Daughter Emily gave me this issue of BAR for Father's Day, and it was not a magazine about good places to bend an elbow. The Biblical Archeological Review cover article is about wooden beams in Jerusalem which may have been part of the temple in Jesus' time.
The Romans destroyed Herod’s Jerusalem Temple in 70 C.E. Is it possible that some of the wooden beams from his Temple Mount have survived—and may be identified? I believe the answer is “yes.” Some of the beams may even be from the Temple.
Wooden beams of this quality—especially Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) and cypress (Cypressus sempervirens)—were extremely valuable and would have been used and reused, again and again.
Known to archaeologists as “secondary use,” the phenomenon of reuse is widely recognized, mostly in connection with stone building blocks but also with regard to other construction elements such as columns, capitals and bases. The same is true for wood. It was used again whenever possible.
There are beams which have been carbon dated from before and during the Second Temple period which may have been picked out of the rubble and destruction for reuse. The beams which were tested were actually removed from the El Aksa Mosque during the 1960's during renovations. Some are in storage but others sit outside.
Why is this important. In some respects it isn't. It doesn't affect our faith as Christians today to any extent. But having visited Israel on several occasions I found that the archeological evidence helped awaken me to the "real world" circumstances of biblical stories. These were people who walked and talked, planned and built, worshipped God with the fullness of their resources and lives.
Is this a yawner for you, or do share the fascination? Does it surprise you that wood from that era still exists and is usable? Do these finds augment your faith?
After your departure this spring, Bible Study looked at a DVD study that walked us through the sites of Jesus' last days. Several in the group had set foot on these lands, but for many of us it brought those sites to "life" in our minds. We had used this study with older teens a few Easters ago and comments were similar...a reminder that our Christian story has its reality right here on the same earth we walk...not some made up place with made up people.
ReplyDeleteI do think one's strength of faith can be discovered in our human doubting and although we aren't ever meant to undertand the mystery of God's plan fully, discoveries like these are good touchstones for me, almost a nudge from God saying "yup, you are on the right track".