We are happy to recommend Todd Bolen’s latest collection of biblical photos, Photo Companion for Ezra and Nehemiah. Like the previous Photo Companion volumes, a PPT is prepared for each chapter, with literally hundreds of illustrative photos. The slides are labeled, and also have informative notes. Because the setting of both Ezra and Nehemiah is that of the Persian Empire, including today’s Iran, these sets are especially helpful because of modern difficulties in obtaining photos in these sites!
Here below is a snippet from the current BiblePlaces Newsletter, which includes ordering info:
“We have been building the Photo Companion to the Bible for nine years now, and there is nothing else like it anywhere. There are a wide variety of good commentaries and Bible study guides available, but there is only one photographic resource for Ezra and Nehemiah. Today you can get the best price on the two books together: Ezra ($39), Nehemiah ($49), or Ezra and Nehemiah together for $59 as DVD+download or as download-only.”
I have been using and recommending Dr. Bolen’s materials since 2003! The new publications are welcome additions to the library of any serious Bible student!
In a class studying Hebrews in our local congregation, we are impressed with the many references to the Tabernacle (9X, NKJV). The Old Testament and its priesthood “serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things” (Heb. 8:5), and are among the things “having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things” (Heb. 10:1). It is a matter of typology: the OT tabernacle, its priests, its sacrifices, point forward to the High Priest Jesus, with His sacrifice (His blood), and the “true tabernacle” (Heb. 8:2) with its “holy place” which is “heaven itself” (Heb. 9:24).
In this post we will share some visuals of the life-size model of the tabernacle in Timna, southern Israel.
Here is a view inside the tabernacle, where you see the lampstand on your left, the table of showbread on your right, and the altar of incense at back just in front of the veil. Also you can see models of the priest, and High Priest.
“Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king” (2 Chron. 10:1, ESV). Biblical Shechem is modern Tell Balata, near Nablus, in today’s West Bank. Though our text does not specify why Rehoboam went to Shechem, it was a city of great historical significance to God’s people, especially prior to the monarchy. We will briefly summarize what happened to Rehoboam at Shechem, but first let’s consider some of the biblical events that transpired at this location.
Shechem, at Israel’s geographical center. Map courtesy of biblemapper.com.
Having first entered the land of Canaan, Abraham was standing here at Shechem, with Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim looming on either side, when God gave him the land promise (Gen. 12:6-7). Sadly, it was also here that Jacob’s daughter Dinah was defiled, and where Levi and Simeon savagely destroyed much of the populace in retaliation (Gen. 34).
In Joshua 8:30-35, in the early days of the Conquest of Canaan, all Israel assembled at Shechem, with six tribes on Mt. Gerizim (mount of “blessing”) and six tribes on Mt. Ebal (mount of “cursing”). At that time Joshua “read all the words of the law, the blessing and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law” (v.34, NKJV). This was in obedience to prior instructions given by Moses in his final days (Deut. 27:11-26). In our Joshua text, that great nation who had descended from that childless couple (at the time of the promise), Abraham and Sarah, was there to lay claim to the promise. But they weren’t just there to receive the land; their reception of Canaan was grounded upon their pledge to keep the covenant of Yahweh.
Then later as Joshua’s death approached, Shechem was the location for Joshua’s last words and for Israel’s covenant renewal (Josh. 24:1-28). Shechem was also where Joseph was buried (Josh. 24:32).
In addition to its great historical significance, the site of Shechem was also a central location and thus a logical meeting place for the matter at hand, Rehoboam’s coronation. On the other hand, Maier suggests that perhaps Rehoboam sensed a bit of discontent among the northern tribes. “One clue was that they did not come to Jerusalem but wanted the meeting at another place, in Shechem, on their own turf, so to speak” (A Theological Exposition of Sacred Scripture, pub. Concordia, 1K12-22, p. 1052).
The outcome of the meeting at Shechem: The northern tribes rejected Rehoboam, with the result that the kingdom divided into Israel (north) and Judah (south). This was punitive, as a result of Solomon’s apostasy, and foretold by the prophet Ahijah (1 Kings 11; 2 Chron. 10:15; 11:1-5). The dynasty would change several times in Israel to the north, but the southern kingdom of Judah would be ruled by the Davidic dynasty, from Rehoboam (Solomon’s son) down through Zedekiah. This covers the years 931-586 BC.
It was at Shechem that Israel met with Solomon’s son Rehoboam to make him king. Shechem is located between Mount Gerizim (left) and Mount Ebal (right).
“Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and Elath on the coast of Edom. And Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own officers, men who knew the sea. These, with Solomon’s men, sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and fifty talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon (2 Chronicles 8:17,18).
Let’s first get the geographical setting of Elath (also spelled Eloth, Eilat):
Map courtesy of biblemapper.com
The location of Elath was at the southern tip of the Arabah, and the north eastern tip of the Red Sea, at the Gulf of Aqaba. This allowed Solomon’s fleet of ships access to the Red Sea and of course, south from there into the Indian Ocean. It would seem that through this means of commerce the Queen of Sheba (see map inset) learned of Solomon, and made the journey to see for herself the incredible reports she had heard (related in the next chapter, 2 Chron. 9:1-12).
In March 2018, Ferrell Jenkins and I made a personal study trip which included this area. In this photo I am at Elath looking south.
B. S. Hummel has the following information regarding Elath:
A city and harbor at the head of the Gulf of Aqabah. Elath’s strategic position made it an important gateway for caravan and naval commerce with Arabia and eastern Africa. In the OT Elath is frequently placed in close proximity to Ezion-geber. Some scholars consider Tell el-Kheleifeh (147884), which lies between modern Elath and Aqabah, as Elath, others as Ezion-geber, and still others as the site for both Elath and Ezion-geber. The site was also known as El-paran (Gen. 14:6). The Ptolemies changed its name to Bernice. Elath was originally Edomite, possibly taking its name from the Edomite chief Elah (Gen. 36:41 = 1 Chr. 1:52; Eloth). Toward the end of the Exodus, the Israelites passed through Elath before turning north toward Edom and Moab (Deut. 2:8). David probably captured it during his campaign against the Edomites (2 Sam. 8:13–14). Solomon then established a navy of ships in Ezion-geber near Elath (1 Kgs. 9:26 = 2 Chr. 8:17). Apparently the Edomites had regained control, but Uzziah (Azariah, 2 Kgs. 14:22; 2 Chr. 26:2) recaptured and restored it (ca. 780 B.C.). However, under Aramean (Syrian) pressure during the Syro-Ephraimite War (ca. 735), Ahaz lost it to the Edomites permanently (2 Kgs. 16:6).
Hummel, B. S. (2000). Elath. In D. N. Freedman, A. C. Myers, & A. B. Beck (Eds.), Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (p. 388). W.B. Eerdmans.
At Elath, looking east. We are of course in the Great Rift Valley here.
Acts 27:39-Acts 28:1 describes the shipwreck on which the Apostle Paul was a prisoner en route to Rome:
When it was day, they did not recognize the land; but they observed a bay with a beach, onto which they planned to run the ship if possible. And they let go the anchors and left them in the sea, meanwhile loosing the rudder ropes; and they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore. But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves. And the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape. But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land. Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta.
Acts 27:39-Acts 28:1
Here is the site proposed by many scholars of that area, known as St. Paul’s Bay:
Having just returned from a personal study trip to Malta, I hope to share some of the sites and artifacts we were able to photograph in upcoming posts.
Some biblical texts are especially illuminated by archaeological finds. For example, Acts 21:28 records the false charge against Paul, “He also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place” (v.28). The next verse shows this they “supposed” (NET “assumed). Ephesians 2:14 speaks of Jesus’ death breaking down “the middle wall of separation” between Jews and Gentiles.
Temple Inscription Fragment. Israel Museum. Photo by Leon Mauldin.
Our photo shows one of the warnings posted marking the boundary within the temple complex beyond which no Gentile could proceed. The inscription read, “NO FOREIGNER IS TO GO BEYOND THE BALUSTRADE AND THE PLAZA OF THE TEMPLE ZONE. WHOEVER IS CAUGHT DOING SO WILL HAVE HIMSELF TO BLAME FOR HIS DEATH WHICH WILL FOLLOW.” I took this photo earlier this month in the Israel Museum.
A complete tablet is housed in the Istanbul Museum, as seen in our photo here:
Complete Temple Inscription. Istanbul Archaeology Museum. Photo by Leon Mauldin.
So the Acts 21 text means that Paul was charged with taking a Gentile beyond the balustrade marked off by signs just like thsee.
The Ephesians 2 text shows that with Jesus’ death on the cross, reconciliation is made possible between men (Jew and Gentile) and God, and those reconciled unto God are reconciled to each other. The reconciled are in one body (the church, Eph. 1:22-23). That distinction epitomized by the wall of separation, and reflected by these warning signs, has been removed!
The Roman Emperor Hadrian (r. 117-138 AD) built a temple devoted to Jupiter over the site venerated as Jesus’ tomb. Later Constantine (r. 306-337 AD) ordered Hadrian’s temple to be destroyed and ordered that a church be built over Jesus’ tomb. Despite the years of destruction and rebuilding, enough remains from earlier structures to provide a plan of Constantine’s buildings.
The site of the crucifixion itself is thought to be very near the place of Jesus’ entombment. Previously Hadrian had erected a Venus statue over Golgotha, ironically marking the spot! Constantine constructed the Martyrium Church over the site of the crucifixion itself.
After the Apostle Paul left the younger evangelist Titus at Crete, he wrote, “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you” (Titus 1:5). There were many cities (Greek polis) on the island of Crete, as can be seen from this map by bibleatlas.org:
In each of these cities where congregations of Christians were established, qualified men were to be appointed to serve as elders (bishops, pastors are biblically interchangeable terms). The list of qualifications was given as follows:
if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
Titus 1:6-9
The archaeological excavations of Arthur Evans at Knossos got underway in 1900. He is credited with inventing the term “Minoan,” naming the civilization after King Minos, who ruled the island of Crete, according to legend.
A deity worshiped by the Minoans was the bull. In the Biblical Archaeology Society publication (2008), Island Jewels: Understanding Ancient Cyprus and Crete, we read:
Again, we rely on the evidence of frescoes and gems that show how the Minoans practiced an astonishing ritual that consisted of grasping a bull by its horns and leaping over its back. When we add this to the ubiquity of stylized bulls’ horns, so-called “horns of consecration,” as well as the bull’s head rhyta (drinking vessels; singular, rhyton) and vivid portraits of individual beasts, there can be no doubt that the Minoans treated the bull with deep reverence…The bull may well have represented the young male consort of the goddess of love, a pattern that recurs throughout the ancient near east from Tammuz and Ishtar to Venus and Adonis, although if this is the case we cannot even give names to the Cretan versions of the divine couple (pp. 49-59).
BAS
In keeping with this information, note our photo of the gigantic bull’s horns below:
It is thought by many that these restored horns symbolized the sacred bull, and that they once adorned the top of the palace at Knossos, Crete.
The palace at Knossos was the largest of the Minoan palaces and served as the home of the legendary king Minos. This palace complex was named and excavated in 1900 by the Englishman Arthur Evans. Arthur Evans is also responsible for naming this sculpture-like object which resembles the horns of a bull, as “”horns of consecration.”” The horns in this slide, which are located outside the South Propylaea at the Knossos complex, are a 20th century reconstruction. Different depictions of horns of consecration can be found throughout Minoan culture, such as on Minoan sarcophagi. Overall, the bull was considered to be a sacred animal in ancient Crete, playing a large role in religious rituals. Since Evans, scholars and archaeologists have debated the true function and meaning of the horns of consecration. One scholar has suggested that these horns were used as seats of honor for nobility or gods. Other scholars have thought that the horns originally served as a pot-support in a hearth. Today, there is still a lack of consensus among scholars as to the function of these horns.
2 Kings 23 records the zealous reforms of good king Josiah (r. 640-609 BC), who had been the object of prophecy some 300 years earlier (1 Kings 13). Josiah destroyed/defiled the sites and objects of idolatry both in Jerusalem as well as throughout the land of Israel. This included the desecration of the site Solomon had constructed for the worship of foreign gods (which had resulted from the influence of the pagan wives he accumulated, cf. 1 Kings 11).
The text states: “Then the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, which were on the south of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the people of Ammon” (2 Kings 23:13).
Here is the location of har hammašḥı̂t (הַר הַמַּשְׁחִית
The “Mount of Corruption” is a “derogatory name for the Mount of Olives, where Solomon had built shrines to Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Molech. Josiah, king of Judah is described as defiling and destroying these temples in 2 Kgs 23:13” (The Lexham Bible Dictionary).
This site also came to be known as the “Mount of Offense” as well as the “Mount of Scandal.”
Our last couple of posts have dealt with Pharaoh Tirhakah, the Cushite (Ethiopian) king of Egypt’s 25th dynasty, and mentioned by name in 2 Kings 19:9, in correction with Judah’s good King Hezekiah, and the Assyrian King Sennacherib. We noted, “In some translations (i.e., NKJV) Tirhakah is said to be king of Ethiopia. “Ethiopia” here refers to southern Egypt, and is rendered Cush in CSB, ESV, NASB (Hebrew is כּוּשׁ, transliterated kûš).” Cush is also called the land of Nubia, with Nubia being the more modern name.
On our recent tour of Egypt (Oct. ’22) we had the opportunity to go south of Aswan (positioned “First Cataract” here on map below), where the ancient border separated Egypt from Cush.
Map of Egypt and Cush. Cush, to the south of Egypt, is biblical Ethiopia.
Earlier when our group stopped for a visit at Kitchener Island in the Nile, we saw trees and plants from many locations. It is used as a research station called the Botanical Research Institute. While there we saw a sycamore tree, which is referenced many times in the scripture. Unlike the sycamore tree of my home in Alabama, the biblical sycamore produced figs (see Amos 7:14-17). I was explaining to some of our group nearby as to the significance of the tree, when a gentleman who also was listening (apparently an employee) approached. He picked up a fig, broke it open, to let our folks better see. This was very helpful. He also very emphatically said, “I am Nubian.”
Here is a sycamore tree in Israel at Neot Kedumim, the Biblical Landscape Reserve in Israel. (Located near Modi’in, midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Israel).
Posted by Leon Mauldin 
leonmauldin.blog 