Did the Reed Sea Crossing Really Happen?

[Hizikyah]

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Psalm 78:4, "We do not hide them from their children, Relating to the generation to come the praises of [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif]יהוה[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, serif], And His strength and His wonders which He has done."[/FONT]

 

[buddyt]

Do you believe Gods word. It is written. Have you not read. Jesus words not mine.

 

[blue_ladybug]

The Reed Sea crossing never happened. It's a figment of your overactive imagination.. lol

 

[posthuman]

The Reed Sea crossing never happened. It's a figment of your overactive imagination.. lol

does it suffice to say that the Yam Suph crossing really happened and we all believe this?

and then we can all go and get our own Hebrew-to-English dictionaries out on our own time.

 

[Hizikyah]

Romans 1:20, For since the creation of the world Yah's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

"His eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen"

[video=youtube;l5jTs7BQzfk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5jTs7BQzfk[/video]

Psalm 78:3, "Which we have heard and known, For our fathers have related them to us."

Psalm 78:4, "We do not hide them from their children, Relating to the generation to come the praises of יהוה, And His strength and His wonders which He has done."

 

[popeye]

Well it was not a scientific crossing,nor was earths origin scientific.

Scientific,meaning Godless antichrist pseudo"science"

 

[Hizikyah]

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Psalm 78:5, "For He raised a witness in Ya‛aqoḇ, And set a Torah in Yisra’yl, Which He commanded our fathers, To teach them to their children;[/FONT]

 

[Hizikyah]

New Testament Political Figures: The Evidence

A web-exclusive supplement to Lawrence Mykytiuk's BAR article identifying real New Testament political figures



Lawrence Mykytiuk • 09/07/2017

The largest coin struck by King Herod the Great. Photo: Copyright 2010 by David Hendin, from Guide to Biblical Coins, 5th Edition.

Fifty-three people from the Hebrew Bible have been confirmed by archaeology. What about the New Testament? In “New Testament Political Figures Confirmed” in the September/October 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Purdue University scholar Lawrence Mykytiuk examines the political figures in the New Testament who can be identified in the archaeological record and by extra-Biblical writings. Below, see Mykytiuk’s extensive evidence, covering King Herod and his royal family to lesser known figures.—Ed.
[HR][/HR] Evidence Guide:

• New Testament Political Figures Evidence Chart
• Sample Evidences from Ancient Writings and Archaeology
• “Almost Real” People
• People Not Clearly Documented Outside the New Testament
• Abbreviations and References

[HR][/HR]
BAS Library Members: Read Lawrence Mykytiuk’s article “New Testament Political Figures Confirmed” in the September/October 2017 issue of BAR. Not a BAS Library member yet? Join the BAS Library today.

[HR][/HR]
New Testament Political Figures Evidence Chart [TABLE="width: 100%"]
[TR="bgcolor: #E0E0E0"]
[TH="align: left"][/TH]
[TH="align: left"]Name[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]Who was he or she?[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]When did he rule?[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]Where in the New Testament?[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]Sample of evidence in historical writings[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]Evidence in inscriptions[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 7, align: left"]Roman Emperors[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]1[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Augustus[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Roman Emperor[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]31 B.C.E.–14 C.E.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Luke 2:1[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Numerous[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Numerous[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]2[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Tiberius[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Roman Emperor[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]14–37 C.E.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Luke 3:1[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Numerous[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Numerous[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]3[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Claudius[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Roman Emperor[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]41–54 C.E.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Acts 11:28; 18:2[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Numerous[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Numerous[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]4[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Nero[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Roman Emperor[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]54–68 C.E.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Acts 25–26; 28:19[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Numerous[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Numerous[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 7, align: left"]Herodian Family[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]5[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Herod I, the Great[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Rome’s King of the Jews over all of Palestine.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]37–4 B.C.E.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Matthew 2:1; Luke 1:5[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities and Wars[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Coins[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]6[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Herod Archelaus[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Oldest son of Herod the Great. Ethnarch of Judea, Samaria and Idumea.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4 B.C.E.–6 C.E.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Matthew 2:22[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities and Wars[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Coins[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]7[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Herod Antipas[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Son of Herod the Great; second husband of Herodias. Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea (Transjordan). He ordered the execution of John the Baptist.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4 B.C.E.–39 C.E.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Luke 3:1; 13:31–32; 23:7–12; Mark 6:14; 6:16–28; 8:15[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities and Wars[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Coins[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]8[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Herod Philip[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Son of Herod the Great but not a ruler; Herodias’s uncle and first husband; father of their daughter Salome.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"][/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Matthew 14:3–4; Mark 6:17–18; Luke 3:19[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities and Wars[/TD]
[TD="align: center"](No coins because he was not a ruler)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]9[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Herodias[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Granddaughter of Herod the Great; niece and wife of Herod Philip, mother of his daughter Salome; then Herod Antipas’s wife. She brought about the order to execute John the Baptist.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"][/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Mathew 14:2–11; Mark 6:17–28; Luke 3:19–20[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities and Wars[/TD]
[TD="align: center"](No coins because she was not a ruler)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]10[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Salome[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Herodias’s daughter. Her dance led to the execution of John the Baptist. Grandniece and later wife of Philip the Tetrarch.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"][/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Matthew 14:3–12; Mark 6:17–29[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Coins of her second husband, Aristobulus, king of Chalcis[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]11[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Philip the Tetrarch[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Son of Herod the Great. Tetrarch of Trachonitis, Iturea and other northern portions of Palestine. Eventually husband of his grandniece Salome.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4 B.C.E.–34 C.E.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Luke 3:1[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities and Wars[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Coins[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]12[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Herod Agrippa I[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Grandson of Herod the Great; brother of Herodias. King of Trachonitis, Batanea, gradually all of Palestine. Executed James the son of Zebedee and imprisoned Peter.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]37–44 C.E.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Acts 12:1–6, 18–23[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities and Wars[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Coins[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]13[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Herod Agrippa II[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Son of Herod Agrippa I. Initially Tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis, then also over parts of Galilee and Perea, Chalcis and northern territories. Festus appointed him to hear Paul’s defense.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]50–c. 93 C.E.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Acts 25:13–26:32[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities and Wars[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Coins[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]14[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Berenice/Bernice[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Sister and companion of Herod Agrippa II, rumored lovers. Attended Paul’s trial before Festus.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"][/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Acts 25:13, 23; 26:30[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities and Wars[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Inscription of King Herod Agrippa II in Beirut[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]15[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Drusilla[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Sister of Herodias and Herod Agrippa I; Jewish wife of Roman governor Felix.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"][/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Acts 24:24[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities[/TD]
[TD="align: center"](No coins; not
a ruler)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 7, align: left"]Roman Legate and Governors[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]16[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Publius Sulpicius Quirinius
( = Cyrenius)[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Roman imperial legate brought in to govern Syria-Cilicia after Herod Archelaus’s rule led to rebellion.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]6–9 C.E. and possibly earlier[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Luke 2:2[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities and Wars[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]The Lapis Venetus inscription discovered in Beirut[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]17[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Pontius Pilate[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Roman prefect of Judea who conducted Jesus’ trial and ordered his crucifixion.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]26–36 C.E.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Matthew 27:11–26; Mark 15:1–15; Luke 3:1; 23:1–24; John 18:28–19:22[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities and Wars; Tacitus, Annals; Philo, De Legatione ad Gaium[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Pilate Stone discovered at Caesarea Maritima; coins[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]18[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Lucius Junius Gallio[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Roman proconsul of Achaia who convened and dismissed the trial of Paul in Corinth.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]c. 51–55 C.E.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Acts 18:12–17[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Seneca, Letters; Tacitus, Annals[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Stone inscription discovered in Delphi, Greece[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]19[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Marcus Antonius Felix[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Roman procurator of Judea who held initial hearings in the trial of the apostle Paul.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]52–c. 59 C.E.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Acts 23; 24[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities and Wars[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Coins[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]20[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Porcius Festus[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Roman procurator of Judea who conducted a hearing in the trial of Paul, during which Paul appealed to Caesar and was sent to Rome.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]59–62 C.E.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Acts 24:27–25:27; 26:24–32[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Coins[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 7, align: left"]Independent Political Figures[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]21[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Aretas IV[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Arabian king of Nabatea. Father of Herod Antipas’s first wife, before Herodias.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]9 B.C.E.–40 C.E.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]2 Corinthians 11:32[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities and Wars[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Inscriptions at Petra, etc.; coins[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]22[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]The unnamed Egyptian leader[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]His Jerusalem-area insurrection was suppressed by Roman procurator Felix.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"][/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Acts 21:38[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities and Wars[/TD]
[TD="align: center"](No coins because he was not a ruler)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]23[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Judas of Galilee[/TD]
[TD="align: left"]Led a rebellion against the census of Roman imperial legate Quirinius.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"][/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Acts 5:37[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Josephus, Antiquities and Wars[/TD]
[TD="align: center"](No coins because he was not a ruler)[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

[Muzungu256]

i believe it really happened.

 

[Hizikyah]

Psalm 78:1-132, "He did wonders in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Mitsrayim, in the field of Tso‛an.

He split the sea and caused them to pass through, And He made the waters stand up like a heap,"


Psalm 29:1-2, "Ascribe to YHWH, O you mighty, ascribe to YHWH glory and strength. Ascribe to YHWH the glory due His Name! Worship Him in the beauty of holiness."

 

[MattforJesus]

I believe it happened,for if God can create all that He created,then how hard would it be to part the sea.

But God worked among Israel that He does not work like that among people in the New Testament,at least not yet,for the heathen shall see His working in the future when He goes against them.

It is based on faith,so God will not show things like He showed Israel,and Jesus showed things to the disciples that He will not show to those afterward,except to Paul,for they had to have proof of the truth so they could go boldly forth proclaiming it,but it is faith after that.

Which is why Jesus told Thomas that he believed because he seen the nail prints,and the pierced side of Jesus,and that Jesus showed Him proof He resurrected,but blessed are those that have not seen,but still believe,because it is of faith,and if we had proof of God by the physical in the area of Him being in a visible manifestation,or a physical act such as the sea parting,many would only believe because they seen,not because they had faith.

 

[Hizikyah]

Psalm 145:1-5, "I exalt You, my Strength, O Sovereign; And bless Your Name forever and ever. All day long I bless You, And praise Your Name forever and ever. Great is יהוה, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. Generation after generation praise Your works, And they declare Your mighty acts. I declare the esteemed splendor of Your excellency, And the matters of Your wondrous works."

 

[Johnny_B]

I have see that video before it is a great video with evidence of the Red Sea crossing.

You mean Red Sea, not Reed Sea right? Because those pics were taken in the Red Sea. Not getting nit picky, but there are those that say they crossed the Reed Sea which was only about a foot deep. Which if that is where they crossed it a bigger miricle for the Egyptian army to all drown a die in a foot of water.

 

[Hizikyah]

I have see that video before it is a great video with evidence of the Red Sea crossing.

You mean Red Sea, not Reed Sea right? Because those pics were taken in the Red Sea. Not getting nit picky, but there are those that say they crossed the Reed Sea which was only about a foot deep. Which if that is where they crossed it a bigger miricle for the Egyptian army to all drown a die in a foot of water.

It is a really awsome video, halleluYah!

Yeah so it's usually translated "Red" but it is really the "Yam Suph" Sea of Reeds;

Yam Suph

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yam Suph (Hebrew: יַם-סוּף) has traditionally been understood to refer to the salt water inlet located between Africa and the Arabian peninsula known in English as the Red Sea. More recently, alternative western scholarly understandings of the term have been proposed for those passages where it refers to the Israelite Crossing of the Sea as told in Exodus 13-15. These proposals would mean that Yam Suph is better translated in these passages as Sea of Reeds or Sea of Seaweed; see Egyptian reed fields, also described as the ka of the Nile Delta. In Jewish sources, 1 Kings 9:26 yam suph is translated as Sea of Reeds at Eilat on the Gulf of Eilat.

As you can see the vast majority of translations get it wrong, however a few get it right, and a word study shows it is reed, or what most would call seaweed.

1Kings 9:26 And Sovereign Shelomoh built a fleet of ships at Etsyon Geḇer, which is near Ĕyloth on the shore of the Sea of Reeds*, in the land of Eḏom.

*5488. suphStrong's Concordance

suph: reeds, rushes
​

Original Word: סוּף
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: suph
Phonetic Spelling: (soof)
Short Definition: red

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
probably of foreign origin
Definition
reeds, rushes
NASB Translation
red* (24), reeds (2), rushes (1), weeds (1).

1 Kings 9:26
Parallel Verses
New International Version
King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber, which is near Elath in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.

International Standard Version
King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Reed Sea in the land of Edom.

 

[Hizikyah]

[h=2]Major Evidences Regarding Genesis 1–11[/h]

One of the Babylonian Creation Tablets, Enuma Elish
[HR][/HR]

Part of the Gilgamesh Epic

Genesis 1–11 is the “seed-plot of the Bible,” an introduction to Abraham and great doctrines, such as God the Creator, Friend, Revealer, Judge, Redeemer, Restorer, and Sustainer. It is actual history, and it is a summary of beginnings.

1. Enuma Elish—This is the Babylonian Creation Record. We also have the Ebla Creation Tablet. The Bible record is clearly superior to this as the Enuma Elish has creation from pre-existing matter, which really isn’t creation at all. The Bible is the true account of this historical event.
2. The Epic of Gilgamesh includes the Babylonian Flood Story. Again, the biblical record is greatly superior. As Nozomi Osanai wrote in her master’s thesis on a comparison between Noah’s Flood and the Gilgamish Epic, “According to the specifics, scientific reliability, internal consistency, the correspondence to the secular records, and the existence of common elements among the flood traditions around the world, the Genesis account seems to be more acceptable as an accurate historical record.”1
3. Long-living Kings at Kish (Sumer)—These kings supposedly lived from 10,000 to 64,000 years ago. The Bible’s record is conservative and is the true account, while the Babylonian and other traditions have been embellished over time. It was later realized that the Babylonians had two bases for arithmetic calculations, based on either tens or sixties. When the records were retranslated using the system of tens rather than sixties, they came to a total within 200 years of the biblical record.

 

[Hizikyah]

[h=1]Second Temple Period Discoveries at Biblical Hebron[/h] [h=2]Legendary home of the Cave of the Patriarchs[/h] Biblical Archaeology Society Staff • 09/28/2017

• 786
• 6
• 21
• 3

“After this David inquired of the Lord, ‘Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?’ The Lord said to him, ‘Go up.’ David said, ‘To which shall I go up?’ He said, ‘To Hebron.’”
—2 Samuel 2:1

This large structure was originally built by Herod the Great and later in history alternately served as a church, mosque, church and mosque—and now remains a mosque. The building sits over the Cave of the Patriarchs, the traditional burial ground of the patriarchs and matriarchs at Biblical Hebron: Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leah. Photo: Djampa/CC BY-SA 4.0.

According to ancient Jewish historian Josephus, during the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (66–70 C.E.), Zealot leader Simeon Bar-Giora captured Hebron, but the Roman army under the command of general (and later emperor) Vespasian then retook the Judean town and burned it to the ground (Jewish War IV.529, 554). What happened to Hebron following its destruction? David Ben Shlomo discusses the evidence in the September/October 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. Referenced about 100 times in the Hebrew Bible, Biblical Hebron held the Cave of the Patriarchs—the burial ground of the Biblical patriarchs and matriarchs (Genesis 23:1–20; Genesis 25:9–10; Genesis 35:27–29; Genesis 49:29–33), was a fortified city when Moses sent spies to Canaan (Numbers 13:22) and served as David’s first capital in the Kingdom of Judah (2 Samuel 2:11).
The site of Tel Hebron resides 3,000 feet above sea level in the Judean hill country, about 20 miles south of Jerusalem. Excavations conducted in 2014 by David Ben-Shlomo and Emanuel Eisenberg revealed four occupational phases at Hebron during the Second Temple period, from the time of the late Hasmoneans (c. 100–37 B.C.E.) to the Bar-Kokhba Revolt (132–135 C.E.). Residential houses, pottery workshops and wine and oil presses were uncovered. Who lived at Biblical Hebron during the Second Temple period? Jewish, Edomite or pagan residents?

[HR][/HR]
In the free eBook Exploring Genesis: The Bible’s Ancient Traditions in Context, discover the cultural contexts for many of Israel’s earliest traditions. Explore Mesopotamian creation myths, Joseph’s relationship with Egyptian temple practices and three different takes on the location of Ur of the Chaldees, the birthplace of Abraham.
[HR][/HR]

The western mikveh, one of the two mikva’ot found at Biblical Hebron. Two separation walls divided this mikveh into three lanes. A wall can be seen in the middle of this mikveh: the wall was added in the Late Roman period, when the mikveh was converted into a roofed water reservoir. Photo: Assaf Peretz.

Ben-Shlomo describes how the excavators were able to confirm the identity of the Hebron residents:

If it was Jewish, we would expect to find a small mikveh, a Jewish ritual bathing place usually consisting of a small stepped pool. Jews immersed in such pools—often daily or when needed—to be cleansed of impurities. These were common in nearly all Second Temple period Jewish settlements in Judea.
Without a mikveh (plural, mikva’ot), we hesitated to label the site Jewish.
As often happens, near the last days of the excavation, the most surprising, interesting and important discovery of the season—and the answer to our dilemma—surfaced. We had excavated two large pools with the remnants of an arched ceiling and stairs leading to them. The bottom of the pools had not yet been reached, and the stairs were blocked by a transverse wall, which was puzzling. Suddenly we realized that the arched ceiling and transverse wall were actually later additions (from the late Roman period), and underneath these were two large stepped pools, which we were able to identify as mikva’ot.

​

 

[Hizikyah]

Where Did the Temple Menorah Go? Did it go back to Jerusalem?
​

Marek Dospěl •09/18/2017

Among the spoils of the Jewish War paraded through the center of Rome in the summer of 71 C.E. was the Temple Menorah, depicted in this deeply carved relief panel from the Arch of Titus in Rome, which was erected for the victorious general (and later emperor) to permanently commemorate his major accomplishment. Photo: Courtesy Steven Fine, The Arch of Titus Project.
​

After quelling a dangerous revolt in the Roman province of Judea in 71 C.E., Emperor Vespasian and his son Titus returned to Rome to publicly celebrate their victory. Following an ancient martial tradition, they marched victoriously through the city center in a riotous triumphal procession, parading prisoners and spoils of the war. To commemorate this Roman triumph and to honor the victorious general (and later emperor), Titus, Emperor Domitian built an honorific monument—the Arch of Titus, which stands on the main processional street of ancient Rome (Via Sacra) to this day. The relief panels of the Arch of Titus in Rome chronicle the triumphal episodes following the fall of Jerusalem, capturing prominently the triumphal procession. One of the scenes confirms that the Temple Menorah was carried on litters in the parade that took place in the summer of 71 C.E. But what happened to the seven-branched candelabrum after that? The possibilities are explored in detail in the article “Did the Temple Menorah Come Back to Jerusalem?” in the September/October 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, where Fredric Brandfon unravels the Menorah’s intricate story.
The first-century C.E. Jewish historian Flavius Josephus informs us that after the triumph—depicted so famously on the Arch of Titus in Rome—most of the Temple treasures were deposited in the newly built Roman Temple of Peace.[SUP]1[/SUP] Josephus rather vaguely mentions “those golden vessels and instruments that were taken out of the Jewish temple.” Was the Temple Menorah among these artifacts?
The Roman Temple of Peace was apparently a magnificent building that Emperor Vespasian built “in so glorious a manner, as was beyond all human expectation and opinion” and had “adorned with pictures and statues.”[SUP]2[/SUP] It is then no wonder that the Roman polymath Pliny considered this Roman Temple of Peace among the most beautiful buildings in the city.
Jerusalem lies at the heart of Biblical archaeology. In the free eBook Jerusalem Archaeology: Exposing the Biblical City, learn about the latest finds in the Biblical world’s most vibrant city.


Yet we can only speculate that the Temple Menorah was among the Temple spoils and “all such rarities” (as Josephus puts it) collected from every part of the Roman Empire and displayed for public viewing in the Roman Temple of Peace.
The only time the Temple Menorah reappears in our records (after it had been portrayed on the Arch of Titus in Rome in c. 81 C.E.) is when a second-century rabbi Simeon ben Yohai travels to Rome, where he reportedly sees the Menorah. Where precisely? Presumably in the Roman Temple of Peace. This temple then burned down around 192 C.E. It was later rebuilt, but we never again hear of the Temple Menorah.

​

Only ruins remain of the Roman Temple of Peace that once housed the spoils of the Jerusalem Temple, according to Flavius Josephus’s The Jewish War. Was the Temple Menorah among these treasures? It must have been, although no historical source mentions it explicitly. But would the Temple Menorah have survived the fire that destroyed this pagan temple around 192 C.E.? If so, what followed?

If the Temple Menorah survived the destruction of the Roman Temple of Peace, what happened to it after the sack of Rome by Visigoths in 410 and by Vandals in 455? Is it even possible that the Menorah survived all the calamities and chaos of the fifth and sixth centuries? A tradition recorded by the Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea (c. 500–560) has it that the Temple treasures eventually ended up back in Jerusalem.[SUP]3[/SUP] Procopius relates that Emperor Justinian returned the spoils of the Temple to Jerusalem because they were cursed—any city that once housed them was eventually destroyed. Could the Temple Menorah have still been part of the Temple treasures at that point in history and thus found its way back to the holy city?

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[HR][/HR] Notes:

1. Josephus, The Jewish War 7.158–162.
2. Ibidem.
3. Procopius, The Wars of Justinian, trans. by Henry B. Dewing, introduction and notes by Anthony Kaldellis (Indianapolis & Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Co., 2014), 4.9.6–9.

 

[Hizikyah]

I say YES!

Romans 1:20, For since the creation of the world Yah's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

Physical evidence of the display of the power of the Most High in the "Red" (Reed) Sea Crossing;

"His eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen"

I know it's a "slow" vid, but man is it amazing!

A few pics for those who don't have the time to watch it:

The Real Mt.Sinai (burnt top)

Chariot wheels in the Reed sea: (that match that particular dynasty of that era)

Altar of the "golden calf" w/ inscriptions

New Link!

[video]https://youtu.be/RBB1e6i0_I8[/video]

[video]https://youtu.be/RBB1e6i0_I8[/video]

https://youtu.be/RBB1e6i0_I8

 

[Sherril]

Gods word says it, its so.....I have seen evidence of the parting of the red sea years ago....Gods word is lived out right before our eyes....historical proof of Jesus, God, and the Truth of Gods word .....I love it ......ty for sharing praise God....love in Christ Sherril..

 

[Waggles]

At The Revival Fellowship we have a strong emphasis on Bible archaeology and prophecy.
Over the last ten years or so we have enjoyed several powerpoint presentations on the evidence
for the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea from the Sinai Peninsular over to Arabia.

There are also some excellent videos on YouTube showing the chariot wheels and the
area around the true Mount Sinai in Arabia.

There is a natural underwater landbridge which is submerged some 100 feet below
sea level today (but what was the level of submergence 3,500 years ago?) that would have
permitted the children of Israel to walk on dry land - and for chariots to foolishly pursue them.

I have on my computer a number of maps and images about all of this, but I cannot paste
them into this thread reply box. Shame.