Jesus-era home found in Nazareth

[Adsos Letter]

Source: BBC

This story was posted earlier in Latest Breaking News by DU'er onehandle, and generated quite a discussion; I'm putting it up here for the night crew, but I would also direct you to http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4193949&mesg_id=4193949

Archaeologists in Israel say they have uncovered the remains of the first dwelling in Nazareth believed to date back to the time of Jesus Christ.

The discovery sheds light on how people lived 2,000 years ago, when Christians believe Jesus was growing up there, Israel's Antiquities Authority said.

A spokeswoman said Jesus and his childhood friends likely knew the home.

It was found near the place where angel Gabriel is believed to have told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus.

The archaeologists found the remains of a wall, a hideout, and a cistern for collecting rain water.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8425094.stm

[Lyric]

1. This part troubles me:

"It was found near the place where angel Gabriel is believed to have told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus."

How could anyone possibly know that? I've read the Bible. There are no street names or house numbers. Unless they're defining "near" as "in the same town," in which case EVERYTHING in Nazareth is "near" the place where yadda yadda yadda, and that statement means nothing whatsoever.

[MichaelHarris]

16. Gabrial

had GPS

[live love laugh]

19. LOL

[waiting for hope]

17. And if Jesus really existed (I'm not disputed that here) -

did he really live in Nazareth?

[The Straight Story]

20. I think they found a big X there, for Xtian - Gabriel left it according to unnamed sources

:)

[saltpoint]

2. This is full of excitement and of great value, even to "this heathen

and pagan / on the side of the Rebel Jesus,"

as Mr. Browne says.

Over 2,000 years ago rain fell in the desert in the rare times it does fall and some of it collected in that cistern.

Amazing.

[The Straight Story]

3. Part of the reason there was quite a discussion is the blatant bigotry allowed on DU

as evidenced early on in the thread.

[Blue-Jay]

4. "A spokeswoman said Jesus and his childhood friends likely knew the home. "

That cracks me up for some reason. I wonder if they'll find the remains of the fort that Jesus and his childhood friends built in the back yard?

[Nikki Stone1]

10. The spokeswoman was either mistranslated or embellishing. No way at all to know that.

My guess is they're looking for more money to continue their dig and figure Western Christians will give them funding.

[Blue-Jay]

15. I'm all for funding for anthropological studies.

That statement just made me imagine Jesus and his little pals running around the neighborhood like the Little Rascals or something.

Joseph: "Jesus! Will you stop resurrecting that cat! It's getting zombie cat juice all over the kitchen, and it smells horrible!"

Jesus: "I don't have to listen to you. You're not my real dad!"

Joseph: "Not this shit again...."

[MisterP]

14. yeah, this is real Christopher Moore territory there nt

[xchrom]

5. A hide-out?!?-- that's a man cave.nt

[Nikki Stone1]

6. According to Biblical scholars, Nazareth as a town did not exist in Jesus' time.

Basically, these archaeologists have found a 2000 year old dwelling in a the current town of Nazareth that could have belonged to anyone when the town was called something else.

[saltpoint]

9. Can you cite me on that, Nikki? I know of only one source, the HOLY

BLOOD, HOLY GRAIL authors, who claim the town was on no Roman map.

But I have not seen any corroborating source for that claim.

[Nikki Stone1]

13. I've seen it in a number of places.

It goes back to Josephus, the Jewish historian who was defending Galilee against the Romans before he surrendered and was taken back to Rome, becoming part of Vespasian's household. Josephus lists the towns in Galilee in "The Jewish War" and Nazareth was not among them.

The earliest proven reference to Nazareth (outside the Gospels which actually refer to Jesus the Nazarene, a political designation according to Professor Robert Eisenman from Cal State Longbeach), is in the 3rd century AD/CE (or at earliest, the late 2nd century):

"The form Nazara is also found in the earliest non-scriptural reference to the town, a citation by Sextus Julius Africanus dated about 200 CE. (See "Middle Roman to Byzantine Periods" below.) The Church Father Origen (c. 185 to 254 CE) knows the forms Nazara and Nazaret.<6> Later, Eusebius in his Onomasticon (translated by St. Jerome) also refers to the settlement as Nazara.<7>

The first non-Christian reference to Nazareth come from an inscription on a marble fragment for a synagogue found in Caesarea Maritima in 1962.<8> This fragment gives the town's name in Hebrew as nun·tsade·resh·tav. The inscription dates as early as c. 300 CE and chronicles the assignment of priests that took place at some time after the Bar Kokhba revolt, 132-35 CE.<9> (See "Middle Roman to Byzantine Periods" below.) An 8th century CE Hebrew inscription, which was the earliest known Hebrew reference to Nazareth prior to the discovery of the inscription above, uses the same form.<4>
"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazareth

I've given you Wiki, here, which I hate to do. I have to go through my books on the subject and they are in storage at the moment.

[The Straight Story]

18. well get your ass in gear

I got nothing else going on, will wait to see...

:rofl: just kidding and wanted to say hi ;)

[Nikki Stone1]

24. LOL! Hi to you too!

:hi:

[arcadian]

7. Raptor Jesus or regular Jesus?

[Vickers]

8. Wait...a "news" story mentions angels?

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[chollybocker]

11. Was this property originally listed by Century One?

;)

[Adsos Letter]

12. *sigh*

...I shall now go drink...heavily... :rofl:

[chollybocker]

22. Sorry.

(Not really. ;) .)

"13 bdrm, 1 bth, sm ktch, lrg dining rm w/long table incl., roll-away stone entry. Smells oddly of wet feet."

[spoony]

21. Ahhhhhh

Nice! :D

[emilyg]

23. Thank you for posting this.

[alfredo]

25. There was a meth lab in the kitchen.