I had for many years admired the late Vendyl Jones (1930-2010). He had been a Baptist Minister, who realized that the Bible could not really be understood without a firm grasp of Hebrew. He devoted himself to intense study. This led him to become a Noachide (long before most people had ever heard the term). He became a life-long advocate for all people to come to G-d through the Covenant of Noah. He went to Israel, dividing his time between the Holy Land and his native Texas.Two of his five children converted to Judaism. He did archaeological work both under Jordanian and Israeli auspices. He worked at Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered (among other sites). He was particularly fascinated by the "Temple Scroll", which revealed hints as to where the sacred artifacts of the ancient Temple were hidden. (One of the great mysteries of Jewish history is that the list found in that scroll is identical, word for word, with a list contained in a 17th century work, which no one had taken seriously). He trained in archaeology. But his interest was more in the direction of theology.He hoped to pave the way for the restoration of the Temple service. He was an adventurer archaeologist. He was looking for the Lost Ark of the Covenant. He did find the ancient anointing oil, as well as a store of the incense from the Temple (although some question the identification of the latter). Towards the end of his life, he was sure that he had found the hiding place of the Ark, but was stymied by the red tape that characterizes Israeli bureaucracy. Some claimed that the Indian Jones character was based on him, but others deny this.All I can say is that if it wan't, the coincidences were remarkable. After discovering that we had a mutual friend, I extended an invitation to him to come to my home for dinner.
He showed up at my door in his ten gallon hat and snake skin suspenders. My kids were awed, and, frankly, so was I. My children showed him the various antiquities that they had found over the years; pieces of pottery and stone implements.He graciously identified each thing, and gave its history. Finally, I asked him a question that had baffled me for decades. When I was in college (1966-1970), I took many courses in Bible and the ancient Near East. My professors, who were by no means Orthodox Jews, repeatedly made the point that the Bible had proven totally reliable in terms of history. Archaeologists merely needed to figure out where a site should be, dig into the ground, and find not only the site, but often uncover evidence of Biblical events. By the time I graduated, articles began appearing in magazines and journals that stated the opposite. It was all folklore. Nothing in the Bible, before the fifth century BCE, was genuine. I asked Vendyl Jones what had changed. His answer surprised me, but made supreme sense. It was politics!
Before the 1967 Six Day War, the rhetoric coming out of the Middle East was that Israel would be destroyed and its people "thrown into the Sea". Most of the world saw Israel as David facing Goliath. After Israel accomplished victory in that war, which many considered nothing short of a miracle, the rhetoric suddenly changed. Israel was the aggressor. Israel was Goliath. Little by little that narrative came to be accepted by most of the world. Showing the accuracy of the Bible now became unpopular and politically incorrect Jewish claims to the Land of Israel would serve to foster Israeli "imperialism" Non-Jewish archaeologists, as well as secular, left wing Israeli archaeologists, shifted their view of history.A revisionist history, and a revisionist archaeology, became the fashion of the day. Palestinian archaeologists even went further. There never was a Temple, the Jews had only been in the Land for fifty years, and Jesus was a Palestinian.
I was "bowled over" by his remarks. This approach was not new in the history of the world. Stalin had made the evolutionary theories of Lamarck official State policy, because they fit into the theories of Marxism. Facts were twisted to fit a political concept. Science does not exist in a bubble. In 1975, a respected American physician published a book which garnered headlines. No need for natural foods. Colorings are harmless, preservatives are actually GOOD for you, we need more sugar, not less. These ideas became widely accepted by many, until it was revealed that the work had been funded by a junk food manufacturer. Pure science, alas, does not exist.
Vendyl Jones left a profound legacy. Let us examine carefully not only what is written, but also why. may we see the day when G-d's Truth prevails! May we see the day when the Ark of the Covenant will again rest in glory in the restored Temple!
He showed up at my door in his ten gallon hat and snake skin suspenders. My kids were awed, and, frankly, so was I. My children showed him the various antiquities that they had found over the years; pieces of pottery and stone implements.He graciously identified each thing, and gave its history. Finally, I asked him a question that had baffled me for decades. When I was in college (1966-1970), I took many courses in Bible and the ancient Near East. My professors, who were by no means Orthodox Jews, repeatedly made the point that the Bible had proven totally reliable in terms of history. Archaeologists merely needed to figure out where a site should be, dig into the ground, and find not only the site, but often uncover evidence of Biblical events. By the time I graduated, articles began appearing in magazines and journals that stated the opposite. It was all folklore. Nothing in the Bible, before the fifth century BCE, was genuine. I asked Vendyl Jones what had changed. His answer surprised me, but made supreme sense. It was politics!
Before the 1967 Six Day War, the rhetoric coming out of the Middle East was that Israel would be destroyed and its people "thrown into the Sea". Most of the world saw Israel as David facing Goliath. After Israel accomplished victory in that war, which many considered nothing short of a miracle, the rhetoric suddenly changed. Israel was the aggressor. Israel was Goliath. Little by little that narrative came to be accepted by most of the world. Showing the accuracy of the Bible now became unpopular and politically incorrect Jewish claims to the Land of Israel would serve to foster Israeli "imperialism" Non-Jewish archaeologists, as well as secular, left wing Israeli archaeologists, shifted their view of history.A revisionist history, and a revisionist archaeology, became the fashion of the day. Palestinian archaeologists even went further. There never was a Temple, the Jews had only been in the Land for fifty years, and Jesus was a Palestinian.
I was "bowled over" by his remarks. This approach was not new in the history of the world. Stalin had made the evolutionary theories of Lamarck official State policy, because they fit into the theories of Marxism. Facts were twisted to fit a political concept. Science does not exist in a bubble. In 1975, a respected American physician published a book which garnered headlines. No need for natural foods. Colorings are harmless, preservatives are actually GOOD for you, we need more sugar, not less. These ideas became widely accepted by many, until it was revealed that the work had been funded by a junk food manufacturer. Pure science, alas, does not exist.
Vendyl Jones left a profound legacy. Let us examine carefully not only what is written, but also why. may we see the day when G-d's Truth prevails! May we see the day when the Ark of the Covenant will again rest in glory in the restored Temple!
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