Scholars are still studying and thinking about the meaning of the Magdala Stone. As I searched for explanations, I turned to the Biblical Archaeology Society's article written in 2021, as well as a few other sources,
Magdala
As we walked through the chapel, we admired the frescoes of scenes from scripture, read the names of women disciples on the marble pillars, and stopped in the sanctuary to gaze at the replica of the Galilee Boat, thinking about Jesus and His ministry.
Martyrdom of the Mothers, Part Two
Last week I gave the cultural and Christian context for martyrdom, particularly of women, and mothers at that. I also gave the context of choice, highlighting the difference between Perpetua's and Felicity's grisly end in the arena, and Paula's "living" martyrdom of poverty and self-denial for the sake of Christ. This week I look at the context of their children.
The Sea of Galilee Boat
The first place Jesus wanted to go, after His resurrection, was to Galilee.
Roman Waterworks
A great deal of infrastructure was also necessary—roads, waterworks, food delivery, fortifications—were necessary to support Herod's ambitions building program.
Abraham’s Gate
So far I've been talking about Iron Age and Bronze Age archaeological sites. But this structure dates even further back to the Chalcolithic period.
Tel Dan
Before being given to the tribe of Dan for their inheritance in the Promised Land, the city of Dan was known as Laish, also sometimes written Leshem, meaning jewel.
Martyrdom of the Mothers, Part One
The translation of Perpetua's first-hand account (in Greek) of the weeks leading up to her martyrdom, her visions, and that of one of her companions, of the loss of her son, and the loss of her servant's daughter, is available in the public domain following this link. It is only six pages long, the last page written posthumously by someone of her Christian assembly who was there to watch her die in the arena that day.
Tel Hazor
Unlike the other cities of Canaan, including even Megiddo, Hazor was the master. Like Rome would be millennia later, all roads led to and from Hazor, the largest fortified city in the country.
Tel Megiddo
Megiddo’s history reaches far back into the distant past, having been a continuous settlement down through thousands of years, from Neolithic times through to Persian occupation.