The Edinburgh Ras Shamra Project (ERSP)

1. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered between 1947-1956 in 11 caves (5 by Beduin; 6 by archaeologists) on the upper northwest shore of the Dead Sea. The area is 13 miles east of Jerusalem, and is -1300 ft. below sea level (Jerusalem is +2400 ft. above sea level).2. Near the caves are the ancient r...
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In the narrative of Acts leading up to Ephesus, Luke has shown what happens when Paul visits a town for a few weeks (e.g., Philippi or Thessalonica), or a period of a year and a half (i.e., Corinth). At this juncture, Luke seeks to demonstrate what happens when the apostle stays for a three-year dur...
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Below are photographs and descriptions of buildings and places as they are today. Buildings that were constructed after Paul's time are still addressed, so keep in mind that Paul would not have seen such architectural structures as the Library of Celsus and the Temple of Hadrian. Click on an image b...
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This section of the presentation includes an in-depth look at those panels of Acts that were outlined briefly in the introduction. Transition, Including a Brief Visit to Ephesus (18:18-23) 18 After this Paul stayed many days longer, and then took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and with...
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Ephesus is a big deal for Luke. It is here that Paul is presented as being larger than life. Just as the events that led up to the Jersualem conference (Acts 15), the events in Paul's work led up to the highlight of his ministry: Ephesus. To get a better grasp of the episodes connected with this cit...
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Akurgal, Ekrem. Ancient Civilizations and Ruins of Turkey. Seventh Edition. Translated by John Whybrow and Molly Emre. Istanbul: Net Turistik Yayinlar A. S. 1990. Barrett, C. K. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles. 2 Volumes. ICC. London: T. & T. Clark. 1994, 1998. B...
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Archaeology is a fascinating field. Its relationship to the Bible has captured the interest of many with movies such as "The Mummy" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Interestingly, the relationship between archaeology and the Bible is often misunderstood. It is commonly believed that archaeology has be...
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The Bible is a collection of texts that span thousands of years and covers a wide range of historical events. Some of the major events that are recounted in the Bible include: The Creation: The Bible begins with the story of the creation of the world, as described in the book of Genesis. This story...
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Ancient Israel is a term used to describe the history and culture of the Israelites, an ancient Semitic people who lived in the area that is now Israel and Palestine. The history of ancient Israel can be divided into several distinct periods, including the biblical period, the monarchy period, the e...
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Three of the largest religious faiths all see this small piece of earth as holy ground. The combination of the importance of this space to Christians, Jews and Muslims makes this piece of rock unquestionably the holiest place on earth. Located atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the Islamic Shrine e...
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(Note from the Author: Why do a series on Dinosaurs? How does that fit in with Bible Archaeology? - - - I will be the first to admit this is a little off topic, but I do feel it fits into the overall atmosphere of this blog. Perhaps on the fringe, but it does fit in. A great many people have questi...
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In part one of this series we established mankind has had knowledge of dinosaurs since the mid 1800’s or approximately 170 years. If it were possible to find drawings, carvings or other pictures of dinosaurs which could be dated prior to this time it could be conceived as proof that ancient man had...
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In the first two installments of this series we looked at figurines and drawings of dinosaurs which seemed out of place. More accurately, they seemed to be in the wrong time. The drawings and figurines were reportedly made hundreds of years before anyone should have known what a dinosaur looked lik...
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Ica Stone - with DinosaursIn this installment we will turn our attention south to Peru. In and near the Peru province of Ica a large number of smoothly carved stones have been discovered. These stones have come to be known as the Ica Stones and have been debated since their first appeared. The ston...
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Thus far in this short series we have looked as figurines from Mexico, carved stones from Peru, dinosaur tracks from Turkmenistan and additional dinosaur tracks in the United States. This last installment takes us to another corner of the world, Cambodia. The last item we will examine is one I find...
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Excavations continue at Khirbet el-Maqatir in Israel, the site some archaeologist associate with the Biblical city of Ai. The city of Ai is mentioned in Joshua 7-8 and was supposedly conquered by Israel around 1406 B.C. For some time Archaeologist Brian Peterson, of Lee University has claimed this s...
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Christogram from Byzantine Church found in Early 2014 A Christian church with beautifully crafted mosaic floors was discovered by a construction crew building a new neighborhood in Israel. Once the ruins were found the Israel Antiquity Authority (IAA) was called in and a salvage operation was begun....
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Mar Saba Monastery There were many realms of influence within the area of Jerusalem and the Holy Lands during the crusader period. One of these was the Mar Saba Monastery. This monastery, dedicated to Saint Sabas, was home to several hundred monks at the time of the crusades and it’s leaders were ap...
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