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AR 29:45 - Archaeological discovery supports the Bible ... again
In this issue:
ARCHEOLOGY - "the oldest map of the world, in the world" was just found to have a biblical connection
ENTERTAINMENT - How "evangelical" is that play/TV show/music?
Apologia Report 29:45 (1,686)
December 5, 2024
ARCHEOLOGY
"Newly Deciphered Ancient Babylonian Map Supports Bible, Points to Noah's Ark Spot, Archeologists Say" by Talia Wise -- "It has taken years to uncover the meaning of a 3,000-year-old clay tablet known as the Imago Mundi.
"'This is the oldest map of the world, in the world,' said Dr. Irving Finkel, a British Museum curator and cuneiform expert. ...
"Written and inscribed on clay in Mesopotamia around 2,900-years-ago, it is, like so many cuneiform tablets, incomplete. However, Irving Finkel and a particularly gifted student of his - Edith Horsley - managed to locate a missing piece of the map, slot it back into the cuneiform tablet, and from there set us all on journey through the somewhat mythical landscape of Mesopotamia to find the final resting place of the ark. And yes we mean that ark, as in Noah's ark. Although in the earlier Mesopotamian version of the flood story, the ark is built by Ziusudra. ...
"[A]fter months of intensive study, scientists now believe the carvings make clear references to the Bible.
"It has two sides, this is the front or 'obverse' and this is the back or the 'reverse' and the reverse consists of lots of lines of cuneiform in different ruled sections,' explained Finkel. 'So it's full of information, even though it's a bit damaged.'
"Finkel notes that the map shows ancient Mesopotamia, which is modern-day Iraq, surrounded by the 'Bitter River.' The river represented by a double ring indicates the border of the Babylonians' known world.
"'This is a very important ring of water because it meant for the Babylonians, they had a sort of idea of the limits of their world where they lived in about the 6th century BC,' he said. ...
"The first place you come to is called 'Urartu', it's drawn on the map. Now, the interesting thing about that is that in the Bible Noah, in his Ark, landed on a mountain where the name is 'Ararat' and 'Ararat' is the Hebrew equivalent of the Assyrian 'Urartu'. ...
"The Babylonian version of the story closely follows the Biblical account of Noah's Ark. ...
"According to the Babylonian version, the man fills his vessel with animals and ends up safely stationed at one of the peaks of Urartu, known as modern-day Turkey, after the flood. ...
"The Babylonian artifact was discovered in the Middle East and was acquired by the British Museum in 1882, where it is currently on display." CBN News, Nov 1 '24 <www.tinyurl.com/4x2n32t3>
Included is this link to an interesting and quite humorous 18-min video featuring Finkel and much more related detail. (WARNING: Viewing this content could eventually result in you changing careers.) <www.tinyurl.com/y3495axv>
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ENTERTAINMENT
"An Evangelical Theater Troupe Is Gaining Traction in Washington: Logos Theatre, based in South Carolina, now mounts productions of Narnia stories and Christian allegories at the Museum of the Bible. Not everyone is welcome to perform" by Rebecca Ritzel (Washington Post, Nov 14 '24 -- "Since the early 1970s, [director Nicole] Stratton's family has been nurturing evangelical Christian talent from its home base in Taylors, South Carolina. What began with her father, Nicky Chavers, packing the family and their sets into a van and putting on shows for churches and home-school groups has evolved into a performing arts conservatory, a 300-seat theater and a twice-annual residency at the Museum of the Bible just south of the National Mall, where 'Pilgrim's Progress' wrapped up a six-week run in October.
"The museum has booked Logos <thelogostheatre.com> for two more shows in 2025, including a yet-to-be-named adaptation of a C.S. Lewis novel. As Washington prepares for the return of President-elect Donald Trump, the museum says its successful partnership with Logos demonstrates that there is a growing audience in the nation's capital for Christian, and decidedly culturally conservative, entertainment. For Logos, that commitment extends beyond subject matter: The company requires its artists to affirm a 14-point doctrinal statement, including a policy that prohibits those who identify as LGBTQ.
"Logos Theatre's performances at the museum, which began last year, have not only increased museum attendance but also amplified touring demand for a company that had been virtually unknown outside of its region until recently. In one year of traveling to Washington, the organization's program services revenue (essentially, its ticket sales), grew from $1.6 million in 2022 to $2.6 million in 2023, according to public tax records for the Academy of Arts, the unaccredited Christian arts conservatory that oversees Logos Theatre. ...
"Logos has 'absolutely flown under the radar,' said Garrett Hinton, director of revenue at the Museum of the Bible, who was skeptical when a consultant suggested he go check out the company and school, which is run by Nicole's husband, Noah Stratton. ...
"The Museum of the Bible opened in 2017 and is largely funded by Steve Green, president of the Hobby Lobby retail company, and his family. The top floor includes a well-appointed theater space with a projectable ceiling, a bit like the Sphere in Las Vegas but for archaeology lectures and worship concerts. In 2017, the theater was the launching pad for a national tour of 'Amazing Grace' following its Broadway run, and two years later, the same producers mounted a 90-minute version of the musical, about Christian advocates and the abolition movement, staffed almost entirely by local D.C. artists.
"But coming out of the pandemic, the museum struggled to find theatrical offerings that fit its mission and standards for quality performances. ...
"When it comes to Christian theater, America's most popular brand is Sight & Sound, <www.sight-sound.com> which is currently mounting 11 performances of the original musical 'Daniel' each week at its 2,000-seat theater in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and recently closed its 10-show-a-week run of 'Queen Esther' at its satellite venue in Branson, Missouri. Liberal Washington and its suburbs might seem like a tough fit for a company with a stated mission to 'Bring the Bible to Life.' Some Logos Theatre audiences are tourists who plan trips around the plays. Yet Hinton says the majority of patrons have been local. ...
"Program notes from Logos Theatre boast that missionaries have gained more than 400 converts by screening a 'Pilgrim's Progress' recording in Zambia. The Logos adaptation paints a picture of Christians being called to be in the world but 'not of the world,' as Jesus says in the Gospel of John, and suggests that trials and persecution persist in the 21st century. ...
"Kutter Callaway, an assistant professor of theology and arts at Fuller Theological Seminary, said the increased prominence of Logos echoes the exponential growth of Angel Studios, the Utah-based production company behind the upcoming release 'Bonhoeffer,' the Netflix series 'The Chosen' and an increasing array of other faith-based films and series available for direct streaming or on Pure Flix, a Christian streaming service. ...
"To a scholar like Callaway, the barring of performers on the basis of sexuality reflects a sociopolitical shift within evangelical culture. ... Callaway says. 'It's a bit of a tragedy to me, if now we're going to create this artistic community exploring creative endeavors, and now we're making it an exclusive club.'"
Callaway also says "You can make the same movie or the same book or the same play, and if they find out it's written or produced by a person like C.S. Lewis, they will simply trust it at face value." However, "If it's written or produced by somebody else, they will immediately be skeptical of it." <www.tinyurl.com/ycxswckx> [Love of truth will do that to ya. The "rule for thee, but not for me" concern has always had a broad application. How many center-left progressives have been cancelled *out-right* for less?]
Tangentially, we've long been suspicious of significant LDS influence and The Chosen film series. See for example <www.tinyurl.com/3ss8hy2w> from <churchleaders.com>. The following may be of interest as well: "'The Chosen' creator Dallas Jenkins clarifies his 'Mormons are Christians' comments" by Jeannie Ortega Law (Christian Post, May 21 '22) <www.tinyurl.com/yck6k5zx>
Also consider:
* - "Why cast and crew of 'The Chosen' love filming in Utah's version of the Holy Land" -- an LDS-owned Deseret News story about The Chosen film crew using The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Jerusalem set in Goshen, Utah. <www.tinyurl.com/yexzxfdb>
* - LDS Living, <www.tinyurl.com/bdzhwweh> where you'll read: "Some don't believe evangelical Christians should be working with Latter-day Saints on a show about Jesus...."
* - Counterpoint: "Is 'The Chosen' Produced by Mormons?" by Garry R. Morgan, Faith Bible Church, Spokane, WA <www.tinyurl.com/yc7kbppu>
And then, there's The Piano Guys ...
* - From <mormonmusic.org> "The Piano Guys - Latter-day Saint Musicians" <www.tinyurl.com/2td69n2b>
* - Also from LDS Living: "Did You Know The Piano Guys' LDS Standards Are Protected?" <www.tinyurl.com/ve33nkuu>
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