tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post3956022983475685244..comments2024-03-10T10:54:59.776-07:00Comments on Ben Witherington: To Ur is HumanBen Witheringtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06017701050859255865noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-74986161650545674862007-07-03T18:55:00.000-07:002007-07-03T18:55:00.000-07:00Sadly there is nothing left of the heritage of Ede...Sadly there is nothing left of the heritage of Edessa in Urfa today, and so there is nothing to see or to say. <BR/><BR/>Here is an interesting tidbit-- the son of Ramases II, who followed him as Pharoah is mummfied and can be found in the Cairo museum. Yet his mummy is different from all the rest in being white. It has a high saline content. Could this reflect the fact that he drowned? Hmmm.......Ben Witheringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06017701050859255865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-45807438665518640632007-07-03T09:54:00.000-07:002007-07-03T09:54:00.000-07:00I appreciate both the pictures as well as the inte...I appreciate both the pictures as well as the interesting tidbit that at least some Muslims associate Urfa with Abraham. I was surprised, though, that you didn't bring up Urfa's rather rich history as a <A HREF="http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf08.ix.i.html" REL="nofollow">major center of early Christianity</A> in it's earlier 'incarnation' as Edessa.<BR/><BR/>Peace,<BR/><BR/>Matt FMatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18271680110721225930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-92044946882008900942007-07-03T06:56:00.000-07:002007-07-03T06:56:00.000-07:00Ben, I don't mean the evidence of the Hebrews ...Ben,<BR/><BR/> I don't mean the evidence of the Hebrews themselves. I mean the evidence of the EFFECTS of the events of the Exodus narrative upon the nation of Egypt.<BR/><BR/> When a military force large enough to have corralled and subdued the Israelites disappears in one fell swoop, it should have left a hole in that nation. Where is the evidence, archaeological or otherwise, that an army of that size just vanished? Where are the replacement conscriptions, for one example?<BR/><BR/>That's the sort of thing I don't see in investigations into the historicity of this major salvation event. If you drop a boulder into a pond, you don't see the boulder; you see its effects on the pond. Where are the effects of the Exodus events on the nation of Egypt?Falantedioshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16142960942087875045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-12554323777214195152007-07-02T13:20:00.000-07:002007-07-02T13:20:00.000-07:00Dr. Witherington, thank you for sharing the pictur...Dr. Witherington, thank you for sharing the pictures and all the history of your trip. I find them fascinating, and they give more depth to my knowledge of the Bible and its history.Shawna Atteberryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12752697766813703698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-74473396307298054842007-07-02T12:47:00.000-07:002007-07-02T12:47:00.000-07:00Nick I have no idea what you mean by a gaping hole...Nick I have no idea what you mean by a gaping hole in the archaeological record. We would hardly expect there to be much evidence for the presence of slaves in Egypt. They are the unmentioned people anyway. There is of course inscriptional evidence for the 'Hapiru' there, and further there is the interesting Aminhotep stele which mentions Israel which is in the Cairo museum. The grain cities mentioned as well in the Bible are known to have existed. There is Moses name (compare the name Ra--Mses) and other little evidence. We certainly wouldn't expect any evidence of the exodus event itself any more than we would expect to find archaeological evidence for nomads of any kind from the period. They traveled light, they didn't build buildings, they weren't craftsmen etc. In short absence of evidence is not the same as evidence of absence.<BR/><BR/>BW3Ben Witheringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06017701050859255865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840313.post-67575481855443304392007-07-02T10:16:00.000-07:002007-07-02T10:16:00.000-07:00I agree passionately that when the Bible makes his...I agree passionately that when the Bible makes historical claims, we must treat them as such. Because of that, I struggle with the lack of archaeological evidence for the Exodus. So much of salvation history hangs on the historicity of the Exodus, and archaeologists didn't start looking for supporting finds just yesterday. Should I be content to affirm by faith such a gaping hole in the historical record, saying that since Jesus really came out of the tomb, I believe the Exodus really happened?<BR/><BR/>Any ideas?<BR/><BR/>in HIS love,<BR/>Nick Gill<BR/>Frankfort, KYFalantedioshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16142960942087875045noreply@blogger.com