Another fascinating find in Jerusalem

According to this article, archaeologists have found the oldest piece of writing ever discovered in Jerusalem. The fragment, written in Akkadian, predates the presence of the Israelites in Jerusalem, and points to the importance of the Jebusite city prior to its capture by David.

Morality from Birth?

There is a fascinating article here that suggests that babies may have a moral sense much earlier than previously thought.

Obviously, this is a single study that will need to be considered and analyzed. However, it offers some tantalizing implications for our understanding of morality and when we develop a sense of right and wrong.

Ancient Wall Found in Jerusalem

I must have missed this news item earlier. According to this report, an ancient wall was found in the City of David in Jerusalem. It may go back as far as Solomon's day.

I find it interesting that excavations of this sort often seem to challenge the perspective of the "Minimalist" school of thought, who maintain that the Old Testament is unreliable as a source of history. Many in this camp would question whether David and Solomon actually existed. Finds such as these suggest that the biblical record is more reliable than they maintain.

I was in this region of Jerusalem last summer, and it is a fascinating and vast excavation. I'll try to post my pictures of it sometime.

A blog recommendation

My good friend and mentor, Dr. Bob Rakestraw, has a blog that I have been greatly blessed by. I know of no one who better exemplifies a spirit-filled life than my friend and brother Bob. Check out his blog!

More on Bruce Waltke

It appears that Waltke is now headed to Knox Theological Seminary. You can read the updated information at Christianity Today's blog.

UPDATE: Christianity Today has updated their post to include a letter from Waltke that addresses what he would have done differently in light of the ensuing controversy.

Bruce Waltke Leaves RTS

A student just notified me that Bruce Waltke, a noted Old Testament scholar, has not had his contract renewed at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL. You can read about the story here.

I think it is sad that a scholar of Waltke’s stature was put in this position. I would hope that a solidly evangelical institution like RTS would be able to see that Waltke affirms the inerrancy of Scripture and that he is seeking truth, not compromising on it. I would also hope that they would allow for someone to hold a view that differs from theirs as long as the person can demonstrate how it can be compatible with ideas of the inerrancy of Scripture. That is, I wish they could have allowed Waltke to be “wrong” in their view, rather than dismissed.

On the other hand, it is important to note that if you look carefully at the story, two important facts emerge. First, Waltke admitted that he wasn’t clear in his BioLogos presentation, and that he wished it had been clearer. Second, Waltke did not accuse RTS of “getting rid” of him, and RTS did not actually accuse him of error. Rather, they said that his views were incompatible with those of the institution.

Though I wish it had been handled differently, it seems to me that there is a place for holding to certain confessional stances at a sectarian institution. For example, the seminary I serve, Bethel, is a Baptist seminary. All of us on the faculty agree that believer’s baptism is the preferred mode of baptism. If, after careful study of Scripture, I were to conclude that infant baptism was the preferred mode of baptism, I would no longer be a good “fit” for Bethel, even though no one would claim that my view was heretical or in error. (After all, everyone on the faculty knows evangelical Presbyterians, Methodists, etc., who baptize infants.) I have been on search committees in which we passed over candidates who might be great in many ways, but who don’t fit Bethel on that and other theological points, though they were undoubtedly evangelical. We could debate whether that is a wise position to adopt. Some might feel that that is less important than having faculty who are evangelical in theology, whatever their views on baptism. But, for good or ill, that is the position Bethel has taken. It was clear when I was hired that this was the stance taken (both in terms of the issue of baptism itself and the idea that a faculty member must be a fit with Bethel on this issue), so were I to change my views on this, integrity would require me to seek employment elsewhere. That is true even if everyone recognizes that the stance itself is not in error.

There is a tension between the kind of academic freedom necessary for robust academic inquiry, and the theological commitments of a sectarian institution preparing students for ministry. Every confessional institution has to find that balance. Sometimes cases come up that test those boundaries or upset the balance. Waltke’s case is clearly one. There have been and will be others. But, to me at least, it seems that striving to find that balance is important for the ministry of preparing students to lead churches within a certain theological framework. For example, students at a secular university have often shared the difficulty of being an evangelical Christian in that environment, forced to defend their views with regularity and perhaps ostracized for their views. Drawing certain lines to achieve a balance between academic freedom and theological commitments helps foster an environment in which students are able to process and develop their theology and attend to their spiritual formation without constantly feeling threatened or under attack. (At least that is the ideal!) Drawing some lines and establishing some boundaries, with respect and charity for views that are different but not heretical, helps foster that environment. I might draw those lines differently, but, in principle, at least, I’m not opposed to drawing some lines.

Another perspective on Israel

For those who enjoyed my posts on my time in Israel, you may be interested to follow the blog of a student of mine at his blog The Jerusalem Experiment. Bryan is an outstanding student whose reflections on his experiences in Jerusalem (and Israel as a whole) have been very edifying to me. I hope you'll find them so as well!

Resurrection

It seems fitting after celebrating Jesus' resurrection to give thought to resurrecting this little blog. I posted a fair amount while in Israel, but my time has been otherwise occupied since my return.

Now, I feel I'd like to try to once again use this blog to communicate ideas and thoughts I have. The focus will necessarily be a bit different from the one last summer, but I hope it is nevertheless useful to you.

Feel free to comment or email with any feedback! Thanks for checking it out!

Leaving the Land

It's hard to believe that my time here has come to an end. I fly out at midnight tonight, but we are going to take the rental car and see a few more sights today and then head to the airport.

I will keep updating this after I get back and get settled in. I haven't really posted much from the Old City and other places, so I'll do that then. So, if you're interested, keep checking back.

Encountering the Canaanites

Another stop on Saturday's tour was Arad. This is the first Canaanite city conquered by the Israelites within the land of Canaan itself (the Canaanite kings Sihon and Og were defeated by the Israelites and their land conquered, but their territory was outside the boundaries of Canaan).

The site includes a governor's palace and storerooms for supplying the troops stationed there. You can see the defensible position in this picture:



Here is a Canaanite altar, with no horns on it:

More Samson

After Delilah convinced Samson to reveal the secret of his strength, he was captured by the Philistines.

Judges 16:21 says:

Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison.

At the museum in Tel Aviv, we saw a grinder that may have been similar to the one Samson used in prison. Here is a picture of one of our instructors, Gary, playing the part of Samson. Note Gary's long hair -- he is perfect for playing the part of a life-long Nazirite (See Numbers 6:1-21).



(Click to enlarge)

On the Road

As we drove across the desert, we saw something one doesn't see every day, at least not in Minnesota:

Beersheba

We rented a car for the weekend, so we have been able to go a bit farther afield. Today, we went to Beersheba, Arad, and Masada.

Beersheba is the site of a number of interesting events in the Bible. The name means "Seven Wells," or "Well of the Oath" and was so named because Abraham made a treaty with Abimelek there. He also lived there for a time. Genesis 21:31-34 says:

So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an oath there. After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Eternal God. And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time. (TNIV)

The site has been well-excavated and there are many interesting things to see there. There is a well (naturally!) as well as a reconstructed altar used for sacrifice (the stones for the altar were found used in another building on the site). There is even a tamarisk tree (though I doubt it is 4000 years old!).

Here are some pictures (click to enlarge):

This a four-horned altar. (Speaking of the altar in the Tabernacle, Exodus 38:2 [TNIV] says, "They made a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar were of one piece, and they overlaid the altar with bronze.")



Here is the well just outside the city gate:



This is a tamarisk tree, like the one planted by Abraham:

Philistine Pottery

At a museum in Tel Aviv, we saw examples of Philistine pottery. It differs from Canaanite and Israelite pottery, most noticeably in the decoration that is present.

Here are a couple of wine or water vessels:

Class dismissed!

We finished up the class today, with a final exam. (Until this summer, it had been years since I have taken a final exam! I give them a lot, but I haven't been on the other side of the desk in a long time!)

I am very pleased with how far I have come in these five weeks. I am reading much more fluently, and am beginning to be able to produce more effectively and efficiently. Perhaps most importantly, I have LOTS of ideas for how to continue to improve my teaching effectiveness. I have also found a great network of people who are willing to help me as I seek to continue to develop.

I now have the weekend before I head back to the US. I will post some more here before I go, and will likely post some follow up posts after I get back. We have rented a car and will roam a bit more widely over the next few days.

Stay tuned!