Tel Ptolemais/Acco/Acre

September 9, 2011

In our previous post we featured a photo of the waterfront of Ptolemais. Ptolemais (Acts 21:8) was mentioned in the Old Testament (designated Acco) among other cities which Israel failed either to capture or to retain after the conquest: “Nor did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Acco or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or Rehob” (Judges 1:31). Because Acco was a port city, it was a very significant loss to fail to possess this strategic location. Our map below, which shows NW Israel, helps orient us:

Ptolemais/Acco. Bibleatlas.org.

Acco was one of the oldest harbors in existence. In our present photo, we see the remains of the tel itself.

Tel Ptolemais. Photo by Leon Mauldin.

 

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Posted by Leon Mauldin

“We Came to Ptolemais”

September 9, 2011

Greetings, friends, now from Dade City, FL. I enjoyed and profited from the trip to Israel, as Ferrel Jenkins & I traveled to numerous biblical sites, many of which we had not seen before. I have held Mr. Jenkins in the highest esteem since my being a student at Florida College (’70-72) and am delighted that we have been able to make numerous trips to Israel and other biblical places. I have learned much from him.

I came back to the states a day earlier than planned in order to attend and participate in the funeral of dear friend & sister in Christ, Sandra Waldron, wife of Bob Waldron. That will be conducted Fri. 2:00 PM here in Dade City.

Our photo displayed in this post was taken at Ptolemais (Hellenistic and Roman times), known as Acco in OT times (Jud. 1:31), and today known as Acre. The ancient tel is Tel-el-Fukhar.

Coast of Ptolemais, mentioned in Acts 21:7. Photo by Leon Mauldin.

As Paul’s 3rd Missionary was concluding, en route to Jerusalem, Acts 21:8 reads, “And when we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, greeted the brethren, and stayed with them one day.”

Click image for higher resolution.

More later. 2:30 AM at present!

 

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Posted by Leon Mauldin

Hazor, Head of All These Kingdoms

September 5, 2011

As we have mentioned, our purpose on this current trip to Israel is to visits sites we have not seen before, many of which would not be practical to visit with a tour group. We were successful again today in doing so.

One place Ferrell Jenkins and I have seen previously many times is Hazor, but we included that city because recent visits have been either during or immediately following rain. Today it was dry and sunny. It was hot but it was nice not to have to walk in mud.

The signifance of this city which was conquered during Israel’s conquest of Canaan led by Joshua is seen in Josh. 11:10:

Then Joshua turned back at that time, and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor formerly was the head of all these kingdoms.

Later during the days of the United Monarchy of Israel, King Solomon fortified this city.

Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon levied to build the house of the LORD, his own house, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer (1 Kings 9:15).

Solomonic City Gate at Hazor. Photo by Leon Mauldin.

All of these cities of this text were fortress cities. Solomon used the same “blueprint” for the gates: the six chambered gate.

Unfortunately, in the process of time, Hazor became a center of cultic worship. Our photo shows the “high place” of Hazor.

High Place at Hazor. Sacrifice to pagan gods occurred here. Photo by Leon Mauldin.

Our photo below further shows an area where pagan worship occurred.

Site of pagan worship at Hazor. Photo by Leon Mauldin.

The forbidden massebah (sacred pillar) can be seen in foreground of photo. On the right hand corner of the tel you can see what was the base of the watchtower of Hazor.

Remember to click on photos for higher resolution.
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On a personal note I regret to report the death of a close personal friend, Sandra Waldron, wife of Bob Waldron. She died Sun. PM as the result of a massive heart attack, following some months of illness. The Waldrons have had a tremendous impact on my life, and I mourn this loss.

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Posted by Leon Mauldin

Jeroboam’s New Religion

August 24, 2011

The wisest man in all the earth fell flat on his face because he failed to give heed to God’s word.  The sad story of Solomon’s apostasy is narrated in 1 Kings 11:1-13.  As punishment God would “tear the kingdom” away from Solomon, and give it to Jeroboam (v.11). This took place when Solomon’s son’s effort to make a show of strength backfired, and all the northern tribes pulled away under Jeroboam, and made him king (1 Kings 12:1-24), leaving Rehoboam as king of Judah.

God had promised Jeroboam He would establish his rule in Israel, conditioned on obedience (1 Kings 11:29-38).  But the temple was in Jerusalem (Judah’s territory); people throughout Israel would be making regular trips there to worship.  Jeroboam thought that if he did not take matters into his own hands, Israel’s loyalty would shift to Judah. Therefore, he “devised in his own heart” four unauthorized changes in the divine pattern (1 Kings 12:25-33):

Object of worship. Jeroboam made two calves of gold and said, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem.  Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt! (1 Kings 12:28).

Place of worship. God had established Jerusalem as the place to worship. The king set up those golden calves in Dan (north) and Bethel (south) (v.29). Shrines were established on the high places for their worship at both sites (v.31).

Persons who officiated in worship. God had selected the tribe of Levi, and within it the family of Aaron, to be priests.  Jeroboam “made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi” (v.31).

Time of worship. God had designated the Feast of Tabernacles to be observed the 15th day of the 7th month; Jeroboam changed it to 15th day of the 8th month (v.32).

God was greatly displeased (1 Kings 14:9). Jeroboam sinned, and “made Israel sin” (v.14). Who would have thought that with those unauthorized changes Jeroboam was blazing a trail that would be followed by succeeding kings for 200 years? There were nineteen kings of Israel from Jeroboam to Hoshea; each of them “continued in the sins of Jeroboam.”

Our photo shows the high place at Dan where sacrifices were made to the golden calf Jeroboam installed.  The people give a sense of scale.

Jeroboam's High Place at Dan. Photo by Leon Mauldin.

The square metal framework in center indicates the location and size of the altar. The shrine for the golden calf would have been in the area we are standing to shoot the photo.

Click on image for higher resolution.

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Posted by Leon Mauldin

“A Shack in a Cucumber Field”

August 17, 2011

The prophet Isaiah said, “Daughter Zion is abandoned like a shelter in a vineyard, like a shack in a cucumber field, like a besieged city” (Isaiah 1:8). What is meant by that statement?

Zion, the city of Jerusalem, became David’s capital city. It was there that Solomon built the temple of the Lord Yahweh. Jerusalem, Mount Zion was central to Israel’s worship, and to their identity as a people. During much of Isaiah’s lengthy career (740-690 BC) Jerusalem was prosperous. “Their land has also been filled with silver and gold and there is no end to their treasures; their land has also been filled with horses and there is no end to their chariots” (Isa. 2:7).

But in saying “The daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard,” Isaiah speaks of their future desolation as though it has already occurred. Isaiah makes use of the prophetic perfect (perfect meaning “completed action”), a grammatical form used “to present future events as if they have already happened . . . the use of the perfect form to express completeness and factuality is so prominent that it is even used for a future event” (A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar.364).

Our photo below illustrates the imagery of the Isaiah text, and was taken near biblical Sardis. Some workers, perhaps family members, have constructed a shelter in the field to have a place to rest and refresh themselves before getting back to work.

Booth in Vineyard Near Sardis. Illustrates Isa. 1:8. Photo ©Leon Mauldin.

Because of the idols which had filled the land of Israel (Isaiah 2:8), God was going to reduce the magnificent city of Zion, Jerusalem the fortress city, to a hut.

Click on image for larger view.

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Posted by Leon Mauldin

Not a Prophet or a Prophet’s Son

August 3, 2011

In our last post we introduced the prophet Amos of Tekoa. God sent him from Judah to Israel to cry out against the idolatry there, centered in such locations as Judah. A false prophet named Amaziah tried to intimidate Amos, and told him to go back home to Judah, i.e., we don’t need your kind of preaching here! Amos’ response:

14 Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah: “I was no prophet, Nor was I a son of a prophet, But I was a sheepbreeder And a tender of sycamore fruit. 15 Then the LORD took me as I followed the flock, And the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’ 16 Now therefore, hear the word of the LORD: You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, And do not spout against the house of Isaac.’ 17 “Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Your wife shall be a harlot in the city; Your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword; Your land shall be divided by survey line; You shall die in a defiled land; And Israel shall surely be led away captive From his own land.'” (Amos 7:14-17).

Our photo below was taken on the road between Tekoa and Bethlehem. You can see the sheep in the distance, which illustrate the kind of work Amos would have done in this general area before being called to the prophetic office.

Sheep near Tekoa. Amos was a sheepherder. Photo by Leon Mauldin.

Note also that Amos said that he was a “tender of sycamore fruit” (NASB: “a grower of sycamore figs” and NET: “I was a herdsman who also took care of sycamore fig trees”). Below is a photo of the biblical sycamore tree.

Sycamore tree, which produces figs. Amos tended trees like this. Photo by Leon Mauldin.

Here is a close up of the fruit. The sycamore fig is inferior to the fig produced by the fig tree, and was eaten by the poorer people of the land.

Close-up of sycamore figs. Photo by Leon Mauldin.

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A pleasant surprise: our friends John and Lisa Hains of Jordan, Ontario, invited us to spend the night in their home (when our Sudbury meeting concluded) and then get us to the Toronto airport for our flight home (to “Sweet Home Alabama”). John met us when I turned in our rental car at Toronto, and en route to his home took Linda & me to see Niagara Falls, which was our first time to do so. The Falls are only about 20-25 minutes away from his house.  John took this photo.

Leon & Linda at Niagara Falls. Photo by John Hains.

 Click on images for higher resolution.

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Posted by Leon Mauldin

Amos of Tekoa

August 2, 2011

The prophet Amos begins his biblical book, “The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake” (Amos 1:1). Tekoa is just south of Bethlehem.

Tekoa. Home of the prophet Amos. Map by bibleatlas.com

 This rustic southern prophet was sent by God to the northern kingdom of Israel to cry out against the idolatrous shrines there. More to come, but for now a photo of Tekoa, Amos’ home.

Site of Tekoa, home of Amos the Prophet. Photo by Leon Mauldin.

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It has been great to be in Sudbury again. I presented seven lessons in this Fri.-Mon. series. We are heading for home today.

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Posted by Leon Mauldin

Citadel of David

July 16, 2011

The Citadel of David is located near the Jaffa Gate on Jerusalem’s western wall.

Citadel of David, located at Jerusalem's Western Wall near Jaffa Gate. Photo by Leon Mauldin.

The site, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org has this helpful info:

The citadel of Jerusalem, known as the “Tower of David,” has been a landmark of the city since ancient times. . .Its location was chosen for topographic reasons – this is the highest point of the southwestern hill of Jerusalem, higher than any other point in the ancient city, including the Temple Mount. A series of fortifications built here in the course of more than twenty centuries, protected Jerusalem from the west and also overlooked and controlled the entire city.

A first archeological survey of the citadel, and excavations, were conducted between 1934 and 1947. Renewed excavations were undertaken after the reunification of the city, between the years 1968 and 1988, preparing the opening of the site to visitors.

Every period has left its mark and has been identified in the assemblage of architectural remains. In the citadel’s foundations are buried the remains of Jerusalem’s fortifications from the end of the monarchic period (8th to 6th centuries BCE) through the early Arab period (seventh to eleventh centuries). The outline of the citadel known today is from the Crusader period; the citadel itself was built in the mid-16th century by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and incorporates the remains of earlier citadels dating from Ayyubid and  Mamluk times.

The Citadel is protected by a high wall and large towers, and it is surrounded by a wide, deep moat, part of which was blocked in modern times. The entrance is from the east, via an outer gate, a bridge over the moat and a fortified inner gate house.

Click on image for higher resolution.

 

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Posted by Leon Mauldin

Sacred Lake at Karnak

July 5, 2011

Biblical Thebes (Ezekiel 30:14-16) is identified with Luxor, Egypt. Karnak was a vast temple complex dedicated primarily to the god Amun.

Our photo shows the sacred lake of the Karnak Temple.

Sacred Lake at Karnak Temple. Photo ©Leon Mauldin.

Todd Bolen writes:

Every Egyptian temple had a sacred lake, and the one at Karnak Temple was the largest. Used daily by the priests for purification, the sacred lake was also used in festivals during which images of the gods would travel across the lake in boats. The lake measures 130 x 77 meters and was surrounded by storerooms and homes of the priests.

Our view here of the sacred lake is to the southwest.

Click on image for larger view.

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Posted by Leon Mauldin

The Biblical Winepress

June 28, 2011

One of our readers asked about either artwork or archaeological dig of a winepress in order to help visualize the situation described in the account of Gideon: “The LORD’s angelic messenger came and sat down under the oak tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite. He arrived while Joash’s son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress so he could hide it from the Midianites” (Judges 6:11, NET).

At Neot Kedumim there is a good example of a biblical winepress.

A Winepress at Neot Kedumim. Photo ©Leon Mauldin.

Neot Kedumim, the Biblical Landscape Reserve in Israel, is located halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. This unique recreation of the physical setting of the Bible in all its depth and detail allows visitors to see life as it was lived by our ancestors 3,000 years ago. More than a “garden” showing various plants, Neot Kedumim embodies the panorama and power of the landscapes which shaped the values of the Bible and provided the rich vocabulary for expressing those values. (http://www.neot-kedumim.org.il/)

There is also a winepress at Tel Qasile, which dates back to Roman times. Here is a diagram:

Diagram for winepress at Tel Qasile. Photo ©Leon Mauldin.

Here is a photo of the winepress:

Winepress at Tel Qasile. Dates back to Roman times. Photo ©Leon Mauldin.

Though this would be much later than the period of the Judges it is still helpful for illustration purposes.

Click on images for larger view.

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Posted by Leon Mauldin

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