I was at the press conference at Discovery Times Square on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 for the unveiling of the new book The Jesus Discovery by James Tabor and Simcha Jacobovici.

I am not a supporter of Simcha’s ideas, in fact, I have critiqued some of them on my website: (I invite you to visit the Cracked Pot Archaeology section at www.lifeandland.org). But what I have found amusing is the misstatements and misunderstanding on some of the blogs by leading scholars. First of all, the bloggers should get the book and read it before comments are made, or at least look at the pictures! It will save bloggers some embarrassment.

Simcha had exact replicas of both ossuaries in question made by the museum staff at Discovery Times Square at the press conference. These replicas were accomplished by the measurements and photographs taken with an impressive robotic arm. I am grateful for Walter Klassmen for showing me how all the bells and whistles worked on the arm. This tool will have many applications in the archaeology of Israel and Simcha should be commended for working closely with this expert to produce such a valuable tool.

One thing that struck me on the ossuary is the orientation of the “fish.” On all the blogs and news articles I have read, the picture of the “fish” is facing the wrong way. Sometimes it is horizontal, either facing left or right, and made to look like a swimming fish. Or the “fish” has the round ball (“Jonah”, according to Simcha) facing upwards, thus making the “fish” look like a funerary monument. Usually pictures of Absalom’s Pillar are shown to bolster the case for this view. The fact of the matter is that the “fish” is facing down! Please see the picture on page 86, fig. 26 of the book. It is clear enough, but a line drawing of the panel on the ossuary should have been included. So, one must understand the correct orientation of the picture in order to appreciate the discussion of the issue.

My initial impression is that the “fish” looks like an ornamental glass vessel, perhaps a pitcher or flask of some sort. The Ennion vessel found by Prof. Avigad in the Jewish Quarter comes to mind (see page 108 in Discovering Jerusalem). Perhaps some glass expert might suggest a better parallel from this period than the Ennion vessel, but this is worthy of consideration.

Introduction

How many times have your heard a preacher say, “The Bible says, ‘Money is the root of all evil’?” It may surprise you to know that the Bible does not say that money is the root of all evil. In fact, the Bible says, “The love of money is the root of all evil” (I Tim. 6:10)¹.  Money, in and of itself, is a neutral commodity and is not evil. What is evil is the love for it, and the Christian allowing it to control his / her life.

America is a very affluent society compared to the world around it. How does, and how should, the church respond to the affluent society around it? There are two basic responses. First, Christians could be “thermometer Christians” and go up and down with the society around us. Or, second, Christians could be “thermostat Christians” where the church sets the room temperature and the society rises to its level. In other words, does the society at large influence the church, or is the church a lasting influence on the society in which it is located?

When we examine the letter sent by the Lord Jesus to the last of the seven churches we will see that this church was a thermometer church, going up and down with the society around it. This letter is very instructive and lessons can be gleaned from it about God’s desire that the church be filled with thermostat Christians and that it has a lasting impact on the society around it for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Background to the City

The Geographical Setting of Laodicea.  Where is it located?
The city of the church addressed in Revelation 3 is located in the Lycus Valley and called in ancient times, Laodicea ad Lycum. The Lycus River is a tributary of the Maeander River, a serpentine river that wanders westward from this area to the Aegean Sea. We get the English word meander from the name of this river.

The Lycus Valley runs for approximately 24 miles in a southeast to northwest direction and is about 6 miles wide. Situated in this valley are three famous and important cities, all mentioned in the New Testament. They are Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis (cf. Col. 2:1; 4:13-16). Colossae is about 10 or 11 miles east of Laodicea, and Hierapolis is about 6 miles north of the city. The major city in the area today is Denizli, about 5 miles south of Laodicea.

Mountains delineate the edges of the valley and influence the trade routes in the region as well as providing breathtaking scenery to those who live there. To the northeast of the valley are highlands. Mount Messogis is situated to the west of the valley and north of the Maeander River. To the south “are the great mountains Salbacus (Baba-dagh, 7590 ft.) and Cadmus (Honaz-dagh, 8250 ft.)” (Johnson 1950: 3).

The Lycus Valley in general, and Laodicea specifically, was a major center of communications and travel. Traders and travelers coming from the Aegean Sea would approach the valley from one of two east-west valleys. If one came from Ephesus, the route would drop down into the Maeander Valley and head east to the Lycus Valley via Magnesia and Tralles. If one came from Smyrna, the road would head east through the Hermus Valley past the cities of Smyrna and Philadephia and then cross over a low mountain range and drop into the Lycus Valley with both roads meeting at Laodicea. The road would continue eastward to Syria via Apamea, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Tyana and then go through the Taurus Mountains, passing the Cilician Gate to Tarsus. There are two other roads emanating from the Lycus Valley as well. One heads south through the mountains and descends to the Pamphylian coast and the cities of Attalia and Perge. The other heads in a northeast direction to Lounda and Brouzos.

Pliny the Elder (AD 23-79), describing the region of Caria, says of Laodicea: “The city of Laodicea … is on the river Lycus, its sides being washed by the Asopus and Caprus; its original name was the City of Zeus, and it was afterwards called Rhoas” (Natural History 5.29.105; LCL 2:299, 301).

The History of the Laodicea.  What happened there?
The city with the name Laodicea was established by Antiochus II, the Seleucid king who ruled from 261 to 246 BC. He named the city in honor of his first wife Laodice, whom he divorced in 253 BC. Some people have interpreted the name of the city as the “rule of the people,” yet the name comes from the wife of Antiochus II. The city of Laodicea would have to have been established sometime between 261 BC when Antiochus II came to the throne and 253 BC when he divorced his wife.

Pliny records the fact that the city was built on an earlier city that was named Diospolis and then later, Rhoas (Natural History 5.29.105; LCL 2: 301). The name Diospolis means “city of Zeus” and strongly hints at the fact that Zeus was the patron deity of the city. Interestingly, during the Roman period there were coins minted with Zeus Laodiceus on them indicating that he was still worshiped in the city (RPC I: reign of Augustus, coins 2893, 2894, 2896, 2898; reign of Tiberius, coins 2901, 2906, 2908, 2911; reign of Claudius, coins 2912, 2913, 2914; reign of Nero, coins 2917, 2919, 2920, 2921, 2922, 2923, 2926).

Antiochus III settled 2,000 Jewish families from Mesopotamia and Babylonia in Lydia and Phrygia (Josephus, Antiquities 12:147-153; LCL 7: 77-79). The magistrates of Laodicea mention the Jewish community in their city to Gaius Rabirius in 45 BC (Antiquities 14:241-243; LCL 7: 577-579).

In 188 BC, the Peace of Apamea was concluded between Rome and the Seleucids. In the treaty, the Romans took “the region in which Laodicea lay [and] transferred [it] from Seleucid sovereignty to that of the kings of Pergamum” (Bruce 1992: 4: 229). It was ruled by the kings of Pergamum until the last king, Attalus III, who in his will, bequeath the region to Rome. The Romans reorganized the province of Asia in 129 BC and Laodicea was part of that province.

There were two devastating earthquakes that hit the Lycus Valley in the First Century AD.  The first was in AD 17 and the second in either AD 60 or 64/5.

Also in the First Century the Christian gospel came to the Lycus Valley. When this occurred is not explicitly stated in the New Testament. There are several possibilities. First, there were Jewish people from Asia Minor that were visiting Jerusalem during Shavuot (Pentecost) in AD 30 (Acts 2:9). Some of them might have come to faith in the Lord Jesus and brought the gospel back to the area. Second, the early church father and historian, Jerome mentions that Peter went on a missionary journey through Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia around AD 40-42 (cf. 1 Pet. 1:1). It is possible that Peter sought out “those of the circumcision” as they traveled through the Lycus Valley on their way into the province of Asia. The third possibility is that Epaphras and possibly Philemon brought the gospel to the Valley after being trained by Paul and Timothy in Ephesus (Col. 1:6, 7; 2:1; 4:13, 15, 16). By the end of the First Century AD, the church was well established (Rev. 1:11; 3:14-22).
After the New Testament period, there were a number of major events that took place in the city, including a visit by Emperor Hadrian in AD 129. In Church History, the Paschal controversy was discussed in the city in AD 164-166 (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 4:26:3-14; 5:24:5; LCL 1:387-393, 507). And there was also the Church Council of Laodicea in AD 367 (Johnson 1950:11).

The Archaeology of the Laodicea.  What remains are there to be seen?
Since 2000, there have been large scale excavations at Laodicea conducted by Pamukkale University under the directorship of Dr. Celal Simsek.  I visited the site in January 2011 and was very impressed with the extent of the excavations.

There were limited excavations from 1961-1963 by Prof. Jean des Gagnier of Laval University in Quebec. A nymphaion, a monumental fountain that was erected at the time of Caracalla (AD 211-217), was excavated. The excavators determined that it was restored four times, with the last restoration being at the beginning of the 5th century AD.  A final report was published in 1969 (Gagniers, et al. 1969). In 1992 there was a small scale excavation on the main street of the city by the staff of the Denizli Museum.

There are several structures that were visible on the site before the renewed excavations by Pamukkale University. There is a stadium with an arena that is 900 ft. long and semicircular at both ends. It was built by Nicostratus and dated to the year AD 79 by an inscription that was found nearby. There are two theaters that are visible. The large one is from the Greek city and the smaller one from the Roman city. Remains of an aqueduct that brought water from Denizli to the southwest of Laodicea were visible on 19th century lithographs of Laodicea. Recently, local farmers have dismantled it in order to use the fields for agriculture. The stones were collected and placed at the edge of the fields (Fant and Reddish 2003:235-240).

Exposition of the Text

Title
I have entitled this article, “Lukewarm in Laodicea,” based on the statement in the letter, “because you are lukewarm, and not cold or hot” (3:16). I must apologize to Nora Ephron, the director of “Sleepless in Seattle”, for playing on the title of her 1993 movie starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

Theme
The theme of the letter is this: Affluence, influencing the church in a negative way, could lead to a spiritually lukewarm condition in the church. The consequence of this condition is that the church is rendered ineffective in their work for the Lord and the Lord will vomit them out of His mouth.

The questions that this letter addresses are these: How does the church respond to an affluent society around it? And, how can it effectively reach that society?

The Characteristics of the Lord Jesus – 3:14
At the beginning of this letter, the Lord Jesus takes a subtle jab at the church meeting in Laodicea. In the six previous letters He addressed the church as, “And to the angel of the church IN Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, or Philadelphia.” But in this letter He writes, “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans” because this self-sufficient church was run by the Laodiceans and not by the Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22, 23).

In each of the letters, a characteristic(s) of the Lord Jesus is given. In this letter He is characterized by the threefold name, or title, as the “Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the Firstborn of God.”

In Rabbinic sources, Amen is one of the names for God. This title, or name, would not be lost on the large Jewish community living in the area. The letter attests to the deity of the Lord Jesus and the fact that He was God manifest in human flesh. The pagan Laodiceans would have to realize it was Jesus who was God and not the emperor. Approximately 30 years before, the celator at Laodicea minted a coin with the head of Emperor Nero on the obverse and an inscription around it saying, “Nero, Sabastos, Theos (God)”! (RPC I:480; coin 2923). This is one of the rare coins that attributed deity to the emperor, a claim he never made for himself. At the time this letter was circulating, however, the present emperor, Domition, claimed to be a god. The people of Laodicea were informed as to who the true God is … Jesus.

The second description of the Lord Jesus was “The Faithful and True Witness.” In an American court of law, when a witness is called to the stand they are sworn in by saying, “I swear (or affirm) to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” The Lord Jesus is the faithful and true witness against the church that met in Laodicea. He does not mince any words when He describes the spiritual problems in this assembly. The Jewish believers in the Lord Jesus in this church would recall the words of the prophet Isaiah when he twice calls the Lord the “God of truth” (65:16).

The final description of the Lord Jesus is that He is the “Beginning of the Creation of God.” The Greek word for “Beginning” is “arkea” (arch). This is the word from which we get “architecture,” the one who is the planner and designer of a building.

The Apostle Paul, when he wrote the letter to the church of Colossae instructed them to pass the letter to the Colossians on to the believers in Laodicea (4:16). Apparently there were wide problems in Lycus Valley, not only affecting the church at Colossae, but also Laodicea and probably Hierapolis. Two issues Paul had to address were the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who was He and what did He do? Paul states that “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning (arkae), the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence” (1:15-18). Apparently they still did not understand that the Lord Jesus was the Firstborn from the dead, who was also the Creator of the universe, and also the Head of the Church.

The message found in the characteristics of the Lord Jesus is this: The Lord Jesus is God manifest in human flesh and He will bear witness to the self-sufficient church at Laodicea that He is the Architect (and Head) of the Church and He will build His church (cf. Matt. 16:18), even though they thought they could do it themselves!

The Commendation by the Lord Jesus to the Church at Laodicea
Each letter begins with the Lord Jesus finding and stating something good about the church. When He comes to the church at Laodicea, He has nothing good to say about it! This is a sad commentary on the spiritual state of the church.

The Condemnation by the Lord Jesus of the Church at Laodicea – 3:15-17
While He has nothing good to say about the church, He has plenty of negative things to say about it! His first statement is that they are neither hot nor cold, but rather, lukewarm (3:15, 16). Three times He pleads with them to be hot or cold.

This statement has been misunderstood by preachers and commentators down through the ages. Most see this as a statement of their spiritual fervor. Hot means they are on fire for the Lord and His work, and cold means that they are unsaved or apathetic. Such is not the case. The letter indicates that “hot” and “cold” are desirable alternatives. These are the conditions the Lord Jesus wants the church to be in.  Being cold does not refer to apathy or being unsaved because the Lord “is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

It has been suggested by some who have traveled through the Lycus Valley that the Lord Jesus has in mind the waters that characterize the three main cities of the Lycus Valley when He refers to hot, cold and lukewarm. To the north of Laodicea is the city of Hierapolis, a city famous for its medicinal installations. Within and on the edge of the city are hot springs that are “much prized for its healing properties and the extensive and opulent remains of the city show the breath of its popularity and appeal” (Rudwick and Green 1957-58: 177). People would come from all over the Greek world to seek healing in these waters. It is visibly apparent, that many people who came to the city for healing were not healed because they died and were buried in the necropolis outside the city.

The word picture that is conveyed by the cold water comes from the cold streams around the city of Colossae. It has been observed that “for the greater part of the year this region is very hot and dry. In such a climate cold water is the most valued source of refreshment” (Rudwick and Green 1957-58: 177). This water is pure and life giving.

The water for Laodicea is piped into the city from some springs south of the city, in modern day Denizli. This water is not piped in from Hierapolis. By the time the calcium carbonate water arrives in the city via an aqueduct from the springs, it is lukewarm. One can observe the encrusted calcium carbonate in the remains of the aqueduct. Strabo alludes to the encrusted deposits when says, “[t]he changing of water into stone is said also to be the case with the rivers in Laodiceia, although their water is potable” (Geography 13:4:14; LCL 6:189).

Two travelers to the Lycus Valley noted that: “The force of the imagery derives from the function and utility of hot, cold and lukewarm water. Hot water heals, cold water refreshes, but lukewarm water is useless for either purpose, and can only serve as an emetic. So the Church is charged not with half-heartedness but with ineffectiveness” (Rudwick and Green 1957-58: 178, Cf. Wood 1961-62: 263, footnote 4). This lukewarm water points to the barrenness of works rather than its spiritual temperature. “The affluent society was far from the sources of its life-giving water, and when by its own resources it had sought to remedy the deficiency, the resulting supply was bad, both tepid and emetic” (Hemer 1989: 191). The lukewarm condition will cause the Lord to vomit them out.

The Lord Jesus goes on to say that the church had deceived itself into thinking that it was rich, and thus self-sufficient. “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked” (3:17). The verse begins, “You say”, but goes on to say, you “do not know.” They do not know what is really going on in the spiritual life of the church. You know the ditty, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.” Permit me to paraphrase this statement attributed to Abraham Lincoln. Jesus is saying, “You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can never fool the Lord Jesus any of the time.” He said He knew their works (3:15), and knew what was really going on in their hearts and the spiritual state they were in. Even though they claimed they were rich and self-sufficient, in reality they were spiritually wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

That the city of Laodicea was wealthy is undisputed. Strabo (64/63 BC – ca. AD 25) described Laodicea at the beginning of the 1st century AD in these terms: “Laodiceia, though formerly small, grew large in our time and in that of our fathers, even though it had been damaged by siege in the time of Mithridates Eupator [King of Pontus, 120 – 63 BC]. However, it was the fertility of its territory and the prosperity of certain citizens that made it great: at first Hieron, who left to the people an inheritance of more than two thousand talents and adorned the city with many dedicated offerings, and later Zeno the rhetorician and his son Polemon [Polemon I, king of Pontus and the Bosporis], the latter of whom, because of his bravery and honesty, was thought worthy even of a kingdom, at first by Antony and later by Augustus” (Geography 12:8:16; LCL 5:511).

Cicero, the proconsul of Cilicia (51-50 BC), attests that Laodicea, a city within his jurisdiction, was the center of financial and banking operations (Letters to Atticus 5:15; 1912:373-377).

Cicero also recounts the story of Flaccus, the proconsul of Asia, confiscating 20 Roman pounds of gold bound for Jerusalem, which was collected at Laodicea in 62 BC (Pro Flacco 68; LCL 10:517). This money was for the voluntary half shekel temple tax (I realize voluntary tax is an oxymoron, but the Jewish people wanted to pay this tax because of their love for the Temple, cf. Matt. 17: 24-27). It has been estimated, based on the amount of money collected, that there were 7,500 Jewish adults living in the area.

Another illustration of the wealth of the city was that they did not take imperial aid after the earthquake of AD 60. In the 1st century AD, two devastating earthquakes leveled Laodicea. The first earthquake was in AD 17. Tiberius “made a plea to the senate in behalf of the citizens of Laodicea, Thyatira and Chios, who had suffered loss from an earthquake and begged for his help” (Suetonius, Lives of the Caesars, Tiberius 8; LCL 1: 305).

Strabo describes the earthquake phenomenon in this region thus: “But the Lycus flows under ground for the most part, and then, after emerging to the surface, unites with other rivers, thus indicating that the country is full of holes and subject to earthquakes; for if any other country is subject to earthquakes, Laodiceia is, and so is Carura in the neighbouring country” (Geography 12:8:16; LCL 5:513). He goes on to say, “But the emperor [Tiberius] restored them by contributing money; just as his father in earlier times … as he also restored the city of the Laodiceians” (Geography 12:8:18; LCL 5:517). Tacitus reports on this same earthquake and mentions twelve cities that were destroyed, but interestingly does not mention Laodicea (Annals 2:47; LCL 3:459).

The second earthquake to hit the region and level Laodicea was in AD 60.  Tacitus writes: “Laodicea, one of the famous Asiatic cities, was laid in ruins by an earthquake, but recovered by its own resources, without assistance from ourselves” (Annals 14:27; LCL 5:151). When it came time to rebuild, they did not take assistance from Rome as they had done in the previous earthquake in AD 17. They said, “Thank you very much for your offer of aid, but we can do it ourselves.”

As one scholar has pointed out, “The flourishing church was exposed as partaking of the standards of the society in which it lived. It was spiritually self-sufficient and saw no need of Christ’s aid” (Hemer 1989: 195).

The church was throwing money at a problem, but not taking it to the Lord in prayer! Just as the government will throw money at people or a project, but not insist on a change of attitude or behavior of those receiving the money. There should be accountability for the money spent on projects and responsibility taken by the recipient of money to change their behavior.

The Apostle Paul had instructed the believers in Laodicea some 35 years before when he wrote: “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). And again, “For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:1-3). If they could only remember that their treasures are hidden in the Lord Jesus and not the bank vaults of Laodicea they would not be lukewarm because of their monetary treasures.

The Counsel the Lord Jesus Gives to the church at Laodicea – 3:18
The church at Laodicea had a dreaded spiritual condition called being lukewarm because of their wealth. They did not recognize the symptoms of their problem. The Lord properly diagnosed the problem, lukewarmness that produced ineffectiveness. He points out the symptoms of this condition, a church that is wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. Now He will give the remedy to their problem. He instructs them to do three things. First, “buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich.” Second, “and [buy] white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed.” Third, “and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”

Notice these three statements address the last three symptoms of the believers in the church at Laodicea. They were poor, yet Jesus says to buy from Him gold refined in the fire. They were blind, so they were to anoint their eyes with eye salve. They were naked, so they were to buy white garments to cover their nakedness. The first two, wretched and miserable, are a result of their dependence upon their wealth that makes them self-sufficient. As the old adage goes, “Money does not buy happiness.” True happiness, or blessedness, comes from being poor in spirit, mourning, being meek, hungering and thirsting after His righteousness, being merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker, and being persecuted for righteousness sake (Matt. 5:3-12)!

The first thing He counsels them to do is to buy from Him gold refined in the fire. It is important to point out that He is not saying one should buy their salvation. Salvation from Genesis to Revelation has always been by grace through faith, and not of any merit of what we do, because it is a gift from God, and not of works, lest anyone should boast (Eph. 2:8, 9). After a person has trusted the Lord Jesus as Savior, one should “work out [their] own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure” (Phil. 1:12c, 13). It takes time, energy and effort to live the Christian life, and at times, it is costly.

The word-picture that the Lord Jesus is using here is the gold refined in the fire. When gold is mined, it is an ore that is mixed with impurities. It is only after intense heat is applied during the smelting process that the gold emerges in a refined and pure state. It costs the smelter money to refine the gold. He has to build the furnace and buy the fuel in which to refine the gold.

In the life of the believer in Laodicea the refining, or cleansing, process is being exercised by the chastening, or trials, of the Lord (Cf. 3:19). The Apostle Peter so eloquently wrote to the Jewish believers in the Diaspora, including Asia Minor where Laodicea was: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love” (1 Pet. 1:6-8a). Perhaps there was still a copy of this epistle in the church at Laodicea that had been left by Silvanus on his way through the region after he and Peter ministered there (5:12). The Jewish believers in the Lord Jesus would have understood the word picture from the truths taught by the psalmist and prophets (Ps. 66:10, 65:10 in the LXX; Zech. 13:9; Isa. 1:25).

The second thing the Lord Jesus commands them to do is, “(buy) white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed.” The city of Laodicea was famous for its garments of black wool, called Laodicia, which it manufactured. Strabo, the Greek geographer, observed that: “The country round Laodicaea produces sheep that are excellent, not only for the softness of their wool, in which they surpass even the Milesian wool, but also for its raven-black colour, so the Laodiceians derive splendid revenue from it, as do also neighbouring Colosseni from the colour which bears the same name (Geography 12:8:16; LCL 5:511). Several travelers have noted: “The local breed of long-haired black sheep with glossy coats … survives, at least in small numbers” (Rudwick and Green 1957-58: 176).

In all my trips to Laodicea, I have never had the opportunity to see these black sheep. Friends of mine who have visited the site have told me they saw the black sheep. On one trip to Turkey, the class I was co-teaching was walking down the Cardo (main street) of Hierapolis and we saw a flock of black sheep in the excavations of the ancient city. The thought “Kodak moment” flashed before me and I said, “We need to get pictures of these black sheep in the ruins.” Several of the students and myself, excused ourselves from the guide and group and went to take pictures. As we got closer, it was obvious the sheep were brownish black. One of the students commented, “These are not raven black sheep.” I turned to her and said, “Sue, it’s nothing Photoshop can’t take care of!” Photoshop could even make the sheep white if we were so inclined.
The believers in Laodicea need more than Photoshop to cover their spiritual nakedness with white garments. These garments are the righteous acts of the saints (cf. Rev. 4:4; 6:11; 7:14; 19:8).

Even the finest cloth weaved on the looms of the city could not cover the sins of a person in Laodicea; these sins could only be washed away by the blood of Christ and the individual being clothed in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus that is freely given by grace through faith alone in Him (Phil. 3:9). Nor could the looms provide the white garments which are the righteous acts of the saints. These garments only come by the empowerment of the Spirit of God working in the life of the believer in the Lord Jesus who depends totally on the Lord for strength to live their daily lives for Him.

The third thing the Lord Jesus counsels them to do is to: “Anoint yourself with eye salve.” This was a word picture the people of Laodicea would understand because there was a medical school in Laodicea with the parent center nearby at Men-Karou. One of the things that were developed at the school was the use of Phrygian stone to make eye salve (Strabo, Geography 12:8:20; LCL 5:519; Hemer 1989: 196-199).
Just as the eye salve corrected a problem in the sight of those it was placed in, so the believers in Laodicea were to do something to correct their spiritual eyesight.  Again, they could refer to the passage in the Apostle Peter’s second epistle to correct spiritual shortsightedness, even blindness (2 Pet. 1:5-9).

It takes time, energy and effort to work on virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. If the believers in the church at Laodicea did these things, they would be living the “victorious Christian life” and would become overcomers.

The Promise Given by the Lord Jesus to the Overcomers in the Church at Laodicea – 3:19-21
The Lord begins this section by declaring what He will do to those believers in the church who are rebellious to Him and His Word. He says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent” (3:19). This passage is crucial for understanding that this letter was written to believers within the church at Laodicea. It is important to note that the Lord does not rebuke and chasten unsaved individuals, only His children (Heb. 12: 5-8; cf. Prov. 3:11, 12).

The Lord Jesus instructs His children, whom He loves and chastens, to do two things: (1) be zealous, and (2) repent. The Lord Jesus might have had the example of Epaphras in mind, one of the believers from the Lycus Valley, whom Paul wrote about in the book of Colossians. “Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear witness that he has a great zeal² for you, and those who are at Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis” (Col. 4:12, 13 NKJV). Here was a godly man zealously praying for the people in the Lycus Valley to stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. Prayer signifies a total dependence upon God, a marked contrast to the self-sufficiency of the church at Laodicea.

The second thing He instructs them to do is repent. The word repent means to change ones mind. The believers in the church were to change their minds about their selfishness and realize that the Lord Jesus is All Sufficient. They need to change their mind about their lukewarmness and become “hot” so they can minister to the spiritual needs of a hurting society around it, or become “cold” so they can refresh those who attend their meetings with the things of the Lord.

The Lord Jesus expresses His desire to have fellowship with His people and dine with them. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me” (3:20).

This passage has been used by many preachers as an invitation for sinners to come to faith in the Lord Jesus, but in reality, this is a fellowship passage. The Lord appeals to them to return to Him.

The Challenge Given by the Lord Jesus to the Church at Laodicea – 3:22
The challenge to all the churches is the same: “He who has an ear; let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” The Lord expects the church at Laodicea, as well as Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamon, Thyatira, Sardis and Philadelphia, and any local church, for that matter, to hear and obey His Word.

The Lord Jesus made a similar statement during His earthly ministry, but with one notable exception. During His earthly ministry He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15; 13:9 (2x); 13:43 (2x); Mark 4:9, 23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35). In the letters to the Seven Churches He adds, “what the Spirit says to the churches.” The Ru’ach Kodesh, the Holy Spirit, came and went as He pleased during His dealings with the nation of Israel; yet with the Church, He baptized all believers into the Body of Christ; He indwelt all believers; He anointed all believers to teach the Word; and He sealed all believers until the Day of Redemption. The Spirit of God is actively involved in the building of the Church.

Application

So what is the Spirit of God saying to the church at Laodicea, and all churches? Affluence could lead to self-sufficiency in the church with the arrogant attitude of, “Lord, don’t worry, we can handle any problems ourselves, we do not need your help, nor your presence!” We need to guard our attitude toward wealth, something that in and of itself is not evil. We need to examine our lives and ask the questions, “Is the affluence controlling me? Or, am I controlling the wealth and using it for the Lord’s work and for His glory?”

Footnotes

¹ All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Bible.

² The Greek word for “zeal” is zalon in the Textus Receptus which is the basis for the KJV and NKJV.  In the Westcott and Hort text, the Greek word is ponon and translated much “distress.”  This is the basis for the RSV, NIV and NASB.

Bibliography

Bruce, Frederick F.
1992    Laodicea. Pp. 229-231 in Anchor Bible Dictionary. Vol. 4. Edited by D. N. Freedman. New York: Doubleday.

Burnett, Andrew; Amandry, Michel; and Ripolles, Pere Pau
1992    Roman Provincial Coinage. Vol. 1. London and Paris: British Museum and Bibliotheque Nationale de France. (Abbreviated as RPC I).

Cicero
1912    Letters to Atticus. Vol. 1. Trans. by E. Winstedt. London: William Heinemann; New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons. Reprinted 1939.

1977    Orations. Pro Flacco. Vol. 10. Trans. by C. MacDonald. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. Loeb Classical Library 324.

Des Gagniers, Jean; et al.
1969    Laodicee du Lycos. Le  nymphee; campagnes 1961-1963: Quebec: Presses de l’Universite Laval.

Eusebius
1926    Ecclesiastical History. Vol. 1. Trans. by K. Lake. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. Loeb Classical Library 158. Reprinted 1980.

Fant, Clyde; and Reddish, Mitchell
2003    A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey. Oxford: Oxford University.

Hemer, Colin
1989    The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans.

Johnson, Sherman
1950    Laodicea and It’s Neighbors. Biblical Archaeologist 13/1: 1-18.

Josephus
1986    Antiquities of the Jews. Books 12-14. Vol. 7. Translated by R. Marcus. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. Loeb Classical Library. Reprint of 1933.

Pliny, the Elder
1989    Natural History. Books 3-7. Vol. 2. Translated by H. Rackham. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. Loeb Classical Library, 352. Reprinted of 1942.

Rudwick, M. J. S.; and Green, E. M.
1957-58    The Laodicean Lukewarmness. Expository Times 69: 176-178.

Strabo
1988    The Geography of Strabo. Vol. 5. Trans. by H. L. Jones. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. Loeb Classical Library, 211.

1989    The Geography of Strabo. Vol. 6. Trans. by H. L. Jones. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. Loeb Classical Library, 223.

Suetonius
1989   Lives of the Caesars. Vol. 1. Trans. by J. C. Rolfe. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. Loeb Classical Library, 31.

Tacitus
1992   Histories 4-5, Annals 1-3. Vol. 3. Trans. by C. H. Moore and J. Jackson. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. Loeb Classical Library, 249.

1994   Annals 13-16. Vol. 5. Trans. by J. Jackson. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. Loeb Classical Library, 322.

Wood, Peter
1961-62  Local Knowledge in the Letters of the Apocalypse. Expository Times 73: 263-264.

Introduction
History is replete with trusted and beloved people who betray their own family, friends, or country. Two examples come to mind. Judas, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, betrayed the Lord Jesus with a kiss after receiving 30 pieces of silver. Another example is General Benedict Arnold, one of General George Washington’s most trusted officers during the American War for Independence. Arnold betrayed his own country by turning over the plans for West Point, the fort that he commanded, to his British handler Major John Andre in 1780. Fortunately, Andre was captured in Tarrytown, NY, by three alert patriot soldiers before he could make his way back to New York City – thus, this treasonous act was exposed and the plot was foiled.

William Shakespeare vividly captures another betrayal in his play Julius Caesar (1599). In January 2011, I had the opportunity to see this play in Rome on the last night of the Talbot School of Theology’s study tour of Turkey, Greece, and Rome. Some of my students found out that the play was being presented in English at one of the local theaters. They invited me to join them for dinner and then afterwards attend the play. I could not think of a better way to end the trip.

Julius Caesar and emperor worship was one of the themes of our study tour. We had discussed Caesar’s assassination and the implications of his subsequent deification by the Roman Senate. We had also discussed the pivotal battle of Philippi, which changed the course of Western civilization. At stake in this battle was whether Rome would retain its republican form of government or become an imperial empire with emperor worship as its new cult. Unfortunately, the imperialists won the battle and Rome adopted emperor worship. Thus, the underlying conflict between the Early Church and the Roman government began. The conflict revolved around the question of who could be rightly worshiped as lord. Was it Caesar or was it the Lord Jesus?

In 44 BC, Rome was in turmoil. Some Roman senators, calling themselves Liberators, wanted to keep the republican form of government and the liberties and freedoms that went along with it. On the other hand, Julius Caesar and his crowd wanted a dictatorship, and Caesar was about to proclaim himself king. The people seemed to be following Caesar because he fed and entertained them, which later became the basis for the phrase “bread and circuses.” The conspirators (Liberators) isolated Julius Caesar in the old Roman Senate building on the Eids of March (March 15) and proceeded to inflict knife wounds on the dictator. One of the last people to step forward to plunge his dagger into Caesar was Brutus. The Latin line, immortalized by Shakespeare, that has been attributed to Caesar was, “Et tu, Brute?” (“Even you, Brutus?” – Act 3, Scene 1, Line 77).

In the next scene, Mark Antony begins his eulogy of Julius Caesar with his famous “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears” speech. In the course of his remarks, Antony points to the twenty-three stab wounds that were inflicted by the Liberators on Julius Caesar, and says:

Look, in this place ran Cassius’ dagger through:
See what a rent the envious Casca made;
Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb’d;
And as he pluck’d his cursed steel away,
Mark how the blood of Caesar follow’d it,
As rushing out of doors, to be resolved
If Brutus so unkindly knock’d, or no;
For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar’s angel:
Judge, O ye gods, how dearly Caesar loved him!
This was the most unkindest cut of all;
For when the noble Caesar saw him stab,
Ingratitude, more strong than traitors’ arms,
Quite vanquish’d him: then burst his mighty heart (Act 3, Scene 2).

According to Mark Antony, Brutus was Caesar’s angel and Julius loved him dearly, which is why a dear friend turning on him was “the most unkindest cut of all.”

After the play, we walked back to our hotel. There was a beautiful, bright, full moon (the eids of January) as we walked past the old Roman Senate building, where Julius Caesar had been assassinated and then past the Roman Forum, where the Temple of Julius which contains the cremated remains of the dictator was located.

Psalm 54 tells of another betrayal. The Ziphites, a clan within David’s own tribe of Judah, offered to turn him over to the Benjamite, King Saul. This offer must have deeply hurt David. He might have thought something akin to “Et Tu, Ziphites?” (“Even you, Ziphites?”). Why are you betraying your own tribesman? Where is your tribal loyalty?

Historical, Geographical, and Archaeological Background
The superscription gives us the historical setting for this psalm. It states, “A Contemplation of David when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, ‘Is David not hiding with us?’” It was during the time when David fled from Saul (1 Sam. 19-26). The Bible, however, records that the Ziphites offered David to Saul on two separate occasions (1 Sam. 23:19; 26:1; CBA 92) so it is difficult to ascertain which betrayal the psalmist had in mind. Perhaps the Spirit of God left it ambiguous so we could have two possibilities to contemplate as to how God will deliver us in times of trouble.

The first time the Ziphites offered to turn David over to Saul was in 1 Sam. 23:13-29. David was in the Wilderness of Ziph, and Jonathan, Saul’s son, visited him and made a covenant (23:14-18). David then moved deeper into the Judean desert to the Wilderness of Maon. There Saul divided his army and was ready to pounce on David and capture him when he received word that the Philistines had invaded the land of Israel (23:19-28). Saul left David at the Rock of Escape, or Separation (23:28), in order to take care of the Philistine problem. David then went to the strongholds of Ein Gedi (23:29). The first time David was delivered from Saul it was by external circumstances.

Nogah Hareuveni, the founder of Neot Kedumim (the Biblical Gardens), has identified the Rock of Separation with Mount Kholed (177-092 on the Israeli grid system), a one-and-a-half-kilometer, knifelike ridge with steep slopes on both sides. David was on the east side heading toward the Dead Sea. Saul, approaching from the west, split his army into a pincer formation to go around both ends of the ridge and capture David (1991: 33–34).

The second time the Ziphites offered to turn David over to Saul was in 1 Samuel 26:1. David was in the Wilderness (of Ziph or Maon), and Saul was camped on the Hill of Hachilah with his 3,000 men. The Lord caused a divinely induced deep sleep to fall on Saul and all his men (26:12), which enabled David and Abishai, one of David’s mighty men (2 Sam. 23:18-19), to enter the camp of Saul and remove his spear and water jug. Abishai wanted to kill Saul on the spot, but David did not allow it because Saul was the Lord’s anointed. The second time David was delivered from Saul was by divine intervention.

The Wilderness of Ziph (1 Sam. 23:14-15; 26:2) covers the area of Nahal Hever and Nahal Mishmar. The Wilderness of Maon (1 Sam. 23:24-25) covers the area of Nahal Ze’elim (Har-el 2003: 226).

The ancient city of Ziph was situated in the third district of the Hill Country of Judah along with ten other cities and their villages (Josh. 15:55-57). Ziph has been identified with Tel Ziph (1628-0982 on the Israeli grid system), a site located 880 meters above sea level and 6 kilometers (3 ½ miles) to the Southeast of Hebron. Because of its varied agricultural activities, Ziph was an important economic center. Dr. Menashe Har-el, professor of Biblical Geography at Tel Aviv University, observed that: “The ancient farmers [of Ziph] grew vines and olives on the slopes of the mountain ranges to the north and west of the city, and this region of the mountains of Hebron was the center of vine-growing activity. Cereals were cultivated on the wide plateau of Jattir and Eshtemoa in the south, which was the cradle of grain farming in the Judean Hills, while livestock were reared in the wilderness of Ziph in the east, particularly on the southern slopes of the mountains of Hebron in the direction of the Arad Valley” (2003: 228).

Ziph was also a strategic military post because it controlled the roads from the south into Hebron. For this reason King Rehoboam fortified the city in preparation for possible attacks from that direction (2 Chron. 11:8; CBA 119).

In the last quarter of the 8th century BC, Judah produced storage jars with the word “LMLK” stamped on the jar handles. The word “LMLK” mean “to/for the king.” Sometimes the jar handles had the name of one of four cities on them: MMST (most likely Ramat Rachel), Hebron, Succoh, and Ziph. Dr. Anson Rainey suggests that these vessels contain wine from the royal winery, but he is not sure how the crown acquired the vineyard (1982: 59; CBA 152).  The Hebron Hills were famous for their grapes (cf. Num. 13:20, 22-24; see also Gen. 49:11-12). King Uzziah had royal wineries in the Hill Country of Judah and in Carmel, south of Hebron (2 Chron. 26:10). The royal Carmel estates were a result of David’s marriage to Abigail (1 Sam. 25:39-43). One could speculate that the Ziphite vineyards were confiscated by King David and made into a royal estate after the Ziphites had betrayed him on two occasions.

No systematic archaeological excavations have been conducted at Tel Ziph. After the Six-Day War (1967), Israeli archaeologists surveyed the site and picked up pottery shards from the Iron Age; the Persian Period; Hellenistic Period; as well as the Roman, Byzantine, and Medieval Periods. There was a heavy concentration of pottery during the Hellenistic period (Kochavi 1972: 68; site #178 on the Judah map). Khirbet Ziph (1635-0983 on the Israeli grid system) is located a short distance to the east of Tel Ziph, was surveyed as well but only Byzantine and Medieval archaeological remains were detected (Kochavi 1972: 69; Judah #179).

A bilingual ossuary that was found near Tel Ziph is on display in the Hebron Archaeological Museum. The owner’s name, which was written in both Greek and Aramaic, was on the ossuary, which dates to the 2nd or 3rd century AD (Rahmani 1972: 113-116).

Theme
The psalmist is betrayed by “friends” (his own tribesmen) and pursued by the wicked (King Saul), yet his trust is in the name of the Lord, the One who is “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Prov. 18:24). The psalmist is confident that the Lord will deliver him from this adverse situation. In gratitude to the Lord for answering his prayer, the psalmist offered a freewill offering out of love for Him.

Literary Structure
Psalm 54 is made up of five stanzas and is arranged in a chiastic form: 54:1-2; 3; 4; 5; 6-7. The key word in the A lines (54:1, 6) is “Your name.” The center line, C (54:4), expresses the psalmist’s trust in the Lord.

A. Prayer for deliverance from enemies by YHWH’s name. 54:1-2

B. Enemies rise up against David. 54:3

C. The psalmist’s trust in his Deliverer – the LORD my Helper. 54:4

B’. Enemies are repaid by the Lord. 54:5

A’. Thanksgiving for deliverance from enemies by YHWH’s name. 54:6-7

The Hebrew Bible includes the superscription as part of the inspired psalm; the superscription is found in verses 1 and 2. Verses 1-7 in the English Bible are numbered 3-9 in the Hebrew text.

Exposition of Psalm 54

Prayer for deliverance from enemies by YHWH’s name. 54:1-2
“Save me, O God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your strength. Hear my prayer; O God, give ear to the words of my mouth.”

David began this psalm with a prayer that contains two requests: save me and vindicate me. His prayer for salvation is made in the name of the Lord (YHWH). Because of the psalm’s chiastic structure, “the name” appears again in verse 6.

David probably had in mind the incident when Moses came across a burning bush at Mount Horeb, the mountain of God, in the Sinai Peninsula. The Lord told Moses to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. After the Lord told Moses to go back to Egypt and lead His people out of bondage, Moses asked the Lord what he should tell the people of Israel is His name. The Lord replied, “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:13-15). Yahweh was the covenant-keeping-and-blessing God. David understood he was not to seek his salvation in his own strength or might, but rather to trust the Lord because of His character and revealed attributes.

The second prayer request was for God to vindicate David. Vindication is a judicial term. David wanted the Lord to set things right because Saul had already judged David and determined that he was a threat to Saul’s kingdom. Saul wanted his own children to continue the dynasty. Saul slandered both David’s character and his reputation.

David asked the Lord to vindicate him and show his innocence. David had demonstrated his innocence to Saul on two occasions. The first time was at the cave at Ein Gedi. David could have killed Saul while the king was relieving himself in the cave, but he did not kill him because he understood that Saul was the Lord’s anointed. David said to let the Lord be judge between him and Saul (1 Sam. 24:11-15). David demonstrated his innocence a second time when, while being pursued by Saul, David went into Saul’s camp after the Lord had caused a deep sleep to come over everybody in the camp (1 Sam. 26:12). David took the spear and water jug that were by Saul’s head. After David left the camp and was far away, he asked Saul, “Why does my lord thus pursue his servant? For what have I done, or what evil is in my hand?” (26:18). He then mentions the “children of men” (beni ha-adam) in verse 19, the same Hebrew phrase used in Psalm 57:4 and Psalm 58:1-2 to refer to the wicked. David’s response was, “Let them be cursed.”

Enemies rise up against David. 54:3
“For strangers have risen up against me, and oppressors have sought after my life; they have not set God before them. Selah.”

David used a strong word to describe his enemies. He called them strangers (zarim). This word is usually used to refer to foreign enemies, but that is not always the case. In Psalm 86:14, the word is used of the proud, arrogant, person (zedim). Because the Hebrew letter resh and dalet have similar shapes, it could lead to a copyist error. For this reason, some manuscripts have zarim and other manuscripts have zedim in verse 3. Some scholars have suggested that the word strangers as used here refers to the men of Keilah who were of Canaanite origin and were going to betray David if he stayed in their city (1 Sam. 23:1-12; Kirkpatrick 1916: 305).

I would agree with the commentator who said: “Perhaps the intent is to use a particularly harsh term to describe fellow Israelites in order to emphasize just how far they have removed themselves from true covenant relationships” (Wilson 2002: 799).
The oppressors were violent, ruthless men who sought David’s life (cf. 23:14, 15; 24:11). They did this out of envy, or jealousy, because they did not have God’s interest in mind. Their only concern was how they might profit or benefit from David’s death; they refused to recognize the authority of God in their lives.

The verse ends with the Hebrew word Selah. Scholars have debated the meaning of this word, but I think it is a musical rest note meaning pause and reflect; in other words, stop and think about what was just said! The oppressors do what they do because they pursue their own interests rather than God’s.

The psalmist’s trust in his Deliverer – the LORD my Helper. 54:4
“Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is with those who uphold my life.”

This verse is the center of the chiasmus in this psalm. It’s the focal point, or central message, of the psalm. That message is simple: Trust the Name of the LORD. He is your Helper, and He will save and vindicate you!

While David’s trust was in the Lord, the Lord used human instruments to “uphold his life” by supporting and protecting David. When David was in the cave of Adullam, 400 members of his family and friends who were distressed, in debt, or discontented with King Saul’s policies, joined David in the cave. By the end of David’s flight from Saul, the Lord had assembled 600 men around David for his protection (1 Sam. 22:1-2; 27:2; 30:9). David’s prayer was that the Lord would be with those who were protecting him.

The Church today is engaged in spiritual warfare against Satan and his minions, both human and demonic (Eph. 6:10-20). We are to be fighting together against Satan and his crowd, not each other!

Enemies are repaid by the Lord. 54:5
“He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth.”

King Saul had plotted evil against David (1 Sam. 23:9; cf. 24:17), yet David did not seek revenge. David knew the promise of God: “’Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Deut. 32:35; cf. Rom. 12:17-21). Stopping Saul’s evil plots was the Lord’s problem. Because David trusted the Lord to take care of his enemies, David did not have to take revenge.

Dr. Mitchell Dahood points out that enemies (sorer) is a nuanced term for “defamers, or slanderers” (1968: 25; cf. Ps. 5:8-9; 27:2, 11-12; 54:5; 56:5; 59:1, 12). Defaming and slandering David was what Saul and those around him were doing. Saul was making false statements about David. When David had the chance to confront him from a distance at Saul’s camp, he asked: “Why does my lord thus pursue his servant? For what have I done, or what evil is in my hand?” (1 Sam. 26:18). Earlier, David had pointed out to Saul that men were saying he sought to harm Saul, but he had no desire to do so (24:9).

David did not take matters into his own hands despite having had two opportunities to eliminate Saul: the first at Ein Gedi (1 Sam. 24) and the second in the Wilderness of Ziph (1 Sam. 26). Interestingly, sandwiched between these two accounts, David is set to eliminate Nabal, whose name means fool, but the fool’s wife, Abigail intervenes on her husband’s behalf!

Thanksgiving for deliverance from enemies by YHWH’s name. 54:6-7
“I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good. For He has delivered me out of all trouble; and my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.”

The freewill offering (nedabah) is a communal offering in which God got the fatty portion of the sacrifice (don’t worry, God does not have a cholesterol problem!), the high priest got the wave offering, and the officiating priest got the heave offering (right foreleg), and the rest went to the family and friends of the one offering the sacrifice. David and his family and friends enjoyed the fellowship meal together, praising the Lord for who He is and what He had done for David. It was not a votive offering because David had not made a vow saying he would offer a votive offering if God delivered him from his adverse situation (Lev. 7:16; 22:23; cf. Ex. 25:2; 35:29; Num. 15:3; Ps. 35:18; 52:9). With the freewill offering, David just wanted to say, “Thank you, Lord I love You because your Name is good.”

The reason David could offer this freewill offering was because he loved the Lord for what He had done in his life. The Lord had answered the two-fold prayer of David in this psalm: the first, for deliverance from the hands of King Saul, and the second, for vindication of his reputation in the eyes of Saul and the people.

Twice while David was in the Wilderness of Ziph the Lord delivered him from the hands of King Saul. The first time was by external circumstances. The second time was by divine intervention.

The second part of David’s prayer, “vindicate me by Your strength,” was answered as well. The strength of the Lord was seen when He caused Saul and his army to fall into a deep sleep, affording David the opportunity to take Saul’s water jug and spear. Saul finally realized that David had no evil intentions against him. In fact, as they departed for the last time Saul blessed David. “May you be blessed, my son David! You shall both do great things and also still prevail” (1 Sam. 26:25).

David’s desire was reconciliation, even in a small way, with his father-in-law. David could now rejoice because he had been vindicated by Saul’s admission of David’s innocence and he had given David his blessing.

Life Lessons to Be Learned
Fortunately, unlike Brutus’ betrayal of his friend Julius Caesar, the Ziphites’ betrayal did not lead to David’s death. Yet there are some valuable lessons we can learn from David’s prayer in this psalm and the experiences he went through.

The first lesson to be learned is that David prays in the Name of the Lord for his salvation: “Save me, O God, by Your name.” In the Hebrew Scriptures the name of God was Yahweh (or Jehovah), the self-existing, eternal God who saves. In the New Testament, salvation is found in the name of the second Person of the Triune Godhead, the Lord Jesus Christ.

When Joseph found out his betrothed wife Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:20-21). When the Apostle Peter appeared before the Sanhedrin, he stated: “Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. ‘This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:10-12).

The Apostle Paul describes the “mind of Christ” as being humility. The Lord Jesus had humbled Himself to the Father’s will and was obedient to death on the Cross. “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11).

The second lesson to be learned is that when we are betrayed, rejected, or hounded by people, we should take our problems to our Friend, the Lord Jesus, in prayer. The hymn writer, Joseph Scriven (1855), so eloquently, yet so simply stated:

“Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

The third lesson to be learned from this psalm is that God answers prayer and uses various means to deliver us, and we should be careful not to dictate to God how to answer our prayers. Twice while he was hiding in the Wildernesses of Ziph and Maon, David was delivered from the hand of Saul. The first time it was by external circumstances. David was surrounded and about to be captured. Then the Philistines threatened Judah, and King Saul departed to take care of that problem, sparing David. The second time David was threatened; God divinely intervened by causing a great sleep to fall upon the camp of King Saul. David was able to take Saul’s water jar and spear and demonstrate to Saul that he had no evil intentions against him. The light finally came on in Saul’s head, and he realized David had no evil intentions toward him. Thus, he blessed David and departed, never to pursue David again. Twice David was in the same life-threatening situation, yet God delivered him in two different ways.

How does God answer prayers today? For example, if a person is sick, there are two different means God could use to heal the individual. He could use external circumstances. The sick person could go to a doctor, who makes the proper diagnosis and prescribes the proper medicine, and the person is healed. On the other hand, God could directly intervene and miraculously heal the person.

The final lesson to be learned is that ultimately God’s righteous justice will prevail. David understood that God would repay his enemies and deal with Saul (1 Sam. 26:10). God’s justice has been demonstrated by history. King Saul and his sons were killed on Mount Gilboa by the Philistines, and the Ziphites lost their land and it became a royal estate / vineyard.

In some churches, this psalm is sung on Good Friday when the prayer of the Lord Jesus is recalled while He was on the cross: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Perhaps a glimpse of this perspective can be seen in David’s relationship with his father-in-law. David recognized that Saul was God’s anointed and never took revenge on him. Instead, he prayed about the situation. What if David had taken matters into his own hands and killed Saul in the cave of Ein Gedi or the camp in the Wilderness of Ziph? David would not have experienced, even in a small way, reconciliation with his father-in-law, nor would he have gotten his blessing!

Even though David was betrayed by his own tribesmen and pursued by his father-in-law King Saul, his trust was in the Name of the Lord; the One who is “a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” God delivered him from this adverse situation, and David offered a freewill offering to the Lord out of love for Him.

Works Consulted

Aharoni, Yohanan; Avi-Yonah, Michael; Rainey, Anson; and Safrai, Ze’ev
2002    The Carta Bible Atlas. Jerusalem: Carta [abbreviated as CBA].

Albright, William Foxwell
1924    Researches of the School in Western Judaea. Bulletin of the American School of Oriental Research 15: 2-11.

Cohen, A.
1974    The Psalms. London: Soncino. 11th Impression.

Dahood, Mitchell
1968    The Anchor Bible. Psalms II 51-100. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

Delitzsch, F.
1973    Commentary on the Old Testament. Psalms. Vol. 5. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans.

Goldingay, John
2007   Psalms. Vol. 2 (Psalms 42-89). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Har-el, Menashe
2003    Landscape, Nature, and Man in the Bible. Jerusalem: Carta.

Hareuveni, Nogah
1991    Desert and Shepherd in Our Biblical Heritage. Lod: Neot Kedumim.

Kidner, Derek
1973    Psalms 1-72. An Introduction and Commentary on Books 1and 2 of the Psalms. Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity.

Kirkpatrick, A. F.
1916    The Book of Psalms. Cambridge: At the University.

Kissane, Edward
1953    The Book of Psalms. Vol. 1. Dublin: Browne and Nolan.

Kochavi, Moshe
1972   Judaea, Samaria and the Golan Archaeological Survey 1967-1968. Jerusalem: The Archaeological Survey of Israel and Carta.

Lance, H. Darrell
1992    Ziph. P. 1104 in Anchor Bible Dictionary. Vol. 6. Edited by D. N. Freedman. New York, NY: Doubleday.

Perowne, J. J. Stewart
1976    The Book of Psalms. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Rahmani, Levi
1972    A Bilingual Ossuary-Inscription from Khirbet Zif. Israel Exploration Journal 22/2-3: 113-116.

Rainey, Anson
1982    Wine from the Royal Vineyard. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 245: 57-62.

Rasmussen, Carl
1989    Zondervan NIV Atlas of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Tate, Marvin
1990    Word Biblical Commentary. Psalms 51-100. Vol. 20. Dallas, TX: Word.

Van Gemeren, Willem
1991    Psalms. Pp. 3-880 in Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 5. Edited by F. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Wilson, Gerald
2002    The NIV Application Commentary. Psalms. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Introduction
The fantastic Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Biblical Times exhibition at the Discovery Times Square building in New York City is about more than just the Dead Sea Scrolls; it is about daily life in the Biblical world. The subtitle — “Life and Faith in Biblical Times” — says it all. The exhibition runs until April 15, 2012, in New York City, and then, in May 2012, it will be at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, where it will run for another five months.

The Bible is more than just another book with black (and sometimes red) letters on a page. The Bible is about real people, in real places, experiencing real events in history. Sometimes, because of our twenty-first century Western mindset and experiences, it is difficult to imagine how people lived in Biblical times. For example, the LORD metaphorically searched Jerusalem with lamps (Zeph. 1:12). When we think of a lamp, we think of a stand with a shade and a socket with an electric light bulb that illuminates when a switch is flipped. In the Biblical world there was no electricity, only olive oil and a wick to light the oil lamp. This exhibition will give you an idea of what those lamps actually looked like.

Through the exhibition you will get a glimpse into the material culture of the Biblical world and add a third dimension to your Bible study! You will also be able to experience “Oh, now I see [literally] what the Bible is talking about” moments!

As an archaeologist and a Bible teacher, I was fascinated by the whole exhibition, which is on loan from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). I was able to view some of the latest archaeological discoveries from Israel for the first time, objects that I had only read about in the newspapers or in the archaeological journals. The last time the IAA sent such a large display of antiquities to New York City was to the Metropolitan Museum of Art during the winter of 1986-87. Hopefully, it will not be another 25 years before the IAA sends another collection to the Big Apple! Let’s enjoy this one while we can.

A Guide for a Self-Guided Tour
I have written a 39-page guide specifically for an Evangelical Christian audience, but others will find it helpful as well. The guide can be used for a self-guided tour of the exhibition by home-schooled students, Christian school classes, Bible study groups, Sunday school classes, church youth groups, and individuals who are interested in the world of the Bible. Please feel free to download the guide and visit this incredible collection of rare objects from Israel that illustrates life and faith in Biblical times.

Get your Self-Guided Tour Here

Where, When, and How Much?
The Discovery Times Square exhibition hall is located at 226 West 44th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues, in New York City. The hall is across the street from the Shubert Theatre and also a parking garage. Please note that West 44th Street is one-way going east so, if you are driving, Discovery Times Square must be approached from 8th Avenue, which is a one-way street going north.

The exhibition is open Sunday to Thursday, 10 AM through 8 PM and Friday and Saturday from 10 AM through 9 PM. The last entry is one hour before closing. The exhibition will run until April 15, 2012 and then it will relocate to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and run for five months beginning in May 2012.

Ticket prices are $25 for adults, $22.50 for seniors and $19.50 for children. You can order tickets over the Discovery Time’s Square’s Wed site, or buy tickets at the window at the entrance. A group rate is available for groups of ten or more people. To purchase group tickets or to find out more details, please call 855-266-5387, or send an E-mail to groupinfo@tsxnyc.com

For a $5 discount off the ticket price, click here for the flyer. This flyer can be used to purchase up to 8 tickets at a time and is good for every day of the week except holidays.

Headsets are available for an audio tour of select objects with commentary by Professor Lawrence Shiffman of Yeshiva University; Professor Bill Dever, retired from Arizona State University; and Professor Ronnie Reich of Haifa University and the Israel Antiquities Authority. Headsets may be rented for $7 apiece.

Discovery Times Square Website:
http://www.discoverytsx.com/exhibitions/dead-sea-scrolls

For pictures of some of the objects on display:
http://www.discoverytsx.com/exhibitions/dead-sea-scrolls/press-kit/images

Introduction
There are few events in world history that are “game changers,” that change the course of human history and civilization. December 7, 1941 stands out because it was a “day that will live in infamy.” That was the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor which led the United States into World War II.

In antiquity, there were other dates. On September 25, 480 BC the battle of Salamis in Greece took place. In this naval battle the Greeks stopped the Persian advance into Europe.

The Great Siege of Malta ended on September 8, 1565. The Ottoman’s were finally driven from the island at St. Paul’s Bay on September 11 of that year. The 8th is the Festival of Santa Maria because according to church tradition, the virgin Mary was born on that date. The lifting of the siege prevented the Ottoman’s from penetrating into Europe.

The Moslem siege of Vienna was lifted on Sept. 11, 1683 by a combined army of Polish, German and Austrians soldiers led by a Polish king, Jan Sobieski, whom the pope and European leaders hailed as the “Savior of Western Civilization.” This was the furthest the Ottoman’s were able to penetrate into Europe from the east.

Of course, September 11, 2001 changed the world as we know it. Moslems have long memories and dates are important! September 11, 2001 was like saying: “We’re just picking up where we left off!”

Date
In the year 42 BC, the month of October was a pivotal month in the history of Western Civilization. Two large Roman armies were amassed against each other on the plains to the west of the ancient city of Philippi in Macedonia. One army was led by the Liberators, Brutus and Cassius, and the other army was led by Mark Antony and Octavian, later to be known as Caesar Augustus. What was at stake in this conflict was which direction the Roman Republic would take. Dio Cassius (AD 150-235) pointed out: “Now as never before liberty and popular government were the issues of the struggle.  … One side was trying to lead them to autocracy, the other side to self-government” (Roman History 47.39.2; LCL 5: 197).

Background
More than two and a half years earlier, on the Eids of March, 44 BC (March 15), Julius Caesar was murdered by a conspiracy of Liberators lead by Marcus Brutus and Cassius. The Liberators commemorated this event by minting a denarius coin with a liberty cap in the center flanked by two daggers and the words “Eid Mar” underneath the cap.

In their minds, Julius Caesar was a tyrannical dictator who had usurped the Roman constitution. Brutus and Cassius wanted to restore the Roman Republic to its constitution. One of their friends was Cicero, a great political thinker and orator. He was a strong advocate for the restoration of the Roman Republic back to its constitution. He did not participate in the conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar, but he did congratulate the assassins for a job well done.

A quote attributed to Cicero about the state of the Roman Republic is this: “The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.”

In 1787, the Constitutional Convention decided on a constitutional republic for the United States. After the convention, Ben Franklin was asked what form of government we had. He replied, “We have a republic form of government, if we can keep it!” The United States is not a democracy, which is another word for “rule of the people by popular elections.” It is also another name for mob rule!

After the death of Julius Caesar, the Second Triumvirate, comprised of Mark Anthony, Lepidus and Octavian, got together out of convenience to figure out what to do about a possible return of Brutus and Cassius. An army was needed in order to defend Rome from a possible attack by the Liberators. This would cost money because they had to raise an army. The three decided the best way to raise money was by proscription. In ancient Rome, that meant a wealthy person was declared an enemy of, or charged with crimes against, the State; a death sentence was pronounced upon them and they were executed. Their property was confiscated by the State, so that the family could not inherit the property. The Triumvirate drew up a list of 150 to 300 wealthy people that were to be executed in order to raise the necessary funds for a new Roman army. They also raised taxes on everybody as well as stole money from the Temple of the Vestal Virgins in the Forum (Plutarch, Antony 21:3, 4; LCL 9: 183).

Among those on the proscription list was Cicero. Mark Antony had a personal vendetta against him because of what Cicero wrote about Antony. After Cicero was beheaded, his head and hands (the ones that wrote “Philippies”) were brought to Rome in 43 BC. Mark Anthony rejoiced and said, “Now let our proscriptions have an end” (Plutarch, Cicero 49:1; LCL 7:207).

The Battle of Philippi
Cicero’s property, along with other wealthy Romans, was confiscated and the money used by Mark Antony and Octavian to raise an army to fight Brutus and Cassius, friends of Cicero!

Several ancient historians record an account of the battle of Philippi. The lengthiest discourse is by Appian, a Greek official in Alexandria, Egypt. He died in the first half of the 2nd century AD (Roman History 4:105-138; LCL 4:315-373).  Dio Cassius (AD 150-235) wrote a lengthy history of Rome that included the pivotal battle of Philippi (Roman History 47:35-49; LCL 5:189-217). Plutarch (AD 45-120) wrote a number of books comparing the lives of Greek personalities with a Roman counterpart, including Brutus and Mark Antony (Parallel Lives, Brutus 38-53; LCL 6: 209-247; Antony 22; LCL 9:183,185). Even Caesar Augustus boasts about, but I dare say exaggerates, his participation in the battle.

Octavian and Mark Anthony set out from Rome with their armies. While they were crossing the Adriatic Sea, they sent out an advance search party to look for Brutus and Cassius along the Via Egnatia. The search party got as far as the pass overlooking Kavala, until Brutus and Cassius snuck around them and Octavian and Mark Antony’s forces retreated west.

The armies of Brutus and Cassius set up their camps about 2 miles to the west of Philippi; Brutus, near the hills, and Cassius, to the left of the Via Egnatia.  Both armies were about a mile apart. When they arrived, Mark Antony and Octavian put their armies about a mile further to the west.

The Liberators had the advantage and the superior positions. They were on elevated ground; Antony and Octavian’s forces were on the plain. Brutus and Cassius had fuel from the mountains, while Antony and Octavian had fuel from the marsh. Brutus and Cassius had water from the springs and river in the area; Anthony and Octavian had to dig wells in the marsh. The Liberators had their supplies from Thasos; on the other hand, Antony and Octavian had a much longer supply line with supplies coming from Amphipolis. The armies of the Liberators consisted of 19 legions, but some were incomplete. Antony and Octavian had a slight advantage with 19 complete legions. Brutus and Cassius had 20,000 cavalry, while Antony and Octavian had only 13,000 cavalry. During most of the campaign, Octavian was sick.

The motivations to fight were different on each side. The Liberators were fighting for liberty, their Republic and freedom from tyrants. The forces with Mark Antony and Octavian were fighting to revenge the death of Julius Caesar, to claim the property of their enemies, and for their pay of 20,000 sestesces. But ultimately it was to rule the world!

The First Battle: October 3, 42 BC
The battle of Philippi actually took place in two separate phases. The first occurred on October 3rd, and the second, a few weeks later.

The battle began by the forces of Mark Antony cutting a path through the marsh in order to get behind Cassius’ line, thus cutting of the Liberators supply line to sea. During this phase of the battle, Mark Antony vanquished Cassius’ forces, even though 8,000 of Cassius’ troops were killed and double the number for Mark Antony’s force died. Cassius, being an Epicurean and thinking Brutus’ forces were defeated as well, committed suicide. This occurred on his birthday with the help of Pindarus. Ironically, Cassius used the same dagger that he used to kill Julius Caesar!

Brutus lost an experienced general and had his remains cremated and buried on the island of Thassos, just off the coast from Philippi. An interesting side note: In the Nov. 23, 1902 issue of the New York Times (p. 5) it was reported that the tomb of Cassius was discovered on the island of Thassos by Theodore Bent. I have tried to follow up on this report but have not been successful. Whether it is true or not, remains a mystery to me.

Brutus, on the other hand, was victorious. His forces overran the camp of Octavian and plundered it, but they did not pursue the enemy. Their greed for material possessions robbed them of the ultimate victory over their foes!

Octavian was fortunate to escape with his life. He had been sick the whole campaign. While lying in bed the night before the battle, he was warned in a dream to flee the camp. The superstitious Octavian heeded the warning and fled the camp. His life was spared and he went on to eventually rule the world!

The first battle ended in a stalemate. Both sides won a victory and both sides suffered a defeat. But Brutus lost a good general. For the next three weeks, Brutus carried out a war of attrition with the opposing forces. Among other things, he diverts the river to flood the camps of Mark Antony and Octavian. Their troops were not happy campers!

The Second Battle: October 23, 42 BC
Just before the second battle of Philippi, there were several ill-omens for Brutus. On the night before the battle the phantom that appeared to him before and said, “I’ll see you at Philippi,” reappeared. I assume he said, “Hi! I’m back, remember me?” Also, just before the battle, two eagles engaged in an aerial combat above the battle field. The eagle that approached the battlefield from Brutus’ side lost. Brutus realized this was not going to be his day!

By all accounts, Brutus should have won the day. He had superior forces and a superior position. Mark Antony and Octavian were running out of money and food, and their supplies were cut off. They also found out that the Liberators navies had defeated their navies in the Ionian Sea. Their forces were getting weaker. Brutus only finds this out right before the battle. From a military perspective, Brutus should have waited a bit longer, but the battle ensued.

At the end of the day, Mark Antony was victorious. Brutus, a man of virtue and honor, committed suicide. Mark Antony had some respect for Brutus and gave him a proper Roman burial. He had Brutus cremated and his ashes sent home to Brutus’ mother. His head, however, was decapitated and sent to Rome to be placed at the foot of a statue of Julius Caesar!

The Aftermath of the Battle
Brutus and Cassius had both committed suicide. After the battle was over, a general amnesty was proclaimed and many of Brutus and Cassius forces joined Antony and Octavian. This was the high-point in the military career of Mark Antony. He was a great general, but he had the morals of an alley cat. He and Octavian divided up the Roman Empire. Mark Antony took the eastern part and began a relationship with Cleopatra of Egypt. Octavian on the other hand, was destined for imperial rule. The astrological sign he was born under, Capricorn, indicated he would rule the world.

A number of veterans from this conflict retired from military duty and settled in Philippi after it was declared a Roman colony. Interestingly, when Paul wrote to the church at Philippi more than 100 years later, he uses military terminology when he calls Epaphroditus a “fellow soldier” (Phil. 2:25).

An Historical Judgment
History always makes value judgments. Usually the victor is portrayed in a good light, especially by his friends and willing accomplices in the media. On the other hand, the vanquished is generally put in a bad light because he is not around to defend himself. The axiom holds true: “Everybody loves a winner!”
In this conflict we must ask, “Which side was the good side? Which side was the bad side? Who were the good guys? Who were the bad? Which side, if any, would the LORD God Almighty side with? Which side did Satan side with?”

Historians always judge history through their theological lenses, their personal bias, or perspective. In the Popeye cartoon, who is the “bad guy”? It is Brutus. How many people do you know with the name Brutus? You may name your dog Brutus, but never your child. Ironically, John Wilkes Booth fancied himself to be a 19th century Brutus because he assassinated, from his political perspective, the tyrant Abraham Lincoln!

I would like to suggest that God in His sovereignty allowed the “good” guys to lose the battle of Philippi!

A Spiritual Perspective
All history is really His-story because God is sovereign and He is in control of history in order to bring about His plan, program and purposes.  The Apostle Paul wrote of God’s plan in the book of Galatians: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4, 5). God’s program included seventy weeks (“sevens”) that were determined upon the people of Judah and the Holy City of Jerusalem (Dan. 9:24-27). At the end of the sixty-ninth week, the Messiah (“Anointed”) would be “cut off, but not got Himself” (9:26).

Satan was aware of this time frame and he prepared his puppet, Octavian – the “anointed one” – to rule and bring world peace, hoping that this would distract people from God’s Anointed, the Lord Jesus Christ (Ps. 2:2).
Paul instructs believers in the Lord Jesus to pray for all people and “for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Tim. 2:2). The Apostle Peter admonishes us to “Honor the king” (1 Pet. 2:13-17). Paul reminds Titus to “be subject to rulers and authorities” (Tit. 3:1).

In whatever form of government we, the believers in the Lord Jesus, find ourselves in, we should remember that “our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working to which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:20, 21).

So we must remember, God is sovereign and in control of history and He will bring about His plan, program and purposes.  After the battle of Philippi, that plan was to bring His Son into the world in order to redeem those who were under the law. After the death of the Lord Jesus on the Cross and His bodily resurrection, His plan is for believers to wait for His Son to return from Glory and change our lowly bodies. Until that day, we are to honor the king, pray for those in authority over us and be subject to those rulers.

Bibliography

Appian
2000    Roman History.  Vol. 4.  Trans. by H. White.  Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.  Loeb Classical Library 5.

Dio Cassius
1989   Roman History.  Books 46-50.  Vol. 5.  Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.  Loeb Classical Library 82.

Everitt, Anthony
2003   Cicero.  The Life and Times of Rome’s Greatest Politician.  New York: Random House.

Plutarch
1993    Lives.  Dion and Brutus.  Timoleon and Aemilius Paulus. Vol. 6.  Trans. by B. Perrin.  Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.  Loeb Classical Library 98.

1994   Lives.  Demosthenes and Cicero.  Alexander and Caesar. Vol. 7.  Trans. by B. Perrin.  Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.  Loeb Classical Library 99.

1996    Lives.  Demetrius and Antony.  Pyrrhus and Gaius Marius.  Vol. 9.  Trans. by B. Perrin.  Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.  Loeb Classical Library 101.

Suetonius
1989    Lives of the Caesars.  Vol. 1.  Trans. by J. C. Rolfe.  Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.  Loeb Classical Library 31.

Mark Gatt, a researcher and diver on the island of Malta, has also critiqued the latest video by Robert Corunke of the BASE Institute. Gatt authored a book entitled PAVLVS, The Shipwreck 60 AD (Allied Publications 2009) that described the possible implications of an anchor stock that he discovered off the coast of Malta a few years ago. In his analysis of Cornuke’s “The Lost Shipwreck of Paul” Gatt gives a local Maltese diver’s perspective of the issue. He says the video, like the book by the same title, is “so fraught with mistakes and manipulated facts” that he was compelled to write a refutation. The article entitled, “The Rape of Our Pauline Traditions,” was published in the “Malta Independent” on October 16, 2011 and is now on their website:

http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=133772

Gatt adds some new information to the discussion. For example, he revealed a Public Question that was asked in the Maltese parliament of the Prime Minister, Lawrence Gonzi, as to why he sent an affidavit to the courts in Colorado for a lawsuit between the former US ambassador to Malta and Cornuke. The prime minister responded that it was “sent to safeguard the reputation of the Armed Forces of Malta and its officers because these have been misquoted in Bob Cornuke’s publication.”

If you have seen the video, or are thinking about watching it, this excellent and witty critique will be very informative and well worth your time.

For my critique, see: http://www.lifeandland.org/2011/09/1008/

Introduction
Several friends have sent me the eight pictures and map that have been circulating on the Internet, especially among Christians, of three or four giant human skeletons that were allegedly found in an archaeological excavation a few kilometers to the east of Mycenae in the Peloponnese of Greece. Usually the notes attached to the pictures have mentioned this as proof of the “giants” (ha-nephilim) of Genesis 6:4 and/or the Philistine champion, Goliath (1 Sam. 17:4). “Is there any truth to this rumor?”

The short and simple answer is: “There is no truth to the rumor and the pictures are bogus!”

PhotoShopped Pictures
The pictures are digitally altered photographs by an illustrator from Canada who calls himself “IronKite” on the Internet. The original “photographs” were entered in a photo-manipulation contest in 2002 where he placed third in the competition. If one of the criteria for judging this competition had been how much exposure it would get on the Internet, IronKite would have won the grand prize, hands down! I have received these pictures a number of times over 4 or 5 years!
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pf/21432885.html

Think Outside the Box – Think Biblically
For Christians who believe in a universal, worldwide Flood during the days of Noah (Gen. 6-8), the buried articulated human skeletons should have raised a red flag immediately. The “giants” of Genesis 6:4 were pre-Flood and were wiped out by the worldwide, cataclysmic Flood. The ritual burials of any pre-Flood human being buried in mere topsoil would not have been articulated as seen in these photographs. Rather, the bones would have been disarticulated and scattered by the Flood which would have blasted the topsoil everywhere along with any buried skeletons or bodies.

The mention of Goliath should have also raised some red flags. First, Goliath was from Philistia in the Levant and not the Peloponnese of Greece where these skeletons was allegedly discovered and excavated. Second, the Philistines were in the Land of Philistia during the time of the Patriarchs many centuries after the Flood and the pre-Flood “giants” (Gen. 21:32; 26:1, 8, 14, 15, 18). They left Philistia, most likely at the same time that Jacob’s family did due to the severe famine in the Land of Canaan (Gen. 41:56-42:5; 46:1-34) and went to the island of Crete (ancient Caphtor). They returned to their homeland about the same time as the Israelite Exodus from Egypt (Amos 9:7). The Philistines were not on the Peloponnese where these skeletons were allegedly found.

The Apostle Paul commended the Jewish people in the synagogue of Berea for searching the Scriptures daily to see whether what Paul was saying was true (Acts 17:11). This attitude, and desire to know the truth, should be instilled in every believer in the Lord Jesus who loves the Word of God. Rather than believe everything on the Internet, search the Scriptures daily, think outside the box – think Biblically, and do your homework in your search for the truth.

The Conclusion of the Matter
I have one rule-of-thumb when I get emails like these: “If it sounds too good and it was found on the Internet; be careful, it’s probably not true!” This unscientific rule-of-thumb has proven itself to be true again. The pictures of the skeletons of three “giants” are bogus. Please do not pass them on as “gospel truth”!

Introduction
One theologian described the attribute of the goodness of God this way: “This attribute, if contemplated as that which is within God, is akin to His holiness; if contemplated as that which proceeds from God from God is akin to love.  The infinite goodness of God is a perfection of His being which characterizes His nature and is itself the source of all in the universe that is good” (Chafer 1947: I: 206).

Throughout the ages, the people of God have asked the questions, “Why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper?” “Is this consistent with the doctrine of the goodness of God?” and “Is it worth living a righteous life in an unrighteous world?”  Psalm 73 examines these difficult questions in light of the goodness of God.

The psalm shows it is both possible and necessary to walk righteously in an unrighteous world.
Psalm 73 is one of twelve psalms attributed to Asaph (Psalms 50, 73-83).  He was a contemporary of King David (cf. Psalm 77 with Psalm 39; Nehemiah 12:46) and was in charge of the music when the Ark of the Covenant was brought up to Jerusalem (I Chron. 15:17-24).  Later, he was the chief choir director for the sanctuary (I Chron. 16:4).  During the reign of King Hezekiah, some of the songs of Asaph, the seer, were sung (II Chron. 29:30).  This indicates that Asaph’s message had a prophetic content (I Sam. 9:9).

Literary Structure and Outline
This psalm is divided into five sections.  It begins with the questions raised to the Lord because of the seeming prosperity of the wicked (73:1-3).  The middle section reveals the ultimate end of the wicked (73:16, 17).  It concludes with a positive response to the Lord (73:28).

The psalmist understands the doctrinal truth of the goodness of God, but reality makes him doubt this truth.  73:1-3
Asaph begins this psalm with a correct theological statement: “Truly God is good to Israel, to such as be pure in heart.”  He had merely to reflect on the history of the nation to see that this was true.  The Lord, in spite of Israel’s unfaithfulness, redeemed Israel out of Egypt and brought them through the Wilderness into the Promised Land (Ezek. 20:5-22).  God is faithful to His covenants and good to His people.

To make this more personal, Asaph adds, “to such as be pure in heart.”  This purity of heart is not gained by one’s own merits (Isa. 64:6), but it is given as a gift to those who receive the Lord Jesus as Savior (Eph. 2:1-9; Phil. 3:9).  God’s goodness gives His righteousness, whereby people may have the forgiveness and sins and the free gift of eternal life.

Turning inward and seeing his personal circumstances, Asaph makes an incorrect theological statement.  He believed that “righteousness equals prosperity.”  This is a human perspective.  One needs simply to look at the life of Job.  He was righteous, yet he lost all his prosperity.  In contrast, Manasseh, king of Judah, was very wicked, yet prospered and had a long life (II Chron. 33).  From God’s perspective, He allowed the king to have a long life because He wanted Manasseh to return to Himself (II Pet. 3:9), and he eventually did (II Chron. 33:11-16).

Christians are only promised persecution for living godly lives and for the gospel’s sake (II Tim. 3:12), yet they have an Example and pattern to follow, the Lord Jesus Christ and His life (I Pet. 2:13-20; 4:12-19).  The Apostle Paul writes in the book of Romans that “we know that all things work together for good” (8:28).  All things, humanly speaking, may not seem good, but from a divine perspective, all things do work together for good.

The wicked seemingly flaunt the goodness of God and live as they please.  73:4-12
The seeming prosperity of the wicked is manifested in rebellion, first on a human level (73:4-9) and then on a divine level (73:10-12).  Humanly speaking, unrighteous people show no outward signs of pain or punishment for their evil doings (73:4-5).  Inwardly, their sins are manifested in pride (73:6; cf. Prov. 6:16), violence (73:6), covetousness and greed (73:7), the covering up of their oppression (73:8), as well as blasphemy (73:9).  On the divine level, the wicked question the existence of God and ignore Him completely (73:10-12).

The psalmist understands the doctrinal truth of the goodness of God in light of His holiness and justice.  73:13-17
The psalmist takes stock of his spiritual life and looks at it from a temporal perspective.  He had cleansed his heart, yet it seemed a waste (73:13).  Why should he go on living for the Lord when he is being chastened (73:14)?  What he failed to recognize was that chastening is a sign of sonship, and that the Lord loves him (Prov. 3:11, 12; Heb. 12:3-11).  Finally, the psalmist acquires the eternal perspective on life (73:15-17).  When he went into the sanctuary of God he saw life from God’s perspective (73:17).  There was the Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat above it.  This spoke to him of the redemption which God has accomplished for His people and His love for them.  Inside the Ark lay the tablets with the moral law of God engraved upon them.  It struck him that God was sovereign and holy, and in His time, He would set things in order and judge the wicked.  In the future, it will be the Lord Jesus Christ, at the Great White Throne Judgment, who will judge all those who have rejected Him as their Savior (John 5:22; Rev. 20:11-14).  When Asaph saw and understood this, his theology was clarified and he could rest on the promises of God.

The LORD demonstrates His goodness by being righteous and judging the wicked.  73:18-20, cf. II Pet. 3:9
Upon realizing that the Lord was a holy, righteous and moral God, Asaph knew what the response of the Lord would be, first toward the unrighteous (73:18-20) and then toward the righteous (73:21-26).

In the case of the unrighteous, the proverb will hold true, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” (16:18).  Judgment is sure to come (Heb. 9:27).  From the perspective of a person who has not accepted the Lord Jesus and His salvation, this life on earth is the closest to heaven that the unrighteous will get.  After the judgment, they will be confined to the Lake of Fire forever (Matt. 25:41, 46; Rev. 20:15).

The psalmist understands experientially, the doctrinal truth of the goodness of God and it leads him to repentance.  73:21-28
The psalmist saw the response that the Lord will have toward the righteous (73:21-25).  In so doing, he confesses his shortsightedness concerning the plan of God (73:21, 22).  After this he put his confidence in God because he knew the Lord will sustain him (73:23; cf. John 10:28, 29), guide him (73:24), complete his salvation (73:24), and strengthen him (73:26).  He realized that it is only the Lord who can meet all his needs (73:25).

The psalmist’s theology is now in proper perspective so he can respond correctly to the question, “Why should I walk righteously in an unrighteous world?”  First, he realizes that the wicked will not always prosper (73:27; cf. 73:3).  Second, he is to draw near to the Lord so that his feet will not slip (73:28a; cf. 73:2).  Finally, he is to trust in the Lord so that he can declare His works (73:28b; cf. 73:1).  Now he can say from experience, “Truly God is good to Israel and to such as be pure in heart.”  He should know.  He’s seen the goodness, love, holiness and justice of the Lord.  His right theology should lead him to righteous living, even in an evil world.

Bibliography

Chafer, Lewis Sperry
1947    Systematic Theology. Vol. 1.  Dallas, TX: Dallas Seminary Press.

Introduction
Robert Cornuke, a retired police officer and now president of the BASE Institute, has recently released a video (August 2011) about his adventures on the island of Malta. In the video he located old divers and spear fisherman on the island who claimed they found four lead anchor stocks off the Munxar Reef of St. Thomas Bay in 90 feet of water during the 1960’s and 70’s. Cornuke surmises that these anchors were from the shipwreck mentioned in the Book of Acts (27:29, 40; Cornuke 2003), but these were found on the east side of Malta not the traditional sites on the north side. In fact, the cover of the video case said that this was: “Possibly the Biblical find of this century”!

In the video, Cornuke is bold enough to claim: “This evidence is just overwhelming, in fact, I believe you have to force feed your mind past reason and logic, not to accept this site. It’s like Luke was leaving us a treasure map for someone to follow.” Elsewhere he states: “So really, the only candidate that makes sense, this is Archaeology 101, that it should be the Munxar Reef on St. Thomas’ Bay. Clearly, clearly this is the place it should be according to all the facts the Bible gives us.”
In this critique, we will examine the “overwhelming evidence” that Cornuke presents and see if it stands the scrutiny of scientific examination and verification. Is it really the Biblical find of this century? Is this the only site that fits all the Biblical requirements?

I have personally visited Malta multiple times and am very familiar with the history, archaeology, and geography of this wonderful island, and will offer my on-the-scene assessment of the data in the video and its conclusions.

Cornuke’s Arguments for the Location of the Shipwreck
Cornuke enlists the services of a local Maltese, James Mulholland, identified in the video as an “amateur historian,” to defend his thesis that the Munxar Reef was where the shipwreck occurred and the beach in St. Thomas Bay was where the foundered passengers and crew came ashore. Mulholland attempts to set forth four arguments in defense of this idea and I will single out the third as the most important.

First, Mulholland correctly states that just off the Munxar Reef there is an area where the depth of the sea is 120 feet (20 fathoms) and 90 feet (15 fathoms) in accordance with the depth recorded by the sounding weights (Acts 27:28). Then he makes a very deceptive statement: “The west coast is out of the question, all [the depths] are over 200 feet. On the east coast is a must!” While it is certainly true that the depth off the coast of the west side of the island is over 200 feet, this is a straw man because nobody is claiming the shipwreck occurred on the west side of the island. On the other hand, there are several bays on the north side of the island where there is a 120/90 feet depth that would fit the Biblical requirement.

The second argument Mulholland sets forth is that St. Thomas Bay has the “bay with a beach” (Acts 27:39). He then identifies five bays on the island of Malta that might be candidates: Mellieha Bay, Salina Bay, Balluta Bay, St. George’s Bay [also known as Marsaslokk Bay], and St. Thomas’s Bay. There are three other bays that might have contained beaches in antiquity as well; St. Paul’s Bay, Marsamxett Bay within the Grand Harbor of Valletta, and Marsascala Bay. You see, St. Thomas Bay is not the only bay with a beach. On the north side of the island there are several bays that have beaches within them as well.

The third argument set forth by Mulholland and Cornuke, and I think the most important one, is that the sea captain and sailors did not recognize where they were when the dawn broke (Acts 27:39). Cornuke correctly states that Malta was like O’Hare Airport in Chicago and the island was well visited by sailors. However, unlike several bays on the north side of the island, he incorrectly claims that the south-east side of the island would be the part of the island that the Alexandrian grain ship sailors had never seen. Cornuke’s statement is factually inaccurate.

On the contrary, the south-eastern part of the island, between the Marsaslokk Bay and the Grand Harbor of Vallette would be the best known part of the island for any sea captain and seasoned sailors of an Alexandrian grain ship. This one point alone completely disproves Cornuke’s ideas.

Any ancient Mediterranean Sea captain, or seasoned sailor on the deck of a ship anchored off the Munxar Reef, immediately would recognize the eastern shoreline of Malta because Malta was the landmark for sailors traveling westward from Crete and about to turn north to Sicily. In essence, Malta was the “Turn Right to Sicily” sign in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea! The eastern end of the island would be what they saw first and it would be a welcomed sight.

There are two geological landmarks that the sea captains would be very familiar with on the eastern end of the island. The first would be the “conspicuous white cliffs” to the south of the Munxar Reef (British Admiralty chart 2628, Malta Island South East Portion) and the second, the Munxar Reef itself. Every sea captain would know the hazardous Munxar Reef because of its inherent maritime danger.

Diodorus Siculus, a Greek historian who lived in the First Century BC, states that the island of Malta had many harbors for safety in bad weather (Library of History 5:12:1-2; LCL 3: 129). Today, maritime archaeologists might sub-divide Diodorus’ “harbors” into ports, harbors, and anchorages. Recent scholarly archaeological research has shown that there were two Roman ports on the island of Malta. The first was in Marsaslokk Bay (south of St. Thomas Bay, also known as St. George’s Bay). The second was within the ancient Valletta harbor, much further inland in antiquity and called Marsa today. It is at the foot of Corradino Hill (Bonanno 1992: 25). Roman storehouses with amphorae were discovered in this region in 1766-68 (Ashby 1915: 27-30). When Alexandrian grain ships could not make it to Rome before the sea-lanes closed for the winter, they wintered on Malta (see Acts 28:11). They would offload their grain and store them in the storehouses of Marsa (Gambin 2005), and probably did the same thing in the port at Marsaslokk Bay, although the storehouses have not been found archaeologically because today there is a living town over the structures of the ancient port. Marsascala Bay, just to the north of St. Thomas Bay, had a Roman harbor that the sea captain would recognize if he were anchored off the Munxar Reef.

There was also a shallow harbor at Salina Bay on the north side of the island but this was for the local shipping of oil and wine, thus a deep-draft Alexandrian grain ship would not dock at this harbor and it would be unknown to those on such a ship.

But let us hypothetically assume for a minute that the 276 passengers and crew of the ill-fated grain ship did, in fact, make it safely to the beach on St. Thomas’ Bay. Where would they go? The Bible says they were taken to the estate of Publius, the leading citizen of the island (Acts 28:7). Cornuke has never ventured an identification for the location of Publius’ estate.

But if the sea captain, sailors, and Roman soldiers, were washed up on the beach in St. Thomas’ Bay, they would all know of the famous landmark just up the hill from the beach. It was the Punic/Roman period temple dedicated to one goddess known by different names by the various ethnic groups visiting the island. She was Tanit to the Phoenicians, Hera to the Greeks, Juno to the Romans, and Isis to the Egyptians (Trump 1997: 80, 81; Bonanno 1992: Plate 2 with a view of St. Thomas Bay in the background). They would have made a bee-line to this temple, today called the Tas-Silg temple, in order to get food, water, shelter, and warmth. But also to offer sacrifices to the deity for sparing their lives in the shipwreck! This temple is only a 10-15 minute walk from the St. Thomas Bay beach and well-known by sea captains and sailors.

The last argument that Mulholland sets forth concerns the place where two seas meet (Acts 27:41). He and Cornuke identify the place where the two seas meet as the Munxar Reef. While this location may fit this possible interpretation of this phrase, there are several other places on the north side of the island that would fit this description as well.

There is, however, a major problem with the Munxar Reef being the location of the shipwreck. The book of Acts records: “But striking a place where two seas meet, they ran the ship aground; and the prow struck fast and remained unmovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves” (27:41). Notice, it is the prow (front) of the ship that does not break up, only the stern (back). If an Alexandrian grain ship hit the solid limestone of the Munxar Reef, the prow of the ship would have broken up. Thus, it could not be a reef that was struck. It is clear, the Munxar Reef cannot be reconciled with the Biblical account.

The Four Anchors Off the Munxar Reef
Cornuke found old divers and spear fishermen that claimed they brought up four lead anchor stocks from the depth of 90 feet just outside an underwater cave on the south side of the Munxar Reef. Based on Map 3 in Cornuke’s book (2003), the GPS for this location (calculated from the British Admiralty chart #2628, Malta Island / Southeast Portion) is:

“Dropped Anchors 15 Fathoms” point between “1″ and “5″ in the “15″
35*50′59.2878″ N      14*35′42.1061″ E      (dd*mm’ss.ssss”)
35.8498143594* N    14.5950300716* E    (dd.dddddddd*)
35*50.98886′ N         14*35.70180′ E         (dd*mm.mmmmm’)

In the video, the first anchor that is discussed is called “Tony’s anchor” in the book (2003:125). [This is actually anchor #2 in the book]. It is described by different people as a “large anchor stock” (2003: 106), a “huge anchor” (2003: 114), as a “large slab of lead” (2003: 126), and a “massive Roman anchor stock” (2003: 126).  Unfortunately, like the other anchor stocks shown in the video or pictured in the book, there are no measurements given for this one.  The only size indicators are the adjectives “large”, “huge”, and “massive.”

I have visited the Malta Maritime Museum in Vittoriosa on several occasions where “Tony’s anchor” is now prominently displayed along with other Roman anchors on the first floor of the museum. It is tagged “NMA Unp. #7/2 Q’mangia 19.11.2002.” This anchor stock came from the village of Q’mangia and was handed over to the museum on November 19, 2002.

The anchor stock was one of the smallest on display, measuring about 3 feet, 8 inches in length. Large Alexandrian grain ships would have had for the stern much larger anchors than this one. Cornuke’s lack of quantifiable measurements regarding the anchor stock keeps the viewer and reader uninformed about its actual size. As we shall see, this anchor stock is a lead toothpick compared to “huge, lead-and-wooden Roman-style anchors” that Cornuke surmised would be on the ship (Cornuke 2002: 15).

The curators of the museum had a keen sense of humor placing “Tony’s anchor” close to the largest anchor ever discovered in the Mediterranean Sea. This anchor stock measured 13 feet, 6 inches long, and weighed 2,500 kilograms, which is two and a half metric tons, and most likely came from an Alexandrian grain ship (Guillaumier 1992: 88; a picture of this anchor stock can be seen in Bonanno 1992: 158, plate 66). The size contrast between these two anchor stocks is striking!

The second anchor stock discussed in the video was also found by Tony Micallef-Borg, but was melted down to make lead weights. It was only half an anchor that was either “pulled apart like a piece of taffy” (2003: 121) or sawn in half with a hacksaw (2003: 231, footnote 18), depending on which eyewitness is most reliable. [This is actually anchor #1 in the book (2003: 101-105)]. Since it has been melted down, it cannot be examined. The third and fourth anchor stocks are not discussed in the video. But a clip of Cornuke examining the fourth anchor stock is given in the video. The third anchor stock is also prominently displayed in the Maritime Museum and the tag on the anchor says, “NMA Unp. # 7/1 Naxxar.”

Cornuke secured legal amnesty from prosecution, with the aid of the US ambassador, for any of the divers, or their families, that would turn their anchor stocks over to the Maritime Museum. Two of the three anchor stocks were turned over. As far as I am aware, the fourth anchor stock is still in a private collection and has not been turned over to the archaeological authorities, or confiscated by the police.

In November 2010, I met a young diver in St. Thomas Bay that said he brought up an anchor stock from just outside the cave off of the Munxar Reef, but it was confiscated by the police. This would be a fifth anchor stock found near the cave off the Munxar Reef. But the Bible clearly states that there were only four anchors that were left in the sea. The recent discoveries of more anchor stocks near the Munxar Reef at 90 feet would negate any of these being from the Alexandrian grain ship that Paul was sailing on in AD 60.

Two Maltese divers, independent of each other, informed me that there have been about 150 lead anchor stocks that were found around the island of Malta. Twenty-five to thirty anchor stocks are in the possession of the Malta Maritime Museum, but most anchor stocks are in private collections on the island. How many more anchor stocks were found off the Munxar Reef near the cave at 90 feet? It is known that there is at least one other anchor stock found in this area. Why would the four located by Cornuke be anything special? These four anchor stocks identified by Cornuke cannot be from the shipwreck of Paul and Luke off the coast of Malta around AD 60.

The Quality of the Video is Poor, the Content Inaccurate and Deceptive
This video does not have the quality of previous BASE videos. One gets the impression that this video was hastily thrown together under pressure. I found it odd that there was no FBI warning at the beginning of the video against duplicating it, and no credits or acknowledgements at the end of the video.

There are poor graphics. For example, a ship is seen sailing across the land on the island of Crete rather than on the water below the island.

There is poor editing. James Mulholland is cut off in mid sentence when he said there are two places on the island where “two seas meet together,” but the viewer is never told the location of the second place. “Ellena Micallefif [sic] Borg’s” name is misspelled.

There are historical mistakes. Paul’s journey to Rome and the shipwreck is dated in the video to AD 65. Most New Testament scholars would place the journey either in the year AD 59 or 60 (Bruce 1995: 475).

There are geographical mistakes. The Syrtis [Sands] (Acts 27:17) is labeled on the map as the desert on the eastern part of present day Libya and Cornuke points to the sands of North Africa on the computer monitor. Graham Hutt, does however, properly identify it as the Bay of Syrtis in the Mediterranean Sea. Also, the map of the bays on Malta misidentified Salina Bay with the arrow actually pointing to St. Paul’s Bay!

There are deceptive parts. The scene where an anchor stock is being raised with two oil drums was actually a recent reenactment, sometime between 2000 and 2003, yet the viewer is not informed of this (see Cornuke 2003: Plate 10 bottom). The anchor stock being used in the reenactment is much larger than the anchor being discussed. The footage is also made to look like vintage movie footage by computer software but the viewer is given a false impression that this was from the time the original anchor stock was being raised.

There are misleading parts as well. It is stated that the two anchors that were turned over to the museum are on display in a dusty corner of the Maritime Museum in Valletta. This is misleading because they are prominently displayed, as the video shows, on the first floor of the Malta Maritime Museum located in Vittoriosa, across the harbor from Valletta.

The video was produced by Vapor Digital Media in cooperation with the BASE Institute. When I tried to access the website (www.vapordigitalmedia.com) on September 5, 2011, I got a “godaddy.com” webpage!

The video does not give credit where credit is due. There is no acknowledgement of permission from the Maritime Museum to film the two scenes inside the museum. This is standard procedure with museums. Also, the scene where four anchors are dropped into water was done by The Bigger Picture on Malta, but there is no acknowledgment of this fact. In fact, there are no credits or acknowledgements at the end of the video, just the lists of the American and Maltese Advisory Teams.

It is surprising to see Tony Micallef-Borg’s name listed on the Malta Advisory Team at the end of the video. The viewer deserves an explanation for this inclusion. According to Cornuke, Tony was diver “numero uno [number one], he was the top guy” on Malta, but he died in 1978, long before Cornuke began any of his investigations on the island. Tony’s name does not even appear in the acknowledgement of Cornuke’s book (2003:225-227), so why is it listed on the advisory team in this video? It begs for an explanation!

The Conclusion of the Matter
This is a brief critique refuting the ideas set forth in this video that the ship Paul and Luke were on was wrecked on the Munxar Reef off the coast of St. Thomas Bay and that four anchors from this shipwreck have been located. For a thorough critique of the book, The Lost Shipwreck of Paul (2003), and Cornuke’s appearance on the 700 Club on February 26, 2010, see the “Paul’s Shipwreck on Malta” section of my website: www.lifeandland.org

I have plans, after my next study trip to Malta, to co-author with a Maltese colleague, a lengthier, more detailed, and thoroughly documented critique of Cornuke’s adventures on Malta and his ideas on the shipwreck of Paul.

In summary, it has been observed that the depth of 120 feet and 90 feet recorded by the sounding weight, the bay with the beach, and the place where two seas meet is not unique to the Munxar Reef and St. Thomas Bay. There are several bays on the north of the island where these criteria are satisfied as well.

The most devastating argument against Conuke’s idea that the shipwreck was on the Munxar Reef is that the sea captain and crew of an Alexandrian grain ship would clearly recognize the eastern shore of the island of Malta and especially the Munxar Reef and the St. Thomas Bay area. This goes totally contrary to the Biblical account of which Cornuke claims to believe. Cornuke’s whole thesis collapses on this one point. This is the one point Cornuke has to defend, everything else is trivial.

It has been demonstrated that there were more than four anchor stocks found near the cave off the Munxar Reef at 90 feet. At least one of those anchor stocks would be too small to be from an Alexandrian grain ship.

The ideas found in this video have been found wanting. There is no need to “force feed your mind past reason or logic” to accept this thesis because the archaeological, geographical, and Biblical evidence dictates that the ideas in this video should be abandoned. These so-called discoveries are not the Biblical find of the 21st century.

Critique and Refutation of Other Cornuke Theories
For a thorough refutation of the other so-called discoveries by Mr. Cornuke, please visit the “Cracked Pot Archaeology” section of my website: www.lifeandland.org

Brackets
My additional comments within quotes are in brackets […].

Bibliography

Ashby, Thomas
1915    Roman Malta.  Journal of Roman Studies 5: 23-80.

Bonanno, Anthony
1992    Roman Malta.  The Archaeological Heritage of the Maltese Islands. Formia, Malta: Giuseppe Castelli and Charles Cini / Bank of Valletta.

Bruce, Frederick F.
1995    Paul. Apostle of the Heart Set Free. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans.

Cornuke, Robert
2002    Paul’s “Miracle on Malta.”  Personal Update (April) 14-16.

2003    The Lost Shipwreck of Paul. Bend, OR: Global Publishing Services.

Diodorus Siculus
1993    The Library of History.  Books IV.59-VIII. Vol. 3.  Translated by C. Oldfather.  Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.  Loeb Classical Library 340.

Gambin, Timothy
2005    Ports and Port Structures for Ancient Malta.  Forthcoming.

Trump, David
1997    Malta: An Archaeological Guide.  Valetta, Malta: Progress.

About the Author
Gordon Franz is an archaeologist on the staff of the Associates for Biblical Research in Pennsylvania and has worked on numerous archaeological excavations in Israel over the past 32 years, including Ketef Hinnom and the Temple Mount Sifting Project in Jerusalem, Ramat Rachel, Lachish, Jezreel, Kh Nisya (Ai), Hazor, and Tel Zayit. He has also visited Malta on a number of occasions doing research on the history, geography, and archaeology of the island, as well as the location of Paul’s shipwreck.

“Apostolic” Archaeology, a phrase that I have coined, is a sub-discipline of pseudo-archaeology. The practitioners of this discipline are usually adventurers, sometimes treasure hunters, and generally with neither field training in archaeological methodology nor academic credentials in Near East archaeology, but perhaps a superficial knowledge of the Bible. They claim to have discovered objects or places of great Biblical importance and declare it to be whatever they want it to be. They usually try to justify their pronouncements with a Bible verse. Their declarations are made as if they were speaking ex cathedra (i.e., with authority).

These self-declared experts have found from experience that the gullible masses will blindly accept the legitimacy of their claims and buy the goods that they are hawking in spite of scholarly academic testimony to the contrary (contra 1 Thess. 2:9-12). So buyers beware!

When someone dares to challenge or disagree with the conclusions drawn by those who practice apostolic archaeology, inquisitors and henchmen are dispatched to intimidate, malign, or even silence their critics, rather than to provide a reasoned rebuttal to those who disagree with them.

Such adventurers often find their practice to be richly rewarding. But on the day of His choosing, they will have to answer to the Lord for their deeds.

Christians, on the other hand, should inform themselves by being like those in the synagogue of Berea and search the Scriptures (as well as the archaeological data) daily to see whether these things are true (Acts 17:11). There are resources available to refute the claims of those engaged in Apostolic Archaeology. So seek, and ye shall find!

One such resource is a section on my website called “Cracked Pot Archaeology” with articles about popular, contemporary archaeological theories and ideas that, like cracked pots, hold no water! These articles are a review, scholarly analysis and critiques of theories and ideas that have been presented on the Internet or popular books, movies, DVD’s and videos (www.lifeandland.org).