“Three Archaeological Discoveries”

First discovery: A carved inscription from the time of Pharaoh Thutmose III—the first mention of the city of Megiddo appears on the walls of the Temple of Karnak in Egypt, describing the pharaoh’s victory over Canaanite forces at Megiddo, dated to 1468 B.C. The inscription reads in part, “His majesty set forth in a chariot of fine gold adorned with his accoutrements of combat… His majesty’s army was at a hill south of the Qina brook, and the northern wing was to the northwest of Megiddo, while his majesty was in their center…. Thereupon his majesty prevailed over them at the head of his army.”

Second discovery: A seal from the time of King Jeroboam II—found at Megiddo and inscribed with the words, “belonging to Shema, servant of Yarob’am,” it depicts a majestic roaring lion and probably dates to the time of King Jeroboam of Israel who reigned in the 8th century B.C. (2 Kings 14:23-29). Although seals belonging to Berechiah and Jerahmeel have been discovered by archaeologists (Jer. 32:12; 36:26), unfortunately we don’t know the identity of Shema.

Third Discovery: A fragment of the Epic of Gilgamesh—the official website of Tel Aviv University in Israel gushes, “This is the only first-class literary Mesopotamian text ever to be found in Canaan.” Discovered at tel Megiddo in the excavations of the 1950s, this clay cuneiform tablet of roughly forty lines dates to approximately 1400 B.C. Written in Akaddian, it describes Enkidu’s decline and death bed, not any portion of the flood account, nevertheless it shows knowledge of this renowned Babylonian epic inside Canaan.

-Daniel McCabe

Trivia

Life in the Land: Fast Facts about the Ibex in Israel

1. Their scientific name is capra nubiana, which literally means “the goat from Nubia,” a dry mountainous region in northeastern Africa, roughly equivalent to southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Ibex, however, are found throughout the Middle East.

2. Psalm 104:18 and Job 39:1 evidently refer to the ibex in their descriptions of the wild mountain goats.

3. The ibex possess incredible climbing skills, capable of making near-vertical ascents. They have unique hooves with hard outer rims that can support their weight on narrow ledges and with soft inner pads that grip the rock. Even young ibex are able to climb rather effortlessly shortly after birth.

4. They don’t require as much water as other mammals and so are able to survive in desert temperatures that regularly exceed one hundred degrees. They obtain much of their water from plants and can go long stretches with only small amounts of water. They typically feed in the morning, rest in the shade of the afternoon and grow more active again in the evening.

5. They’re easy to spot at Ein Gedi and other sites along the western shore of the Dead Sea and throughout the Judean Wilderness as a whole. They are so accustomed to tourists that they often stroll through parking lots and picnic areas, so have your camera ready.

6. The males sport spectacular horns, some measuring more than three feet in length, which curl backward in large picturesque arcs. Sometimes males will lock their horns as they fight for the right to mate with the females who too have beautiful horns though they are shorter and more slender.

7. Historically the Arabian leopard was their main predator, but the leopard population has declined dramatically. Today the ibex face only minor threats from wolves and jackals, and they’re usually able to escape such predators by moving to higher or more difficult terrain.

8. Due to conservation efforts in Israel the population of ibex has increased steadily through the years after coming close to local extinction in the 1940s. Today it is illegal to hunt or kill ibex.

-Daniel McCabe

Pneumatology—the Holy Spirit’s Work in Salvation, (part 3)

Without the Holy Spirit we just simply would not be saved. He convicts us of sin, which we see in John 16 and 1 Thessalonians 1, and He convicts us of our sin by the revelation of Scripture. It’s the truth of Scripture that really does bring one’s mind to realize, “Yes, I am a sinner! I do need to repent of my sin. I do need to reach out to God (so to speak) and to ask for forgiveness.”

It’s the Spirit who convicts us of our need through the preaching of the Scripture and also through the rebuke of other believers. We see this especially throughout the pastoral epistles, such as 1 Timothy 5, 2 Timothy 4 and Titus 1, where Paul really wanted his readers to understand the importance of rebuke and correction from other believers wherein the Spirit works through them to convict us of our sins. So we must not dismiss our loved ones when they confront us about our sinful actions. This is different, of course, from a busybody or even someone trying to trick us or trap us about something we’ve done. But there’s also a genuine loving concern that someone might have for us, someone who walks through life with us, knows us and truly sees something that’s concerning. A dear friend can at any time approach me and say, “Adam, you’ve been living or thinking or acting in a way that really is not godly,” and the Spirit can use his rebuke to convict me of my sin, the need to repent of it, and the need for correction. Truly we need one another and that’s why the Bible refers to us as brothers and sisters in Christ. We don’t live this life alone. We need one another, and we should be thankful that we have one another to keep us accountable to what the Scripture instructs.

The Spirit also assures believers of their salvation. We see this in Romans 8:16-17. He seals them in Christ, marking them as God’s possessions and as children of God, ensuring them an inheritance and preventing them from becoming lost. We didn’t do anything to earn our salvation and we can’t do anything to keep it. If it was up to me to keep my salvation, it would be gone in seconds.

Paul writes in Ephesians 1:13-14, “In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of His glory.” Thus, I am sealed with the Spirit of God who is the guarantee of my inheritance, i.e., my salvation, until the day when I die and actually acquire possession of my total freedom from sin and dwell with God forever. Until that day when I am freed from this mortal coil, the Holy Spirit dwells within me as a downpayment, as a guarantee, and as the promised seal of my salvation; therefore, I cannot possibly become lost once I am truly saved.

The term down payment comes from a Greek word that means the first installment towards something that you intend to purchase, which here refers to the Holy Spirit, the downpayment of our salvation who guarantees us that we will possess it on the day that we stand before our Lord, which is a great comfort.

-Adam Keim

Hometown Heroes—Mary of Magdala

“Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out” (Luke 8:1-2).

Have you ever wondered why Mary, a faithful follower of Jesus, was called “Magdalene”? The name simply describes her hometown of Magdala. This naming scheme is similar to “Elijah the Tishbite” (1 Kings 17:1) and “Simon of Cyrene” (Mark 15:21).

Jesus cast out seven demons from her—a wonderful blessing! She also has a reputation for being a former prostitute. However, that notion does not come from any biblical text, but was an idea of Pope Gregory I in his Easter Sermon, way back in 591. He probably conflated Mary Magdalene with the unnamed sinful woman in Luke 7:36-39.

Large scale archaeological excavations have been conducted at Magdala since 2006 with some amazing finds. A residential district with many ancient homes was found. Their doorways were filled with stones, likely because of families that fled the Roman conquest in AD 66-70, hoping to return after the battles.

The most notable discovery is an entire synagogue in which was found the famous “Magdala Stone,” a large slanted slab that was probably used to hold an open scroll to read from in the synagogue service. A menorah is carved into the Magdala Stone, the earliest menorah of that period to be found outside of Jerusalem.

A breathtaking modern church stands on the shore of Galilee’s waters. The church is dedicated to the women of Jesus’s ministry. It contains beautiful artwork and a great dome that makes for wonderful acoustics—try singing your favorite hymn and hear the sound reverberate all around you!

Magdala is an easy stop since it is close to major destinations like Capernaum, the church of the Beatitudes, and the city of Tiberias. Do yourself a favor and visit Mary’s hometown. Tradition holds that Jesus healed the bleeding woman there when she reached out in faith and touched His garment (Mark 5:25-34). Walk among the ruins and ponder the many great things that our Lord did in that village and everywhere throughout the region of Galilee!

-Adam Keim

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