Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Remembering September 2001

Well 11 September already here in Sydney. 11 years ago our family was celebrating the birth of dear Jarvis. I had just spent a month in hospital after massive DVT attack.
And Emma rang in early morning and said turn on the television. Whilst we slept a disaster had happened in USA. I just could not believe what I saw on the news. I'd been in New York just a couple of years before and have friends over there and they were all touched by what was happening.
It still shakes me to see the videos of 9/11.

Today a friend sent me an email on The Search Dogs of 9/11 Today
Here are the photos on line
The Search-and-Rescue Dogs of 9/11 - Slide Show - NYTimes.com

I do not know if those wonderful dogs are still around as this from Sep 2011 says Abby is The Last Remaining Search Dog | Dogster
"I love owner and handler Debra Tosch's description of how the dogs didn't realize they were being heroes. They were just having fun doing the job they knew made people happy."

It is a heart touching story and I had not heard of these dogs before. But what lovely servants to people.

Another aspect of that awful day

Saturday, September 08, 2012

King David - what has been found mentioning him

The question was which is the earliest proven Biblical person meaning an archaeologist has found a text that shows the Biblical person lived.

The Tel Dan Stele has

"7. riots and thousands of horsemen (or: horses). [I killed Jeho]ram son of [Ahab]

8. king of Israel, and [I] killed [Ahaz]iahu son of [Jehoram kin-]
9. g of the House of David. And I set [their towns into ruins and turned]"

So Ahab etc are given existence whereas it is argued that House of David does not mean there was real David. I think House of David is pretty clear evidence that these kings saw themselves descended from King David and we are talking some 150 years so that sounds like they would know what they were talking about.

Click for an excellent article on the Tel Dan, Mesha and Shoshenq inscriptions and the relationship to King David:

Of course without Ahab etc being mentioned then they would still be considered fictional characters.



So I will be following the Eilat Mazar work with interest on what she says is King David's palace http://www.bib-arch.org/Mazar.pdf

As of Oct 2007 no sign of any updates as above is from end 2005

Eilat Mazar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2012 Did I Find King David’s Palace? – Biblical Archaeology Society

see also David Rohl - books and websites on his NEW Chronology

and some stuff on the Temple Mount as of October 2007

'Western Wall was never part of temple' The very extreme Muslim claim by Mufti and also said to have been held by Arafat| Jerusalem Post

And then actual traces of First Temple found

WorldNetDaily: Claim: Israel covering up Temple Mount destruction

Finds on Temple Mount from First Temple - Jewish World - Israel News - Arutz Sheva
including a contrary to the Mufti's claim
Moslem claims to the Temple Mount, on the other hand, have been debunked even by other Moslems. A commentator for the official Egyptian government weekly, of all places, has written that the entire Moslem claim on Jerusalem and the El-Aksa mosque is based on a mistaken reading of one chapter of the Quran. Ahmed Mahmad Oufa wrote that the verse that mentions a night journey by Muhammed to a mosque has nothing to do with Jerusalem, as is generally claimed, but with a mosque near the holy Moslem city of Medina.

November 2007 The Thinkers: The Bible and history of Israel shape a life
They have a Hebrew stone wall back to Solomon time.

October 2008
Find of Ancient City Could Alter Notions of Biblical David - NYTimes.com

KHIRBET QEIYAFA, Israel — Overlooking the verdant Valley of Elah, where the Bible says David toppled Goliath, archaeologists are unearthing a 3,000-year-old fortified city that could reshape views of the period when David ruled over the Israelites. Five lines on pottery uncovered here appear to be the oldest Hebrew text ever found and are likely to have a major impact on knowledge about the history of literacy and alphabet development.
..............But the archaeological record of that kingdom (David and Solomon) is exceedingly sparse — in fact almost nonexistent — and a number of scholars today argue that the kingdom was largely a myth created some centuries later. A great power, they note, would have left traces of cities and activity, and been mentioned by those around it. Yet in this area nothing like that has turned up — at least until now.

A good article on the site Bloomberg.com: Middle East

Did David and Solomon Exist? - very good analysis of current knowledge and comments of recent archaeology

Sunday, September 02, 2012

Farewell: Max Bygraves dies aged 89

British entertainer Max Bygraves dies aged 89 - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Max was indeed one of the greats of British show business. Always there at big events. And a truly lovely man. Good to know he found Australia a good place to live