Biblical Archeology

Bermuda Triangle "Mystery" Solved With "Astounding New Insight"

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:13:25 +0000

Teresa Neumann

"Step aside outer space aliens, time anomalies, submerged giant Atlantean pyramids and bizarre meteorological phenomena—the ‘Triangle’ simply suffers from an acute case of [methane] gas."

(Chicago, Illinois)—Research scientists Joseph Monaghan and David May of Australia have reportedly solved the mystery of vanished ships and airplanes in the region dubbed "The Bermuda Triangle." Their "astounding new insight" has been published in the American Journal of Physics.

Notes a report in Salem-news.com: "Step aside outer space aliens, time anomalies, submerged giant Atlantean pyramids and bizarre meteorological phenomena—the ‘Triangle’ simply suffers from an acute case of [methane] gas."

According to the report, "the methane—normally frozen at great pressure as gas hydrates embedded within subterranean rock—can become dislodged and transform into gaseous bubbles expanding geometrically as they explode upwards. When these bubbles reach the surface of the water they soar into the air, still expanding upwards and outwards."

"Any ships," the report continues, "caught within the methane mega-bubble immediately lose all buoyancy and sink to the bottom of the ocean. If the bubbles are big enough and possess a high enough density they can also knock aircraft out of the sky with little or no warning. Aircraft falling victim to these methane bubbles will lose their engines-perhaps igniting the methane surrounding them-and immediately lose their lift as well, ending their flights by diving into the ocean and swiftly plummeting."

Free Ebook: The Training of the Twelve

admin — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 04:47:37 +0000

[A Seminary In Every Home, Free 150 Page Ebook: The Training of the Twelve] Alexander Balmain Bruce (January 31, 1831 – August 7, 1899) was a Scottish churchman and theologian. He was a minister of the Free Church of Scotland.

He was born at Aberargie near Perth, Scotland. His father suffered for his adherence to the Free Church at the Disruption of 1843, and moved to Edinburgh, where Alexander was educated, showing exceptional ability from the first. His early religious doubts, awakened especially by David Strauss’s Life of Jesus, made him throughout life sympathetic with those who underwent a similar stress. After serving as assistant first at Ancrum, then at Lochwinnoch, he was called to Cardross in Dumbartonshire (now Dunbartonshire) in 1859, and to Broughty Ferry in 1868. There he published his first notable exegetical work, the Training of the Twelve.

In 1874 he delivered his Cunningham Lectures, afterwards published as The Humiliation of Christ, and in the following year was appointed to the chair of Apologetics and New Testament exegesis at the Free Church College, Glasgow, a post he held for twenty-four years. He was one of the first British New Testament scholars whose work was received favourably in Germany. The character and work of Christ were, he held, the ultimate proof and the best defence of Christianity; and his tendency was to concentrate attention somewhat narrowly on the historic Jesus.

In The Kingdom of God (1889), which first encountered serious hostile criticism in his own communion, he accounted for some of the differences between the first and third evangelists on the principle of accommodation–maintaining that Saint Luke had altered both the text and the spirit of his sources to suit the needs of those for whom he wrote. It was held that these admissions were not consistent with the views of inspiration professed by the Free Church of Scotland. When the case was tried, the assembly held that the charge of heresy was based on a misunderstanding, but that by want of due care in his mode of statement he had given some ground for the painful impressions which had existed.

Bruce rendered great service to his own communion in connection with its service of praise. He was convener of the committee which issued the Free Church hymn book, and he threw into this work the same energy and catholicity of mind which marked the rest of his activities. He was buried at Broughty Ferry. His chief works, beside the above, are:

Click on the picture to download your PDF copy of this Ebooks right now!

Europeans "Euphoric" Over the Find of John the Baptist’s Bones

admin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:36:04 +0000

Teresa Neumann (August 9, 2010)

While it can’t be proven 100% that the relics are John the Baptist’s, the archaeologist who made the discovery says "it is important to understand one thing—this is the first time ever in the world archaeological practice that relics of St. John are found together with an inscription which just literally nails the conclusion and leaves no doubts. There are no speculations here.”

(Sozopol, Bulgaria)—Sofia News Agency reports that the recently discovered relics of John the Baptist have been laid in state temporarily in St. George Church in Bulgaria. The human bones, found in a sealed marble reliquary in the St. John the Forerunner Church on the island of St. Ivan (Ivan is the Slavic name for John) on July 28, have been cause for great excitement and euphoria in the Black Sea town of Sozopol.

Notes the report: "The samples from the reliquary and the bones are still to be tested by specialists have expressed their views that there is no doubt whatsoever that absolutely unique archaeological discovery consists of relics of St. John the Baptist. The greatest argument supporting the thesis that the relics belong to St. John the Baptist is the "clue" found at 1.2 m from the reliquary. It consists of a small box bearing inscriptions that make it clear who and when brought the relics of St. John the Baptist to Sozopol.

"The inscriptions make it clear that a man named Thomas, ‘God’s servant brought a particle of St. John on the 24th.’ Even though some of the end letters are missing, the inscription in Greek makes it clear that the date refers to the birthday of St. John the Baptist, June 24. The use of genitive case in the inscription leaves no doubt that the relics belonged to one of the founders of Christianity."

"It is important to understand one thing—this is the first time ever in the world archaeological practice that relics of St. John are found together with an inscription which just literally nails the conclusion and leaves no doubts. There are no speculations here," said the man who made the unique discovery, archaeologist Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov.

"I think that this is the discovery of the year, not just in the Bulgarian archaeology but also in the European archaeology. It is hard to speak of the symbols of early Christianity but Apolonia (i.e. the Greek name of Sozopol) and the St. Ivan Island were one of the earliest places where Christians settled as they were persecuted by the Roman authorities. Their heritage is connected with the entire Christian history," explained the Director of the Burgas Regional History Museum Tsonya Drazheva who is also part of the archaeological team that found the relics of St. John.

"Lost" Undecipherable Letter from David Livingstone Revealed for First Time

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:49:15 +0000

Teresa Neumann

Letter reveals the great missionary’s humanity and anti-slavery zeal while stranded as a "virtual prisoner" in the heart of the Congo.

(United Kingdom)—The BBC reports that the contents of an "indecipherable" letter written in 1871 from Bambarre in the Congo by the great Scots explorer and missionary David Livingstone have been revealed for the first time by researchers at the University of London. Until now, the Letter from Bambarre had been impossible to decipher because the iron gall ink used in the writing had faded so badly, but thanks to the use of spectral imaging, the text is now readable.

Livingstone hated the slave trade, as noted in his letter, but he also reveals details of his poor health. He suffered greatly from a variety of diseases while he was "stranded as a virtual prisoner" in the Congo, including dysentery, pneumonia and "horrific" tropical ulcers on his feet and legs. He had been searching for the source of the Nile River.

According to the report, the unveiling of the letter’s content marks the start of a major project looking at Livingstone’s final diary from 1870-71 which has never been published in its original, unabridged form. The report also notes that Livingstone’s letter "includes some of his thoughts on the ‘awful traffic’" of the slave trade, which he said could be ‘congenial only to the Devil and his angels.’

"If our statesmen stop the frightful waste of human life in this region and mitigate the vast amount of human woe that accompanies it they will do good on the large scale and cause joy in Heaven," he wrote.

The prospects for commerce and Christianity in the African interior, and details of the lakes and rivers of Central Africa are also reportedly included in the letter.

Mystery Solved at Sisera Where Battle Was Fought by Deborah

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:26:45 +0000

"The site may have been home to the Shardana tribe of the Sea-Peoples, who, according to some researchers, lived in Harosheth Haggoyim, Sisera’s capital city. The city is mentioned in the Bible’s narratives as Sisera’s capital, and it was from there that the army of chariots set out to fight the Israelites, who were being led by Deborah the prophetess and Barak, son of Avinoam."

(Haifa, Israel)—A 3,200-year-old round bronze tablet with a carved face of a woman, found at the El-ahwat excavation site near Katzir in central Israel, is part of a linchpin that held the wheel of a battle chariot in place. This was revealed by scientist Oren Cohen of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa. "Such an identification reinforces the claim that a high-ranking Egyptian or local ruler was based at this location, and is likely to support the theory that the site is Harosheth Haggoyim, the home town of Sisera, as mentioned in Judges 4-5," says Prof. Zertal.

The El-ahwat site, near Nahal ‘Iron, was exposed by a cooperative delegation excavating there during 1993-2000 from the Universities of Haifa and Cagliari (Sardinia), headed by Prof. Zertal. The excavated city has been dated back to the end of the Bronze Age and early Iron Age (13th-12th centuries B.C.). The city’s uniqueness—its fortifications, passageways in the walls, and rounded huts – made it foreign amidst the Canaanite landscape.

Prof. Zertal has proposed that based on these unusual features, the site may have been home to the Shardana tribe of the Sea-Peoples, who, according to some researchers, lived in Harosheth Haggoyim, Sisera’s capital city. The city is mentioned in the Bible’s narratives as Sisera’s capital, and it was from there that the army of chariots set out to fight the Israelites, who were being led by Deborah the prophetess and Barak, son of Avinoam. The full excavation and its conclusions have been summarized in Prof. Zertal’s book Sisera’s Secret, A Journey following the Sea-Peoples and the Song of Deborah (Dvir, Tel Aviv, 2010 [Hebrew]).

One of the objects uncovered at the site remained masked in mystery. The round, bronze tablet, about 2 cm. in diameter and 5 mm. thick, was found in a structure identified as the "Governor’s House". The object features a carved face of a woman wearing a cap and earrings shaped as chariot wheels. When uncovered in 1997, it was already clear that the tablet was the broken end of an elongated object, but Mr. Cohen, who included the tablet in the final report of the excavations, did not manage to find its parallel in any other archaeological discoveries.

Now, 13 years later, the mystery has been solved. When carrying out a scrutinizing study of ancient Egyptian reliefs depicting chariot battles, Mr. Cohen discerned a unique decoration: the bronze linchpins fastening the chariot wheels were decorated with people’s faces—of captives, foreigners and enemies of Egypt. He also noticed that these decorations characterized those chariots that were used by royalty and distinguished people.

"This identification enhances the historical and archaeological value of the site and proves that chariots belonging to high-ranking individuals were found there. It provides support for the possibility, which has not yet been definitively established, that this was Sisera’s city of residence and that it was from there that the chariots set out on their way to the battle against the Israelite tribes, located between the ancient sites of Taanach and Megiddo," Prof. Zertal concludes. [Check: Details]

Oldest Painting of the Apostles

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:07:53 +0000

Archaeologists Find Oldest Painting of the Apostles in Roman Catacombs

by Teresa Neumann : Jun 23, 2010 : Staff – Reuters

"This is a very important discovery in the history of the early Christian communities of Rome."

(Rome, Italy)—Archaeologists believe that 1500 year-old images found in a section of the catacombs of St. Tecla near St. Paul’s Basilica, that have been recently restored, may have been among those that most influenced later artists’ depictions of the faces of Christ’s most important early followers. (Photo: Images found in branch of catacombs of St. Tecla near St. Paul’s Basilica/Globe And Mail)

"These are the first images that we know of the faces of these four apostles," said Professor Fabrizio Bisconti, the head of archaeology for Rome’s catacombs. "This is a very important discovery in the history of the early Christian communities of Rome."

The images consist of four circles depicting the apostles Peter, Paul, Andrew and John, on the ceiling of the burial place of a noblewoman believed to have converted to Christianity.

The use of lasers as an "optical scalpel" allowed restorers to reveal with "stunning clarity" images that up until then were blurry. According to the report, the wrinkles on St. Paul’s forehead, for example, are clear and the whiteness of St. Peter’s beard has re-emerged.

"It was very, very emotional to discover this," said Barbara Mazzei, head of the project.

The report noted as well that other scenes from the Bible, such as Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead or Abraham preparing to sacrifice his son Isaac, are now also much clearer and brighter. [http://www.archaeologynews.org/story.asp?ID=623655&Title=Archaeologists%20find%20oldest%20paintings%20of%20apostles]

Discovery: Shoes That the Sons of Adam or Abraham Would Have Worn

admin — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:53:45 +0000

Teresa Neumann (June 14, 2010)

Previously, the oldest known footwear was sandals made from plants found in a cave in Missouri.

(Armenia)—The discovery of a 5,500 year old size 4 shoe in the region of the "Cradle of Civilization" has Dr. Ron Pinhasi of University College Cork calling it the "discovery of a lifetime."

The shoe, which was found in a cave, was reportedly so well preserved that its lacing is still intact. (Photo: REUTERS)

According to a report in The Daily Mail, the shoe was worn by an early farmer living in the mountains of Vayotz Dzor province of Armenia close to the border of modern-day Turkey and Iran.

Researcher Dr. Gregory Areshian, of the University of California, Los Angeles, said: "We couldn’t believe the discovery. The crusts had sealed the artifacts and archaeological deposits and artifacts remained fresh dried, just like they were put in a can."

Interestingly, the article stated that the previous oldest known footwear were sandals made from plants found in a cave in Missouri, dated a few hundred years after the Armenian shoe. [Source]

Free Ebook: What Can One Person Do

admin — Mon, 03 May 2010 13:32:00 +0000

Even the most uninitiated Christians realizes that the Christian life is a battle, and also that there are plenty of casualties around from this battle. They also realize that every child of God is part of the battle whether one wishes to participate or not. All this taken as a whole often looks like a bleak picture to them.

Since one does not usually see an organized and visible spiritual battle except during periods of revival – which, sadly, eludes all of us because they are rare — almost every Christian during any period of church history finds himself left alone to battle the forces of evil. Often there is little encouragement from the Christian community. This is not an encouraging picture in any way because the forces of evil are strong and united while most of the time the believer is all alone to face the enemy.

Trinity Graduate School is happy to offer this ebook free of cost to its graduate theology students and friends as a special gift. Remember, you can do much and this ebook explains how. Click on the ebook to download it today.

Roman-Built Underwater

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:00:22 +0000

Roman-Built Underwater Aqueduct, Longest of Ancient World, Found in Jordan

Teresa Neumann

"The aqueduct ended in Gadara, a city with a population of approximately 50,000. According to the Bible, this is where Jesus exorcized demons and chased them into a herd of pigs."

(Jordan)—The Romans were certainly amazing engineers, and the recent discovery of a "sensational" Roman built underground aqueduct in Syria (modern-day Jordan) — the longest of its kind in the ancient world—lends yet more credence to the Roman empire’s engineering might.

A March 11 report in Der Spiegel details how the Roman’s legendary love of copious amounts of readily available water was thwarted in Palestine when they invaded the land shortly before the birth of Jesus, because the area was simply too arid.

The underground canal system, discovered by Mathias Döring, a hydromechanics professor in Darmstadt, Germany, extends a distance of about 66 miles, longer than the longest previously known underground water channel of the antique world—in Bologna, Italy—which is only 19 kilometers long. Locals reportedly called the ancient Syrian/Jordanian pipeline system the "Canal of the Pharaohs." (Photo by: Mathias Döring)

Notes the report: "The massive undertaking was launched around the year 90 A.D….The [Roman] soldiers chiseled over 600,000 cubic meters of stone from the ground… This colossal waterworks project supplied the great cities of the "Decapolis"—a league originally consisting of 10 ancient communities—with spring water. The aqueduct ended in Gadara, a city with a population of approximately 50,000. According to the Bible, this is where Jesus exorcized demons and chased them into a herd of pigs."

Concludes reporter Matthias Schulz: "It took 120 years to complete the subterranean enterprise. Then the water finally gushed and bubbled from below. Mineral deposits in one section near Abila reveal that 300 to 700 liters per second rushed through the canal. The genius of Rome had managed to transform this part of the Levant into a veritable Garden of Eden.

"And yet there was an overwhelming sense of disappointment in Gadara. Even the mega-aqueduct in Jordan attests to the tragic truth that nothing created by the hand of man is ever perfect. The original plan called for the water to fill a high stone reservoir that would feed the city’s fountains and the planned temple to the nymphs. But that never happened. Since the surveyors ended up making a number of miscalculations, the reservoir could not be filled, and the fountains never went into operation."

©Breaking Christian News 2005-2008. Used by special permission
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4,000-Year-Old "Abraham’s Gate" Reopened to the Public

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:55:52 +0000

Teresa Neumann

"The Bible recounts that the people of Dan took Abraham’s nephew Lot prisoner, and Abraham came to Dan to rescue him, but it is hard to confirm whether or not Abraham passed through the gate."

(Israel)—Haaretz News reports that the Nature and National Parks Protection Authority yesterday opened "Abraham’s Gate"—originally uncovered in 1979, but recently under painstaking restoration—at Tel Dan in the north, for visits by the public.

Believed to have been built around 1750 B.C., the ancient structure is seven meters tall and composed of three sun-dried mud brick arches on a large basalt stone foundation. The arches are said to be the oldest ever found in the Land of Israel. (Photo: israelnotes.files.wordpress.com)

Raphael Greenberg of Tel Aviv University’s archaeology department was quoted as saying the gate is one of the most impressive finds of its time.
Said Ze’ev Margalit, who is responsible for archaeological preservation at the parks authority: "The Bible recounts that the people of Dan took Abraham’s nephew Lot prisoner, and Abraham came to Dan to rescue him, but it is hard to confirm whether or not Abraham passed through the gate."

The report also notes Margalit saying that in recent years "Christian pilgrims have come to the site, and have reacted with great excitement in coming face to face with Abraham’s gate."

©Breaking Christian News 2005-2008. Used by special permission
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