Reality Check

It's been almost a year since going to Israel, Jordan and Egypt. I've obviously not finished posting everything from that trip here, and much is happening currently. So this blog is now going to cover current events (at least the ones that are in my little corner of the universe) in nearly real-time.

If you discover any errors in my descriptions of the sites in Israel and Egypt, please feel free to leave a comment.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Qumron

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Hopefully, when you think of Qumron, you think of the Dead Sea Scrolls. That would be correct, as there is a fairly clear account of when and how they were discovered, and exactly where, and by whom.

Again, I've returned to Wikipedia as a source of information on Qumron (alternately spelled Qumran), as well as information on the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The one piece of information that stands out in my mind about Qumron is the fact that the scrolls found there confirm and verify the authenticity of the Old Testament portion of the Bible. Prior to their discovery, the oldest known texts were dated from about 900 A.D. The scrolls from Qumron have been dated to the second century B.C., over a thousand years earlier. Almost the entire Old Testament, with the exception of the Book of Esther, have been found there, at least in part, but many texts in whole. Many of the scrolls are now being kept in Jerusalem in the Israel Museum, which we visited a few days later.
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Near the Entrance to Qumron

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The Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Art Auction


I'm honored to be able to donate a large print of one of my photographs to a worthy cause. Over at Shepherding the Nations, they're having a silent art auction as a fundraiser to support indigenous pastors in India. One of my photos of the Dead Sea is featured, and I hope it brings a good price to support the work being done over there.

Update: This and two other framed prints sold for a good price, bringing money for God's work in India. See their website for more information.