Cuneiform tablet backs up Old Testament

Assyriologist Dr. Michael Jursa has confirmed that a cuneiform tablet housed at the British Museum confirms the existence of a Babylonian official known as "Nebo-Sarsekim", who is mentioned in Jeremiah Chapter 39 as the Chief Eunuch of Nebuchadnezzar II - this title is also confirmed in the tablet. The tiny tablet is apparently a receipt for a payment from Nebo-Sarsekim to a Babylonian temple. The discovery is important because outside of the names of kings, there are very few witnesses to the existence of persons in the Old Testament.

Read more on this discovery at 24 Hour Museum or The Times.

Queen of Sheba's temple attacked

The recent terrorist attack in Yemen that killed nine people took place at the Queen of Sheba Temple in the northeast of the country. The temple was built around 3000 years ago. I am not sure of the extent of the damage to the temple yet, but it sure is horrifying news to anyone with an appreciation of Judeo-Christian history. To tie this in with the Scriptures, I've thought I would highlight the following verse:

"The queen of the south will be raised up in the judgment with the men of this generation and will condemn them; because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Sol´o·mon, but, look! something more than ol´o·mon is here." - Luke 11:31 (NWT)

So here is to seeing the Queen of Sheba in the Paradise!

Oldest Biblical Text

I realise this is old news, but I have only recently come across this information so I thought I would make a post for anyone else who might of missed it. Gabriel Barkay, an Israeli archaeologist, discovered what is thought to be the oldest preserved copy of Biblical text, a number of years ago. On the left of this post you can see the discovery and on the right you can see the restored text and English translation (NOTE: unfortunately it translates YHWH as Lord). These verses are from Numbers 6:24-26 and constitute a priestly blessing.
For more information check out this news item or the Israeli government's website on archaeology.

Monday Quote of the Week

Charles Darwin was much more balanced and less-biased than the evolution fundamentalists of today...

"... The number of intermediate varieties, which have formerly existed on the earth, (must) be truly enormous. Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against my theory."

- Darwin, C. (1859) The Origin of Species (Reprint of the first edition) Avenel Books, Crown Publishers, New York, 1979, p. 292

The latest on the "Jesus Tomb"

In "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" documentary by James Cameron, one of the ossuaries ("bone boxes") found alongside the so-called tomb of Jesus carries the inscription "Mariamene e Mara" and they translate this as "Mary, known as Master." Now compare this too what some scholars have already said. Richard Bauckham, Professor of New Testament at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland says:

"Mara in this context does not mean Master. It is an abbreviated form of Martha. Probably the ossuary contained two women called Mary and Martha (Mariamne and Mara)."

Stephen Pfann, a textual critic and paleographer at University of the Holy Land in Jerusalem, also agrees with Bauckham's conclusions, stating:

"There is no longer any reason to be tempted to link this ossuary... to Mary Magdalene or any other person in biblical, non-biblical or church tradition."

Yet more hard proof that the "Jesus tomb" escapade is a publicity stunt and not in any way a significant discovery.