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Where Did the Philistines Come From? Horned altar from Tell es-Safi hints at the origins of the Philistines.
The excavations at Tell es-Safi/Gath, the site of Gath of the Philistines mentioned in the Bible (e.g., 1 Samuel 6:17), have produced many fascinating finds, and the summer of 2011 was no exception.
While uncovering an impressive destruction level dating to the second half of the ninth century B.C.E., when Gath was the largest of the five cities of the Philistines and perhaps the largest city in the Land of Israel during the Iron Age, excavators found an exceptionally well preserved horned altar reminiscent of the Israelite horned altars described in the Bible (Exodus 27:1–2; 1 Kings 1:50). Evidence of the Philistine origin and history is found on Pilgrim's Corinth, Greece Tour as well as in Troy, Turkey.
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The Apostle Paul’s mention of Erastus proves true.
In Corinth, a archeological find uncovered a street marker naming Erastus as City Treasurer and city benefactor. Prior to this finding, Bible critics said there was no such person. It is not amazing that the Bible proves itself as the greatest of history books. This inscription was found mentioning Erastus as the one who paid for the paving of the street in return for his appointment as a city officer. It is likely that this is the same Erastus mentioned by Paul as sending greetings to the church at Rome (Rom 16:23). Paul's influence apparently extended to wealthy and influential Roman citizens of Corinth. You will not hear of this type of important fact unless you are led by an expert biblical guide.
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Pilgrim Tours’ position on the stability of the Bible Lands.
On one hand, we do not expect things to improve. Our interpretation of scripture leads us to believe that we are in the "last days" and things are moving quicker than ever before.
On the other hand we are encouraging people to travel for a number of reasons:
- It is impossible to determine when things will come to a prophetic climax.
- There are tremendous benefits to your Spiritual growth, sanctification, worship and love for God by committing yourself to grow in your understanding of God’s Word. There is no better way to accomplish this than with a visit to the Lands of the Bible under the direction of expert guides and biblical devotional leaders and teachers.
- We do not expect tourists to be targeted. Many years ago, when tourists were a target for terrorist organizations, world opinion radically turned against their cause.
Please do not ask us if we can promise safety. No one can do this. We do maintain that a Bible Land Tour is probably safer than a visit to NYC or LAX and we certainly encourage travelers to have their eternal assurance plan in place. Read More
Biblical Account of Cavemen
From the viewpoint of biblical history, as people spread out after the confusion of languages at Babel, they would have constructed a variety of homes—some temporary and some permanent—such as tents, or made of mud, stone or wood, and many people would surely have taken up residence in caves. (The receding waters of Noah’s Flood probably carved many caves.) Thus, you would expect evidence all over the world that people lived in caves.
One interesting example comes from the island of Malta, south of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea.
Mediterranean people have always liked caves and grottos as convenient and cool dwelling places. Malta is no exception. Here, the tradition of cave dwelling goes back to antiquity. There is strong archaeological and documentary evidence that cave dwelling, or troglodytism, was very popular during medieval times, too. When Jean Quintin d’Autun wrote about the island in 1536,1 he was surprised by the great number of cave dwellers in Malta; and there were still some people living in caves till very recent times. The remains of several of these cave settlements are still present, including some that had cave churches. A short Malta extension can be a wonderful add-on to many Bible Land destinations.
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Acre-area dig unearths 1,500-yr-old 'bread stamp'
Archeologists digging near Acre have uncovered a menorah-emblazoned ceramic seal they believe was used by a 6th-century village baker to certify his bread as kosher.
The diminutive “bread stamp” is the first of its kind to be found in a controlled archeological excavation in which its origin and date of manufacture can be precisely determined.
The Israel Antiquities Authority is currently excavating Uza, a site east of Acre where a Byzantine village by the same name once stood. The dig is being conducted as part of ongoing preparations to lay new rail tracks from Acre to Carmiel.
Gilad Jaffe and Danny Syon, the archeologists leading the dig, said in a statement, “A number of seals bearing menorahs are known from other collections. The menorah from the Temple, as a Jewish symbol par excellence, indicates the seal belonged to Jews, in contrast to Christian bread seals featuring crosses, which were very common in the Byzantine era.”
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Ophel City Wall site inaugurated
Complex of buildings uncovered along route of fortifications from First Temple period, display of earliest written document ever uncovered in Jerusalem are now open to visitors as part of the Davidson Center Southern Wall excavations.
The Ophel City Wall site – a complex of buildings uncovered along the route of the fortifications from the First Temple period (tenth-sixth centuries BCE), and the display of the earliest written document ever uncovered in Jerusalem – was inaugurated in a festive ceremony.
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What is Pilgrim Tour's policy on evangelistic efforts?
This depends on the area you are travelling to. If it is a country that does not allow evangelism, we do not allow it. Remember that you may get out of the country without a problem, but there will be hundreds or even thousands of Pilgrim Tours passengers that will follow at a later date. You have "no right" to draw attention to others because of what you may feel led to do.
Pilgrim Tours encourages you to be a witness by your loving actions and attitude while on tour. If you choose to pursue evangelistic efforts, please do so at a different time and place while on your own. |
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