Time Magazine tackles the thorny issues of politics and archaeology in Jerusalem

Subject:	Time Magazine tackles the thorny issues of politics and archaeology in Jerusalem
Date:	Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:55:06 -0800 (PST)

Archaeology in Jerusalem: Digging Up Trouble
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1957350-1,00.html

"Elad's activities, in the views of its opponents, amounts to turning
over Jerusalem's archaeology to extremist Jewish settlers."

Does anyone doubt this?

-----

"For now, Elad's centerpiece is the City of David, a cross between an
archaeological site and a Jewish theme park that draws more than
400,000 tourists a year. Visitors are led through a honeycomb of
caverns and excavations propped up by scaffolding. Then they wade
through an underground canal that emerges into sunlight at the Siloam
pool, where Christ is said to have cured the blind."

To heal a blind man, as Jesus did in the sixth
Sign, might be considered the most credible of the
seven miracles, for the Therepeuts or Healers who
were part of the ascetic movement specialized in the
medical arts, using natural substances, although they
are not known to heal blindness.

He used his own spittle to moisten clay, put it
on the eyes of the blind man, and sent him to wash
in the pool of Siloam, the name of which was said
to mean 'sent out' (apestalmenos), from the verb
that gave 'apostles'). When the man came back he
was able to see.

There followed in a very lengthy and apparently
repetitive debate, in which the man took part, about
whether the healing was genuine. The man's parents
were called to say that he had been born blind, and
hostility to Jesus was expressed: 'How can a man
who is a sinner do such signs?'

At the end of the debate the man said: 'From
eternity (aion) it has not been heard of that anyone
should open the eyes of a man born blind'. The
debate was far more prominent in the story than the
healing itself.

***

For brilliant interpretation see pages 83-87
in Chapter 4 The Seven Signs in Thiering's ---

1998 The Book that Jesus Wrote: John's Gospel

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"Christians also believe that Jesus walked, taught and was crucified
in Jerusalem, and that he rose from the dead there."

On humanity and on Jerusalem
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/qumran_origin/message/4300

"Being at risk of descending into platitudes, I'll turn to a recent
question,
about the singular and plural forms of the Greek word "Jerusalem". To
save you
the complicated technical process that Bob Smart has described, I'll
give the
simple answer that is made plain in my books. The plural form means
Qumran , the
New Jerusalem for the exiles, the singular form means the literal
Jerusalem.
John's gospel uses only the plural form, for Qumran. When it means the
literal
Jerusalem, it uses "Saleim" in 3:23, the name for Jerusalem in Gen
14:18, with
its Melchizedek association. It also uses "Ephraim" in 11:54, giving
an
interesting link with 4QpNah 2:1-2.

All main events in John's gospel occurred at Qumran and its outposts.
The
distances of certain places from "Jerusalem (plu)" gives strong
confirmation.
When their meaning is understood, the distances agree exactly with Ain
Feshkha,
Khirbet Mazin, and the "queen's house". This is explained in #786."

So, Time reports correctly what Christians believe
about Christ and it is incorrect.

David Christainsen
Newton, Mass. USA