You know, sometimes, it really does seem that there may be an unseen purpose to things we simply can’t predict. Like, our outrage at the Muslim Waqf bulldozing a large trench in the Temple Mount may be misplaced. In fact, it may have to turn from outrage to, well, a Nelson laugh.
Because the Waqf may just have found definitive proof of the Second Temple.
According to this position, it is clear to me that the long wall encountered is the eastern wall of the Chamber of the Lepers (see plan on p. 345 of The Quest) and perhaps also part of the northern gate of the Court of the Women. The latter chamber was one of the four courtyards that belonged to the Court of the Women, with the other three being the Chamber of the Woodshed, the Chamber of the Nazarites and the Chamber of the House of Oil. As this area has never been built over since the Roman destruction of 70 AD, the wall cannot belong to a post-Herodian construction. It is therefore very exciting that the first concrete evidence of the Herodian Temple complex may have been found and ironically by people who deny that there ever was a Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount.
Check it out, ladies and gents. That’s from the blog of an archeologist who knows what he’s talking about.
Hey, that is so cool. God works in mysterious way’s, that’s for sure.
Here’s several introductory paragraphs to a*community* editorial letter in the Portland Press Herald from several days ago
“A year after Israel’s war on Lebanon, is peace any closer?
People shouldn’t oversimplify the root causes of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Wassim Mazraany August 30, 2007
ABOUT COMMUNITY VOICES
— I can’t believe it’s been a year already. For as long as the Arab-Israeli struggle has existed, Israel has always kept thousands of Arabs as hostages. Very few of them have been involved in terrorist acts against the Jewish state.
The vast majority are innocent bystanders, women, and children under the age of 18. Their fate has always been the barometer of Arab-Israeli relationships and negotiations.
Hundreds get released when the peace process seems to be advancing, only to be picked up again a few weeks later and sent back to camps when the political situation is unstable.
In what was internationally viewed as a slap on the face for human rights by a self-declared democracy, the Israeli Supreme Court has ruled that it is completely legal to hold administrative detainees (the politically correct word for hostages) as bargaining chips.
Enter the Hezbollah and its Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. Call him a terrorist or a freedom fighter, he is viewed in Israel and the Arab world as a very credible and believable person. ”
Mr Mazraany goes on toextol the virtue of the Hezbullah leader and explain that the palestinians MUST have a “contiguous” country with Jerusalem as it’s capitol.
He says this about the 2006 Lebanon war
“On July 12, 2006, three Lebanese fighters took two Israeli soldiers as prisoners of war.
For the next 33 days, Israel, with American support, methodically and systematically used massive firepower in a failed attempt to destroy Hezbollah and bomb Lebanon back to the Middle Ages. ”
Seems to leave out the numerous and repeated missile attacks in the months and years leading up to the war.
Just something from here in Norhtern New England.
Mark-
Sorry, that previous note was for the Hezbollah posting, not the temple mt.
:(
Last night my wife pointed me to that article. I thought about sending you a link, but it was late and I figured you’d either already written a post about it or would be doing so very soon.
Yes indeed, this is the height of irony. Not only have Muslims inspired archeological searches by denying Jewish history, but now their attempts to destroy archeological evidence have apparently unearthed it. Next thing you know, the Muslims will be digging up the bones of the high priest complete with breastplate.
I think it’s time to throw the bums out — get the Wakf off the Temple Mount, and bring in competent archaeologists with real integrity to supervise what Israel should have done years ago.
No Muslim presence without acknowledging our rights to the Mount as well.
Now if they could just find the Lost Ark…
Joseph, we have it. It’s being studied by top men. Top men.
Once they destroy anything, they just pretend it never happened and never existed (paraphrase of the Hebrew ×œ× ×”×™×” ×•×œ× × ×‘×¨×). Besides even when the Mashiach comes and the third temple descends from the heavens and replace the mosque, they will still claim that we never existed.