Extrabiblical Evidences of Biblical Persons and/or Events: The Mesad Hashavyahu Ostracon

An ostracon is a piece of broken pottery which is used as a writing surface in the same way we would use paper.  The Mesad Hashavyahu Ostracon is a seventh century BC/BCE fragment of a jar which is inscribed with fourteen lines of Hebrew text and contains the earlist known mention of the Sabbath by a non-biblical source.

The Mesad Hasavyahu is the ruins of an ancient fortress built about 630 BC/BCE, during the reign of Josiah, king of Judah.  The ruins are named for the supervisor mentioned in the inscription.  The original name of the fortress is unknown.  The border fortress faced the Philistine city of Ashdod.

The ostracon is currently housed in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.  It was found in 1960 by the archeologist, Joseph Naveh, during the excavation of the fortress' guard house.

"Let my lord, the governor, hear the word of his servant! Your servant is a reaper. Your servant was in Hazar Asam, and your servant reaped, and finished, and he has stored (the grain) during these days before the Sabbath. When your servant had finished the harvest, and had stored (the grain) during these days, Hoshavyahu came, the son of Shobi, and he seized the garment of your servant, when I had finished my harvest. It (is already now some) days (since) he took the garment of your servant. And all my companions can bear witness for me - they who reaped with me in the heat of the harvest - yes, my companions can bear witness for me. Amen! I am innocent from guilt. And he stole my garment! It is for the governor to give back the garment of his servant. So grant him mercy in that you return the garment of your servant and do not be displeased."

http://cojs.org/cojswiki/Mezad_Hashavyahu_Ostracon,_c._630_BCE

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mesad_Hashavyahu_Ostracon_Replica.JPG

http://www.ericlevy.com/Revel/Kings/Naveh%20-%20Excavations%20at%20Masad%20Hashavyahu.PDF

Female Images of God: Maintaining Clothing

"Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not." Nehemiah 9:21 In biblical times, weaving of fabrics was mostly a female occupation although there were men who were skilled embroiderers and engravers, such as Oholiab the son of Ahisamach (Exodus 38:23).  The fabrics were linen, flax, and wool.

Jesus Hats

JesusHats,com is a site which sells Christian baseball hats and T-shirts.  The idea is that the hats and shirts will cause someone to ask about Jesus.  This can be seen as a subtle form of evangelism; "a witness you can wear."

Whenever I visit a Christian website I always gravitate toward the statement of beliefs to see who the people behind the site are.  Dalen (Dale) Garris, of Waxahachie, Texas is the patriarch of this family-owned business.  I found that I can agree with some of Brother Dalen's beliefs and strongly disagree with some others.  This does not stop me from thinking that Jesus hats are a very good idea.

What Does It Mean?: Wimple

The word "wimple" occurs in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah 3:22.  What in the world is a wimple?  The wimple is the cloth linen muffler which nuns in traditional habits wear to cover their necks and breasts.  It winds around the head and the face and loops under the chin.  In medieval times it was a common part of secular female clothing.

The Hebrew word is "maatepheh", "a piece of clothing that covers."  Instead of a neck covering, it was more like a shawl, a garment which could cover the entire body.  It was often used for covering while sleeping.

The English translators of the King James Version of the Bible may not have been entirely sure what to do with this word.

ChristianShirts.net

http://www.christianshirts.net/  is a site devoted to one thing: selling tee shirts with Christian messages. The site is intensely pro-life and religiously conservative.  Many of the tee shirts are humorous and/or thought provoking; many are based on witty puns which probably would have meaning only in English.  Some may be offended by the cartoon character, Umbert the Unborn, a talking fetus inside a womb.  (I am not.) The site's overt political conservatism may bother some viewers as it seems to equate Christianity with one particular political viewpoint.

For full disclosure: I am unapologetically pro-life, evangelical, proudly trinitarian, and politically centrist.  I do not believe that any political organization speaks for God.  We are Americans, Russians, Mexicans, Latvians, Senegalese, Israelis, Jordanians. ... We should be proud of our nationalities and be responsible citizens, participating, where appropriate, in our nation's political discussions, but, our first allegiance must be to the Kingdom of God.

Naked and unashamed

     "Naturists" prefer this name rather than the older name, "nudist."  They believe that it is natural to live naked and unashamed as Nature intended.  At least some naturists substitute "our Creator" for "Nature," and at least some specifically claim to be Christian.

     At http://www.naturist-christians.org/modules.php?name=Statement_of_Faith they have published The Naturist-Christians Statement of Faith.  This appears to be a completely orthodox statement of faith, with two controversial additions.  The statement accepts the following doctrines: God is the Creator,  the Trinity, all have sinned, Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, Jesus was sinless, Jesus' death was substitutionary and propitiative, Jesus was dead for three days and rose from death on the third day, Jesus ascended to Heaven and rules with His Father, all who believe on Jesus will be saved, we are called to grow in grace, believers are united as the Church, we are to tell others of Christ, and that the Holy Spirit is our Comforter until Jesus returns.

     The two controversial declarations are these:

"We believe that all people are divinely created in God's own image, and their unclothed forms are covered and blessed in His righteousness."

"We believe that the naked human form is inherently good and wholesome."

     I think that these two statements are true but unnecessary additions to a statement of faith. They are what I think is an overreaction to the squeamishness that many in the Church seem to have to our beautiful God-given animal physical nature. As reasonable and true as they are on the surface, they are certainly not explicitly included in the "faith which was once delivered unto the saints." (Jude 3). They are the opinions of some Christian believers. It may involve a disagreement over what the image of God means.

    These two statements do not rise to the level of being accursed. The statements do not appear to touch on any aspect of salvific doctrines and probably fall into the category of disagreements between believers rather than being anything heretical. God does not care what you wear to church. What you wear to church, or don't wear to church, does not save you. This, however odd it may appear to some, does not amount to a different gospel. A different gospel would involve disputes over the nature of Jesus, linking salvation to any one political system, the nature of salvation, and/or actions or unorthodox beliefs supposedly necessary for salvation.

"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."  Galatians 1:8-9.