For PERSPECTIVES Vol. 5 No. 1 [January-March 2002]   

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Martin's Temple Theory 

I think Martin is correct (see Jerusalem's Temples: Lost and Found? or Simply Forgotten?). The gold in the temple would have melted when it was destroyed and ran down into the rocks. This would explain why not one stone would be left upon another. The western wailing wall and the Mosque of Omar could not be a part of the temple.

--Tom Parker

Molecular Genealogy

Your DNA initiative is a great idea (see Who Are the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel?). But since the LDS has no archeological basis for their beliefs, DNA evidence won't make much difference either.

--Tihamer T. Toth-Fejel

From your news story titled "Jews are the Genetic Brothers of Palestinians, Syrians, and Lebanese but not to Non-Jewish Europeans" I quote:

...Jewish communities have generally not intermixed with non-Jewish populations. If they had, then Jewish men from different regions of the world would not share the same genetic signatures in their Y chromosome.

This is the key to why the genetic study is essentially meaningless and proves nothing one way or the other. For this study to prove anything, the same would have to be true of the "lost tribes". No one claims that the descendants of the "lost ten tribes" did not intermix with non-Israelite peoples. In fact, I think it is generally understood that they did so and quite liberally. The results of this study should therefore be totally unsurprising and irrelevant. I think because of the liberal intermarrying, genetics will probably never prove or disprove the theory.

-Robert Keeney

A Rolling Stone?

I would like to kindly challenge you on one of your questions and answers at this web page http://www.bibarch.com/Perspectives/QA-Last Seder.htm. Pertaining to the last question on this page, "Was the stone in front of Jesus' tomb round?" the answer given was "A couple of women could have easily rolled a large rolling stone set in a track of the type used in the Herodian period. The women couldn't move the stone since it was a block not a round stone. Note that the angels sat on the stone as if were a bench." I have to disagree. According to John 20:11-12, it states that Mary stooped down to look into the sepulcher and then she saw the two angels sitting on the bench on which Jesus had previously lain! One at each end, indicating a rectangular block of stone. But that was inside!

--Bob Strugnell

Oops! You came on a draft page officially not published. It is part of the second article on The Last Seder in preparation for Perspectives. The sentence should read "Note that an angel sat on the stone, which he had rolled away from the door of the tomb, as if it were a bench (Matthew 28:2)." Some have suggested to us that one can roll a squared stone, actually a cube or block, although in context "moved" may be a better English rendering here. And yes, Mary Magdalene saw two angels sitting in the tomb as well (John 20:12).

Of the over 900 rock tombs discovered from Herodian times in and around Jerusalem only four had round blocking stones. The rest were square. In Jesus� day round blocking stones, set in stone tracks, were extremely rare and found only in the tombs of wealthy and distinguished families. This was neither the kind of stone placed at Jesus� tomb nor the kind of tomb into which Joseph of Arimathea placed him. Jesus� tomb was a standard small burial room, with a standing pit and burial benches along three sides, with a square blocking stone placed at its entrance (Kloner 1999:23).

--Editor

In the Beginning

Being that God is Eternal and all things have always been, we need to understand the word in the beginning. If God is eternal then all things have always been. 

In the beginning. What beginning are we talking about? There have been many beginnings through Eternity of Eternities. Take the creation of mankind and animals and plants, we can say, this was the beginning of the creation of plant, animal and man. What was before this time of beginning we do not know. but before there is a beginning of anything, there has to be an end of what was before, to begin again. 

For example, before the fall of man it had been a beginning of righteousness everything God made was good. What brought the end of this age (world)? We know it was sin. So the beginning of that age ended because of sin. So now the beginning of new age (world) begins with a race of a fallen creation. This world (creation-age) is totality different then the world (age) before. Now this age (world) to, will soon come to and end because of wickedness and so it did by the flood of waters. After the flood destroyed that World age. Now another beginning starts again. One world ends and another begins. This is the cycle. It has always been.

The world (age) we now live in, will also come to an end, as it is written by fire. Then we read that he will again create new heavens and a new earth another beginning of righteousness and peace. So we see a pattern of cycles of many beginnings.

And because time (age=world) before the time we know of the book of Genesis there is no written documents that we know of, before the (age=world) of Genesis. All has been lost throughout the ages (=worlds) before someone or persons finally begin to record (=write) the events. Maybe it had been written, but with the destruction of one age to another the written documents of those ages also perished. And the only written documents we have today, is because those before the flood from Adam was handed down by mouth then written, handed down to Noah and down to us.

Therefore, we only know what took place from the book of Genesis to Revelation. This makes better sense to me. We see, that all this beginnings of time were worlds of hundreds of years before they came to an end, and a new beginning started.

--Stella Carabajal

Giants in the Levant 

--Chet Stanger

--John Williams

--Editor

Land of Put 

II am trying to find out where the land of Put was, as mentioned a few times in the Bible. One of these is in Ezekiel 27:10 and another is Ezekiel 38:5. What can you tell me about it or where can I find out about it? I had a dream some time ago about this place but didn't even know it existed until I ran across it in the Bible. 

--Kathleen Bulla

Put appears to be the land we now know as Libya or part of contemporary Libya. The article Put by W. S. Lasor in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Volume 3, provides the details for this identification (Lasor 1986:1059).

--Editor

First Century Christian Tombs

I am wondering if you know anything bout supposed first Century Christian Tombs found in Jerusalem with the Tau or + and the name Jesus or other New Testament names. I read articles in the Jerusalem Christian Review and I would appreciate it if you could tell me if they are trustworthy and if they are true. I also seen a reference to Archaeology of the New Testament by Jack Finegan that supposedly refers to First Century Christian Tombs with inscriptions about Jesus dating back to the 30's and 40's A.D. If the Tombs are not real First Century tombs then is there any archaeological evidence for Jesus?

--Blake Reas

The tombs are real but they are all Jewish as far as we know. We are unaware of any evidence that the Tau and + were the symbols used by the people of God, Judeo-Christians, in those early days of the church. These symbols were inventions of later generations. The marks you refer to, found on some ossuaries, appear to be no more than traces of the manufacturing process not symbols. The Jerusalem Christian Review , particularly Jean Gilman's article (Gilman 1992:1), should be seen in context with all the validity of the tabloids you find in the typical US supermarket checkout station. As to archaeological evidence for Jesus, it all depends on what you mean by evidence. There is no corpse. We don't have any of his clothing although some have made a religion out of the fake should of Turin. We don't have the cross although there are many fakes. No one really knows exactly where the tomb was or the exact location of the resurrection. No one knows where his home was in Nazareth. No one knows where he stayed at Capernaum although the remains of the old synagogue were found. No one knows were any of the original apostles lie buried with any certainty. The evidence of Jesus' Messiahship is independent of archaeology and lies in the teachings of the New Testament including God's calling and answered prayer.

--Editor

40 Years to Walk 190 Miles?

I had a question as to how far the children of Israel traveled in the book of Exodus, leaving Egypt and arriving in Canaan? Yes, the King James bible said that it took 40 years, but I wanted to know how long it might have taken if God had not determined other wise. Can you help me?

--A young minister

Its about 190 miles from Cairo to Beersheba. From Beersheba to Jerusalem its another 84 miles. You can probably walk it in a week.

--editor

British Israelism

I am currently doing some further study into the topic of British Israelism. It was something I was heavily into, but unfortunately I based it on little evidence. Have you seen any recent advancements, genetic or historical, that give evidence either for or against with this topic.

--Drew Dixon

--editor

Biblical Fishing

I have been trying to find out what the fisherman in biblical times would have fished with. I don't really know how to get this information and have been looking around online for about six weeks and still have no answers. If you could assist me in any way it would be a great help. Im trying to get as specific of an answers as possible, and have found it very difficult to get any answers at all.

--Matt Ritchey

Do a search on Mendel Nun. He specialized in such matters.

--editor

The Kennewick Man

I have heard tales of the remains of a Caucasian being found somewhere in the Pacific northwest. Allegedly, this individual had been in North America well before the Asian hunters traversed the Bering Straight. Do you know if this tale is true?

--Grant Abrahamson

This is the Kennewick Man. These remains have been subject to a battle between scientists and the descendants of American aborigines, under the politically correct, controversial, 1990 federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), which involves many issues. The molecular genealogy of the Kennewick man is unclear.

--editor

Ark of the Covenant Lying in Ethiopia?

Is there any archaeological evidence in defense or opposing Graham Hancock's theory of the Ark of the Covenant lying in Ethiopia? Are there any alternative views that can be backed up?

--Katie Helgeson

Archaeological evidence? No. The Ark of the Covenant remains lost. It was lost even in Jesus' day. It disappeared from history in First Temple times. The ark was not part of the inventory of the Temple built by Herod the Great (see Josephus, Wars 5.5.5; Whiston 1957:784). Some adventurers seek in the copper Dead Sea Scrolls, from the Second Temple period, clues that would lead them to treasures hidden before the Romans took Jerusalem in 70 CE. Presumably, if found, these treasures would join other items at the Temple Institute in Jerusalem. The staff at the institute have assembled various tools, pots, jars, and the like to reinstate the Levitical offerings in a Third Temple or national altar on the Temple Mount. The collection is incomplete and each item is quite costly. The time of manufactures of each of these items is our own day and you may view them, and have an explanation of each, at the Temple Institute.

Imagine the excitement the discovery of a cash of Second Temple ceremonial offertory utensils would create. Presently, it would likely be the stimulus for an excited Jewish populace to storm and seize the Haram esh-Sharif, the ancient Roman Antonia fortress, from the Muslims and the Israeli military to reinstate morning and evening sacrifices. At this time such an event would be catastrophic. If Temple ceremonial items from the Second Temple Period could be so problematic consider what the discovery of the Ark of the Covenant would produce. One leading Israeli archaeologist told me that it is better for the Ark to remain lost since its appearance could bring about World War III. We agree for such would fuel Jewish zealots and extremists and Arabic opposition but there are other problems.

In Christian thinking God no longer vests the Ark with supernatural power as the Old Covenant ended at Jesus' death and this is the time of the New Covenant. In traditional Jewish and messianic Jewish thinking the Old Covenant continues in force and the Ark remains the focus of just as much power as it ever was. The discovery of an Ark charged with the supernatural power of God or void of such power would challenge many theologies. An Ark devoid of power would be confirming to Christians, problematic for Jews, and compelling to skeptics. Yet the net result would likely be the further undermining of the confidence of many in the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament).

While we are not into pop-archaeology we found Graham Hancock's The Sign and the Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant (Hancock 1992)quite entertaining. This work details Hancock's adventurer's quest for the lost Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia and raises some interesting questions about the Knights of the Templar. Many centuries ago the Templars dug for the Ark on the Haram esh-Sharif which they believed to be the Temple Mount.

We assume you have seen the Steven Spielberg film Raiders of the Lost Ark, a Lucasfilm Ltd. production, by Paramount Pictures. The Sign and the Seal and Raiders of the Lost Ark place the Ark in Egypt on different theories. The Spielberg film ended with the Ark of the Covenant remaining lost by assignment to a U.S. federal warehouse where the world would not have to deal with it. In Hancock's book the Ark also remains "lost" to the world in a Coptic church.

Ephraim Isaac considered Hancock's claims in a book review, "Is the Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia?", published in the Biblical Archaeology Review (Isaac 1993:60-63). You also might refer to The Real "Ark Mystery" by Doug Ward on the WWW at http://graceandknowledge.faithweb.com.