A Reader asks:
The cross that Jesus was crucified on, was it made from the Dogwood tree?
Also, the wreath of thorns that Jesus wore, what was it made from? And could you please direct me as to where it is located if anyplace in the Bible.
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None of the well-known Bible Dictionaries speculates on the type of wood used for the cross.
The Bible does not state what type of wood was used to make the cross. Nor does it state what type of plant was used for the crown of thorns. Smith’s Bible Dictionary has this to say about the crown of thorns: Crown of thorns, Matthew Our Lord was crowned with thorns in mockery by the Roman soldiers. Obviously, with some small flexible thorny shrub, perhaps Capparis spinosa. “Hasselquist, a Swedish naturalist, supposes a very common plant naba or nubka of the Arabs, with many small and sharp sines; soft, round and pliant branches; leaves much-resembling ivy, of a very deep green, as if in designed mockery of a victor’s wreath.” –Alford.
None of the well-known Bible Dictionaries speculates on the type of wood used for the cross.
The Bible is clear on this point. And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. (Genesis 4:1)
Secular archaeologists say there is no evidence of a group of people destroying and/or taking over multiple cities during the time of the exodus. Thus, they say, there is no evidence for that part of Biblical history.
Secular historians say that during the time of the exodus, if there was one, the Canaanites were a group of small dying villages.
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“I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.”
This is what God tells Moses as the Israelites move to inherit the land promised to Abraham. (see Exodus 23:29-30 King James Authorized)
“I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.”
It sounds as if God is saying that as the Israelites grow in number and spread out, the existing inhabitants will be dying out. This is exactly what happened. Although the Exodus mentions some battles (Jericho for example), the majority of the battles are defensive battles for lands already settled.
Dating an event that happened thousands of years ago can be one of the most difficult tasks any modern historian or Bible scholars can do. First, the Egyptians, Babylonians, Hebrews, and other ancient people used different calendar systems, and most were far from perfect. Although the modern calendars were based and had evolved from the ancient ones, they still do not exactly resemble them.
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The integrity of the events in writing or inscriptions can also be affected by the agenda of the scribes and editors. There is also a lack of archeological evidence to support the text. For example, the Egyptians did not record defeats in battles. This practice makes many events in the Near East hard to confirm, especially the year when the Exodus took place and who the pharaoh was at that time. Also, the Egyptians recorded and inscribed only victories in battles. The most popular of this example is the Merneptah stele which is the first inscription that mentions the nation of Israel.
Currently, there are four possible dates offered by Bible scholars with regards to the Exodus, and each one deserves a careful examination.
James Ussher
Ussher’s 1491 BC
In the 17th century, the Irish archbishop and scholar James Ussher (1581-1656) published the Annales veteris testamenti, also known as the Ussher chronology. The longer title is “Annals of the Old Testament, deduced from the first origins of the world, the chronicle of Asiatic and Egyptian matters together produced from the beginning of historical time up to the beginnings of Maccabees.” Which was pretty much indicative of what he wanted to achieve.
In this book, he used his knowledge of ancient language and history to come up with a chronology based on Biblical text. He then linked ancient and Biblical history and counted backward to establish the important dates in the Bible including the exact year of creation to 23rd of October 4004 BC. He also placed the date of the Exodus in 1491 BC during the reign of Thutmose II of the 18th Dynasty, who made several campaigns in Palestine, Israel, and Syria. This was hailed as a breakthrough in the 17th century, and several editions of his book were published later on until the 18th century. Ussher’s widely popular chronology was not without its critics, and it was later labeled as overly simplistic.
Thiele’s 1446 BC
Ussher’s year 1491 proposal for the date of the Exodus was moved by a professor, archeologist, writer, and editor Edwin R. Thiele almost half a century later to 1446 BC. According to him, Ussher failed to consider several factors in coming up his 1491 conclusion including the coregency of successive kings of Israel and Judah, the use of a spring and autumn calendars, as well as the accession and non-accession years of dating. He considered these factors in studying the chronology of the kings of Israel and Judah and reached to a conclusion of 1446 BC based on 1 Kings 6:1. He also established that the Jewish chronology matched that of the Assyrian chronology.
This was backed by William H. Shea, an Andrews University professor, who further suggested that Thutmose II was the Pharaoh during Moses’ time, Hatshepsut the princess who rescued Moses from the Nile, and Thutmose III as the Pharaoh, who refused to let the Israelites go. There is a great possibility because Thutmose III was an aggressive king whose foreign policy was war. However, the lack of inscriptions and other archeological records is still a problem to Thiele’s 1446 BC year for the Exodus.
Josephus and Manetho’s 1552 BC
Historians Josephus and Manetho offer an earlier date of 1552 BC during the time of Ahmose I. He reigned during the last remaining years of the occupation of the Hyksos, who both historians associate the Israelites with. Manetho, however, lived many years later than Ahmose and may have mistakenly made the association between the two groups of people. In addition, the Hyksos ruled Egypt, while the Israelites were treated as slaves.
Modern Scholar’s 1250 BC
A later date was suggested by modern scholars during 1250 BC, which falls under the reign of Ramesses II. This is supported by the archeological surveys and excavations of American rabbi and archeologist Nelson Glueck regarding Edom. He found that there was no solid evidence of Edomite settlements in the eastern bank of the Jordan River in the 13th or 14th century. The tribe was first mentioned in the Bible in Exodus 15:15, but the first the first mention of Edom in any ancient document was in the Papyrus Anastasi VI.
It was in a report to Pharaoh Merneptah (1213-1203 BC) with regards to Edom and it states: “We have finished letting the Bedouin tribes of Edom pass the Fortress [of] Merne-Ptah Hotep-hir-Maat—life, prosperity, health— which is (in) Tjeku, to the pools of Per-Atum . . . to keep them alive and to keep their cattle alive.” Numbers 20:14 records the first conflict between the Israelites and the Edomites, which makes Merneptah’s father, Ramesses II, most likely the Pharaoh of Exodus in 1250 BC.
St. George (Georgios) which means “worker of the land” was born around 280 AD and died on April 23, 303. He was known as a defender of the persecuted Christians and died as one himself. Although there are several noted events from history around this great figure, there is a lot of speculation on what is fact or just legend. Pope Gelasius accurately pronounced that St. George was part of those saints, “whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose actions are known only to God.”
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When George was only 14 years old, his father Gerontios died. Just a few years later, his mother Polychronia also passed away. This caused him to travel to Nicomedia and beseech Emperor Diocletian for work as a soldier. He was accepted warmly due to his father’s legacy of being one of his best fighters. Before he was in his 30s, George was advanced in rank to Tribunus and sent as a royal guard for the Emperor at Nicomedia.
“The martyrdom of Saint George”
Martyrdom
February 24, 303 AD, Emperor Diocletian was persuaded by Galerius to proclaim an order to arrest every soldier that was Christian. All the others were to make sacrifices to the Roman gods. George bravely stood up for his beliefs and confronted Diocletian. The Emperor was unhappy and did not want to lose his most favored tribune. However, George had publicly defied the order in the sight of his comrades and revealed that he was also a believer in Jesus Christ. Despite bribery to recall his words, St. George stood firm.
Diocletian was firm in sticking to his decree and condemned George to death for his rebellion. Before he was martyred, George donated all he had to the needy. His beheading did not occur until after several different sessions of torture.
Empress Alexandra and Athanasius, who was a pagan priest, were witnesses to his sufferings and converted to Christianity from his example. They were then also martyred.
His Legacy
The bravery of his actions in defending his faith and standing up for Christians made him a time honored figure for people all over. England, in particular, has him as their patron saint and display his emblem of a red cross on a white background as their flag. This was partially started by Richard The Lion Heart, who had used it in England during the 12th century. That symbol was worn on the tunics of the King’s soldiers during battle to prevent confusion.
5- The Biblical prophet Daniel lived during the same century as the Chinese philosopher Confucius.
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8 – Noah’s son Shem was still alive when Abraham was born =Abraham could have learned the history of the world from Shem. Who learned about Adam on down from his grandfather and then passed it to his great-great-great (8 greats) grandson Abraham.
9- Who came first? Queen Esther or Daniel?
They both lived during the Babylonian captivity. Esther’s book is first in the Bible, but she lived nearly a century after Daniel – toward the end of the captivity.
10 – The Greek poet Homer lived about the same time as King Solomon.
What have you learned from the Bible Timeline that you didn’t know before? Share your discoveries with a comment below. 🙂
The story of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem can be read in the 21st chapter of Matthew and it tells us how he sent two of his disciples to a village to get a donkey with a colt beside it. He told them to bring the donkey and the colt to him so he can ride the donkey on his way to Jerusalem. But why did Jesus choose the lowly donkey instead of getting a magnificent horse to ride on?
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Jesus rode a donkey for three reasons. The first one is a fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9, making his triumphant entry while riding a lowly animal a symbol of peace. When horses are mentioned in the Bible they are almost always in relation to kings and war, while donkeys are mentioned in relation to common people. The donkey’s purpose was in agriculture as well as trade.
“Jesus used the donkey to connect with the common people.”
Smaller than horses and gifted with cautiousness, that can sometimes be mistaken for stubbornness, donkeys were not usually used during times of war. Zechariah 9:9 prophesied the coming of a king “righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” This prophecy was fulfilled in Matthew 21:1-11 when Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem and it was triumphant because he had done so without bloodshed on the side of the people.
Second, in the ancient Biblical world, a leader rode on a horse if he was coming in war and a donkey to signify peace.
Third, Jesus used the donkey to connect with the common people. Life was also not easy for a Jew living under Roman rule in the 1st century—more so for the poor. But Jesus embraced the poor and sick people during his time here on earth. His choice of a donkey instead of a horse was God’s way of saying that he came as a king who will serve and save the oppressed.
Has God ever taken you on the long route to a promised blessing or leading? You could see a faster way, but instead off you went in almost the opposite direction. Maybe you are in the middle of one now.
Below is a quick summary of Abraham’s long-way-round journey from Ur to Canaan.
Let us know about your long journey (or journeys) in a comment, please.
The 11th chapter of Genesis tells us the story of the Tower of Babel and the journey of Terah along with his son Abraham with his wife Sarai and Terah’s grandson Lot. For reasons not specified in Genesis Chapter 11 of the Bible, they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans (present-day southern Iraq) to Canaan on the Mediterranean coast. We can only speculate as to why Terah did this but a peek at the location and political situation in Mesopotamia at that time would give us clues why he would take his family elsewhere. (For a better picture of Bible events and location, refer to the Holy Land Map in conjunction with this article.)
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Ur was a place of upheavals and it was under constant attack from hostile neighbors during the time of the patriarchs, so leaving the city for a more peaceful land would have been a more feasible choice for Terah and his family. Another possibility is that Terah may have recognized and worshiped the true God while Ur was a city full of people who were devoted to the Sumerian moon god Nanna (or Sin in Akkadian). We can see a problem in their beliefs if this is the case which may have driven Terah and his family to leave Ur.
Shorter Desert Route versus Longer River Route
Whatever the reason, Terah never reached his original destination of Canaan and they settled instead in Haran (present-day southern Turkey) where he died.
If we look at the map of modern day Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, and Israel, a journey from east to west through the Arabian desert would have been the shorter route. Terah and his family, however, took the longer route by following the Euphrates river upstream towards Haran. This makes more sense rather than making the journey across a perilous desert.
External factors that may put their life at risk during the desert journey include a lack of reliable sources of water, intense heat, constant temperature changes, and unpredictable sandstorms. Lack of food can also be a problem in a sparsely vegetated land while dangerous insects and animals also pose a threat. Bandits preying on passing vulnerable caravans also endangered their lives. There may have also been established routes throughout Mesopotamia that followed the Euphrates, so northwards to Haran is the better and safer choice.
Traveling straight through the desert had many dangers.
Onward to Canaan
Abraham’s family settled in Haran for many years until Terah died at the age of 205, then God called Abraham to go and continue the journey to Canaan. We can only surmise as to what drove their family to settle in Haran temporarily (whether it’s the town’s prosperity or relative peace), but to uproot himself and his family from a familiar land to live in another which was inhabited by people whose customs and gods differ from his can be unsettling.
He was 75 years old at that time and moving was not an easy task especially in his age. But this time, the command to move to Canaan came with a blessing explicitly stated in Genesis 12:2-3. So he packed all their belongings and journeyed again, reaching Shechem in Canaan first, then the hills of Bethel, and finally south to the Negev.
Our Own Long River Route
Abraham was often held as one whose faith and obedience shined brightly among the other characters in the Bible. The material and spiritual blessings that followed his obedience were well-documented, and he is recognized as someone Christians should emulate in faith.
We also take journeys, literally and spiritually (just like Abraham) and make hard decisions that will significantly impact our lives. Making the right choices (such as who to marry or whether to move to another city to pursue a leading) takes a lot of faith in God. The question is do we trust God enough to lead us out of our Ur of the Chaldeans and take us to a better place which He promised us? Do we take the shorter yet perilous desert route or do we have the patience to take the longer river route? Do we trust in our own intelligence or do we seek God first for His word in our decision-making process?
In your life, has God led you to the longer river route and how did it become a blessing? Comment below, please.
Since the pharaoh, who appears alongside Moses in the Exodus story is nameless, we are left with our best guesses and detective work. One of the most recent guesses comes from a Jewish scholar working in Jerusalem. He suggests that the Pharaoh of the Exodus was none other than King Tutankhamen.
He finds two chronological clues in the Bible: 1) the Israelites worked with mud-brick, not stone (5:7-8); 2) the Israelites spent 430 years in Egypt (from Joseph to Moses) (Ex. 12:40). These events are listed on the Bible Timeline Chart. PRO: A Building of Mud-Brick
Most building projects in Egypt (the pyramids and temples) involved stone-work. The one major mud-brick building project was the city of Akhetaten. Akhenaten built this city as a new religious center for the worship of one god, Aten.
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“Stripped of all its jewels, the mummy of Tutankhamun remains in the Valley of the Kings in his KV62 chamber”
One God
His new program of radical monotheism was not very popular among the Egyptian religious and political establishment. This meant he had to work quickly. The choice of mud-brick as the building material for this new city helped with that very short timeline. They completed the entire city in six years. Eight years later, Akhenaten died, and the city was evacuated. Reference to Plagues
Since the pharaoh who built the city with Israelite labor died before the Exodus events (Ex. 2:23), his son Tutankhamen would then be the Pharaoh of the Exodus. In his article in the Jerusalem Post, you would think the Egyptian stela was talking directly about the Exodus. In talking about the stele, Rosenberg cites the following curses: 1) Hapi, god of the Nile, will make it undrinkable; 2) Kermit, goddess of fertility, will release her frogspawn; 3) Osiris, god of corn, will allow locusts to eat the grain; 4) Ra, the sun god, will refuse to shine. CON – Plagues not actually listed
Unfortunately, things that look too good to be true usually are. The only thing the restoration stele of Tutankhamen says is that the gods turned their back on the land. It does not give any specifics about curses. It does not even mention the specific gods by name. It is Rosenberg, who took the plagues recorded in the Exodus and linked them with specific Egyptian deities. Question of Dates The Hyksos from 1720 – 1550 BC
Rosenberg also makes a follow-up point. He points to the Hyksos, a Semitic people group. They entered Egypt in large numbers around 1750 BC. They became so dominant that they ruled Egypt for close to 200 years (1720-1550 BC). Josephus was a Jewish historian and a contemporary of Jesus. He thought that the Israelites entered Egypt with this group.
Remember the high position Joseph held in the Egyptian government? This made perfect sense during this period of Semitic rule in Egypt. This was followed by a stark shift in power between the 15th and 18th dynasty. The Semites lost power whereas the native Egyptians regained it. Could this help explain the shift in attitude on the part of the Egyptian government towards Israel? Israel thrives as a minority under Joseph. But the Pharaoh “who did not know Joseph” turns them into an oppressed minority. Rosenberg points out that Jews and Christians alike ignore the specific information on Israel’s time in Egypt (Exodus 12:40). Even the Amazing Bible Timeline follows Bishop Ussher in assigning 130 years to this period rather than 430. His dates restore this original figure. The City and Pharoahs Ramses
But there is good reason Rosenberg is practically alone in arguing for King Tut as the Pharaoh of the Exodus. He ignores the two primary pieces of evidence that most commentators cite. One is a chronological note in 1 Kings 6:1. The second is the reference to the city Rameses.
Most Christian and secular scholars today base their arguments on the city of Rameses. Ramses is a personal name meaning “son of Ra.” 11 different pharaohs bore this name. They ruled between the 13th and 12th centuries BC. Regardless of the identification of this city, it should be one named after one of these kings. Not only that, there happens to be a city called Per-Ramessu (Pi-Ramesse). It happens to be located in the Nile Delta, where the Bible situates it. It was also built with slave labor. The name of these slave laborers was the ʿApiru’. Many scholars connect this word with the Hebrew word for “Hebrews.” It was Ramses II who orchestrated this building project. This city functioned as the seat of Egyptian power throughout the 19th and 20th dynasties. Moses does make a reference in Genesis to Joseph living in “the land of Rameses.” But one can easily explain this as a reference to the area Moses knew by this later name. A Difference in Spelling?
Critics of this position argue that there is no reason to identify Rameses the city with the pharaoh’s name Ramses. Their main argument is that the two names are spelled differently, Raamses as opposed to Ramesses. This is a difficult position as the Bible only mentions the place Rameses and not the pharaoh. The Hebrew contains the letters resh-ayin-mem-samekh-samekh (rʿmss). The Egyptian uses the letters r-ayin-m-s2-w (rʿmśśw). The final /w/ indicates the vowel u and Hebrew lost all final short vowels. But this is the crux of the rebuttal.
There is another group of scholars who emphasize a different piece of evidence. They focus on 1 Kings 6:1. It states that Solomon broke ground on the Temple in Jerusalem 480 years after the Exodus. Scholars vary in the dates they assign the temple construction. Recent scholars have placed the date as low as 958 BC. The Amazing Bible Timeline gives a date of 1011 BC for this event. Adding 480 years would place the Exodus at the beginning of the 15th century BC. This corresponds to the 18th dynasty of Egypt. These two pieces of evidence were easy to reconcile for scholars in the 17th century like Bishop Ussher. The Greek histories of Egypt easily placed Ramses II in the 15th century. Archeological excavations in the 19th and 20th centuries changed all that. We now have direct access to the Egyptian language and thousands of Egyptian texts. Possible Reconciliation of View Points
Critics of this position point to a number of concerns. The number 480 is a very round number. It corresponds to 12 generations of 40 years. The authors of the Biblical text were not saying 480 years exactly. Rather they were using a standard number to indicate 12 generations. Adjusting the length of a generation still preserves the integrity of the Biblical text. Another way to do it is to add up the years given for events from the Exodus to the temple. This method produces a period of 510 years plus 3 periods of unknown length. This suggests that these events may overlap in ways the Bible does not bother explaining.
Wherever we locate the events of the Exodus, they clearly had a significant impact on how Israelites viewed themselves. It was also central to their view of God.
What do you think? Was King Tut the Pharaoh of the Exodus? Comment below.
Also known as All Hallows Day, this holiday is commonly celebrated on Nov 1st. It is a time set aside to remember and honor all church saints throughout history.
In the beginning, martyrs were honored on the day of their individual death. Eventually, churches started consolidating them into a single day in order to remember them all at once. This is the origin of All Saints Day. It started in Rome around the 7th Century after Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon.
All Saints Day has a variety of meanings for different churches. Click hereif you would like to learn more about this holiday.
