BONUS PHOTO OF THE WEEK: A Quizzer in Israel

"A photo of me standing in the remains of the probable hall in which Paul made his defense before Festus and Agrippa (Acts 26)."

BONUS PHOTO OF THE WEEK: A Quizzer in Israel

All together now.  "What day is it?"  "HUMP DAY!"

BONUS PHOTO OF THE WEEK: A Quizzer in Israel

A former quizzer (in the red shirt) is in Israel this week with Berkshire Institute for Christian Studies.  He's seeing all the places we read about last year in Acts!

BIBLE NEWS: Archeologist finds David's Water Tunnel

Since the start of modern archeology, scientists and historians have debated whether it made sense to use the Bible as a guide to finding ancient sites.  Some skeptics dismiss the historicity of the Bible entirely due to its use as a religious document.  Others believe that the Bible recounts history.

An Israeli archeologist may have bolstered the "Bible as history" argument by discovering the water tunnel that David used to conquer Jerusalem.

In the second Book of Samuel, David orders the capture of the walled city by entering it through the water shaft. Shukron's excavation uncovered a narrow shaft where spring water flowed into a carved pool, thought to be where city inhabitants would gather to draw water. Excess water would have flowed out of the walled city through another section of the shaft Shukron said he discovered — where he believes the city was penetrated.

BIBLE NEWS: International Bible Quiz for Youth Crowns Two Champions

Our style of Bible Quizzing is not the only one.  Recently, the "International Bible Quiz for Youth" in Israel - a competition focussed on the Old Testament for Jewish youth - crowned two champions, one of whom was the first non-Israeli to win the tournament!

Yishai Eisenberg, 15, from New Jersey and Elior Babian, 16, from Beit Shemesh were declared inseparable in the depth of their knowledge of the Hebrew Bible and crowned joint winners and recipients of the coveted prize, which includes scholarships for educational programs in Israel.
Competitors were narrowed down in earlier rounds from 58 to 16; they came from 26 countries and their ages ranged from 12 up through 18.
The International Bible Quiz for Youth for the Hebrew year 5773 was organized by the IDF chief education officer, the IDF Rabbinate, the Defense and Education ministries, the Jewish Agency and the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund.

It's exciting to see other teens learning the Word of God, no matter what their quizzing system.

WEEKLY COMIC: Overachievers

BIBLE NEWS: Israeli scholar looks to correct Hebrew Bible's grammar

As Bible Quizzers, we have great respect for the Word of God.  But to some scholars, it is not only the words that matter, but literally every "jot and tittle" (i.e. every minor marking, like the dot of an i, or the placement of a comma) that is worthy of scrutiny.  Israeli Judaic scholar Menachem Cohen has spent the last 30 years trying to "correct" every grammatical detail of the Hebrew Bible used today.

His edits, focusing primarily on grammatical blemishes and an intricate set of biblical symbols, mark the first major overhaul of the Hebrew Bible in nearly 500 years.
Poring over thousands of medieval manuscripts, the 84-year-old Cohen identified 1,500 inaccuracies in the Hebrew language texts that have been corrected in his completed 21-volume set. The final chapter is set to be published next year.

He notes that none of his changes affect the meaning of the text in any way.  But it does it's best to bring our received version of the Hebrew books of the Bible back as close to the original writings as possible.

BIBLE NEWS: Cycling the Holy Land

For much of the last century, Israel has been a dangerous place. But recent security gains have revitalized the Holy Land as a destination for tourism and education. Now, Israel has established a series of cycling trails for people who want to tour the land of Jesus on two wheels.

n a loose way, the trail follows the route Jesus might have walked from Nazareth, where he grew up, to Capernaum on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where he established his ministry. Along the way, you can visit a kibbutz – its perimeter marked by barbed wire and its gate manned by a machine-gun toting guard – and even stay in a hotel there. At only 60km in length, the trail can be cycled in a day or two, so the avid biker will quickly be looking for other perspiration-inducing options. Of these, there are many, ranging from off-road mountain-bike trails in the Ella Valley near Jerusalem to road circuits in various parts of the country.

Israeli Bible Quiz inspires all walks of life

We're not the only ones who run Bible Quizzing competitions. Indeed, such competitions can be found all over the world, in different nations, languages, and cultures. Consider this competition in Israel which has attracted both the son of the Prime Minister and a Bedouin teacher.

The response for the newly resumed quiz has been overwhelming: 1,650 people have thus far registered.

Contestants will be divided into seven districts around Israel, including one designated for IDF soldiers. A written test will be held in mid-July to determine 14 winners from each district who will move on to the regional competition. At the second stage, each district will hold a local race for two spots. A total of 14 contestants will participate in the national contest to be held during the holiday of Hanukkah. The winner and his two runner-ups will move on to the international contest which will be held in 2011.

Who knows where your Bible knowledge may take you someday?

3000 year old wall from the era of Solomon

Archeology has been a source of constant comfort for the Christian apologist. Every time an archeologist has set out to disprove a record from the Bible, they have failed. Now, a new discovery of a 3000 year old wall from the time of Solomon attests to the strong, rich government of Israel's wisest king.

Speaking to reporters at the site Monday, Mazar, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, called her find "the most significant construction we have from First Temple days in Israel."

"It means that at that time, the 10th century, in Jerusalem there was a regime capable of carrying out such construction," she said.

It will be interesting to see what else can be found alongside this wall. We may learn many things about the times of David and Solomon.

Israel displays coins from the destruction of the Temple

One of the least popular of Jesus's sayings were his prophecies about the destruction of the Temple. It was still in place during his crucifixion and Resurrection, but the Temple was destroyed by the Romans about 70 A.D. Now, Israel is displaying coins that survived the destruction and discussing what it tells us about 1st century Jerusalem.

The coins were excavated from an ancient street below the Temple Mount, experts said. Archaeologists had to sift through debris and remove boulders thrown off the Temple Mount during the Roman raid before they found the road and the hoard of coins...

The coins are part of a larger exhibition in Jerusalem's Archaeological Garden, showing a collection of antique coins that have been uncovered over the past three decades.

The exhibition shows not only coins minted in Jerusalem during the rebellion but also European, North African and Persian coins that were found around the holy site from various periods.

"This just shows the international character of the city," Katz said. "It shows the importance of Jerusalem to generations of people ... the importance of Jerusalem never faded away for Jews, Christians and Muslims," she said.

Israel holds Bible Quiz to celebrate 61st anniversary of Independence

Independence Day in America is all about remembering the brave men and women who died for our freedom. We remember the Revolutionary War, the framers of the Constitution, and the Founding Fathers who sacrificed so much for us. When Israel celebrates their Independence Day, they remember the promise God made to Abraham thousands of years ago to preserve his offspring as a great nation. And what better way to celebrate this than with a Bible Quiz?

On Wednesday, Independence Day, the army will hold air and sea displays and Israel Defense Forces bases will open to the public. The National Bible Quiz and a ceremony for outstanding soldiers will be held in Jerusalem.