Veritas Aequitas

From AiG:

The Jerusalem Post: “Archeologists Find ‘Joseph-Era’ Coins in Egypt”

Archaeologists may have found evidence for the Joseph of Genesis in Egypt, a news agency has reported.

Researchers in Egypt have discovered a cache of coins “bearing the name and image of the biblical Joseph,” the Jerusalem Post reports. The news was originally reported by Egyptian paper Al-Ahram and translated by MEMRI.

The coins – five hundred in all – were among a group of “small archeological artifacts” at the Museum of Egypt and were originally mistook for charms or ornaments. The leader of the team, Sa’id Muhammad Thabet, found the coins in various vaults while doing research on Joseph.

If true, the discovery overturns the previous contention that ancient Egyptians were unfamiliar with coins and used a barter system exclusively. Thabet originally questioned that idea when reading a letter by an ancient Egyptian who served as royal inspector of the Nile bridges. Named Thot-Nehet, he wrote of leasing lands in exchange for coins and agricultural goods.

As for the coins themselves, Thabet noticed that what had been classified as charms were actually round (or nearly round) and bore an inscription on one side and an engraved image on the other—just like coins throughout the centuries, including today. The inscribed side of the objects bore the name of Egypt, a date, and a value, while the engraved face of most bore the name and image of an Egyptian pharaoh or deity. The objects also came in various sizes and were made of precious materials. Also, similar objects have been found at various archaeological sites, adding to Thabet’s suspicion that the objects were coins rather than charms.

The coins are dated to many periods of Egyptian history, including as far back as Joseph’s time. Most interestingly, the report matches up with Genesis 41 in describing “one coin that had an inscription on it, and an image of a cow symbolizing Pharaoh’s dream about the seven fat cows and seven lean cows, and the seven green stalks of grain and seven dry stalks of grain.”

Furthermore, the researchers were able to decipher the writing on the coin (which matched the earliest known hieroglyphic texts) and make out multiple versions of Joseph’s name as well as what is purported to be an image of him.

If Thabet’s research is correct, then we have another fascinating confirmation of the reality of Genesis history. But as the research has not yet been presented for review or otherwise published (as far as we are aware), the accuracy of the research remains in question. Baptist Press, in an article titled “Evangelicals Skeptical about ‘Joseph Coins’,” quotes evangelical scholars who are skeptical of Thabet’s claims. “My initial response is one of skepticism in that the ‘interpretation’ of the coins is quite subjective,” explained ancient Egypt expert Robert Griffin of the University of Memphis.

Archaeologist Steven Ortiz of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary concurred, noting that Thabet’s team was seeking to validate specific verses of the Koran with their discovery. Of course, the motivation of Thabet’s research doesn’t necessarily mean the findings are flawed; nonetheless, we’ll reserve judgment until the exact findings are published in a peer-reviewed journal. Besides, our trust in Genesis (and the rest of God’s Word) doesn’t ebb and flow with each new archaeological discovery!

I came across this except recently in my meanderings, and feel it is worth reprinting here.

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Many think of Jesus as a weak, sad looking fellow. He has been depicted as such by artists around the world for thousands of years.

I could be wrong, but personally, I think Jesus was a man’s man. Remember, Jesus was a carpenter. In those days, nail guns, circular saws, chainsaws, and belt sanders were not available. To be a successful carpenter, you needed to be patient and strong. You chopped down a tree with your axe, cut it to a manageable length by hand, then carried it by hand or beast to the work area, cut it to finished length by hand, hand shaped it, and hand nailed it. I think Jesus was physically strong, with rough, calloused hands.

With that in mind, let’s look in Mark 11. Here, Jesus is heading to Jerusalem for His final days. In Mark 11:11, He walks through the temple and “looked round about upon all things”, then He went to Bethany for the night. While Jesus was in the temple, He saw that the people had forgotten the significance of what the temple represented. They had become callous to the importance of the building. They had become indifferent, even cold to the presence of Almighty God who was worshipped there. The merchants had taken up space for business within the temple proper, carrying on commerce and haggling over profits on holy ground. People were taking shortcuts around town by wandering through the courtyard, as if the temple was just another building or some obstacle to be crossed through as quickly as possible. It is doubtful behaviour like this would have been permitted in the days of Moses or Joshua. Frankly, as some might say, “they were cruising for a bruising”.

At some point after walking through the Temple and reviewing what was happening there, Jesus sits down and makes a scourge (per Strong’s, the Greek word is phragellion, and means “a whip, that is, Roman lash as a public punishment“). Notice Jesus was not out of control, nor did He throw a furious fit about what He saw in the temple; He simply looked around, then calmly left for Bethany, and made His whip. The next day (per verse 12) Jesus enters the temple again, and begins cleaning house.

Now, consider John 2:15. Jesus goes into the temple, driving out the moneychangers. Can’t you see a greedy merchant, ticked off at Jesus, going to the temple guards, demanding that they stop Him? I can imagine the guards looking at Jesus, looking at his whip, and then looking back at the merchant, and saying, “Hey pal, I’d like to see YOU go try to stop him!”