Current Events Now!
Part of the New Testament Proven True?
Archaeologists have found a cave where they believe John the Baptist anointed many of his disciples, offering extraordinary proof of a central New Testament figure and his theology.
The Associated Press reports that the cave is located on the Kibbutz Tzuba, which is 2-1/2 miles from Ein Kerem, John the Baptist's hometown that is now part of Jerusalem. The cave includes a huge cistern with 28 steps that lead to an underground pool of water. Some 250,000 pottery shards were also found and are presumed to be remnants of small water jugs used in the Christian baptismal ritual performed by the fiery New Testament preacher. Wall carvings etched into the cave tell John's life story; they were likely made by monks in the fourth or fifth century. In addition, a stone was found in the cave that researchers believe was used for ceremonial foot washing.
"John the Baptist, who was just a figure from the Gospels, now comes to life," British archaeologist Shimon Gibson, who supervised the dig outside Jerusalem, exclaimed to AP. He is the head of the private Jerusalem Archaeological Field Unit and has written a book on the subject titled "The Cave of John the Baptist." In a separate interview, Gibson told Reuters, "Nothing like this has been found elsewhere. It is the first time we have finds from the early baptismal period. It is an amazing discovery that happens to an archeologist once in a lifetime."
But because there were no inscriptions found in the cave, some experts insist there is no proof that John the Baptist ever set foot in it. Instead, they think Byzantine-era monks commemorated John at this site linked to him by local tradition. Gibson heartily disagrees, insisting the carvings, foot washing stone, and other artifacts provide strong circumstantial evidence that the cave was actually used by John and is not just a memorial to him.
John the Baptist was a contemporary of Jesus Christ and was known as a somewhat bizarre, long-haired character who preached a message of redemption. Since he is considered one of the most important figures in Christianity, the discovery--if it can be confirmed--would be among the most significant breakthroughs for biblical scholars in memory, reports AP.
Gibson thinks the cave appealed to John because it contained an immersion pool. "It apparently was adopted by John the Baptist, who wanted a place where he could bring people to undergo their rituals, pertaining to his ideas of baptism," he told AP. The baptismal candidates would have walked down the 28 stone steps, discarded their clothes in a niche carved into the wall, and then placed their right foot onto a stone that contained an imprint of a foot. A small depression to the right of the imprint would have contained oil, to be poured over the foot for cleansing.
Gibson thinks John the Baptist used the cave in the early years of his ministry when he sought solitude in the wilderness. "In addition to John the Baptist, there's a possibility that Jesus used this cave as well," Gibson explained to Reuters.
Archaeologists have found a cave where they believe John the Baptist anointed many of his disciples, offering extraordinary proof of a central New Testament figure and his theology.
The Associated Press reports that the cave is located on the Kibbutz Tzuba, which is 2-1/2 miles from Ein Kerem, John the Baptist's hometown that is now part of Jerusalem. The cave includes a huge cistern with 28 steps that lead to an underground pool of water. Some 250,000 pottery shards were also found and are presumed to be remnants of small water jugs used in the Christian baptismal ritual performed by the fiery New Testament preacher. Wall carvings etched into the cave tell John's life story; they were likely made by monks in the fourth or fifth century. In addition, a stone was found in the cave that researchers believe was used for ceremonial foot washing.
"John the Baptist, who was just a figure from the Gospels, now comes to life," British archaeologist Shimon Gibson, who supervised the dig outside Jerusalem, exclaimed to AP. He is the head of the private Jerusalem Archaeological Field Unit and has written a book on the subject titled "The Cave of John the Baptist." In a separate interview, Gibson told Reuters, "Nothing like this has been found elsewhere. It is the first time we have finds from the early baptismal period. It is an amazing discovery that happens to an archeologist once in a lifetime."
But because there were no inscriptions found in the cave, some experts insist there is no proof that John the Baptist ever set foot in it. Instead, they think Byzantine-era monks commemorated John at this site linked to him by local tradition. Gibson heartily disagrees, insisting the carvings, foot washing stone, and other artifacts provide strong circumstantial evidence that the cave was actually used by John and is not just a memorial to him.
John the Baptist was a contemporary of Jesus Christ and was known as a somewhat bizarre, long-haired character who preached a message of redemption. Since he is considered one of the most important figures in Christianity, the discovery--if it can be confirmed--would be among the most significant breakthroughs for biblical scholars in memory, reports AP.
Gibson thinks the cave appealed to John because it contained an immersion pool. "It apparently was adopted by John the Baptist, who wanted a place where he could bring people to undergo their rituals, pertaining to his ideas of baptism," he told AP. The baptismal candidates would have walked down the 28 stone steps, discarded their clothes in a niche carved into the wall, and then placed their right foot onto a stone that contained an imprint of a foot. A small depression to the right of the imprint would have contained oil, to be poured over the foot for cleansing.
Gibson thinks John the Baptist used the cave in the early years of his ministry when he sought solitude in the wilderness. "In addition to John the Baptist, there's a possibility that Jesus used this cave as well," Gibson explained to Reuters.
Part of the Old Testament Proven True
Read 2 Kings 20:20 and 2 Chronicles 32:30 in the Old Testament and you'll find a reference to a tunnel that was built in 700 B.C. by order of King Hezekiah to protect Jerusalem's water supply against an Assyrian siege. Long considered an engineering feat for that day and age, the serpentine tunnel ran 1,750 feet long and moved water from the Gihon spring across the entire city of ancient Jerusalem to the pool of Siloam.
Fast forward to modern-day Jerusalem. The Siloam Tunnel in that city matches the biblical description of King Hezekiah's tunnel. But is it really the same one? That question has stumped scholars for years, many of whom insisted the Siloam Tunnel was built centuries later than the Bible suggested in Kings and Chronicles. The only clue that survived for more than 2,700 years is an inscription discovered in 1880 on a tunnel wall that supported the link to King Hezekiah, although it did not name him specifically, reports The Associated Press.
Now geologists from the Cave Research Center at Hebrew University in Jerusalem think they have solved the mystery. By using radiocarbon testing to analyze the age of stalactite samples from the ceiling of the Siloam Tunnel and plant material recovered from its plaster floor, the biblical record and the tunnel's age have been confirmed, the researchers wrote in the journal Nature. The Siloam Tunnel is the one built by King Hezekiah.
This is also significant because it is the first time that a well-identified biblical structure has been subjected to extensive radiocarbon dating.
Even with all our modern-day technology and scientific knowledge, very little testing of biblical structures has been done to prove or disprove their age or authenticity. Why? The experts told AP such testing is difficult because it's often hard to identify such structures, they may be poorly preserved, or they may be restricted for various political or religious reasons.
The Siloam Tunnel is different. It's long been a tourist attraction. Anyone can wander in it and see the pick marks the original builders made in the walls to adjust their course so the tunnel would meet with a second team of workers who were heading toward them from the opposite end of the city. AP notes that those pick marks tell us how difficult it was to connect the two ends of the tunnel. "The tunnel is extraordinary, but these guys didn't know where they were going a lot of the time," Hershel Shanks, an expert on the history of Jerusalem who writes for the Biblical Archaeology Review, told AP. Still, he added, "It's nice to have scientific confirmation for what the vast majority of biblical scholars and archaeologists believe."
Read 2 Kings 20:20 and 2 Chronicles 32:30 in the Old Testament and you'll find a reference to a tunnel that was built in 700 B.C. by order of King Hezekiah to protect Jerusalem's water supply against an Assyrian siege. Long considered an engineering feat for that day and age, the serpentine tunnel ran 1,750 feet long and moved water from the Gihon spring across the entire city of ancient Jerusalem to the pool of Siloam.
Fast forward to modern-day Jerusalem. The Siloam Tunnel in that city matches the biblical description of King Hezekiah's tunnel. But is it really the same one? That question has stumped scholars for years, many of whom insisted the Siloam Tunnel was built centuries later than the Bible suggested in Kings and Chronicles. The only clue that survived for more than 2,700 years is an inscription discovered in 1880 on a tunnel wall that supported the link to King Hezekiah, although it did not name him specifically, reports The Associated Press.
Now geologists from the Cave Research Center at Hebrew University in Jerusalem think they have solved the mystery. By using radiocarbon testing to analyze the age of stalactite samples from the ceiling of the Siloam Tunnel and plant material recovered from its plaster floor, the biblical record and the tunnel's age have been confirmed, the researchers wrote in the journal Nature. The Siloam Tunnel is the one built by King Hezekiah.
This is also significant because it is the first time that a well-identified biblical structure has been subjected to extensive radiocarbon dating.
Even with all our modern-day technology and scientific knowledge, very little testing of biblical structures has been done to prove or disprove their age or authenticity. Why? The experts told AP such testing is difficult because it's often hard to identify such structures, they may be poorly preserved, or they may be restricted for various political or religious reasons.
The Siloam Tunnel is different. It's long been a tourist attraction. Anyone can wander in it and see the pick marks the original builders made in the walls to adjust their course so the tunnel would meet with a second team of workers who were heading toward them from the opposite end of the city. AP notes that those pick marks tell us how difficult it was to connect the two ends of the tunnel. "The tunnel is extraordinary, but these guys didn't know where they were going a lot of the time," Hershel Shanks, an expert on the history of Jerusalem who writes for the Biblical Archaeology Review, told AP. Still, he added, "It's nice to have scientific confirmation for what the vast majority of biblical scholars and archaeologists believe."
Guess Who Doesn't Believe In God?
Ten percent of Protestants, 21 percent of Roman Catholics, and 52 percent of Jews do NOT believe in God.
That's the surprising word from a new survey by Harris Interactive of 2,306 adults that shows belief in God varies quite widely among different segments of the American public. How often do we go to a place of worship? Not much. Most people attend a religious service less than once a month. Still, Americans are far more likely to believe in God and to attend religious services than people in most other developed countries, particularly in Europe.
Who believes in God?
While 79 percent of Americans believe there is a God, only 66 percent are absolutely certain of it. Nine percent do not believe in God and 12 percent aren't sure. And weirdly, not everyone who calls himself or herself a Christian or a Jew actually believes in God.
Who worships at a religious service?
Just over half (55 percent) attend a religious service a few times a year or more. Thirty-six percent attend once a month or more often, and just 26 percent say they attend every week. Forty-one percent of women and 31 percent of men attend once a month or more. Protestants (47 percent) are more likely to go to church once a month or more often than are Roman Catholics (35 percent). Jews are least likely to go with 16 percent saying they go to synagogue once a month or more. Church attendance is highest in the Midwest and lowest in the West.
Belief in God by geography and age
Eighty-two percent of Midwesterners and Southerners believe in God, compared with 75 percent in the East and West. Our beliefs get stronger as we age. Of those 25 to 29 years old, 71 percent believe in God. That number jumps to 80 percent for people over 40, and hits 83 percent for those 65 and over.
Other fascinating facts about who believes in God:
84 percent of women believe in God, compared with 73 percent of men.
91 percent of African Americans believe in God, compared with 81 percent of Hispanics and 78 percent of whites.
87 percent of Republicans believe in God, compared with 78 percent of Democrats and 75 percent of Independents.
82 percent of those with no college education believe in God, compared with 73 percent who went to college.
Ten percent of Protestants, 21 percent of Roman Catholics, and 52 percent of Jews do NOT believe in God.
That's the surprising word from a new survey by Harris Interactive of 2,306 adults that shows belief in God varies quite widely among different segments of the American public. How often do we go to a place of worship? Not much. Most people attend a religious service less than once a month. Still, Americans are far more likely to believe in God and to attend religious services than people in most other developed countries, particularly in Europe.
Who believes in God?
While 79 percent of Americans believe there is a God, only 66 percent are absolutely certain of it. Nine percent do not believe in God and 12 percent aren't sure. And weirdly, not everyone who calls himself or herself a Christian or a Jew actually believes in God.
Who worships at a religious service?
Just over half (55 percent) attend a religious service a few times a year or more. Thirty-six percent attend once a month or more often, and just 26 percent say they attend every week. Forty-one percent of women and 31 percent of men attend once a month or more. Protestants (47 percent) are more likely to go to church once a month or more often than are Roman Catholics (35 percent). Jews are least likely to go with 16 percent saying they go to synagogue once a month or more. Church attendance is highest in the Midwest and lowest in the West.
Belief in God by geography and age
Eighty-two percent of Midwesterners and Southerners believe in God, compared with 75 percent in the East and West. Our beliefs get stronger as we age. Of those 25 to 29 years old, 71 percent believe in God. That number jumps to 80 percent for people over 40, and hits 83 percent for those 65 and over.
Other fascinating facts about who believes in God:
84 percent of women believe in God, compared with 73 percent of men.
91 percent of African Americans believe in God, compared with 81 percent of Hispanics and 78 percent of whites.
87 percent of Republicans believe in God, compared with 78 percent of Democrats and 75 percent of Independents.
82 percent of those with no college education believe in God, compared with 73 percent who went to college.
The Mystery of Noah's Ark [Wyatt Museum]
Written by a monastic sect called the Essenes, the Dead Sea Scrolls are viewed by some as a link between Judaism and early Christianity. Could there be even more such treasures in the Judean Desert? "No scrolls have been found in the Judean Desert" in decades, Eshel explained to AP in an interview. "The common belief has been that there is nothing left to find there. I was jealous he had found it, not me. I was also very excited."
The Bedouin had been offered $20,000 on the black market for his treasure, and before selling it, he wanted an evaluation from Eshel. Fearing he would never see the precious pieces again, Eshel took photographs. He assumed the ancient treasure would soon be smuggled out of Israel.
Eshel was wrong. In March 2005, Eshel and the Bedouin met again. The Bedouin still had the scroll fragments. Using $3,000 provided by Bar Ilan University, Eshel bought them and immediately handed them over to Israel's Antiquities Authority. "Scholars do not buy antiquities. I did it because I could not see it fall apart," Eshel confessed to AP.
The scrolls are currently being tested by the Israel Antiquities Authority.
