The Lord's Communion

2/3
We went to see the wall that Hezekiah rebuilt/restored before Sennacharib came to attack. The stones are just amazing; they last forever, the structure holds up so well, and yet they built it with little equipment!

Then we went into a 1st temple period museum where we talked about city walls changing location and such. We watched a really cheesy video about it. Then we went down the Jewish quarter and saw the main street, the cardo which is closed on Shabbat, and an ancient depiction of a map of the 1st temple period.

our wonderful Prof

Normal to have them walking around the streets

Then we went to Oscar Schindler's grave, the man who saved at least 1,200 Jews lives during the holocaust by having them work in his factory. Quite an amazing story.

this cemetery is the last scene in Schindler's List.

My blessing and roommate

i just love these people so much!

We went to a place associated with the last supper but it couldn't have been because it was built during the crusader times. Bill gave interesting thoughts that i never thought about before and I agree with. It shouldn't be called the Lord's supper but instead the Lord's communion. Jesus wasn't taking the meaning out of passover but instead He was adding to it. Jesus most likely set up a time for a guy to meet Peter and John so that Judas could not turn Him in because it was not the right time. I always thought of it as a vision but it doesn't have to be. Did Jesus give up all his omniscience? Did he fully lay down his divine attributes Philippians 2:7? Also, think about it. Passover was to celebrate the Exodus from Egypt and God was still faithful so it didn't abolish the passover but instead just added to it. Christ saved us out of a life of blindness, rejection, pride, sin. What a blessing and reason to celebrate!!!! Another thing to think about was that the passover probably wasn't the traditional one long table, sitting on the floor in a line type of deal. Bill argued that there were probably women and children there as well because passover was a family tradition and in Exodus it says how the children will ask the parents the significance (Exodus 12:25-27). Due to this fact there must have been many tables, and all we know is that John and Judas were sitting by Jesus. Peter had to try and get John's attention to ask who would betray Jesus but Jesus didn't answer out loud but instead just told John otherwise Peter might have killed Judas if he knew John 21:20-23.

Then we saw how they did the burial process where they lay the body for a year and then they would collect the bones and put them underneath the bench in a whole in the rock.

We also saw these ritual mickva baths where the jews would come purify themselves by walking in one side, getting completely covered and walk out clean the other side.

Briana Cowan

2/5/13

The Land and the Bible

Professor Schlegel

1^st Temple Period; Jerusalem Old City

            First we were able to see part of the city wall that Hezekiah would’ve helped repair as a means of getting ready for the Assyrian attack by King Sennacherib. This wall, called the Broad Wall or Hezekiah’s Wall, would have been built during the 1^st temple period, which is from 1000-586BC. The estimated height of this wall was eight meters by seven meters. Then we went in a little museum of the first temple period and learned that this period began at David’s reign. The North was the easiest way of attack because a valley did not hinder the path to Jerusalem and that is why it was so important to have a sturdy wall. There was a replica of a plaque that was found in the museum, Hezekiah’s inscription, and it is the largest inscription from the first temple period. Also, a silver amulet was found with Numbers 6:24-26 on it, a priestly blessing. That is the oldest Old Testament text that has been found. They also have found jewelry. Once we left we were also able to see a map depicting Jerusalem in 500 AD. The main building in this map was the church of the Holy Sepulcher.

            Then we went to the place associated with the Lord’s Passover but it really was a building from the time of the Crusaders and therefore cannot be the place of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus did not want Judas to know the place where they were to celebrate Passover so He arranged it ahead of time that a guy was going to meet Peter and show him where he was to go. Also, this Passover wasn’t what we think of as the traditional long table with all the disciples leaning on pillows, but instead it is a good chance that women were there as well and there were many tables. In Exodus 12:24 it says, “You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and your sons forever . . .” and then continues to say how the children will ask the significance. This therefore, is a good indication that children were present as well as wives. When Jesus says, “do this in remembrance of Me,” this is referring to Passover and that is why it should be called the Lord’s Passover. The Passover/Exodus is the central means of who the Jews are and Jesus is adding another landmark. In the same building, down below on ground level, it was traditionally thought to be David’s tomb but that could not be true cause it came into existence late in the 1^st century AD.

            Next, we went to the place of Oscar Schindler’s grave. Schindler saved over 1,000 Jews during the holocaust by hiring them as cheap labor to work in his factory. It started with a mind set of his benefit and then turned into concern and love for the Jews where he genuinely started to save them from the concentration camps of the Nazis.
            Archeologists are discovering a step stone structure that dates back to the time of David. There was a seal found with Jeremiah 8 that would have been used by the scribes.  These seals were preserved because of the fire that destroyed the city.

the throne room :)