Once upon a time, on a street called Jaffa, there was a kingdom of books and theological resources called the Caspari Center. To reach this center, each staff member and visitor would have to climb a mountain of three flights of stairs.
Through sun, rain, and melted snow, visitors from around the earth would come to find a quiet place to read, study, reflect, and participate in lectures that impart a greater understanding of God's Word.
Occasionally, I would step out onto the office balcony in the mornings to gaze upon a portion of the Jerusalem city center while observing people on their way to work. When I began working at Caspari these streets seemed void of people. At the time, Jaffa Street was known more for its history of endured terror attacks than for the vibrant stores along it. Since then, a wide variety of sights and sounds have been seen and heard from this balcony, provoking many reasons for reflection. On one day the sound of an ambulance siren may be heard as it rushes to save lives. On another day the cry to "prepare for the coming of Messiah" can be heard as loudspeakers resound in an attempt to restore souls back to Orthodox Judaism. On one day the road may be blocked due to a protest. On another day the road may be blocked due to joyous dancing in the streets.
However, up in the Caspari tower it has been the silence that has beckoned to the Israeli Biblical scholar as well as to the international traveler. As receptionist at Caspari Center I have had the privilege of getting to know some of these visitors and have been challenged to embrace believers regardless of their cultural background, theological stance, church denomination, or worldview; all the while my horizons being broadened to know and embrace my heritage as a Messianic Jew.
My time at Caspari is coming to an end but what I have learned here has not come to a close. The experiences gained from being involved with inter-congregational activities, and the encouragement I have received will accompany me along the journey of life. Even with threats and rumors of war it is here that I have felt the safest in the assurance that comes from being in the center of God's will. Daily I have witnessed that the knowledge of God is indeed filling the whole earth (Hab 2:14). Daily I have been encouraged and overjoyed by the powerful reality of unity in His name (I Cor 12:12).
"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts;
and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ."
1 Corinthians 12:12
"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." Hab 2:14
THE GENUINE ARTICLE?
Archeology is a subject fraught with controversy. In the attempt to uncover the past, discoveries are made that are often inconclusive and seem to easily lend themselves to debate. In this brief article, we would like to give an update on some new discoveries in the field which are making headlines, not only in professional circles but also in the popular media. Through the Caspari Media Review - as well as through other publications - we are able to closely monitor these developments.
Three rather sensational discoveries have recently been reported: The inscription of Joash, king of Judah, concerning the repair of the Temple; an ossuary (bone box) from the first century CE carrying the inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus"; and a shroud that was found in a first century tomb.
The inscription of Joash is linked to the story known to us from 2 Kings 12:1-16 and 2 Chronicles 24:1-14. In these passages, we read that Joash, king of Judah (836-798 BCE), urged the priests of the Lord to collect silver to repair the House of the Lord. The inscription - on a black sandstone plaque (9x11") - contains a 15-line description of the temple repairs. The stone plaque was presented to one of the leading Israeli paleographers (experts in ancient forms of writing) by an unidentified person. It was then given to the Israel Museum for safekeeping. A year and a half later it was exposed to the scholarly world.
Most of the scholars involved in the examination of the stone tablet are very skeptical concerning the authenticity of the inscription. A leading world-class paleographer, Frank Moore Cross of Harvard University, came to the conclusion, after examining the inscription line by line, that the inscription contains a number of words that came into use in post-exilic or even in post-biblical times. Edward Greenstein, an expert in Hebrew philology (study of language) from Tel Aviv University, came to the same conclusion. He states that although the writer is familiar with biblical words, the way in which he combines them does not accord with Biblical usage. In addition, petrologists (experts in rocks and stones) from both the USA and Israel say that it is possible to make stones look "old" or to forge the patina. In general, when it comes to objects not found in proper archaeological excavations which surface in sensational ways, archeologists should always be skeptical. The only people who claim that the plaque is authentic are experts from the Israel Geological Survey Institute.
If it does prove genuine, this inscription will not only support the Biblical text but also generate some political rumblings. According to its owner, the artifact was found on an Arab construction site on the Temple Mount. Chairman Arafat and Palestinian propaganda claim that there was no Jewish presence on Haram a Sharif - the Temple Mount. If authentic, this inscription, together with other findings, may help refute this claim.
Another political issue involved is the legality of the work now being conducted on the Temple Mount. Construction work on the Temple Mount has already created a bulge at the southeastern corner of the retaining wall constructed by Herod the Great in the first century BCE. Such ongoing construction can potentially cause further damage to the wall. According to the leading Israeli expert in this field, Elat Mazar, the construction is also destroying the decorated underground passages that lead to a platform dating from the time of the Second Temple. The Moslem religious trust - the Waqf - is currently denying Israeli experts access to examine the Temple platform.
Concerning the now world-famous ossuary (bone box) that bears the inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" - not only an archaeological but also a police investigation is being conducted concerning its authenticity. What is known is that burial traditions involving such ossuaries was limited in ancient Israel to the period between the first century BCE to first century CE. The box itself seems authentic. It is amazing how much scholarly debate a short sentence on an ossuary can engender! Since the artifact was not found during a proper archaeological dig but comes from the same private collector who owns the Joash Inscription, a number of ethical and scholarly questions cast a shadow of doubt on this discovery. Why, bearing such a famous name, was the ossuary not presented to the experts before this? Is it really Jesus of Nazareth's family or is it another family who has relatives bearing the same popular names? Why would two suspicious artifacts come from the same source?
This authenticity of this ossuary remains controversial. In mid-June, after extensive research and testing, Israeli scholars and experts declared the inscription to be counterfeit. The next week, the media reported that the editor of the prestigious journal Biblical Archeology Review disputes the conclusions of the Israeli experts.
If you think we have exhausted current sensational archeological finds in Israel, you are mistaken. There is yet another one. Recently, the British/Israeli archaeologist Shimon Gibson discovered a Second Temple period tomb in the Hinnom valley of Jerusalem containing an ossuary with the bones and a cloth shroud still intact. Will this discovery cast light on the mystery of the Turin Shroud - or will it only increase the mystery and add to the questions?
We are thankful that our faith is not based on archeology but on the Word and Spirit of the living God. Otherwise, it would be as fragile as two of the artifacts mentioned above - which cracked while in transit! Life in Israel is never dull, even if you deal with old stones, bones, and shrouds. If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of history, we welcome you to stay in touch with us at Caspari Center in Jerusalem.
SELECTIONS FROM THE MEDIA REVIEW
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"Christians in Jewish Clothing?" (In Jerusalem, Mar. 28, 2003)
…is the headline of an article in which Aharon Rubin, head of the anti-missionary desk at Yad L'achim, maintains that, "Believing that Jesus is the Messiah is idol worship. Messianic Jews are really selling Christianity as Judaism." The American Jewish Committee's Rabbi David Rosen contends that it is possible to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and still be Jewish. However, "if a person believes that Jesus is divine, that he is part of the Holy Trinity, and that salvation comes through belief in Jesus, then these beliefs are incompatible with Judaism. Such people should come clean and describe themselves as Christians." While Rubin would like to see proselytizing outlawed, Rosen believes that would be a blow to Israeli democracy, in particular to freedom of speech.
Go to Nazareth! (Yediot Hagalil May 2, 2003)
A strong response to a group of German "missionaries" who passed out literature in Upper Nazareth was published in Yediot Hagalil (May. 02, 2003). Avraham Maman, a member of the local city council, is quoted as saying, "We do not want preachers of Christianity in our city. Whoever wants to convert, let him go to Nazareth." He approached municipality officials demanding that the missionaries be removed from the area.
Foreigners not Wanted (Ha'Aretz, April 20, 2003)
The rate of expulsion of foreign workers has recently grown dramatically, with more than five thousand being deported since the beginning of March 2003. This represents an average of one hundred deportations a day. The feature in Ha'Aretz (Apr. 20, 2003) centers on Father Gabriel, a priest at the Saint Peter Church in Jaffa, who has begun to severely criticize the emigration police, accusing the officers of relating in harsh and humiliating ways to prisoners and overriding their rights and freedom of religion.
