gods? Peter knew the context of the question, and knowing that Jesus was neither a mythical god nor a god created by man towards the "godness" of a human ruler, but that Jesus was THE Christ, the Son of the Living God, the “anointed one” or Messiah.

Anyone approaching the area of Caesarea Philippi would be able to see the craggy cliffs and the face of the rock cliff which held the temple of Pan and also a temple built to Herod. Between the two temples are several niches cut out of the rock which held the rock idols of Greek mythology.

In Verse 16, Peter says "Thou art the Christ". He didn't say "Thou art a Greek God" as in the Temple of Pan, nor did he say "Thou art a god because you demand worship to yourself" as in the temple to Herod. No, Peter says, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

So, here is the passage that coincides with the history.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

Is it a coincidence that Jesus continues in his teaching in the area of Caesarea Philippi to say that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (the church)?

No, the disciples would have been aware of the traditional teachings of the area of Caesarea Philippi. The Temple of Pan sits next to a very deep cave. Within that cave, it was a traditional teaching in Greek mythology that when the water level dropped, that the "gates of hell" were opened and demons came from hell to walk upon the face of the earth. Will the "gates of hell", i.e. the demons from deep within the Temple of Pan, be able to stand against the church of Christ? Jesus is telling them “no” in this passage. "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church;"

Was it a coincidence that Jesus Christ was referencing the "rock" at Caesarea Philippi? Of course not. It is very rocky and craggy in that area in the Golan Heights. There is the solid wall of limestone that was cut to build Herod's palace and a temple to worship the "king of the land". That face of the rock which was used as the backdrop for the Temple of Pan, and there are the many "niches" cut out of the rock to hold stone idols. What "rock" was Jesus citing? The limestone? The craggy rock face? The niches with stone idols? Jesus was talking about the foundational rock of the church that would come from His teachings. Peter is not the rock; Christ is, and that places this verse in alignment with other passages in the Bible. Calling Peter "the rock" or "the stone", doesn't align with other passages in the Bible, but it does put Peter in one of the niches cut from the rock face that held idols.

Now, the disciples can look at the rock face, and they know that temples are built to gods, not to men. They are looking at a temple built to a Greek god and to a temple built to a ruling, earthly king. And where does Christ fit in this picture?

Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Peter replies that Jesus is "THE Christ" that meaning "THE messiah" that was prophesied.

~serapha~

Gathering Stones aka Biblical Archaeology