Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Toto · 10-22-2007, 04:04 PM

I just read a review of this book: Jesus and Archeology (or via: amazon.co.uk), ed. James H.Charlesworth.

Quote:

An international team of thirty experts, archaeologists and biblical scholars, Jewish and Christian, joined the eminent Princeton director of the Dead Sea Scrolls project, in Jerusalem, to discuss the recent discoveries and revelations of archaeology about the life and ministry of Jesus, his world, and its historical setup and religious milieu. These and related questions in this volume that stems from the millenium conference on Jesus and Archaeology, in 2000 CE. The papers of the symposium, edited and reviewed into book chapters, notes were completed and glossary compiled. This took more than a year, with significant computer assistance.

I suspect it should be "Archeology from the time Jesus is supposed to have lived, assuming he lived," given this comment: " A two-thousand-year-old pot held by a Jew who lived in a small village frequented by Jesus can bring us closer to understanding those who were touched by Jesus."

There is an excerpt that can be read from here if you disable your pop-up blocker.

There is a review here by Jonathan Reed of the University of LaVerne.

mountainman · 10-22-2007, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Many contributors came directly from their excavations in places like Bethsaida, Capernaum, Nazareth, and Jerusalem to share their discoveries and insights.

Obviously noone has found any unambiguous evidence
in the field of archeology for an historical Jesus, or it
would have been mentioned somewhere.

Perhaps the search should be widened?

aa5874 · 10-22-2007, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountainman

Quote:

Many contributors came directly from their excavations in places like Bethsaida, Capernaum, Nazareth, and Jerusalem to share their discoveries and insights.

Obviously noone has found any unambiguous evidence
in the field of archeology for an historical Jesus, or it
would have been mentioned somewhere.

Perhaps the search should be widened?

They have found him but they just refuse to believe his name was Eusebius. If you have found Eusebius, you have found the Christ, he wrote the History.

I suggest the archaelogists narrow their search and head to Rome.

mountainman · 10-23-2007, 09:59 PM

Here is another related article entitled:
Archaeology and the Historical Jesus: Recent Developments

Quote:

A major driving force behind biblical archaeology in its early days were apologetics. In recent years these interests have been eclipsed by the new quest for context and meaning. By and large, this new quest has seen major advances on many fronts, especially where it concerns the historical Jesus.
In some cases discoveries touch directly on the story of Jesus as presented in the New Testament Gospels, such as in the 1961 discovery at Caesarea Maritima of the inscription that mentions Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judea, and perhaps (much more doubtfully) in the 1990 discovery in the vicinity of Jerusalem of an ossuary, whose inscription may contain the name of Caiaphas the high priest.

Of course this begs the question:

What is Christian Archaeology?

Quote:

Christian archaeology is that branch of the science of archaeology the object of which is the study of ancient Christian monuments. The modern historian who endeavours to reconstruct the life of the primitive Christians has two sources of information to draw upon, namely: literary and monumental sources. By literary sources is commonly understood the existing remains of early Christian literature; monumental sources consist of the various classes of objects of a material character surviving from antiquity, which were produced by Christians or under Christian influence, sepulchral inscriptions, paintings, sculptures churches, and the products of the minor arts.

Monumental evidence?

Do textual critics ever have regard for monumental evidence?

Biff the unclean · 10-23-2007, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountainman

Obviously noone has found any unambiguous evidence
in the field of archeology for an historical Jesus, or it
would have been mentioned somewhere.

What??!!! You've never heard of Saint Helena?

mountainman · 10-23-2007, 11:35 PM

Yes but she ran into second place

Zeichman · 10-24-2007, 06:45 PM

If anyone is interested and in Southern California, Jonathan Reed is giving a lecture about Archaeology and the Early Christians in a week or so.

http://iac.cgu.edu/lecfall07.html

Toto · 10-24-2007, 07:24 PM

Claremont is a bit far from me.

Thursday, 1 November, 7:30 p.m.; ALBRECHT AUDITORIUM, Claremont Graduate University

Jonathan L. Reed, University of La Verne

What Archaeology Reveals about the First Christians: The Case of Jesus and Marble

http://iac.cgu.edu/deslecfall07.html

Quote:

. . . JONATHAN L. REED earned his PhD in New Testament under Burton Mack ... Currently, he directs the IAC project, Galilean Archaeology and the Historical Jesus. He is a leading authority on 1st-century Palestine archaeology, has been involved in several major digs, and is now the lead archaeologist at Sepphoris. His publications include Archaeology and the Galilean Jesus (or via: amazon.co.uk) (2000) and two books co-authored with John Dominic Crossan — Excavating Jesus: Beneath the Stones, Behind the Texts (or via: amazon.co.uk) (2001) and In Search of Paul: How Jesus’ Apostle Opposed Rome’s Empire with God’s Kingdom (or via: amazon.co.uk) (2004).

Reed’s November lecture coincides with the release of his fourth book, The HarperCollins Visual Guide to the New Testament (or via: amazon.co.uk) (HarperOne: 2007). His slide-illustrated lecture will show how the lack of marble in Galilee helps assess the extent of its Romanization in the first century. Too often in the past, biblical archaeologists focused only on places mentioned in the gospels or looked for artifacts associated with Jesus. This outdated approach neglects much of what archaeology has to offer, since sometimes what is not found in Galilee is just as important for understanding Jesus’ first followers as what is found.

youngalexander · 10-25-2007, 03:20 AM

Does Jesus imply Christianity?

Archeology associated with Jesus is one thing, as exampled by the above postings.

Archeology of Christianity begins at the earliest 180 C.E., perhaps 200 C.E.. Curiously, the earliest archeology of Christianity does not include Jesus.

Does Christianity imply Jesus?

mountainman · 10-25-2007, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by youngalexander

Archeology of Christianity begins at the earliest 180 C.E., perhaps 200 C.E.. Curiously, the earliest archeology of Christianity does not include Jesus.

What archaeological citations underpin your statement
that the Archeology of Christianity begins at the earliest
180 C.E., perhaps 200 C.E? What in fact are these
earliest archaeological citations to which you refer?

Best wishes,

Pete Brown

10-25-2007, 03:20 AM	#9
youngalexander Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Mornington Peninsula Posts: 1,306	an innocent question? Does Jesus imply Christianity? Archeology associated with Jesus is one thing, as exampled by the above postings. Archeology of Christianity begins at the earliest 180 C.E., perhaps 200 C.E.. Curiously, the earliest archeology of Christianity does not include Jesus. Does Christianity imply Jesus?

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10-23-2007, 11:35 PM	#6
mountainman Contributor Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Falls Creek, Oz. Posts: 11,192	Yes but she ran into second place

10-24-2007, 06:45 PM	#7
Zeichman Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: USA Posts: 562	If anyone is interested and in Southern California, Jonathan Reed is giving a lecture about Archaeology and the Early Christians in a week or so. http://iac.cgu.edu/lecfall07.html

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