Shroud of Turin

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Darrick Dean

The authenticity Shroud of Turin has been the most debated of Christian relics in history. Many believe this is the burial shroud of Jesus. Some dismiss it out of hand because of their religious or philosophical beliefs about God. Some Protestants are wary of what they perceive as a “Catholic” relic. But what if it is real? What if it is an authentic archaeological piece?

Many people are under the impression that the shroud was dated to the Middle Ages. This is untrue, the carbon datings were done in way that defies all scientific protocol: On a part of the shroud that has been often handled and repaired. No one has been able to reproduce a similar shroud with its same properties. Just in the past year, studies have pointed to it being caused by energy — a “radiation photo” of sorts — and a “death certificate” was potentially found on the shroud.

The honest thinker is compelled to look at all the evidence. In The Truth About the Shroud of Turin, Robert Wilcox traces all of the shroud’s history, the debates and the tests. He leaves it up to readers to evaluate the evidence.

Indeed, the evidence is compelling. Many will ignore it. Others dismiss it without examination. However, if one considers it with same standards applied to all other artifacts — and leaves their personal bias behind — will they continue to pretend it doesn’t exist?

An interesting test for those who believe they are open-minded and critical thinkers.

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1491

Posted on November 21, 2010 by Darrick Dean

There’s a pervasive belief that the Indians were primitive or only a few steps above the cave man. Neither were true. From the metropolis at Cahokia (modern-day St. Louis), to the irrigation systems of the southwest to the teeming civilizations of Mesoamerica, the cave man was no where to be found. Had Columbus arrived a few decades later, or diseases not wiped out as much or more than 90% of the population, history in the Western Hemisphere may have unfolded a bit differently. One of the best books on the subject is 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. A must read on a lost world far different, and far more advanced, than many realize.

Categories: Ancient America, Books, Native Americans | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Vikings in America

Posted on November 19, 2010 by Darrick Dean

For centuries the Viking sagas told of voyages to the New World. Yet for generations, these voyages were discounted as Viking legend until ruins of a settlement were found in Canada in the 1960s. Yet the idea of pre-Columbus voyages is still not widely accepted, even the Viking explorations are thought to be limited and of leaving no lasting impression. But is there more to the story?

Was the knowledge of Viking settlements really lost all those centuries? After all, the Vatican sent clergy to minister in the far-flung Viking frontier. Some suggest Columbus knew. Early American settlers and historians didn’t seem to shy away from the Norse explanation. Native legends may have been influenced by Viking encounters. These native legends were certainly inspiration for the wild story tellers of the 1800s like Josiah Priest and Joseph Smith, the writer of the Book of Mormon. The native stories, along with pervasive belief at the time that Indians weren’t advanced enough to have been the mound builders, contributed to those books about lost civilizations and vast battles. It’s taken generations to chip away at the misconceptions and fiction.

So do the Indian accounts contain whispers of the Norse? Will debates about the origins of the Newport Tower or the Kenningston Rune Stone ever end? What about the old European-like furnaces of Ohio? The Vikings were but a blip on the many millenia of history of the Western Hemisphere, but given their past, would we expect them to do nothing but make a small settlement on the Canadian coast? It’s likely that what marks they did leave are overlooked because it doesn’t fit into the normal history and we are trained to explain away little anomalies. Some fear that finding the Vikings will somehow slight the natives. In reality, no civilizations live in isolation. Did the Americas lay forgotten for 30,000 years?

For more see Vikings in America and Mound Builders.

Categories: Ancient America, Native Americans | Tags: | 1 Comment

Job’s Stars

Posted on November 18, 2010 by Darrick Dean

The Book of Job is a most intriguing part of the Bible. The story of Job doesn’t fit into the sequence of Old Testament books and it seems Job is outside of the primary ancient Jewish world, perhaps not even Jewish. Difficult to date because of its lack of references to other history in the region, its date of writing could be anywhere from 700BC to 2000BC. It does seem that Job is well-traveled and educated. Job is full of references to older times and traditions or at least knowledge of them. As far back as Genesis, we see the establishment of stars for use in tracking time and the seasons. This was important in the millenia before clocks and calendars. Job mentions some of these stars in Job 38:31-32:

Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? Or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? (KJV)

This may not mean much at first glance, but consider the following. After Job implies God is not in control, God responds (Job 38:31-32) with a series of questions concerning the star cluster Pleiades, the constellation Orion and the star Arcturus. He asks Job if he can keep the stars of Pleiades together or break apart Orion or guide Arcturus and his sons. These questions appear to reveal the actual movements of these stellar bodies. How would the writer of Job know centuries ago that Arcturus is a runaway star traveling at immense speeds or that the stars of Orion’s famous belt are moving in such a way that someday it will no longer be a straight line or that the stars of the Pleiades cluster are moving together as one unit?

[Note: Arcturus comes from a Greek word that means “Guardian of the Bear” which is why some translations use “Bear with its cubs” (or something similar) instead of the star name. Arcturus is in the constellation Boötes (the herdsman) which is near Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (the bears/dippers).]

Blind luck? Coincidence? Lost ancient knowledge? Or something else?

Categories: Ancient Documents, Bible | Tags: , , , | 3 Comments

Scholarly Debate

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Darrick Dean

Bias, agenda and lack of critical thought. These are the things one wants left out of studies of history, theology and science. It doesn’t always work out that way. Take the current issue of Biblical Archaeology Review (Nov/Dec).

In reading the letters concerning “progressive” versus “conservative” scholars, one begins to see a pattern emerge. This isn’t about whether or not the conservatives or evangelicals are scholarly enough, it’s about more people listening to them than the progressives or liberals. It seems the latter two are upset they aren’t getting enough attention so they try to discount their opponents.

There are many stellar scholars out there, but there’s a Christianity-wide (all people-wide?) problem with critical thinking and sound theological study that is not limited to any one group. Just look at some Seane Freyne’s comments in the same issue. His belief that Jesus wasn’t born in Bethlehem is based on a “sense.” He follows that with a very uncertain sounding explanation.

Instead of debating who the real scholars are, maybe everyone should return to basic critical thinking. And when someone disagrees with you, first determine if your theory is sound before claiming your intellectual superiority.

Categories: Bible, Critical Thinking | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Lost City in Grand Canyon

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Darrick Dean

On April 5, 1909, the front page of the Arizona Gazette reported that Smithsonian explorers S.A.. Jordan and G.E. Kinkaid had found a cave opening that led to a vast underground complex of rooms, relics and mummified remains. The report gives extensive detail of the discoveries. The article was also the last mention of the find every recorded.

Some have claimed it was a hoax because the Smithsonian denied knowing the named explorers. The article also referred to the Smithsonian Institute, not Institution. Investigators did discover references to a S.A. Jordon and a E.K. Kincaid at the Smithsonian. So were the “errors” in the article simplly typos in the era before spell check and multiple editors? Or were they more parts of an elaborately fabricated story?

If it was fabricated, why did the same paper briefly mention Kinkaid’s journey a few weeks earlier? Famed Grand Canyon explorer John Wesley Powell also alludes to odd finds in the same region of the Canyon that the Gazette article refers to. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility for the Canyon to hide its secrets for so long. No one has proven this one to a reasonable conclusion either way. Maybe some hiker in the canyon will stumble across something…

Categories: Ancient America, Mysteries | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Isaiah and the Pyramids

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Darrick Dean

Regardless of your beliefs, few would dispute that the Bible is one of the most important documents from antiquity. While the original autographs are lost, more copies of it exist than any other ancient writings. Some are also quite old. While not a history book per se, since its events are set in our past, the Bible does have many historical references. Understanding these passages may have been easy to the original audience, but not always for us. Granted, many people forget their elementary school comprehension skills and don’t consider: Who wrote this, when and where did they and to whom? The original context is necessary to understand what the authors meant then and what meaning it may hold for us, but I digress.

I recently came across Isaiah 19:19-20:

In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof… And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt.”

Many have argued that this is a reference to the pyramids at Giza. A “pillar” at Giza (which may mean “border” or Giza being at the border or the Nile delta). But why? Why would God be involved in the building of this structure through a non-Hebrew people? Most people have dispensed with the idea that the Hebrews built the pyramids. The timeline and biblical references don’t fit. Others have created a variety of theories that interpret the pyramids and their internal and external structures as revealing biblical truths or signs of the creator. The problem is that they all seem forced and difficult to find.

Though there is that verse. Is it a prophetic verse referring to the time Jesus spent in Egypt? The Bible is silent on his time there, but this would make more sense. Or is this one of those verses with more than one meaning?

A fascinating reference. Perhaps someone will someday solve the mystery.

Categories: Ancient Documents, Bible, Mysteries | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

Beginnings

Posted on November 14, 2010 by Darrick Dean

It’s sad that we live in an age where history is forgotten. We relive mistakes already made and know nothing of who came before us. Even the places we walk every single day were once occupied by peoples that have long since disappeared. Legends and myths have sparks of truth to be uncovered. Some writers conjure fantastic theories based on nothing more than imagination. People believe anything and everything, yet the truth is far more exciting. On this site we will explore these lost worlds, from our own Ancient America to times before history was recorded. About twice a week I’ll post an interesting fact, little known tidbit or theory for us to ponder. It’s my hope that people will stop for a moment from the manufactured busyness of their lives and think about what has come before them so that they move forward in the right direction.

Categories: General, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

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