Tomb found

[mj412]

Tomb Found: Father of John the Baptist?

Standing 60 feet high, the funerary monument was likely constructed around the time of Jesus for the aristocracy of Jerusalem. Located in the Kidron Valley between Jerusalem's Old City and the Mount of Olives, it has long been in plain view. What hasn't been easily visible is the worn inscription on it.

The Associated Press reports that thanks to the light of the setting sun that hit the ancient tomb at just the right angle, the 47 Greek letters inscribed in the stone that went unnoticed for centuries suddenly came to life:

"This is the tomb of Zachariah, martyr, very pious priest, father of John."

That would be John as in John the Baptist.

Bible lesson: Zachariah was an old man who burned incense in the temple one day and was told by an angel that his elderly wife, Elizabeth, was pregnant and would bear a son. That son grew up to become John the Baptist, the man who baptized Jesus Christ. AP notes that the Jewish historian Josephus writes that a priest named Zachariah was slain by Zealots in the temple, and his body was tossed into the Kidron Valley below. If that is true, it explains why the word "martyr" is in the inscription.

Scholars do not believe that Zachariah is buried in this tomb. But the inscription does give a unique insight into the local lore surrounding the early figures of the Christian church--and how the words came to be there.

Byzantine Christians most likely added the inscription to the tomb several hundred years after Zachariah's death and after the tomb's construction. Why? It was common for this group of Christians in the 4th and 5th centuries to mark sites that they believed were linked to the Bible's main characters. For example, the site where Jesus was crucified and buried was selected by Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine. In that place the Church of the Holy Sepulchre now stands.

This isn't a 5th-century fraud. Scholars insist these references, albeit second-hand ones, are still important because they confirm the traditions among early Christians. "We actually have contact with ancient history through Byzantine Christians," Jim Strange, a New Testament scholar at the University of South Florida, explained to AP.

AP notes that the inscription suggests 5th-century Christians believed Zachariah was buried at the site of the tomb. But since there is no other corroboration and there were hundreds of years between Zachariah's death and the time the inscription was carved into the stone, scholars admit they'll never know for sure.

"You may be able to confirm the existence of a tradition there," Stephen Pfann, a Bible scholar and head of the University of the Holy Land, told AP. "It's a very important witness to the history of Byzantine Christianity."

[dmiller]

Whether or not tombs, tunnels, shrouds, etc. have been "found" -- our Hope is in what Jesus Christ did for us, and what is awaiting us whenever He is told to come back and gather the saints.

While it is great to have physical "validation" to offer to the world, I am of the opinion that my "witness" is made more solid by acting out the Gospel on a daily basis, with or without the "props' that have been "authenticated" by science, news groups, etc.

It will be my actions, and inter-actions that make a difference in the lives of folks I come into contact with, rather than historical, geographical, or circumstancial data offered by the "sign-seekers". :)-->

[Dozer]

The physical validations are not necessary, however they sure are blessing to hear about. It's our heritage! Besides, wasn't it cool to hear that they found the chariots and weapons in the red sea from the Exodus of Israel from Egypt! That was good news out of the Mid-East for once.

[dmiller]

quote:

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That was good news out of the Mid-East for once.

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Dozer -- Absolutely!! I agree that it is great to have the physical validations, and I also agree -- that it is too bad that that is about the only good news coming from the Mid-East (these days).

[def59]

Whatever it takes for one to get saved,(relics, "archaeological finds") is cool by me.

[dmiller]

:)-->