I reported on this story back in September 2012. See: Brief Reflections on the So-Called Jesus Wife Fragment. At that time, there was some debate concerning the authenticity of the fragment. On April 10, 2014 a new study was released, claiming that the papyrus fragment was ancient and not a modern forgery.

For more on this story, see the Boston Globe Story (off-site link).

Biblical Archaeological Review weighs in, with additional sources. (off-site link).

Commentary from Dr. Albert Mohler (off-site link).

Many still believe the papyrus is a fake (off-site link).

Commentary from NT Textual expert, Dr. Daniel Wallace (off-site link).

In-depth discussion on Evangelical Textual Criticism Blog (off-site link).

"...[W]hen you pull together all the evidence – archaeological, epigraphic and literary – it is overwhelming and, we believe, conclusive: they did kill their children, and on the evidence of the inscriptions, not just as an offering for future favours but fulfilling a promise that had already been made," argues Josephine Quinn, ancient history lecturer at Oxford University. Quinn and her colleagues published the results of their study in their article, "Phoenician Bones of Contention" in Antiquity, volume 87. (off-site link).

For more on this story, see (off-site links):

The Guardian

Archaeology and the Arts

University of Oxford

Watch this preview of the ABR DVD: Canaanite Child Sacrifice and Modern Day Abortion, available in the ABR bookstore.

Tarshish, which means “to smelt,” was a source not only of silver, but also other refined metals such as iron, tin and lead (Ezekiel 27:12). Recent lead isotope ore provenance analyses of silver found at Akko, Dor, Ein Hogez and Tell Keisan in southern Phoenicia, indicate that Biblical Tarshish was located on the island of Sardinia.

For more, see (off-site link): Silver at Tarshish

The bone box, or ossuary, inscribed “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus,” marking the culmination of a ten-year unsuccessful effort by the Israel Antiquities Authority to prove the inscription is a forgery, has been returned to its owner. For more, see: Biblical Archaeology Review (off site link).

Register online today!

Schedule for Saturday October 19, 2013:

8:15am - 8:50 am Registration and book tables open. Free drinks, coffee and breakfast snacks will be made available.

8:50am-9am: Intro and Prayer

Session #1: Rev. Gary Byers: Archaeology, Paleontology, Noah’s Flood and the Book of Genesis. Archaeology and paleontology are synonyms in English, even sister academic disciplines, yet they represent different fields of scientific investigation. Dealing with distinct materials and time periods, each offers important data for an appropriate understanding of the book of Genesis.

Time: 9am-9:50am Q&A 9:50 - 10am

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Session #2: Dr. Bryant Wood: Digging Up the Truth at Jericho. Did the walls of Jericho really come tumbling down?  Biblical archaeologist Bryant Wood will present an illustrated talk on archaeological findings at Jericho that relate to the conquest of the city by the Israelites.  For many years, Jericho has been a problem in Biblical archaeology since scholars claimed that there was no city there at the time of Joshua and therefore the Bible must be in error.  Dr. Wood's analysis of the artifacts excavated at Jericho shows that the previous dating was incorrect.  Not only was there a city at Jericho at the time of the Conquest, but when the findings are correctly dated, it is seen that the archaeological discoveries and the Biblical narrative in Joshua 2–6 harmonize in an amazing fashion.

Time: 10am - 10:50am  Q&A  10:50am - 11am

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Session #3: Rick Lanser: Satellite Evidence of the Survival of Noah's Ark. Is it possible that Noah's Ark could have survived to the present day, yet eluded all attempts to find it? Throughout history there have been tantalizing eyewitnesses testimonies that the Ark was seen and even climbed on, but all modern attempts to use this information to find the Ark have failed. In his presentation, Rick Lanser will describe how years of research into the testimonies finally suggested a way to reconcile their seeming conflicts, and how recent high-resolution satellite data appears to show remains of the Ark where the testimonies indicate it would be found.

Time: 11am -11:50am Q&A 11:50- 12 noon

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12-12:45 LUNCH (Local restaurants are all within 1 mile or so of the church venue). You are free to bring a bagged lunch and eat in the church fellowship hall, or bring take out food back to eat. 

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Session #4: Gordon Franz: Going for the Gold: The Apostle Paul's Use of Athletic Terminology from the Isthmian Games. The Apostle Paul used athletic terminology to convey spiritual truths in his epistles. This presentation will examine the word pictures in five passages from Paul's epistles that are illustrated by the Isthmian Games near Corinth. "Life Lessons to be Learned" will be drawn from the word pictures for the life of the believer in the Lord Jesus.

Time 12:50 pm - 1:40 pm Q&A 1:40-1:50 pm

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Session #5: Dr. Scott Stripling: The Fulfillment of Jesus' Final Prophecy. Many believers have not fully appreciated The Olivet Discourse (Mt. 24, Mk. 13, Lk. 21) because they have looked to the future for its primary fulfillment.  What if its primary fulfillment is actually to be found in the first century?  Scott Stripling explores the archaeological evidence from the First Jewish Revolt and how that evidence fulfills Jesus' final prophecy.

Time 1:50 to 2:40pm Q&A 2:40 to 2:50pm

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2:50 pm Closing prayer and love offering. ABR staff remains for questions.

Book tables will remain open until about 3:15pm.

Costs

$25 per adult

$12 for children 17 and under

Group discounts for church groups of 8 or more: $20 per person.

Registration Deadline: Tuesday October 15, 2013 at 12 NOON.

Making Your Payment:

1. Pay online here on the ABR website.

2. Call the ABR Office at 800-430-0008 and pay by credit card over the phone. Office hours are M-F 10-2, EST.

3. Download this PDF Form with all the pertinent information. Fill it out by hand, scan it, and email it to ABR@BibleArchaeology.org . Or, fill out by hand and mail to the ABR office.

4. Upon receipt of your registration, you will receive email confirmation, directions and restaurant map.

Further details:

1. Local restaurants are located within 1 mile for lunch. You are free to bring a bagged lunch and eat in the church fellowship hall, or bring take out food back to eat.

2. ABR is non-profit Christian ministry. We depend entirely on the generosity of our constituents to fulfill our mission. A love offering will be taken during this event.

3. Please pray for the success of this event!

This new, 148 page Bible atlas is now available through the ABR ministry, detailing biblical events marked on enhanced satellite imagery, accompanied by geographical and historical commentary. This phenomenal resource includes the following:

1. Complete Set of all 85 Hi-Resolution Maps in JPG format. (Available by email after your purchase).

2. 85 full-page color maps.

3. Free Downloads, including:
a. "The Land and the Bible" A FREE 191 page geographical study guide in PDF.
b. Study Questions

4. Six Teaching Videos on YouTube, containing over 58 minutes of FREE teaching about the content of the Satellite Bible Atlas and the land of Israel. Watch Episode #2 below.

All of this for only $26.00 from the ABR ministry. This Atlas will make an excellent addition to any library. It is the perfect gift for your pastor or spiritual leader. See the Bible come alive through The Satellite Bible Atlas. Order yours today.

Reviews:

"I own sixteen separate Bible Atlases, and I can say unequivocally Bill Schlegel's Satellite Bible Atlas is the one I recommend. It is a gateway to some absolutely dynamic Bible study; it is theologically sound and Biblically conservative. I pray that God will use this book in your life as he has in mine." Richard Rigsby, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament and Former Director of Talbot Bible Lands Program, Talbot School of Theology

"The Satellite Bible Atlas is characterized first and foremost by beautiful satellite imagery and detailed historical markings. No other atlas features so many large maps with nearly every biblical event in Israel depicted with precise detail. Each map is accompanied by commentary that draws out the geographical significance of the history to bring the story alive to the reader. As one who has taught college and seminary students in Israel for 25 years, Bill Schlegel understands and communicates God's revelation to his people in his land in a way like few others. The Satellite Bible Atlas deserves to be the Israel field guide for the next generation of students, young and old. The atlas is also ideal for students in introductory Bible classes." Todd Bolen, author of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, The Master's College

"A delightful and dependable compendium of historical facts and insights. The work is thoroughly researched, punctuated throughout by helpful synchronisms with extra-biblical records, meaningfully interactive with competing opinions, and thoughtfully committed to the factual inerrancy of the Scriptural record. The map markings are remarkably helpful, and the fact that those markings are not superimposed upon a drawn map but upon cartographically-enhanced satellite photographs of the terrain adds a healthy level of reality to the work. Very much worth a focused read-through, and then perpetually valuable as a study resource no matter where the student is in the Scriptures." Doug Bookman, Professor of New Testament, Shepherds Theological Seminary

About the Author: Bill Schlegel is Associate Professor of Bible at The Master's College, Israel Bible Extension (IBEX), where he teaches biblical history, geography and Hebrew. He lives with his wife and family near Jerusalem.

Regional Geographical Maps

1-1 Satellite Map

1-2 Regions and Routes

1-3 North (Samaria to Mt. Hermon)

1-4 Jezreel Valley, Lower Galilee

1-5 Golan

1-6 Samaria, Judea, Transjordan

1-7 Samaria

1-8 Jerusalem Approaches and Benjamin

1-9 Benjamin (East)

1-10 Judah: Hill Country, Shephelah, Coastal Plain

1-11 Shephelah of Judah

1-12 South (Negev to Elath)

1-13 Biblical Negev

1-14 Dead Sea and Moab

1-15 3D Views East and North

1-16 3D View Northeast

1-17 Archaeology: The Tel

The Patriarchs and Egyptian Relations with Canaan

2-1 Origins of the Patriarchs

2-2 The Patriarchs: Abraham and Isaac

2-3 Jacob and Joseph

2-4 Thutmose III: Egyptian 18th Dynasty in Canaan

2-5 Thutmose III’s Conquest of Megiddo (Detail)

The Exodus and Conquest

3-1 Exodus and Journey through Sinai

3-2 Israel in the Wilderness

3-3 Transjordan Conquest

3-4 Borders of the Promised Land (Canaan)

3-5 Entry into Canaan: Jericho and Ai

3-6 Israelite Conquest: Central and Southern Campaigns

3-7 Israelite Conquest: Northern Campaign

3-8 Amarna Letters: Canaan-Egypt Relations

Israelite Settlement and Judges

4-1 Israelite Tribal Allotments

4-2 Unconquered Territories

4-3 Early Judges in Judah and Benjamin

4-4 19th Dynasty Egyptian Operations in Canaan

4-5 Deborah and Barak

4-6 Gideon

4-7 Jephthah

4-8 Samson

4-9 Dan Migration, Benjamin Civil War, and Ruth

United Monarchy

5-1 Samuel's Ministry

5-2 Saul

5-3 David and Saul

5-4 David Works for the Philistines at Ziklag

5-5 David's Reign

5-6 David's Census and Solomon's Reign

Divided Monarchy I

6-1 Division of the Kingdom and Shishak's Campaign

6-2 Asa and Baasha (Judah-Israel Border Disputes)

6-3 Elijah, Omri and Ahab: Relations with Aram and Phoenicia

6-4 Mesha Stele: Israel and Judah's Relation with Moab & Edom

6-5 Elisha, J(eh)oram, Jehu: Relations with Aram & Assyria

Divided Monarchy II

7-1 Aramean Oppression of Israel and Judah

7-2 Jeroboam II & Uzziah: Resurgence in Israel & Judah

7-3 Ahaz of Judah: Lost Territory, Prophets Isaiah & Micah

7-4 Assyrian Empire

7-5 Assyria in Israel: Tiglath Pileser III

7-6 Fall of Samaria, Assyrian Expansion

7-7 Hezekiah against Sennacherib

7-8 Babylonian Empire

7-9 Fall of Jerusalem: Babylonian Conquest

Persian, Hasmonean and Hellenistic Periods

8-1 Persian Empire

8-2 Return and Restoration

8-3 Alexander the Great (Greek Empire)

8-4 Maccabean Revolt: Matathias, Judas, Jonathan, Simon

8-5 Hasmonean Conquests: Summary and Rule

The Life of Christ

9-1 Herod the Great

9-2 Political Borders at the time of Jesus: Sons of Herod

9-3 Early Ministry of Jesus and John the Baptist

9-4 Jesus' Move from Nazareth to Capernaum

9-5 Jesus' Public Galilean Ministry

9-6 Jesus' Private Galilean Ministry

9-7 Jesus' Ministry around the Sea of Galilee: Summary

9-8 Later Ministry in Judea and Beyond Jordan

9-9 Jesus in Jerusalem

The Acts of the Apostles and Jewish Revolts against Rome

10-1 Acts of the Apostles in Israel

10-2 Paul's 1st Missionary Journey

10-3 Paul's 2nd Missionary Journey

10-4 Paul's 3rd Missionary Journey

10-5 Paul's Journey to Rome

10-6 1st Revolt Against Rome

10-7 Bar Kochva Revolt

Jerusalem

11-1 Jerusalem: First Temple Period

11-2 Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus

Modern Borders and Regional Schematic

12-1 Modern Middle East

12-2 Modern Israel Borders

12-3 Regional Schematic

The Gospel of John is often viewed as having a later origin because it reveals some ignorance of Jerusalem. That is, the author of John knows little about first-century Jerusalem because he was never there and the Romans thoroughly destroyed it in 70 A.D. Therefore, he invented places like the Bethesda Pool having five porticoes (John 5) and the Pool of Siloam (John 9), investing in them heavy symbolism as he crafted his theological masterpiece. Evidence from Jerusalem demonstrates otherwise...

For more, visit: ICEJ (off-site link)

Gift Memberships include the following for your gift recipient:

• Four issues of our quarterly publication, Bible and Spade (View PDF Sample HERE)
• FREE copy of the cutting edge DVD Jericho Unearthed which prominently features ABR Director of Research, Dr. Bryant Wood, and his Jericho research
• Invitations to seminars and other ABR events in your area
• Priority placement on ABR Study Tours and excavation teams
• Most importantly, the satisfaction of being a team member supporting ABR's research and ministry
• Regular Price, $35 in the US. Yours for only $20!

Pick up a Gift Membership...TODAY!

Gift Subscriptions include four issues of Bible and Spade for your gift recipient.

Regular Price, $20 in the US. Yours for only $14!

Pick up a Gift Subscription...TODAY!

Experiments conducted by scientists at the University of Padua in northern Italy have dated the shroud to ancient times, a few centuries before and after the life of Christ.

For more, visit: The Telegraph (off-site link)

A small team of archaeologists working from satellite images hinting at a buried structure have uncovered the corner of a monumental complex with rows of rooms around a large courtyard, believed to be about 4,000 years old.

For more, please visit: Christian Science Monitor (off-site link).

Dr. Gish was gracious enough to travel to PA and serve as the keynote speaker at the 2006 ABR annual fundraising banquet. It was at a time when ABR was just beginning to develop our annual fundraising event, and Dr. Gish's appearance went a long way towards expanding awareness about the ministry of ABR in the Christian community. Dr. Gish gave a compelling speech, and had our staff laughing throughout most of the evening. I specifically remembering him saying as he departed for the airport: "See you on the other side!" It gave me pause, but showed his trust in the redeeming work of Christ and the certainty that we will most certainly see our brother once again in Glory.

Dr. Gish's staunch opposition against the materialistic dogma of Darwinism, his vast scientific knowledge (PhD in biochemistry), his keen debating ability, and his commitment to the authority of Scripture were deeply refreshing and tremendously edifying. I still have a copy of his book on my shelf, "Creation Scientists Answer Their Critics". I read through this treatise a number of times in my early years after conversion to Christ. It was so incredible to see how easily macro-evolutionary dogma could be dismantled (2 Corinthians 10:5), and how much I had been brainwashed by the educational establishment and the culture at large.

Our friends at Answers in Genesis and the Institute for Creation Research have written articles dedicated to Dr. Gish's life of service to the Gospel and the truth of Scripture. We trust you will pray for his wife and family during this time.

The End of an Era by Ken Ham (off-site link).

Rescued! Remembering the Life and Legacy of Dr. Duane T. Gish by Mark Looy (off-site link).

Remembering Dr. Duane T. Gish, Creation's 'Bulldog' by ICR Staff (off-site link).

Note: edifying comments on the life and legacy of Dr. Gish are welcomed below.

This event is FREE. For more information, please contact: Jim and Rosalee Schneck (717-445-9649; rosejim@frontiernet.net)

The portion that protruded looked suspiciously manmade, so he investigated by enlisting the help of nearby scientists. X-ray diffraction revealed that it was mostly aluminum with about two to four percent magnesium. This unique alloy is not generally produced today. And Brier noted that refined aluminum implies high technology. Such investigations should include the possibility that these artifacts were produced by people who lived at the same time that vast forests were catastrophically buried to become coal. Scripture states that expert metal workers lived among the pre-Flood peoples...

For more on this interesting discovery, visit: Institute for Creation Research (off-site link)

Isaiah 10:9–11 refers to the destruction of Carchemish by the Assyrian king Sargon II in 717 BC. 2 Chronicles 35:20–25 records the death of Josiah, king of Judah, in 609 BC at Megiddo when Josiah tried to prevent Necho, king of Egypt, from going to Carchemish to help the Assyrians against the Babylonians. And Jeremiah 46:2 alludes to the final defeat of the Assyrians and their Egyptian allies at Carchemish by soon-to-be Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC.

For more, see: The New York Times (off-site link).

Police apprehended four people in Adana, Turkey who were attempting to sell an incredibly old leather Torah. Four suspects were released by a local court pending trial and the leather Torah was sent to Ankara for analysis following the operation.

For more, visit: Times of Israel (off site link)

A massive foot-print can be found at Bedhat esh-Sha’ab, located in the Jordan Valley some two miles northwest of the Damiyeh Bridge across the River Jordan. It is thought by some that this site is the Gilgal where Israel initially encamped after crossing the Jordan and treading upon the land of promise for the first time.

Read more about this interesting discovery at: ICEJ (off-site link).

Following are some of the most exciting discoveries announced in the past year, taken from the news digests of Artifax magazine, and reported on The Book & The Spade radio program.

Read more on Continental News (off site link)

The finds, dated to the early divided monarchy, including pottery figurines of men and horses, provide rare testimony of a ritual cult in the Jerusalem region at the beginning of the period of the divided monarchy.

Read more at: Israel Antiquities Authority (off site link)

Read more at BBC News (offsite link).

The discovery of the first Dead Sea Scrolls in a remote Judean Desert cave in 1947 is widely considered the greatest archaeological event of the twentieth century. Bedouin treasure hunters and archaeologists ultimately found the remains of hundreds of ancient scrolls. These fragile pieces of parchment and papyrus, including the oldest existing copies of the Hebrew Bible, were preserved for two thousand years by the hot, dry desert climate and the darkness of the caves where they were placed. The scrolls provide an unprecedented picture of the diverse religious beliefs of ancient Judaism, and of daily life during the turbulent Second Temple period when Jesus lived and preached.

Visit the Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library (off site link).

See more at: Popular Archaeology (off site link)

A Turkish-Italian team is conducting the most extensive excavations there in nearly a century, building on the work of British Museum teams that included T.E. Lawrence, the adventurer known as Lawrence of Arabia. The plan is to open the site along the Euphrates river to tourists in late 2014.

For more visit: PHYS.ORG (offsite link)

A possible Israelite (?) temple has been discovered from the 11th century BC, the time of Samuel when the Philistines returned of the Ark to Beth-Shemesh, cf. 1 Samuel 1:6.

American Friends Tel Aviv University (off site link)

"This from an email Dr. Craig Evans, the Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia University and Divinity College, sent to me [Dr. Daniel Wallace] earlier today. He said that Helmut Koester (Harvard University), Bentley Layton (Yale University), Stephen Emmel (University of Münster), and Gesine Robinson (Claremont Graduate School)–all first-rate scholars in Coptic studies–have weighed in and have found the fragment wanting. No doubt Francis Watson’s comprehensive work showing the fragment’s dependence on the Gospel of Thomas was a contributing factor for this judgment, as well as the rather odd look of the Coptic that already raised several questions as to its authenticity." -Dr. Daniel Wallace

Quoted from Dr. Wallace's Blog at: Jesus' Wife Fragment Judged A Fake

Update on 9/26/2012 around 7:30 PM EST:

Dr. Wallace has published another brief blog post that seems to indicate Harvard has changed its mind. There seem to be some conflicting reports: "After I posted the news which I received from Dr. Craig Evans that HTR was not going to publish the fragment because it had been judged to be a fake, I then got news that HTR was going to publish it. Here’s the link that gives the data": Religion News.com    

For more, visit the Israel Antiquities Authority (off site link).

Dear ABR Supporter,                                   

You are cordially invited to join us on Saturday, October 27, 2012 for the ABR Bible Archaeology and Apologetics Conference.  Dr. Robert Carter of Creation Ministries International will be our featured guest speaker! This year’s event will be held at Grace Bible Fellowship Church 1811 Old Bethlehem Pike North, Quakertown, PA 18951.

Our schedule will consist of four informative sessions, from 8:50 a.m. until 1:50 p.m., free breakfast snacks and drinks, and warm fellowship and conversation.  Costs for adults is $25 per person, children under the age of 18 are $12 each. Group rates for 8 or more people are available for churches. Please visit the Conference Page here on the ABR website for complete details and payment instructions.

Upon receipt of your registration and payment, ABR will email you directions and a local restaurant map. 

Please contact the ABR office at ABR@BibleArchaeology.org with any questions that you may have.

We are looking forward to seeing you on October 27th in Quakertown.

For His Glory,

Henry

Henry B. Smith Jr.

Director of Development

For the rest of this article, please visit The Institute for Creation Research.

For more, visit here: The Malta Independent Online and, a second article as well. (offsite links).

And, a third follow up article, summarizing the results of the protest, which includes an apology from Mr. Cornuke.

For more, visit: Biblical Archaeological Review (offsite link)

For more, visit: Israel Hayom (offsite link).

For more, visit:

Israel Antiquities Authority

According to the Vatican Insider, "this discovery is strong proof against the theory of the shroud being a medieval fake. It seems somewhat incredible (and it would be a true scientific miracle) that a medieval forger would have known what ointments and oils were used in Jewish funeral rites in the 1st century AD and that this same forger would have put together aromas and ointments in the knowledge that a few centuries later tools that had not yet been invented might reveal his work."

For more, visit: The Vatican Insider

The new dating evidence supports claims that bones found under a church floor in Bulgaria may be of the leading prophet and relative of Jesus Christ as described in the Bible.

For more, visit: University of Oxford

While sifting soil from archaeological excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting in the City of David, in the “Walls around Jerusalem National Park”, a bulla was discovered bearing the name of the city of Bethlehem, written in ancient Hebrew script.

Three lines of ancient Hebrew script appear on the bulla:

Bishvʽat בשבעת

Bat Lechem בת לים

[Lemel]ekh [למל]ך

According to Eli Shukron, director of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “it seems that in the seventh year of the reign of a king (it is unclear if the king referred to here is Hezekiah, Manasseh or Josiah), a shipment was dispatched from Bethlehem to the king in Jerusalem. The bulla we found belongs to the group of “fiscal” bullae – administrative bullae used to seal tax shipments remitted to the taxation system of the Kingdom of Judah in the late eighth and seventh centuries BCE. The tax could have been paid in the form of silver or agricultural produce such as wine or wheat”. Shukron emphasizes,” this is the first time the name Bethlehem appears outside the Bible, in an inscription from the First Temple period, which proves that Bethlehem was indeed a city in the Kingdom of Judah, and possibly also in earlier periods”.

Picture Courtesy of IAA

For more, see:

Israel Antiquities Authority Report

Fox News

Queen Hatshepsut has been identified as a strong candidate for Pharaoh's daughter, the one who pulled Moses out the Nile River as a baby. For more on this, please see this article by ABR Associate Col. David G. Hansen, PhD: Moses and Hatshepsut.

For more, visit:

The Vancouver Sun

Now, two scholars are publishing research indicating that portions of Nehemiah are actually among the scrolls.

Read more at:

http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/book-of-nehemiah-found-among-the-scrolls/

According to Prof. Garfinkel, "This is the first time that archaeologists uncovered a fortified city in Judah from the time of King David. Even in Jerusalem we do not have a clear fortified city from his period. Thus, various suggestions that completely deny the biblical tradition regarding King David and argue that he was a mythological figure, or just a leader of a small tribe, are now shown to be wrong." Garfinkel continued, "Over the years, thousands of animal bones were found, including sheep, goats and cattle, but no pigs. Now we uncovered three cultic rooms, with various cultic paraphernalia, but not even one human or animal figurine was found. This suggests that the population of Khirbet Qeiyafa observed two biblical bans - on pork and on graven images - and thus practiced a different cult than that of the Canaanites or the Philistines."

http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/the-keys-to-the-kingdom-1.360222

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early+History+-+Archaeology/Cultic_shrines_time_King_David_8-May-2012.htm

http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/artifacts-and-the-bible/breaking-news%e2%80%94evidence-of-cultic-activity-in-judah-discovered-at-khirbet-qeiyafa/

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/archaeological-find-stirs-debate-on-david-s-kingdom-1.429087

This issue of Bible and Spade is devoted in part to helping people appreciate the painstaking work of a careful, scientific approach to archaeology, using ABR’s dig at Khirbet el-Maqatir as an example. Gary Byers begins with a look back at the 2011 dig season, when progress was made in better understanding several facets of the complex history of Khirbet el-Maqatir, as well as what the dig results lead us to anticipate during the 2012 Excavation Season. In another article, Dr. Bryant Wood explains the nature and significance of an infant jar burial discovered at the site in 2009. Dr. Scott Stripling summarizes and catalogues coin discoveries at the Khirbet el-Maqatir Monastery, and how they are interpreted.

Looking beyond Khirbet el-Maqatir, the significance of city gates in the Bible is discussed by Don McNeeley, where he shows that a close reading of Scripture passages brings to light details that a superficial reading often overlooks. Finally, Gordon Franz takes us into a deep consideration of Revelation 3:14–22, showing how knowing the historical background of Laodicea and the pertinent findings of archaeology add greatly to our appreciation of the passage.

Look for Bible and Spade in your mailbox shortly! If you don't subscribe to Bible and Spade or are not an ABR member, we encourage you to sign up today!

Become a MEMBER!

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Watch the video: "What is Bible and Spade Magazine?"

Of the five defendants originally indicted in 2004, only two remained in the case: Oded Golan, an antiquities collector with one of the most important collections in Israel (he was found guilty of the minor charge of trading in antiquities without a license); and Robert Deutsch, the most prominent antiquities dealer in Israel who has also taught at Haifa University, served as a square supervisor at the archaeological excavation of Megiddo.

For more, visit:

http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/verdict-not-guilty/

http://www.timesofisrael.com/8-years-after-trial-began-verdict-expected-in-biblical-antiquities-forgery-case/

David Coppedge, a 14-year JPL veteran and team lead computer administrator on the Cassini Mission to Saturn, was demoted for lending ID-related DVDs to coworkers, behavior that one JPL complainant called "harassment," and another branded "pushing religion." After he filed suit to vindicate his free expression rights, JPL terminated Coppedge.

http://www.evolutionnews.org/2011/11/judge_sends_nas053231.html

Wallace announced his findings at UNC Chapel Hill on Feb. 1, 2012, during a debate in front of 1,000 people with skeptic Bart Ehrman, where he unveiled that seven New Testament papyri had recently been discovered – six of them he said were probably from the second century, and one of them, the Gospel of Mark, probably from the first. The records will only be published next year, however… Wallace explained that the fragment was dated by one of the world’s leading paleographers. The oldest manuscript that had Mark in it was Papyrus 45 (P45), from the early third century (c. AD 200–250). This new fragment would predate P45 by 100 to 150 years, almost certainly placing it in the first century and making it the oldest of its kind, according to the professor.

For more, see: http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnfarrell/2012/02/27/fragments-of-marks-gospel-may-date-to-1st-century/

The vessel was found in a domestic context that was dated to the Iron Age I (around 1100 B.C.). This vessel was actually excavated during the 2010 season, but remained uncleaned while awaiting for a molecular analysis of it's content (soil). When it was finally emptied during the summer of 2011, the pieces of jewelry appeared.

Read More at: https://sites.google.com/site/megiddoexpedition/additional-information/area_h_hoard

Since June 1, 2008, ABR has seen the daily number of visitors increase dramatically, about 7.5 times greater than the daily visits we received previously. Our new site has also given ABR the ability to expand our product offerings to our visitors, better promote Bible and Spade magazine and our research, and ultimately, reach many more people around the world with the message that the Bible is the trustworthy and infallible Word of God, and its Gospel message is indeed, true.

Two days ago, we reached a total of ONE MILLION visitors to the ABR website since it was launched! This is a monumental achievement for a relatively small ministry such as ours.

To all of our supporters who sacrificially gave to the ABR ministry, purchased our materials, attended our events, and most importantly, prayed for the ministry, we say:

"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU."

Sincerely in the name of our Lord,

The ABR Board, Staff and Volunteers

This is a highly important issue for the church. On this DVD, you will hear Dr. Wallace clear up much of the confusion concerning the issue of NT transmission and reliability. On the other hand, it is important to listen to Dr. Ehrman's misrepresentations, half-truths, and erroneous presuppositions in order to be equipped to refute them. Dr. Ehrman has taken his case to the public, and the church must be prepared to engage in that discussion. The NT can be trusted in its transmission and accuracy, and most importantly, its message of the glorious Gospel of God's Son.

This DVD is available through ABR only in US (NTSC) format.

Overall, seven New Testament papyri had recently been discovered—six of them probably from the second century and one of them probably from the first. These fragments will be published in about a year. These manuscripts now increase our holdings as follows: we have as many as eighteen New Testament manuscripts (all fragmentary, more or less) from the second century and one from the first. Altogether, more than 40% of all New Testament verses are found in these manuscripts. But the most interesting thing is the first-century fragment.

Read further comments from Dr. Daniel Wallace and the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts on this discovery and the discovery of a fragment from the Gospel of Mark.

http://www.csntm.org/Default.aspx

Update November 27, 2012

An update on the Romans 9-10, from Daniel Wallace at his blog: New Early Fragment of Romans (off site link).

The research will be an early Christmas present for shroud believers, but is likely to be greeted with scepticism by those who doubt that the sepia-coloured, 14ft-long cloth dates from Christ's crucifixion 2,000 years ago.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8966422/Italian-study-claims-Turin-Shroud-is-Christs-authentic-burial-robe.html

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/homepage/inquiries-and-interviews/detail/articolo/sacra-sindone-holy-shroud-sabana-santa-10738

Starting this month, friends of the ABR ministry who become Members for the first time will receive a FREE copy of the cutting edge DVD, Jericho Unearthed, prominently featuring ABR Director of Research, Dr. Bryant Wood.

There are several ways you can take advantage of this offer and support the ministry outreach and mission of ABR.

1. A Supporting Membership for only $35 per year includes four issues of Bible and Spade, and a free copy of Jericho Unearthed. A portion is tax-deductible.

2. A Sustaining Membership for only $75 per year includes four issues of Bible and Spade, a free copy of Jericho Unearthed AND an additional surprise, free gift. A portion is tax-deductible.

3. Student Memberships are available at a reduced price of $20 per year, and also receive Jericho Unearthed for free.

4. If you currently have a Bible and Spade subscription, and upgrade to one of these memberships for the first time, you will also receive Jericho Unearthed for free.

Sign up to get your free copy. Thank you for your kind and generous support of the ABR ministry!

The cartouche – or seal – never seen by the public before, is the size of the modern New Israeli Shekel coin and bears the Aramaic inscriptions “it is pure” and a two-letter abbreviation for the name of God. For more, visit:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/151057#.TvtlevlmYQ5

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/12/25/ancient-seal-found-in-jerusalem-linked-to-ritual/?test=latestnews

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/israeli-archaeologists-discover-ancient-clay-seal-in-jerusalem-suggest-link-to-temple-ritual/2011/12/25/gIQAcznyGP_story.html

Courtesy: Associated Press

Some are disputing this claim:

http://www.jewishtribune.ca/TribuneV2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5361&Itemid=53

Now is the perfect time to pick up a special gift from the ABR bookstore for a friend, family member, co-worker or sincere seeker. We have greatly expanded our bookstore offerings, and several products have been significantly reduced in price. Save twice when you order $25 or more from our Christmas Discount Pack section!

Our Christian friends at Creation Ministries International have graciously permitted us to reproduce an important analysis of a recent Pew survey that illuminates the need for a radical reorientation of priorities and strategy within western Christendom. The alarming statistics show, once again, a woeful lack of knowledge concerning the Christian faith within the Church.

ABR associate Tania Fenwick outlines the importance of the King James Bible during its 400th anniversary year, and touches upon some basic, but important, principles of New Testament textual criticism. The King James Bible has made enormous contributions to western

civilization and the church at large over the last four centuries.

Philosopher and theologian Dr. Greg Bahnsen deals with the erroneous notion that the secular scientist, given his non-Christian premises, has any rational basis to conduct his work. The triune God as revealed in the Bible is the only rational and philosophical basis for any and all human activity. All science, properly conceived, ought to be done in subordination to God’s revelation, having implications for all scientific enterprises, including archaeology.

Dr. Eugene Merrill discusses the intellectual trends that have taken place in Old Testament scholarship over the past 200 years, and their effect on western culture. Part of his purpose is to highlight archaeological discoveries that have affirmed biblical accounts and have served as a refutation of critical theories of the origin and authorship of the OT. You will find this article to be most helpful in understanding some of these issues in OT scholarship and their influence on the man on the street and in the pew.

Look for Bible and Spade in your mailbox shortly! If you don't subscribe to Bible and Spade or are not an ABR member, we encourage you to sign up today!

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Officially called NCE 156, the inscription is written in Greek and is dated to the latter half of the second century, a time when the Roman Empire was at the height of its power. An inscription is an artifact containing writing that is carved on stone. The only other written Christian remains that survive from that time period are fragments of papyri that quote part of the gospels and are written in ink. Stone inscriptions are more durable than papyri and are easier to display. NCE 156 also doesn't quote the gospels directly, instead its inscription alludes to Christian beliefs.

http://www.livescience.com/16319-earliest-christian-inscription-pagan-artifacts.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/30/scitech/main20113931.shtml

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/10/03/worlds-earliest-christian-engraving-shows-surprising-pagan-elements/?test=faces

The topic of the debate will be: Is Christianity Good for the World? The debate is scheduled to take place on Wednesday October 12th, 2011 at 7pm at The University of Pennsylvania's Irvine Auditorium (3401 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19104).

http://www.urbanchristiannews.com/ucn/2011/07/dinesh-dsouza-to-debate-american-atheist-president.html

The five Dead Sea Scrolls that have been digitized thus far include the Great Isaiah Scroll, the Community Rule Scroll, the Commentary on Habakkuk Scroll, the Temple Scroll, and the War Scroll, with search queries on Google.com sending users directly to the online scrolls. All five scrolls can be magnified so that users may examine texts in exacting detail. Details invisible to the naked eye are made visible through ultra-high resolution digital photography by photographer Ardon Bar-Hama– at 1,200 mega pixels each, these images are almost two hundred times higher in resolution than those produced by a standard camera. Each picture utilized UV-protected flash tubes with an exposure of 1/4000th of a second to minimize damage to the fragile manuscripts. In addition, the Great Isaiah Scroll may be searched by column, chapter, and verse, and is accompanied by an English translation tool and by an option for users to submit translations of verses in their own languages.

For more, visit:

http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/

On Saturday October 1, best-selling author Bart D. Ehrman and Daniel B. Wallace will debate the reliability of the text of the New Testament. Did ancient scribes 'fix' the New Testament we have today? Was Jesus misquoted? How accurate are the copies of the New Testament? For more information, visit:

http://www.friendsofcsntm.com/smudebate/

This latest issue of Bible and Spade is, once again, packed with material that will equip the Christian to defend the faith and challenge unbelief. Four main articles highlight this issue:

1. Contested Conflagration: Joshua and the Conquest of Hazor by Cambria Jones. Cambria outlines the basic archaeological, biblical and historical arguments with respect to the city of Hazor, destroyed by the Israelites during the conquest, showing that various theories concerning the dating and destruction require correction and the Bible's chronology and historical content is trustworthy.

2. Is the NT the Word of God? by Jared Compton, a PhD candidate in NT studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Jared answers four basic questions: Can we trust our translations? Can we trust the Canon? Can we trust the Apostles? Can we trust Jesus? The answer to all four is a resounding "YES"!

3. Turning the Cannons on NT Canon Criticisms by ABR Director of Development, Henry Smith. This article is the first in a series dealing with the issue of NT canon, a popular topic today. Foundational to our understanding of canon is OT structure and development, something almost totally ignored by modern day canon studies.

4. David: Man or Myth? by Mike Caba, outlines the major evidences found outside the Bible in the archaeological record that confirm the historicity of this momentous figure in the history of redemption.

Look for Bible and Spade in your mailbox shortly! If you don't subscribe to Bible and Spade or are not an ABR member, we encourage you to sign up today!

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“Question evolution!” is off to a great start. The Traditional Values Coalition (TVC), which is one of the largest non-denominational, grassroots church lobbies in America and speaks on behalf of over 43,000 churches, is promoting the campaign. With so many churches involved, there is going to be a whole lot of questioning of evolution going on! Get involved yourself and get your church involved as well—let us work together to spread the truth.

The campaign involves people empowering people to stand firm together against the evolutionary indoctrination so rampant in our schools, universities and media. You can encourage your friends to ‘Question evolution’—especially if you are a student who is being force-fed evolutionary dogma.

Visit Question Evolution to find out how you can spread the word!

Read more at the Institute for Creation Research: http://www.icr.org/article/6246/

Italian professor Francesco D'Andria said archeologists found the tomb of the biblical figure -- one of the 12 original disciples of Jesus -- while working on the ruins of a newly-unearthed church, Turkish news agency Anadolu reported.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/07/27/tomb-st-philip-apostle-discovered-in-turkey/?test=latestnews

http://www.aa.com.tr/en/tomb-of-philip-the-apostle-discovered.html

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=jesus8217-apostle8217s-tomb-unearthed-in-turkey-2011-07-27

The 2011 excavation season was recently completed at Shechem, one of the most important sites in the Old Testament. Mentioned over 60 times in the Bible, archaeological investigations have corroborated much of what the Bible has to say about Shechem’s physical and cultural aspects. Archaeology has confirmed Shechem’s location, its history, and many Biblical details. ABR has published several articles on the subject of Shechem, found here on our website.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/in-west-bank-city-of-nablus-archaeologists-uncover-biblical-ruin-1.374728

Archaeologists have discovered a rare gold bell with a small loop at its end. The finding was made during an archaeological excavation in the City of David National Park (near the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem) by the Israel Antiquities Authority (Photo Courtesy: IAA).

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/145970#.Ti1_kYJCi0d

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early+History+-+Archaeology/Gold_bell_excavations_Jerusalem_24-Jul-2011.htm

http://news.yahoo.com/tiny-2-000-old-golden-bell-found-jerusalem-145801807.html

Order your copy of Jericho: The Promise Fulfilled today!

The apostle John highlights this at the beginning of his first epistle. “That which was from the beginning,” he writes, “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. …We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard….” John is referring specifically to the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. But what he says applies equally to Samson, David and Goliath, Solomon, and the rest of the Old Testament.

http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/17471

http://headlines.verizon.com/headlines/portals/headlines.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=headlines_portal_page__article&_article=3540002

The ossuary — a stone chest used to store bones — is decorated with the stylized shapes of flowers and bears an inscription with the name “Miriam daughter of Yeshua son of Caiaphas, priest of Maaziah from Beth Imri.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/israeli-scholars-say-2000-year-old-burial-box-linked-to-bibles-high-priest-is-genuine/2011/06/29/AGOoCXqH_story.html

http://www.antiquities.org.il/article_Item_eng.asp?sec_id=25&subj_id=240&id=1849&module_id=#as

The site was excavated about 40 years ago and due to neglect and layers of earth and garbage that piled up over the decades, the historical remains were hidden and little was known about what lay below. Upon re-exposing the structure, archaeologists from the University of Haifa were amazed to find that it had remained well preserved and is in fact the best-preserved “Four-Room House” dating back to that period known today.

http://newmedia-eng.haifa.ac.il/?p=5215%3E:

He is building the ark out of Swedish pine, because some versions of the Bible describe the wood God ordered Noah to use as “resin wood”, which Huibers says is pine. “We should finish by the middle of July,” he says …

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/30/world/europe/30ark.html?_r=1

Dr. D. James Kennedy writes an article outlining some well known discoveries from the world of biblical archaeology that refute the critics and provide church goers with basic evidences that uphold the authority of Scripture. Dr. Gerhard Hasel wrote an article some years ago pertaining to the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Book of Daniel. In part, this article demonstrates that Daniel was not written in the 2nd century B.C. Along with the Nabonidus cylinder, the DSS provide us with more evidence that Daniel was written at the time the Bible records, and that the prophecy concerning Cyrus the Great was not invented by editors after the fact. Dr. Bryant Wood details the evidence concerning Assyrian inscriptions and the Kings of Israel. Mike Caba writes about "Three Kings in A Verse", found in II Kings 19:9. ABR founder, Dr. David Livingston discusses the evidence pertaining to the Israelite destruction of Jericho, and interacts particularly with the Canaanite moon god and its utter defeat by Yahweh. "Fall of the Moon City" is a must read! We hope you enjoy another content packed issue of Bible Spade, soon to be delivered to your door!

If you don't subscribe to Bible and Spade or are not an ABR member, we encourage you to sign up today!

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All US domestic orders of $50 or more of merchandise in our bookstore (before shipping and taxes) receive a FREE one year subscription to our quarterly magazine, Bible and Spade. This offer expires on 8/30/11 so place your order today.

Visit the ABR Bookstore today and place your order of $50 or more in the US to receive four issues of our cutting edge magazine for free!

*Offer applies to new subscribers only.*

ON SALE for $79.99 THROUGH 6/30/11.

The Bible and Spade CD ROM is a must for all serious students of the Bible. It contains the complete archive of Bible and Spade magazine. This archive is worth several hundred dollar$ in printed value, all yours for just $79.99. ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

The Bible and Spade CD-ROM includes the following features:

• 1. Hundreds of articles contributed by ABR staff, board, associates and other expert contributors over the past 37 years.
• 2. Complete archive of 124 issues of Bible and Spade, 1972 through 2008.
• 3. Articles are complete with pictures, drawings and maps.
• 4. Complete Bibliographical data for further research.
• 5. Page numbers are preserved in journals for ease of citation.
• 6. Complete search capability for subjects, authors, and Scripture verses.
• 7. The Libronix Digital Library System browser/search engine software is included
• 8. Expand or collapse the table of contents to display various levels of headings.
• 9. Includes a wealth of recent archaeological finds related to the Biblical texts.
• 10. Scriptures verses are tagged to jump directly to the reference in your Bible

Sorry...not MAC compatible

The authority said it suspects John Lund, a 70-year-old tour guide from Utah, sold stolen artifacts to tour groups he led in Israel. Lund was detained on Monday night (5/16/2011) at Israel's international airport as he was trying to leave the country, officials said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110518/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_antiquities

Until now, estimates of their age have varied widely. According to the British Museum, the plates could be anywhere between 300 to 2000 years old. In any event, taken together the series of 66 stone plates contain the entire Book of Ezekiel, with only a few notable variances in wording compared to today’s accepted Hebrew text. These do not change the message of the prophet to any extent, but they may provide hidden clues to Jewish scholars on certain mysteries surrounding the prophet.

http://www.jpost.com/ChristianInIsrael/Features/Article.aspx?id=218495

Editorial note: This mentions the Dead Sea Scrolls as the oldest known Hebrew text. There is actually one much older: The Silver Scrolls discovered by ABR staff member Gordon Franz at Ketef Hinnom.

*Updated 5/25/11*

We strongly suggest caution in declaring the authenticity of these books. The evidence is almost certain now that they appear to be a hoax.

http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/ver358015.shtml

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1371290/70-metal-books-Jordan-cave-change-view-Biblical-history.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12888421

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1372741/Hidden-cave-First-portrait-Jesus-1-70-ancient-books.html

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/the_tls/article7173961.ece

http://deorientation.blogspot.com/2011/04/jesus-mona-lisa-smile-update-better.html

Some good insights from Todd Bolen, friend of ABR: http://blog.bibleplaces.com/2011_04_01_archive.html

Insights from ABR supporter George Grena: http://lmlk.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/hello-helios/

Editorial note: The analysis at this link below delves into the Greek text engraved on these codices. We urge caution here as well, as this scholar believes Daniel was written during the 2nd century BC and has many other erroneous views of the Bible. His analysis on this subject, however, appears very useful:

http://danielomcclellan.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/peter-thonemann-on-the-lead-codices/

No Pass From Theological Responsibility by Dr. Albert Mohler

Excerpt: [BioLogos'] theological arguments are published in the public arena. They are not shy about making their proposals, and they call for a radical reformulation of evangelical doctrine. Their assaults upon biblical inerrancy have not been made in private conversations, but in public discourse. Their argument that the Apostle Paul was wrong to believe in an historical Adam and an historical Fall was made in public, as was their denial of common descent through Adam. They will have to take responsibility for these arguments. They should expect no less than a spirited debate over their proposals, and it is nothing short of bewildering that they now ask, in effect, for a pass from all theological scrutiny. They accuse conservative evangelicals of driving evangelicalism into an “intellectual cul-de-sac” and into the status of an intellectual “cult,” and then they have the audacity to complain of the “tone” of those who argue that their proposals amount to a theological disaster.

Bible Curriculum That is Anti-Bible? by Anne Elliot. Comments on the recent children's book published by BioLogos fellow Peter Enns.

Comments from Answers in Genesis on the Recent Removal of Ken Ham from Two Homeschool Conventions.

http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham/2011/03/15/another-compromiser-speaking-at-homeschool-conventions/

State Rep. Bill Zedler told WND today that his House Bill 2454 is a pre-emptive effort to make sure problems don't arise in Texas with established scientific communities discriminating against someone who challenges their beliefs.

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=276817

According to the Jordanian representative to UNESCO, Moawiyah Ibrahim, Israeli authorities are using archeological findings for political gains. "Israel has used Biblical texts to support their national narrative and have disregarded Arab-Islamic heritage," he said. The committee will also suggest that UNESCO gets an increased role in the old city of Jerusalem which is listed on the organizations endangered heritage sites list.

http://www.icej.org/article/islamic_scholars_prepare_to_sue_israel_over_archeology

These 20 men, who died in A.D. 256, may be the first victims of chemical warfare to leave any archeological evidence of their passing, according to a new investigation. The case is a cold one, with little physical evidence left behind beyond drawings and archaeological excavation notes from the 1930s. But a new analysis of those materials published in January in the American Journal of Archaeology finds that the soldiers likely did not die by the sword as the original excavator believed. Instead, they were gassed.

http://www.livescience.com/13113-ancient-chemical-warfare-romans-persians.html

Give a natural reason for the origin of life, as did Darwin and his successors, and the constraints of morality fall. One of his many followers was humanist Julian Huxley, secretary of the Zoological Society of London (1935-42), and the first director of UNESCO. In his Essays of a Humanist, Huxley expressed his feelings on evolution and those of many of his contemporaries and successors by writing, “The sense of spiritual relief which comes from rejecting the idea of God as a superhuman being is enormous.”

http://cnsnews.com/commentary/article/another-major-scientific-defeat-against

For more on Rainey's career, see: http://www.rollstonepigraphy.com/?p=213%3E:

Note: Dr. Rainey and ABR founder Dr. Livingston vigorously debated the location of Bethel in the 1970's. Rainey challenged David Livingston's conclusion that Bethel had been misidentified by scholars at Beitin. David concluded that Bethel should be at El-Bireh, while Dr. Rainey vigorously disagreed. David graciously showed that Dr. Rainey's conclusions were in error. We extend our sympathies to the Rainey family in this time of loss.

This issue of Bible and Spade focuses on the archaeological research and field work being conducted by ABR at Khirbet el-Maqatir, Israel, in The Search for Joshua's Ai. Henry and Birzavit Smith share their experience as diggers during the 2010 season. Dr. Bryant Wood provides readers with an overview of the work completed since ABR returned to Israel in 2009 after a nine year hiatus. We are featuring a reprint of an important article by ABR's founder, Dr. David Livingston, entitled: Locating Biblical Bethel. This important and groudbreaking research remains critical in finding the correct location of Joshua's Ai, AND refuting the critics who undermine the history of Scripture. In addition, Dr. Scott Stripling provides readers with a brief report on the excavation that took place in January 2011 of the Byzantine Monastery at Khirbet el-Maqatir.

Look for Bible and Spade in your mailbox shortly! If you don't subscribe to Bible and Spade or are not an ABR member, we encourage you to sign up today!

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Various scholars who visited the site during the excavation proposed identifying the place as the residence and tomb of the prophet Zechariah.

http://www.antiquities.org.il/about_eng.asp?Modul_id=14

At a very early period, the city of Laodicea became one of the chief seats of Christianity, and the see of a bishop. Laodicea receives passing mention in the epistle to the Colossians and is one of the seven churches of Asia mentioned in the Book of Revelation.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=ancient-church-discovered-in-western-turkey-2011-01-31

Famed for discovering King David’s palace in 2005, Dr. Eilat Mazar is a solid supporter of the Bible’s role in Israeli archaeology. “What is amazing about the Bible is that very often we see that it is very accurate and sometimes amazingly accurate."

Read more: http://www.thetrumpet.com/?q=7869.6484.0.0

The route of this channel follows that of the Tyropoeon Valley. The channel is located beneath the main paved and stepped road which traversed Jerusalem in those days. The road passed next to the Western Wall in the north and down to the Siloam Pool in the southern portion of the City of David. At no point, does the route of either the road or channel pass beneath the Temple Mount.

http://www.antiquities.org.il/about_eng.asp?Modul_id=14

The facility was unearthed by a team of archaeologists from Armenia, the United States and Ireland in the same mysterious Armenian cave complex where an ancient leather shoe was found, a discovery that was announced last summer.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110111133236.htm

Kasr al-Yehud, the probable site where John the Baptist baptized his cousin Jesus of Nazareth, will be opened to the public with a special ceremony on January 18 after 42 years as a closed military zone which pilgrims could only visit after coordinating with the Civil Administration for Judea and Samaria.

http://www.icej.org/article.php?id=10371

“It is the first and only ancient instance where we know the owner of a Greek New Testament papyrus,” writes Professor AnneMarie Luijendijk in an article recently published in the Journal of Biblical Literature. “For most early New Testament manuscripts, we do not know where they were found, let alone who had owned them.”

http://www.unreportedheritagenews.com/2011/01/flax-merchant-from-egypt-owner-of-4th.html

The ancient port of Caesarea, built some 2,000 years ago in the time of Herod, suffered dramatic damage during last week's storm, explained Israel Antiquities Authority head Shuka Dorfman during a tour a few days later. Before the rains and gale-force winds hit, Michael Karsenti, CEO of the Caesarea Development Corporation, had estimated that the area was in need of restoration and preservation that would cost some NIS 60 million. Now, after the disaster, the revised costs cannot be tallied until all the damage becomes clear.

http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/render-unto-caesarea-1.332670

Diagnosed with cancer of the throat seven months ago, in pain and unable to swallow, Jones was tended by his wife Anita during this period. Money for medical bills was scarce, as most of the money he made during his career went towards furthering his archaeological and religious pursuits in Israel. Dr. Jones was often said to be the inspiration behind the "Indiana Jones" films starring Harrison Ford, though he himself has denied it, as have the film-makers.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/141371

The obviously intended effect occurred pretty much immediately: the media and internet were set buzzing with widespread speculation as to what exactly this could mean, ranging from the prosaic to the preposterous.

It turns out it was much more prosaic than even many more circumspect commentators had speculated: they discovered evidence that a bacterial strain found on Earth was capable of metabolizing arsenic (As) and incorporating it into structural molecules of the cell...

Read more at: http://creation.com/NASA-ET-suffered-arsenic-poisoning

The Ark Encounter will include a full-scale Ark, built according to the biblical dimensions and constructed with materials and methods as close as possible to those of Noah’s time.

More than just the Ark, the project will include a large complex of associated attractions, theaters, amenities, event venues, and ample parking to properly accommodate the expected crowds.

The nine main areas of the Ark Encounter are:

• The Walled City: Along with plenty of shopping and food, guests experience Bible events through various themed venues situated on 40 acres.
• The Ark: A full-size wooden Ark.
• Noah’s Animals: Live shows with animals from around the world, and a large petting zoo.
• Children’s Play Area: A highly themed, interactive environment where kids can explore and play.
• The Tower of Babel: A 100-foot-tall themed building with exhibits and a 500-seat 5-D special effects theater.
• Journey Through History: This themed attraction takes visitors on a trip through events of the Bible, experiencing spectacular special effects.
• The First-Century Village: This attractive area presents a town as it might have appeared in the Middle East.
• Aviary: three bird sanctuaries presented in a natural setting, plus a nearby butterfly exhibit.
• Special Events Area: A venue for large gatherings; this area will also showcase some of the Leader in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building techniques used to build the Ark complex.

See more at: Ark Encounter

An anthropologist at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) has uncovered evidence suggesting that the ancient king’s splendid, copper- and gold-adorned palaces — as described in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) — may very well have existed.

http://sandiegonewsroom.com/news/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=42912:claire-harlin-writing-for-sdnewscom&catid=87:regional-news&Itemid=89

A Critique of the Claim of Noah’s Ark Ministries International of the Discovery of a Wooden Structure on Mount Ararat
by Dr. Randall Price Ph.D. and Don Patton, Ph.D.

Introduction

Noah’s Ark Ministries International (NAMI) announced that on October 2009 it had reached the remains of a large wooden structure on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey. The organization has declared 99% certainty that the structure is Noah’s Ark and has claimed Turkish academics and the local government of Ağri province support this conclusion. The location of the site has been kept a secret, but NAMI claims it has applied for it to be given the status of a World Heritage Site to protect it from possible looters. NAMI has conducted an extensive media tour in China to raise millions of dollars in funds with the stated goal of mounting a “scientific expedition” to thoroughly explore the structure.

Read the rest of the report on Randall Price's Website: http://www.worldofthebible.com/news.htm

See a TV clip with Dr. Don Batton, Price's colleague: http://www.noahs-ark.tv/

Editorial note: This report is available on Randall Price's website, a trusted scholar and friend of the ABR ministry. However, we encourage readers to prayerfully weigh the arguments of both NAMI and Dr. Price in ascertaining whether Noah's Ark has really been discovered by NAMI on Mt. Ararat. 

The two sections of mud-brick wall, which stretch for 132 meters (433 feet) in total, have been dated to the reign of Thutmose IV, the council said in an e-mailed statement. According to ancient Egyptian texts, the pharaoh built the enclosure after the Sphinx appeared to him in a dream complaining that it was being choked by sand.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-02/egyptian-archaeologists-discover-3-400-year-old-enclosure-wall-for-sphinx.html

Professor Ehud Netzer, one of Israel's most renowned archeologists, marked for his discovery of King Herod's tomb in 2007, died on Thursday after succumbing to wounds related to a recent accident at the famed archeological site.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/ehud-netzer-archeologist-who-located-herod-s-tomb-dies-at-76-1.321674

The authority of the Bible is the central focus for the Associates for Biblical Research and we stand unreservedly for the inerrancy of the Scripture.  We are witnessing all around us the compromise of those in higher education and in church leadership who name Jesus as Savior and Lord, but who feel at ease questioning the veracity of the word of God.  Somehow the approval of men has become more important for some as they seek to stay in good standing among those in the world of biblical scholarship. 

The motivation of some in pastoral and spiritual leadership to compromise may have more to do with a desire to focus on the felt-needs of those struggling through the effects of our post-modern culture (and the Fall) and seeing those concerns as more important than the “academic” debate over the authority of the Bible.  The very nature of the debilitating effects of post-modern philosophy makes taking a stand for absolute truth “uncomfortable” in the face of the powerful but delusional concept of relating to human needs over being correct in doctrine.  Stressing that anything is absolutely true and right is simply unpopular in this age of the equanimity of every viewpoint and opinion. This would explain while on the one hand they outwardly claim to believe the Bible to be the word of God but then equivocate when certain difficult questions confront them.  These difficult questions are often the ones that the staff of ABR take head on in order to assist pastors in their ministry.  We seek to give solid answers to important biblical questions and to encourage pastors to stand firmly for the authority of Scripture.

More than ever there needs to be a true revival among our Christian educators and spiritual leaders so that the transformed life that they teach and preach about can have a substantive foundation in the clear teaching of the Bible’s absolute authority.  And we need to heed the warnings of Scripture to seek only God’s approval in our ministry, and equally, to avoid submitting to the “wisdom” of the “scholars” of this age.  Truth is at stake…and the eternal well-being of souls.  We simply must return to the word of God and proclaim its absolute truthfulness and authority so that its transforming power will be unadulterated by the vacillating whims of men.  God’s presence, His true voice is in His word, and we must never water it down in order to make it acceptable to men.

Two important Scriptures come to mind:

·          “Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” 1 Corinthians 1:21-22

·         “On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.” 1 Thessalonians 2:4

Amen.  The Fall 2010 issue of Bible and Spade is packed full of material that supports the reliability of the Biblical text. Here is a sneak preview of this upcoming issue:

1. In his article, Two Ancient Sumerian Tablets Saying NO-O-O-O to Paganism, Dr. Paul Ferguson analyzes two tablets from Sumer, which demonstrate that the idea of monotheism goes back far earlier than Moses. 

2. Written by Richard D. Lanser, The Influence of the Ancient Near East on the Book of Genesis, critiques evangelical attempts to use Ancient Near Eastern literature as a primary tool in interpreting the creation account in Genesis.

3. An Army of Straw Men: Responding to Ronald Hendel is written by Henry B. Smith, Jr. This abridged version of the longer online article strongly critiques a recent article in Biblical Archaeological Review.

4. It is often claimed that the camels mentioned in the book of Genesis are erroneous anachronisms added by hypothetical redactors centuries later. ABR Associate Titus M. Kennedy addresses this problem in The Domestication of the Camel in the Ancient Near East.

5. The Great Isaiah Scroll and the Original Bible: An Interview with Dr. Peter Flint by John D. Barry

Look for Bible and Spade in your mailbox shortly! If you don't subscribe to Bible and Spade or are not an ABR member, we encourage you to sign up today!

Become a MEMBER!

Get a Subscription to Bible and Spade!

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The authority's general director, Shuka Dorfman, called the project a milestone that will enhance the field of biblical studies and people's understanding of Judaism and early Christianity. Made up of 30,000 fragments from 900 manuscripts, the Dead Sea Scrolls are considered by many historians to be one of the most important archaeological finds ever made. The ancient manuscripts, made of leather, papyrus and copper, were first discovered in 1947 by a nomadic shepherd in a cave near the Dead Sea. In the years that followed, more scroll fragments were located.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/19/digitized-dead-sea-scrolls-to-be-available-online/

http://start.toshiba.com/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CD9IUV92O0%40news.ap.org%3E

http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=41916

Israel National News is reporting that the site of Mamre near Hebron has been visited recently and may be opened soon. The site is mentioned three times in Genesis, in chapters 13, 14, and 18. This is where Abraham settled after separating from his nephew Lot, where he built an altar to God, and where God sent him three angels to inform him that his son Isaac would be born the following year. It was also here that Abraham established the first Hebrew army, for the purpose of rescuing Lot, who had been kidnapped by the Four Kings during their war against the Five Kings as described in Genesis.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/140026

The high-profile trial of two Israeli antiquities experts accused of faking a burial box containing the remains of Jesus' brother and other priceless artifacts was finally sent to the judge for a verdict after five long years. The defense ended its summing up with just two men left in the dock, bringing to an end five years of court proceedings that spanned 116 sessions, 133 witnesses, 200 exhibits and nearly 12,000 pages of witness testimony. The prosecution summation alone ran to 653 pages. The indictment leveled 44 charges of forgery, fraud and deception against Golan and 13 lesser counts against a co-defendant, antiquities dealer Robert Deutsch. The trial of Golan, Deutsch and three other defendants opened at the Jerusalem District Court in September 2005.

http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/judge-considers-verdict-in-jesus-forgery-case/19659376

Courtesy: AP

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101002/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt_antiquities

A Byzantine era Samaritan synagogue has been discovered near Bet She’an in Israel. Inside the synagogue, a Greek inscription in a colorful floor mosaic has been found which reads, “This is the Temple.”

http://www.antiquities.org.il/about_eng.asp?Modul_id=14

Courtesy: Israel Antiquities Authority

A “royal box” built at the upper level of King Herod's private theater at Herodium has been fully exposed in recent excavations at the site, providing a further indication of the luxurious lifestyle favored by the famed Judean monarch.

http://www.huji.ac.il/cgi-bin/dovrut/dovrut_search_eng.pl?mesge128462389632688760

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/photogalleries/101013-king-herod-royal-theater-box-vip-science-pictures/?now=2010-10-13-00:01#/king-herods-theater-box-window_27464_600x450.jpg

The British Museum said it will lend Iran the Cyrus Cylinder for a period of four months, allowing the treasure to be featured in an exhibition opening Sept. 12 at the National Museum of Iran. Together with two fragments of contemporary Cuneiform tablets, it will be the centrepiece of an exhibition that celebrates a great moment in the history of the Middle East. The loan reciprocates the generous loans made by the National Museum of Iran to the Forgotten Empire and Shah Abbas exhibitions in 2005 and 2009 at the British Museum.

http://www.cais-soas.com/news/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=141:the-british-museum-justifies-the-loaning-of-the-cyrus-the-great-cylinder-to-the-islamic-republic&catid=44

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-10/british-museum-to-lend-disputed-ancient-artifact-to-iran-for-four-months.html

For more on the Cyrus Cylinder, see this article by Dr. Bryant Wood:

The Ongoing Saga of the Cyrus Cylinder: The Internationally-Famous Grandam of Ancient Texts

Archaeologists recently unveiled what they described as one of the most important Iron Age discoveries in the region, including a 3,000-year-old Moabite temple.Department of Antiquities (DoA) Director General Ziad Saad announced the recent discovery of the largest early Iron Age temple in the region, dating back to between 1200 and 600 BC. The three-storey temple, which includes a 12-by-12-metre courtyard, yielded over 300 Moabite artefacts, leading experts to believe it was once a political and religious base for the Moabite kingdom.

http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=29730

In the next few days, the Summer 2010 issue of Bible and Spade will be shipped out to our members and subscribers all around the world. This issue of Bible and Spade presents a panorama of topics related to the New Testament. Brian Janeway explores the various sites in and around Damascus from the life of the Apostle Paul, as described in the book of Acts. He helps us connect the historical accounts of Paul’s life with locations in modern Damascus. Gordon Franz and Ernie McGinnis explain the mystery behind miniature metal skeletons and their relationship to Epicurean philosophy and the writings of the Apostle Paul. We gain fascinating insights to the biblical (Isaiah 22:13) and common expression, “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” David Hansen provides an excellent overview of the Sea of Galilee, explaining many fascinating details, especially in regards to Jesus’ ministry. Included in this issue is Part 2 of David Graves’ insightful article entitled, Jesus Speaks to Seven of His Churches. As we read these articles the New Testament comes to life, as the archaeological and geographical research presented elucidates the Scriptures, providing clear evidence that the biblical accounts are true in all their details.

Look for Bible and Spade in your mailbox shortly! If you don't subscribe to Bible and Spade or are not an ABR member, we encourage you to sign up today!

Become a MEMBER!

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Spectacular 2,000-year-old Hellenistic-style wall paintings have been revealed at the world heritage site of Petra through the expertise of British conservation specialists. The paintings, in a cave complex, had been obscured by centuries of black soot, smoke and greasy substances, as well as graffiti.

Experts from the Courtauld Institute in London have now removed the black grime, uncovering paintings whose "exceptional" artistic quality and sheer beauty are said to be superior even to some of the better Roman paintings at Herculaneum that were inspired by Hellenistic art.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/aug/22/hellenistic-wall-paintings-petra

Two fossilised horse bones with cuneiform inscriptions have been found in China, carved with extracts from the Cyrus Cylinder. They were initially dismissed as fakes because of the improbability of ancient Persian texts turning up in Beijing. But following new research, British Museum (BM) specialist Irving Finkel is now convinced of their authenticity.

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Extracts-of-Cyrus-Cylinder-found-in-China_/21147

http://www.mehrnews.com/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=1130332

Archaeologists have uncovered a Philistine temple and evidence of a major earthquake in biblical times, during digs carried out at the Tel Tzafit National Park near Kiryat Gat. The site is home to the Philistine city of Gath, the home of the ancient warrior Goliath.

http://www.jpost.com/Features/InThespotlight/Article.aspx?id=182962

For the first time in Israel, a document has been uncovered containing a law code that parallels portions of the famous Code of Hammurabi. The code is written on fragments of a cuneiform tablet, dating from the 18th-17th centuries B.C. in the Middle Bronze Age, that were found in Hebrew University of Jerusalem archaeological excavations this summer at Hazor, south of Kiryat Shmonah, in northern Israel.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/138788

ABR has had the distinct pleasure of participating in the Hazor excavations in recent years. Small ABR tour groups were sent to excavate in the mid 2000's, ABR Director of Development Henry Smith excavated in Hazor in 2007, and ABR Associate Titus Kennedy has been involved in the Hazor Excavations for several seasons. ABR staff archaeologist Gordon Franz has been at Hazor for several seasons as well.

The pictures in this slideshow are the property of the Associates for Biblical Research. They are free for use in private, non-profit educational forums and for media relations. Any other use is strictly prohibited without express written consent of the Associates for Biblical Research, copyright 2010.

The Search for Joshua's Ai Pictures for Media

Excavations in Upper Egypt's Ehnasia archaeological area in Beni-Sueif recently uncovered the remains of a 3,000 year old temple dating from the reign of ancient Egyptian pharaoh Rameses II.

http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/CultureAndMedia/?id=3.1.689161461

The Garima Gospels are one of the Christian world's oldest and most exquisite treasures. Until recently, scholars had always assumed that the two 10-inch-thick volumes, which are written on goat skin and brightly illustrated, dated back to the early 11th century. But recent carbon-testing may show what the monks believed all along: the books are among the oldest gospels in existence. C-14 dating has put the creation of the two books to somewhere between 330 and 650, making them a close contender to being the most ancient complete Christian texts. The only major collection of scripture that is known to be older is the Codex Sinaiticus, a copy of the Bible hand-written in Greek which dates back to the third century.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/unearthed-the-ancient-texts-that-tell-story-of-christianity-2019188.html

Editorial note: Carbon 14 dating is not as infallible as this article, and most secularists assume. There are always unprovable assumptions built into dating items in the past. However, if the particular assumptions built into the dating of these MSS are correct, there may be warrant for redating these MSS. The historical tradition connected to these MSS seems to corroborate the C-14 test in this instance.

A tiny clay fragment – dating from the 14th century B.C. – that was found in excavations outside Jerusalem’s Old City walls contains the oldest written document ever found in Jerusalem, say researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The find, believed to be part of a tablet from royal archives, further testifies to the importance of Jerusalem as a major city in the Late Bronze Age, long before its conquest by King David.

The clay fragment was uncovered recently during sifting of fill excavated from beneath a 10th century B.C. tower dating from the period of King Solomon in the Ophel area, located between the southern wall of the Old City of Jerusalem and the City of David to its south. Details of the discovery appear in the current issue of the Israel Exploration Journal.

Dr. Eilat Mazar says this new discovery, providing solid evidence of the importance of Jerusalem during the Late Bronze Age (the second half of the second century B.C.), acts as a counterpoint to some who have used the lack of substantial archeological findings from that period until now to argue that Jerusalem was not a major center during that period. It also lends weight to the importance that accrued to the city in later times, leading up to its conquest by King David in the 10th century B.C., she said.

The tiny clay fragment – dating from the 14th century B.C.E. – found by Hebrew University archaeologists in excavations outside Jerusalem’s Old City walls contains the oldest written document ever found in Jerusalem. (Photo: Sasson Tiram)

http://www.huji.ac.il/cgi-bin/dovrut/dovrut_search_eng.pl?mesge127893731332688760

The Mamertine Prison, a dingy complex of cells which now lies beneath a Renaissance church, has long been venerated as the place where the apostle was shackled before he was killed on the spot on which the Vatican now stands. It been a place of Christian worship since medieval times, but after months of excavations, Italian archaeologists have found frescoes and other evidence which indicate that it was associated with St Peter as early as the 7th century.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/7852507/Archeologists-find-evidence-of-St-Peters-prison.html

The militant God-hater, Christopher Hitchens, has been diagnosed with throat cancer, Fox News is reporting. Hitchens is well known for his hatred of God and the Christian faith. Despite his irrational anti-theism, we admonish all followers of Christ who read this post to pray that the sovereign Spirit of God convict him that his worldview is entirely false, he has sinned against a just and holy God, and that he repent and receive Jesus Christ as God and Savior. It is not our place as Christians to say the specific reasons why Mr. Hitchens has contracted this disease. We only know that God often uses illness as a means to bring people to repentance and faith. We can only hope Mr. Hitchens responds.

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/07/01/author-journalist-christopher-hitchens-diagnosed-throat-cancer/?test=faces#content

A newfound painting of the Apostle John is among the oldest known depictions of some of the original 12 Christian Apostles, experts say.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/photogalleries/100624-oldest-apostle-christian-icon-religion-pictures/#oldest-apostle-icons-found-lasers-john_22289_600x450.jpg

The Christian partnership between The Associates for Biblical Research and Sourceflix is critical to the mission of ABR. Joel Kramer, Director of Sourceflix, and his team are working tirelessly in Israel. They are producing Biblically sound, cutting edge, and powerful video material to demonstrate the historical reliability of the Bible, and to launch devastating refutations against skeptical and archaeological arguments that undermine the Bible.

Joel is an enormously dedicated friend of this ministry. He has freely donated hundreds of hours of his time to help ABR operate our excavation in Israel, has provided ABR with excellent video material to uphold the authority and inerrancy of Scripture, and continues to work tirelessly to fulfill the call God has placed on his life, the life of his family, and the Sourceflix ministry. Without his generous efforts to assist ABR, the challenges involved in running our excavation at Khirbet el-Maqatir would be much more difficult.

ABR rarely, if ever, admonishes our supporters to give financial assistance to other ministries. We believe very strongly in the ministry of Sourceflix and its mission. Their friendship is critical to ABR's work.

Joel and his team need your help. And by helping them, you are also supporting the ministry of ABR to continue defending the Bible through archaeological and Biblical research. Donate to Sourceflix today!

Claremont Seminary was founded in 1885 as a Methodist seminary. In the 20th century it followed most other Mainline Protestant seminaries into theological liberalism, which morphed into radicalism in the 1960s. The devastating results of compromise with modernist, relativist thinking can be seen in this seminary's recent decision. Although most Christians who hold to any semblance of orthodoxy would find this decision to be woeful, this is merely the logical and natural result once the authority, inerrancy, infallibility and veracity of Scripture are abondoned for post-modern dogma. The roots causes can most often be traced to the blind acceptance of Darwinism and various versions of the JEDP hypothesis.

http://spectator.org/archives/2010/06/18/seminary-smorgasbord

We have posted a slideshow of pictures and captions on the ABR Facebook Fanpage from the recent trip to Israel in Search of Joshua's Ai.

Click here to visit the slideshow!

At present, there is considerable confusion mingled with curiosity on the announcement, by a team from Hong Kong now known as Noah’s Ark Ministries International (NAMI), of their discovery of wooden constructions under the ice 4,200 m (14,000 feet) up on greater Mt Ararat. Press conferences have been held, involving Turkish government representatives and academics, which have presented the finds in a way which indicates the belief of both NAMI and the Turkish officials that this is highly likely to be the remains of Noah’s Ark.

At the same time, rumours of a staged hoax, giving significant detail, are circulating strongly...

http://creation.com/noahs-ark-or-what

The Search for Joshua's Ai recently resumed on May 19, 2010. Several travelers embarked on an optional tour in the Holy Land prior to the beginning of our 2010 excavation season at Khirbet el-Maqatir.

The location of Joshua's Ai has been a matter of mystery and controversy since the beginnings of archaeological research in Palestine. Most archaeologists locate Joshua's Ai at et-Tell, .6 miles east of our site. At et-Tell there is no indication of occupation at the time of Joshua. This has led scholars to doubt the historicity of the account of the capture of Ai, and the Conquest in general. This excavation is being conducted under the direction of ABR Director of Research, Dr. Bryant Wood. Topography, fortifications, and pottery finds all suggest that Kh. el-Maqatir is a candidate for the Ai of Joshua 7-8.

To find the true site where the Biblical event took place would be a very significant and important discovery, having far-reaching implications for a correct understanding of the early history of Israel. Excavations at Khirbet el-Maqatir began in 1995. Thus far, the city gate and wall system have been revealed. In 2010, we hope to continue to excavate these features as we uncover the plan of this 15th century BC Canaanite fortress.

ABR excavated at Khirbet el-Maqatir from 1995 to 2000. Since then, ABR returned in 2009 and this season and continued our original research and excavation work in Israel.

Enjoy these photos from our Tour in Israel!

Sunset on the Mediterranean Sea at the hotel in Netanya, where the ABR group spent their first night in Israel.

At Caesarea, at the famous hippodrome. It was here that Cornelius the Centurion received a message from an angel of the Lord, and went to Joppa to bring Peter to Caesarea (Acts 10:1-48).

The Roman Aqueduct of Caesarea. The Aqueduct brought running water to the old city of Caesarea, along a raised aqueduct. The source of the water was the springs of Shummi, 10KM away. Herod build the aqueduct in the 1st Century BC. Later, in the 2nd Century AD, it was expanded by the Romans.

At the Canaanite gates at Megiddo. During the Israelite conquest of Canaan, Joshua defeated and killed the King of Megiddo (Joshua 12:21).

The gates built by Solomon at Megiddo. "Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the LORD’S temple, his own palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer." (I Kings 9:25).

The ABR Group descends the water shaft system at Megiddo. This system was created to allow the city direct access to the spring and remain within the safety of its fortified walls.

The ABR Group overlooking the Sea of Galilee.

Dr. Price's involvement with the search for Noah's Ark begin with the Noah's Ark Ministries International (NAMI) Chinese team in early 2008, it continued with them in the summer of 2008 until serious issues with their Kurdish guide brought about a decision to participate in a different search opportunity with Richard Bright of Ark Search LLC who was there at the same time. Dr. Price climbed Mt. Ararat with Ark Search LLC in the Fall of 2008 and again in the summer of 2009, spending nearly a month at the summit of Mt. Ararat searching for Noah's Ark...

http://www.worldofthebible.com/news.htm

There can be little doubt that King David had a palace. The Bible tells us that Hiram of Tyre (who would later help King Solomon build the Temple) constructed the palace for David: “King Hiram of Tyre sent envoys to David, with cedar logs, carpenters and stonemasons; and they built a palace for David” (2 Samuel 5:11). The Biblical narrative, I submit, better explains the archaeology we have uncovered than any other hypothesis that has been put forward. Indeed, the archaeological remains square perfectly with the Biblical description that tells us David went down from there to the citadel.

http://www.bib-arch.org/e-features/king-davids-palace.asp

The elaborate burial tomb of an ancient royal scribe has been unearthed near Ismailia, 75 miles east of Cairo. Dating to the 19th Dynasty B.C (1315-1201 BC), the burial is the first ever Ramesside-period tomb uncovered in Lower Egypt, Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said recently.

http://news.discovery.com/archaeology/tomb-of-ken-amun-royal-court-official-unearthed-in-egypt.html

On March 24, the theistic evolution organization BioLogos posted a short video featuring the widely respected Old Testament scholar Dr. Bruce Waltke. Waltke clearly stated his belief that evolution was compatible with Christianity, and if Christians would not endorse what he called “science,” the Christian church would become a cult. This unleashed a controversy that was to result in Waltke resigning from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida, and also in BioLogos (at the request of Dr. Waltke) pulling the video from its website about a week after the initial posting.

The following is a commentary on this news item by Dr. Terry Mortenson of Answers in Genesis, who holds a Masters of Divinity degree and a PhD in the history of geology (from the Coventry University in England); he can thus speak to both the theological and scientific aspects of such controversies.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2010/04/15/seminary-prof-resigns-pro-evolution

A cache of cuneiform tablets unearthed by a team led by a University of Toronto archeologist has been found to contain a largely intact Assyrian treaty from the early 7th century BC.

http://www.news.utoronto.ca/humanities/u-of-t-researchers-shed-light-on-ancient-assyrian-tablets.html

A current study, known as the Future of Babylon project, documents the damage from water mainly associated with the Euphrates River and irrigation systems nearby. The ground is saturated just below the surface at sites of the Ishtar Gate and the long-gone Hanging Gardens, one of the seven wonders. Bricks are crumbling, temples collapsing. The Tower of Babel, long since reduced to rubble, is surrounded by standing water.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/science/23babylon.html?scp=2&sq=burnham&st=cse

ABR Temple Mount Sifting Project veteran and volunteer Greg Gulbrandsen manned an ABR booth at the Kilns Apologetics conference in Oregon. Here is his report, with pictures:

Up to 600 people attended the Second Apologetics Conference in Bend, Oregon on February 19 and 20th. This year's speakers included such apologetic luminaries as Dr. Craig Blomberg, Daniel B. Wallace, Dr. Craig Hazen, and Michael Caba. The conference was held at Westside Church in Bend, OR. Two of the top New Testament scholars in the country, Dr. Craig Blomberg and Dr. Daniel Wallace, were the main speakers. Craig Hazen and Mike Caba covered several of the breakout sessions. The topic was the reliability of the New Testament and covered such matters as the historical reliability of the Bible, the accuracy of the manuscript copies, archaeology, science, cults and more.

Many folks stopped by the ABR table and snapped up copies of Bible and Spade, information on upcoming ABR events, and inquired about archaeological-centered apologetics.---Greg Gulbrandsen

Kudos to Greg for his service to the Kingdom of Christ and his commitment to the ABR ministry!

Two years of DNA testing and CAT scans on 16 royal mummies conducted by Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities gave the firmest evidence to date that an unidentified mummy - known as KV55, after the number of the tomb where it was found in 1907 in Egypt's Valley of the Kings - is Akhenaten's.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20100311/D9ECLFKO0.html

February 24, 2010, we reported that Eilat Mazar publicly announced that a wall uncovered in Jerusalem should be dated to the time of Solomon. Since then, some of our Christian brethren have critiqued this claim, and are urging some caution in jumping to conclusions of certainty concerning the date. Please see these links from Todd Bolen and Leen Ritmeyer for further background, positive critique and examination.

http://www.ritmeyer.com/2010/02/22/first-temple-period-wall-found-in-jerusalem/

http://blog.bibleplaces.com/2010/03/dating-of-mazars-wall.html

http://blog.bibleplaces.com/2010/02/eilat-mazars-1980s-excavations-and.html

http://blog.bibleplaces.com/2010/02/previous-publication-of-mazars.html

http://blog.bibleplaces.com/2010/02/follow-up-on-mazars-iron-age-buildings.html

From the February 24, 2010 ABR Website:

Israeli archaeologist Eilat Mazar said Monday that ancient fortifications recently excavated in Jerusalem date back 3,000 years to the time of King Solomon and support the biblical narrative about the era. Others dispute her dates. Hopefully, a solid answer will be revealed in time.

Commentary from Chuck Colson: http://www.breakpoint.org/commentaries/14721-record-of-reality

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20100222/ML.Israel.Ancient.Wall/

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100222094757.htm

http://www.huji.ac.il/cgi-bin/dovrut/dovrut_search_eng.pl?mesge126691593732688760

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Israel+beyond+politics/Jerusalem_wall_10th_century_BCE_22-Feb-2010.htm

The South Australian Non-Government Schools Registration Board seeks “to effectively ban the teaching of creationism.” In short, even teaching the evidence for evolution fully and fairly would not be enough to qualify for registration if a school decided to also permit its students to be exposed to even the possibility that the Bible’s account of creation might be true. Nor would they be allowed to tell them that this is supported by highly qualified scientists who have repeatedly shown that the same evidence that is interpreted to support evolution makes, overall, even more scientific sense when one starts with the proposition of the Bible’s truth.

Nor could science teachers in schools under the South Australian restrictions even use the controversy to teach their students in science classes critical thinking skills. They could not use the debate to explain to students how science works in relation to the past, and how two ways of looking at the world each try to make sense of the evidence within their framework.

http://creation.com/australian-christian-schools-in-creationism-row

Two pieces of a seventh-century manuscript of the “Song of the Sea” (Exodus 15) have been united and are on display in Israel’s National Museum. Separated across centuries and continents, they were reunited for the first time in a joint display recently, thanks to an accidental discovery that is helping illuminate a silent period in the history of the Hebrew Bible.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/26/AR2010022601183.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,587469,00.html?test=latestnews

The British Library’s case for ownership of the disputed Codex Sinaiticus has been strengthened by the discovery of a key document in the archives of the Russian foreign ministry. It is an agreement signed by the Archbishop of Sinai and a Tsarist official in 1869, transferring ownership of the earliest known text of the Bible, dating from around 350AD.

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Key-document-on-Codex-Sinaiticus-discovered/20216

More than two million of the faithful, undecided or merely curious are expected to converge on Turin Cathedral, when the most famous religious relic in the world goes on display for only the sixth time in 100 years.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/turin-shroud-expected-to-attract-two-million-visitors-1904039.html

Professor Donald Wiseman, who died on February 2 at the age of 91, was an archaeologist and Assyriologist whose profound evangelical Christian convictions led him to study the connections between archaeological discoveries and the Old Testament. His experience and knowledge marked Donald as a major contributor to, and Editor of, the New Bible Dictionary (1962, 1982, 1996) and The Illustrated Bible Dictionary (1980). For many years he was Editor for Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries and gave his skills to a variety of other Christian publications. Deeply involved in Tyndale House, Wiseman opposed widely taught liberal views about Scripture.

His vision was well expressed by John Stott in 1992, 'We shall never capture the church for the truth of the gospel unless and until we can re-establish biblical scholarship, hold (and not lose) the best theological minds in every generation, and overthrow the enemies of the gospel by confronting them at their own level of scholarship' (Quoted by Tom Noble, Tyndale House and Fellowship, 239).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/religion-obituaries/7252002/Professor-Donald-Wiseman.html

Baghdad's struggling government has had greater priorities than funding large-scale digs at Ur - the birth place of Abraham and one of the cradles of civilisation - where only small teams have been working since 2005. In time, it is hoped that will change...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/7270478/Unearthing-the-splendour-of-Ur-in-Iraq.html

King Tut may be seen as the golden boy of ancient Egypt today, but during his reign, Tutankhamun wasn't exactly a strapping sun god. Instead, a new DNA study says, King Tut was a frail pharaoh, beset by malaria and a bone disorder—his health possibly compromised by his newly discovered incestuous origins.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100216-king-tut-malaria-bones-inbred-tutankhamun/

Archaeological excavation in the heart of the Old City confirms the description on the Madaba Map and reveals Jerusalem's main road from the Byzantine period for the first time.

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Israel+beyond+politics/Main-road-from-the-Byzantine-period-exposed-10-Feb-2010.htm?DisplayMode=print%3e:

King David's Tomb complex and Last Supper Room on Mount Zion are important religious, historical sites, which draw hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Despite this, site was neglected for many years, but has recently been restored.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3830412,00.html

New data collected by secular researchers has confirmed what creation scientists discovered decades ago—geologists’ assumptions about radioactive decay are not always correct. For a century, the radioactive decay of unstable elements into more stable ones has been used as a natural clock to estimate the age of earth materials. Even the solar system has been dated using one of these systems, by measuring the amount of a decaying element and comparing it to the amount of its stable (decayed) daughter material in meteorites. However, a recent analysis using state-of-the-art equipment found that a basic assumption underlying one of these clock systems needs to be re-evaluated.

http://www.icr.org/article/5161/

John Turtle Wood left England for the Aegean coast of Ottoman Turkey in 1858 as an architect, not an archaeologist. His brief was prosaic -- to design stations on a new railway line between the port of Smyrna (now İzmir) and Denizli. To the Turks, however, the railway was a matter of pride, visible proof that the Ottoman Empire was modernizing and able to keep up with Europe. Indeed, in 1863 the sultan himself twice came to see the work in progress, even visiting the site of Ephesus using the new railway. In the same year, Wood, who had become less interested in railway stations and more and more obsessed with uncovering the remains of Ephesus, managed to secure both the financial backing (albeit limited) of the British Museum and permission from the Ottoman authorities to begin digging at the site -- and export any antiquities he discovered.

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-198967-116-digging-up-turkeys-past-unearthing-ephesus-with-john-turtle-wood.html

Shortly, the Fall 2009 issue of Bible and Spade will be available to our members and subscribers. This issue contains articles from our Associates, friends who have faithfully volunteered their time and scholarship to the advancement of the Kingdom of God and the ABR ministry.

Benjamin Felker attends Wheaton College and has written two articles: one regarding the James Ossuary and the other about his exciting experience participating in the excavations at Ashkelon, an important Biblical site. Another ABR Associate, Jared Compton, is in the Ph.D. program at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has written a well-researched article on the Historical Validity of the Resurrection. Another article by long time ABR friend, Dr. Clyde Billington, reviews a book about the history of the writing and transmission of the Bible. It is a powerful and useful critique! You will find this issue to be an excellent apologetic tool and personally edifying.

Look for Bible and Spade in your mailbox shortly!

If you don't subscribe to Bible and Spade or are not an ABR member, we encourage you to sign up today!

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The Associates for Biblical Research will have a table at the 2nd Annual Kilns Apologetics Conference coming up on February 19 & 20, 2010. We are looking forward to two great days with three excellent speakers lined up for this event, including Dr. Craig Blomberg and Dr. Daniel Wallace, two of the top New Testament scholars in the country, and Craig Hazen, who is joining the conference for several of the breakout sessions. This year’s central theme will focus on the authority of the New Testament and the historical reliability of the Bible. The conference is sponsored by Antioch Church and Kilns College. For more information about the conference, please visit:

www.kilnscollege.org/conference

Young-earth creationists rightly consider that Neanderthals were human, but are divided on various issues, mainly because of the opposing views of Jack Cuozzo, author of Buried Alive! and Marvin Lubenow, author of Bones of Contention. These differences include Neanderthal lifespan, causes of the Neanderthal distinctive morphology, why the Neanderthals disappeared, length of Neanderthal children’s maturation time, whether we can place Neanderthals in biblical history, and the related issue of whether Homo erectus was human. In addition, Neanderthals are implicated in matters that include the Babel dispersion, earth’s breakup, DNA, patterns of world population, the Ice Age, archaeology, and historical timeline.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/arj/v3/n1/neanderthals

The ABR study tour group has arrived safely in Israel and are now enjoying the wonders of Israel and Jerusalem. They will be participating in the Temple Mount Sifting Project for the next couple of weeks. Comments on the trip will be posted here in the near future. Please pray for our group!

The lesson here is clear: when the evolutionists throw up some new challenge to the Bible’s timeline, don’t fret over it. Sooner or later that supposed evidence will be turned on its head and will even be added to this list of evidences for a younger age of the earth. On the other hand, some of the evidences listed here might turn out to be ill-founded with further research and will need to be modified. Such is the nature of science, especially historical science, because we cannot do experiments on past events...

http://creation.com/age-of-the-earth

According to newly translated instructions inscribed in ancient Babylon on a clay tablet telling the story of the ark, the vessel that saved one virtuous man, his family and the animals from God's watery wrath was not the pointy-prowed craft of popular imagination but rather a giant circular reed raft.

http://www.theage.com.au/world/ancient-tablet-giving-new-shape-to-the-story-of-noahs-ark-20100102-lmii.html

Editorial note from ABR: The proliferation of Flood accounts all across the world is powerful and irrefutable evidence of an actual historical event, which is infallibly and accurately recorded in the Bible. The description of Noah's Ark on this tablet is clearly inaccurate, but it does reflect a basic historicity of the event.

The building that we found is small and modest and it is most likely typical of the dwellings in Nazareth in that period. From the few written sources that there are, we know that in the first century CE Nazareth was a small Jewish village, located inside a valley. Until now a number of tombs from the time of Jesus were found in Nazareth; however, no settlement remains have been discovered that are attributed to this period”.

For the Very First Time: A Residential Building from the Time of Jesus was Exposed in the Heart of Nazareth (offsite link)

A review of the history of paleoanthropology leads to the conclusion that the discipline is far less objective than that for physics, chemistry, or even biology. The field is rife with controversy and fraud, including outright faking. Classic examples include Piltdown man and Hesperopithecus, but many other less well-known examples exist that are reviewed in this paper. Several well-documented examples are cited in some detail to illustrate the types of problems encountered, and the results of fraud in paleoanthropology.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/arj/v2/n1/controversy-in-anthropology

Researchers said Wednesday for the first time they have found what they believe to be pieces of a burial shroud from the time of Jesus. The find is of importance because tests on the shroud and the body it wrapped revealed the earliest proven case of leprosy in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Gibson, the excavation director, said the remains of the man covered in the cloth consisted of different wrappings for the body and the head, which was consistent with burial practices of the era. He also said research had shown that the weave of the cloth was a simple one, much different from the more complex  Shroud of Turin's.

The first of their kind discovered in Jerusalem, the shroud fragments date from the same time of Christ's death, but are very different than the Shroud of Turin. One of the most controversial relics in Christendom, the Turin linen features an intricate twill weave. The newly found cloth is made up of a simpler two-way weave.

http://www.cnn.com/...ancient.shroud/index.html

http://news.discovery.com/archaeology...doubt-on-turin-shroud.html

http://www.haaretz.com.../1135491.html

http://www.huji.ac.il/cgi-bin/dovrut/dovrut_search_eng.pl?mesge126140517732688760

Egypt is preparing to make a formal request for the return of the Rosetta Stone, the ancient artefact that helped to unlock the secrets of the pharaohs, from the British Museum. Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, said he is preparing to "fight" for the restitution of the stone which has been on display in the museum in London since 1802.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/....ece

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The muscle and blood found in a salamander fossil are the latest soft-tissue evidence in a long line of similar discoveries. Earlier, these flexible branching structures in T. rex bone have justifiably been identified as blood vessels, while microscopic structures squeezed out of the blood vessels look distinctly like cells, as evolutionary researchers themselves have admitted. Soft-tissue evidence such as muscle, blood and cells should not be there if the fossils really are millions of years old.

http://creation.com/muscle-and-blood-in-fossil

The downturn in the economy has hit the fields of Biblical archaeology and ancient Near Eastern studies particularly hard. Even in the best of times, it is difficult to find a permanent job in these fields. The number of new Ph.D.s entering the job market every year almost always surpasses the number of available positions in universities, museums or antiquities departments.

http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=35&Issue=6&ArticleID=18

A new analysis says that a skeleton of the most complete fossil primate ever found, unveiled May 19 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, is actually as far removed from the monkey-ape-human ancestry as a primate can be...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33416595/ns/technology_and_science-science/?gt1=43001

The papers and news sites are full of claims about what some still think is a “new” candidate for an evolutionary ancestor of humans. Called Ardipithecus ramidus (often just “Ardi”), most of the articles actually explain that it’s really a detailed reanalysis of a fossil category that’s been around for years...

http://creation.com/ardipithecus-again

In Not a Chimp: The hunt to find the genes that make us human, which was reviewed in New Scientist magazine, evolutionist Jeremy Taylor investigated not only the genetic distinctions between humans and apes, but also the behavioral, neurological, and other scientific findings that together led him to conclude that a view that “chimps are practically human” based on their “98.4%” genetic similarity is “nonsense.”

http://www.icr.org/article/4962/

The Israel Antiquities Authority researchers have re-exposed a stretch of road in Jerusalem dating to the Second Temple period that is believed to have been used by pilgrims on their ascent to the Temple. Existence of the 40-meter segment of road, cleared over the past few months to open it to visitors, has been known of for more than a century.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=1114352

It didn't look like much at first, just a broken, mud-caked stone mug. But when archaeologists in Jerusalem cleaned the 2,000-year-old vessel, they discovered ten lines of mysterious script. "These were common stone mugs that appear in all Jewish households" of the time, said lead excavator Shimon Gibson of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. "But this is the first time an inscription has been found on a stone vessel" of this type.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/09/090909-code-biblical-cup.html

Many of the world's top archaeological experts have testified as both prosecution and defense witnesses in proceedings that already run to more than 9,000 pages. And while the original charges against the ossuary appear to have been popularly accepted as conventional wisdom, they seem to be headed for trouble in the courtroom where the fine reading of law comes into play.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1920720,00.html

A British-based academic has uncovered a fragment of the world's oldest Bible hiding underneath the binding of an 18th-century book. Nikolas Sarris spotted a previously unseen section of the Codex Sinaiticus, which dates from about AD350, as he was trawling through photographs of manuscripts in the library of St Catherine's Monastery in Egypt.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/fragment-from-worlds-oldest-bible-found-hidden-in-egyptian-monastery-1780274.html

A huge fortification more than 3,700 years old, which is ascribed to the Canaanites (Middle Bronze Age 2), was uncovered in archaeological excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is currently conducting in the “Walls Around Jerusalem National Park” in the City of David.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/09/04/israel.wall.discovered/index.html

The following link is an Exposé of Jimmy Barfield and the Copper Scroll Project. While ABR would not fully agree with the full tone and every point made in this article (some folks would lump ABR into the blindly religious and unscientific category for our convictions about the Bible being the very Word of God), we feel that this article is very instructive for the Christian community. There is a troubling tendency within the Church to accept the sensationalist claims of these tabloid pseudo-archaeologists, who are untrained in the field and have not adequately researched the biblical and archaeological data pertinent to their claims.

Extrabiblical historical and archaeological data should be meticulously researched before it is touted as support for the Bible. As Paul instructed the Thessalonians: "Test everything. Hold onto the good." (I Thess. 5:31). We have enough trouble making our case with sound scholarship, the parade examples being emotional and unscientific reactions to our research pertaining to Jericho and Ai. We don't need our brethren making the situation more difficult by trying to "prove" the Bible with unsubstantiated "evidences." They are unnecessary and ultimately damaging. http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/cargill2_08261.shtml

Recommended Resource:

Holy Relics or Revelation: Examining the Claims of Ron Wyatt Biblical archaeologists have gathered archaeological data with painstaking effort and scholarship. Their work validates the accuracy of the Bible. Yet mostly within a single decade, Ron Wyatt sought out and claimed the most amazing biblical sites and relics. The sensational discoveries claimed by Wyatt number nearly 100 and include such things as the Ark of the Covenant, anchor stones from Noah's Ark, a book of the law written by Moses, and the original Ten Commandments in stone. Also Christ's literal living blood, fences from Noah's farm, the Golden Censer, Goliath's sword, the graves of Korah and friends, the Table of Showbread, and the wheels of Pharaoh's chariots (Standish, pages 7-10). These are only the beginning...

Pictures of the Copper scrolls at the Amman Museum in Jordan. Photos by Michael Luddeni.

Excavations in Tel Dor have turned up a rare and unexpected work of Hellenistic art: a precious stone bearing the miniature carved likeness of Alexander the Great. Archaeologists are calling it an important find, indicating the great skill of the artist.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/133097

A unique Aramaic inscription on a stone cup commonly used for ritual purity during the first century has been uncovered in a dig on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1248277923672

As Pope Benedict confirmed his intention to visit the Shroud of Turin next year, French scientist Thierry Castex has revealed that he has found traces of Aramaic on the Shroud.

http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=15419

The Central Penn Business Journal is pleased to announce that Associates for Biblical Research has been selected as a finalist of the 2009 Best of the Web awards. The ABR Website ranked among the top three in the Non-profit & Cultural category for its success as a quality, engaging Web site.

ABR will be honored at a luncheon as part of the Central Penn Business Journal's Internet Summit on July 27, 2009, at the Radisson Penn Harris & Convention Center in Camp Hill, PA. The summit will feature a morning symposium presented by local Internet experts, along with networking opportunities and exhibitors. The morning sessions will be followed by the Best of the Web luncheon, where the winners of each category will be announced and presented with the Best of the Web Award. More information about the day’s agenda and a list of all award finalists is available at http://www.centralpennbusiness.com/section.asp?secID=56. 

On the eve of the Passover holiday, researchers from the University of Haifa reveal an exceptional and exciting archaeological discovery that dates back to the time of the People of Israel’s settlement in the country: For the first time, enclosed sites identified with the biblical sites termed in Hebrew gilgal, which were used for assemblies, preparation for battle, and rituals, have been revealed in the Jordan valley.

Read the latest update on this important discovery.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=1100766

From April, 2009:

'Foot' Structures Found in the Jordan Valley

Scholars have been able to gain a measure of access to these missing years from cuneiform documents unearthed in Iraq in the last century, including a trove illicitly dug up in the final years of Saddam Hussein's regime and only now nearing publication. The documents are innocuous - business records, land deeds, tax accounts - but together are able to shed light, feeble but suggestive, on this central period in Jewish history.

See more at the Jerusalem Post Online.

Some of the world's first farmers may have sped around in two-wheeled carts pulled by camels and bulls, suggests a new analysis on tiny models of these carts.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/06/26/wheeled-vehicle-camel.html

Editorial note: The almost unanimous opinion of Biblical scholars is that mention of domesticated camels in the Patriarchal narratives (Gn 12:16; 24:10; 30:43) constitutes an anachronism. Camels, they say, were not domesticated until late in the second millennium BC, centuries after the Patriarchs were supposed to have lived. Yet evidence continues to amass that camel domestication was widely known earlier. The following articles provide data to show the skeptics are incorrect.

Patriarchal Wealth and Early Domestication of the Camel

Bronze Age Camel Petroglyphs In The Wadi Nasib, Sinai

TWO THOUSAND years of tradition have held that the bones of Paul of Tarsus lie in the basilica of St. Paul Without The Walls. Now, Pope Benedict XVI says, science has confirmed it...

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2009/0630/1224249784768.html

Workers renovating a house in the town of Jesus' birth accidentally discovered an untouched ancient tomb containing clay pots, plates, beads and the bones of two humans, a Palestinian antiquities official reported.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/06/23/tomb-found-bethlehem.html

Dr. Russell Humphreys' continued work on general relativity is a new answer to the light-transit-time problem—to explain how light traveled from the distant cosmos and reached Earth, all during one ordinary-length day on Earth, the fourth day of creation. The model says that early on the fourth day, God’s creation of Sun and planets nearby plunges Earth into a zone of timelessness. In the zone all physical processes, including clocks, come to a complete stop.

http://creation.com/new-creation-cosmology

The patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia says he will announce to the world Friday, June 26, 2009, the unveiling of the Ark of the Covenant, perhaps the world's most prized archaeological and spiritual artifact, which he says has been hidden away in a church in his country for millennia, according to the Italian news agency Adnkronos.

http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=102119

A partnership between Italy and Iraq has resulted in a website that showcases the recovered antiquities of Baghdad’s National Museum. A virtual tour of the museum’s artifacts, spanning from the prehistoric to the Islamic era of the Mesopotamian region can be viewed on the website in Arabic, English and Italian.

Since the looting of the museum in 2003 during the US invasion of Iraq, stolen antiquities have been steadily recovered and placed back in the museum. Ancient artifacts that can be found online include the famous Warka Mask, a female marble head from Uruk believed to date between 3,400 and 3,100 B.C., as well as limestone statues of lamassu, which are winged, bull-like creatures with human heads that date to the eighth and ninth centuries B.C.

http://www.virtualmuseumiraq.cnr.it

The orchestrated multimedia blitz over this fossil is almost unbelievable. The paleontologists even got Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York, to officiate at the public “launch” of Ida (the cute nickname for the fossil), when it was unveiled—like a new sculpture by a famous artist—to the assembled journalists.

http://creation.com/darwin-fossil-ida-hype

A fascinating session at last year’s annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) in Boston was dedicated to graffiti, especially early Christian graffiti in Izmir (ancient Smyrna), Turkey. But what counts as graffiti? Does the word “graffito” imply something clandestine, something possibly illegal, like the defacing of a building by modern graffiti artists in major American cities?

http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=35&Issue=03&ArticleID=05

Archaeologists from Israel’s Antiquities Authority (IAA) have revealed two important artifacts recently discovered in Jerusalem, both dating from the First Temple Period (800-700 BC).

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/131460

Israel News Photo: (Vladimir Naykhin)

Israel News Photo: (Mariana Salzberger/IAA)

On the weekend of May 8-9, 2009, ABR was represented at the Christian Homeschool Assocation of PA Convention. This is the first year we participated in this event. As ABR Director of Outreach, I had the pleasure of interacting with dozens of parents and kids interested in the ministry of ABR, the reliability of the Bible and various archaeological subjects. Many people had never heard of ABR, so we praise God that we made new friends who we can equip to defend the faith and teach their children that the Bible can be trusted. Please pray for ABR as we plan to expand our outreach to more of these important events in the future.

Does Ida actually support “the evolution of early primates, and, ultimately, modern human beings,” as one news outlet reported? This fossil will probably be pictured in all the textbooks for the next 100 years. So while the media rush may at first be a bid to promote the documentary and book, the ultimate result is one more trumped-up “missing link” presented to future generations as evidence of evolution.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/05/19/ida-missing-link

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/05/21/ida-real-story

Creationists were fascinated, and evolutionists mostly skeptical, when evolutionist Dr Mary Schweitzer claimed in the 1990s that an unfossilized piece of T. rex bone contained red blood cells. Further, that there was immunological and spectroscopic evidence of the presence of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein that gives red blood cells their colour.

Then in 2005, Schweitzer announced a further sensational discovery in a different T.rex bone. After the mineral matrix was dissolved, what remained were structures with all the appearance of soft tissue, still soft and stretchy. Some of these appeared to be transparent branching blood vessels, with a substance inside them containing further structures looking just like nucleated red blood cells, and able to be squeezed out of the vessels like toothpaste.

http://creation.com/dinosaur-soft-tissue-and-proteineven-more-confirmation

Biblical prophet Noah was born and buried in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan, chair of the republican Supreme Majlis Vasif Talybov claims. “Nakhchyvan has an old history. This district is rich in monuments that are our national heritage. The most precious treasure the district has granted to the world is great historical personality - prophet Noah, this district is his Motherland,” he said at international symposium Prophet Noah, the Flood and Nakhchivan.

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=5972

In Isaiah 22 the prophet rails in God’s name against the excesses of the officials in King Hezekiah’s palace. In 1870 the famous French diplomat, scholar and archaeologist Charles Clermont-Ganneau excavated a partially destroyed tomb high up on the cliff overlooking the Kidron Valley and the City of David in Jerusalem. Over the entrance to the rock-cut burial chamber was an inscription that, unfortunately, he was unable to decipher. Was this the tomb of Shebna the high court official mentioned in Isaiah who is, literally, “over the house” or in charge of the palace (often identified as the treasurer) and who was castigated by the prophet for building himself such an elaborate tomb on the cliff?

http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=35&Issue=3&ArticleID=9

As the early Christian pilgrims would wend their weary way from west to east around the Sea of Galilee, they would pass from Tiberias on to their final destination at Kursi, passing at least four Jewish fishing villages known to Jesus. But before reaching their destination, they would first have to cross the northern Jordan, probably in one of those little boats, like the so-called Jesus boat now in the Yigal Allon Museum at Ginossar, at a place they thought was Bethsaida, which they would venerate as another fishing village known to the master.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=1&cid=1238562932973&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

On the eve of the Passover holiday, researchers from the University of Haifa reveal an exceptional and exciting archaeological discovery that dates back to the time of the People of Israel’s settlement in the country: For the first time, enclosed sites identified with the biblical sites termed in Hebrew gilgal, which were used for assemblies, preparation for battle, and rituals, have been revealed in the Jordan valley.

http://newmedia-eng.haifa.ac.il/?p=218

Several leading scientists have sent a letter to the Texas State Board of Education urging board members to reject an amendment that attacks one of evolution's key principles, that all life on Earth is descended from a common ancestor.

Leading members of the Texas scientific community, in collaboration with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), urged the state board "to reject amendments to the state's draft science standards that would undermine sound science teaching," according to an AAAS statement released today.

http://www.livescience.com/culture/090324-texas-evolution.html

Looking south from the Mapleton Plateau near Brisbane, Australia, the remarkable volcanic plugs known as the Glass House Mountains dominate the Sunshine Coast hinterland, a popular tourist destination.

http://biblicalgeology.net/Geological-Histories/The-Glass-House-Mountains.html

Brick by brick, tiny figure by tiny figure, Alec Garrard has painstakingly worked for 30 years on an astonishing recreation of Herod's Temple. But despite spending all that time and effort the retired farmer believes he won't finish it in his lifetime as he keeps finding things to add to it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1155962/Pensioner-spends-30-years-building-amazing-model-Herods-Temple---admits-wont-finish-it.html

For more on the Temple, ABR recommends The Quest: Revealing the Temple Mount, on sale in the ABR Bookstore.

Darwin visited the Santa Cruz river valley in 1834. He interpreted the valley as having been formed over millions of years. Dr. Steve Austin shows that the landscape that Darwin saw was formed rapidly by a giant flood. What else was Darwin wrong about?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3darzVqzV2o&feature=channel_page

Illuminated only by torches and camera lights, Egyptian laborers used crowbars and picks Wednesday to lift the lid off a 2,600-year-old limestone sarcophagus, exposing — for the first time since it was sealed in antiquity — a perfectly preserved mummy.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,491164,00.html

This summer Randall Price, ABR friend, plans to continue on a journey this summer with an expedition to Mount Ararat. His team believes that it is there, in Eastern Turkey, where Noah's Ark remains preserved underneath layers of rubble and ice.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,486684,00.html

For more ABR materials on Noah's ark, please see: Noah's Ark Update

The Jehoash Tablet’s inscription has become embroiled in controversy in an ongoing forgery trial in Jerusalem. The co-authors’ findings supporting its authenticity were recently documented in Archaeometric Analysis of the ‘Jehoash Inscription’ Tablet, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science [35 (2008) 2966-2972]. 

http://www.touro.edu/media/pr/releases/PR-Sandstone.asp

Comedian Ben Stein has withdrawn as the University of Vermont's commencement speaker because of complaints about his critical views on evolution in favor of intelligent design. "I am far more pro-science than the Darwinists," Stein wrote in an e-mail: "I want all scientific inquiry to happen not just what the ruling clique calls science."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/...M81

Henry B. Smith Jr., Director of Outreach for ABR, was interviewed by Phil Fleischman of Prime Time America for the February 3, 2009 broadcast. The story centers around the excavations at the City of David, but the emphasis of the conversation with ABR was on the mission of ABR and the importance of archaeological research and fieldwork as it pertains to the reliability of the Bible. Please pray God uses this opportunity to speak the truth of Scripture to the Church and spread the word about the ministry and mission of ABR.

The MP3 of this interview can be found at this link, and the relevant ABR portions are found between 1 hour 19 minutes to 1 hour 28 minutes.

Prime Time America is a two-hour national drive-time program that encourages listeners to develop a heart and mind for God, while keeping them informed through an evangelical Christian worldview. With guest interviews, features, news, commentaries, occasional call-in sections and music, Prime Time America consistently helps listeners grow spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally.

The Israel Antiquities Authority reported a thrilling find recently -- the discovery of 264 ancient gold coins in Jerusalem National Park.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/12/22/...index.html

The 2006 dig uncovered new artifacts and with them a new set of radiocarbon dates placing the bulk of industrial-scale production at Khirbat en-Nahas in the 10th century BCE - in line with biblical narrative on the rule of David and Solomon. The new data pushes back the archeological chronology some three centuries earlier than the current scholarly consensus. The research also documents a spike in metallurgic activity at the site during the 9th century BCE, which may also support the history of the Edomites as related by the Bible.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1233050211901

A review of some recent well-documented cases of intolerance in the cosmology field illustrates a common problem in science. Edinburgh Royal Observatory astronomer Michael Hawkins notes that it requires almost suicidal courage to leave the herd and challenge the authority of the astrophysical establishment.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/arj/v2/n1/history-intolerance-in-cosmology

On December 4, 2008, ABR celebrated its volunteers with our yearly thank you dinner. Volunteers are critical to the long term health and development of the ABR ministry. The evening included a reading from the 7th chapter of Acts and a wonderful message from ABR Executive Director, Scott Lanser. We are so grateful for those who give their time and talents to serve the Lord at ABR. From the ABR staff and board, we extend our deepest gratitude to the ABR volunteers.

In the foreground is ABR founder, Dr. David Livingston and his wife, Esther.

Joanne Felker, wife of Board Member Don Felker, asks Henry Smith: "Don't you know anything about Cypriote Bichrome Ware from the Late Bronze period?" Apparently, Dr. Livingston thought it was quite funny!

Volunteers, left to right, Ann Bitts, Crystal Lopez and Keisha DeLeon. Ann helps with ABR mailings and cooks delicious meals for our annual archaeology conference in Souderton, PA. Crystal and Keisha help serve and clean up at Souderton each year.

George Taylor, left, our risograph printing expert and volunteer, converses with Dr. Bryant Wood and his wife, Faith. Dr. Wood said: "George, there is an odd light coming out of your left eye!"

An Egyptian-French archaeological team headed by French archaeologist George Castel uncovered the remains of an ancient city dating back to the Middle Kingdom (1665-2061 BC) in Ain Sokhna about 120 km north of Cairo, announced Culture Minister Farouk Hosni.

http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=19058

A rowdy demonstration at a German university shows that ‘tolerance’ does not extend to creation and the Bible.

http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/6182

An Israeli scientist employed by the defense in the Jerusalem forgery trial has concluded that the inscription on the famous ivory pomegranate (“[Belonging] to the Temple of [Yahwe]h, consecrated to the priests”) is authentic.

http://www.bib-arch.org/news/news-ivory-pomegranate.asp

Two ancient coins, one used to pay the Temple tax and another minted by the Greek leader the Jews fought in the story of Hanukkah, have been uncovered amid debris from Jerusalem's Temple Mount, said Bar-Ilan University Professor Gabriel Barkay, who is leading the sifting operation.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1228728255435&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=1048260

ABR participated in the Temple Mount Sifting Project in the summer of 2007. For comments from participants on this exciting project, see: ABR Travelers Return from The Temple Mount Sifting Project and Jerusalem Field Studies Tour

Also, see this article by Gordon Franz: The Tyrian Shekel and the Temple of Jerusalem

A New York man is linking the suicide of his 22-year-old son, a military veteran who had bright prospects in college, to the anti-Christian book "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins after a college professor challenged the son to read it.

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=81459

Ed. note: The factors contributing to suicide can often be complex. But, if the claims are true that this young man took his own life primarily because he lost faith due to evolutionary ideas propagated by the likes of Richard Dawkins, it demonstrates the great need for the church at large to equip the younger generation to stand firm in their faith. There are intellectually sound, Biblical and scientific answers to these attacks on the Christian faith. Dawkins' book is easily refuted, as long as one is familiar with the Christian worldview and understands the basic tenants of evolution. Pray for this young man's family as they grieve such a terrible loss and pray for the church at large to turn its efforts towards this all important issue of origins and the reliability of the early chapters of Genesis.

“Religion in schools to go God-free” read the headline in The Sunday Age newspaper of December 14, 2008 in Victoria, Australia. The Humanist Society of Victoria has developed a curriculum, which the State Government accreditation body says it intends to approve, to teach “Applied Ethical Humanism—Humanism for Schools” in primary school religious education classes, from prep to grade 6 in 2009.

http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/6229

Perfumes and ointments found at Magdala may resemble those used by Mary Magdalene to anoint the feet of Christ.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3636793,00.html

Keep up with the latest developments and discoveries from Egypt's infamous Valley of the Kings.

http://www.kv64.info/

The U.S. says it will help rehabilitate Babylon, funding an effort by the World Monuments Fund and Iraq's State Board of Antiquities and Heritage. Archaeologists hope the effort will lead someday to new digging to follow up on the excavations done by a German team in the early 1900s.

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/lifestyle/10379838.asp?scr=1

The remains of an ancient gate have pinpointed the location of the biblical city Sha'arayim, say archaeologists working in Israel.

In the Bible young David is described as battling Goliath in the Elah Valley near Sha'arayim. The fortified gate at the Elah Fortress—the second to be found at the site—proves the existence of Sha'arayim, which means "two gates" in Hebrew, said Hebrew University archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel.

In October, Garfinkel revealed a 3,000-year-old pottery shard with text believed to be Hebrew—then hailed by some as the most important archaeological discovery in Israel since the Dead Sea Scrolls. see: Oldest Possibly Hebrew Inscription Found outside Jerusalem

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/11/081121-biblical-city.html

http://www.jewishchronicle.org/article.php?article_id=10882

Analysis of newly revealed items found at the site of the mausoleum of King Herod at Herodium (Herodion in Greek) have provided Hebrew University of Jerusalem archaeological researchers with further assurances that this was indeed the site of the famed ruler’s 1st century BC grave.

Photo: Associated Press

http://hunews.huji.ac.il/articles.asp?cat=6&artID=935

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1226404780993

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/12/herod/mueller-text/1

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/11/081119-herod-tomb-paintings-missions.html

Israeli archaeologists have discovered a 2,000-year-old gold earring beneath a parking lot next to the walls of Jerusalem's old city, dating to the time of Christ.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,449290,00.html

Greg Gulbrandsen and Mike Caba, ABR volunteers and TMSP travelers, hosted a booth at a Christian conference in Oregon. The booth generated lots of excitement and interest in the ABR ministry. Over 400 attendees from the Northwest and California listened to talks given by Christian Apologetic lumineries, such as J.P. Moreland and Craig Hazen. Booth visitors watched videos from this year’s TMSP mission as well as ABR educational materials Many thanks to Greg and Mike for their heart of service to the ABR ministry!

Greg Gulbrandsen at the ABR Booth.

A visitor signs up for the free ABR Newsletter.

In archaeological excavations in the northwestern part of the Western Wall plaza in Jerusalem, a rare and impressive Hebrew seal was discovered that dates to the latter part of the First Temple period. The seal was found in a building that is currently being uncovered, which dates to the seventh century BC – to the time when the kings Manasseh and Josiah reigned.

http://www.israntique.org.il/article_Item_eng.asp?sec_id=25&subj_id=240&id=1442&module_id=#as

A water tunnel dating back to the First Temple era - but that might have been used even earlier, during King David's conquest of Jerusalem - has been uncovered in the ancient City of David. The opening of the 3,000-year-old tunnel, which was found earlier this year during the ongoing excavations at the site, is just wide enough to allow one person to pass through, but only the first 50 meters are accessible since it is filled with debris and fallen stones, said Dr. Eilat Mazar.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite....ShowFull

See more about Dr. Mazar here: Dr. Eilat Mazar: The Bible as a Blueprint

The high-profile trial of two Israeli antiquities experts accused of faking a burial box containing the remains of Jesus' brother and other priceless artifacts faced a humiliating collapse Wednesday after a Jerusalem judge advised the prosecution to consider dropping the proceedings after more than three years in court.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/29/MN3U13QHMD.DTL

http://bib-arch.org/news/forgery-trial-news.asp

An Israeli archaeologist digging at a hilltop south of Jerusalem believes a ceramic shard found in the ruins of an ancient town bears the oldest Hebrew inscription ever discovered, a find that could provide an important glimpse into the culture and language of the Holy Land at the time of the Bible.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,445132,00.html

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/128174

See a short video here: http://en.rian.ru/video/20081105/118126080.html

Picture: Associated Press

An international team of archaeologists has excavated an ancient copper-production center at Khirbat en-Nahas down to virgin soil, through more than 20 feet of industrial smelting debris, or slag. The 2006 dig has brought up new artifacts and with them a new suite of radiocarbon dates placing the bulk of industrial-scale production at Khirbat en-Nahas in the 10th century BCE – in line with Biblical narrative on the rule of David and Solomon.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081027174545.htm

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/081028-king-solomon-copper-mine-missions.html

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-sci-solomon28-2008oct28,0,1332762.story

To read the original paper in a PDF file, you may visit here:

http://magician.ucsd.edu/~ltauxe/CV/reprints/levy08.pdf

The tax-payer funded Public Broadcasting System (PBS) will present a program this fall that says the Old Testament is a bunch of made-up stories that never happened. "The Bible's Buried Secrets" says the Bible is not true. It is scheduled to air on November 18.

Archaeologist William Dever said: "...It's (The Bible's Buried Secrets) designed for intelligent people who are willing to change their mind. …it will give intelligent people who want to read the Bible in a modern way a chance. If we insist on reading the Bible literally, in 25 years, nobody will read it any longer."

The implication, of course, is that people who take the Bible literally are not intelligent! The Bible has been read literally for thousands of years, so we can be sure that Dr. Dever's proclamations are nothing but empty rhetoric.

ABR asks that you pray for:

1. The ABR ministry to continue to provide materials and research to refute programs like "The Bible's Buried Secrets".

2. William Dever, who has been a well-known and respected archaeologist for decades, but continues to attack the Scriptures with such outrageous statements. Pray for his return to the evangelical roots of his youth.

3. For the youth of America not to be taken in by such anti-Bible propaganda.

https://secure.afa.net/afa/activism/signpetition.asp?id=1780

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bible/

Recommended Resources for Further Study

Why Trust the Bible?	50 Proofs for the Bible Old Testament	Searching for the Original Bible

100 Reasons to Trust OT History	How We Got the Bible

The nineteenth season of the ‘Selz Foundation Hazor Excavations in Memory of Yigael Yadin’ took place between June 22 and August 1, 2008. The excavations are sponsored by the Philip and Muriel Berman Center for Biblical Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and by the Israel Exploration Society.

http://micro5.mscc.huji.ac.il/~hatsor/hazor.html

Dr. John Whitcomb, president of Whitcomb Ministries, Inc., will speak on the subject of apologetics and explain the foundational place that the Bible must have in the life of the believer at the Fifth Annual Day with Whitcomb Ministries, to be held at Fellowship Baptist Church in South Bend, Ind., on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2008.

Please visit their website for registration information and questions at:

http://www.sermonaudio.com/event_details.asp?EventID=wh91008205711

A team of scientists led by renowned French marine archaeologist Franck Goddio recently announced that they have found a bowl, dating to between the late 2nd century B.C. and the early 1st century A.D., that, according to an expert epigrapher, could be engraved with the world's first known reference to Christ.

Editorial note: ABR has received a variety of feedback on this discovery. It seems very likely this is not a reference to Jesus Christ, since it appears to have been discovered in some sort of pagan temple. We have posted this news here for your information only, not as an endorsement of any particular translation or interpretation of the artfiact.  For further comments, please see ARTIFAX, Autumn 2008, pg. 14. More about ARTIFAX can be found at: http://www.bibleartifax.com/

Franck Goddio/ Hilti Foundation, photos: Christoph Gerigk

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/10/01/jesus-bowl.html

An update and overview of the significance of two clay sealings found in Jerusalem of Gedaliah son of Pashhur and Jehucal son of Shelemiah, ministers of King Zedekiah mentioned in Jeremiah 38:1.

Jerusalem Post

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/01/clay-seal-connects-to-bible/

See also: Seal of King Zedekiah's minister found in Jerusalem dig

"I work with the Bible in one hand and the tools of excavation in the other," Israeli archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar says. "The Bible is the most important historical source." Mazar, who is both revered and reviled by some of her colleagues for being a Biblical Archaeologist, says that the Bible is unquestionably the most important historical source for her work, since it contains a "genuine historical account of the past."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1222017388261&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

A federal court has decided against a claim by Yoko Ono that Ben Stein's intelligent design film, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, illegally used her husband John Lennon's song, "Imagine."

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=76562

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

An Arab nomadic tribe known as the Nabateans built Petra, which became the ancient capital of the Nabatean kingdom from 9 B.C. to A.D. 40. Just last year, National Geographic named Petra as one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World." What took them so long?

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700261413,00.html?pg=1

Evolutionist teacher advocates teaching kids outright falsehoods about evolution. Here are some quotes:

...those cutesy examples help them accept evolution, then it is OK if they keep some of those little inaccuracies for the rest of their lives. It is perfectly fine if they keep thinking that Mickey Mouse evolved as long as they think evolution is fine and dandy overall.

Yes, NOMA is wrong, but is a good first tool for gaining trust. You have to bring them over to your side, gain their trust, and then hold their hands and help them step by step. And on that slow journey, which will be painful for many of them, it is OK to use some inaccuracies temporarily if they help you reach the students.

Read this complete article here: http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/6004

On 7–11 September 2008, about 50 dissident astronomers and physicists met at the Red Lion hotel in the quiet harbour town of Port Angeles, Washington, USA. They met to discuss problems facing the ‘big bang’ model of the structure and origin of the Universe, in the hope of one day developing a robust replacement that is not plagued with the problems the standard model faces.

http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/6030

Father Gianfranco Berbenni, titular professor of the course titled "Science and Theology in Face of the Holy Shroud," in the Science and Faith master's program of the Regina Apostolorum university, says he is in favor of scientific research that avoids the spectacular when dealing with the shroud.

http://www.zenit.org/article-23537?l=english

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associates_for_Biblical_Research

Tomb of Sesostris (Senusret) II (1897–1878 BC) uncovered at Al-Lahun, Egypt. Sesostris II was likely the pharaoh whose dreams Joseph interpreted and who made Joseph a high official (Gen. 41). Although the announcement makes it sound like this is a new discovery, Flinders Petrie first excavated the tomb of Sesostris II in 1887–1888.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/01/2352151.htm

For photos of the pyramid of Sesostris II where the tomb chamber is located, see http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2008/07/Egypt-and-the-Bible.aspx.

See also, Bible and Spade, Winter 2005, pages 2–3 here: http://www.biblearchaeology.org/bookstore/product.aspx?id=11

For more on this story, visit: Jerusalem Post (offsite link).

ABR staff archaeologist Gordon Franz just returned from his expedition with researcher and friend Bill Crouse to Mount Cudi, their candidate for the landing site of Noah's Ark in the region of ancient Urartu. A Turkish blog featured Gordon and Bill on their trip. Further updates will be posted to the ABR website in the near future.

http://cizregenclik.blogcu.com/arastirmaci-abd-vatandasi-3-turisti-cizre-ye-davet-ettik_22679181.html

ABR staff members Gordon Franz and Rick Lanser have spent considerable time and research with respect to Noah's Ark. There are two possible candidates ABR has identified within the region of Ararat. 1. Mount Cudi, a view held by Bill Crouse and ABR Staff Member Gordon Franz. 2. Mount Ararat, a view held by Rick Lanser, ABR Staff Member. Both views have significant merits, so we urge you to read the research and decide for yourself!

The Summer 2008 issue of Bible and Spade has an extensive article on the archaeological artifacts and data discovered in the region of Mt. Ararat in Turkey. To get this issue of Bible and Spade delivered to your door, click here: Summer 2008 Bible and Spade

Read more at these ABR links:

An Armenian Perspective on the Search for Noah's Ark

Did the BASE Institute Discover Noah’s Ark in Iran?

Noah's Ark in Iran? 

Mount Cudi: The True Mountain of Noah's Ark in the Fall 2006 Issue of Bible and Spade: View the PDF

The Case for Ararat in the Fall 2006 Issue of Bible and Spade: View the PDF

Other articles pertaining to Noah's Ark and the Genesis Flood 

In a crowded laboratory painted in gray and cooled like a cave, half a dozen specialists are embarking on a historic undertaking: digitally photographing every one of the thousands of fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/world/middleeast/27scrolls.html?_r=2&ref=world&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

For more on the Dead Sea Scrolls, please see:

What is the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls?

Recommended Resources for Further Study

Dead Sea Scrolls Booklet	Dead Sea Scrolls Pamphlet

The Company for the Development of East Jerusalem reported 28 percent growth in the number of visitors to the historical sites in and around the Old City's walls during the first six months of 2008.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1218710408527&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Why not travel to Israel with ABR in 2009 while we look for the lost city of Ai at Khirbet el-Maqatir and tour sites in the Holy Land? Please join us! Click here for further details:

Excavations at Khirbet el-Maqatir: The Search for Joshua's Ai

After mocking those who believed in God, a former atheist came face to face with the weaknesses of his own claims. Find out how God transformed him.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2008/08/26/confessions-of-a-former-atheist

Messenger space probe reports from Mercury confirm biblical models of formation of planetary magnetic fields. Dr. Russell Humphreys comments on this important subject.

http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/5976

A Colorado couple researching the shroud dispute radiocarbon dating of the alleged burial cloth of Jesus, and Oxford has agreed to help them reexamine the findings.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-turin17-2008aug17,0,3478153.story

http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/1198467.html

For more on the Shroud of Turin see:

Latest Developments on the Shroud of Turin: Part I

Latest Developments on the Shroud of Turin: Part II

When it comes to the spiritual life of teenagers, the statistics are not very encouraging. According to a recent study by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, after three years in college, the number of students who frequently attend religious services drops by 23 percent. The research also confirms that 36 percent rated their spirituality lower after three years in college.

http://familyactionorganization.wordpress.com/2007/10/29/why-students-abandon-their-faith/

The Associates for Biblical Research has been represented as a vendor at the ICC 2008 conference, held every four years in Pittsburgh, PA. Many attendees have shown great interest in the ministry of ABR, purchasing merchandise, asking alot of questions about archaeology and the Bible, and signing up for the ABR Newsletter. Rick Lanser, Henry Smith and ABR volunteer Trent Schneider have been spreading the word about the ministry and the important apologetic task given to the ABR staff and board.

"What do you mean 'Noah's Ark isn't on Mt. Ararat?'"

Israeli archaeologists have unearthed a seal impression belonging to Gedaliah son of Pashur, who served as an official in the reign of Zedekiah (598–588 BC).  Gedaliah, along with three other officials, came to Zedekiah to demand the death of the prophet Jeremiah for predicting that Jerusalem would fall to the Babylonians (Jer 38:1–4).

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1215331162371&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull

After 154 years of excavations in the ancient city of Sardis, where the first gold coins were made, new artifacts continue to be unearthed, adding to the richness of Turkey’s legacy as a crossroads of civilizations. 

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=147956&bolum=100

ABR recently had a booth at the 4C's Conference (Conservative Congregational Christian Conference) in Buffalo, NY. Ben Felker served as an ABR volunteer at this event. Ben is enrolled in Wheaton College's undergraduate archaeology program. Ben indicated that many visitors expressed an interest in the ABR ministry and the time was fruitful. Please pray for Ben as he continues in his Biblical archaeology studies.

The Conservative Congregational Christian Conference website is:

http://www.ccccusa.com/index.html

The Board of Directors of the Associates for Biblical Research has approved our return to the archaeological excavations at Khirbet el-Maqatir, Israel, 16 km (about 10 miles) north of Jerusalem. This excavation will be conducted under the direction of ABR Director of Research, Dr. Bryant Wood. Topography, fortifications, and pottery finds all suggest that Kh. el-Maqatir is a candidate for the Ai of Joshua 7–8. The excavation is scheduled for May 20–June 6, 2009.

Read more: Excavations at Khirbet el-Maqatir: The Search for Joshua's Ai

ABR website articles bearing on the location and historicity of Joshua's Ai:

The Rise and Fall of the 13th Century Exodus-Conquest Theory

Further Considerations on the Location of Bethel at El-Bireh

Locating Biblical Bethel

Beth Aven: A Scholarly Conundrum

Israel's Origins

"The Cites are Great and Walled Up to Heaven"

From Ramesses to Shiloh: Archaeological Discoveries Bearing on the Exodus-Judges Period

In a recent article in the online magazine Slate, prominent atheistic journalist Christopher Hitchens thinks he has found the knock-down argument against creationists and intelligent design supporters: the eye-less salamander. This article by CMI's Dr. Jonathan Sarfati is a good example of how one ought to unpack and refute atheist arguments.

http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/5924/

The oldest surviving copy of the New Testament, a 4th century version that had its Gospels and epistles spread across the world, is being made whole again — online. The British Library says the full text of the Codex Sinaiticus will be available to Web users by next July, digitally reconnecting parts that are held in Britain, Russia, Germany and a monastery in Egypt's Sinai Desert.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,388182,00.html

The official Codex Sinaiticus website:  http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/

For more on the Codex Sinaiticus, see "Who Owns the Codex Sinaiticus?" in the Spring 2008 issue of Bible and Spade.

The Exodus Decoded was produced in 2006, and is an attempt by film maker Simcha Jacobovici to correlate historical findings with the Exodus of the Old Testament. Dr. Wood's article, Debunking "The Exodus Decoded" is mentioned several times in the article as a critical response to this production.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exodus_Decoded

The ABR trip to the Temple Mount Sifting Project has concluded. Varied testimonies indicate it was a wonderful trip with long lasting memories for all those involved. TMSP travelers have an opportunity to post their comments below.  Please prayerfully consider joining ABR for the next TMSP in January 2010.

Read the PDF of the Winter 2009 Bible and Spade, dedicated to the 2008 Temple Mount Sifting Project.

Winter 2009 Bible and Spade.pdf (3.27 mb)

The following links will provide you with additional background information and reports on the Sifting Project.

• Volunteer Information
• First progress report, 3/4/05 (PDF)
• Second progress report, 8/11/05 (PDF)
• Third progress report, 4/21/07 (PDF)
• Fourth progress report, 10/29/08 (PDF)

Sir John Templeton, global investor and renowned philanthropist, died of pneumonia at Doctors Hospital in the Bahamas yesterday. He was 95.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2008/07/09/obituary-sir-john-templeton

TEL, a Bible Archaeology Magazine distributed in Denmark and Scandanavia, recently published an article on the location of Ai, and referred primarily to Dr. Bryant Wood's research and excavations at Khirbet el-Maqatir, a candidate for Joshua's Ai. Please pray that God will use this vital information to demonstrate the historical reliability of the Conquest narratives in the highly secularized continent of Europe. TEL's website is:

http://www.bibelskarkaeologi.dk/

A three-foot-tall tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew that scholars believe dates from the decades just before the birth of Jesus is causing a quiet stir in biblical and archaeological circles, especially because it may speak of a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/world/middleeast/06stone.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&oref=slogin

Chuck Colson comments on the media response to this story:

http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=8134

Sitting in a church built in a cave holding money that was used 2,000 years ago — now that is pretty amazing.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Story?id=5270738&page=2

Dinosaur Dig for Kids to take place in Lancaster County, PA. Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, 308 Petersburg Road, Lititz.

Date: Friday July 11th, 6-9pm.

ABR Staff Member Rick Lanser is mentioned in the May 2008 issue of Christianity Today. Trained archaeologists who haven't harnessed themselves to a publicity machine get ignored because real archaeology can be tedious. Like real life.

http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2008/may/12.62.html

Archaeologists in Rihab, Jordan, say they have discovered a cave that could be the world's oldest Christian church. Dating to the period AD 33-70...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7446812.stm

Daniel Wallace, Director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts, is interviewed by Christianity Today regarding the discovery of manuscripts in Albania. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/aprilweb-only/117-32.0.html

The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts website can be found at: http://www.csntm.org/

Pope Benedict XVI announced during a June 2 audience with pilgrims from Turin that he had approved the shroud's removal from its protective casket for display to the public in the spring of 2010.

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0802940.htm

For more on the Shroud of Turin see:

Latest Developments on the Shroud of Turin: Part I

Latest Developments on the Shroud of Turin: Part II

Egyptian archaeologists have discovered what they say was the ancient headquarters of the Pharaonic army guarding the north-eastern borders of Egypt for more than 1,500 years. Known in the Bible as the "Way of the Philistines"... 

 http://uk.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/...=0

For ABR resources that discuss this important subject see:

Gary Byers' articles:  New Evidence From Egypt on the Location of the Exodus Sea Crossing: Part I and Part II in the Winter and Spring 2006 issues of Bible and Spade

Egypt plans to conduct a DNA test on a 3,500-year-old mummy to determine whether it belongs to King Thutmose I, one of the most famous Pharoahs, the country's chief archaeologist said last week.

http://www.pr-inside.com/egypt...htm

A leading researcher on the 14-foot-long linen sheet, has persuaded the Oxford laboratory that dated the Shroud to the 13th or 14th Century to revisit the question of its age.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...page=1

For more on the Shroud of Turin see:

Latest Developments on the Shroud of Turin: Part I

Latest Developments on the Shroud of Turin: Part II

The poster for the movie had a very provocative question on top that asked: "What if the greatest story ever told was a lie?"  Gordon Franz reviews the movie and critiques the ideas set forth in it.  Believe it or not, they even claim to have found the mummified body of Mary Magdalene! 

Read this detailed expose' entitled: "Bloodline: A Serious Documentary or Hollywood Hoax."

The most significant stumbling block in Biblical Archaeology is the incorrect belief that the archaeology from Jericho has shown the Biblical story to be false. Dr. Bryant Wood is featured in this new video, due for release in the near future. Dr. Wood's meticulous work on the archaeology of Jericho has shown that the conventional wisdom about the historicity of the Conquest narratives requires serious re-examination.

http://www.sourceflix.com/vid_makingjerichov3.html

See Dr. Wood's work on Jericho here: http://www.biblearchaeology.org/faq.aspx#Faq4

ABR’s Bryant Wood quoted in an Associated Press review of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24595365/

Renowned Christian scholar and apologist R.C. Sproul has taught an old earth reinterpretation of the early chapters of Genesis for many years. Recently, he corrected his course and now embraces the straightforward 6-day view, held by the ministry of ABR. We applaud him for his willingness to correct his view on this very important matter.

http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/5774

Held once every four years, The International Conference on Creationism has been developed as a forum for scholars to present evidence in support of the Biblical creationist/Flood model of origins and earth history. The Associates for Biblical Research will be a vendor at this important event. Stop by the ABR booth to pick up items on sale and say hello to the ABR staff.

 www.icc08.org

If you simply want a crowd, the “seeker sensitive” model produces results. If you want solid, sincere, mature followers of Christ, it’s a bust. In a shocking confession, Bill Hybels admits...

http://www.townhall.com/...church

Criminal case 482/04, the State of Israel v. Oded Golan and others, lays out the details of one of the biggest forgery scandals ever in the history of archaeology. According to the indictment, those miseld by Golan, a well-known Tel Aviv antiquities collector, included renowned experts who were ready to confirm the authenticity of the many and controversial findings he supposedly discovered, such as the Jehoash Tablet inscription and an ossuary that supposedly held the bones of James, the brother of Jesus.

 http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/974483.html

The author sets up a false dichotomy by sorting people into two groups: those who are merely amateur observers of biological origins and those who “really know” the truth (of which he considers himself). If you find the evidence compelling that evolution is not a valid explanation, then it is simply because you are not in the “higher” class.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/...arguments

Pergamum’s 2,200-year-old theater, dramatically scooped from the flank of a towering bluff overlooking the northern Aegean town of Bergama, or Pergamum, is no place for anyone lacking a head for heights.

http://www.todayszaman.com/..117

Researchers who cracked the cuneiform symbols on the Planisphere tablet believe that it recorded an asteroid thought to have been more than half a mile across. Sound archaeological research and Biblical chronology show this assertion to be incorrect.

Fox News (off site link).

For Dr. Bryant Wood's work on this subject see:

The Discovery of the Sin Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah 

The discovery of the "James Ossuary" created more excitement among Christian scholars than anything since the Shroud of Turin. And like the shroud, no sooner was it unveiled that charges of forgery surfaced. In fact, a trial has been underway in Jerusalem for almost three years.

http://www.cbsnews.com/...html

Yuval Baruch made archeological history in October 2007 when he uncovered pottery artifacts on the site of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. They are considered to be the first physical evidence of human activity during the time of King Solomon’s Temple.

http://www.cjnews.com/...6

http://tinyurl.com/356grm

If the youngsters are shivering in their new Easter finery - instead of basking in the gentle April sun most of us are accustomed to - you can blame it on the stars. Actually, on the moon.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/...story

A stone seal bearing the name of one of the families who acted as servants in the First Temple and then returned to Jerusalem after being exiled to Babylonia has been uncovered in an archeological excavation in Jerusalem's City of David.

http://www.jpost.com:80/servlet/Satellite…