Biblical Archeology 101 Review

Quick review… Last time we went over some of the differences between archeology, paleontology and anthropology. Biblical Archeology 101Review

You also now know there’s various kinds of archeology (I.E. historical, prehistorical, Near Eastern, Syrio-palestinian and Biblical archeology . You know there’s different methods like the “pit” and “tunnel” methods. Biblical Archeology 101Review

4. You know who Captain Charles Warren was and what effect he had on Biblical Archeology. 5. And lastly you know what Hezekiah's tunnel is. Biblical Archeology 101Review Captain Charles Warren

I want to finish up now with one more bit of information on the tunnels under Jerusalem because it directly relates to what happened at Masada and then we’ll begin our virtual tour of Masada. Biblical Archeology 101

I have one more short clip which shows another tunnel which was recently found under Jerusalem. Please show clip one. Biblical Archeology 101 Hezekiah's tunnel

So we can see from that video how the Zealots and others fled from Jerusalem in 70 AD. It is very likely that many of those Zealots eventually made it to Masada. Biblical Archeology 101

Let’s get our bearings now and see what that looks like on a map… Biblical Archeology 101

Show Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Qumran, Ein Gedi, and Masada. Now lets look at this same map with a legend. Biblical Archeology 101

Biblical Archeology 101 • So you can see it’s only about 10 miles (approx 20 kilometers) from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea then another 20 miles to Masada. • Not far at all!

Biblical Archeology 101 • Let’s look at the area on Google Earth.

Biblical Archeology 101 • This area is a vast wilderness. In fact we call it in Hebrew… • מדבר יהודה, Midbar Yehuda, the Judean desert. • Let’s take a drive down the road from Jerusalem to the dead sea… video of road to dead sea)

Biblical Archeology 101 • Very little lives out there in the area of Masada. • The Dead Sea is full of salt, 5 times saltier then Salt Lake in Utah. • (Show dead sea swimming demo clip)

Biblical Archeology 101 • So there is no fish that live in the Dead Sea • The water is not drinkable. • The mud from the Dead Sea is good for the skin though.

Biblical Archeology 101 • Very few things can survive in that area. • But there are a couple things. • One of those things is the…

Biblical Archeology 101 • The Rock Rabbit

Biblical Archeology 101 • Here’s another picture. • Not very cute like other rabbits but that’s because it’s not really a rabbit at all. • In Hebrew we call it “Shafan”.

Biblical Archeology 101 • In some English Bible translations it’s called the “coney” and at other times “rock badger” because the translators had no idea what a shafan was.

Biblical Archeology 101 • This is the English Coney. • It’s just another word for rabbit. • The shafan however isn’t even related to the rabbit.

Biblical Archeology 101 • But it’s a very hardy animal and the Bible talks about it in Proverbs 30:26… • 26. The coneys, a species with little power, yet they make their home in the rocks. (CJB) • Better then some other translations… • 26 the rock badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs. (English Standard Version) • That’s confusing… is it a badger or a people???

Biblical Archeology 101 • You can understand how a non Hebrew speaking western theologian might read this translation and then build an entire idea based completely on a false presumption.

Biblical Archeology 101 • Another animal that lives in that area is the ibex. • In Hebrew it’s called the Azel. • In English translations it’s often called the “wild goat”.

Biblical Archeology 101 • We read about it in Psalms 104:18 • 18 The high hills are for the wild goats; The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers (shafanim). KJV

Biblical Archeology 101 • Both of these animals are hardy animals, they can live in harsh areas. • It is not a hospitable place for humans. • That’s what makes Masada all the more remarkable.

Biblical Archeology 101 • It’s important to understand the conditions of that area so we can better understand Masada itself. • I think the movie we saw certainly helps get that across.

Biblical Archeology 101 • Now we’ve seen the surrounding area, lets look around the base of Masada.

Biblical Archeology 101 A- Circumvallation wall, perimeter 2 miles, 6 feet tall, with towers at intervals of about 200 feet.B- Roman Headquarters Camp.C- East CampD- GuardpostsE- Enlarged outposts or camps within the wall F- Camp followers area (merchants and brothel)

Another shot. Also showing the snake Trail.

Here’s a closer shot of the roman headquarters camp.

Here’s the other camp, it’s been reconstructed a little.

Here it is a little closer

And then of course there’s the ramp. Good shot showing how long it is.

Another shot showing how wide the ramp is.

Me in front of the Great Pyramid. Not much bigger.

Back to this picture and you can see how small the ramp is compared to the mountain. The top of Masada is 1800 ft x 900 ft

Now we’re about to get onto the cable car and go up to the top of Masada (290 meters)… • (cable car video)

Now that you’ve arrived and you walk up the ramp to the entrance, you can see the top cable car station

And this is the entrance to Masada.

Biblical Archeology 101 • Now, lets look at Masada itself. • We get up to the top and here’s what we’ll see. • (show 360 view from top of Masada) • Here’s the floor plan…

Here’s the floor plan of Masada. We’ll be going through these (pretty much) one by one.

Not much to say about the Eastern gate but right next to it is our first example of a casemate wall.

What is a casemate wall? • A casemate consisted of two thinner, parallel walls with empty space between them. • It was faster and cheaper to build, and afforded the inhabitants extra living space in crowded cities (Masada often had a lot of people there) • During times of war, the space could be quickly filled with dirt and stones to create a thicker, solid defensive wall.

Here is one of those casemates at Masada.

Why is that significant? Because we see it mentioned in the Bible as well. • Rahab the madam lived in a casemate in Jericho… • She let the Israelite spies down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. (Joshua 2:15, ESV)

There are a lot of • buildings at Masada. • Where did all the rock • come from? • Right here as well as • from the many • cisterns. • How much building • was actually done? • Let’s look at it…

Biblical Archeology 101 Review