A stone seal bearing the name of one of the families who acted as servants in the First Temple and then returned to Jerusalem after being exiled to Babylonia has been uncovered in an archeological excavation in Jerusalem's City of David, a prominent Israeli archeologist said Wednesday.
The 2,500-year-old black stone seal, which has the name "Temech" engraved on it, was found earlier this week amid stratified debris in the excavation under way just outside the Old City walls near the Dung Gate, said archeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar, who is leading the dig.
According to the Book of Nehemiah, the Temech family were servants of the First Temple and were sent into exile to Babylon following its destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BCE.
The family was among those who later returned to Jerusalem, the Bible recounts.
The seal, which was bought in Babylon and dates to 538-445 BCE, portrays a common and popular cultic scene, Mazar said.
The 2.1 x 1.8-cm. elliptical seal is engraved with two bearded priests standing on either side of an incense altar with their hands raised forward in a position of worship.
A crescent moon, the symbol of the chief Babylonian god Sin, appears on the top of the altar.
Under this scene are three Hebrew letters spelling Temech, Mazar said.
The Bible refers to the Temech family: "These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city." [Nehemiah 7:6]... "The Nethinim [7:46]"... The children of Temech." [7:55].
The fact that this cultic scene relates to the Babylonian chief god seemed not to have disturbed the Jews who used it on their own seal, she added.
The seal of one of the members of the Temech family was discovered just dozens of meters away from the Opel area, where the servants of the Temple, or "Nethinim," lived in the time of Nehemiah, Mazar said.
"The seal of the Temech family gives us a direct connection between archeology and the biblical sources and serves as actual evidence of a family mentioned in the Bible," she said. "One cannot help being astonished by the credibility of the biblical source as seen by the archaeological find."
The find will be announced by Mazar at the 8th annual Herzliya Conference on Sunday.
The archeologist, who rose to international prominence for her recent excavation that may have uncovered King David's palace, most recently uncovered the remnants of a wall from Nehemiah.
The dig is being sponsored by the Shalem Center, a Jerusalem research institute where Mazar serves as a senior fellow, and the City of David Foundation, which promotes Jewish settlement throughout east Jerusalem.
awesome! i wish one day i can go to the Holy land and see all the artifacts found from Biblical days.
__________________ Me 29 Dh 33
no longer ttc
Started taking Met XR 750MG YAY! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. 12/5/2007
2nd cycle of femara (BFP!!!! but lost baby at 6 weeks) July 04
Starting process for WLS!!!!!
Thank You Lord Jesus for everything! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Jash: can i share something with you? off topic, lately, i have been feeling a little bad on the board, i constantly read people blaming God for their circumstances and not taking resp for their own doings. in the past, i was guilty of doing this myself, before i had a relationship with Him or believed in Him. anyway, i want to be a witness to Christ but i am a little hesistant because i feel that someone on here is going to give me a big slap on the face. do you feel like this?
__________________ Me 29 Dh 33
no longer ttc
Started taking Met XR 750MG YAY! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. 12/5/2007
2nd cycle of femara (BFP!!!! but lost baby at 6 weeks) July 04
Starting process for WLS!!!!!
Thank You Lord Jesus for everything! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Yeah, funny thing is I've gotten more flack from people who call themselves Christians about witnessing on this board. I think unsaved people pretty much expect us to share our Faith. The one thing to watch out for is rabbit trails. People will get you off tangent with things that only can cause arguments and get nowhere. Be open to answering questions and you might be surprised how many ask more questions. I've been told by very few to not speak of God on other boards like GTKY and the Mommy Board, but if it's on topic, most don't mind.
Just don't get discouraged. Remember we cannot save anyone, only God can do the convincing. Too often I forget that and think I've failed somewhere, when actually I've just been given an opportunity to plant a seed or water. It's up to Him to work in hearts. Often the most obstinate people are the ones who feel conviction the most. It's just not obvious.
There are several Christians on this board, but some are afraid to say much because they have seen what happens when big arguments break out. Sadly, we aren't taught in church how to deal with such situations. One book that has helped me is Screwtape Letters. It shows how things are all really happening on a spiritual level, but we react on what we see physcially. I highly recommend it.
I will pray God will give you boldness and the right words to say
Thanks Jash: you are right on track with the boldness part (right on track on everything else too..lol..).
i guess i am scared of taking it personal, like rejection although i know that they are really rejecting Christ. i know we are open to persicution (probably spelled that wrong) because of our faith, so i'm not surprised. there are some threads i read that make me want to post so bad but i dont because i know that the majority will not like what i would write although it would be Scripture quoting. yes, i agree about planting the seed and God watering it, i just feel so bad for people who are hurting and when you give them the "medicine" they dont take it or like it. on another thread at the rant forum "i am going to throw up (abortion mentioned)" i think that was the title, i wrote some personal stuff about me, i think it was more of a sudden moment thing, to show that abortion is murder but now i feel like i should just have not written it, not because i am ashamed but because i dont think anyone understood my point.
__________________ Me 29 Dh 33
no longer ttc
Started taking Met XR 750MG YAY! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. 12/5/2007
2nd cycle of femara (BFP!!!! but lost baby at 6 weeks) July 04
Starting process for WLS!!!!!
Thank You Lord Jesus for everything! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
As long as we are sharing our thoughts and experiences we are going to end up talking about our relationship to Christ and how that impacts our decisions and beliefs. That will offend some, just as what others say offends us. For some reason we are told it's OK for others to offend us, but not OK for us to offer our thoughts that some find offensive.
From what I gather on this board we are not allowed to attack or spam, but we are allowed to offer our opinions even if they are not popular. Satan wants to keep us quiet and keep the answers to ourselves, so he attacks our assurance that we are doing what's right. Once he has us convinced we have no right to speak, he has won the battle. Most of my life I have been afraid to speak up. I finally realized that doing that meant I was not following Christ, but giving into fear. The worst people can do is reject what you say. Once that happens a few times you realize it's not going to kill you, lol. It's easy to get discouraged, but remembering that it's almost as simple as telling people "here is the Truth, accept or reject" helps.
OTOH the best that can happen is to impact someone's life for Christ. Even if you never know it on this earth, you could be making a big difference in someone's life. My DH has modeled this for me and I'm amazed that such a quiet man can in everyday conversation be such a witness to those he knows well.
Jash: i am without words, i feel the Holy Spirit just ministering me thru you, thank you! if i could rate my wimpiness today, i would rate it at 3-4, since God has already given me some strength but i am aware i need to reject the fear that satan uses to paralize me. about sharing, now, i CANNOT stay in a conversation long without mentioning Christ, and sadly, most of my "unbeliever" friends avoid me, but i thank God that He has put me in a place where i have new friends in Him and that helps alot. to be honest with you, i feel so happy with the "Daily Scripture" thread because i can post freely and know that there is no one (so far...lol...) who is going to rise up against our beliefs. you are really a blessing Jash.
__________________ Me 29 Dh 33
no longer ttc
Started taking Met XR 750MG YAY! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. 12/5/2007
2nd cycle of femara (BFP!!!! but lost baby at 6 weeks) July 04
Starting process for WLS!!!!!
Thank You Lord Jesus for everything! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
I think God just put us in each other's paths to remind us each of what we need to do and how His blessings will follow
Rightly said
__________________ Me 29 Dh 33
no longer ttc
Started taking Met XR 750MG YAY! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. 12/5/2007
2nd cycle of femara (BFP!!!! but lost baby at 6 weeks) July 04
Starting process for WLS!!!!!
Thank You Lord Jesus for everything! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Jewish artifact from First Temple era found 
