The Fall of Jericho: The Archaeological Evidence

Was the city of Jericho destroyed as written in the book of Joshua? Expedition Bible has released a DVD, “Jericho Unearthed,” in which archaeologists discuss the arguments in favor and against the destruction of the city by Joshua and the army of Israel.

The web page of Expedition Bible describe the DVD as follows:

The battle of Jericho is one of the most enduring biblical stories. The description of the “walls falling down” is among its most well-known accounts. Yet, the most famous excavation of this ancient site, carried out in the 1950's under the direction of Kathleen Kenyon, claims that there wasn’t even a city at Jericho—much less city walls—at the time when Joshua supposedly conquered it.

What are the implications of the battle of Jericho being disproven? Wouldn’t the Bible be demonstrated untrustworthy? Couldn’t it be argued that the Jewish people have no more right to the land of Israel than anyone else? The implications really are staggering!

For more than fifty years scholars have built a wall of doubt against the historical accuracy of the Bible using Jericho as one of its cornerstones. It’s time to face those challenges head on! It’s time to determine whether or not the conclusions of modern scholarship stand in light of the evidence or if those arguments don’t in fact collapse like Jericho’s walls.

Join us, as we return to the site of one of history’s most important battles in order to explore the crucial question relating to Joshua’s conquest: Did the walls of Jericho really come tumbling down? Find out here in this episode of Expedition Bible.

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them” (Joshua 1:6).

Watch the DVD online by clicking here and then decide for yourself whether the archaeological evidence negates or confirms the fact that the city of Jericho was destroyed just as it was described in the book of Joshua.

HT: Todd Bolen

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Jericho, Joshua

The End of Wisdom: A Rebuttal by Martin Shields

In a recent post, I noted the new review of books listed in the most recent issue of The Review of Biblical Literature. Among the books reviewed was a book written by Martin A. Shields, The End of Wisdom: A Reappraisal of the Historical and Canonical Function of Ecclesiastes. The book was reviewed by Harold C. Washington.

The author of the book, Martin Shields, has written a post for his blog, shields up, in which he rebuts some of the criticism Washington made about the content of the book. You can read Shield’s rebuttal here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Martin Shields, Qoheleth, Wisdom

The Oldest Image of the Apostle Paul

Image: The Oldest Image of the Apostle Paul





Archaeologists have found an image on the walls of the Catacomb of Santa Tecla in Rome that may be the oldest image of the Apostle Paul. According to archeologists, the image is dated to the late fourth century A.D.

Archaeologists have also opened the white marble sarcophagus located under the Basilica of St. Paul. They found traces of linen cloth laminated with gold, red incense, protein, and limestone. Roman authorities say that scientific tests of the remains indicate that the remains belong to the apostle Paul.

Read the article here.

Read also: Paul's Tomb Found in Rome

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, Image of Paul, Paul

Joseph in Egypt: Evidence for an Egyptian Background for the Exodus

Rabbi Leibel Reznick, in an interesting and informative article, “Egyptology in the Torah: Biblical Archeology,” published by Aish.com, says that, contrary to popular view held by many scholars, the Torah provides evidence of contemporary life and customs that reflects life in Egypt during the Eighteenth Dynasty.

The following is an excerpt from the article:

Egyptologists have expressed disappointment that almost nothing relating to ancient Egyptian life or culture can be gleaned from the Bible. This has lead many, such as Egyptologist Donald Redford of Pennsylvania State University to disparagingly claim, "The Hebrew writer (of the Bible) was not so well acquainted with Egypt as has often been imagined." [2]

For us, the lack of cultural references is quite understandable because the Torah is neither a history book nor an anthropological record of ancient societies but rather it is a guide for everyday life based on human nature and the spiritual loftiness of the Jewish soul and these elements are timeless. However, many Egyptologists have taken a different approach. They claim that the Torah was composed 8-10 centuries after the Exodus and the "Biblical author(s)" had no idea what was going on in ancient Egypt. Therefore, these Egyptologists claim, the Torah had no choice but to remain silent about ancient Egyptian practices.

Not only are they wrong about when the Torah was composed and by Whom, these Egyptologists are also quite mistaken if they think there are no revelations to be found in the Torah reflecting ancient Egyptian life. Let us see for ourselves.

1. "they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for 20 pieces of silver; and they brought Joseph to Egypt (Genesis 37:28). In ancient times, just as in our day and age, prices slowly but steadily increased over the course of time. In ancient Ur, circa 2000 BCE, a slave would cost 10-15 pieces of silver (shekels). During the reign of the Hammurabi dynasty, the price increased slightly, to about 20 pieces of silver. For a while, the price of a slave remained fairly stable but by the last quarter of the second millennium BCE., the price crept up to 30 shekels. During the first quarter of the Assyrian Empire, a healthy slave could fetch 50-60 pieces of silver and by the middle of the first millennium, the price of a slave soared to over 100 shekels.[3] When the Torah tells us that Joseph was sold for 20 pieces of silver it was an accurate reflection of the price of a slave in Canaan/Egypt at that time period, about 1500 BCE according to our Biblical chronology.

2. The Torah (Genesis 37:36) tells us that the name of Joseph's slave-master was Potiphar. It later tells us that Joseph's wife's name was Asenath (Genesis 41:45). These were in fact Egyptian names in use in Egypt during the time of Joseph, though they were quite unusual and later fell into disuse. Biblical "author(s)" not aware of these obscure ancient names could never have used them.[4]

Torah uses the exact expression the contemporary Egyptians used for the foreman of the servants and slaves.

3. The Torah tells us that Joseph was the overseer of Potiphar's estate. There are many possible titles one can give the chief slave or servant. The Torah chose to call Joseph the one "Over the house" (Genesis 39:4). The Papyrus Brooklyn 53.1446 refers to a chief slave and gives his proper title as the one who was "Over the house."[5] We see that the Torah is using the exact expression the contemporary Egyptians used for the foreman of the servants and slaves.

4- "And Joseph's master took him, and put him in the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined" (Genesis 39:20). Due to the false accusations of Potiphar's wife, Joseph was thrown into a prison. The concept of imprisonment was not widespread in the ancient world of the early Biblical era. In the Torah itself, we do not find any mention of imprisonment being a form of punishment. We do find that the son of Shelomith, who cursed God, was held in confinement, but that was only until the correct punishment could be determined. The actual detention was not a punishment. In the ancient world, those convicted of crimes were generally killed, tortured, mutilated or made to compensate monetarily. The concept of imprisonment was almost unheard of. Egypt was one of the very few exceptions to have prisons. Many of the isolated fortresses that guarded the borders of ancient Egypt also served as royal prisons.[6]

5. "Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon; and he shaved himself, and changed his garment, and came in to Pharaoh." (Genesis 41:14) Joseph, known to be an interpreter of dreams, was taken out of prison to be brought before the pharaoh to interpret pharaoh's dream. But first, Joseph had to shave to make himself more presentable to the king.

Throughout the ancient Middle East, beards were considered the norm, especially among "Asiatics" such as the Israelites. In fact the longer and more styled the beard, the greater the admiration. The common folk had shorter, trimmed beards. The king was depicted with a long tightly curled beard. The exception to this rule was in Egypt. Egyptians are rarely depicted with beards and those few times that they are depicted with facial hair, it is usually the pharaoh and not any of his subjects. In Egyptian tomb and temple depictions, enemies are often depicted with beards. The Biblical "author(s)" seem to be very aware that proper Egyptian etiquette demanded that Joseph had to shave before entering the presence of the pharaoh, unlike anywhere else in the ancient world.

6. Pharaoh had a dream in which "… behold, I stood upon the bank of the river. And, behold, there came up from the river seven cows, fat and beautiful; and they fed in the reed grass. And, behold, seven other cows came up after them, scrawny and very gaunt and thin, such as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt for badness. And the thin and the gaunt cows ate the first seven fat cows. And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still inferior as before." (Genesis 41:18-21)

You can read the article in its entirety and consult the notes mentioned in the article by visiting Aish.com.


Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, Joseph, Egypt, Exodus

“I Have Seen the Ark of the Covenant With My Own Eyes”

Image: The Ark of the Covenant



Abuna Pauolos, patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia, in an interview, said these words about the Ark of the Covenant:

“The Ark of the Covenant is in Ethiopia for many centuries. As a patriarch I have seen it with my own eyes and only few highly qualified persons could do the same, until now."

You can read the story here.

I don’t know about you, but when the leader of a church says: “I have seen the Ark of the Covenant with my own eyes,” you have to believe him, don’t you?

But to be honest, I don’t, do you?

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Abuna Pauolos, Ark of the Covenant

A Dream Game: Brazil v. USA

Now that Jim West has blogged on the soccer game between Brazil v. USA, I will too.

The game between Brazil and the USA in Johannesburg on Sunday will be a great game. However, people have to remember that the only reason the USA is playing in the Confederations Cup final game is because of Brazil (of course, the USA had to help itself too).

The USA was almost out of the tournament. In order to qualify for the semifinals, Brazil had to beat Italy by at least 3 goals and the USA had to beat Egypt by at least 3 goals. Brazil helped the USA by beating Italy 3-0 and the USA helped itself by beating Egypt 3-0.

Now, after Brazil beat South Africa and the USA, miracle of miracles, beat Spain in the semifinals, here we are, playing in the finals.

As a Brazilian, I always root for Brazil, even when Brazil is playing the USA. My three sons, all born in the USA, always root for Brazil, except when Brazil plays the USA. So, on Sunday, we will have a divided family watching the game. In the end, whoever wins, the four of us will celebrate, because our team won, whichever team wins.

I pity Jim West because he won’t be able to watch the game.

Don’t worry, Jim, my sons and I will watch the game for you. And as soon as the game is over, I will write a comment on your post and let you know by how many goals Brazil beat the USA.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Soccer

The New Face of King Tut

Photo: King Tut's New Face





Using more than 1,700 high-resolution CT-scanner images of King Tut’s mummy, scientists have been able to give King Tut a face, finally. The above image is the reconstructed face of King Tut.







For more information on King Tut, see the following:


Technology unlocks more King Tut mysteries

National Geographic article: King Tut, Unraveling the mystery

BBC article: Face to Face with Tutankhamun

Science Daily Article: The Fresh Face of King Tut

De Young Museum Photo Gallery: Exhibition Preview (Photos of King Tut’s Treasure)

National Geographic: Photo Gallery (More photos of King Tut’s treasure)


Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: King Tut, King Tutankhamun

Did Jesus Wear a Dress?

A few days ago, I wrote a post and made the following statement:

According to Pastor Steve Anderson, Jesus wore pants because Deuteronomy 22:5 says that it is an abomination to God for a man to wear women’s clothing. This is what the Bible says about wearing women’s clothing:

“A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this” (Deuteronomy 22:5).

Now, my friend Darrell Pursiful at Dr. Platypus has asked the following question: “Did Jesus Wear a Dress?”

Darrell has written an excellent article in which he discusses the issue of “how men dressed in the first century.” Visit Darrel’s blog and read his article; it is an article worth reading.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Deuteronomy 22:5, Dress, Jesus, Pants

God, Guns and the Gospel: Bring Your Gun To Church

A pastor in Kentucky is urging the members of his church to bring their guns to church. Here is an excerpt from a news report published in The New York Times:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Ken Pagano, the pastor of the New Bethel Church here, is passionate about gun rights. He shoots regularly at the local firing range, and his sermon two weeks ago was on “God, Guns, Gospel and Geometry.” And on Saturday night, he is inviting his congregation of 150 and others to wear or carry their firearms into the sanctuary to “celebrate our rights as Americans!” as a promotional flier for the “open carry celebration” puts it.

“God and guns were part of the foundation of this country,” Mr. Pagano, 49, said Wednesday in the small brick Assembly of God church, where a large wooden cross hung over the altar and two American flags jutted from side walls. “I don’t see any contradiction in this. Not every Christian denomination is pacifist.”

The bring-your-gun-to-church day, which will include a $1 raffle of a handgun, firearms safety lessons and a picnic, is another sign that the gun culture in the United States is thriving despite, or perhaps because of, President Obama’s election in November.

You can read the news release in its entirety here.

Somewhere is all of this, we must consider the words of the prophet Isaiah:

Doom to those who go off to Egypt
thinking that horses can help them,
Impressed by military mathematics,
awed by sheer numbers of chariots and riders—
And to The Holy of Israel, not even a glance,
not so much as a prayer to God.
(Isaiah 31:1).

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Guns

The Review of Biblical Literature - Old Testament

The Review of Biblical Literature has published a list of new reviews in the area of biblical studies. The Review of Biblical Literature is a publication of the Society of Biblical Literature.

The following new reviews are of interest to students of the Old Testament:

Stephen C. Barton, ed.
Idolatry: False Worship in the Bible, Early Judaism and Christianity

Description: Idolatry is a collection of nineteen authoritative essays on major aspects of this fascinating subject, unduly neglected in recent years. The coverage is varied and comprehensive, ranging across theoretical perspectives, the Old Testament, Early Judaism, the New Testament, Church History, and Christian Theology to the present day. The contributors are all authorities in their respective fields of study. In biblical studies, there is John Barclay, Stephen C. Barton, Helen Bond, Mark Bonnington, Crispin Fletcher-Louis, Robert Hayward, David Horrell, Nathan MacDonald, Christopher Rowland, and Stuart Weeks. In Church History and Christian Theology, there is David Clough, Andrew Goddard, Carol Harrison, Trevor Hart, Timothy Jenkins, Gerard Loughlin, Paul Murray, Bernd Wannenwetsch, and Graham Ward.

Walter Brueggemann
A Pathway of Interpretation: The Old Testament for Pastors and Students

Description: Writing with the pastor and student in mind, Walter Brueggemann provides guidance for interpreting Old Testament texts. He offers both advice for the interpreter as well as examples of working with different sorts of passages: from narratives, prophecies, and Psalms. He also demonstrates how to work thematically, drawing together threads from different traditions. His goal is to work through the rhetoric of these passages to reach toward theological interpretation. These investigations indicate Brueggemann's conviction that the process of moving from text to interpretive outcome is an artistic enterprise that can be learned and practiced.

J. Harold Ellens
Sex in the Bible: A New Consideration

Description: What is the Bible's stance on such controversial issues as homosexuality and polygamy? What does it have to say about sexual behaviors that some would deem perverted or criminal? Is sex always wrong if it is not used to create life? Ellens answers these and other questions in a book that argues that our understanding of what the Bible has to say about sex is frequently misguided. He corrects our impressions with a look at the Scriptures themselves, considers what they might have meant to people in the past, and reflects on how we understand, or misunderstand, them today. Focusing on early interpretations and contemporary misconceptions, Ellens guides readers through what the Bible actually says, showing how these messages have been interpreted in different contexts, and suggesting new ways of reading and translating them for use in our own lives. Readers hoping to reach a better understanding of the Bible's views on sexual practices and sexuality in general will find their questions answered here. What does the story of Adam and Eve reveal about sex and sexuality? What does the Old Testament say about sex and how might we interpret that in our own lives today? How does the New Testament say we should behave in our sexuality and our lives? What lessons can we learn from a closer examination of the Bible and its teachings on human love, marriage, and sexuality? These are among the many questions Ellens answers in an effort to help us all come to a better understanding of the gift of sexuality and its attendant behaviors in our lives. In non-judgmental prose, he elucidates the Bible and our understanding of its teaching on these and related issues.


Jonathan Gan
The Metaphor of Shepherd in the Hebrew Bible: A Historical-Literary Reading

Martin A. Shields
The End of Wisdom: A Reappraisal of the Historical and Canonical Function of Ecclesiastes

H. G. M. Williamson
A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Isaiah 1-27: Volume 1: Commentary on Isaiah 1-5

Description: Hugh Williamson's Isaiah 1-5 is the first of three volumes in a important new commentary on Isiah 1-27. For over one hundred years International Critical Commentaries have had a special place among works on the Bible. They bring together all the relevant aids to exegesis - linguistic, textual, archaeological, historical, literary, and theological - to help the reader understand the meaning of the books of the Old and New Testaments. The new commentaries continue this tradition. All new evidence now available is incorporated and new methods of study are applied. The authors are of the highest international standing. No attempt has been made to secure a uniform theological or critical approach to the biblical text: contributors have been invited for their scholarly distinction, not for their adherence to any one school of thought.

Enjoy your reading.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Bible, Hebrew Bible, Literature, Old Testament

The Storage of Grain in Antiquity

From the Associated Press

WASHINGTON – People were storing grain long before they learned to domesticate crops, a new study indicates. A structure used as a food granary discovered in recent excavations in Jordan dates to about 11,300 years ago., according to a report in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

That's as much as a thousand years before people in the Middle East domesticated grain, the research team led by anthropologist Ian Kuijt of the University of Notre Dame said.

Remains of wild barley were found in the structure, indicating that the grain was collected and saved even though formal cultivation had not yet developed.

The granary was between two other structures used for grain processing and residences, discovered in excavations at Dhra', near the Dead Sea. The granary was round with walls of stone and mud. The researchers said it had a raised floor for air circulation and protection from rodents.

Read the article here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, Farming, Food Storage

A Canaanite (?) Tomb Found in Bethlehem

According to a news release by the Associated Press, workers renovating a house in Bethlehem have discovered an untouched ancient tomb containing clay pots, plates, beads, and the bones of two humans. According to the report, the tomb is dated to the Early Bronze Age, between 2,200 B.C. and 1,900 B.C.

The following is an excerpt from the news release:

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Workers renovating a house in the traditional town of Jesus' birth accidentally discovered an untouched ancient tomb containing clay pots, plates, beads and the bones of two humans, a Palestinian antiquities official said Tuesday.

The 4,000-year-old tomb provides a glimpse of the burial customs of the area's inhabitants during the Canaanite period, said Mohammed Ghayyada, director of the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Workers in a house near the Church of the Nativity uncovered a hole leading to the grave, which was about one yard below ground, he said. They contacted antiquities officials, who photographed the grave intact before removing its contents.

They dated the grave to the Early Bronze Age, between 1,900 B.C. and 2,200 B.C.

Jerusalem-based archaeologist and historian Stephen Pfann called the find "an important reference to the life of the Canaanites," adding that it could give a glimpse into life in the area before the time when the Biblical patriarchs are said to have lived.

While many artifacts exist from this period, intact graves are rare, mainly because of looting, he said.

Intact graves are more useful to scholars because they show how items were arranged.

You can read the news release in its entirety by clicking here. The story also contains the photo of a representative of the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism examining the pottery found in the tomb.

HT: Todd Bolen

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, Canaanite Tomb, Early Bronze Age, Pottery

Spurgeon on Preaching

The Southern Baptist Magazine has dedicated its Spring 2009 issue to preaching. The theme for the Spring issue is: “Preach the Word.” There are several articles on preaching in this issue of the Southern Baptist Magazine. One of the articles is a collection of quotes from Charles Spurgeon on preaching.

Spurgeon on Preaching

“The kind of sermon which is likely to break the hearer’s heart is that which first has broken the preacher’s heart, and the sermon which is likely to reach the heart of the hearer is the one which has come straight from the heart of the preacher.”

“Surely if men’s heart were right, short sermons would be enough.”

“If you always enjoy sermons, the minister is not a good steward. He is not acting wisely who deals out nothing but sweets.”

“You are listening to a man who professes to speak by God, and for God, and to speak for your good and his heart yearns over you. Oh, it is solemn work to preach, and it should be solemn work to hear.”

“It is not the bigness of' the words you utter, but the force with which you deliver them.”

“The preacher’s work is to throw sinners down into utter helplessness that they may be compelled to look up to Him who alone can help them.”

“The power that is in the gospel does not lie in the eloquence of the preacher; otherwise men would be the conveners of souls. Nor does it lie in the preacher’s learning; otherwise it would consist in the wisdom of men. We might preach until our tongues rotted, till we would exhaust our lungs and die, but never a soul would be converted unless the Holy Spirit be with the Word of God to give it the power to convert the soul.”

“We hear complaints that the minister speaks too harshly and talk too much of judgment. Saved sinners never make that complaint.”

"If some men were sentenced to hear their own sermons, it would be a righteous judgment upon them; but they would soon cry out with Cain, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.”

These are great and good advice for preachers. Here is another good advice for preachers I heard from my professor of homiletics: “Let the sun go down upon your sermon.”

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Preaching, Sermons, Spurgeon,

Jesus Wore Pants

According to Pastor Steve Anderson, Jesus wore pants because Deuteronomy 22:5 says that it is an abomination to God for a man to wear women’s clothing. This is what the Bible says about wearing women’s clothing:

“A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this” (Deuteronomy 22:5).

Now, listen to this “amazing” sermon on Deuteronomy 22:5:




Pastor Steven Anderson is wrong in his interpretation of Deuteronomy 22:5. I have already written a post on Deuteronomy 22:5. In a future post, I will address again the issue of women wearing pants. I will also respond to another erroneous interpretation of Deuteronomy 22:5 written by Dr. Kent Brandenburg.

NOTICE: My blog has moved to a new address. If you enjoyed reading this post, you can subscribe to my blog by visiting my web page or subscribing to my blog here:

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Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary


Tags: Deuteronomy 22:5, Pants, Wearing Pants, Women,

Five Books That Changed My Mind

While I was away attending the Acton Institute, I was tagged by Darrell Pursiful to participate in a meme.

This meme began with Ken Brown at C. Orthodoxy. Ken tagged John Hobbins at Ancient Hebrew Poetry who then tagged Darrell Pursiful at Dr. Platypus who then tagged me.

The challenge of this meme is to name five books or scholars who had the most immediate and lasting influence on how I read the Bible. According to the original challenge, these books need not be my five favorite books. Rather, the list must include the five books that have permanently changed the way I think.

So, here is my list:

1. Walther Eichrodt, Theology of the Old Testament, 2 volumes.

This was the first Old Testament theology I read in seminary. After I read Eichrodt, I also read Gerhard von Rad Old Testament Theology, but it was Eichrodt who helped me understand Old Testament theology. It is hard to explain in detail the influence of Eichrodt in my understanding of the Old Testament. Suffice it to say that I have used Eichrodt’s book as a text both in English and Spanish.

2. Emil Brunner’s three volumes on Church Dogmatics: The Christian Doctrine of God, The Christian Doctrines of Creation and Redemption, and The Christian Doctrine of the Church, Faith, and Consummation.

I read Brunner’s three volumes while I was working toward my Master’s degree. Brunner’s dogmatics helped me gain a better understanding of Christian doctrines. Together with his book Revelation and Reason, Brunner made a profound impression on me as a seminary student.

3. John Bright, A History of Israel.

Probably, more than any other book, John Bright’s A History of Israel has been formative in my understanding of the Old Testament. Notwithstanding all the criticism Bright has received from minimalists, deconstructionists, and revisionists, John Bright’s book presents what I still consider the best introduction to the history of Israel.

4. Joseph Callaway, Faces of the Old Testament.

Joseph Callaway was my major professor and the supervisor of my Ph.D. thesis. I served as his Garret Fellow (Teacher’s Assistant) for five years. I sat in every one of his classes, taught for him, and attended all his seminars.

Callaway was a great archaeologist. He excavated Ai and Raddana and I had the opportunity to work with his field notes before his volumes on Ai were published. Faces of the Old Testament are based on his class lectures. When I read Callaway’s book, I recognize how indebted I am to his teaching.

5. Terence E. Fretheim, The Suffering of God: An Old Testament Perspective.

Fretheim’s book has given me a better understanding of the God of the Old Testament. His book deals with the concept of divine suffering and the idea of divine pathos. His conclusion, that “suffering belongs to the person and purpose of God” has been neglected, rejected, and ostracized by many. However, when one reads Fretheim’s book, one must conclude that the suffering of God is an integral aspect of divine revelation. The best way to understand Fretheim’s book is to read it once for content and a second time for understanding.

Darryl, there you have my five books. Thank you for the invitation to join you and others in this challenge.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Books, Reading

Has the Site of Galgala Been Discovered?

According to an announcement released by the University of Haifa’s Department of Archaeology, an underground cave dating from the year 1 A.D. discovered in the Jordan Valley may be the site called Galgala, a place mentioned in the Madaba Map. Professor Adam Zertal was the leader of the archaeological team that discovered the cave.

The following is an excerpt of the press information released by the University of Haifa:

The enormous and striking cave covers an area of approximately 1 acre: it is some 100 meters long and about 40 meters wide. The cave is located 4 km north of Jericho. The cave, which is the largest excavated by man to be discovered in Israel, was exposed in the course of an archaeological survey that the University of Haifa has been carrying out since 1978.

As with other discoveries in the past, this exposure is shrouded in mystery. "When we arrived at the opening of the cave, two Bedouins approached and told us not to go in as the cave is bewitched and inhabited by wolves and hyenas," Prof. Zertal relates. Upon entering, accompanied by his colleagues, he was surprised to find an impressive architectonic underground structure supported by 22 giant pillars. They discovered 31 cross markings on the pillars, an engraving resembling the zodiac symbol, Roman letters and an etching that looks like the Roman Legion's pennant. The team also discovered recesses in the pillars, which would have been used for oil lamps, and holes to which animals that were hauling quarried stones out of the cave could have been tied.

The cave's ceiling is some 3 meters high, but was originally probably about 4 meters high. According to Prof. Zertal, ceramics that were found and the engravings on the pillars date the cave to around 1-600 AD. "The cave's primary use had been as a quarry, which functioned for about 400-500 years. But other findings definitely indicate that the place was also used for other purposes, such as a monastery and possibly as a hiding place," Prof. Zertal explains.

The main question that arose upon discovering the cave was why a quarry was dug underground in the first place. "All of the quarries that we know are above ground. Digging down under the surface requires extreme efforts in hauling the heavy rocks up to the surface, and in this case the quarrying was immense. The question is, why?" For a possible answer to this mystery, Prof. Zertal points to the famous Madaba map. This is a Byzantine mosaic map that was found in Jordan and is the most ancient map of the Land of Israel. Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley are depicted with precision on the map, and a site called Galgala is depicted next to a Greek inscription that reads "Dodekaliton", which translates as "Twelve Stones." This place is marked at a distance from Jericho that matches this cave's distance from the city. According to the map, there is a church next to Dodekaliton; there are two ancient churches located nearby the newly discovered cave. According to Prof. Zertal, until now it has been hypothesized that the meaning of "Twelve Stones" related to the biblical verses that describe the twelve stones that the Children of Israel place in Gilgal. However, it could be that the reference is a description of the quarry that was dug where the Byzantines identified the Gilgal. "During the Roman era, it was customary to construct temples of stones that were brought from holy places, and which were therefore also more valuable stones. If our assumption is correct, then the Byzantine identification of the place as the biblical Gilgal afforded the site its necessary reverence and that is also why they would have dug an underground quarry there," Prof. Zertal concludes. "But" he adds, "much more research is needed."

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Adam Zertal, Galgala, Madaba Map

Bloggers Beware: “The FTC to go after blogger freebies”

According to an article written by Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, the Federal Trade Commission is planning to go after bloggers who receive freebies or payments for their posts.

The following is an excerpt from McCarthy’s article:

The Federal Trade Commission is planning to crack down on bloggers who review or promote products while earning freebies or payments, the Associated Press reported Sunday.

This would, for the first time, bring bloggers under FTC guidelines that ban deceptive or unfair business practices.

"New guidelines, expected to be approved late this summer with possible modifications, would clarify that the agency can go after bloggers--as well as the companies that compensate them--for any false claims or failure to disclose conflicts of interest," the article explained.

The rules could be quite strict, even extending to the practice of affiliate links--for example, a music blogger who links to a song on Amazon MP3 or iTunes that earns an affiliate commission in the process.

The practice of free products for bloggers, most of whom are not bound by ethical guidelines that journalists have historically followed, has been making headlines for some time now. Microsoft, for example, created a wave of bad press a few years ago when it gave free Acer laptops preloaded with Windows Vista to several dozen bloggers.

Some companies have sprung up around the whole notion of blogger compensation and giveaways. The AP article mentions some of the marketing companies that have made a business out of offering bloggers incentives--free trips, products, gift certificates, or outright payments--for coverage. One of them, Izea, has been generating controversy in the tech press since it started PayPerPost.

Some bloggers, the AP article mentioned, are concerned that the FTC's efforts could go too far, possibly generating probes into posts that were written without any compensation, and possibly leading bloggers to post with more restraint. And some believe it would be better if bloggers created their own standards based on niche and industry.

Read McCarthy’s article by clicking here.

The decision by the Federal Trade Commission has many implications and may have a chilling effect on some bloggers. For instance, some bloggers ask for donations. Are these donations taxable income? Many blogs carry Google Ads. Will the Federal Trade Commission require bloggers to pay taxes on revenues from Google Ads? Many bloggers review books submitted by publishers for review. Will these freebies come under the review of the Federal Trade Commission?

We must wait and see.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Blogging, FTC, Google Ads

The Acton Institute

On June 16-19, 2009, I will be in Grand Rapids, Michigan attending Acton University as a Kern Fellow. Acton University "offers a unique opportunity for religious leaders and university professors to deepen their knowledge and integrate rigorous philosophy, Christian theology, and sound economics."

After I return from Michigan, I will post about my experience at Acton and what I learned from the seminars.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Acton University

Book Reviews - Old Testament

Review of Biblical Literature has published its latest edition of review of books in the area of biblical studies. Review of Biblical Literature is a publication of the Society of Biblical Literature.

The following reviews are of interest to students of the Old Testament:

Chaim Cohen, Victor Hurowitz, Avi Hurvitz, Yochanan Muffs, Baruch Schwartz, and Jeffrey Tigay, eds.

Birkat Shalom: Studies in the Bible, Ancient Near Eastern Literature, and Postbiblical Judaism Presented to Shalom M. Paul on the Occasion of His Seventieth Birthday

Reviewed by Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer

Description: This magnificent volume is a compilation of the writings of friends, colleagues, and former students in tribute to Shalom Paul, Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the Bible Department at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. More than 60 essayists contribute new ideas in the areas of research most loved by Prof. Paul, such as biblical literature and criticism, prophecy, comparative exegesis and linguistics, ancient Near Eastern historical and cultural milieus, and biblical and Mesopotamian law. Contributors include scholars of renown such as Adele Berlin, Frank Moore Cross, William G. Dever, Michael V. Fox, William W. Hallo, Sara Japhet, André Lemaire, Carol Meyers, Jacob Milgrom, Elisha Qimron, Gary A. Rendsburg, Jack M. Sasson, Shemaryahu Talmon, Emanuel Tov, James C. VanderKam, Joan Goodnick Westenholz, and Ziony Zevit.


Tremper Longman III and Peter Enns, eds.

Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry and Writings

Reviewed by Francis Dalrymple-Hamilton

Description: This third Old Testament volume in InterVarsity Press's celebrated "Black Dictionary" series offers nearly 150 articles covering all the important aspects of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ruth and Esther. Over ninety contributors, many of them experts in this literature, have contributed to the Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry and Writings. This volume maintains the quality of scholarship that students, scholars and pastors have come to expect from this series. Coverage of each biblical book includes an introduction to the book itself as well as separate articles on its ancient Near Eastern background and its history of interpretation. Additional articles amply explore the literary dimensions of Hebrew poetry and prose, including acrostic, ellipsis, inclusio, intertextuality, parallelism and rhyme. And there are well-rounded treatments of Israelite wisdom and wisdom literature, including wisdom poems, sources and theology. In addition, a wide range of interpretive approaches is canvassed in articles on hermeneutics, feminist interpretation, form criticism, historical criticism, rhetorical criticism and social-scientific approaches.


Leo G. Perdue

The Sword and the Stylus: An Introduction to Wisdom in the Age of Empires

Reviewed by Benjamin G. Wright III

Description: The all-too-frequent disregard of historical and social contexts by many wisdom scholars often leads to the distortion of this literature and transforms its teachings into abstract ideas lacking any incarnation in the social and historical world of human living. Leo Perdue here argues that the proper understanding of ancient wisdom literature requires one to move out of the realm of philosophical idealism into flesh-and-blood human history. Arguing that wisdom was international in practice and outlook, Perdue traces the interaction between both ruling and subject nations and their sages who produced their respective cultures and their foundational worldviews. While not always easy to reconstruct, he acknowledges, the historical and social settings of texts provide necessary contexts for interpretation and engagement by later readers and hearers. Wisdom texts did not transcend their life settings to espouse values regardless of time and circumstance. Rather, they are located in a variety of historical events in an evolving nation, reflecting a vast array of different and changing moral systems, epistemologies, and religious understandings.


Peter T. Vogt

Deuteronomic Theology and the Significance of Torah: A Reappraisal

Reviewed by Trent C. Butler

Description: One of the few areas of consensus in modern Deuteronomy scholarship is the contention that within the book of Deuteronomy there is a program of reform that was nothing short of revolutionary. Although there are divergent views regarding the specific details of this revolutionary program, most scholars agree that, in fundamental and profound ways, Deuteronomy was radical in its vision. This vision was expressed in key ideas: centralization of worship, secularization, and demythologization (of earlier traditions). However, Vogt argues that these ideas fail to account adequately for the data of the text of Deuteronomy itself. Instead, he claims, at the heart of Deuteronomic theology is the principle of the supremacy of Yahweh, which is to be acknowledged by all generations of Israelites through adherence to Torah. Thus, the book of Deuteronomy is in fact radical and countercultural but not in the ways that are usually adduced. It is radical in its rejection of ANE models of kingship and institutional permanence, in its emphasis on the holiness of life lived out before Yahweh, and in its elevation of Yahweh and his Torah. In the introductory chapter, the structure and ideology of the book are examined. Chapter 1 then examines some of the ways in which the theology of Deuteronomy has been understood, namely, in terms of centralization, secularization, and demythologization. Chapters 2-5 evaluate key texts that are used to support the idea that centralization, secularization, and demythologization are at the heart of the theology of Deuteronomy. An alternative reading of the texts is presented that highlights the supremacy of Yahweh and Torah. The final chapter investigates the theological and ideological implications of this alternative reading of key texts.


Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Book+Review

Moses as a Leader of the People

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin , the chief rabbi of Efrat, has an excellent article published in The Jerusalem Post dealing with Moses’ leadership of the people of Israel. His study is based on Numbers 13:20: “And you shall strengthen yourselves, and you shall take from the fruits of the land; and the days were when the first grapes became ripe.”

The text below is Rabbi Riskin’s conclusion:

What Moses may have failed to realize is that the real problem lay not with the Israelite gastronomic drive but rather with Moses' form of "long-distance" leadership - either from the lofty heights of Mount Sinai or the inner sanctuary of the Tent of Communion. We should keep in mind that initially Moses rejects God's command to lead because "I am a man who is heavy of speech and heavy of tongue" (Exodus 4:10). This cannot only mean that he stuttered and stammered - because God's immediate response is, "Is it not I who gives (or takes away) speech?" and yet Moses continues to speak of having "stopped up lips" (aral sfatayim).

I would like to suggest that Moses is actually saying that he is a man of "heavy speech" rather than a man of "friendly chatter," a prophet of theology and law, morality and ethics, in constant touch with the divine. Moses's intellect actually "kisses" the divine intellect, until his Torah becomes God's Torah (Guide for the Perplexed). Moses is not a man of the people, a man of small talk who can "sell" God's program to the Israelites, a Madison Avenue product. The Bible itself testifies: "The Israelites did not listen to Moses because of his lack of patience (kotzer ruah) and difficult divine service" (Ralbag's interpretation to Exodus 6:9). Moses, the "man [or husband] of God" (Deuteronomy 33:1) as well as the "servant of the Lord," remains "distant" from the people; he is a prophet for all the generations rather than a leader for his own generation.

Indeed, Moses does not walk among the people; he speaks to the Lord from within the Tent of Communion (Leviticus 1:1, Numbers 7:89). It is Eldad and Medad, the new generation of leader-prophets, who prophesy from within the encampment (Numbers 11:26). Moses' greatest asset - his closeness to God and his ability to "divine" the divine will - is also the cause of his remoteness from the masses. If a congregation is to rise above petty squabbles and materialistic goals, it must be constantly reinspired.

The kvetching of the people goes beyond a craving for leeks and onions; it's the existential kvetch of not knowing what they want. In truth, they actually need - as we all do - a mission, a purpose for being. As it prepares to enter the Promised Land, the nation needs to be recharged with light strong enough to illuminate the world. This, however, will have to await a new leader, perhaps less a man of God and more a man of the people.

I recommend that you read Rabbi Shlomo Riskin’s study in its entirety by visiting The Jerusalem Post online.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Leadership, Moses, Shlomo Riskin

Barack Obama and the Trinity

Barack Obama has been the President of the United States since January 2009. Since then, Obama has been promoted by other to positions that go far beyond human expectation.

Barack Obama as God

Evan Thomas compared Barack Obama to God. Thomas said:

EVAN THOMAS: Well, we were the good guys in 1984, it felt that way. It hasn't felt that way in recent years. So Obama's had, really, a different task We're seen too often as the bad guys. And he, he has a very different job from ... Reagan was all about America, and you talked about it. Obama is - we are above that now. We're not just parochial, we're not just chauvinistic, we're not just provincial. We stand for something, I mean in a way Obama's standing above the country, above above the world, he's sort of God.

Watch the YouTube video:




Barack Obama as the Holy Spirit

Columnist Charles Krauthammer, writing on The Washington Post, quoted Genesis 1:2, “And the Spirit of God hovered upon the face of the waters,” and compared Obama’s work with the work of the Spirit of God. Krauthammer wrote:

When President Obama returned from his first European trip, I observed that while over there he had been "acting the philosopher-king who hovers above the fray mediating" between America and the world. Now that Obama has returned from his "Muslim world" pilgrimage, even the left agrees. "Obama's standing above the country, above -- above the world. He's sort of God," Newsweek's Evan Thomas said to a concurring Chris Matthews, reflecting on Obama's lofty perception of himself as the great transcender.

Not that Obama considers himself divine. (He sees himself as merely messianic, or, at worst, apostolic.) But he does position himself as hovering above mere mortals, mere country, to gaze benignly upon the darkling plain beneath him where ignorant armies clash by night, blind to the common humanity that only he can see. Traveling the world, he brings the gospel of understanding and godly forbearance. We have all sinned against each other. We must now look beyond that and walk together to the sunny uplands of comity and understanding. He shall guide you.

Barack Obama as the Christ

Jacques Phillip Eugene, writing is his book, Barack (Hebrew ‘Lightning’) Obama, wrote about Barack Obama:

“The ascendancy of Barack Obama to the highest office on earth comes to many as a lightning strike. The sign from the scriptures as shown in Mt 24:27 relating to the return of the Messiah, described a lightning that would shine from the East to the West. Being born of a father from Kenya (the East) and a mother from the USA (the West) reveals the universal character of the man whose brightness in humility and character is set to inspire the whole world.”

Now, you tell me: what else can we say about Barack Obama that has not been said yet?

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Barack Obama, Trinity

An Article from C.R.A.P.

Philip Davis at The Scholarly Kitchen, in an attempt to test the reliability and integrity of open-access publishers, posed as an academic associated with The Center for Research in Applied Phrenology based in Ithaca, New York and submitted a fake paper for publication by Bentham Publishing, a company that publishes 200 open-access scientific journals. Bentham finances its journals by charging a fee to publish articles.

The Center for Research in Applied Phrenology (C.R.A.P. for short) is a bogus institution. It was created just for the purpose of submitting the paper. According to Davis, “phrenology is the pseudoscience of reading personality traits from the lumps on one’s head.”

Mr. Davis had received unsolicited e-mails from Bentham Publishing soliciting articles to be published in their journals. So, Davis, a doctoral student in communication at Cornell University, and Kent R. Anderson, The Scholarly Kitchen’s editor in chief, submitted one paper which was generated by a computer program at MIT that creates random text intended to amuse rather than inform.

This is how Davis begins explaining his experiment:

Would a publisher accept a completely nonsensical manuscript if the authors were willing to pay Open Access publication charges? After being spammed with invitations to publish in Bentham Science journals earlier this year, I decided to find out.

Using SCIgen, a software that generates grammatically correct, “context-free” (i.e. nonsensical) papers in computer science, I quickly created an article, complete with figures, tables, and references. It looks pretty professional until you read it.

You can read Davis’s paper here. What follows is an excerpt from the paper:

Compact symmetries and compilers have garnered tremendous interest from both futurists and biologists in the last several years. The flaw of this type of solution, however, is that DHTs can be made empathic, large-scale, and extensible. Along these same lines, the drawback of this type of approach, however, is that active networks and SMPs can agree to fix this riddle. The construction of voice-over-IP would profoundly degrade Internet QoS. We describe a novel heuristic for the extensive unification of web browsers and rasterization, which we call TriflingThamyn. However, this method is generally adamantly opposed. Unfortunately, this method is rarely significant. TriflingThamyn manages the compelling unification of flip-flop gates and IPv4. The disadvantage of this type of approach, however, is that consistent hashing can be made random, atomic, and “smart”. Clearly, we see no reason not to use congestion control to visualize courseware.

Bentham received the article. According to Bentham, the article was accepted for publication after a peer-reviewing process and Davis was charged a fee of $800.00. The money was to be sent to a post office box in the United Arab Emirates.

There is a lesson for academics here.

Those who work in academic institutions know the pressure that is placed on publication: “Publish or perish” is the motto that forces professors to publish. Promotion and recognition depend on the number of books or articles published during one’s career. However, when one has to pay out of one’s own pocket for the publication of a book or an article, one must question the quality of the work or the reliability and the integrity of the publisher.

The rise of publication on demand has produced a crop of new writers and the publication of new books that are worthy of the acronym of the institution created by Phillip Davis.

Recently I was asked to review two self-published books. One book was so full of historical inaccuracies and misleading interpretations that I would not recommend the book to my worst enemy. The other was based on some presuppositions that cannot be proved; thus, the suppositions make the conclusions of the book unreliable.

And yet, the two authors took umbrage with me because of my reviews. They were certain they were right and I was wrong. They criticized my reviews as the work of someone who missed the intent of their books, who did not understand their argument, and failed to see the great work they had done.

What these two writers failed to recognize was that although their books were written to inspire and to inform readers, the books had so many presuppositions in one case and so many biblical and historical misinformation in the other that I could not recommend these two books with a clear conscience to anyone.

As a professor, I stand for what is reliable information, both historically and biblically. I may not agree with the material in a book, but if the information is reliable and biblical, I will affirm the book. Unfortunately, many self-published books do not meet this criteria. Before a book is published, it should be reviewed by independent readers who could point out mistakes and misinterpretations.

Unfortunately, most self-published books are not well edited. If these writers had hired an independent editor, one who knows the Old Testament, history, and some Hebrew, these writers would know that their books were not as great as they thought.

Many self-published authors do not accept criticism because their books reflect their labor and the precious time they spent writing and preparing the books. When I review a book, I take into consideration the interest of the reader of the book, not of the author. The reader must know whether the book is informative, reliable, and historically and biblically correct. Should the reader spend money buying the book and should the reader spend time reading the book? When a book is good, I say so. When the book is not good, I also say so. Readers like that kind of honesty; authors do not.


Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Bentham Publishing, Publishing Book, Self-Publication

Texting the Ten Commandments

Rags, writing for a blog in Connecticut, wrote a post in which he gives his interpretation of how God would give the Ten Commandments to Israel if God had to use text.


Texting the Ten Commandments:

1. no1 b4 me. srsly.
2. dnt wrshp pix/idols
3. no omg's
4. no wrk on w/end (sat 4 now; sun l8r)
5. pos ok - ur m&d r cool
6. dnt kill ppl
7. :-X only w/ m8
8. dnt steal
9. dnt lie re: bf
10. dnt ogle ur bf's m8. or ox. or dnkey. myob.

M, pls rite on tabs & giv 2 ppl. ttyl, JHWH. ps. wwjd?

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Ten Commandments

Making Jim West Happy

Jim West will love this headline in the Louisville Courier-Journal:

Headline:

Creation Museum’s attendance exceeds expectations

Reason:

Displays assert that genetics and archaeology had “confirmed” various Biblical stories and that complex human organs couldn’t have evolved from simpler forms.

I know that when archaeology confirms the Bible, Jim West is happy.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, Creation Museum, Jim West

Liberty and Tyranny

Buy Liberty and Tyranny at Amazon.com





The United States of America is a great country. I came to this country more than forty years ago to study. When I came to America, I had all the intentions of returning to Brazil, but circumstances in my country changed and for reasons that were contrary to my will, I had to remain in this country. And I am glad I did.

While I was in college, I took a class in American government. During that semester I had to study the basic documents that serve as the ideological foundation of this great country. I had to read about the founding leaders of this country and our system of government and in the process, I learned what makes the United States a great country.

Our nation is changing and not for the better. Today there is an assault on the basic values that affect the lives of all Americans, young and old. This abandonment of Constitutional values corrodes the principles that have kept our country strong and prosperous.

Recently, someone urged me to read a book that describes the problems our country is facing today. The book, Liberty and Tyranny, was written by Mark Levin, a radio talk-show host who espouses and teaches conservative values on his program.

At first I was skeptical about the book and its content. However, after I finished reading Liberty and Tyranny, I was glad I took the times to read the book. In his book, Levin focuses on the principles and values established in the Declaration of Independence and in the Constitution and the present-day assault on these Constitutional-based values that are undermining the basic principles established in these documents.

The title of his book, Liberty and Tyranny, comes from a speech that Abraham Lincoln gave in 1864:

“We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others, the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men’s labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name–liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible names–liberty and tyranny.”

Levin concludes his book with the following remarks:

"So distant is America today from its founding principles that it is difficult to precisely describe the nature of American government. It is not strictly a constitutional republic, because the Constitution has been and continues to be easily altered by a judicial oligarchy that mostly enforces, if not expands, the Statist’s agenda. It is not strictly a representative republic, because so many edicts are produced by a maze of administrative departments that are unknown to the public and detached from its sentiment. It is not strictly a federal republic, because the states that gave the central government life now live at its behest. What, then, is it? It is a society steadily transitioning toward statism."

The purpose of Liberty and Tyranny is to help readers gain a better appreciation for the wisdom of the founders of this country. The book presents some of the reasons behind the words and the intent of the Declaration and of the Constitution and shows how far our society has departed from some of the principles found in these documents.

You may not agree with everything written in the book. However, even when one disagrees, one learns in the process. I recommend this book to all people who love liberty and oppose tyranny.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary


Tags: Liberty, Mark Levin, Tyranny

The Book of Daniel: Unsealed . . . and Sealed Again

Recently, I received an email asking me if I would be interested in reviewing a new book on Daniel. The title of the book was intriguing: Daniel Unsealed: An explanation of the Chrono-Specific Prophecies in the Book of Daniel, Chapters 7-12 as Understood by Daniel (ISBN 13 978-0-9816912-0-6). So, I decided I would review the book in my blog.

I read the book and was very intrigued by the first chapter which, as it turned out, was the key to unlocking the prophecies of Daniel and understanding the remainder of the book. I wrote a post on Chapter 1. My post, “The Book of Daniel and the Restoration of the Sanctuary,” was published on June 7, the same day the people of Israel in 1967 celebrated the transfer of the Temple Mount to Israeli control.

Before I review the book, let me emphasize two things that I did not like in this book. First, the book is anonymous. Nowhere in the book is the name of the author mentioned. Here is an author who desires to reveal the secrets of the book of Daniel and yet chooses to keep his name secret. The decision to omit the name of the author will diminish the influence of the book.

Second, the book does not include a place of publication. It is evident that the book was self-published. The book was published by The Prophecy Society, but the book does not reveal where the society is located. To libraries and people who are interested in the complete bibliographical information of the book, the lack of a place of publication is disappointing. This also diminishes the value of the book. I hope these deficiencies will be corrected in future editions of the book.

Notwithstanding these two deficiencies, one typo, a heavy reliance on the King James Version, and a presence of Strongnosticism, Daniel Unsealed is a remarkable book. The book is remarkable because the author has developed a system that explains all the chrono-specific prophecies in the book of Daniel.

As I mentioned in my first post on the book, the author believes that the key to unlocking the secrets of Daniel is the proper understanding of the prophecy in Daniel 8:1-27, especially the prophecy in Daniel 8:13-14.

According to the author, the expression “two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings” in 8:14 should not be understood as 2300 days nor as 1150 evenings and mornings. Rather, the “evening-morning” of Daniel 8:14 should be identified with the Passover, an “evening-morning” event (Exodus 12: 6-10, 14).

Thus, counting 2300 Passover celebrations after the Battle of Granicus in 334 B.C. mentioned in Daniel 8:6, the 2300th Passover culminates with the transfer of the Temple Mount to Israeli control in 1967, what Daniel called “the restoration of the sanctuary to its rightful state” (Daniel 8:14).

Next, the author tackles the 1290 days of Daniel 12:11 and the 1335 days of Daniel 12:12. According to the author, there are three keys that unlock the meaning of these two dates. The first key is to discover the starting point for counting these days. Since the capture of the Temple Mount in 1967 marks the end of Daniel’s prophecy, the author concludes that the starting point for counting these days is 1967 and that the days should be counted in reverse to reveal the meaning of the prophecy.

The second key is the meaning of the word “day.” Since the expression “evening-morning” in 8:14 was a reference to the Passover, the author believes that the meaning of the word “day” in Daniel 12:11-12 is a reference to the Day of Atonement. The third key is how to count the days mentioned in verses 11 and 12. His conclusion is that there are not two separate time periods but one day period of 1290 days and an extension of 45 days.

Thus, counting 45 Days of Atonement from 1967, the 45th Day of Atonement comes to 1922, the year the League of Nations ratified the Palestine Mandate, an act that established a national home for Israel. Then counting 1290 Days of Atonement from 1922, the 1290th Day of Atonement comes to 632 A.D., the year Mohammed died.

Next, the author deals with the expression “a time, two times, and half a time” in Daniel 12:7. According to the author, the expression refers to the gap between the time Antiochus IV desecrated the temple in 167 B.C. and the death of Mohammed in 632 A.D., a period of 798 years. Thus, “a time” is 228 years. This number is crucial for the interpretation of Chapter 7.

Chapter 7:25 speaks of “a time, two times, and half a time.” This period begins in 161 B.C. and ends in 637 A.D. The first date, 161 B.C., was the year of the Battle of Nicanor when the Maccabeans scored a victory against the Seleucids. The second date, 637 A.D., was the year when the last Passover occurred before Caliph Omar captured the Temple Mount.

The reference to “a season and a time” in Daniel 7:12 begins with the first Passover celebrated in the rededicated Temple in 162 B.C. and ends in 66 A.D., the start of the Jewish-Roman war and the events that led to the destruction of the Temple by the Romans.

I do not have the time nor the space to describe how the author interprets the events in Daniel 10:1-11:45. I am more interested in the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks in Daniel 9:1-27.

According to the writer, there are several things that must be considered in interpreting Daniel’s prophecy of the Seventy Weeks. First, “the decree to restore Jerusalem” mentioned in 9:25 refers to Julius Caesar’s decree allowing Hyrcanus II to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Second, the mention of “weeks” in v. 25 does not refer to “weeks of years,” that is, 490 years. The word “weeks” refers to the “Festival of Weeks,” or Pentecost. Thus, the sixty-nine weeks of v. 25 refers to sixty-nine Pentecosts. This period begins in 44 B.C. with Julius Caesar’s decree and ends in 27 A.D. with the death of Christ.

The system developed by the author explains every chrono-specific prophecy in the book of Daniel. Time and space do not allow me to explain in detail his interpretation of the Seventy Weeks nor of the events of the last week that culminated with the death and resurrection of Christ.

The book concludes with several supplementary materials to aid the study of the book of Daniel and other issues related to chronology. The writer provides a study of the Hebrew calendar, several tables listing sabbatical years and Jubilee years, a chronology of the reign of Hezekiah (since there is a reference to a Passover and a Jubilee year in his reign), and a chronology of Ezekiel’s prophecies.

The author has developed a system that he has applied throughout the book of Daniel to explain all the prophecies in the book that contain references to dates, what he calls, “chrono-specific prophecies.” One important question must be asked about this book: Did the author of Daniel Unsealed explain and clarify the chrono-specific prophecies of Daniel?

After the author applied his system to the book of Daniel, it becomes very clear that he accomplished the goals he set for his book: to explain all the chrono-specific prophecies of the book. Can you, the reader of the book, accept his conclusions? Yes, you can, provided,

1. Provided that you accept the conclusion that the expression “evening-morning” is a reference to the Passover.

2. Provided that the 1290 days and the 1345 days are counted backwards from 1967 and not forward as it is done by most scholars.

3. Provided that “a time” is interpreted to be 228 years.

4. Provided that the mention of “weeks” is a reference to the Feast of Tabernacles.

5. Provided that the “decree” of Daniel 9:27 is a reference to Julius Caesar’s decree.

6. Provided that the date of the Exodus is 1441 B.C.

7. Provided that Hezekiah became king in 729 B.C.

8. Provided that the book of Daniel was written in the 6th century B.C.

The system that explains the chrono-specific prophecies in Daniel is based on too many presuppositions that are difficult to accept. Some of the presuppositions of the author could be possible, others are not.

I doubt that Daniel was worried about the death of Mohammed, Muslim history, or the decree of Julius Caesar. There is no archaeological evidence that the Exodus occurred in 1441 B.C. and a 729 B.C. date for Hezekiah is almost impossible.

When I began reading the book, I followed the argument of the writer and unsealed the book of Daniel to seek to understand the hidden meanings behind Daniel’s visions and his chrono-specific oracles.

After I finished reading the book and after I evaluated the author’s argument, I decided to seal the book again (Daniel 8:26) and concluded with Daniel himself that the vision “was beyond understanding” (Daniel 8:27).

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Daniel 8, Prophet Daniel, Six-Day War