Who Is the Engineer? - The Solution

Last Monday, I posted a puzzle and solicited readers to submit the solution. Several readers responded and all of them solved the puzzle correctly. If you were unable to solve the puzzle, today I offer the solution.

First, let me post the puzzle again.

Who Is the Engineer?

On a train, Smith, Robinson and Jones are the fireman, brakeman and engineer, but NOT respectively. Also, aboard the train there are three businessmen who have the same names: a Mr. Smith, a Mr. Robinson and a Mr. Jones.

1. Mr. Robinson lives in Detroit.

2. The brakeman lives exactly halfway between Chicago and Detroit.

3. Mr. Jones earns exactly $20,000 per year.

4. The brakeman's nearest neighbor, one of the passengers, earns exactly three times as much as the brakeman.

5. Smith beats the fireman at billiards.

6. The passenger whose name is the same as the brakeman's lives in Chicago.

Who is the Engineer?

The Solution

A. Since Smith beats the fireman at billiards (5), Smith must be either the brakeman or the engineer.

B. The brakeman, who lives halfway between Chicago and Detroit (2), also lives near the neighbor who earns three times as much as he does.

C. The neighbor cannot be Mr. Robinson because Mr. Robinson lives in Detroit.

D. The neighbor cannot be Mr. Jones because Mr. Jones’ $20,000 a year (3) is not divisible by three.

E. Therefore, the brakeman’s neighbor must be Mr. Smith.

F. The passenger whose name is the same as the brakeman’s lives in Chicago.

G. He cannot be Mr. Robinson because Mr. Robinson lives in Detroit (1). He cannot be Mr. Smith because Mr. Smith lives between Chicago and Detroit (E).

H. Therefore, the passenger’s name is Mr. Jones.

I. Therefore, the brakeman’s name is also Jones.

J. Since Smith beats the fireman at billiards, so the fireman must be Robinson.

The Engineer is Smith.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tag: Puzzle

Found: A Temple Built by Ramses II

National Geographic is announcing that parts of a temple dating to the reign of pharaoh Ramses II have been discovered inside a mosque in Luxor, Egypt.

The following is an excerpt from the news report:

Experts restoring the historic mosque uncovered sections of columns, capitals, and elaborately inscribed reliefs from one of the ancient temple's courtyards built around 1250 B.C.

The previously concealed architectural elements reveal well-preserved hieroglyphics and unique scenes depicting the powerful pharaoh.

Among the most important scenes are those that feature Ramses II offering the sun god Amun Re two obelisks to be installed at the temple's front facade. One of those obelisks still stands at the temple, and the other is now at the Place de la Concorde in Paris.

Another relief shows three statues of Ramses II wearing his traditional white crown.

Experts say the carved inscriptions provide some of best examples of cryptographic or enigmatic writing, an unusual form of hieroglyphic text in which each glyph could stand for an entire word, phrase, or concept.

Visit National Geographic and read the news report.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archeology, Egypt, Luxor, Ramses II

Facts on the Ground: A Review

For those readers following the case of Nadia Abu el-Haj, Jim David la has a good review of her book, Facts on the Ground: Archaeological Practice and Territorial Self-Fashioning in Israeli Society (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001).

Jim’s review is very perceptive and points the strengths (not many) and the weaknesses of her argument. Jim’s conclusion is very telling:

Facts on the Ground makes some interesting observations about how nationalism and politics have fed into and fed off of Israeli archaeology. But these observations are offered in the context of an extreme perception of Israel as a colonial state, and I suspect that, whatever readers think of this viewpoint, the book's tendenz is so transparent that no one's mind will be changed one way or another by reading it. When it talks about things I know about, it consistently slants the presentation of the evidence according to this tendenz so that the conclusions are predictable and not very interesting. This book makes no contribution to the archaeology of ancient Palestine or what it can tell us about the history of ancient Israel. Others can decide whether the book makes a contribution in some other area.

Read the review by visiting PaleoJudaica.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tag: Nadia Abu el-Haj

A Faith That Wrestles With Contradictions

The Rev. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, the President of Chicago Theological Seminary, has a good review of Christopher Hitchens' book God is Not Great. For those who are not familiar with Hitchens’ book, Hitchens is an atheist who has written a work attacking all religions, especially Christianity.

The following is an excerpt of Thistlethwaite’s review of the book. Dealing with Hitchens’ approach to biblical interpretation, she wrote:

The chapters in God is Not Great on biblical interpretation, “Revelation: The Nightmare of the ‘Old’ Testament” and “The ‘New’ Testament Exceeds the Evil of the ‘Old’ One,” are so ham-handedly literalist as to make a fundamentalist blush. I looked in the index to be sure I hadn’t missed any encounter with modern biblical scholarship. I looked for some reference to the mind-searching biblical interpretation of “Marcus Borg,” but found instead only an index reference to “Klaus Barbie.” I looked for some engagement with the depth of scholarship and breath of biblical interpretation of “John Dominic Crossan”, but found in the index only a reference to “Crusades.” Feminist theology? Forget it.

Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins have a very simplistic approach to religion. Although they use scientific language to describe and evaluate religion, they fail to understand the kind of “faith that wrestles with the contradictions and genuine mysteries of human life,” as Thistlethwaite wrote.

Read Thistlethwaite’s review by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Atheism, Christopher Hitchens, Faith

The Cuneiform Digital Library

If you are not familiar with the Cuneiform Digital Library, you should visit the home page of this wonderful project. The Cuneiform Digital Library seeks to make available to the public ancient cuneiform documents dated from the final third of the 4th and of the entire 3rd millennium BC. The texts are written in Sumerian, in early Akkadian, and in other languages, some of them, still undeciphered.

The Cuneiform Digital Library home page provides a good description of the project:

The Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI) represents the efforts of an international group of Assyriologists, museum curators and historians of science to make available through the internet the form and content of cuneiform tablets dating from the beginning of writing, ca. 3350 BC, until the end of the pre-Christian era. We estimate the number of these documents currently kept in public and private collections to exceed 500,000 exemplars, of which now more than 200,000 have been catalogued in electronic form by the CDLI.

Visit the Cuneiform Digital Library by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, Cuneiform, Sumerians

The Complementarian-Egalitarian Divide

David Gushee, the Distinguished Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University, wrote an article for the Associated Baptist Press dealing with issues faced by those who take an complementarian position on the gender issue. He wrote:

I am convinced that all positions of service and leadership in the life of the local church should be open to women or men based entirely on calling and gifts -- an egalitarian view. But in this column I am not going to rehearse the arguments for or against this view.

Instead, motivated by my experiences, I want to ask complementarians -- those who believe that the role of women complements, but is not the same as, the role

Gushee asks four questions of those who take the complementarian view:

1. Are you successfully communicating to young men the conviction that a complementarian perspective must elevate rather than diminish the dignity of women, and therefore inculcating a moral commitment on their part to act accordingly?

2. Are you absolutely clear on which positions of Christian service (you believe) are barred to women?

3. Once you have determined what positions of Christian service are barred to women, you have therefore also determined which positions are permitted. Are you active in encouraging women to pursue the positions that are permitted?

4. When women occupy positions of church leadership that parallel those of men, are their positions named equally and are the individuals involved treated equally?

Read Gushee’s rationale for the four questions by visiting the web page of the Associated Baptist Press.

These are important questions. In the article, Gushee expands the intent of his questions and provides a rationale for the four questions. I agree with his views and believe that these questions expose a fundamental weakness in the complementarian view.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Complementarian View, Egalitarian View, Subordination, Women

Learn Hebrew

Jacob Richman has informed me that he has developed a web site called Learn Hebrew. His site is a free audio website with more than 1,700 Hebrew words and phrases.

The site offers Hebrew lessons in English, French, Spanish, Dutch, and Russian.

Visit Learn Hebrew and learn some Hebrew.



Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tag: Hebrew

George W. Bush, King of Iraq

On Tuesday, June 6, 2006 (06-06-06 or 666 for short), I wrote a post “Is George Bush the 666 (the Antichrist),” which has been the most popular and the most visited post in my blog. Every day people visit this post and many of them leave comments in favor or against the view that George Bush is the Antichrist.

I have answered many of the comments, but several others have been left unanswered. The reason for this is that some of the comments are so off the wall that I did not have the heart to answer. But, in the light of the few last comments, I have decided to answer some of the views left on the post.

Here are some examples of the comments about George Bush and the Antichrist:

Mairia cb48 wrote:

For many come saying "Christ, Christ and know him not and the Baptists hardly live out Ephesians 5 and 6 so they would fall for Bush being a real Christian.

Bush does not bow his head upon Christ's name nor do what Jesus could do and that is never pick up guns and go to war so Little Horn he just could be as this nation is so lukewarm after the King James and the missing books it would fall for Bush as a Christian.

Book of revelations warns never to add or subtract from the book of god and the protestors a/k/a protesting the covenants of g-d rebellion still goes on.

Read Isaiah 1:21-23 if you want to see us in living black and white.

All our protesting rebellious princes are our presidents and they are representative of the throne continued since king henry viii with the terrorism of divorce allowed still in our land.

Now, what can I say about this comment. She goes on talking about abortion, America as Sodom and Gomorrah, and comparing Bushism with fascism and socialism. To this reader, the real evidence that Bush is the Antichrist is because he allowed abortion to continue while he was the governor of Texas. If abortion is the mark of the Antichrist, then there are many Antichrists living in the world today.

A reader named John wrote:

The Risen Chirst [sic] is the Antichirst, the first beast that had the fatal wound that had been healed. Paul of Tarsus was his false prophet, the second beast who was servent [sic] to the first beast and extended its authority everywhere, making the world and all its people worship the first beast. If you don't believe me, read the Bible and no! you will not die if you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods.

John must either be a secularist, an atheist, or someone who hates Christianity. If by reading the Bible, as he says, one discovers that the Risen Christ is the Antichrist and that Paul of Tarsus was his false prophet, then I wonder how he reads the Bible. However, since he uses the words of the serpent when he wrote that by reading the Bible one’s eyes are open and one becomes like gods, maybe John is, paraphrasing Blake here, on the side of the devil and he does not know it.

An anonymous reader wrote:

I have read Hatchett's book and have found it to be extremely accurate. I am also a Baptist. Although, W is not Mabus (because Mabus first dies, then the antichrist is revealed) I do believe W is the antichrist. He will fool even the elect, so stay on guard at all times. Pray for everything. Believe in God above all else.

For those who do not know Mabus, he is the Antichrist in the writings of Nostradamus. In modern apocalyptic writings, Mabus has become the anagram for the Antichrist. Some people have identified George Bush with Mabus. This reader believes that George Bush is the Antichrist and that he is deceiving many people.

This was my response to this comment:

Dear Anonymous,

If you believe that Hatchett's book is extremely accurate, then, you either misread what he wrote or else you want to believe what he wrote. You say that you believe W is the Antichrist. When January 2009 comes, you will discover how wrong you are.

Another reader, F&B wrote:

Clearly, George Bush is not the anti-christ. One person, however, that we really should keep a close eye on is Barack Obama. That guy is really scary. He can talk for an hour, have everyone in the room agreeing with him, and never say a thing of any substance.

I just wonder if the name Barack Obama adds to 666. Probably, what makes some people think Barack Obama is the Antichrist is because he has an infamous middle name: Hussein.

Anonymous wrote:

george walker busche(actual spelling of his name, in english, numerically is: 666) is the antichrist. he has turned nation against nation, regular american people against each other, he has killed countless people and small animals. He talks peace out of one side of his mouth, and death and war out of the other. MABUS(Suddam, anagram for MABUS) has been hung, now or shortly, the antichrist will show his true colors and you will all know what I have suspected all along. Pray and be alert all you elect.

I wrote an answer to this anonymous:

Dear Anonymous,

You and all those who say that George Bush is the Antichrist need to study your Bible a little bit more. Two years from now when Bush leaves the White House and becomes just another ex-President, you and all those who believe that he is the 666 will have a lot of explaining to do. It is because of people who misinterpret the Bible that the world laughs at the church and Christianity.

Anonymous responded to my comment and what he wrote explains the title of my post today. Anonymous wrote:

Don't get me wrong Dr. I'm not saying that he needs to be the president of anything. He has enough henchmen and money to set him up in any position of government or religion or both at any time. He may leave office and go to Israel as an embassador or something and set himself up there. We are not sure what his actual plans are for the following years. Expect anything from someone who talks peace out of one side of his mouth and war and killing out of the other side. I have read and listened to the entire Bible in book form and through CDs for many years. I don't necessarily believe in learning a book a verse here and there at a time. A verse may be taken out of context and the verse may loose it's true meaning. No where in the Bible is the word rapture found. There is some talk of being "caught up" in Luke and some other New Testament books. This I give as an example of the misinterpretation of the Bible by various religious beliefs, not necessarily quoted directly from the Bible. There are many examples of this.

Maybe Bush intends to make himself the King of Iraq, who knows? Just keep a watch and be on guard.

That’s it! The reason George W. Bush is the Antichrist and the reason he invaded Iraq is because George W. Bush wants to become King of Iraq.

It is amazing what people want to believe. Those who are predisposed to believe that George W. Bush is the Antichrist will believe anything else that is presented to them. These and the other comments reveal how gullible some Christians are and how weak their knowledge of the Bible really is.

Many people read the Bible but they cannot understand what they read. To them the Bible is a book full of mysteries that demand explanation and the more esoteric the explanation, the better the explanation becomes.

I do not believe for a moment that George W. Bush is the Antichrist. In a future post I will look at a few more comments and then explain once again the reason I do not believe Bush is the Antichrist.

George W. Bush, the King of Iraq. Amazing!

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: 666, Antichrist, George Bush

The Second Temple Quarry Found

The Jerusalem Post has announced that archeologists have found the Second Temple quarry, the same quarry that Herod used in the construction of the Second Temple. The following is an excerpt of the news report:

An ancient quarry where King Herod's workers chiseled huge high-quality limestones for the construction of the Second Temple, including the Western Wall, has been uncovered in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Sunday.

The quarry, which is located four kilometers northwest of the Old City of Jerusalem in the city's outlying Ramat Shlomo neighborhood, was used 2,000 years ago by dozens of King Herod's workers at the site during the construction of the Second Temple walls, archeologist Yuval Baruch said.

"This unique and sensational find is the first Second Temple quarry ever found," he said.

Read the article by clicking here.

The article describes the process of quarrying the stones used in the construction of the Temple. Since the site of the quarry is located near Arab land, and it is private property, it is possible that any further attempt at excavating at the site will intensify the bitter controversy between Jews and Arabs over recent Arab work on the Temple Mount.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, Second Temple, Temple Mount

Who Is the Engineer?

Last week, I was going through some old papers and I found a puzzle that has been one of my favorites for years. The puzzle has nothing to do with the Old Testament, but I love it. So, I decided to give you a chance to solve this puzzle. Read the puzzle below and discover who the engineer is. As you read the puzzle, you must take into consideration that every fact is important and must be considered in solving the puzzle.

Who Is the Engineer?

On a train, Smith, Robinson and Jones are the fireman, brakeman and engineer, but NOT respectively. Also, aboard the train there are three businessmen who have the same names: a Mr. Smith, a Mr. Robinson and a Mr. Jones.

1. Mr. Robinson lives in Detroit.

2. The brakeman lives exactly halfway between Chicago and Detroit.

3. Mr. Jones earns exactly $20,000 per year.

4. The brakeman's nearest neighbor, one of the passengers, earns exactly three times as much as the brakeman.

5. Smith beats the fireman at billiards.

6. The passenger whose name is the same as the brakeman's lives in Chicago.

Who is the Engineer?

Solve the puzzle and give the rationale for your answer. You can leave a comment on the post or you can send an email with your answer.

The answer to the puzzle will be posted on Friday.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tag: Puzzle

The Obelisk of Seti I

Egypt was famous for its obelisks. One of the most famous obelisks is the Piazza del Popolo Obelisk which was originally erected in the Sun Temple at Heliopolis, then-capital of ancient Egypt.

The obelisk originated with Seti I who decorated three sides of the obelisk. After his death, his son Ramses II carved the fourth and erected the obelisk in the Sun Temple. In the obelisk, Seti described himself as "the one who fills Heliopolis with obelisks that their rays may illuminate the Temple of Re." Ramses II, one of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs, called himself the one who made “monuments as innumerable as the stars of heaven”

The latest issue of Saudi Aramco World (September/October 2007) contains an interesting article on the Seti I's obelisk. The article is written in the first person. The narrator is the obelisk itself, telling its story from its inception in the days of Seti through the days of Ramses II, through the days of Octavian, who became the first emperor of Egypt with the title of Augustus, and through the days of Nero who burned Rome.

The article has many beautiful pictures and provides a short history of Egypt from Seti I to modern day Rome. The following is an excerpt from the article:

I, the obelisk of Seti I and of his son Ramses II, was born and raised a devoted Egyptian in spite of my current address. At birth, I weighed more than 250 tons, and I measured more than 24 meters' (78') in length. It took an army of chanting men with chisels and heavy hammers to labor me out of the granite quarries near Elephantine. Workers swarmed over me for months, midwives on a mission, as the parent rock was cut away, and I was delivered, cut by cut, blow by blow. Great levers then lifted me to an embankment, where thousands pulled at straining ropes, dragging me, gently despite my great bulk, to the Nile. There, cradled in a special barge and the focus of a mobile ceremony, I journeyed down through history, from Thebes and Abydos to Memphis and Anu.

My noisy procession came ashore at Holy Anu, City of the Sun. Seti I, beloved of Ptah, conceived me as a monumental shaft of the sun's pure light that would stand before the temple of Ra. Before Pharaoh's wish was accomplished, however, fate intervened: Suddenly (as we Egyptians say), old Seti became Osiris, ruler no longer of the living, but the dead.

How I Was Raised In Rome (Gallery)I lay heartbroken and half-born until Seti's son, the long-lived Ramses II, took his place as Lord of the Two Lands, Upper and Lower Egypt-in 1279 BC, as I think you would say. Like a second father, Ramses set me towering over the sun-priests at Anu. In the hush that fell as I found my footing, everything finally made sense to me. At last I saw the world as it was intended to be-not that and near, but far below, stretching out in every direction with vistas of beauty and mystery. I marveled at the tiny upturned faces of the followers of Ra. I recognized nearby my brother obelisks, some already a thousand years older than I, arrayed across the city like a scattering family of tourists. Across the Nile, I glimpsed the pyramids that alone made me feel small among the monuments of men. What a wonderland in which to be raised! Holy Anu, now the suburbs of Matariya and `Ain Shams in Cairo -a city I have never seen, by the way-bustled back then as a center of worship and learning. Anu's fame attracted visitors from foreign lands, and they marveled at me. On my polished sides, the priests pointed out the deep-cut symbols that expressed the pride and piety of my two fathers, Seti and Ramses. The Greeks, who came here often, gave to these signs the popular name hieroglyphs, which translates into your language as "priestly carvings." They also coined a playful word for my siblings and me -obeliskos, meaning "a little souvlaki skewer." How envy makes men jest!

Read the article in its entirety by visiting Saudi Aramco World online.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Photo Credit: Saudi Aramco World
Photo 1: An unfinished obelisk at Aswan in Egypt
Photo 2: The Seti I Obelisk at Piazza del Popolo

Tags: Archaeology, Egypt, Obelisks, Ramses II, Seti I

The Inadequacy of the ETS Doctrinal Statement

In response to Doug Chaplin’s question, “Is this to keep the Catholics out?”, my former student, Joe Matos, wrote a response to my post on the proposed revision of the ETS doctrinal statement. He mentioned that the proposed revision of the ETS doctrinal statement is intended to strengthen the doctrinal statement of the association. Joe wrote:

The proposed amendment may be aimed to limit membership, but I don't think it is in direct response to Beckwith.

Van Neste published an article in the Winter 2004 Southern Baptist Journal of Theology titled, "The Glaring Inadequacy of the ETS Doctrinal Statement."

It should be noted (in light of the comment about Beckwith above and in a previous comment) that Van Neste concludes that Catholics (and Orthodox for that matter) could conceivably sign the current ETS statement. His paper goes so far as to say the the current ETS statement is broad enough in nature to have included heretical groups (like the docetists, who denied the incarnation) because the ETS statement affirms the deity of Christ (as would docetists) but it does not address the Jesus' human nature, and Pelagius (who affirmed the Bible and the Trinity) because the ETS statement does not address the nature of the Atonement or Resurrection.

Joe also mentioned an article by Van Neste published in the Winter 2004 Southern Baptist Journal of Theology titled, "The Glaring Inadequacy of the ETS Doctrinal Statement."

In that article, Van Neste wrote about the Roman Catholics:

I began this project with the hunch that a conservative Catholic could sign this statement. Catholics are clearly Trinitarian so there is no problem with the second sentence of the ETS statement. It has been suggested to me that the statement on Scripture, however, would exclude Catholics, because the statement upholds Sola Scriptura. However, this is not entirely clear. The statement only says, `The Bible alone . is the Word of God written.' Catholics could easily consent to that. It does not say that the Bible is `the supreme authority in all matters of belief and behaviour' as the UCCF statement does. The UCCF language places Scripture above tradition, reason and the Magisterium, but it is not found in the ETS statement (nor does the statement define the Bible as excluding the apocrypha). Since there is no discussion of the gospel, the key sticking point with Roman Catholicism, I believed there was no compelling reason why a Roman Catholic could not sign the ETS statement.

Read Van Neste’s article in its entirety by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Bible, ETS

The Lycians

Very few people today have heard of the Lycians. The Lycians lived in Anatolia, in southwest Turkey, in the second millennium B.C. They remain one of the most enigmatic people in the Ancient Near East. They have left little historical record behind to help us understand their history and culture. However, some recent archaeological discoveries reveal a fascinating people culturally distinct from the rest of the ancient world.

What follow is a brief introduction to the Lycians:

The Lycians were most likely in origin an Anatolian people since they spoke their own Indo-European language closely related to Luwian and Hittite.

From archaelogical excavations in the Karatas,-Semahoyuk area near Elmali, examples of earthenware pottery have been found reveal that the region was settled by the third millennium BC. Moreover, the fact that Lycian place names containing, "-nd", "-nt", "-ss" (Kalynda, Arykanda, Telmessos, Idebessos) occur in a number of Anatolian sites also dated to the fourth millennium B.C. verifes this early settlement date linguistically. An axe has also been found at Tlos, dated around 2000 BC.

We know that the Lycians had powerful sea and land forces by the second millennium BC and had already established an independent state. The earliest historical references to the Lycians date back to the Late Bronze Age (ca 1500-1200 BC) in numerous Egyptian, Hittite and Ugaritic texts. It is known from these that the Lycians (called ‘Lukka’ in these sources) were involved in acts of piracy against Cyprus around 1400 BC, that they fought against Egypt in the ranks of the Hittites during the battle of Kadesh in 1295 BC and that they participated with the Libyans. What is interesting is that in early records, the Lycians are referred to as 'Lukka', 'Lukki' or 'Ruw-ku', while the Lycians themselves never used these terms, instead calling themselves Trmmli (Termilae in Greek) and their country Trmmisa.

For a good introduction to the Lycians, their history and culture, visit Lycian Turkey - Discover the Beauty of Ancient Lycia.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, Lycia, Lycians

The ETS and Its Doctrinal Statement

The Baptist Press is reporting that two Baptist college professors are spearheading an effort to amend the current doctrinal basis of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS).

The current ETS doctrinal basis reads: “The Bible alone, and the Bible in its entirety, is the Word of God written and is therefore inerrant in the autographs. God is a Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each an uncreated person, one in essence, equal in power and glory.”

Ray Van Neste, Professor of Christian Studies at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee and Denny Burk, Professor of New Testament at Criswell College in Dallas are proposing that the Evangelical Theological Society adopt the doctrinal basis of the United Kingdom's Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF), with the current ETS basis added to it. According to Van Neste, the UCCF document is “a much more complete document” that addresses such theological concepts as the humanity of Christ, the virgin birth and Christ’s return.

To read the proposed amendments, visit www.amendets.com.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Bible, ETS

Excavations at Gath

Aren Maeir has a report on the recent excavation of the Middle Bronze Age II fortifications at Tell es-Safi (Gath) and the possible implications of some of the findings. Maeir wrote:

It would appear, at least initially, that the finds from Area F strengthen the understanding of the MB II fortifications as de-facto fortications [sic] [fortifications], built for clearly and well-defined defensive purposes (e.g, Stager, Burke, etc.), as opposed to those who suggest that the so-called fortifications of this period in fact had a primarily symbolic/ideological purpose (e.g., Finkelstein, Bunimovitz).

Read the report by clicking here.

I believe that Maeir’s statement is very important. In the struggle for interpretation of archaeological evidence, the remains of these fortifications tend to affirm the traditional understanding of the history of occupation. As he said, the symbolic/ideological view seems to be refuted by the remains found on site.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, Aren Maeir, Gath

Shaphan and His Family

In an earlier post on “The Fast of Gedaliah,” I mentioned the important role Gedaliah and the family of Shaphan played in the ministry of Jeremiah. I have always been interested in the role the Shaphanites played in the life and ministry of Jeremiah.

Because of my interest in the Shapanites, one of my students, Cesar Melgar, wrote his M.A. thesis on the role of the Shaphanites in helping Jeremiah accomplish his mission. Melgar’s thesis, “The Shaphanites: Political Allies to a Revolutionary Prophet,” studies the function of the scribe in ancient Israel and the influence of the Shaphanites in the political life of Judah.

Shaphan was a royal scribe who served under Josiah, king of Judah. Shaphan and his sons provided political support to the prophet Jeremiah and protected Jeremiah from those who opposed him, including the king, the king’s officials, the false prophets, and other officials who opposed the message and ministry of Jeremiah.

In response my post on Gedaliah, Peter Kirk commented on Shaphan’s father. Peter wrote:

Shaphan's father Azaliah (2 Kings 22:3), however, does not seem to have been a faithful Yahwist, given that he did not give his son a traditional Yahwistic name but instead named him after an animal (hyrax or rock badger). This was probably early in the long reign of Manasseh when Yahwistic names were out of fashion. At least by the time Shaphan named his son Gemariah (Jeremiah 36:10) he had become a convert to Yahwism.

I agree with Peter’s view about Azaliah. Naming children after animals was not common in Israel and was generally practiced by those who were not Israelites. Azaliah probably was one of those Israelites who had abandoned their faith during the reign of Manasseh. Even though Azaliah was not a fervent Yahwist, his son Shaphan and his children were faithful followers of Yahweh, with the exception of Jaazaniah.

James Pate wrote in his comment that Shaphan’s son Jaazaniah was not a strict Yahwist since the prophet Ezekiel criticized Jaazaniah for engaging in idolatry. Ezekiel wrote: “Before them [the idols of the house of Israel] stood seventy of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the fragrant cloud of incense was ascending” (Ezekiel 8:11). I will come back to Jaazaniah later.

The family of Shaphan was very influential in the political life in the last days of the monarchy in Judah. Shaphan’s son Ahikam (2 Kings 22:12) was a high government official during the reign of Josiah. He was sent to the prophetess Huldah with his father as a member of the official delegation in order to ascertain the message of the book of the law.

Gemariah, the son of Shaphan (Jeremiah 36:10) was part of Jehoiakim’s court. Jehoiakim was king of Judah and son of Josiah. When Baruch read the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord from the scroll which he had written at the dictation of Jeremiah, Baruch read it in the chamber of Gemariah which was in the upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house (Jeremiah 36:10). Gemariah was one of the palace officials who was present when Jeremiah’s scroll was read before the king.

Elasah, the son of Shaphan, served in the government during the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah. Elasah was sent to Babylon on a diplomatic mission by Zedekiah after Zedekiah and a group of vassal nations failed in their attempt to rebel against Babylon. At the time of his journey to Babylon, Elasah carried Jeremiah’s letter to the people who were captives in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:1-3).

Shaphan had two grandsons: Micaiah and Gedaliah. Micaiah was the son of Gemariah. Micaiah was one of the royal officials who heard Baruch read the scroll of Jeremiah in the temple. And Micaiah was the one who told the king’s officers about the message Baruch was reading to the people (Jeremiah 36:13).

Gedaliah, the grandson of Shaphan, was the son of Ahikam. Gedaliah became the governor of Judah after the destruction of Babylon in 587 B.C. Gedaliah was a friend of Jeremiah and he tried to become an intermediary between the Babylonians and the people of Judah. However, because of some opposition by members of the royal family, Gedaliah was killed by Ishmael, forcing the Babylonians to deport more people to Babylon.

The only enigma in Shaphan’s family is Jaazaniah. From Ezekiel’s passage, it seems that Jaazaniah held an important position among the elders of Judah because out of the seventy elders only he is mentioned by name as one of the leader of the elders of Judah.

Shaphan, his sons, and grandsons were prominent leaders in the reform movement sponsored by Josiah; they were friends of Jeremiah, and served with distinction as royal officials with the exception of Jaazaniah. Jaazaniah probably served under Jehoiakim and Zedekiah and this may explain his uncharacteristic behavior. The fact that one of Shaphan’s sons was the leader of a group of idolatrous people must have been very painful to Ezekiel, so much so that it forced him to recognize Jaazaniah by name.

Shaphan played an important role in the reforms of Josiah. In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, the king commanded Shaphan to go to Hilkiah and collect the money the people had donated for the repairs of the temple. After Shaphan arrived in the Temple, Hilkiah, the High Priest, told Shaphan that he had found the book of the Law of God in the temple.

Shaphan read the book and took it to Josiah and read it to the king. Josiah’s reaction to the message of the book was profound. Josiah tore his garments and ordered Shaphan and his son Ahikam, together with Hilkiah and two other officials, to inquire of the Lord and ascertain his will about the book.

The delegation sent by Josiah went to Huldah, the prophetess. The reason the king’s official selected Huldah to provide an evaluation of the book is unknown. However the fact that the High Priest and the Royal Scribe went to a prophet of Yahweh to seek God’s will, reveals the importance of the prophetic word in the religious life of Israel.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Huldah, Jeremiah, Josiah, Shaphan

The Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount

The most extensive work on the Temple Mount in more than a decade is being carried out by Islamic officials and it is causing a great deal of consternation among Israeli archaeologists.

In a news article published in the Jerusalem Post, Dr. Gabriel Barkai, an archeologist with the Bar-Ilan University said that “the Israeli government is lending a hand to the destruction of one of the most important archeological sites in the world.”

According to the news report, “Barkai said that the dig, which is being carried out with tractors and other heavy construction machinery, has created a 400-meter long and 1.5-meter deep trench on the site, destroying several layers of ancient remains. Among the antiquities which have been damaged is a seven-meter-wide wall which apparently dates back to the Second Temple, and is likely to have been part of its courts.”

Read the news report by clicking here.

It is sad that this excavation of the Temple Mount is being carried out without the supervision of archaeologists. The destruction of antiquities cause irreparable damage and obliterate precious evidence that could help archaeologists in their study of the site.

When prominent archaeologists such as Ephraim Stern, Amihai Mazar, Ehud Netzer, Israel Finkelstein, Moshe Kochavi, Gabriel Barkai, and Eilat Mazar say that evidence is being destroyed, someone in the Israeli government should listen and act fast.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Photo: The Jerusalem Post

Tags: Archaeology, Jerusalem, Temple Mount

Religion in China

The Associated Press has issued a new release reporting that Pastor Cai Zhuohua has been released from prison:

BEIJING (AP) — A leader of China's underground Protestant church has been released from prison after serving a three-year sentence for distributing Bibles and other religious literature without a business license, an overseas monitoring group said Sunday.

Pastor Cai Zhuohua returned to his Beijing home on Sept. 10 in good physical and mental condition, the China Aid Association said in a statement.

The association, based in Midland, Texas, said Cai had been told not to speak about his prison experience and to report to a local police station once a month.

China's sole legal government-controlled church maintains a monopoly on the printing and distribution of religious literature and other church materials.

Cai had been sentenced for "illegal business practices" after police searched a warehouse he managed and found more than 200,000 pieces of Christian literature, including Bibles. His lawyers said he gave away the religious materials for free and denied he was running a business.

Cai had been detained about 14 months before he was convicted in November 2005. His pretrial detention appeared to have been counted toward his sentence.

The association said Cai had been deprived of religious reading material in prison, where he had been forced to work for 10 to 12 hours each day.

China's officially atheistic Communist government denies persecuting religious believers, but says all religious groups must follow the law and place love of nation above all else.

The government only allows worship in churches run by state-monitored religious associations, although millions of Christians risk harassment or worse by gathering in independent church groups, often run out of private homes.

The Chinese government is preparing for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beinjing, which begin on August 8, 2008. The Chinese government is using the Olympics as one way to show the world a modern China, a China that desires to be a world leader in the twenty-first century.

In preparation for the invasion of foreigners, the Chinese government is upgrading Beijing’s appearance by investing billions of dollars to improve the city’s facilities and by cracking down on religious elements the government fears will present a view that is contrary to the central government’s rigid agenda.

According to a State Department report issued last week, the Chinese government has recently expelled more than one hundred foreign missionaries from China.

The same report said that police and public security forces are attending house church meetings and monitoring the activities of church leaders. The Chinese government has also placed restrictions on who can travel. These restrictions may indicate that the Chinese government does not want anyone, including Christians, disrupting the Olympics.

According to the State Department’s 2007 Report on International Religious Freedom, the Chinese government has restricted house church leaders from having contact with foreigners and asked them about plans to disrupt the Olympics.

Christians all over the world must continue praying for the persecuted believers in Chrina.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: China, Persecution

The Fast of Gedaliah

Yesterday, Sunday, the Jewish people celebrated the Fast of Gedaliah. The actual day was on Saturday, the 3rd day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, but because of the Sabbath celebration, the fast day was celebrated on Sunday.

The Fast of Gedaliah, known in Hebrew as Tzom Gedaliah, is an annual fast set aside to remember the assassination of Gedaliah, the governor of Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. The death of Gedaliah was the culmination of a series of events that began with the deportation of Jehoiachin in 597 B.C. and ended with the deportation of what remained of the population of Judah to Babylon in 582 B.C.

The Fast of Gedaliah is observed annually on the day immediately following Rosh Hashanah, on the third day of Tishrei. In Jewish Writings the fast is called “The Fast of the Seventh” (see Zechariah 8:19) in allusion to Tishrei, the seventh month in the Hebrew calendar.

Gedaliah was the son of Ahikam and the grandson of Shaphan, the secretary of king Josiah. Shaphan and the members of his family were great supporters of Jeremiah. As a result of the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 587 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, killed most of the leadership of Judah and deported the royal officials and the members of the royal family to Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah governor of the province of Judea to rule over what remained of Judah under the protection of the Babylonian army (Jeremiah 40:5). Gedaliah established the seat of his government at Mizpah, since Jerusalem was in ruins. Gedaliah ruled over the province as a tributary of the king of Babylon.

The Babylonians put Gedaliah in charge of the men, women, and children who had not been carried into exile in Babylon. According to Jeremiah 52:16, only the poorest people of the land were left behind to work the vineyards and the fields. Jeremiah was allowed to make a choice. Nebuzaradan, the commander of the Babylonian army, said to Jeremiah:

“Today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please.” However, before Jeremiah answered, Nebuzaradan added, “Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please” (Jeremiah 40:4-5).

After Jeremiah made his decision, the commander of the Babylonian army gave him provisions and a present and let him go. Jeremiah went to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, at Mizpah and stayed with him and with the people who were left behind in the land.

Gedaliah’s father, Ahikam, was one of the four persons sent by King Josiah to inquire of the prophetess Huldah concerning the book of the law found in the temple by Hilkiah, the high priest. Ahikam also protected the prophet Jeremiah from the wrath of Jehoiakim, king of Judah (Jeremiah 26:24).

After Gedaliah was appointed governor of Judah, he selected Mizpah, a city in the tribe of Benjamin, as the seat of his government. Gedaliah adopted a policy of reconciliation and counseled the people to submit to the Babylonians. Jeremiah joined Gedaliah at Mizpah and the city became a refuge for many people who had fled before the coming of the Babylonian army (Jeremiah 40:11-12).

However, Gedaliah’s policy of conciliation and submission did not meet with universal approval. Ishmael, a member of the royal family of Judah, planned to assassinate Gedaliah and probably take control of the government. Ishmael was encouraged by Baalis, king of Ammon, where Ishmael had fled during the war with the Babylonians.

Johanan, the son of Kareah, warned Gedaliah of the plot against his life: “Don't you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to take your life?” (Jeremiah 40:14). However, Gedaliah did not believe that Ishmael would kill him. What follows demonstrates the character of Gedaliah:

“Then Johanan son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah: ‘Let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered and the remnant of Judah to perish?’”

“But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, ‘Don't do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true’” (Jeremiah 40:15-16). But it was true.

The assassination of Gedaliah is described in 2 Kings 25:25-26:

“In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood, came with ten men and assassinated Gedaliah and also the men of Judah and the Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah. At this, all the people from the least to the greatest, together with the army officers, fled to Egypt for fear of the Babylonians.”

The Israelites who remained in Mizpah, in anticipation of the reprisal by the king of Babylon, fled to Egypt, forcing Jeremiah to accompany them. As a result of Gedaliah’s death, a third deportation of the people of Judah took place in 582 B.C. (Jeremiah 52:30). In addition, the province of Judah was eliminated and what remained of the territory of Judah was incorporated into the province of Samaria.

The Fast of Gedaliah is commemorated by Jewish people as a day of national calamity. The death of Gedaliah was an event “which left Judah devoid of any Jews and Jewish rule, and made the destruction of the first Temple complete.”

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Gedaliah, Jeremiah

Summer Reading

Every time I go on vacation, I make an effort to read books that are not related to my academic work in Old Testament. I like to read novels that have a lot of action and suspense. I prefer thrillers that have something to do with religion.

My wife is a voracious reader. She works full-time here at Northern Baptist Seminary and yet, she reads one book a week and then she let me know which book is good and which book fits my interests. And guess what: she is always right.

Let me share with you some of the books I read while I was on vacation. These are the best books I read while on vacation this year and last year.

Dan Brown, Angels & Demons. New York: Pocket Star Books 2000.

Dan Brown wrote The Da Vinci Code, but I can assure you that this book is better than The Da Vinci Code. This book deals with the election of a new Pope. The story is set in Rome and is a fast-paced thriller that has many twists, a great plot, and a lot of suspense. The book reveals some of the secrets of the Vatican and deals with the election of the Pope, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Illuminati.

This is a fascinating and fun book to read. If you want to enjoy a great story, this is the book to read.

James Rollins, Map of Bones. New York: Avon Books, 2005.

This book focuses on the legacy left behind by the Magi, the Three Wise Men of the Gospel of Matthew, who came to see Jesus. I cannot tell you more about the legacy of the Magi because that would give away the plot of the book, but believe me, this is a great story.

One reviewer summarized the story of this book as follows: “Raiders of the Lost Ark meets The Da Vinci Code.” I liked the book because it links religious traditions with cutting-edge technology to produce a great thriller.

James Rollins, Black Order. New York: Harper, 2006.

This book follows the Map of Bones but it is an independent story. The story deals with the issues of evolution and intelligent design. The focus of the story is Darwin’s Bible and the notes Darwin wrote in his Bible. In the story, the Nazis want to use the process of evolution to change the world.

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, The Book of the Dead. New York: Warner Books, 2006.

This book deals with Egyptian religion and the practices associated with preparing the dead for the after-life as described in the real The Book of the Dead. The focus of the story is a tomb of the vizier of Thutmosis IV, a pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, which is located in the New York Museum of Natural History.

The book is the third in a trilogy of stories involving FBI Special Agent Pendergast but the story is complete in itself. Those who are interested in Egyptian religion will enjoy the book.

Vince Flynn, Transfer of Power. New York: Pocket Books, 1999.

This book has no religious theme, even though God is mentioned a few times and the work of a Baptist minister is mentioned once.

The book is almost prophetic of the events that happened on 9/11. The story deals with a group of terrorists who invaded the White House, took several people hostage, and killed many more people in the process. This book is fascinating because the reader wants to know what will happen to the President and the White House.

These stories are well written and well researched. At times, it is difficult to know where fiction ends and fact begins. For instance, James Rollins spent six months doing research before he wrote Black Order. This is more research that some people do for their Ph.D. thesis.

The book by Vince Flynn, Transfer of Power, should be a must-read for every politician in Washington. In light of 9/11 and the war in Iraq, what is happening today in Washington, and in our nation, the story of this book has almost a sense of reality.

It is true that this book is only fiction, but the way the terrorists in the story manipulated the media and the politicians resembles the way Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri have manipulated the media for their own purpose and how they have played on the sentiments of the American people to turn their hearts against the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. The plot of Transfer of Power is almost true-to-life.

Enjoy reading.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Books, Novels, Reading

Blessings and Curses

It is nice to be back home again. I took several days off from blogging at the end of August and beginning of September to rest and relax from my busy summer. With my work with the Self-Study, I did not have any time to rest this summer.

My wife and I went to Cancun to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. We spent 8 magical days relaxing and eating good food. I returned to the office on Monday and only had time to prepare for the Faculty Retreat on Tuesday and Wednesday. Every year the faculty goes to Wisconsin and we spend two wonderful days preparing for the new academic year. So, I am back and ready to begin blogging again.

Deuteronomy 27 and 28 contain a list of blessings and curses associated with the covenant tradition. The blessings and curses of the covenant served to enforce the stipulations of the covenant: the vassal who obeyed the demands of the covenant would be blessed and the vassal who disobeyed would be punished with the curses of the covenant.

Today, I want to talk about blessings and curses. However, I do not want to discuss the blessings and curses associated with the covenant. Rather, I want mention two blessings and two curses associated with modern living and modern technology.

The Blessings

1. Email. I consider email one of the greatest blessings of the modern world. Through email, you can be in constant contact with family and friends who live around the corner and all over the world. You don’t have to wait days or weeks to receive news and pictures from people you know. Now you can receive them in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.

2. Blogs. Another blessing of modern technology is the Internet and one of its by-products, blogs. Through blogs you can read about friends and strangers and know what they are doing and thinking. I enjoy the work of bibliobloggers because their work can be informative and often, it stimulates discussion and dialogue about issues of mutual concern.

The Curses

1. Email. Email is one of the greatest curses of modern technology. Because it is so easy to send an email, emails have proliferated. Today, it requires a lot of time to process emails every day. Let me give an idea of the problem email creates.

I was away from the office only 8 days. When I returned to the office on Monday, I had 291 emails in my seminary account and 2704 in my Yahoo account. Thank God that 2653 of them were junk mail and could be deleted without being read. Then, I left for 3 days and after I came back, I had another 114 emails in my seminary account. My Yahoo account had increased to 3063.

2. Blogs. Another curse of modern technology is the proliferation of blogs. I love blogging and I enjoy reading blogs, however, the proliferation of blogs is getting out of control. Before I left on vacation, I made sure that I had no unread blogs in my Google Reader. I subscribe to several blogs, most of them from bibliobloggers, and try to be up-to-date on what fellow bloggers are doing.

On the Thursday night before I left on vacation, my unread blogs in my Google Reader read: “zero.” When I came back this past Monday, I had 609 unread posts. The king of bloggers alone had 90. This morning when I arrived in my office, the number of unread posts had jumped to 771. Jim West alone had a grand total of 109.

To process all the emails and blogs will take a long time. If I take 1 minute per email, it will take me more than 6 hours to process my emails. If I take 1 minute per post, it will take me more than 12 hours to process all the posts. And this is the dilemma I face.

What I will do is to read only the email that must be read and delete the others. I will peruse the blogs and only read a few posts that really attract my attention. The rest, well, they will remain unread.

So, fellow bloggers, if I do not respond to some of your posts, blame it on Cancun.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tag: Blessings, Blogs, Curses

Learning Hebrew

Many people wish they could learn Hebrew. Now, you can.

Here is an easy way to learn the Hebrew alphabet.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tag: Hebrew