For PERSPECTIVES Vol. 6 No. 1 [January-March 2003]
Please feel free to submit short questions or your comments. We reserve the right to answer and publish those we believe to be in the public interest. We reserve the right to use or not use submitted material (in whole or in part), to include your name, and to edit or condense your questions for clarity and space. Click here to submit a question or comment to the editor.
Temple Mount and the Haram esh Sharif
Congratulations on an excellent website. I am academic urological surgeon at Natal University, Durban, South Africa. Been to Israel five times and have special interest in the archeology of the first century. But please tell me why all your articles call the Temple Mount, where the First and Second Temples stood and where Jesus walked and taught, by the Arabic Islamic name. They deny any ties to Judaism and Christianity. You seem to be following in their footsteps.
�Tjaart Fourie
It is simply to avoid confusion with labels. The Haram = Temple Mount is the equation people make in today's world. The question is whether or not this structure was the Temple Mount in Herod's day or in the alternative the Roman Fortress Antonia. If it was the latter, then the real Temple Mount would have been south of the Haram. As this is a new theory derived from literary analysis we are reluctant to call the Haram the pseudo-Temple Mount as the theory has many serious soft spots. It is a theory to be further shaped and put to the test by serious scholars. An untested theory is not fact. We are not taking a political or religious position but simply attempting to use vocabulary that will keep people's misunderstanding to a minimum. You have assumed that the structure called today "Temple Mount" is "where the First and Second Temples stood and where Jesus walked and taught" but there is growing evidence that it is not.
--Editor
The Lost 10 Tribes of Israel
I'm very interested in the subject of finding the ten lost tribes. I think it is well possible to find some answers with a DNA probe. I also believe it's possible to find out the origin of a person by their last name. My last name is Germanovskiy. I'm Jewish by blood and I can trace my history to about the nineteenth century, in the Ukraine. My parents believe we are Ashkenazi, I have blue eyes. But in essence, is it possible to determine my ancestors based on my last name? For example there is a small town in Russia near Rostov na Donu, (near the Caspian Sea) called Germanovskiy. It repeats my last name to the fullest. You can easily find the location of this town, if you search for Germanovskiy in google.com search engine.
�Michael Germanovskiy
We would like to find the Ten Lost Tribes of the House of Israel as well. Our guess is that when the DNA studies are complete that you will find that many Europeans, Russians, Ukrainians, and others have genetic material that will link them with the children of Israel. We have seen hard evidence for Israelite descendants in Asian and African peoples as well. We have criticized the pseudo-intellectual arguments of many who have written on this subject because their evidence from literary courses is not only inconclusive but more often than not inexcusable speculation, eisegesis, and junk-science. That does not mean that we imply in any way that we do not believe that the vast majority of Israelite descendants anciently became scattered among the Gentiles, in lands north of Babylonia and Assyria, and migrated all over Europe believing they were Gentiles. Our theory, which we readily admit is inconclusive based on a reading of extant literary evidence, is that the core northern European immigrant population of the United States of America are of Israelite descent and are among inheritors of many of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
--Editor
Jesus was a Vegetarian?
I am writing this letter to you in concern to you essay concerning the billboard used by PETA claiming that Jesus was a Vegetarian (see Perspectives editorial The Billboard States that Jesus was a Vegetarian--Was He?). As far as the tactics of PETA go in promoting Vegetarianism (such as the Jesus billboard, or their billboard that says, "God said 'thou shalt not kill'"), I do not think that they are very effective. However, I do think that they are using tactics which are not very much different than other social reform groups, though possibly a bit more extreme. They even had a campaign claiming that beer is healthier than milk (though there is some truth to the statement, as the FDA claims that they only promote milk because it is better than beer, not necessarily good in itself). There may have been Abolitionists who have said that Jesus didn't own slaves, or Feminists may have said that Jesus treated women equally, or other reformers claiming the same of the man Jesus, but that doesn't necessarily mean their cause is misguided. Just their tactics.
�Benjamin Tepolt
Ark of the Covenant
Is Second Chronicles 35:3 (see Perspectives article The Real "Ark Mystery") the last passage in the Hebrew Scriptures in which the Ark of the Covenant is mentioned? If you will go into the book of Zechariah, Chapter 4 & 5, and re-evaluate these two chapters, you will find that the messenger of God was showing Zechariah in the visions three of the most sacred religious objects that God commanded Moses to build back in the book of Exodus.
The most sacred and holy three objects were: the Tent of Worship called the Tabernacle, the Lamp-stand, and the Ark of the Testimony. We see or have identified the lamp stand in Zechariah 4. Now if one will re-think and re- evaluate and translate Zechariah 5 we will see that this so called flying scroll or roll is really the Tabernacle and the two winged women (cherubs) and the basket (container/ Ark) with the lead lid (Mercy Seat) on top of the basket (Ark) is really the Ark of the Covenant, the two cherubs on top of the mercy seat.
Conclusion: The messenger of God was showing the young lad Zechariah the three most sacred objects of the Children of Israel. We acknowledged one of the three with the Lamp Stand but we have failed at understand the other two, the Tent of Worship called the Tabernacle, and the Ark of the Testimony or Ark of the Covenant.
�D. C. Bray
Life in Ancient Judea
I am writing an essay about the Israelites during the Roman Empire. I want to focus on the Jewish people during the time of the Roman Emperor Augustus, born in 63 B.C. and died in 14 A.D. I need to know a lot about the land of Israel - from Galilee to Judea. I need to know about the vegetation, the climate, the rivers and lakes, the food, the houses people lived in, the marriage, the family, the children, the professions, schools, the synagogues, the treatment to sick people, the dead, and so on. Could you, please suggest something (book, magazine, on line course...) that could help me with this?
�Oswaldo Matiussi
You will probably have to spend many hours in the library. There is no shortcut to quality research for such a delimited period. Good hunting.
--Editor
Sunday School Lessons
I'm working on some Sunday School Lessons for my kids ages, 9-13, on biblical archeology. If you have any information that would be helpful in putting together some lessons please e-mail me.
�Darlene Tate
We have only what is available on this site. You might research the resources of the Biblical Archaeology Society. The BAS publish a number of aids and helps you may find of value.
--Editor
Noah�s DOB
I'm looking for information regarding the birth date of Noah and the timeframe between Noah and Abraham. If you can assist me in any way, I would really appreciate it.
�Tom Bauer
No one knows for sure. There are some biblical chronologies in book form that might help you derive the details you want. We suggest you do a search in the Library of Congress On-Line Catalog database and on the on-line databases of some of the theology schools such as Fuller Theological Seminary and Claremont School of Theology.
--Editor
Missionary Reaches Out
I read with interest your response to the question posed by "Christine Willis" about whether Christians are eternally saved once they have placed their faith in Christ. I would very much like to respond personally to Ms. Willis from my own personal study in the Bible concerning this matter. I am wondering if you would be able to contact Ms. Willis to ask her if she would like to receive correspondence from me on this matter? Thank you so much for your timely response. My husband and I are career Christian missionaries serving with Christar Mission in Asia.
�Nancy Rempel
You must not have liked our explanation (see Perspectives "Questions & Answers" Once Saved Always Saved?). Unfortunately, we no longer have Ms. Willis' e-mail address. If she reads this and wants to contact you we will be happy to send her e-mail address on to you.
--Editor
Bible Maps
Are there maps that would be available for studying the Holy Bible? Example, in the Book of Acts, the crippled man was outside the Beautiful Gate. I did find a map with the Beautiful Gate on it, but none of the other gates were named. I'm assuming that the Beautiful Gate was the main entry to the Holy Temple. Was the Beautiful Gate, always the Beautiful Gate, or did it have more than one name before 70 AD? As a one time pilgrim to Israel, I would appreciate having maps showing the Gates to the Holy Temple, the city gates, and other significant places of Jerusalem in the different periods of biblical history.
�Rose Debnar
There are some fine Bible atlases available for Bible study. We use them quite often. Click here on Books'n Mor which will take you to our specialty list of atlases and related items at Christian Books. The Beautiful Gate apparently opened into the Temple complex from the east.
--Editor
The Chronology of Ezra
I've been looking for a book called "Chronology of Ezra 7" to no avail. I spotted the title, though, from your website and I wonder if you could help me find the book.
�Gem Gilman
The Chronology of Ezra 7 written by Siegfried H. Horn and Lynn H. Wood was published first in 1953 and in a 2nd edition in 1970 by the Review and Herald Publishing Association in Washington, D.C. As this is a publication of the General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, Historical Research Committee, we suggest you check with the Andrews University library or another Seventh-Day College library on where and how you could borrow a copy. If you live near a theology school you might gain access to a copy there. Another opportunity is to go to your public library and see if they can find a copy available for interlibrary loan through OCLC.
--Editor
Fieldwork in the Bible Lands
I am studying archaeology and ancient languages full-time at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. I am interested in becoming a professional biblical archaeologist and would like to know if you organise any field/digging trips to the biblical lands, and if so, what time of the year are they, how long and what price are they? In addition, if you have a newsletter, I would like to receive a copy.
�Sianna Betula
BibArch� does not sponsor organized fieldwork. We find the annual list of excavations published by the Biblical Archaeology in the January issue of the Biblical Archaeology Review to be the most comprehensive source of such information. Please take a look at the January-February issue. The BAR website is another resource. See their Join a Dig.
--Editor
Majoring in Archaeology
Is there a Northern California college you would recommend for my daughter who wants to major in Archeology?
�Dave Wright
We hesitate to recommend a specific college unless we have personal information about it. Archaeology will be found lodged in the anthropology department of most colleges and universities. Perhaps you and she ought to visit several anthropology departments and speak with a leading faculty member willing to take the time to answer your questions and explain the major. Have them tell you about their department and why it excels and would be the best choice for your daughter. Then chose the one that most fits your daughter's needs and requirements.
--Editor
Page last edited: 01/02/06 05:21 PM
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