Striking a blow against the skepticism of the Bible’s historical accounts, a Viennese scholar working through a collection at the British Museum discovered an ancient charitable receipt on a two inch clay tablet naming names that the prophet Jeremiah named.
The tablet itself is certainly genuine. On July 10 the Museum announced that a Viennese expert working his way through thousands of similar clay documents in its possession translated one dating from 595 B.C that described a gift of 1.7 lbs. of gold to a Babylonian temple by a “chief eunuch” named Nabu-sharrussu-ukin.
A museum official called it “a world-class find.” What makes the ancient but seemingly mundane receipt significant is that the book of Jeremiah in the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) mentions the exact same official — though under a different transliteration, Nebo-Sarsekim, and a different title, chief officer, as accompanying the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar when he marched against Jerusalem in 587.
Biblical archeology time and time again confirms the basic historicity of biblical accounts. Yet many scholars continue to adopt a level of skepticism and reconstruction regarding biblical events that is unwarranted in any other field of historical investigation. We thank heaven for biblical scholars who will follow the evidence where it leads and we give thanks even more for those who demonstrate the fides quaerens intellectum (faith seeking understanding) that makes the faith of all of us a little bit stronger to the glory of the Lord.
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Posted by blestou on July 24th, 2007 — Illustration, News, Church Life, Culture, Doctrine
Various pop-science shows annually trot out the “oh, look what progress we are making in teaching monkeys to act like us and thus learn something about ourselves from evolution” show. These always bother me with their bold claims that a communicating, “art-loving” primate demonstrates that humans are not really that special after all. I know that the idea is wrong-headed, but do not know enough about the experiments to come up with anything other than biblical-theological reasons why.
This is why I found an interview with Marie I. George (of St John’s University, New York) enlightening and refreshing. She speaks to a few of the more popular “chimps are humans too” arguments from a philosophical perspective and generates thoughts and talking points for the next time I have the “99% human conversation” with someone. A sample from the article:
Again, language for apes is a way of getting things, and of making their trainers happy. It is useful to contrast Helen Keller with the apes that people have tried to teach language. Helen Keller had ideas, but lacked a means of communicating them. Once it clicked with her that the signs Annie Sullivan was making were a means of expressing ideas, she was eager to learn new words and she began carrying conversations which were simple at first, but which gradually increased in complexity.
It was because Helen Keller had ideas that language for her served as a key which unlocked the expression of these ideas, and also allowed her to acquire new ideas. The apes people have tried to teach language to fail to manifest this same progression. The cause underlying this failure is plainly the apes’ lack of abstract thought.
Interestingly, George holds open the possibility that non-human hominids can qualify for human rights - if they display the transcendent characteristics that only humans genuinely display. I’ll close with one of the best quotes from the article: “Apes have a life cycle, they don’t have a life projects, and so there is no reason to accord them rights so that they can pursue their life projects unimpeded.” Sounds compatible with what I also know to be true.
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Posted by blestou on July 13th, 2007 — Culture, Tech, Doctrine
My son asks me to sing this song all the time. I post for all other Dads who need to know this…
Spiderman, Spiderman,
Does whatever a spider can
Spins a web, any size,
Catches thieves just like flies
Look Out!
Here comes the Spiderman.
Is he strong?
Listen bud,
He’s got radioactive blood.
Can he swing from a thread
Take a look overhead
Hey, there
There goes the Spiderman.
In the chill of night
At the scene of a crime
Like a streak of light
He arrives just in time.
Spiderman, Spiderman
Friendly neighborhood Spiderman
Wealth and fame
He’s ignored
Action is his reward.
To him, life is a great big bang up
Whenever there’s a hang up
You’ll find the Spider man.
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Posted by blestou on July 11th, 2007 — Daily Life, Family, Uncategorized
Pope Benedict XVI reasserts that apostolic succession and submission to papal primacy is required for the fullness of salvation.
LORENZAGO DI CADORE, Italy - Pope Benedict XVI has reasserted the universal primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released Tuesday that says Orthodox churches were defective and that other Christian denominations were not true churches.
Meanwhile, Christians were heard singing:
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid Rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
When He shall come with trumpet sound;
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
On Christ, the solid Rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
They were also heard quoting the Holy Scriptures (ESV, of course):
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Il Papa or Non Il Papa - Every day is a joyful day when walked in the grace and for the glory of the Savior. He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
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Posted by blestou on July 10th, 2007 — News, Church Life, Ministry, Doctrine
