|
SPECIAL EDITION Volume IV No.9 Nicholas Scrolls January 2009 The
Land where GOD walked as a Man Part Three Dear brethren, friends and neighbors, Greetings and shalom to you and
your all your household. This is Part III of the special Edition of the
Nicholas Scrolls detailing out my most recent journey through Fertile
Leaving Qumran, our trek
northward along highway 90 took us along the eastern edge of the A
Divided Land - To our west as seen on the road map
of Hamas fired 24 rockets into
southern Myths
of the “In the Six-Day War, “The truth is that “ “There is no language known as Palestinian. There is no distinct
Palestinian culture. There has never been a land known as Palestine
governed by Palestinians. Palestinians are Arabs, indistinguishable from
Jordanians (another recent invention), Syrians, Lebanese, Iraqis, etc. Keep in
mind that the Arabs control 99.9% of the Bet
She’ an – Another Located east of Our tour group gathered in the impressive Roman theatre listening to our guide deliver a little history of this ancient metropolis. Since I had been here once before and I knew that time was going to be short, I asked Hela, our guide, if Renée and I could split off from the group giving us opportunity to see much more of these impressive ruins. The site was huge and as we walked briskly through the ruins, I gave Renée some explanation of sites along the way. We took many photographs of the ruins and each other posing alongside impressive columns, marble stairways and ancient temple structures. There was an amazing diversity of materials used to build and fortify structures through different periods of time. This city showed evidence of several ancient cultures inhabiting the area through the Byzantine era. The quality of some of these structures was well preserved by being buried for many centuries. Those structures which remained above ground showed century’s old deterioration. Like many of the ancient Roman
ruins we had already visited, this city showed the obvious signs of heavy
earthquake damage. As previously mentioned in this Special Edition series, the
entire region sits on the world’s largest fault line; the Syrian-African rift.
Walking down the stone paved Roman road, we could see a Tel (hill) at the end
of the avenue. At the top of this hill was the pagan . Matthew 24:1-2 “And
Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for
to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, “See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, there
shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.” Circling through the ruins on our way back to the Park entrance, we stopped for a closer look at the Roman bathhouses and to get some more photos before the sun dipped too low. The bathhouse complex here at Bet She’an was the best preserved facility we had seen yet. On the back side of the communal steam rooms was an ancient public toilet facility. The signage tells us that channels of water flowed continuously beneath the seating area carrying away wastes. Twigs and soft leaves were used in the same manner that we use toilet paper today. These kinds of bathhouse facilities also included an exercise area and were available to the Roman public. More well-to-do citizens enjoying privileged lifestyles like senators usually had their own private facilities inside their homes and palaces incorporating the same amenities as found in public places. The flooring was generally made of Marble and the stone walls were always covered in thick plaster oftentimes richly painted in fresco designs depicting sharp and vibrant colors illustrating common cultural themes. Renée and I discovered evidence of Christianity’s presence near the public bathhouses. On the backside of the bathhouses we saw remnants of what looked like the walls of a church structure with Greek inscriptions carved into floor stones and a beautifully preserved Byzantine cross frescoed on one of the convexed shaped window ports. The cross was painted a vibrant red with painted green olive branches on both sides of the cross. We also saw a number of ornately decorated flooring designs in colorful mosaic tile common in many ruins. Recognizing it was time to meet up with our group near the park entrance, Renée and I hurried back picking up some moderately sized pottery shards along the path. We met our group gathered around a large model of Bet She’an depicting what the city environs looked like back in the first century. As Hela was describing various structures indicating Roman and Byzantine periods, she said, “Though we know they’re were people settled here during the Byzantine period, we have not yet found evidence of a Byzantine church.” My eyebrows raised at her statement as I excitedly prompted Renée to hand me the camera. I quickly turned it on scrolling through the most recent photos finding the one we captured of the Byzantine cross. I walked around the group and with my camera held out, interrupting her briefly saying, “I found evidence of a church.” She looked at the picture we had taken and in astonishment replied, “Well, it looks like Nick has found evidence of a church.” “Where did you find that?” she asked. I pointed out on the model of the city where we found it as tour members began gathering around me wanting to see the digital photo image. Pastor Noah Hutchings also came up to me wanting to see the photo and after showing him, grinning widely he asked how he might get a copy of that image. I assured him I would email it to him after our return to the States. After confessing he had been here 52 times never seeing that cross, he congratulated me and we headed out of the park to board our bus. Departing Bet She’an, we headed
into the Tiberias
and Arriving late in Tiberias, we
gathered in the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel to claim our luggage and room keys
while enjoying some refreshment. The Sheraton was going to be our home for
three days while we toured about After dinner, Renée and I went
back to our room to freshen up a bit before heading out for a walk on the town.
Tiberias is warm and inviting little city complete with modern amenities
intermixed between ancient ruins of mosques and Byzantine churches located on
the western shores of the The Sabbath ended at 5pm earlier that evening bringing throngs of people out into the streets to party and celebrate. There was music on several street corners, young people dancing and vendors selling. The festive celebrations seemed to go on all evening as we heard the music from our hotel room deep into the night. As Renée and I walked about the town we “window shopped” and watched people enjoying the post Sabbath festivities. Not wishing to be out too late,
we headed back to our hotel room and kicked our feet up on our beds to relax
before retiring that evening. As I enjoyed a couple glasses of wine, Renée
seeing that I was relaxed began telling me of something she had done prior to
making the pilgrimage with me to We talked until she fell into a
slumber. Agitated, I turned on the TV switching to CNN International. A
Breaking News bulletin that Hamas had broken the cease-fire agreement by firing
two dozen rockets from the Captain
Sails the I awoke just before sunrise that
morning feeling refreshed despite the fact that I had only slept about three
hours. After brewing a pot of that wonderfully strong Israeli coffee, I
ventured out on the lanai for early Morning Prayer and reflection. As the sun
was rising I gazed across the Our day was going to begin with a
sail out on the After breakfast, our group
gathered in front of the hotel and we all walked down to the promenade along
the waterfront heading to our tour boat. Walking down the ramp to the dock, I
saw the name of our boat, “Faith.” A stout wooden vessel with cedar planked hull
and deck accented with teak rails and bulwarks. Outfitted with a single
gaff-rigged foremast and powered with a I did not tell Renée of my
intentions and walked aft to meet the Captain standing at the helm. After
introducing myself as a licensed Captain, Daniel Carmel offered me the helm and
I was delighted to oblige. I jested with the group asking all, “who wants to go fishing?” Captain
Daniel Carmel had planned his own surprise for our group and my taking the helm
gave him an opportunity to address our group telling stories of Jesus’ earthly
ministry being centered on the On my 2006 tour to John 21:5-6 Then Jesus saith unto them, “Children, have ye any meat?” They answered him, “No.” And he said unto them, “Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find.” They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes… John 21:10-11 Jesus saith unto them “Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.” Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. There are two species of Tilapia
common to the
The above mentioned account in the Book of John 21 mentions a total number of 154 fish. Jesus had one grilling over an open fire on the beach and Peter and his brothers captured a total number of 153 fish without breaking the net. Pastor Noah Hutchings shared his compelling belief that numbers in the Bible are all significant and relevant to prophetic events coming to pass in the future. Noah believes that the number of fish in this account is representative of the Jewish remnant to be saved in the end of days and of the surviving Gentile Nations. He points out that there will be surviving nations in the New Millennial reign of Christ because the Revelation to John tells us so. Noah believes that the one fish which Jesus was cooking over the fire is representative of the Jewish remnant that will be saved and the 153 fish that Peter caught in the net are representative of the surviving gentile nations that will participate in the New Millennial reign of Christ. After our onboard bible study,
Daniel’s crew broke out a table and laid upon it some gift items, jewelry and
copies of his CD, “The Fishermen from Walking onto the grounds of the
museum, we saw what I would describe as an anchor garden. Sitting amidst the
flower gardens were a number of ancient stone anchors that were commonly used
through the Greek and Roman periods. A typical anchor was a roughly hewn stone
often shaped like an obelisk or teardrop with a bored hole through the upper
quarter of the stone through which heavy rope was secured. Many such stone
anchors are commonly found from the Mediterranean coast to the shores of Preserving
Galilee’s Maritime Heritage Upon entering the museum we were
led to a viewing room where a short video documentary gives an account of the
discovery of an ancient Galilean fishing boat that was found buried under the
shoreline sediments hidden for nearly 2000 years. The discovery was made in
1986 by two brothers from Kibbutz Ginosaur. A severe drought that year caused
the waters of the lake to recede thus exposing the long forgotten craft.
Careful excavation revealed a fair portion of the vessel’s hull exposing the
rough cut keel and its curved interior bracing (ribs) used to fasten the ship’s
planking. The vessel is now on display at the museum in a vacuum sealed glass
casing protecting it from deterioration. This discovery takes much of the guess
work out of the investigative sciences to determine the shape, size and type of
vessels used by Peter and his brethren who fished the The Israel Antiquities Authority
in conjunction with many excited volunteers rescued the craft in a remarkable
11 day excavation. The excavators then carefully packaged the weakened
waterlogged hull in a casing of fiberglass and polyurethane foam and then
floated it to the nearby The Galilean boat is 8.2 meters long (26.9 ft.) with a beam of 2.3 meters (7.5 ft.) and a depth of 1.2 meters (3.9 ft.). It is built in the Mediterranean style ‘shell-based’ construction utilizing pegged mortise and tennon joints to edge-join the hulls planking. A combination of iron nails and staples were used to fasten planks and keel members to hull planking. As a mariner and current owner of a classic wood yacht, this vessel’s hull construction and wood type was of great interest to me. The mortise and tennon joints were locked in place with tapered hardwood pegs typical of ancient style shipwright building. Frames made from naturally curved (as opposed to steam-curved) tree crooks and branches made mainly of oak provided transverse support. The planking, mainly made of cedar, was then fastened using straight iron nails having square, round or octagonal shafts. Parts of the stem, sternpost as well as some internal and topside stiffening members appear to have been deliberately removed. The hull’s shape maintained a deep rounded stern and fine bow. By the perplexing variety of
woods used in the vessel’s construction, it appears that the boat had a long
service and was repaired a number of times during its life. Scientists found a
dozen different wood types used to keep the vessel floating and functional. Its
keel was made of three different woods, Carob, Christ’s thorn and Cedar. Most
all of the planking was constructed of Cedar with one large plank on its port bulwarks
having been replaced with Aleppo Pine and smaller patches done with Sycamore.
Most of the craft’s rough-cut ribs were made of Tabor oak while repaired
sections were replaced by The vessel was discovered with a
ceramic oil lamp in its interior and a cooking pot outside its final resting
place. Carbon testing of all three relics puts the age of the vessel at the 1st
century BC thru the 1st century AD. This boat was most likely used
for fishing and/or transport of cargo. In the years of service this boat plied
the waters of Luke 5:1-7 “And it came to pass, that, as
the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of
Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone
out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships,
which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the
land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had
left speaking, he said unto Simon, “Launch out
into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” And
Simon answering said unto him, “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have
taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” And when they
had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net broke.
And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they
should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that
they began to sink.” Prior to the destruction of the “Thus pursued, the Jews could neither escape to land, where all were in
arms against them, nor sustain a naval battle on equal terms. For their skiffs
were small and built for piracy and were no match for rafts, and the men on
board were so few that they dare not to come to grips with the dense ranks of
the Roman enemy. Some tried to break through, but the Romans could reach them
with their lances, killing others by leaping upon the backs and passing their
swords through their bodies; sometimes as the rafts closed in, the Jews were
caught in the middle and captured along with their vessels. So these wretches
died on every side in countless numbers and in every possible way… One could
see the whole lake stained with blood and crammed with corpses, for not a man
escaped.” Prior to the discovery of this boat, only artistic renderings gave us vague clues as to the style, shape and design of these Galilean vessels. It is amazing that such perishable materials as wood and iron could have been so well preserved through two millennia. Such a find not only aids in our understanding of biblical times but also adds to the confirmation of historical witness and testimonies left behind for us to comprehend by men like Flavius Josephus and the Apostles along with their scribes who recorded for us a legacy that shall be remembered for all time. Whether you are a Jew or of Gentile background, let no one forget that our ancestors were a part of this often violent and bloody history. May it be for us an example of things which we must strive to avoid in current times lest we be numbered among those who shall not endure in the last Day of Judgment. After seeing the boat, we spent time shopping in the museum’s gift shop where I purchased a beautifully crafted Shofar and certified set of ancient coins complete with a certificate of authenticity representing some 1500 years from the 9th century BC thru the 6th century AD illustrating the turbulent history of this hotly contested region. Ancient
Coins of Biblical Lands The Nabataean were Arabs, originally nomads, who controlled the spice
trade in the region. Their apogee was under Aretas IV ca. 9 BC – 40 AD. In 106
AD they were incorporated into the Ptolemy one of five successors to Alexander the Great, ruled Seleucus was another of Alexander’s successors who ruled The Maccabeans wrested control of Eretz Yisrael from Antiochus, the
Hellenistic Seleucid ruler who tried to impose pagan beliefs on the children of
The Herodians succeeded the Maccabeans after a civil war from 40 – 37
BC. Herod the Great was famous for being a prolific builder. The The Romans ruled from the 1st century BC until the 4th
century AD. They authorized a local minting in the 1st century BC
thru the 1st century AD. Some of the most common coins in Common City Coins are an expression of the degree of autonomy enjoyed by local cities that maintained the status of roman colonies. These coins were all bronze depicting a portrait of the Emperor and various local motifs. The coin I have is in remarkable condition with good relief. Roman Procurators of The Jewish War against the Romans in 66 – 70 AD is represented by a
prutah depicting a vine leaf, one of The Byzantine era started around 324 AD when the Emperor Constantine I
adopted Christianity as the religion of the My Arab-Byzantine coin represents a transition period when the new religion, Islam was establishing its identity using an eclectic mix of motifs from the established cultures and fusing them in a way that would be seen as Islamic. Islam ruled the region with a brief interregnum during the Crusades through many different dynasties, some Arab, some outsiders, who adopted Islam from around 638 AD until December 9, 1917 when General Allenby conquered Jerusalem leading to Israel’s independence after a short period of British rule. This particular coin’s relief depicts only Islamic symbols similar to those seen on various national flags today with Islamic ties. As mentioned earlier in this
Special Edition series, coins have been readily found throughout ancient ruins
in Leaving the museum, we boarded
our bus and headed to the Sacred Heart Monastery. Owned and operated by the
Franciscan sect of the Catholic Church, the site is located along a Galilean
shoreline believed to be the place where Jesus preached the “Sermon
on the Mount.” It is called the Matthew 5:1-16 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Not far from the Mount of Beatitudes is Tabga, the traditional site where Jesus was believed to have fed the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish. This too is one of those areas that tour guides and operators will tell you, “If this is not the exact place where this event took place then we know it was very near here.” Keep in mind that much of Christ’s ministry was spent wandering from place to place throughout the Galilean region. It is not necessarily critical that we know exactly “what spot” Jesus stood or what tree he rested under because it is Jesus’ testimony that bears witness of Christ not the perishable. Humanity often tends towards idolatrous worship of things and places as evidenced by the elaborate and ornate building structures covering such sites operated and controlled by the Roman Catholic Church. The Church structure located here is built over a rocky outcropping believed by the Roman Catholics to also be the place where Jesus commanded Peter to “Feed My sheep” as revealed in the John 21 account where Peter and his brothers caught the 153 fish. John 21:12-17 Jesus
said unto them “Come and dine.” And
none of the disciples durst ask him, ‘who art thou?’ knowing that it was the
Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.
This is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples, after
that he was raised from the dead. So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon
Peter, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me
more than these?” He saith unto him, “Yea, Lord; thou know
that I love thee.” He saith unto him, “Feed my
lambs.” He saith to him again the second time, “Simon,
son of Jonas, lovest thou me?” He saith unto him, “Yea, Lord; thou know
that I love thee. He saith unto him, “Feed my
sheep.” He saith unto him the third time, “Simon,
son of Jonas, lovest thou me?” Peter was grieved because he said unto him
the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, “Lord, thou know all
things; thou know that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, “Feed my sheep.” We know that this is the region
where all these biblical accounts took place and that in itself should be
sufficient for mankind to consider and ponder as he visits the Hebrews 9:2 “For there was a tabernacle prepared, the first, wherein were the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the Holy place.” But, Hebrews goes on to reveal in verse 9:8 “The Holy Spirit this signifying, that the way into the holy place hath not yet been made manifest, while the first tabernacle is yet standing;” The above is significant and should lead all who understand to cease in their unfruitful, traditional and religious practices and learn more to follow after the pattern of Jesus obeying the simplicity of His teachings. That is, “to worship Him in Spirit and Truth.” That simple but profound selfless love was often exhibited in Christ’s many acts of compassion like the account of “five loaves feeding five thousand” at Tabga. Matthew 14:15-21 And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, “This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.” But Jesus said unto them, “They need not depart; give ye them to eat.” And they say unto him, “We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.” He said, “Bring them hither to me.” And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children. Christ’s compassion was not only exhibited in His many miracles but also in His teachings. Matthew 5:46-48 “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” These are the things that make for us an example of what it means to worship God in spirit and truth. END Part Three With all Sincerity and love for the truth and my scattered brethren abroad, Nicholas A. Stivers – a God-fearing disciple, scribe and messenger |