>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
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As you read the Bible,
you read some of the great
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stories of all of history.
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Accounts that God has placed
into the Bible for us to learn
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not only their history, but
to understand the heart of God,
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the love of God, and
the plan of salvation.
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And as we read the
Bible, we read simply some
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mundane information
about everyday life.
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But, rightly understood,
that mundane information
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shines a bright light onto
the lives of Bible characters,
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the culture and the environments
from which they sprang,
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and help us
understand in greater depth
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the great themes of the Bible.
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Well, today to that
end, I have come to the
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Lynn H. Wood
Archaeological Museum
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on the campus of
Southern Adventist University,
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and my special guest
today is Dr. Michael Hasel,
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a professor of Near
Eastern studies and archaeology.
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Dr. Hasel, thanks
for joining me today.
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>>Michael Hasel: It's
great to be with you, John.
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>>John: Now, I don't
mean to be disparaging.
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And I talk about mundane
details about everyday life.
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But we read about
people who were shepherds.
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They herded sheep.
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We read about
people who were farmers;
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perhaps they grew crops.
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What about some
of these details can
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help us really understand
the Bible in a greater way,
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and in a way that
grows our faith in the Bible?
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>>Michael: Well, to me
this is what makes archaeology
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such a relevant
thing for the Bible.
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We have these 66
books of the Bible
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that give us this
grand scope of history
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going through from the
beginning of earth's history
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all the way to the end.
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And yet, many times the details:
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the details of how
people lived, what they ate,
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how they prepared their food,
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what kind of
houses they lived in,
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all of those kinds of
things, are mentioned in passing
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but they're not
really the main focus of what
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the Bible writers
are interested in.
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One of the things that we
have to remind ourselves is:
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they lived in a very
different kind of world
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than many of us do, at
least in the western world.
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They were, they
were agricultural people.
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Agriculture was a major
part of, of their way of life.
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>>John: Let me ask you something
about the, the, the signs,
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the discipline of archaeology.
You're an archaeologist.
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You, you dig in Israel,
you've dug in other places,
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um, I'd like to think
that most of your work is, is
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unearthing temples,
gates, great streets, cities,
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but I think the
reality for archaeologists
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is that a lot of the time you're
finding scraps of pottery,
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and what sort of things
might you find in the field
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that somebody like me wouldn't
realize is actually of great use
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to an
archaeologist? >>Michael: Right.
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>>John: What would
some of those things be?
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>>Michael: Well, we
find, we find, like you said,
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we do find
temples. We do find palaces.
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Those are always the highlights.
Whenever we find a big building,
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it's, it's, it's a great thing.
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But we're also interested
in household archaeology;
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how people lived in
their everyday lives.
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And, and we
excavate those houses.
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In the last several
years I've been working
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at a site called
Lachish, or Lachish,
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and we have been digging
a row of houses right next
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to the palace, or the major,
uh, building of that time.
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And, and, and the
materials that we find in there
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give us an insight
into how people lived.
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Let me give you a
couple of examples.
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>>John: Sure.
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>>Michael: Um,
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this is a very heavy, I'll
let you hold it in a minute,
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a very heavy piece of
basalt. This is a volcanic rock.
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It comes, actually, from
the northern part of Israel,
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um, up near the Sea of Galilee,
which was a very volcanic area.
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And this was what the
ancients used, this heavy rock
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with this coarse area, to,
um, to grind their grain with.
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And so, you know, you,
you have a, you have, uh,
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an under part here, and
you're moving back and forth,
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and this is what you
use to make your flour
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so that you can make
your bread every day.
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Um, just feel the
weight of that. This is,
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this is not something
that's... >>John: Oh yeah.
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Yeah, that's real heavy.
>>Michael: ...that's light.
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But because of
the porous nature,
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it really allows the
grinding of those grains down
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to something
that, that can be edible
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and can be put into bread.
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>>John: So let me
ask you a question.
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This seems to
answer the question--
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well, really, this, this is an
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everyday stuff-of-life
item... >>Michael: Right.
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>>John: ...that you might find.
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How do you know that
that's what this was used for?
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>>Michael: Well, you, you know
this because of the shape of it.
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It's been shaped,
it's been, it's been carved
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so that it nicely fits
into a human hand like this.
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And then you can
see the bottom of it
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is, is often very smooth from,
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from that grinding that
has taken place over time.
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You see a rock like this and you
know this is, this is manmade.
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This is something that
they've taken and shaped.
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And that's when a
rock, for an archaeologist,
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becomes an
artifact. >>John: Right.
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>>Michael: Before that time,
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it's simply a rock,
and geologists study those.
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But, but as soon
as you have something
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that's been formed by
human hands and used as a tool,
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which this was,
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then it's something
much more significant.
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>>John: In endeavoring
to understand the culture,
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the life and the times of the
people who lived way back then,
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it seems to me that,
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almost anything
you find is valuable.
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I know that we've
had discussions before
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and you've talked
about how, how, how bones
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that have been found,
just bones, discarded bones,
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told a lot and gave
a lot of information...
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>>Michael: Absolutely.
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>>John: ...that
became very useful.
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>>Michael: Every bit of
information that we can gather,
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much of it is left
behind, much of it is garbage
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or things that
people didn't want anymore.
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But they all give us a
glimpse into what people did,
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how they lived back then.
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The bones can give us
information about the diet
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of the ancients, uh, what
kind of things they ate. Um...
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>>John: And
therefore who they were.
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>>Michael: And who they were,
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exactly, because...
>>John: Jews would leave
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different bones behind
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than non-Jews, for instance.
>>Michael: That's right.
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We've, we've dug at a number of
Judean sites where we have found
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not a single pig bone
after digging for seven seasons,
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and, and digging 30
percent of the site.
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Whereas the
Philistines had 15 to 30 percent
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of the remains that are found at
Philistine sites are pig bones.
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We also know today that
the pigs that are in Israel,
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there have been studies
done of these ancient pigs
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and their, their
species, that they were coming
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from Europe, and that fits
very well with the Philistines,
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who are also coming from
Greece and from that area.
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So they were introduced, not by
the Israelites, not by locals,
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but they were
brought from the outside in.
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>>John: Now, is
there a story in the Bible
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you think'd be great to look at?
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Maybe it continues
something relatively everyday,
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sort of mundane, but, but,
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in archaeology we've been
able to learn more about these
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cultural practices
that shine a light on,
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our understanding
of the Word of God.
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Where would we begin?
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>>Michael: Well, there's many,
many places we could go to,
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but as I think
about rural lifestyle
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and especially
agricultural lifestyle,
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I can't help about, think about
the story of Ruth and Boaz.
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>>John: Okay.
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>>Michael: And, uh, that,
that great little book of Ruth
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that's found, um,
in the Old Testament
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is a, is a, is a
glimpse into the ancient world
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and the period of the Judges,
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and it gives us an understanding
of what life was like.
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Now, the setting is
the city of Bethlehem,
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the town of Bethlehem.
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It's the same place, uh, that,
that David would later be born.
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In fact, Ruth is
David's great-grandmother.
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And then later on, of
course, this is where Jesus
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would be born as well.
So this, that's the setting,
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and it's still a
rural community today.
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You can still see the shepherds
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out in the fields
with their flocks, and
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you can still see agriculture
taking place there today.
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>>John: Ruth, chapter 2, I'm
going to read a little passage.
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See if you can comment on this.
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>>Michael: Sure.
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>>John: Part of the
book of Ruth, you know,
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for those of us who have
been raised in a modern world
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and we've been
raised in cities and so on,
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it, it, it's hard to
even make it compute.
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You really must
try to understand
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the cultural
milieu. >>Michael: Sure.
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>>John: So let me read this.
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Ruth, chapter 2,
starting in verse 2.
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"Ruth the
Moabitess said unto Naomi,
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Let me go now to the
field, and glean ears of corn
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after him in whose
sight I shall find grace.
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And she said unto
her; Go, my daughter.
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And she went, and came,
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and gleaned in the
field after the reapers."
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Now, that's just an
everyday sort of occurrence.
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What does archaeology
help us understand about that?
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>>Michael: Well, I
think to understand the,
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the setting of all of this,
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and to go back to that
setting again, um, we have,
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we have some, some grain here.
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>>John: Now, that's not corn.
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>>Michael: This is not corn, no.
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>>John: And that's because?
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>>Michael: Because the, the
King James Version, of course,
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was translated in 1611
in Britain, and Britain,
00:08:32.47\00:08:35.78
the term "corn" was the generic
term that was used for "grain."
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That's, that's, uh,
it, it means "grain."
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And if you know the
Hebrew, it simply means "grain."
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So they used "corn."
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It's not maize, because maize
is a New World product that, uh,
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that comes from the Aztecs
and the Mayans and so forth.
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>>John: So this was wheat.
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>>Michael: So this was wheat.
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Barley and wheat,
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they would, they
would take in the fields.
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And this is how it
grew, as it grows today.
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And, uh, they would, they would
harvest it, they would cut it.
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We find the sickles
still in the field, uh,
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not in the field,
sometimes in the homes.
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The sickles that were used for
this, sometimes they're made,
00:09:07.24\00:09:10.28
uh, from actual iron
blades in later periods.
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In earlier periods they were
actually made from stone blades
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that were found in that context.
So they would cut them down,
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and then they would
gather them up like this.
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And then the process at
that point would be to separate,
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of course, the
kernels from everything else,
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and they would then
throw, throw these up in the air
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and allow the chaff,
after, after they, they, uh,
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would go over it
with, with, with a heavy,
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uh, piece of, of, uh,
wood that had stone in it,
00:09:37.11\00:09:41.61
to kind of
separate all this stuff out.
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They would then
throw it up in the air,
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and the chaff would fly away,
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and the kernels of
grain would drop down,
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and they would have a
nice pile of, of whole kernels,
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that then they would
have to grind into flour.
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>>John: Um, using one of those.
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>>Michael: Using
one of these grinders.
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And I've, I have another
one here I want to show you
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that was found.
>>John: How old is this?
00:10:01.00\00:10:02.30
>>Michael: This is probably
dating to the eighth century.
00:10:02.33\00:10:05.27
Uh, this is the time period
of Isaiah and, um, and Amos,
00:10:05.30\00:10:10.14
who were also, Amos
came from very close by,
00:10:10.17\00:10:12.97
from Tekoa, very
close by to Bethlehem.
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So in this case,
this is a much smaller
00:10:16.31\00:10:18.35
stone that was used to grind.
00:10:18.38\00:10:19.95
Sometimes these smaller,
uh, items were used for,
00:10:19.98\00:10:23.35
not so much for grain, but for
fruits and that kind of thing,
00:10:23.39\00:10:26.65
to, to, uh, to use that.
00:10:26.69\00:10:28.92
And you can see the
beautiful decorations here.
00:10:28.96\00:10:30.79
This is the same material.
It's made out of basalt.
00:10:30.83\00:10:32.66
It's not as coarse
basalt as we had before.
00:10:32.69\00:10:35.53
But it's still the same
material and weighs a lot.
00:10:35.56\00:10:38.27
>>John: And once again,
00:10:38.30\00:10:39.43
archaeology
bringing into clearer focus
00:10:39.47\00:10:41.64
the ordinary lives, the
daily details of those people
00:10:41.67\00:10:44.17
who lived so long ago,
the people of whom we read,
00:10:44.21\00:10:47.11
about whom we
study in the Word of God,
00:10:47.14\00:10:49.98
real people who
lived real lives.
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Back with more in just a moment.
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¤[Middle Eastern
instrumental music]¤
00:10:54.45\00:10:59.45
>>John: It's a subject
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00:11:01.16\00:11:02.92
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00:11:02.96\00:11:06.39
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00:11:19.51\00:11:22.94
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>>Announcer 1:
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>>John: This is It Is Written.
00:12:01.05\00:12:02.62
I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me today.
00:12:02.65\00:12:05.52
Today my guest is Dr.
Michael Hasel, an archaeologist.
00:12:05.55\00:12:08.56
I'm at the Lynn H.
Wood Archaeological Museum
00:12:08.59\00:12:11.76
in Collegedale, Tennessee.
00:12:11.79\00:12:14.13
Dr. Hasel, there's something
I want to ask you about.
00:12:14.20\00:12:16.03
Here in 1 Samuel, chapter 2, I'm
going to read in verse, uh, 19:
00:12:16.06\00:12:20.84
"Moreover, his mother
made him a little coat,
00:12:20.87\00:12:24.01
and brought it to
him from year to year,
00:12:24.04\00:12:26.01
when she came
up with her husband
00:12:26.04\00:12:27.41
to offer the yearly sacrifice."
00:12:27.44\00:12:29.81
So Hannah was making
Samuel a coat every year.
00:12:29.84\00:12:34.25
As he grew, he'd need a new
one. What was involved in that?
00:12:34.28\00:12:38.29
>>Michael: Well, it was, it
was a very involved process,
00:12:38.32\00:12:40.42
very different from
us going to a store today
00:12:40.46\00:12:43.06
and simply buying something,
buying a piece of clothing.
00:12:43.09\00:12:45.46
Uh, we have some
interesting artifacts here.
00:12:45.49\00:12:48.83
The first thing, of
course, that they had to do
00:12:48.86\00:12:51.60
was to get the
wool from a sheep.
00:12:51.63\00:12:54.27
And, um, of course,
00:12:54.30\00:12:56.71
they didn't have to kill the
sheep necessarily to do this.
00:12:56.74\00:12:58.91
They could shear the sheep
and, and, and get the wool,
00:12:58.94\00:13:01.14
uh, in, in, in
different times of the year.
00:13:01.18\00:13:04.01
And they would take
that wool, of course,
00:13:04.05\00:13:06.38
and then once they had the wool,
00:13:06.41\00:13:08.42
they would take an
artifact like this.
00:13:08.45\00:13:11.39
This is a, they
could get any stick,
00:13:11.42\00:13:14.02
and they would put what
is called a spindle whirl
00:13:14.06\00:13:16.46
on the bottom of it.
00:13:16.49\00:13:18.59
Spindle whirl, this
doesn't really fit very well,
00:13:18.63\00:13:21.66
but normally it
would fit very nicely.
00:13:21.70\00:13:23.33
And then they would
spin that spindle whirl.
00:13:23.37\00:13:25.73
That the weight of this
would allow them to spin it
00:13:25.77\00:13:27.77
very nicely around, and they
could take strands of that wool
00:13:27.80\00:13:31.47
and make it into
yarn, or make it into, uh,
00:13:31.51\00:13:36.71
material that they
could use for weaving.
00:13:36.75\00:13:38.48
The next part of that
process, after they were done
00:13:38.51\00:13:42.52
making the strands,
was they would use a loom
00:13:42.55\00:13:45.52
that has, also, loom
weights at the bottom.
00:13:45.55\00:13:48.72
These, uh, would, would,
these weights at the bottom
00:13:48.76\00:13:52.83
would hold down the strands of
cloth in the vertical position,
00:13:52.86\00:13:57.47
and then they would bring the
other cloth across and slowly,
00:13:57.50\00:14:02.50
they would slowly begin
to weave that back and forth.
00:14:02.54\00:14:06.14
And in time this all would
create either a nice new carpet,
00:14:06.17\00:14:12.55
a part of a tent, or, uh, in
the case of Samuel, his mother,
00:14:12.58\00:14:17.59
uh, she could
construct a very nice,
00:14:17.62\00:14:19.55
or weave a very nice piece
of clothing for him every year.
00:14:19.59\00:14:22.92
>>John: Now, from an
archaeological perspective,
00:14:22.96\00:14:24.66
I doubt very much that too
many full looms have ever been,
00:14:24.69\00:14:27.13
uh, excavated.
00:14:27.13\00:14:28.43
So what do archaeologists
find that talks of this?
00:14:28.46\00:14:31.63
>>Michael: In this, uh,
particular case what we find
00:14:31.67\00:14:34.80
in the heartland of
Israel in not-so-dry regions is,
00:14:34.84\00:14:39.21
uh, we find the
actual loom weights.
00:14:39.24\00:14:41.84
Uh, this last summer we were
excavating a series of houses,
00:14:41.88\00:14:44.58
and we found in
one area, in one house,
00:14:44.61\00:14:47.52
we found 58 of
these loom weights.
00:14:47.55\00:14:50.45
So we knew there was a
loom there at some time.
00:14:50.49\00:14:52.49
We didn't find any cloth.
00:14:52.52\00:14:54.09
The, uh, the wood
of the loom had already
00:14:54.12\00:14:56.96
disintegrated over
the last, uh, it was about
00:14:56.99\00:14:59.76
the, the, the
room dated to 2700 B.C.
00:14:59.79\00:15:03.00
uh, about 2,700
years ago, about 700 B.C.
00:15:03.03\00:15:05.77
And so you have, though, the
remnants of what could survive.
00:15:05.80\00:15:09.90
And these loom weights, uh,
they're made out of, uh, clay,
00:15:09.94\00:15:13.88
they would be baked, uh,
in the destruction debris
00:15:13.91\00:15:16.98
and would be
preserved as a result of that.
00:15:17.01\00:15:18.75
>>John: So who
would have made this?
00:15:18.78\00:15:20.08
Would it have
been Hannah herself?
00:15:20.12\00:15:22.48
Would it have been a servant?
00:15:22.52\00:15:23.59
Who would use a loom like that?
00:15:23.62\00:15:25.19
>>Michael: Well, it probably
would have been Hannah herself
00:15:25.22\00:15:28.52
from the context we
have in the biblical passage.
00:15:28.56\00:15:30.53
But we really
don't know for certain.
00:15:30.56\00:15:32.49
Um, the womenfolk were
normally the ones that would do
00:15:32.53\00:15:35.00
kind of the household
activities of this type.
00:15:35.03\00:15:37.70
And, uh, Hannah very well may
have been the person to do that.
00:15:37.73\00:15:41.60
>>John: Which is
interesting you say the women,
00:15:41.64\00:15:43.74
because then we have
the story of Joseph's coat,
00:15:43.77\00:15:47.98
who it appears, uh,
that was made by his father.
00:15:48.01\00:15:51.45
And he would have used
something much like this.
00:15:51.48\00:15:53.58
>>Michael: Oh, yes,
00:15:53.62\00:15:54.68
he would have used
something very similar to this.
00:15:54.72\00:15:56.32
Of course, Joseph lived about
00:15:56.35\00:15:57.42
700 years before the time
of Samuel, maybe 750 years.
00:15:57.45\00:16:01.62
So again, this is
a, a kind of lifestyle,
00:16:01.66\00:16:05.83
a kind of way of
life that would have gone
00:16:05.86\00:16:08.63
for hundreds of years
through the ancient Near East.
00:16:08.66\00:16:10.70
And it's interesting, with
Joseph, we have, uh, we have a,
00:16:10.73\00:16:13.87
uh, tomb painting called
the Beni Hasan tomb painting,
00:16:13.90\00:16:16.84
which shows Asiatics
coming to trade in Egypt.
00:16:16.87\00:16:20.41
And they're dressed in,
in, in very colorful clothing,
00:16:20.44\00:16:24.11
which seems to mirror the
kind of clothing that Joseph was
00:16:24.15\00:16:27.55
given by his father. So
it's another one of those
00:16:27.58\00:16:29.65
corroborating facts that
we have from, from history.
00:16:29.68\00:16:32.22
>>John:
Magnificent. Thanks for that.
00:16:32.25\00:16:34.09
The Bible, a living
book, a dynamic book.
00:16:34.12\00:16:37.06
Archaeology bringing to
life the times, the daily lives,
00:16:37.09\00:16:41.86
the personalities
of the Word of God.
00:16:41.90\00:16:44.80
Don't go away.
We'll be back with
00:16:44.83\00:16:46.33
more in just a moment.
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00:16:48.74\00:16:50.57
>>Announcer 3: In Matthew
4:4, the Word of God says,
00:16:50.61\00:16:53.17
“It is written, ‘Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:16:53.21\00:16:56.11
but by every word that proceeds
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00:16:56.14\00:17:00.25
"Every Word" is a one-minute
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00:17:00.28\00:17:03.49
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¤[Upbeat music]¤
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>>John: One day Jesus was asked
00:17:29.91\00:17:31.41
to heal the desperately ill
servant of a certain centurion.
00:17:31.45\00:17:34.62
Before Jesus got
to the man's house,
00:17:34.65\00:17:36.12
the centurion sent word
telling Jesus not to come.
00:17:36.15\00:17:38.55
He said, "You don't
even need to come here.
00:17:38.59\00:17:40.82
Just say a word, and my
servant shall be healed."
00:17:40.86\00:17:43.99
He explained that
as a man in authority,
00:17:44.03\00:17:45.63
he knew that when he gave
orders, they'd be carried out.
00:17:45.66\00:17:48.20
He said, "I believe
that when You say something,
00:17:48.23\00:17:50.83
Your orders will
be carried out too."
00:17:50.87\00:17:53.03
Jesus was impressed.
00:17:53.07\00:17:54.37
The Bible says He
marveled, and said,
00:17:54.40\00:17:56.67
"I have not found so
great faith, no, not in Israel."
00:17:56.71\00:18:00.04
Luke 7, verse 9.
00:18:00.08\00:18:01.84
The man had total
confidence that if Jesus spoke,
00:18:01.88\00:18:04.71
what He said would
happen. Now, that's faith.
00:18:04.75\00:18:07.45
Have that sort
of real faith today.
00:18:07.48\00:18:09.38
Believe that when Jesus speaks,
and He speaks in the Bible,
00:18:09.42\00:18:13.92
you can expect
what He says to happen.
00:18:13.96\00:18:17.56
I'm John Bradshaw
for It Is Written.
00:18:17.59\00:18:19.69
Let's live today by every word.
00:18:19.73\00:18:22.36
¤[Middle Eastern
instrumental music]¤
00:18:25.67\00:18:30.67
>>John: Thanks for joining
me today on It Is Written,
00:18:34.68\00:18:36.95
where my guest is
archaeologist Dr. Michael Hasel.
00:18:36.98\00:18:41.28
Dr. Hasel, today we're
talking about archaeology
00:18:41.32\00:18:43.95
and everyday life in
the times of the Bible.
00:18:43.99\00:18:46.82
And if you'll allow me, there's
a question I want to put to you,
00:18:46.86\00:18:49.09
because this has intrigued me.
00:18:49.12\00:18:51.26
I'll read the
passage; you'll know why.
00:18:51.29\00:18:53.09
2 Kings, chapter 4,
starting in verse 8:
00:18:53.13\00:18:56.67
"And it fell on a day,
that Elisha passed to Shunem,
00:18:56.70\00:19:00.37
where was a great woman;
00:19:00.40\00:19:02.10
and she
constrained him to eat bread.
00:19:02.14\00:19:03.97
And so it was, that
as oft as he passed by,
00:19:04.01\00:19:06.61
he turned in there to eat bread.
And she said to her husband,
00:19:06.64\00:19:10.68
Behold now, I perceive
that this is an holy man of God,
00:19:10.71\00:19:13.11
which passes us by continually.
00:19:13.15\00:19:15.25
Let us make a little chamber,
I pray thee, on the wall;
00:19:15.28\00:19:18.99
and let us set him there a
bed, and a table, and a stool,
00:19:19.02\00:19:21.36
and a candlestick: and it
shall be, when he comes to us,
00:19:21.39\00:19:24.33
that he shall turn in there."
00:19:24.36\00:19:25.69
What were houses like back then
00:19:25.73\00:19:28.06
that this family could
just decide to make him
00:19:28.10\00:19:30.77
a chamber? Whether
that's a room or a lean-to,
00:19:30.80\00:19:34.07
I don't quite know.
00:19:34.10\00:19:35.70
Tell me about
what houses were like
00:19:35.74\00:19:37.51
back in the
time of the prophets.
00:19:37.54\00:19:40.18
>>Michael: It's
very interesting.
00:19:40.21\00:19:41.74
The way houses were
built is a very typical style
00:19:41.78\00:19:45.65
for Israelites.
00:19:45.68\00:19:46.98
It's, uh, it's a
different style than you have
00:19:47.02\00:19:49.25
in other surrounding cultures.
00:19:49.28\00:19:50.69
It's not a Canaanite house;
it's not an Egyptian house;
00:19:50.72\00:19:53.19
it's not a, the
Israelite house was a very, very
00:19:53.22\00:19:56.42
singular type of architecture.
00:19:56.46\00:19:58.93
And there's been
a lot of discussion
00:19:58.96\00:20:00.96
in the scholarly community about
why they had these kind of,
00:20:01.00\00:20:04.57
what we call four-room
houses or pillared houses.
00:20:04.60\00:20:07.90
Uh, normally it would
have four different rooms,
00:20:07.94\00:20:10.44
often in the
basement, or not the basement,
00:20:10.47\00:20:13.11
but the first floor you would
have cattle or sheep and goats.
00:20:13.14\00:20:17.41
It would be kind of like a barn.
00:20:17.45\00:20:19.91
Um, in the back areas
you would have storage areas,
00:20:19.95\00:20:22.85
uh, and so forth.
00:20:22.88\00:20:24.25
And then you'd have
an upper floor as well.
00:20:24.29\00:20:25.99
So whether this was
something that was added
00:20:26.02\00:20:28.19
as an upper floor, um,
00:20:28.22\00:20:29.96
or whether this was
added onto, I, I think maybe
00:20:29.99\00:20:32.83
what the Bible's talking about,
00:20:32.86\00:20:34.40
knowing the
architecture of that time,
00:20:34.46\00:20:35.93
is that maybe they added a
room above, perhaps, for him.
00:20:35.96\00:20:40.07
Uh, these houses
were occupied by,
00:20:40.10\00:20:43.10
a nuclear family but
also by extended family.
00:20:43.14\00:20:45.97
>>John: So how many people would
you have typically in a home?
00:20:46.01\00:20:47.91
>>Michael: It depended,
but you could have as many as
00:20:47.94\00:20:50.15
10 to 15 people in a
home of 900 to 1,000,
00:20:50.18\00:20:54.62
maybe 1,200 square feet.
00:20:54.65\00:20:55.98
>>John: That's not real
big to have 10 or 15 people.
00:20:56.02\00:20:59.12
>>Michael: No, it's not.
00:20:59.15\00:21:00.06
>>John: Now, let
me ask you this, then:
00:21:00.09\00:21:01.76
Did, was there a,
00:21:01.79\00:21:03.96
did these homes differ based on
the standing of the individual?
00:21:03.99\00:21:09.13
Was it common to find humble
dwelling for the humble folks,
00:21:09.16\00:21:12.87
much larger place,
did it work like that?
00:21:12.90\00:21:15.70
>>Michael: There was
some of that as well, yes.
00:21:15.74\00:21:17.97
And depending on also where
in the city it was located,
00:21:18.01\00:21:20.51
if it was a city house or
if it was out in the country.
00:21:20.54\00:21:22.84
But the style was very
much the same, many times,
00:21:22.88\00:21:26.08
in terms of those four rooms.
00:21:26.11\00:21:27.92
Um, and some of the rooms
were simply divided by pillars.
00:21:27.95\00:21:30.59
It wasn't really
divided by a wall, let's say.
00:21:30.62\00:21:34.16
The material that was used for
them was quite, quite extensive.
00:21:34.19\00:21:37.16
>>John: Yeah, what, what were
they, what were they built from?
00:21:37.19\00:21:39.03
>>Michael: They were
built from stone primarily,
00:21:39.06\00:21:41.66
that were then plastered
on the outside, or even, um,
00:21:41.70\00:21:45.67
either with mud, or with
actual plaster lime from, from,
00:21:45.70\00:21:49.47
uh, from
limestone, limestone plaster.
00:21:49.50\00:21:52.61
And to
construct a house that had
00:21:52.64\00:21:54.94
those four rooms at the bottom,
00:21:54.98\00:21:56.28
plus a roof area
with perhaps rooms above,
00:21:56.31\00:21:59.25
you're talking about a
construction that would involve
00:21:59.28\00:22:02.38
470 tons of material.
00:22:02.42\00:22:05.05
>>John: That's a heavy house.
00:22:05.09\00:22:06.69
>>Michael: This
is a heavy house.
00:22:06.72\00:22:07.92
This is not the kind of houses
we build here in North America.
00:22:07.96\00:22:10.69
We're just
framing up 2x4s or 2x6s,
00:22:10.73\00:22:13.70
and then putting drywall on it.
00:22:13.73\00:22:15.63
This was solid, solid houses.
00:22:15.66\00:22:17.80
And we find
stairs going up to what
00:22:17.83\00:22:21.04
presumably would
be a second floor.
00:22:21.07\00:22:22.37
Many times we only find the,
00:22:22.40\00:22:24.64
the, um, the
foundations of these homes.
00:22:24.67\00:22:27.44
Uh, but we find the
staircases that go up to them.
00:22:27.48\00:22:30.15
We find collapsed ceilings, and
we find the materials that were,
00:22:30.18\00:22:32.81
that were there.
00:22:32.85\00:22:33.55
So we have huge storage jars,
00:22:33.58\00:22:35.82
many times they're
lined up in these houses,
00:22:35.85\00:22:37.75
that would have
had olive oil in them,
00:22:37.79\00:22:39.62
or, or perhaps,
uh, uh, grape juice
00:22:39.65\00:22:42.16
or wine or
something of that nature.
00:22:42.19\00:22:43.63
So we have, we have, again,
uh, done a lot of analysis and,
00:22:43.66\00:22:48.66
and looked at the way
people lived, and they had,
00:22:48.70\00:22:51.60
they had comfortable homes.
00:22:51.63\00:22:52.83
>>John: Now, these jars that
are discovered in archaeological
00:22:52.87\00:22:55.97
ruins, I understand
you found some of those,
00:22:56.00\00:22:58.44
and these are genuine ancient,
what were they used for?
00:22:58.47\00:23:03.08
>>Michael: Well,
they were used to, uh,
00:23:03.11\00:23:04.81
contain all kinds of
things, uh, often water or oil.
00:23:04.85\00:23:11.45
Olive oil, of
course, was produced
00:23:11.49\00:23:13.19
very extensively in
the Mediterranean world,
00:23:13.22\00:23:15.59
still is today.
00:23:15.62\00:23:16.79
>>John: This one here, how
old is this, and what is this?
00:23:16.83\00:23:18.76
>>Michael: This, this is dating
to about the eighth century,
00:23:18.79\00:23:20.26
about 750 B.C. or so.
00:23:20.30\00:23:22.63
So this would date to the
time of Isaiah and Amos and,
00:23:22.66\00:23:25.83
and Hezekiah the king,
00:23:25.87\00:23:27.34
during Sennacherib's
famous campaign that he took,
00:23:27.37\00:23:29.67
the Assyrian king.
00:23:29.70\00:23:31.04
And I love this,
this particular artifact,
00:23:31.07\00:23:33.07
because it has a spout
over here on this side.
00:23:33.11\00:23:35.98
This is a spout where you
can actually pour out material.
00:23:36.01\00:23:39.65
Uh, and it has, it's designed
in such a way where you can put
00:23:39.68\00:23:42.58
a little tiny dipper juglet
like this inside the spout,
00:23:42.62\00:23:46.09
and just kind of, it hangs
out there as kind of a little
00:23:46.12\00:23:49.12
resting place for it.
00:23:49.16\00:23:50.59
This is a little measuring cup.
00:23:50.63\00:23:52.49
So if you have a large jar,
00:23:52.53\00:23:54.20
sometimes there's
jars even larger than this,
00:23:54.20\00:23:55.96
rather than
picking up the whole thing
00:23:56.00\00:23:57.97
and accidentally spilling olive
oil in your fire and creating,
00:23:58.00\00:24:01.40
burning the whole city down,
00:24:01.44\00:24:02.87
or something like that, you can
just take your little dipper jar
00:24:02.90\00:24:05.81
dip it in, maybe on
a string or something,
00:24:05.84\00:24:08.01
dip it in, bring
out a little bit,
00:24:08.04\00:24:10.15
and this just take it, take it,
00:24:10.18\00:24:12.05
a little bit, this little
dipper juglet, and do that.
00:24:12.08\00:24:15.22
So this is a very
typical Israelite artifact
00:24:15.25\00:24:18.89
that we find
from that time period.
00:24:18.92\00:24:20.82
And it, it just
is an amazing piece.
00:24:20.86\00:24:24.09
We find the
dipper juglet separately.
00:24:24.13\00:24:25.76
Uh, two summers ago we
actually found them together,
00:24:25.79\00:24:29.16
very much like
this. They were crushed,
00:24:29.20\00:24:31.17
but perfectly restorable, uh,
00:24:31.20\00:24:33.13
on the level that
Sennacherib destroyed.
00:24:33.17\00:24:36.17
>>John: When you find
something like this, for me,
00:24:36.20\00:24:38.94
for the non-archaeologist,
00:24:38.97\00:24:40.48
it just kind of lights me up
and brings the Bible to life.
00:24:40.51\00:24:44.18
This is really real,
00:24:44.21\00:24:45.31
and these were real
people living real lives.
00:24:45.35\00:24:46.88
What did it do for you
after you've been digging in the
00:24:46.92\00:24:50.49
Middle East for years and years?
00:24:50.52\00:24:51.85
>>Michael: I still get
excited. I still get excited.
00:24:51.89\00:24:54.59
Somebody made
this 2,700 years ago.
00:24:54.62\00:24:57.23
Somebody, uh, cooked with
it, prepared for their families.
00:24:57.26\00:25:01.83
Um, there were children
running around in the house.
00:25:01.86\00:25:04.13
Uh, you know, it, it, it really
to me brings the Bible to life
00:25:04.17\00:25:08.17
in an incredible way,
00:25:08.20\00:25:10.51
in, in a sense that, you
know, these were, like you said,
00:25:10.54\00:25:14.68
real people, and, uh, we
can touch and taste and feel
00:25:14.71\00:25:20.52
the material
that they lived with.
00:25:20.55\00:25:22.75
>>John: Archaeology
bringing to life the Bible.
00:25:22.78\00:25:26.25
My encouragement to you
is that the Bible comes alive
00:25:26.29\00:25:29.12
in your life.
00:25:29.16\00:25:30.69
Archaeology isn't given to
us simply so that we can see
00:25:30.73\00:25:33.13
how people lived 2,800
or more or less years ago,
00:25:33.16\00:25:37.50
but so that the Bible can come
to life, be real, be accessible.
00:25:37.53\00:25:42.00
And it's real when it's read
and believed and leaned upon.
00:25:42.04\00:25:48.31
There were Bible figures
or people living among them,
00:25:48.34\00:25:52.21
handling these very artifacts.
00:25:52.25\00:25:54.18
Today, we can
handle the Word of God,
00:25:54.22\00:25:57.09
and it can be
alive and real for us.
00:25:57.12\00:25:59.72
¤[Middle Eastern
instrumental music]¤
00:25:59.75\00:26:05.86
>>John: It's a subject
that is talked about much,
00:26:06.56\00:26:08.33
studied often, and you
want to know what the Bible says
00:26:08.36\00:26:11.83
about the temple in Scripture.
00:26:11.87\00:26:13.94
To find out,
receive today's free offer:
00:26:13.97\00:26:16.47
"Rebuilding the Temple."
00:26:16.50\00:26:18.11
Call 800-253-3000.
00:26:18.14\00:26:20.64
Or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:26:20.68\00:26:24.98
What does the Bible say about
the temple and its services?
00:26:25.01\00:26:28.45
Get today's free offer:
"Rebuilding the Temple."
00:26:28.48\00:26:30.32
800-253-3000,
00:26:30.35\00:26:32.52
visit us at iiwoffer.com.
00:26:32.55\00:26:36.26
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:26:36.36\00:26:38.16
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:26:38.19\00:26:41.76
To support this international,
life-changing ministry,
00:26:41.80\00:26:44.90
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:26:44.93\00:26:49.10
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:26:49.14\00:26:50.61
to the address on your screen.
00:26:50.64\00:26:52.11
Or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:52.14\00:26:55.94
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:26:55.98\00:26:58.81
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:26:58.85\00:27:03.02
or you could visit us online at
00:27:03.05\00:27:04.72
itiswritten.com.
00:27:04.75\00:27:06.29
>>John: Dr. Michael Hasel,
00:27:06.82\00:27:07.99
thank you so much for joining
me today on It Is Written.
00:27:08.02\00:27:09.72
>>Michael: It's a privilege.
00:27:09.76\00:27:10.79
>>John: It's a joy to
see the Bible come to life.
00:27:10.83\00:27:13.09
It really is.
Let's pray together.
00:27:13.13\00:27:15.50
Our Father in heaven,
00:27:15.53\00:27:16.50
we thank You today
that Your word is living,
00:27:16.53\00:27:20.04
it's dynamic, it, it is alive.
00:27:20.07\00:27:23.27
And I pray that it
would be alive in our lives.
00:27:23.30\00:27:26.17
There is somebody right now
participating in this prayer
00:27:26.21\00:27:30.95
who needs the touch of
God in her or his life,
00:27:30.98\00:27:34.55
who needs the power of Your
Word to flow through that life
00:27:34.58\00:27:38.85
and that experience.
00:27:38.89\00:27:40.96
We thank You for a
Savior who lived, who breathed,
00:27:40.99\00:27:44.79
who died, and who is
soon to return to this earth
00:27:44.83\00:27:48.13
and take us home.
00:27:48.16\00:27:49.73
Let that day come soon,
we pray, in Jesus' name,
00:27:49.76\00:27:53.94
amen.
00:27:53.97\00:27:56.64
Thanks so much
for joining us today.
00:27:56.67\00:27:58.14
I look forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:58.17\00:28:00.21
Until then, remember:
00:28:00.24\00:28:02.24
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:28:02.28\00:28:06.85
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:28:06.88\00:28:10.92
¤[Theme music]¤
00:28:10.95\00:28:15.62