Name of Gideon Discovered in Israel
Archaeologists have discovered a very early inscription with Gideon’s other name, “Jerubbaal” (see Judges 6:32; 7:1). The discovery was made at Khirbet al-Ra‘i, a site in southern Israel, west of the better known city of Lachish. The name is inscribed in ink on a potsherd that comes from a small bottle. It dates to roughly 1100 BC, which is toward the end of the Judges period, about the time of Ruth and Boaz. The name “Jerubbaal” means “May Baal be great.” Although biblical writers often associated the name Baal with the Canaanite......
Paul’s Centurion, Julius
Acts 27:1 names the centurion who was placed in charge of Paul for his voyage to Rome as “Julius.” Perhaps the fact that he is named is an indicator that he was a follower of Jesus. At any rate, an interesting inscription, pictured above, was discovered at Caesarea, the port from which Paul and Julius set sail for Rome. What makes it interesting is that it has four similarities to the centurion mentioned in Acts 27:1. 1) The personal name is the same. In Latin, it is spelled “IVLIVS,” the exact equivalent......
Erastus the City Treasurer Greets You
Paul wrote the letter to the Romans from the city of Corinth. In his final greetings at the end of the book, he sends greetings from “Erastus the city treasurer” (Rom 16:23). An Latin inscription was found at Corinth during excavations in 1929 that mentions Erastus. The inscription was located along the pavement near the theater, and reads, “Erastus in return for his aedileship paved it at his own expense” (the Latin text is ERASTVS. PRO. AED. S. P. STRAVIT, which is abbreviated from ERASTUS PRO AEDILITATE SUA PECUNIA STRAVIT). John McRay......
