Indus Apologetics Journal

NASHVILLE — “Of making many books,” says Ecclesiastes, “there is no end.” Of no book may that be truer than the one that contains those words, the Bible.  

With an estimated 25 million copies of the Bible sold annually, the book is not only the best-selling title in America, it also is available in an increasing array of forms, from detailed study Bibles to waterproof versions and glossy “Biblezines,” which look like fashion magazines. One of the leaders in the move away from the simple black, leather-bound Bible of the past is Nashville’s Thomas Nelson Inc., the largest Christian publishing house and second-largest seller of Bibles, with an estimated 36 percent share of the business. “People still have tremendous interest in this book, and they want to make it their own,” said Wayne Hastings, who runs Nelson’s Bible group. [Full Article…]

A team from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) directed by professor Harco Willems has discovered a completely intact tomb dating to about 2050 BC at the site of Dayr al-Barsha in Middle Egypt. The burial was located in a rock cut shaft in the tomb of Uky in a vast necropolis on the southern hill of Dayr al-Barsha. This area has been under investigation since 2005 by Marleen De Meyer, who carried out the excavation of the tomb.

Inside the coffin the intact mummy of Henu was found. The mummy was thickly wrapped in linen bandages, enveloped by one (or two?) shrouds. The shape of the head suggests that there is no mummy mask, although this cannot be considered certain before the mummy has been subjected to a CT-scan. Underneath his head an inscribed wooden headrest was found confirming the name of the deceased to be Henu. [Read the full article …]

A rare Torah scroll fragment from the Book of Exodus dating back to the 7th century that includes the famous Song of the Sea will be unveiled Tuesday at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, the museum announced Monday.  The manuscript, which is a fragment of a Torah scroll from the Book of Exodus (13:19-16:1), comes from the six-hundred year period from the 3rd through 8th centuries known as the “silent era,” from which almost no Hebrew manuscripts have survived.

The scroll, which is on loan to the museum, is believed to have originally been part of a vast depository of medieval Jewish manuscripts discovered in Cairo’s Ben-Ezra Synagogue in the late 19th century.  [Read The Full Article … ]

Scientists examining documents dating back 3,500 years say they have found proof that the origins of modern medicine lie in ancient Egypt and not with Hippocrates and the Greeks. The research team from the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology at The University of Manchester discovered the evidence in medical papyri written in 1,500BC – 1,000 years before Hippocrates was born.

“Classical scholars have always considered the ancient Greeks, particularly Hippocrates, as being the fathers of medicine but our findings suggest that the ancient Egyptians were practising a credible form of pharmacy and medicine much earlier,” said Dr Jackie Campbell. “When we compared the ancient remedies against modern  pharmaceutical protocols and standards, we found the prescriptions in the ancient documents not only compared with pharmaceutical preparations of today but that many of the remedies had therapeutic merit.” The medical documents, which were first discovered in the mid-19th century, showed that ancient Egyptian physicians treated wounds with honey, resins and metals known to be antimicrobial. [Read The Full Article …]

Science Daily — The world’s oldest wooden anchor was discovered during excavations in the Turkish port city of Urla, the ancient site of Liman Tepe / the Greek 1st Millennium BCE colony of Klazomenai, by researchers from the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies of the University of Haifa. The anchor, from the end of the 7th century BC, was found near a submerged construction, imbedded approximately.1.5 meters underground.

The finds revealed that the port, which served the ancient Greek settlement of Klazomenai, sunk following a natural disaster, probably an earthquake, in the 6th century BC. As there is no record of any such event occurring during this period, the actual cause of port’s destruction remains a mystery. [Read The Full Article … ]

T REX PROTEINS FOUND, according to reports in Science, 13 Apr 2007 and BBC News Online.  In 2005 Mary Schweitzer of North Carolina State University reported finding remnants of fibrous tissue and blood vessels in a Tyrannosaurus bone. There was some debate over whether this was really original organic material because, as Schweitzer commented to the BBC, “The pathways of cellular decay are well known for modern organisms. And extrapolations predict that all organics are going to be gone completely in 100,000 years, maximum.” 

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Discovery of First Temple Wall Strengthens Claim to Site of King David’s Palace
Archaeologist says it is “the largest site from King David’s time ever to have been discovered.”

The Jerusalem Post reports that a wall from the First Temple was discovered less than two years after Israeli archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar said she discovered the location of King David’s palace just outside the walls of the Old City. The find strengthens the claim that the site is, indeed, that of King David’s palace. Reporter Etgar Lefkovits notes that the monumental 10th century BC building found by Mazar in 2005 “ignited debate among archaeologists about whether it is indeed the palace built for the victorious David by King Hiram of Tyre as recounted in Samuel II:5.”  According to the report, Mazar estimates less than a quarter of the entire wall has been uncovered so far, and says that it is the largest site from King David’s time ever to have been discovered. [© Breaking Christian News 2005-2006]

Archaeologists Find Remains of Natives and Puritans in Preacher’s Cave
“Fascinating” discovery: In 1647 a Puritan group that called themselves the “Eleutherian Adventurers” left Bermuda to find a place where they could practice religious freedom. (Note: Eleutherian is from the Greek word “freedom”). The group encountered a storm which caused their ship to wreck. Led by William Sayles, the adventurers found their way to shore and took refuge in what would later be called Preacher’s Cave. A religious service was held every year following in the cave for the next 100 years on the anniversary of the day that God led the group to safety in what they believed to be the Promised Land.

Now, a group of archaeologists in Preacher’s Cave unearthed the remains of 11 people—five Lucayans (original Native American inhabitants of the Bahamas) and six Eleutheran Adventurers, including a baby. According to a report The Nassau Guardian, the team headed by Chief Archaeologist Bob Carr, traveled to the cave expecting only to find artifacts from the Lucayans, Eleutheran Adventurers and African slaves, instead they found much more. One tourist from Massachusetts who’d visited, reportedly described the scene as “fascinating.” [© Breaking Christian News 2005-2006]

Christian Graduate Student Doesn’t Back Down After Professor Refuses to Grade Her Paper on Post-Abortion Syndrome in Women: “Christian students do not forsake their constitutional right to express their faith-based views the minute they step on a university campus.”LifeSiteNews reports Dr. Laura Dreuth Zeman, a professor at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, has backed down from her refusal to grade a Christian graduate student’s paper on post-abortion syndrome in women, allowing the student to complete the course and graduate.

“To the best of my knowledge, Christine Mize’s paper has been graded by Dr. Dreuth Zeman today and the grade is being posted to the university’s Records office,” Dr. Mizan R. Miah, the director of the School of Social Work at SIU told LifeSiteNews. “The student surely will be notified soon.” The Christian graduate student, Christine Mize, reportedly turned to the ADF Center for Academic Freedom for assistance. “Christian students do not forsake their constitutional right to express their faith-based views the minute they step on a university campus,” said ADF Litigation Counsel Amy Smith. [© Breaking Christian News 2005-2006]

Tens of Thousands Participate in Archaeological Digs Near Ancient Capital of Edom Every Year: “People find so much that they get skeptical and think that we planted some of it. But this isn’t Disneyland, this is real.”  The AP has reported that between 30,000 to 50,000 people each year pay to participate in archaeological digs in ancient tunnels in Israel’s Beit Guvrin National Park near Jerusalem, and hundreds of thousands have participated in the experience since the project began 25 years ago.

According to the report, “the caves were made in the Hellenistic period, about 2,200 years ago, and are found near Maresha, the ancient capital of the biblical Edom and possible birthplace of King Herod the Great,” Stern said. Stern is quoted as saying that the dig is one of the richest in the world. Ian Stern, director of Archaeological Seminars, which is licensed by the Israeli government to do the dig, said it’s a “Tom Sawyer-ish, paint-the-fence-white kind of a situation.” “People find so much that they get skeptical and think that we planted some of it,” he said. “But this isn’t Disneyland, this is real.” [© Breaking Christian News 2005-2006]