Posts by fulltimestudent

13

Another Egyptian relic discovered at Hazor, northern Israel

by fulltimestudent in

it doesn't look significant, but it is - the jerusalem post reports:.

the finding – coupled with a sphinx fragment of the egyptian king mycerinus (who ruled egypt in the 25th century bce), discovered at the site by the research team three years ago – are the only monumental egyptian statues found so far in second millennium contexts in the entire levant.the discovery of these two statues in the same building currently being excavated by the research team indicates the special importance of the building, which was likely the administrative palace of the ruler of the city, as well as that of the entire city of hazor.shlomit bechar, a doctoral student at the institute of archaeology, who has been excavating at hazor for a decade, is the dig’s co-director, and oversees the main excavation area.during the course of nearly 30 years of excavations, fragments of 18 different egyptian statues – both royal and private – dedicated to egyptian kings and officials, including two sphinxes, were discovered at hazor.“most of these statues were found in layers dated to the late bronze age (15th-13th centuries bce), corresponding to the new kingdom in egypt,” said ben-tor.“this is the largest number of egyptian statues found so far in any site in the land of israel, although there is no indication that hazor was one of the egyptian strongholds in southern canaan, nor of the presence of an egyptian official at hazor during the late bronze age.”ben-tor added that most egyptian statues found at hazor date to egypt’s “middle kingdom” (19th-18th centuries bce), a time when hazor did not yet exist.“it thus seems that the statues were sent by an egyptian king in the ‘new kingdom’ as official gifts to the king of hazor, or as dedications to a local temple, regardless of their already being ‘antiques,’” he said.“this is not surprising, considering the special status of the king of hazor, who was the most important king in southern canaan at the time.

the extraordinary importance of hazor in the 15th-13th centuries bce is indicated also by the biblical reference to hazor as ‘the head of all those kingdoms’ (joshua 11:10).”all the statues at the site were found broken into pieces and scattered over a large area, he noted.“clear signs of mutilation indicate that most of them were deliberately and violently smashed, most probably in the course of the city’s final conquest and destruction sometime in the 13th century b.c.e,” said ben-tor.“the deliberate mutilation of statues of kings and dignitaries accompanying the conquest of towns is a well-known practice in ancient times (i samuel 5:1-4; isaiah 11:9), as well as in our time.”the hazor excavations, which began in the mid-1950s under the direction of the late professor yigael yadin, are carried out on behalf of hu.

fulltimestudent

The cultural influence of Egypt continued.The Penn Museum web-site further states:

Although it may be interpreted from Egyptian written sources that Egypt exercised little control over this region after the Nineteenth Dynasty, the archaeological evidence from Palestine suggests otherwise at least for the first kings of the Twentieth Dynasty. Beth Shan remained an Egyptian colony with houses built according to Egyptian style, complete with door lintel inscriptions in hieroglyphics. Egyptian architectural structures, square-shaped houses made of mud-brick, occur at Aphek, Ashdod, Beth Shan (1550 and 1700 houses), Gaza, Hesi, Jemmeh, Joppa, Tell el-Farah S (Sharuhen) and Tell Masos and Tell esh- Sharia (Ziklag). The Timna copper mines continue to be controlled until perhaps Ramesis VI. Egyptian pottery can be cited from many early Iron I sites as well. In summary, it seems at least plausible to suggest that Egypt continued to dominate this region at least until the mid-part of the century and perhaps to the end of the century at least at Beth Shan.
Egyptian contact in Iron II is limited to minor incursions. I Kings 9:16 records that the Egyptian Pharaoh destroyed Gezer. Shishak, the first Pharaoh of the 22nd Dynasty, led a military campaign during the fifth year of Rehoboam, Solomon's son (1 Kings 14:25-26, 2 Chronicles 12:2- 9). A boundary stela of the Egyptian monarch was set up at Megiddo, and the king recorded his victory on the first pylon at the Temple of Karnak (ANEP., 349). At the end of the seventh century, Egyptian forces attempted to defeat the army of Sennacherib. Necco, Pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty, campaigned in Palestine and northward to the Euphrates in 609. Necco's forces defeated Josiah at the Battle of Megiddo where the Judah king was slain in battle (2 Kings 23:29-30, 2 Chronicles 35:20-25).

Understanding the connection between the Palestinian area and Egypt leads to a question. How much influence did Egyptian culture and wisdom have on the early and later Israelites? At least some Egyptian scholars think that the Genesis creation account is based on Egyptian thought, but more significantly, a seemingly common thought in NT times was that:

Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

Acts 7:22

13

Another Egyptian relic discovered at Hazor, northern Israel

by fulltimestudent in

it doesn't look significant, but it is - the jerusalem post reports:.

the finding – coupled with a sphinx fragment of the egyptian king mycerinus (who ruled egypt in the 25th century bce), discovered at the site by the research team three years ago – are the only monumental egyptian statues found so far in second millennium contexts in the entire levant.the discovery of these two statues in the same building currently being excavated by the research team indicates the special importance of the building, which was likely the administrative palace of the ruler of the city, as well as that of the entire city of hazor.shlomit bechar, a doctoral student at the institute of archaeology, who has been excavating at hazor for a decade, is the dig’s co-director, and oversees the main excavation area.during the course of nearly 30 years of excavations, fragments of 18 different egyptian statues – both royal and private – dedicated to egyptian kings and officials, including two sphinxes, were discovered at hazor.“most of these statues were found in layers dated to the late bronze age (15th-13th centuries bce), corresponding to the new kingdom in egypt,” said ben-tor.“this is the largest number of egyptian statues found so far in any site in the land of israel, although there is no indication that hazor was one of the egyptian strongholds in southern canaan, nor of the presence of an egyptian official at hazor during the late bronze age.”ben-tor added that most egyptian statues found at hazor date to egypt’s “middle kingdom” (19th-18th centuries bce), a time when hazor did not yet exist.“it thus seems that the statues were sent by an egyptian king in the ‘new kingdom’ as official gifts to the king of hazor, or as dedications to a local temple, regardless of their already being ‘antiques,’” he said.“this is not surprising, considering the special status of the king of hazor, who was the most important king in southern canaan at the time.

the extraordinary importance of hazor in the 15th-13th centuries bce is indicated also by the biblical reference to hazor as ‘the head of all those kingdoms’ (joshua 11:10).”all the statues at the site were found broken into pieces and scattered over a large area, he noted.“clear signs of mutilation indicate that most of them were deliberately and violently smashed, most probably in the course of the city’s final conquest and destruction sometime in the 13th century b.c.e,” said ben-tor.“the deliberate mutilation of statues of kings and dignitaries accompanying the conquest of towns is a well-known practice in ancient times (i samuel 5:1-4; isaiah 11:9), as well as in our time.”the hazor excavations, which began in the mid-1950s under the direction of the late professor yigael yadin, are carried out on behalf of hu.

fulltimestudent

No matter how the above find is eventually interpreted, it will remain as a significant reminder that irrespective of the Exodus tradition, Egypt had connections to Israel for long periods of time, and that for centuries Palestine was part of the Egyptian Empire.

A web-page maintained by the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, notes:

For more than 300 years during the Late Bronze Age and early Iron Age, Egypt ruled Canaan. Deities, arts and technology were intermingled between the two cultures.
The Egyptian culture developed alongside Cannan and Ancient Israel for thousands of years.
and ...
Egyptian control was extended in the New Kingdom (c.1539&emdash;1075 BCE). Aggressive pharaohs marched their armies south into Nubia and north as far as Syria.
In 1456 BCE, Pharaoh Thutmoses III won a decisive battle against a coalition of Canaanite rulers at Megiddo. The great Pharaoh recorded his triumph in Egypt:
Inasmuch as every prince of every northern land is shut up within it, the capture of Megiddo is the capture of a thousand towns!
Annals of Thutmoses III
... Egypt used Canaan as a buffer against rival empires further north, such as the Mitanni. Canaan was also a source of revenue through taxes, tribute and trade. Egypt stationed small garrisons in major towns like Jerusalem and created administrative centers like the one at Beth Shean in Israel. These centers had buildings with distinctive Egyptian architecture and were inscribed with hieroglyphs.
Egyptian imperialism led to a dramatic increase in cultural exchange. Many Egyptian bureaucrats and soldiers were stationed in Canaan and Egyptians and Canaanites often lived side by side. Musical instruments, poetry, myths, weapons, clothing designs&endash;even gods and goddesses&endash;passed from one culture to the other. Many of these influences were long lasting. Scribes in Iron Age Judah continued to use Egyptian numbers 550 years after the end of the Egyptian empire.
Reference: http://www.penn.museum/sites/Canaan/Egypt.html

13

Another Egyptian relic discovered at Hazor, northern Israel

by fulltimestudent in

it doesn't look significant, but it is - the jerusalem post reports:.

the finding – coupled with a sphinx fragment of the egyptian king mycerinus (who ruled egypt in the 25th century bce), discovered at the site by the research team three years ago – are the only monumental egyptian statues found so far in second millennium contexts in the entire levant.the discovery of these two statues in the same building currently being excavated by the research team indicates the special importance of the building, which was likely the administrative palace of the ruler of the city, as well as that of the entire city of hazor.shlomit bechar, a doctoral student at the institute of archaeology, who has been excavating at hazor for a decade, is the dig’s co-director, and oversees the main excavation area.during the course of nearly 30 years of excavations, fragments of 18 different egyptian statues – both royal and private – dedicated to egyptian kings and officials, including two sphinxes, were discovered at hazor.“most of these statues were found in layers dated to the late bronze age (15th-13th centuries bce), corresponding to the new kingdom in egypt,” said ben-tor.“this is the largest number of egyptian statues found so far in any site in the land of israel, although there is no indication that hazor was one of the egyptian strongholds in southern canaan, nor of the presence of an egyptian official at hazor during the late bronze age.”ben-tor added that most egyptian statues found at hazor date to egypt’s “middle kingdom” (19th-18th centuries bce), a time when hazor did not yet exist.“it thus seems that the statues were sent by an egyptian king in the ‘new kingdom’ as official gifts to the king of hazor, or as dedications to a local temple, regardless of their already being ‘antiques,’” he said.“this is not surprising, considering the special status of the king of hazor, who was the most important king in southern canaan at the time.

the extraordinary importance of hazor in the 15th-13th centuries bce is indicated also by the biblical reference to hazor as ‘the head of all those kingdoms’ (joshua 11:10).”all the statues at the site were found broken into pieces and scattered over a large area, he noted.“clear signs of mutilation indicate that most of them were deliberately and violently smashed, most probably in the course of the city’s final conquest and destruction sometime in the 13th century b.c.e,” said ben-tor.“the deliberate mutilation of statues of kings and dignitaries accompanying the conquest of towns is a well-known practice in ancient times (i samuel 5:1-4; isaiah 11:9), as well as in our time.”the hazor excavations, which began in the mid-1950s under the direction of the late professor yigael yadin, are carried out on behalf of hu.

fulltimestudent

It doesn't look significant, but it is - The Jerusalem Post reports:

The finding – coupled with a sphinx fragment of the Egyptian king Mycerinus (who ruled Egypt in the 25th century BCE), discovered at the site by the research team three years ago – are the only monumental Egyptian statues found so far in second millennium contexts in the entire Levant.
The discovery of these two statues in the same building currently being excavated by the research team indicates the special importance of the building, which was likely the administrative palace of the ruler of the city, as well as that of the entire city of Hazor.
Shlomit Bechar, a doctoral student at the Institute of Archaeology, who has been excavating at Hazor for a decade, is the dig’s co-director, and oversees the main excavation area.
During the course of nearly 30 years of excavations, fragments of 18 different Egyptian statues – both royal and private – dedicated to Egyptian kings and officials, including two sphinxes, were discovered at Hazor.
“Most of these statues were found in layers dated to the Late Bronze Age (15th-13th centuries BCE), corresponding to the New Kingdom in Egypt,” said Ben-Tor.
“This is the largest number of Egyptian statues found so far in any site in the Land of Israel, although there is no indication that Hazor was one of the Egyptian strongholds in Southern Canaan, nor of the presence of an Egyptian official at Hazor during the Late Bronze Age.”
Ben-Tor added that most Egyptian statues found at Hazor date to Egypt’s “Middle Kingdom” (19th-18th centuries BCE), a time when Hazor did not yet exist.
“It thus seems that the statues were sent by an Egyptian king in the ‘New Kingdom’ as official gifts to the king of Hazor, or as dedications to a local temple, regardless of their already being ‘antiques,’” he said.
“This is not surprising, considering the special status of the king of Hazor, who was the most important king in Southern Canaan at the time. The extraordinary importance of Hazor in the 15th-13th centuries BCE is indicated also by the Biblical reference to Hazor as ‘the head of all those kingdoms’ (Joshua 11:10).”
All the statues at the site were found broken into pieces and scattered over a large area, he noted.
“Clear signs of mutilation indicate that most of them were deliberately and violently smashed, most probably in the course of the city’s final conquest and destruction sometime in the 13th century B.C.E,” said Ben-Tor.
“The deliberate mutilation of statues of kings and dignitaries accompanying the conquest of towns is a well-known practice in ancient times (I Samuel 5:1-4; Isaiah 11:9), as well as in our time.”
The Hazor excavations, which began in the mid-1950s under the direction of the late Professor Yigael Yadin, are carried out on behalf of HU. The excavations resumed in 1990, still on behalf of the university, and the Israel Exploration Society, and are named “The Selz Foundation Hazor Excavations in Memory of Yigael Yadin.”
The excavation takes place within the Hazor National Park, in full support and cooperation with the National Parks Authority.
The population of Hazor during the second millennium BCE is estimated to have been about 20,000, making it the largest and most important city in the entire region.
Its size and strategic location on the route connecting Egypt and Babylon made it “the head of all those kingdoms,” according to the Book of Joshua (Joshua 11:10). Hazor’s conquest by the Israelites resulted in their settlement in Canaan.
The city was eventually rebuilt and fortified by King Solomon, and prospered in the days of Ahab and Jeroboam II, until its final destruction by the Assyrians, in 732 BCE.
Documents discovered at Hazor, and at sites in Egypt and Iraq, attest that Hazor maintained cultural and trade relations with both Egypt and Babylon. Moreover, artistic artifacts – including those imported to Hazor from near and far – have been unearthed at the site, which remains part of one of Israel’s national parks.

Web-link: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Historic-archeological-discovery-of-Egyptian-statue-unearthed-in-Tel-Hazor-462312

3

The Christian Ghost city of Ani, once called, "The City of 1001 Churches."

by fulltimestudent in

the christian ghost city, once called the city of 1001 churches.. the following photographs show the ruins of the christian city of ani, a city that once was home (some claim) to as many as 200,000 people, but has stood empty and in ruins for centuries.

the ruins stand on the turkish side of the border with armenia.. the first surviving historical records are from armenian historians writing in the 5th century ce.

aside from turkish-armenian friction, it’s in the news now because the world heritage committee (part of unesco) has declared it to be a valuable cultural site that should be preserved.. the city was often attacked by competing political forces, at times by their christian ‘brothers.’ in the mid 11th century byzantine armies besieged ani many times and the city finally surrendered to them in 1046 ce.

fulltimestudent

And finally, the remains of the Manuchihr Mosque in Ani

showing that the tide of history cares nothing for ideologies

3

The Christian Ghost city of Ani, once called, "The City of 1001 Churches."

by fulltimestudent in

the christian ghost city, once called the city of 1001 churches.. the following photographs show the ruins of the christian city of ani, a city that once was home (some claim) to as many as 200,000 people, but has stood empty and in ruins for centuries.

the ruins stand on the turkish side of the border with armenia.. the first surviving historical records are from armenian historians writing in the 5th century ce.

aside from turkish-armenian friction, it’s in the news now because the world heritage committee (part of unesco) has declared it to be a valuable cultural site that should be preserved.. the city was often attacked by competing political forces, at times by their christian ‘brothers.’ in the mid 11th century byzantine armies besieged ani many times and the city finally surrendered to them in 1046 ce.

fulltimestudent

Remains of the Ani Cathedral showing minor conservation attempts

Interior view - Ani Cathedral

3

The Christian Ghost city of Ani, once called, "The City of 1001 Churches."

by fulltimestudent in

the christian ghost city, once called the city of 1001 churches.. the following photographs show the ruins of the christian city of ani, a city that once was home (some claim) to as many as 200,000 people, but has stood empty and in ruins for centuries.

the ruins stand on the turkish side of the border with armenia.. the first surviving historical records are from armenian historians writing in the 5th century ce.

aside from turkish-armenian friction, it’s in the news now because the world heritage committee (part of unesco) has declared it to be a valuable cultural site that should be preserved.. the city was often attacked by competing political forces, at times by their christian ‘brothers.’ in the mid 11th century byzantine armies besieged ani many times and the city finally surrendered to them in 1046 ce.

fulltimestudent

Remains of the Monastery of the Hripsimian Virgins. Probably built between 1000 and 1200 CE. The adjacent river (Akhurion R.) is the modern border between Armenia and Turkey.

Ruins of the Church of Saint Gregory of Tigran Honents

Interior of the Church of St Gregory of Tigran Honents showing damaged frescoes

3

The Christian Ghost city of Ani, once called, "The City of 1001 Churches."

by fulltimestudent in

the christian ghost city, once called the city of 1001 churches.. the following photographs show the ruins of the christian city of ani, a city that once was home (some claim) to as many as 200,000 people, but has stood empty and in ruins for centuries.

the ruins stand on the turkish side of the border with armenia.. the first surviving historical records are from armenian historians writing in the 5th century ce.

aside from turkish-armenian friction, it’s in the news now because the world heritage committee (part of unesco) has declared it to be a valuable cultural site that should be preserved.. the city was often attacked by competing political forces, at times by their christian ‘brothers.’ in the mid 11th century byzantine armies besieged ani many times and the city finally surrendered to them in 1046 ce.

fulltimestudent

The Christian Ghost city, once called the City of 1001 Churches.

The following photographs show the ruins of the Christian city of Ani, a city that once was home (some claim) to as many as 200,000 people, but has stood empty and in ruins for centuries. The ruins stand on the Turkish side of the border with Armenia.

The first surviving historical records are from Armenian historians writing in the 5th century CE.

Aside from Turkish-Armenian friction, it’s in the news now because The World Heritage Committee (part of UNESCO) has declared it to be a valuable cultural site that should be preserved.

The city was often attacked by competing political forces, at times by their Christian ‘brothers.’ In the mid 11th century Byzantine armies besieged Ani many times and the city finally surrendered to them in 1046 CE. Then in 1046 CE a Seljuk army laid siege to Ani, captured it and … let Arab historian Sibt ibn al-Jawzi tell the story (he claims to have heard an eye-witness account:

“The army entered the city, massacred its inhabitants, pillaged and burned it, leaving it in ruins and taking prisoner all those who remained alive...The dead bodies were so many that they blocked the streets; one could not go anywhere without stepping over them. And the number of prisoners was not less than 50,000 souls. I was determined to enter city and see the destruction with my own eyes. I tried to find a street in which I would not have to walk over the corpses; but that was impossible.” (Quoted in Norwich, John Julius (1991). Byzantium: The Apogee. New York: Viking. pp. 342–343. ISBN 978-0-394-53779-5.)

A Wikipedia entry has a description of the ruins. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ani

And, a web-site called virtual Ani has a map and a helpful list of the ruins.

http://www.virtualani.org/

--------------------

UNESCO file image of the ruins of Ani

Watch out YHWH - Guan Yu is going to kick your butt

by fulltimestudent in

the shanghaiist (linked to the new york based gothamist) has these images of just completed statue, 48 metre high statue of the traditional chinese warrior god.

more piks at this site: http://shanghaiist.com/2016/07/12/giant_guan_yu.php.

aside from wondering as to why anyone would spend the sort of money on a statue like that (i guess you could compare the cost to the enormous sums it cost to build the latest franchised disneyland in shanghai), does it tell us anything else?

fulltimestudent

The Shanghaiist (linked to the New York based Gothamist) has these images of just completed statue, 48 metre high statue of the traditional Chinese Warrior God

More piks at this site: http://shanghaiist.com/2016/07/12/giant_guan_yu.php

Aside from wondering as to why anyone would spend the sort of money on a statue like that (I guess you could compare the cost to the enormous sums it cost to build the latest franchised Disneyland in Shanghai), does it tell us anything else? I guess we could see it as a reflection of the resurgent interest in traditional Chinese culture. Curiously in the nineteenth century, there was a Christian rebellion that nearly overthrew the then ruling Qing dynasty. It was eventually defeated by forces led by a Confucian scholar, Zeng Guofan, who became an accidental General and put together the forces that annihilated the Christian Taiping. But it was a near thing.

41

Are there any instances of "GOD" order and/or condoning the rape of women in the bible?

by Black Man in

jw
friends

this came up recently with my dyed-in-the-wool jw pioneer mother, who swears up and down that there are no scriptural instances of this happening.

i seem to remember a couple passages, but can't remember where they were..

fulltimestudent

Rebel, any contemporary parent will almost certainly agree with you. But is that a consistent cultural belief throughout history?

Not so long back (in historical terms, a girl may well have been married off around ages 13-15. Why? well life was precarious, early death came to women in many forms, not least complications in child birth.* If the average age of death was say 50, and you wanted to see grand children, then you needed to have surviving children by the time you were 20.

Reference: https://discover-the-truth.com/2013/09/09/age-of-consent-in-european-american-history/

The full picture is complicated, but generally it may be thought that parents would have been thinking of finding a suitable marriage partner for a daughter, once her breasts started to develop.

* And we have to say that sometimes pregnancy in a body not fully mature, would have been a cause of death.

41

Are there any instances of "GOD" order and/or condoning the rape of women in the bible?

by Black Man in

jw
friends

this came up recently with my dyed-in-the-wool jw pioneer mother, who swears up and down that there are no scriptural instances of this happening.

i seem to remember a couple passages, but can't remember where they were..

fulltimestudent

Vidiot : The Bible definately doesn't seem to view sexual assault as a particularly big deal except in certain cases.

I agree!

And, we need to ask why? I'm currently thinking that its because our contemporary concept of rape as being a violation of a persons right to say No, was not the way that the ancients really thought about the problem.

I see that different way of thinking as being based on their attitude that 'women' were 'property.'

When young, and girls were unmarried, they were the property of their father/family. When married, they were the property of their husband, hence the use of the word 'baal,' with the meaning of 'husbandly owner' as the NWT translates Isaiah 54:5:

"For your Grand Maker is your husbandly owner, ..."

A choice in harmony with the meaning of 'baal' in this Blue Letter Bible site: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H1166&t=KJV

It seems to me that this attitude is behind the way that 2 Samuel 12:11,12 says David was to be punished. David violated another man's 'property.' so he would be punished the same way. His property (i.e. his wives) would be violated by another man.

YHWH didn't give a f*ck about the feelings of the women involved - they were just a piece of meat belonging to David.

There are other biblical passages that may indicate other perspectives, but the 'ownership' perspective is rather fundamental.
Anyone got a different viewpoint?