New Archaeological Finds Continue In Israel Finds Like The Bethelehem Shard ...
... And The Gilgal Camp Are Amazing
/EINPresswire.com/ Dallas, TX - November 12, 2012 The Bethlehem Shard, a 2700-year-old bulla with an ancient Hebrew inscription mentioning the city of Bethlehem, was recently uncovered in Jerusalem, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority. The seal was found in soil being sifted at the City of David excavations.
Archaeologist Eli Shukron said, "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."
The shard was a bulla, or a seal imprint, of a kind used to seal shipments of silver or goods paid as tax to the Kingdom of Judah in the late 8th and 7th centuries BCE, according to Shukron. The fragment also includes the Hebrew word "seventh" and what Shukron said was the end of a word meaning "for the king," suggesting it was connected to a tax paid by Bethlehem in the seventh year of the rule of one of the kings of Jerusalem.
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) website, www.antiquities.org.il, lists more than a dozen amazing archaeological finds in Israel just within the last twelve months, including the 2300-year-old harbor recently discovered on the seabed at Akko. The IAA is in charge of the country's antiquities and antiquity sites, their excavation, preservation, conservation, study and publication thereof, as well as the country's antiquity treasures.
Every day, the Israel Antiquities Authority has 30 active digs. In a country rich with history, exciting major discoveries are unearthed all the time. "The archeology in this country has been revolutionized over the 60-plus years of the state," says Jon Seligman, IAA's head of excavations and surveys.
Dr. John Turner, Director of Education for Father's House Educational Foundation says, "The Bethlehem Shard is a recent example of Bible validating discoveries that are coming out of the ground in Israel on a regular basis these days. It is not unlike the eight sandal-shaped gilgal camps found in the West Jordan Valley after the year 2000. One can truthfully say that in our day the rocks are literally crying out to the glory of God!"
Currently, Father's House, a 501c3 non-profit organization, is cooperating with the Moshav Argaman, located in Israel's Jordan Valley, and the Moreshet (Heritage) Foundation Israel to open the new Gilgal Education Center. Gilgal, the ancient camp where the Bible says Joshua and the children of Israel first settled after entering the Promised Land, has now been uncovered and is being prepared for the masses to visit, according to MHF Israel. Father's House organizes educational journeys and "sounds the call" that every leader in every church should go to Israel to study the Bible onsite where the original events occurred.
For more information about the Gilgal Education Center, and how to travel there, visit www.gilgaleducationcenter.org or contact Kevin Bentley at kbentley@fathershousefoundation.com or 817-556-1061.
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The mission statement of Father's House Educational Foundation is:
To bless God's people and increase their joy by creating experiences and supporting causes that
• teach biblical truth and heritage in the context of the Bible's land and culture,
• practice biblical ministry and mercy today, and
• impart biblical legacies of faith for the benefit of future generations in order to make the Father's unchanging message more relevant, practical, and personal from generation to generation.
(www.fathershousefoundation.com)
/EINPresswire.com/ Dallas, TX - November 12, 2012 The Bethlehem Shard, a 2700-year-old bulla with an ancient Hebrew inscription mentioning the city of Bethlehem, was recently uncovered in Jerusalem, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority. The seal was found in soil being sifted at the City of David excavations.
Archaeologist Eli Shukron said, "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."
The shard was a bulla, or a seal imprint, of a kind used to seal shipments of silver or goods paid as tax to the Kingdom of Judah in the late 8th and 7th centuries BCE, according to Shukron. The fragment also includes the Hebrew word "seventh" and what Shukron said was the end of a word meaning "for the king," suggesting it was connected to a tax paid by Bethlehem in the seventh year of the rule of one of the kings of Jerusalem.
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) website, www.antiquities.org.il, lists more than a dozen amazing archaeological finds in Israel just within the last twelve months, including the 2300-year-old harbor recently discovered on the seabed at Akko. The IAA is in charge of the country's antiquities and antiquity sites, their excavation, preservation, conservation, study and publication thereof, as well as the country's antiquity treasures.
Every day, the Israel Antiquities Authority has 30 active digs. In a country rich with history, exciting major discoveries are unearthed all the time. "The archeology in this country has been revolutionized over the 60-plus years of the state," says Jon Seligman, IAA's head of excavations and surveys.
Dr. John Turner, Director of Education for Father's House Educational Foundation says, "The Bethlehem Shard is a recent example of Bible validating discoveries that are coming out of the ground in Israel on a regular basis these days. It is not unlike the eight sandal-shaped gilgal camps found in the West Jordan Valley after the year 2000. One can truthfully say that in our day the rocks are literally crying out to the glory of God!"
Currently, Father's House, a 501c3 non-profit organization, is cooperating with the Moshav Argaman, located in Israel's Jordan Valley, and the Moreshet (Heritage) Foundation Israel to open the new Gilgal Education Center. Gilgal, the ancient camp where the Bible says Joshua and the children of Israel first settled after entering the Promised Land, has now been uncovered and is being prepared for the masses to visit, according to MHF Israel. Father's House organizes educational journeys and "sounds the call" that every leader in every church should go to Israel to study the Bible onsite where the original events occurred.
For more information about the Gilgal Education Center, and how to travel there, visit www.gilgaleducationcenter.org or contact Kevin Bentley at kbentley@fathershousefoundation.com or 817-556-1061.
###
The mission statement of Father's House Educational Foundation is:
To bless God's people and increase their joy by creating experiences and supporting causes that
• teach biblical truth and heritage in the context of the Bible's land and culture,
• practice biblical ministry and mercy today, and
• impart biblical legacies of faith for the benefit of future generations in order to make the Father's unchanging message more relevant, practical, and personal from generation to generation.
(www.fathershousefoundation.com)
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