Kiképzés közben egy 1800 éves pénzérmet talált egy katona Észak-Izraelben
Kiképzés közben egy 1800 éves pénzérmet talált egy katona Észak-Izraelben
Az i.sz. 138-tól 161-ig uralkodó Antoninus Pius római császár képmása látható a ritka bronzérmén, amelyet Haifától keletre, a Menasse-fennsíkon talált kiképzése közben a kövek között a kiskatona.
Azonnal szólt feljebbvalójának, aki értesítette az Izraeli Régészeti Hivatalt (IAA). Az IAA érme szakértője szerint különlegesen ritka kincsre bukkantak, amelyet talán éppen egy római katona veszített…
Is Josephus Reliable? | Brenton H. Cook [January 1, 2013]
One of the most-quoted resources about the world during
BIBLE times is the first-century historian Josephus.
But who was this man, & should we trust what he has to say?
Famed Jewish historian Josephus Flavius was born in
Jerusalem in AD 37 or 38, not long after
CHRIST’s crucifixion.
The son of a priest, he became a Pharisee,
a military commander in the Jewish resistance,
& an eyewitness to Jerusalem’s destruction in AD 70.
Eusebius, the first church historian, calls him
“the most famous Jew of his time” & tells of
a statue erected in his honor in Rome.
For two millennia Christian scholars have preserved
& studied Josephus’s works, especially his
account of the Jewish revolt [The Jewish War]
& a complete history of GOD’s people from
creation to the first century [Antiquities of the Jews]
Pastors often incorporate details from
Josephus in their sermons without even
realizing they came from him.
But should we trust his works?
A Valuable Eyewitness
While every historian is fallible & must be read with care,
historians can be very helpful, especially when they
report firsthand knowledge.
As a teenager, Josephus spent time with various
Jewish sects & knew them well.
He later observed the Jewish revolt from the front lines
When he was captured, he got to see the other side.
In fact, he won the favor of the general,
Vespasian, by accurately predicting his rise
to the throne of the empire.
Josephus ultimately switched sides & received
Roman citizenship, even adopting Vespasian’s
imperial family name, Flavius.
He now had access to the emperor’s libraries,
military reports, & court records from Herod &
other rulers in Palestine.
The principal value of Josephus’s work lies
in his discussion of Jewish history from
100 BC through AD 100.
His narrative of this era is strongly supported
by numerous authentic sources he
gathered & interpreted with skill.
1a] Josephus’s works provide us with valuable details
that do not survive in any other records.
In fact, he provides the most important
extrabiblical information on many key political
figures, such as Herod the Great, Felix, & Pilate.
For instance, most of our knowledge of Herod’s
extensive building projects, such as the temple
that CHRIST often visited, comes from Josephus.
His works also provide insight into the inner
workings of first-century Jewish sects such
as the Pharisees & Sadducees.
His description of another sect, the Essenes,
helped confirm that they were the authors
of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
He also provides gripping details about
other first-century events, such as the
destruction of the temple
[prophesied by CHRIST in Matthew 24:2]
& the Jews’ last-ditch resistance atop Masada.
1b] Yet Josephus was not an eyewitness
to most events in his works.
His history is only as good as his sources.
The early history in The Antiquities of the
Jews is far removed from his own
personal experience.
We can only be sure of the details that
coincide with Scripture, but the others are
no more trustworthy than the traditions
he relied upon.
Pro-Jewish Bias
Though many Jews viewed Josephus as a traitor,
he nevertheless remained loyal to his people.
The Jewish revolt had caused hard feelings in
Rome, & Josephus wanted to change that as a
historian & apologist for the Jewish people.
While praiseworthy, this bias is cause for caution.
His pro-Jewish sympathies emerge clearly in
The Jewish War.
That work portrays most Jews as peace-loving citizens.
He blames Jewish zealots, whom he calls “bandits”
& “brigands,” for the collapse of Jewish society
in the first century.
Antiquities, written later, attempts to show the
superiority & antiquity of the Jewish culture.
To achieve that end, it tends to exaggerate
the good qualities & ignore the unflattering
failures, such as Aaron’s golden calf, in
an effort to promote the Jewish cause.
Historians now generally agree with
Harold Attridge that Josephus’s Antiquities
were a “propagandistic history.”
His “paraphrasing [of] the narratives” of
the OT was a “creative adaptation” aimed
at presenting Jewish history as
“relevant, comprehensible & attractive
in a new environment.”
A Different Set of Standards
To read Josephus correctly, we need to keep
in mind that he was a product of his times.
Readers in first-century Rome had different
expectations than we do today.
It was common practice for historians to
shape or add details to make a good story.
Josephus gives a famous account of the
last stand of the Jews atop Masada.
Instead of surrendering, he says the Jews
selected several men to slay the majority
& then turn their swords upon themselves.
Yet archaeologists have not found the
bodies to verify his story.
Also, like other historians of his day,
Josephus sometimes invented heroic
speeches & put them into the mouths of
his subjects, such as the patriotic oratory
of Eleazer, the leader of the Jews atop
Masada.
Since the men who heard Eleazer were
slain in the siege, & since Josephus wrote
the account from Rome, he cannot possibly
have had access to the full speech.
Few ancient historians were careful about
numbers & statistics, either.
Scholars know that Josephus often errs
on the chronologies of first-century events
with which he was quite familiar.
So be wary of any numbers he gives.
In summary, Josephus is an eminently
important & helpful source for gathering
details about NT times, but Christians
should be careful not to read him as an
apologist for Christianity or to rely upon
him too heavily.
Nor should they be ignorant of his bias
in favor of Judaism & his willingness to
deliberately rewrite OT narratives to
provide a more flattering picture of the
Jewish heritage.
Where’s That in the Bible?
Josephus shares details about biblical people
& places that don’t appear in the BIBLE.
Which of these claims have you heard,
without realizing they came from Josephus?
Herod the Great became King of Judea
by the decree of Caesar Augustus
(Jewish War 1.20.2).
The girl who danced before Herod &
requested John the Baptist’s head
was named Salome (Antiquities 18.5.4).
Herod sent John the Baptist to prison
in Macherus, on the east side of the
Dead Sea (Antiquities 18.5.2).
Felix, the Roman governor who met
Paul in prison & trembled at his words,
had begged his Jewish wife, Drusilla,
to divorce her husband so they
could marry (Antiquities 20.7.2).
I have been waiting a long time to do this video,
this is absolutely staggering. These are the believed
sites of Sodom & Gomorrah.
There is some discrepancy as to where they might be,
but the evidence is so overwhelming. That right here,
this is where S&G is.
I have absolutely been impacted & impressed by this.
Right now I just feel the sense of awe over me, as
we’re here. As we go through this video, you’re going
to see some amazing things, some sobering things.
We will talk about the evidence of why we’re in the
biblical S&G; & we’re going to see some Scripture, as
to what GOD did here & how S&G is a future looking
forward to GOD’s judgment to come.
So follow along, enjoy yourselves, sit back.
It’s a bit longer than normal, but this this is
going to be a touching video.
1.] Biblical Gomorrah
The actual location is as we said, a little disputed, but
there is growing evidence that these locations are S&G.
And we’re going to look at the evidence & some Scripture.
1a] So Josephus a Jewish historian writing around the time of
CHRIST said during this time you could still the evidence
you could still see S&G clearly—that they were still visible.
Now we have to understand that S&G existed about 4K yrs
ago, so a few thousand years after S&G were destroyed..
Josephus writes that he could still see the cities, they were
still visible. Now we’re 2K years beyond that.
But we also have to understand that when GOD destroyed
S&G, & it appears to be also the surrounding cities in this
Dead Sea region—that HE reduced them to ashes.
What we can see here is a lot brimstones here in this earth.
I’m going to talk about some of the evidence.
1b] They have discovered in this area a brimstone, &
they’re like balls & this brimstone is totally different
than any other place on the planet.
[See video from Ross Patterson Discoveries]
Most other brimstone, I should mention, brimstone is
synonymous with sulfur—so brimstone is kinda the
old word for sulfur.
So we have found sulfur balls all over in these city areas.
And it is unlike any other sulfur on the planet.
They are white, & they are about 90 to 100%
pure sulfur.
So you can light them with a match, & they
burn this deep blue & yellowish flame. Just
burning the rocks, it’s almost solid sulfur.
Now most sulfur found around the world is greenish, &
runs about 40-50% in sulfur purities.
So we have unique sulfur balls here, they’re round, &
they are almost pure sulfur—white unlike any place on
the planet as we mentioned.
1c] Also archaeologists have discovered in these areas, which
is around S&G—about 1.5 million bodies engraved in these
areas around S&G.
That tells us this area was densely populated.
Also we know when GOD destroyed S&G, HE sent fires.
I’m sure there was a lot of tumult & buildings falling down,
& stuff like that.
1d] I should also mention these sulfur balls are not found
inbetween the cities, so you can see these cities of S&G &
these other places that I’m going to show you like Zoar.
They’re whitish in colour, they’re a high content of ash that
are unlike the surrounding area, or the surrounding terrain.
So actually this S&G, Gomorrah is more located at the base
& Sodom is a little further south.
You can see all these white ash, & you’ll see it just crumbles
in your hands; it’s really an amazing product.
Here we are up close to one of these structures here, & I
wanted to show you what this stuff looks like; I won’t touch it
a whole bunch.
I’m going to reach down here & grab these lose stuff. And I’m
telling you it’s just ash. It looks just like ash.
It putters away like ash.
This is really soft.
It’s really soft, yet remains preserved for over 4,000 years!
How can we deny GOD has left this intact for all the world
to see & know the truth of the BIBLE.
Not only that, but the existence of HIS Holy Being.
GOD & truth are inseparable. To acknowledge the
truth of the BIBLE without also acknowledging the Creator
behind it all is nonsensical.
People recording these events & the people
uncovering the evidence [archaeologists/historians]
are all playing their part.
Objectively, it’s obvious everything was orchestrated by
this higher being, who is warning us of HIS will & plan.
Do not ignore these pleas to get right with GOD.
The consequences are lasting & dire.
Hebrews 9:27-28 | Just as man is appointed to die once,
& after that to face judgment, so also CHRIST was
offered once to bear the sins of many; & HE will
appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to
bring salvation to those who eagerly await HIM.
2.] So it says in 2 Peter 2:6, reduced S&G to ashes &
that is what you see here, in these areas.
2 Peter 2:6-9 | if HE condemned the cities of
Sodom & Gomorrah to destruction,
reducing them to ashes as an example
of what is coming on the ungodly; &
if HE rescued Lot, a righteous man
distressed by the depraved conduct of
the lawless [for that righteous man,
living among them day after day,
was tormented in his righteous soul by
the lawless deeds he saw & heard]—
if all this is so, then the LORD knows
how to rescue the godly from trials &
to hold the unrighteous for punishment
on the day of judgment.
And I just can’t imagine being here in this area
when GOD destroyed S&G with these sulfur balls.
And this fire, which we’ll see more Scripture how
Abraham looked down from the mountain range
up above S&G.
Probably up towards the Negev, & looked down so he could see
the cities of S&G and the valley just a furnace & in flames,
So once again a lot of ash.
Now what we also see a lot of interesting formations that
just aren’t normal, when you look around & drive around:
you see square angles
[man-made structures at 90 degrees]
you see things that look like sphinxes, &
you’ll see things that look like pyramids.
Just looks like buildings, they’re just indescribable.
And it just doesn’t fit in.
It seems to be ancient cities & they were the ones that GOD
talked about—that HE destroyed with fire & brimstone.
Now interestingly the material of these
formations is calcium sulfate, which is
what limestone & sulfur
turn into when heated.
>> The main building product in Israel was limestone.
There is also charcoal in the layers of these formations,
black charcoal & ash layers, things like that which would
talk about extreme heat & fire.
All these things point to the fact that these ancient cities
were S&G.
No Other Plausible Causes
Also I should mention there is no geothermal activity, like
volcanoes or things like that to explain these layers of
charcoal & ash, calcium sulfate, or any of these
strange formations that look like buildings, sphinxes,
pyramids, palaces, it’s just amazing to see.
Now the thought that GOD would rain down fire &
brimstone down on these cities & the peoples & is
this area is staggering.
And it gives me chills up & down my spine, as I
think about it. It was just an oven & once again
GOD destroyed S&G as it says in 1 Peter 2,
as an example of those who would come to
to warn us of the Judgment of GOD.
GOD is a loving GOD,
HE is a merciful GOD, but
HE will mete out justice &
HE will pour out HIS wrath
on the world & on a person
& people who reject HIM.
https://youtu.be/m-HNqoJxdkw?t=505
Now we’re going to look at some Scripture here, so
follow along its absolutely breath-taking as we look at this.
GOD told Abraham, through two angels, HIS plans
to destroy S&G and some of the surrounding cities.
It says in Genesis 18,
Genesis 18:18-20 | Abraham will surely become a
great & powerful nation, & through him all the
nations of the earth will be blessed.
For I have chosen him, so that he will command
his children & his household after him to keep
the way of the LORD by doing what is right & just,
in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham
what HE has promised.” Then the LORD said,
“The outcry against Sodom & Gomorrah is great.
Because their sin is so grievous, I will go down to
see if their actions fully justify the outcry that has
reached ME. If not, I will find out.”
So GOD obviously knew everything that was happening,
But HE is talking about sending HIS angels down to
actually see & witness, and in essence allow these
Sodomites and these people to expose their sins.
GOD is really going down to expose them.
And to show them HIS justice in destroying them.
Now Abraham pleaded with GOD to spare the cities,
because of those who might be righteous living there.
So Abraham tried to persuade HIM not to destroy these
cities, but it says in Genesis 18:32,
Genesis 18:32 | Finally, Abraham said,
“May the LORD not be angry,
but let me speak once more.
Suppose 10 are found there?” And HE answered,
“On account of the 10, I will not destroy it.”
As soon as HE had finished speaking, the LORD departed
& returned to HIS place. You probably don’t remember, but
Abraham & GOD had a discussion.
And Abraham kept saying, “If there’s 50...if there’s 40...30
...20, finally got down to 10. GOD says even if there’s 10,
I won’t destroy S&G and some of the surrounding cities.
And there were thousands, if not hundreds of thousands
in this whole area that GOD destroyed; & GOD could not
find 10 righteous people.
So the wickedness of S&G is revealed.
In Genesis 13, it says the men of Sodom were wicked,
exceedingly; & sinners against the LORD.
Genesis 13:13 | But the men of Sodom were wicked,
sinning greatly against the LORD.
So when GOD speaks of S&G, HE’s going to speak
more of Sodom, but it refers also to Gomorrah & some
of the surrounding areas (we believe).
Now we pick up the story from Genesis 19, where the
LORD’s two angels are sent down to Sodom.
https://youtu.be/m-HNqoJxdkw?t=649
Amazing.
This scene not only depicts homosexuality, but group rape and
violent intent to start abusing Lot for turning them away.
Talk about an unsafe neighbourhood, they were ready to break
down the front door to his house (v.9)
Remember this is all the men of the city of Sodom!
My city consists of 100K, assuming 50% gender split, you do
the math of the sheer number of ppl chiming in on this threat.
This happened before there was texting too.
How in the world do you get that level of interest so quick?!
This makes it clear that homosexuality is a grave sin,
& was the main reason why GOD destroyed S&G.
Now there were other reasons as well, they were wicked
in other areas: stealing, corruption, child sacrifice, but it was
the homosexuality that brought the barometer up to
a point where GOD decided to step in.
Jude 1:7 | In like manner, Sodom & Gomorrah
& the cities around them, who indulged in
sexual immorality & pursued strange flesh,
are on display as an example of those who
sustain the punishment of eternal fire.
Ezekiel 16:49-50 | Now this was the iniquity of your
sister Sodom: She & her daughters were arrogant,
overfed, & prosperous ease; they did not help the
poor & needy. Thus they were haughty & committed
abominations before ME. Therefore I removed them,
as you have seen. ****
Isaiah 3:9 | The expression on their faces
testifies against them, & like Sodom they
flaunt their sin; they do not conceal it.
Woe to them, for they have brought
disaster upon themselves.
We’re not given all the gruesome details of every infraction,
but the gist is S&G did not hold back on doing evil:
“sinning greatly”
Genesis 13:11-17 | So Lot chose the whole plain of
the Jordan for himself & set out toward the east.
And Abram & Lot parted company.
Abram lived in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled in
the cities of the plain & pitched his tent toward Sodom.
But the men of Sodom were wicked,
sinning greatly against the LORD.
After Lot had departed, the LORD said to Abram,
“Now lift up your eyes from the place where you are,
& look to the north & south & east & west, for all the
land that you see, I will give to you & your
offspring forever.
I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth,
so that if one could count the dust of the earth,
then your offspring could be counted.
Get up & walk around the land, through its
length & width—for I will give it to you.”
Yet some specifics are given in Luke, Amos, Jeremiah.
They refused to repent, be humbled by their known sins;
what they did instead was commend one another.
Luke 10:10-13 | But if you enter a town & they do
not welcome you, go into the streets & declare,
‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet,
we wipe off as a testimony against you.
Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of GOD is near.’
I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for
Sodom than for that town.
Woe to you, Chorazin!
Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the miracles that were performed in you
had been performed in Tyre & Sidon,
they would have repented long ago,
sitting in sackcloth & ashes.
Amos 4:11 | “Some of you I overthrew as
I overthrew Sodom & Gomorrah, & you
were like a firebrand snatched from a blaze,
yet you did not return to ME,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:14 | And among the prophets of
Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing:
They commit adultery & walk in lies.
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,
so that no one turns his back on wickedness.
They are all like Sodom to ME;
the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”
I believe that homosexual culture is a measuring
thermometer for moral degradation in a society;
when GOD has enough & sin reaches a grave level.
Romans 1:26-27 | For this reason GOD gave
them over to dishonorable passions. Even
their women exchanged natural relations for
unnatural ones. Likewise, the men abandoned
natural relations with women & burned with lust
for one another. Men committed indecent acts
with other men, & received in themselves the
due penalty for their error.
Matthew 11:23-24 | And you, Capernaum,
will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will
be brought down to Hades!
For if the miracles that were performed in
you had been performed in Sodom, it would
have remained to this day. But I tell you that
it will be more bearable for Sodom on the
day of judgment than for you.”
These cities all serve as a warning, hell awaits.
There are haunting passages that say the same thing,
here is the best explanation of Philippians 3:18-21.
We all need to draw closer to GOD on our knees
day & night praying for one another that we:
[1] remember how horrible sin is,
[2] recognize how easy it is to become repugnant
to GOD via self-righteous law-keeping or
delving into unrestrained sin, &
[3] ask GOD to help us to rely on HIS guidance
always & forevermore.
Bringing the BIBLE to life by seeing where it took place!
with BIBLE teacher pastor Dr. Tood Fink
1.] To narrative at 5:55, they were not to look back (v.17),
hence Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt (v.26).
Lot traveled south toward Zoar, as per (v.23).
Thus it was only after the devastation that Abraham
looked & saw the smoldering dense smoke (v.27-28).
Genesis 19:17 | As soon as the men had
brought them out, one of them said,
“Run for your lives! Do not look back, &
do not stop anywhere on the plain!
Flee to the mountains, or
you will be swept away!”
Genesis 19:26 | But Lot’s wife looked back,
& she became a pillar of salt.
Genesis 19:23 | When the sun had risen
over the land, Lot had reached Zoar.
2.] In terms of the number of cemetery sites:
Amid the barren wilderness of Biblical Zoar (ancient Zoora)
southeast of the Dead Sea, thousands of ancient burials,
some more than 4,500 years old, have been discovered,
making it perhaps the ancient world’s largest cemetery.
The ancient burials of Zoora shed light on the panoply
of cultures & religions that lived here from the
Early Bronze Age to the end of the Byzantine period.
3.] There is no doubt in my mind S&G is correctly situated
South of the Dead Sea, as identified here.
WHY? Its close proximity of Zoar.
There is no way Lot ask to traverse all the way from
North of the Dead Sea down to Zoar.
[Ex. Israel to Neve Zohar is already 11.4km, 2hr 20m walk
Or Neve Zohar to Neot HaKikar is 31.0km, 6h 13min walk]
They did not have all day to travel, from daybreak to noon.
There was no mountain climbing for Lot (v.18-20)
But Lot replied, “No, my lords, please!
Your servant has indeed found favor
in your sight, & you have shown me
great kindness by sparing my life.
But I cannot run to the mountains;
the disaster will overtake me,
& I will die.
Look, this town is near enough
for me flee to it, & it is a small place.
Please let me flee there—is it not
a small place? Then my life will be saved.”
Jaffóba nem romokat nézni, hanem önfeledten szórakozni jár az ember: alaposan jóllakni tengeri herkentyűvel a kikötőben, valamint nézelődni és teljesen fölösleges kacatokra alkudozni a suk hapispisen, vagyis a bolhapiacon. Csak úgy kikapcsolódni péntek-szombaton, esetleg hétköznap, ha jönnek a pesti rokonok és üzletfelek. És észre se vesszük, hogy az ország egyik legrégebbi múltra visszatekintő…
Masada National Park-מצדה was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. Masada, in Hebrew means “fortress”. Masada is an ancient fortification built atop a horst plateau in the Judean Desert of southern Israel, overlooking the Dead Sea. Masada is one of Israel’s most popular tourist attractions. This site holds symbolic importance as a symbol of determination and heroism.
Jews attempt to gain their freedom by declaring war on Rome. Rome pushes them back to the gates of Jerusalem. Titus, who would soon become emperor of Rome, leads a charge against Jerusalem. The Roman army would eventually storm Jerusalem and against Titus orders (according to Josephus), the Roman soldiers set fire to the temple. It was completely destroyed.
Hereupon Antipater threw away his garments, and showed the multitude of the wounds he had, and said, that as to his good-will to Caesar, he had no occasion to say a word, because his body cried aloud, though he said nothing himself
Things seem to have been intense in the Hasmonean dynasty. How is, for example, biting off your uncle’s ears? Hamlet au though
Antigonus himself also bit off Hyrcanus's ears with his own teeth, as he fell down upon his knees to him, that so he might never be able upon any mutation of affairs to take the high priesthood again, for the high priests that officiated were to be complete, and without blemish. (J. BJ 1.268)
