The Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth

Megiddo

This is the tunnel down into ancient Megiddo’s water system. These water systems are really pretty amazing.

A model of the ancient city at Megiddo. I forget which period this is.

Here are the remains of the stables at Megiddo. These stone feeding troughs, or mangers, are probably like what Jesus would have been laid in.

The Arbel Cliffs

This is the ancient village of Magdal, the home of Mary Magdalene, viewed from the top of the Arbel Cliffs.

Galilee

Me standing on top of the cliffs above Galilee. The view is unspeakably beautiful.

We have also visited Dan, Hazor, Arad, Lachish, Tel el Hesi, Avdat, Makhtesh Ramon, Jerusalem, and hiked the Zihn Wilderness. Too bad I broke my camera, though, so I won’t have any pictures until after I get back into the US and exchange pictures with my colleagues. Perhaps I’ll post some of them in a couple of weeks after I get them, but this is all for now.

This is Tel Rehov. As you may notice, there is an upper mound and a lower mound. We are digging in the lower mound, in the Iron IIA strata of Area C.

Classmates working on a new square.

Here is the area where I am excavating. I’m digging in the area just behind the famous beehives (which are covered). Interestingly, the area I’m excavating and the beehives seem to be in the same stratum, though they are at different levels. Hopefully as we excavate farther, we’ll figure out what is going on here.

A 3,000-year-old mud brick building in Area C excavated last season.

This is a horn from a horned altar uncovered by a classmate working in a new square. Several of these altars, including one complete one (which was featured in an article in the latest issue of BAR), have been found at Tel Rehov, particularly in Area C. This was a really exciting find.

Here is a destruction layer in which the ash from the razed city is visible in the stratigraphy.

Fallen mud bricks embedded in the balk—probably caused by an earthquake.

This is what looks to be the base of a red clay cooking pot that we began uncovering in my square just before the day ended. We’re quite sure that this area was a courtyard, and several blackened potsherds and a small bit of charred material might indicate that this was the cooking area. If this turns out to be a cooking pot when we finish uncovering it tomorrow, hopefully we’ll find an oven too.

I’m here … and as you can see from the pictures below, I’m really suffering. We’re staying at the kibbutz Nir David, which is far nicer a place than I expected to stay for a dig.

Yep, we’re in Israel.

Our cabin at the kibbutz.

We have a hot tub in our cabin. Like I said: we’re roughing it.

This place is really just awful.

Cliff jumping in the river that runs through the kibbutz.

You can see that the kibbutz is quite literally an oasis. Behind all the greenery around the river is just desert.

We just relaxed today, but tomorrow excavation begins at 5:00am. In the next couple of days, then, I’ll actually have some pictures of our dig site, Tel Rehov.

Τί οὖν; προεχόμεθα¹; οὐ πάντως, προῃτιασάμεθα γὰρ Ἰουδαίους τε καὶ Ελληνας πάντας ὑφ’ ἁμαρτίαν εἶναι, καθὼς γέγραπται ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστιν δίκαιος οὐδὲ εἷς, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ συνίων, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὸν θεόν. πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅμα ἠχρεώθησαν: οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ποιῶν χρηστότητα, [οὐκ ἔστιν] ἕως ἑνός. τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος ὁ λάρυγξ αὐτῶν, ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐδολιοῦσαν, ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν, ὧν τὸ στόμα ἀρᾶς καὶ πικρίας γέμει: ὀξεῖς οἱ πόδες αὐτῶν ἐκχέαι αἷμα, σύντριμμα καὶ ταλαιπωρία ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ὁδὸν εἰρήνης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν. οὐκ ἔστιν φόβος θεοῦ ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν. Οἴδαμεν δὲ ὅτι ὅσα ὁ νόμος λέγει τοῖς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ λαλεῖ, ἵνα πᾶν στόμα φραγῇ καὶ ὑπόδικος γένηται πᾶς ὁ κόσμος τῷ θεῷ: διότι ἐξ ἔργων νόμου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σὰρξ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, διὰ γὰρ νόμου ἐπίγνωσις ἁμαρτίας.

What then? Are we at a disadvantage? Not at all, for we already accused all—both Jews and Greeks—to be under sin, just as it is written:

“A righteous person does not exist, not even one; one who understands does not exist; one who seeks after God does not exist. All turned aside; together they were corrupted. One who practices integrity does not exist; there is not even as many as one. Their throat is an opened grave; they were deceiving with their tongues; the poison of asps is upon their lips, of which the mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are quick to shed blood; ruin and misery are in their paths, and they did not know the path of peace. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

But we have known that whatever the law says, it is speaks to those in the law, so that every mouth might be silenced and the entire world might become accountable to God. Therefore all flesh will not be made righteous in his presence by works of the law; for knowledge of sin is through the law.

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Vocab:

προεχόμεθα - pres. mid./pass. ind. 1 pl. from προέχω: to have before or in advance of another, hence to have an advantage; to excel, surpass; (see note)

προῃτιασάμεθα - aor. mid. (dep.) ind. 1 pl. from προαιτιάομαι: to reach a charge of guilt prior to an implied time, accuse beforehand

συνίων - pres. act. part. nom. sg. masc. from συνίημι: to understand, comprehend

ἐξέκλιναν - aor. act. ind. 3 pl. from ἐκκλίνω: steer clear of, stray away from, avoid; turn aside, deviate from

ἠχρεώθησαν - aor. pass. ind. 3 pl. from ἀκρειόω: make useless; become depraved, corrupt, worthless

χρηστότητα - acc. sg. fem.; moral goodness, integrity; kindness

τάφος - nom. sg. masc.; burial; grave

ἀνεῳγμένος - perf. pass. part. nom. sg. masc. from ἀνοίγω: to open

λάρυγξ (think “larynx”) - nom. sg. masc.; throat

ἰὸς - nom. sg. masc.; poison

ἀσπίδων - gen. pl. fem.; asp

ὀξεῖς - nom. pl. masc.; quick

ἐκχέαι - aor. act. inf. from ἐκχέω: to pour out, shed

ἀπέναντι - adv.; opposite, against, before

φραγῇ - aor. pass. subj. 3 sg. from φράσσω: to block, stop, close up; put to silence

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Notes:

¹ This one’s a bit tricky. The textual variants here betray the confusion of the early copyists on Paul’s meaning here, also. Some (e.g. NIV, NASB, and Witherington’s commentary) interpret this as having an active meaning (i.e. “we have an advantage”). I don’t think so. It is in the middle/passive, and it ought to be translated as such. BDAG has a helpful extended discussion on this instance of προέχω, in which it is mentioned that if indeed the middle is taken to have the same meaning as the active here, the active meaning for the middle is not found elsewhere. That is helpful, but ultimately I’m not keen on the interpretive options BDAG provides. LSJ gives the passive definition “to be excelled,” and for this particular instance, “to be in worst case.” This makes the most sense to me in context, so I’ve gone with “to be at a disadvantage.” Jewett also translates it this way in his commentary, and the NRSV lists this as a possible translation in a footnote as well.

Ἐτρέχετε καλῶς˙ τίς ὑμᾶς ἐνέκοψεν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ μὴ πείθεσθαι¹; ἡ² πεισμονὴ οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ καλοῦντος ὑμᾶς. μικρὰ ζύμη ὅλον τὸ φύραμα ζυμοῖ. ἐγὼ πέποιθα³ εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐν κυρίῳ ὅτι οὐδὲν ἄλλο φρονήσετε˙ ὁ δὲ ταράσσων ὑμᾶς βαστάσει τὸ κρίμα, ὅστις ἐὰν ᾖ. ἐγὼ δέ, ἀδελφοί εἰ περιτομὴν ἔτι κηρύσσω, τί ἔτι διώκομαι; ἄρα κατήργηται τὸ σκάνδαλον τοῦ σταυροῦ. ὄφελον καὶ ἀποκόψονται οἱ ἀναστατοῦντες ὑμᾶς. Ὑμεῖς γὰρ ἐπ᾽ ἐλευθερίᾳ ἐκλήθητε, ἀδελφοί˙ μόνον μὴ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν εἰς ἀφορμὴν τῇ σαρκί, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης δουλεύετε ἀλλήλοις. ὁ γὰρ πᾶς νόμος ἐν ἑνὶ λόγῳ πεπλήρωται, ἐν τῷ⁴ Ἀγαπήσεις⁵ τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν. εἰ δὲ ἀλλήλους δάκνετε καὶ κατεσθίετε, βλέπετε μὴ ὑπ᾽ ἀλλήλων ἀναλωθῆτε.

You were running well; who hindered you so that you are not persuaded by the truth? Such deceptive persuasion is not from the one who calls you. A little yeast leavens the whole lump of dough. I am persuaded regarding you in the Lord that you will think nothing different; but the one who is confusing you will bear condemnation, whoever that one is. But I, brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been rendered powerless. I wish even that those who are confusing you would castrate themselves. For you were called for freedom, brothers and sisters; only, not the freedom for an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law has been fulfilled in one word, in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are biting and devouring one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

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Vocab:

Ἐτρέχετε - imperf. act. ind. 2 pl. from τρέχω: to run

ἐνέκοψεν - aor. act. ind. 3 sg. from ἐγκόπτω: to cut into, impede one’s course; to hinder

ζύμη - nom. sg. fem.: yeast, leaven; so, ζυμοῖ - pres. act. ind. 3 sing. from ζυμόω: to leaven

φύραμα - acc. sg. neut.: a lump of dough

ταράσσων - pres. act. part. nom. sing. masc. from ταράσσω: to cause one inner commotion; to disturb or perplex the mind by suggesting scruples or doubts; to confuse

βαστάσει - fut. act. ind. 3 sg. from βαστάζω: to bear, carry

διώκομαι - pres. pass. ind. 1 sg. from διώκω: to persecute, mistreat

σκάνδαλον - nom. sg. neut.: a trap, snare; stumbling block

κατήργηται - peft. pass. ind. 3 sg. from καταργέω: to render inoperative or powerless

ἀφορμὴν - acc. sg. fem.: an occasion, opportunity

πλησίον - acc. sg. neut.: a neighbor

δάκνετε - pres. act. ind. 2 pl. from δάκνω: to bite

κατεσθίετε - pres. act. ind. 2 pl. from κατεσθίω: to consume, devour

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Notes:

¹ Infinitive of result. A simple “to” usually won’t do for this use of the infinitive; hence, so that, etc.

² This article is anaphoric, pointing back to the “persuasion” that has just been mentioned (πείθεσθαι); hence, this, such, etc.

³ According to BDAG, this verb has a present passive meaning in the perfect active.

⁴ This partially independent article bears a demonstrative force (in this …). (The article was originally a demonstrative pronoun, by the way.)

⁵ The cohortative indicative, most common in quotations from the OT in which the Hebrew has been translated literally.

I’m thrilled that the Wesleyan Church has just elected our first female General Superintendent. I’m even more thrilled that it is Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, founder of World Hope International. If ever there was a woman anointed by God as a leader for our denomination, it is she. I look forward to being a part of the changes that, by God’s grace, will come about in the Wesleyan Church and in our world through her saintly leadership.

Here is the full story.

It’s about time I started these back up. Even though I won’t be blogging for the next couple of weeks, I can at least try to do these every couple of days. I’m going to try out adding vocab lists and probably some notes from time to time for convenience. This way, no one who is familiar with Greek should have an excuse not to read the Greek text, expert or not! If it takes too long, I may have to cut back on those things, though. We’ll see how it goes.

So, without further ado, here is today’s reading from Matthew 15:21-28:

Καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἐκεῖθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὰ μέρη Τύρου καὶ Σιδῶνος. καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ Χαναναία ἀπὸ τῶν ὁρίων ἐκείνων ἐξελθοῦσα ἔκραζεν λέγουσα, Ἐλέησόν με, κύριε υἱὸς Δαυίδ˙ ἡ θυγάτηρ μου κακῶς δαιμονίζεται. ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῇ λόγον. καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἠρώτουν αὐτὸν λέγοντες, Ἀπόλυσον αὐτήν, ὅτι κράζει ὄπισθεν ἡμῶν. ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν, Οὐκ ἀπεστάλην εἰ μὴ εἰς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ. ἡ δὲ ἐλθοῦσα προσεκύνει αὐτῷ λέγουσα, Κύριε, βοήθει μοι. ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν, Οὐκ ἔστιν καλὸν λαβεῖν τὸν ἄρτον τῶν τέκνων καὶ βαλεῖν τοῖς κυναρίοις. ἡ δὲ εἶπεν, Ναὶ κύριε, καὶ γὰρ τὰ κυνάρια ἐσθίει ἀπὸ τῶν ψιχίων τῶν πιπτόντων ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης τῶν κυρίων αὐτῶν. τότε ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῇ, Ὦ γύναι, μεγάλη σου ἡ πίστις˙ γενηθήτω σοι ὡς θέλεις. καὶ ἰάθη ἡ θυγάτηρ αὐτῆς ἀπὸ τῆς ὥρας ἐκείνης.

And Jesus went out from there and withdrew into the districts of Tyre and Sidon. And behold a Canaanite woman came out from those regions and began calling out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is badly demon-possessed.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came to [him] and began asking him, saying, “Send her away, because she is crying out after us.” But he answered and said, “I was sent only unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she went and began kneeling before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” But he answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat from the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that time.

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Vocab:

ἐκεῖθεν - adv., there, that place

Τύρου - from Τύρος, Tyre

Σιδῶνος - from Σιδῶν, Sidon

Χαναναία - Canaanite

ἔκραζεν - imperf. act. ind. 3 sing., from κράζω; to croak (as of a raven), hence to cry out, call out

ἀπολωλότα - perf. act. part. acc. pl. neut., from ἀπόλλυμι; to perish, to be lost, ruined, destroyed

προσεκύνει - imperf. act. ind. 3 sing., from προσκυνέω; to kneel as an expression of supplication or reverence

κυναρίοις - dat. pl., from κυνάριον; a dog

ψιχίων - gen. pl., from ψιχίον; crumb

τραπέζης - gen. sing., from τραπέζα; table

ἰάθη - aor. pass. ind. 3 sing., from ἰάομαι; to cure, heal, make whole

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Notes:

This passage is pretty straightforward (or maybe it just seems that way to me after working through Thucydides last semester!), so there’s not much to note here. Here are a few basic things:

• Lots of attendant circumstance participles. Matthew uses these relatively frequently.
• Several occurrences of what may be the ingressive imperfect (if indeed there is such a thing).
• The final γάρ (”yet even the dogs…”) coordinates rather than subordinates here. Rather than the usual “for” or “because,” it should be translated something like “yet” in such cases.

In case anyone has been wondering where I’ve been, since the semester has ended I’ve been cramming for the GRE, working on preliminary reading and a site report for the Tel Rehov dig (I’m leaving in a few weeks!), reviewing a bit of Hebrew, and working on a book with a colleague and a professor. I won’t be blogging at least until I’ve taken the GRE on June 21, and probably not until after I get into Israel after June 27.

So don’t worry, I’m not dead. I just have higher priorities at the moment.

Three words: What the [insert your favorite expletive here]?

My housemates and I went to the midnight release last night because we’ve been waiting like kids at Christmas since we heard about it. We were disappointed—and from the jeers and boos that echoed as soon as the credits began rolling, I’d say everyone else in the theater was too.

Too bad. I love the Indiana Jones trilogy. And as far as I’m concerned, it’s still a trilogy.

My good friend Jack has seen the light and switched to WordPress. Now, read his blog if you don’t already.