Truth of Words: A Historical Museum Exhibit

Last year I created a museum exhibit based on a letter written by Moses Seixas and the answer that one congregation received after George Washington visited Newport in August 1790, three months after Rhode Island joined the United States.

Although it's not archaeology, it is history and heritage, and here at Ancient Digger I like to share both.

If you have questions after you take a look, please feel free to leave comments below.

Truth of Words: How One Congregation Spoke and Every Listened

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Credits

1. Chernos Lin, Rachel. "The Rhode Island Slave-Traders: Butchers, Bakers and Candlestick-Makers." Slavery & Abolition: A Journal of Slave and Post-Slave Studies. 23.3 (2002): 21-38. Print. 
2. Diner, Hasia R. The Jews of the United States. London: University of California Press,2004.
3. Haas, William P. "Touro Synagogue." Community Scholar Publications. Paper 7 (2010):1-7. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. 
4. Haynes, Charles C. Religion in American History: What to Teach and How. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1990. eBook. 
5. "History of Touro Synagogue." Touro Synagogue. Congregation Jeshuat Israel, TouroSynagogue Foundation, and George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom, n.d.Web. 17 Mar 2012. 
6. Main Street, Westerly, Rhode Island, 1900s. N.d. Photograph. Family Old Photos, Westerly.Schor, Esther H . Emma Lazarus . 1st ed. New York: Random House, Inc, 2006. 5. Print.
7. Seixas, Moses. “Address to the President from the Hebrew Congregation.” The Papers ofGeorge Washington. University of Virginia, 18 August 1790. Web
8. Sephardi Jews. 2009. Photograph. Wikipedia.
9. Tombstone of Moses Seixas at Newport, R. l.. N.d. Photograph. Jewish Encyclopedia.
10. Washington, George. "GW's Reply to the Hebrew Congregation." The Papers of George Washington. University of Virginia, 18 August 1790. Web. 16 Mar 2012.

New Evidence Suggest Noah's Flood Did Happen

Robert Ballard, one of the world's most famous underwater explorers, has set his sights on proving the existence of one of the Bible's most well known stories.

In an interview with ABC's Christiane Amanpour the archaeologist who discovered the Titanic discussed his findings from his search in Turkey for evidence of a civilization swept away by a monstrous ancient flood.

"We went in there to look for the flood," Ballard said. "Not just a slow moving, advancing rise of sea level, but a really big flood that then stayed... The land that went under stayed under."

Many have claimed to have discovered evidence of Noah's Ark, the huge ship that Noah filled with two of each creature to repopulate the planet following God's devastating flood. But in the 1990s, geologists William Ryan and Walter Pitman gathered compelling evidence that showed a flood--if not an ark--may have occurred in the Middle East region about 7,500 years ago, PBS reports.

The theory, the Guardian reports, is that a rising Mediterranean Sea pushed a channel through what is now the Bosphorus, submerging the original shoreline of the Black Sea in a deluge flowing at about 200 times the volume of Niagara Falls and extending out for 100,000 square miles.

Ballard has been exploring this theory for more than a decade, National Geographic reports, first discovering evidence of a submerged ancient shoreline in 1999. At that point, Ballard was still not convinced this was a biblical flood, according to the Guardian. Last year, his team found a vessel and one of its crew members in the Black Sea, according to ABC.

Ballard is using advanced robotic technology to travel back nearly 12,000 years to a time when much of the Earth was covered in ice, ABC reports. If and when this ice started to melt, massive floods may have surged through parts of the globe, wreaking havoc on anything and anyone in its way.


With an impressive track record (besides the Titanic, Ballard also found the wreck of the battleship, Bismarck, and a U.S. fleet lost off Guadalcanal in the Pacific) and plenty of confidence, Ballard remains unfazed by critics. He plans on returning to Turkey next summer.

The story of Noah and his ark is a building block of Genesis, in the Old Testament. It is similar in some respects to the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh, according to National Geographic, and the ancient Greeks, Romans and Native Americans all have their own variations on legendary flood stories.

Source: Huffington Post

Unveiling the Kings of Israel Review

Unveiling the Kings of Israel: Revealing the Bible's Archaeological History by David Down is clearly written in an unbiased fashion. Although contemporaries may argue this notion, it seems abundantly clear in the introduction. Down explains that when “Correctly interpreted, the historical records of Egypt and Israel show a remarkable consistency with the Bible records which we can accept as not only inspiring but entirely reliable”. Down uses the statements reliable, significant, clues, does not prove, reference was made, and revealing, throughout the entire book.

Views of monotheism or godly manifestations are never thrown in your face, rather, they are presented to the reader so that they may ponder their significance in the historical record. Down explores the chronological history of Israel’s Kings and the archaeological evidence left to describe their journey throughout history. David Down never states that history should only be based upon the Bible. He only wants the reader to understand that Bible history does have credence. He further explains that archaeological support has to be present to arrive at conclusions about our past.

Unveiling the Kings of Israel guides the reader from the earliest civilization in Ur to the land of the Pharaoh and the New Testament. Yet, there is a significant amount of archaeological evidence throughout the book which details the significance of the find, compared to what details are stated in the Bible. What I did find fascinating is the fact that Down clearly mentions that “There may have been more involved than the Bible record spells out”. This statement, of course, pertains to a marriage involving a Pharaoh and Abram, nonetheless, it carries over throughout the rest of the book.

So what can you expect from Unveiling the Kings of Israel?

Readers will learn more about:

• The scientific and mathematical advancements in Ur and where those advancements transitioned to and by who.
• Chronological clues are investigated to determine the birth date of Abram using excerpts from the Bible and the year of Solomon’s accession.
• A brief explanation of the ship, believed at one point to be Noah’s Ark, discovered in lesser Mount Ararat.
• Tablets excavated at Nineveh which were written in ancient Assyrian, and later translated by Henry Rowlinson.
• Thousands of archaeological items stored in museums that have yet to be tested against Bible history.
• The significance of Petra and its Biblical past.

Final Thoughts on Unveiling the Kings of Israel

This eye opening and provocative assemblage of literary history and effervescent illustrations, creates a book that you just can’t put down. For years to come, this book will be an enduring resource for children, scholars, students, or anyone interested in learning more about biblical archaeology and its place in history.

Unveiling the Kings of Israel was simply a joy to read and review. I was honored to have the opportunity, so thank you to Master Books, a division of the New Leaf Publishing Group.

About David Down

David Down is a field archaeologist and an expert in Middle Eastern and Biblical Archaeology. He publishes a monthly archaeology newsletter called Diggings, and the magazine ArchaeologicalDiggings, which is distributed by newsagents throughout Australia. You can also connect with David on his website: Archaeological Diggings. Interview with David Down at Creation.com

You might also enjoy

• Jericho Unearthed - Bible Confirmed Once Again--Can archaeology prove the accuracy of the Bible? In this video, we hear from archaeologists about what is required to make an honest and intelligent assessment about the accuracy about the Bible. The video begins in Jericho.
  
• Uruk Period Kings --After priests, who held economic and political powers, still retaining their religious mystique of course, Uruk period kings emerged as dual rulers in an effort to combat warfare and forge sociocultural bonds with their people.
• Sumerian Cities --The Sumerian cities were surrounded by walls, much like the Forbidden City, as a way to keep their culture secret and sacred. Sumerian city dwellings were constructed out of sun-dried bricks, including peasant quarters and the larger dwellings of priestly and civic officials.

If you would like to read Unveiling the Kings of Israel: Revealing the Bible's Archaeological History, or use it as a resource in your classrooms, pick it up today on Amazon.