Aramean = Aramaic = Syria.
"Aramaic was no doubt the spoken language of the Lord and His disciples. It was the source of such words as Cephas, Matthew, Abba (Mark [[14:36|bible.62.14.36]]), and Maranatha (1Cor. [[16:22|bible.67.16.22]]). It is also noteworthy that in the very hour of His agony on the cross, Jesus cried out in His native Aramaic tongue, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why has Thou forsaken Me?' (Mtt. [[27:46|bible.61.27.46]])."
Ref-0075, p. 326.
"the shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic and back again in Daniel are found in the scrolls of Daniel at Qumran, supporting the legitimacay of this feature of the Massoretic text commonly used in English translations."
Ref-0005, p. 14. "It should be carefully observed that in Babylon of the late sixth century, in which Daniel purportedly lived, the predominant language spoken by the heterogeneous population of this metropolis was Aramaic."
Ref-0005, p. 15. "Kitchen goes on to state, concerning the 'entire word-stock of Biblical Aramaic' which is largely Daniel, that 'nine-tenths of the vocabulary is attested in texts of the fifth century B.C. or earlier.'"
Ref-0005, p. 49. Also see
Ref-0075, p. 325. "An interesting fragment of Daniel, containing Dan. [[2:4|bible.27.2.4]] (where the language changes from Hebrew to Aramaic), also comes from this cave [Cave 1 of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran]. . . An interesting fragment containing some of Dan. [[7:28|bible.27.7.28]], Dan. [[7:8|bible.27.7.8]]:Dan. [[7:1|bible.27.7.1]] (where the language changes back from Aramaic to Hebrew) was found."
Ref-0075, p. 363. "Aramaic sections of the Old Testament include two words as a place name in Gen. [[31:47|bible.1.31.47]]; one verse in Jer. [[10:11|bible.24.10.11]]; about six chapters in the Book of Daniel (Dan. [[2:1-49|bible.27.2.1]]:4b-7:28). If someone looks at a copy of the Hebrew Bible, these sections in Aramaic will appear no different from other parts of the Old Testament. This is true because the Aramaic characters are like those of the Hebrew, or, to be more exact, the square-shaped Hebrew letters are actually borrowed from the Aramaic. . . . The longest Old Testament section in Aramaic begins in Dan. [[2:4|bible.27.2.4]]. The first part of the verse is in Hebrew, and the Aramaic portion starts with the response of the Chaldeans, "O king, live forever!" An interesting confirmation of this linguistic change within the verse has come to light in recent years. The amazing Dead Sea Scrolls have produced a little fragment of this section of Daniel, and in the middle of Dan. [[2:4|bible.27.2.4]] the Hebrew stops and the Aramaic begins exactly as our text reads two thousand years later. The Hebrew portion of Daniel resumes at the end of chapter 7. This transition of Aramaic to Hebrew is also confirmed by the Dead Sea Scrolls, for of the two manuscripts that have this section, both have the change from Aramaic to Hebrew precisely where our modern text has it!"
Ref-0236, p. 28.
"When the Jews returned from the Babylonian Exile, they were probably speaking Aramaic rather than Hebrew. This meant that when Ezra, the scribe. . .read the Law. . .it was necessary for the Levites (vv. 7-9) to translate from Hebrew to Aramaic."
Ref-0002, p. 28.
Gen. 8:4
"The King James Version in the two identical passages of 2 Kings and Isaiah change the 'Ararat' of the Hebrew to 'Armenia'. This is undoubtedly due to the influence of the Greek version of the OT, known as the Septuagint, which made this change when the translation was made in about 200 BC. Ararat as a Kingdom ceased to be with the defeat of the Medes around 605 BC. The translators of the OT simply were upgrading the geographical names, but it is puzzling as to why they did not update at the other two verses in Gen. [[8:1-22|bible.1.8.1]] and Jer. [[51:1-64|bible.24.51.1]]!" Crouse, Bill, The Landing Place,
Ref-0003 15(3) 2001, p. 17.
See
Ref-0001, p. 184.
". . .Ahaz is mentioned once in the surviving inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser. On a large clay tablet giving a summary of the first 17 years of his reign, the king states that he received tribute from 'Jehoahaz of Judah'. . .Here Ahaz's full name, meaning 'Yahweh has possessed,' is used. This payment was probably made in 734 BC, whereas the one recorded in the Old Testament most likely dates to the following year. . .A clay sealing, or bulla, impressed by the original seal reads, 'Belonging to Ahaz [son of] Yehotam, King of Judah.' The inscription thus names two Biblical personages--Ahaz king of Judah, and his father Yehotam (spelled Jotham in our English tranlsations), also a king of Judah. Presently in a private collection in London, the origin of the bulla is unknown."
Ref-0066, Vol. 14 No. 1, Winter 2001, p. 24.
Babylonian tablet from 17th century B.C. with creation story. Gods rule heaven and earth, man made from clay mixed with blood to take over lesser gods' chores of tending land. Flood is sent to destroy mankind. One man, Atrahasis, is warned and told to build boat. Loads boat with food and animals and is saved while world perishes. Offers sacrifice to the gods and chief god accepts mankind's continued existence.
Ref-0025, p. 61.
Cuneiform tablets bought by British Museum in late nineteenth century and translated in 1956. One entry reads: "The 7th year, the month of Kislev, the king of Babylonia mustered his forces and marched to Syria [Syria-Palestine]. He camped against the city of Judah [Jerusalem] and on the second day of the month of Adar he took the city and captured the king. He appointed a king of his own choice there, took its heavy tribute and brought them to Babylon."
Ref-0025, p. 233.
At Deir Allah, located in the Jordan Valley, a mid-eighth century Aramaic inscription mentioning the biblical prophet Balaam was discovered written in red and black ink on plaster.
Ref-0025, p. 164. "Two inscriptions of this kind, ink on plaster, have been discovered recently. One of these is of particular interest. It is an Aramaic text from the plaster of a temple wall in the Jordan valley. The first line reads, "This is the record of Balaam, son of Beor. . . .""
Ref-0236, p. 14.
"The historical city of Bethsaida has been located after 17 centuries. The site for many of Jesus’ miracles, including the feeding of the 5000 and walking on the water, Bethsaida has been sought by many Christian pilgrims. Recent excavations at et-Tell, a large mound a mile and a half from the shores of the Sea of Galilee, uncover a thriving port with city-levels that date back to the time of King David. Religious items for both Yahweh and Baal / Moon-god worship confirm the Bible’s description of Assyrian influences on Israel and Syria. Evidence for the town’s conquest by Assyria also confirms the Biblical account."
Ref-0042, January 25, 2000.
In 1982 in Babylonian destruction level of David's City, a cache of 51 small clay "buttons" (ancient seals) were inscribed with names of owners. One seal was that of "Gemaryahu [Gemariah] the son of Shaphan" a scribe who served in the court of King Jehoiakim.
Ref-0025, p. 235.
Stone cylinder inscribed in cuneiform which reads in part "I returned to [these] sacred cities on the other side of the Tigris, the sanctuaries of which have been in ruins for a long time, the images which [used] to live therein and established for them permanent sanctuaries. I gathered all their [former] inhabitants and returned [to them] their habitations. . ."
Ref-0025, p. 251.
"A Leo Oppenheim lists deliveries of oil for the sustenance of dependents of the royal household in ancient literature and includes specific mention of food for the sons of the king of Judah in a tablet dating from the tenth to the thirty-fifth year of Nebuchadnezzar II."
Ref-0005, p. 35.
See Gary A. Byers, "The Tell Dan Stela",
Ref-0066, 16.4 (2004), p. 121.
Death by assassination in 681 B.C. recorded in Babylonian Chronicle: "On the 20th of the month of Tebet, his son killed Sennacherib, king of Assyria, during a rebellion."
Ref-0025, p. 271.
In 1996 uncovered stone inscription at Tel Miqne identifying the site as Ekron and listing two if its kings.
Ref-0025, p. 226.
"Gallio is known elsewhere from the writings of his famous brother Seneca, and his governorship can be dated to AD 51-2 by an inscription found in Delphi."
Ref-0063, p. 70.
Babylonian account of the Flood. Named after King Gilgamesh who is supposed to have ruled the Mesopotamian city of Uruk around 2600 B.C. Believed to date from 18th century B.C. Man, Utnapishtim, warned by creator god Ea to build boat. Passed safely through the Flood with family, treasures, and living creatures. Boat comes to rest on Mount Nisir in Kurdistan. Utnapishtim sends out a dove, a swallow, and finally raven. When raven doesn't return he leaves boat and offers sacrifice to gods.
Ref-0025, p. 64.
Tunnel is 1,750 feet long through solid limestone connecting the Gihon Spring with present-day Pool of Siloam. "Researchers in the old City of David believe they may have discovered underground spaces that may have been used as a miqveh (ritual immersion pool) for the special purificiation of the High Priest in the Second Temple era (time of Jesus). Diver's photographs underneath the famous 8th-century B.C. water tunnel location south of the City of David revealed the subterranean spaces. . . Hezekiah's water tunnel was rediscovered in the 19th century when Jerusalem was under the Ottoman Turkish Empire. An inscription left by the original diggers, which described their procedure (as in the Biblical account), was removed and permanently housed in the museum in Istanbul. . . the water did not stream directly from the spring to the tunnel and then to the pool (from where the water was drawn) but followed a long path through underground spaces from the spring to the tunnel. Because the High Priest's purification required a separate, undefilable place, and the biblical text records that the High Priest annointed kings of Israel at this place (1K. [[1:45|bible.11.1.45]]), the researchers have conjectured that these spaces may have been utilized for that purpose."
Ref-0051, March/April 2002. "Scholars from Hebrew University and the Geological Survey of Israel studied flora samples taken from the plaster that lined the tunnel walls. Using radiocarbon dating, they determined that a wood sample dated to about 800 B.C. and two plant samples dated to 790-760 BC and 690-540 BC. A radioisotope study of a stalactite in the tunnel corroborated this date." -- Todd Bolen, BiblePlaces Newsletter, Oct. 21, 2003.
City massively destroyed by fire (Jos. [[6:24|bible.6.6.24]]). Fortification walls collapsed at the time the city was destroyed, possibly by earthquake activity (Jos. [[6:20|bible.6.6.20]]). Destruction occurred at harvest time in the spring as indicated by large quantities of grain stored in the city (Jos. [[2:6|bible.6.2.6]]; Jos. [[3:15|bible.6.3.15]]; Jos. [[5:10|bible.6.5.10]]). Siege was short since the grain stored in the city was not consumed. The grain was not plundered, as was usually the case in antiquity, due to Divine injunction (Jos. [[6:17-18|bible.6.6.17]]).
Ref-0025, p. 152. "They found collapsed walls, not walls that were broken down from the outside but that had fallen down (Jos. [[6:20|bible.6.6.20]]). The walls had not fallen inward, but outward, creating a ramp of fallen bricks by which the Israelites 'went up into the city, every man straight before him' (Jos. 6.20). The unusually large stores of carbonized grain found in the ruins showed that the city had endured only a short siege, which the Bible numbers at seven days (Jos. 6:12-20), and that the grain had been recently harvested (Jos. 3:15). Also, because grain was a valuabel commodity almost always plundered by conquering forces, the large amount of grain left in the ruins is puzzling--but consistent with God's command that nothing in the city be taken except valuable metals to be used for the treasurey of the Lord (Jos. 6:24). The city had also been burned, exactly as the Bible records (Jos 6:24)." Scott Ashley and Jerold Aust, "Jericho: Does the Evidence Disprove or Prove the Bible?",
Ref-0066, 16.2 (2003), p. 56.
"Archaeologist Edwin Yamauchi points out th elimits of this science when he explains: (1) little of what was made or written in antiquity survives to this day; (2) few of the ancient sites have been surveyed and a number have not even been found; (3) probably fewer than 2 percent of the known sites have been meaningfully excavated; (4) few of these have been more than scratched; and (5) only a fraction of the fraction that have been excavated have been published and data made available to the scholarly world." E. Yamauchi The Stones and the Scriptures, cited by Mario Seiglie, "The Exodus Controversy",
Ref-0066, 16.2 (2003), p. 34.
"The earliest surviving fragment of the New Testament is [a] papyrus containing part of the Greek text of John [[18:31-33|bible.64.18.31]] and 37. It dates from about AD 130. . . . (now at the John Rylands University Library, Manchester)"
Ref-0063, p. 130.
Contains name of Omri.
Ref-0025, p. 171. "The event recorded on the Moabite Stone is that revolt against Israel recorded in 2K. [[1:1|bible.12.1.1]] and 3:4-27."
Ref-0075, p. 336.
In 1975, First-Temple burial caves were discovered beneath St. Andrew's Church of Scotland. In 1979, excavation in cave 25 revealed a silver scroll rolled up to form an amulet containing text which is almost similar to Num. [[6:24-26|bible.4.6.24]]. Dating is back to Davidic dynasty and are earliest biblical verses found, predating Dead Sea Scrolls by several centuries.
Ref-0025, p. 241. "Of special interest are two small silver scrolls worn as amulets around the neck. One contains the priestly blessing that reads, "May the Lord bless and keep you. May the Lord cause his face to shine upon you and give you peace." (Num. [[6:24-26|bible.4.6.24]]). The inscription in old Hebrew letters is from the sixth century B.C. and is the earliest known that contains words of Scripture."
Ref-0236, p. 16.
Four-sided polished block of black limestone 6.5 feet high extracted in 1945. Carved scenes of Assyrian court with almost 200 lines of cuneiform text. One scene translates "Tribute of Jehu, son of Omri Silver, gold, a golden bowl, a golden beaker, golden goblets, pitchers of gold, tin, staves for the hand of the king [and] javelins, [Shalmaneser] received from him.'"Ref-0025, p. 78.
"Peqah's name also appears on a seal. On it a human figure wearing an Egyptian wig, a short tunic and a long mantle faces left. He holds a javelin in his upraised right hand. Engraved behidn the figure are the letters PQH, vocalized Peqah. The area of origin (Nablus) and date of the script suggest that the Peqah of the seal is none other than Peqah, son of Remaliah, of the Old Testament. Peqah no doubt used the seal when he was an officer under Peqahiah."
Ref-0066, Vol. 14 No. 1, Winter 2001, p. 25. "In Palestine, one [pot] sherd has been discovered with the name of Pekah, king of Israel about 735 B.C., on it."
Ref-0236, p. 16.
"An important inscription from [the Vardar Gate in Thessalonica], which is now in the British Museum, contains the word Gk. politarches, the same term that Luke used to designate the officials (RSV 'city authorities') before whom Jason was brougth by the Mob (Acts [[17:6|bible.65.17.6]]). Since this word has not been found in Greek literature, its discovery on the Vardar Gate is an important evidence of Luke's accuracy as a historian."
Ref-0008, p. 4:838.
"In 1961, a stone tablet was discovered at Caesarea bearing the Latin names of Pontius Pilate and Tiberius, affording archaeological proof of Pilate's existence."
Ref-0105, p. 217.
Contains cuneiform characters including phrase "I am Darius, Great King, King of Kings, the King of Persia." Also mentions Xerxes (Ahaseurus) who married Esther.
Ref-0025, p. 59.
In 1975, over 250 inscribed bullae surfaced through an Arab East Jerusalem antiquities dealer. On seal says "Berekhyahu [Baruch] son of Neriyahu [Neriah] the scribe."
Ref-0025, p. 235.
90-foot long mural decorating ceremonial suite in palace of Assyrian king Sennacherib at Nineveh. Mural in British Museum depicts Assyrian camp, their siege of the city, torture of city's inhabitants, and exile of prisoners and their presentation before Sennacherib.
Ref-0025, p. 79.
Six-sided clay prism inscribed in Assyrian cuneiform discovered at Sennacherib's palace in Nineveh in 1830 by British Colonel R. Taylor which records: "As for Hezekiah, the Judean who did not submit to my yoke. I surrounded and conquered forty-six of his strong-walled towns and innumerable small settlements. . . He himself I shut up in Jerusalem, his royal city, like a bird in a cage. The warriors and select troops he had brought in to strengthen his royal city Jerusalem did not fight. . .He sent his messengers to pay tribute and do obeisance."
Ref-0025, p. 273.
Nearly 3,000 year-old monumental inscription written in Aramaic on black basalt discovered at Tel Dan. Unearthed in 1993/4, describes how Ben Hadad, king of Damascus, is victorious over Ahaziahu (Ahaziah) and Jehoram: "I killed Jehoram son of Ahab king of Israel and I killed Ahaziahu son of Jehoram king of the House of David."
Ref-0025, p. 170. Nearly 3,000 year-old monumental inscription written in Aramaic on black basalt discovered at Tel Dan. Unearthed in 1993/4, describes how Ben Hadad, king of Damascus, is victorious over Ahaziahu (Ahaziah) and Jehoram: "I killed Jehoram son of Ahab king of Israel and I killed Ahaziahu son of Jehoram king of the House of David."
Ref-0025, p. 170.
"Beginning with A.H. Layard's discoveries in Nimrud, ancient Calah, in Iraq in 1845 we have a considerable amount of information concerning this Biblical king. Layard discovered his palace, the so-called 'central palace,' in the center of the tell. . .[including] reliefs. . .covered with inscriptions recording events in Tiglath-pileser's reign. . .There are many scenes depicting Tiglath-pileser himself. . . .Included among the inscriptions on the reliefs are records of Tiglath-pileser's western campaigns and his contacts with the nations of that region, including Israel and Judah. All told, six Biblical kings are named in the records of Tiglath-pileser III (Tiglath-pileser, Menahem, Ahaz, Peqah, Rezin, Hoshea)."
Ref-0066, Vol. 14 No. 1, Winter 2001, p. 23
"The city of Ur in Southern Sumeria was thoroughly excavated by Leonard Woolley (1922-1934), and it proved to be a large and flourishing city which enjoyed an advanced civilization around 2000 B.C., which would have been precisely Abraham's period. The average middle-class citizens lived in well-appointed houses containing from ten to twenty rooms. Schools were maintained for the eduction of the young, for schoolboy tablets have been discovered which attest their training in reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion."
Ref-0001, p. 177.
"Arius, a senior presbyter of one of the twelve 'parishes' of Alexandria. . . claimed that the Father alone was really God; the Son was essentially different from his Father. He did not possess by nature or right any of the divine qualities of immortality, sovereignty, perfect wisdom, goodness and purity. He did not exist before he was begotten by the Father, the Father produced him as a creature. Yet as the creator of the rest of creation, the Son existed 'apart from time before all things'."
Ref-0063, pp. 164-165
". . .from knowledge of the fossil record, I estimate that over 75% of the animals which were released off the Ark are now extinct for one reason or other." John Woodmorappe, Letters,
Ref-0003 15(3) 2001, p. 51.
". . .up until the 1858 launch of the Great Eastern [it was] the largest floating vessel known to have been built. Length: 137 m (450 ft.). Width: 23 m (75 ft). Height: 14 m (45 ft). Floor space: 100,000 square feet. Total volume: 1,396,000 cubic feet. Cargo capacity: 15,000 tons."
Ref-0028 22(1) December 1999 - February 2000,
Ref-0003 8(1):26-36, 1994. "Think of one and a half football fields for the length and a four-story building for the height. . .capable of holding over 500 railroad stockcars inside its hull!. . .the average size for animals is that of a sheep. The Ark was capable of holding 125,280 sheep. . .Only the animals that live on land (mammals, reptiles) or in the air (birds) were to be taken on board the Ark. Ultimately, the number of animals that went on the Ark was about 35,000. A number that would fill approximately 146 railroad stockcars. . .The Bible says they were sent according to their kind. . .From the large Saint Bernard to the diminutive Chihuahua, there are presently 250 types of domesticated dogs living today. There are also wild dogs such as the wolf or coyote. Noah did not need to take every type of dog on board. He only needed a pair of a 'kind' of a dog, which was sent specifically by God." William Geating, Noah And His Ark,
Ref-0066, Vol. 14 No. 2, 2001.
". . .the number of actually catalogued fossil species is only about 200,000, ~95% of which were marine invertebrates which Noah was not required to take on board anyway."
Ref-0003, 13(2) 1999, p. 27.
"The broken tablets of the Ten Commandments (Ex. [[32:19|bible.2.32.19]]) were a witness to the great spiritual defection and breaking of the covenant by the people--a defection which almost cost them their existence as Abraham's seed (Ex. [[32:10|bible.2.32.10]]; Deu. [[9:14|bible.5.9.14]]). The pot of manna recalled the violations committed against its gathering (Ex. [[16:20|bible.2.16.20]]) and the complaints against its provision (Num. [[11:16|bible.4.11.16]]). The rod of Aaron was a visible reminder of the treasonous spirit that sought to replace God's appointed leadership (Num. [[16:1-50|bible.4.16.1]])."
Ref-0142, p. 53. "The pot of manna revealed God's loyal love in that He continued His constant care of the nation by giving her 'daily bread' until everyone finally reached the Promised Land (Ex. [[16:35|bible.2.16.35]]; Jos. [[5:12|bible.6.5.12]]). Aaron's budded rod was graciously given to validate God's proper priesthood (Num. [[17:5|bible.4.17.5]]; Num. [[18:6-9|bible.4.18.6]],Num. [[18:23|bible.4.18.23]]) and to preserve the lives of those who would otherwise have perished for their complaints (Num. [[17:10|bible.4.17.10]]). Finally, the book of the Law was present with the Ark to testify to every successive generation (Deu. [[4:9|bible.5.4.9]]) that God had chosen the nation not because of anything she had done but because of His own sovereign love and gracious choice (Deuteronomoy 7:6-9)."
Ref-0142, p. 54.
Josephus says the ark wasn't used in the 2nd temple
Ref-0027 5:219. "The fifth division of the tractate Mo'ed in the Mishnah, called Yoma, confirms the Ark's absence from the Second Temple when it explains that the high priest made his offering not at the Ark but upon an ancient rock that protruded through the floor within the Holy of Holies called the 'Foundation Stone' (Hebrew, 'Even Hashtiyah)."
Ref-0142, pp. 104-105.
The ark appears to have been sequestered away from the Holy of Holies during the time of corruption preceding the reign of Josiah (2Chr. [[35:3|bible.14.35.3]]). This hints at the possibility that the ark was preserved elsewhere during times of religious crisis to prevent its subsequent capture. "Once the Ark was installed permanently within the Temple, it was not moved except on one occasion--when King Manesseh placed an idol in the Temple (2Chr. [[33:7|bible.14.33.7]]; 2Chr. [[35:3|bible.14.35.3]])."
Ref-0146, p. 381.
Har-Mageddon. The mountain of Megiddo. The west end of the valley of Jezreel guarding Megiddo pass. "The campaign of Armageddon could be identified as consisting of three separate battles (all characterized in Scripture as being like the treading of a winepress) beginnin with the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel [[3:12-14|bible.29.3.12]]), the valley created by the dividing of the Mount of Olives at Christ's return (Zec. [[14:4-5|bible.38.14.4]]). The second battle will take place near Bozrah where Christ will stain His garments with blood when the restored Israelites fail to follow His orders to capture the territory of Edom (Isa. [[63:1-6|bible.23.63.1]]; cf. Ob. [[1:15-21|bible.31.1.15]]). The final battle is in the valley of Jezreel near Megiddo and gives its name to the campaign (Rev. [[16:16|bible.87.16.16]]; Rev. [[19:11-18|bible.87.19.11]]). This three-battle scenario is implied by Hindson's explanation that the 200-mile river of blood (Rev. [[14:20|bible.87.14.20]]) is equivalent to the distance between Bozrah and Megiddo (159)." William D. Barrick review of Edward Hindson, The Book of Revelation,
Ref-0164, Vol. 13 No. 2, Fall 2002, p. 286.
Teachings of Jacobus Arminius, a pastor in Amsterdam (1588-1603) and professor at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. (1) conditional election based on God's foreknowledge; (2) resistable grace; (3) universal atonement; (4) man cooperates with God in salvation through prevenient grace; (5) a believer may lose his salvation. He interpreted Rom. [[7:19|bible.66.7.19]] as denoting the unregenerate man (whereas the context dictates that it is Paul describing himself as a mature regenerated believer).
See
Christ - put on.
Artemis of the Ephesians differs from the Artemis (Diana) of the Greeks (Acts [[19:24|bible.65.19.24]] describes the Ephesian αρτεμιδος). The Roman Diana--the Greek Artemis--was a beautiful virgin huntress, the sister of Apollo. The Ephesian Artemis was a multi-breasted goddess of fertility in man, animal, and nature. The 'great mother.'
Ref-0100, Tape 17:B.