Day 8 - Friday, April 12 - the Israel Museum 

This morning we visited the Israel Museum with a friend who knows his way around. The Shrine of the Book, with a copy of the Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah, was closed, the rest was open. Among other things there is a large collection of objects related to the Bible, which is as you know the most interesting to us. 

There are two schools of thought in that area: "Everything that is (in the Bible but) unproven is assumed to be untrue" and the other is "We assume it is true until we come across a rebuttal." And in both groups there are fortunately some who are willing to look at the other side as well. 

There is nothing in the entire museum that contradicts even a small detail of the Bible, but quite a bit to support the historical record of the Bible. 

In the afternoon we went to the Davidson Archaeological Center, at the corner of the West and South wall surrounding the temple area, but we are going to try to go again Sunday morning because the main part was closed. 

What you can already see here are the original large stones from the high walls surrounding the temple grounds that were thrown down -not by the Romans to destroy the temple and the city but- by the Jewish defenders on the Roman soldiers.

The Videos:
(1) Overview of the Western Wall, (2) the large stones of the upper part of the wall where you now see small stones and which the Jews threw down on the Roman soldiers who attacked them, (3) Small altar that you see in this film about King Josiah which some of you will have seen, where this king drove idol worship out of the land, (4) Model, fairly accurate, of the Jerusalem as it looked in the year 68 G.T.

The pictures:
(1) Morning view of Jerusalem from our hotel room on the Mount of Olives, (2) These original stones were on the top of what must have been King David's palace, well over 1000 B.C. (3) These were ornaments of King Hezekiah's palace, (4) Oldest stone inscribed "Beit David" (House of David) in Paleo-Hebrew script from the 9th century B.C., (5) Early 6th century B.C. on a tomb wall with inscription (almost illegible, more obsolete with modern techniques) "YHVH is the God of the whole earth, (6) Here even I can read the name Jehovah, on a stone from the 9th century B.C. so now about 3000 years old, (7) Who is that man next to Karin? And what a big head he has.... (8) Original stone found in Ceasarea with inscription Pontius Pilate, (9) Maquette of Jerusalem 2 years before its destruction in the year 70, (10) Group of friends, (11) The large stones are original from Jesus' time, this is the corner between West and South, (12) In a park nearby a kind of globe, and you can see Ecuador in the center of the picture here.