This article/excerpt is about the past, War of 1967, and the present war with the Israeli/Palestinian-Hamas. They (Isaac and Ishmael) had a common ancestor, Abraham, and shared many cultural traditions and worshiped the same God using different names, Jehovah and Allah. “the angel of the Lord said to Hagar (Genesis 16 verse 12) “and he, Ishmael, will be a wild man, his hand will be against every man and every man’s hand against him, and he shall dwell in the presence of his brethren.” We see the final fulfillment of this prophecy in many of the Islamic Arab people of today.
Following is an excerpt from David Rosenthal’s article in the March-April 2024 issue of Zion’s Fire. (Available online and print. Great source for biblical research). Great Read for all.
“But what of the claims that the Palestinians are only asking for the restoration of their ancient homeland and possession of a highly sacred religious site? It is of great interest to know that before the 1967 Arab Israeli-War, there was no Interest to note that before 1967 Arab Israeli war there was no serious push or demand, serious push, or demand for a Palestinian homeland. Some might object by saying that the 6-Day War gave control of a major portion of the “Palestinian land” to the Israelis -and that prior to the war the Palestinians were in possession of their land, and had no need to raise a furor.
“However, the Israelis did not take this land from the late Palestinian chairman Yasser Arafat. They captured the territory from the Jordanians in a war that they did not want and were forced to fight for national survival. From before the war the people who now identify themselves as Palestinians lived in Jordanian territory, not “Palestinian land.” Consequently, they did not develop a nationalistic pro-Palestinian fervor until after the war and the land was in the hands of the Israelis.
“The first time the name Palestine was used for this land area was in AD 135 after Rome defeated the Jews and destroyed Jerusalem, they wanted to erase even the memory of Israel. They renamed it ‘Syria Palestinian’ which means Land of the Philistines.’ The ancient Philistines occupied a small strip of land on the southwest coast of Israel on the Mediterranean Sea. They were a constant thorn in the side of the Jews, but they never controlled more than a tiny portion of the land eventually they were conquered by King David.
“The so-called Palestinians of today are not descendants of the ancient Palestinians. Neither are they of Canaanite descent. The land of Canaan never existed as Palestine or as an autonomous or as an entity. This land –between the river and the Sea—has been ruled over by the Israelis, Romans, Muslims Caliphs, Christian Crusaders, Ottoman Turks, and the British. There has never been a nation of Palestine with a Palestine government in any period of history. In fact there is no Palestinian language, no distinct Palestine culture, no distinguishing characteristics. Palestinians are Arabs and no different from Jordanians, Iraqis, Saudis, or any other Arab people.”
[This is an excerpt from The Qatar Connection: Hamas, College Campus Protests, and the Muslim Brotherhood by David Rosenthal’s article in the March-April 2024 issue of Zion’s Fire. (Available online and print. Great source for biblical research). Great Read for all.
The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ seems mysterious on the surface. However, the Bible
interprets its self. Remember, the symbols reflect the era in which the Apostle John lived. Many of the symbolic features are found in the Old Testament. The people of John’s lifetime would have understood much of the meanings in John’s visions. In this paper, the focus is on the three women who appear in the book: Jezebel; the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of stars on her head; and the Harlot of Babylon. To make for easier reading, Scriptures used are listed in Bibliography B for each section. All scriptures are primarily from The Apologetics Study Bible, Life Application Study Bible NIV, and New King James Version Study Bible. Blessing to all in the name of Jesus.
Jezebel
Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab of Israel and the daughter of Sidon (sinful city), and it was she who brought the worship of Baal to Israel. She killed the prophets and threatened to kill Elijah. Military Captain Jehu, on the orders of Elijah, killed Jezebel by throwing her off a balcony. Her name is widely used as a label for unholy, evil, sinful people. Miltary Captain Jehu later became king of Israel. We learn in the Letter to the Laodician church that it was active in love, faith, and service until Jezebel co-opted it. Jesus tells the church that He is against it for its false prophets misleading the members into sexual immorality, and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. (Apologetics 2017).
Jesus further reminds the church that He gave them a chance to repent but, it did not. Here, Jesus reveals that Jezebel is an apostate church and that the offspring of Jezebel will suffer the same second death and will be cast into the lake of fire. He further states that He will cast her on a bed of suffering and that He would make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely unless they repent. Jesus continues, “I will strike her children dead. Then all churches will know that I am He who searches hearts and minds and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.”(Rev. 2.23). To the others who did not follow Jezbel’s teachings, Jesus promised to not put any other burden on them. “Hold on,” He says, “to what you have until I come.” (Rev.2:24). “To him that overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations and he will rule over them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery—just as I have received authority from my father. I will also give him the Morning Star.” (Rev 2:26-28). [Jesus is the Morning Star. He is giving Himself.]
The Woman Clothed with the Sun, with the MoonUnder Her Feet, and a Crown of Twelve Stars on her Head
In Genesis, this woman appears in a dream that Joseph, son of Jacob, has of a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. [This woman appears again in the Revelation 12]. Jacob interprets the dream as the sun representing himself; the moon representing Rachael, his wife; and the crown of twelve stars being the twelve tribes. He sees the dream as the foreshadowing of a nation to come (Duck 1998). According to Harper’s Dictionary of the Bible (1973), “Historians see Jacob who was renamed Israel as the personification of a national Israel.” (Gen. 32.28; 35.10).
When this woman appears in Revelation 12, she is pregnant with a male child and suffering the pain of childbirth. “The woman , then, has to symbolize Israel because Christ was born of the seed of Israel.” (Hinson nd). The Roman Empire had subjugated the country and enforced all thing Roman on its captives. That she was in travail was an apt description of the woman’s (Israel’s) condition. (Duck 1998). Satan, in the personification of a huge red dragon, is waiting to kill the child (Jesus) but fails in this first attempt. Revelation 12.5 “She gave birth to a son, to a male child, who will rule all nations with an iron scepter and her child was snatched up to God to His throne,” This is a reference to the resurrection of Jesus, (Duck 1998).
According to Duck’s interpretation (1998), midway of the Tribulation, the woman will flee to the mountains where God has prepared a place of safety for her, It is suggested that the place of safety might be the deserted ancient city of Petra where many caves exist and there is only one way in or out of the city, all the better for defense. (Duck 1998). Rev. 12.6 “The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared by God where she might be taken care of for 1260 days,”
The Harlot of Babylon
The 17th through the 18h chapters of Revelation go into great detail about the Harlot of Babylon. Bear in mind that “the title was written on her forehead Mystery Babylon the Great is the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth.” (Rev 17.5). She came from Babylon as did Jezebel with the same relationship with the sinners of the Laodician church. The source of Babylon began with Nimrod, world dictator in the Old Testament era, It was he who wanted to build the tower that would reach heaven. While the tower could not reach heaven, it was used for the observance of the stars and heavenly bodies that led to modern times including the killing of thousands of Christians: “Babylon is a place of demons and unclean spirits.” (Rev 18.2-3).
Babylon is a person and a city at the same time and who has daughters (false religions) to carry on her unholy work. Duck (1998) lists some of her daughters as New Age, Satan Worship, Mother Earth Worship, Globalism, Hinduism, and Islamism. In John’s vision, the angel who had the seven bowls invited him to view the punishment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters (masses of people) that include many nations, people, and organizations. To have authority over so many suggests that she has their approval. “The political roots of ecumenism, the united world church, are in Rome; the spiritual roots go back to Babylon.” (Frescoes 1996).
The concept of a global new world religion of peace and cooperation is not new because the effort was proposed and acted upon since 1948 when the World Council of Churches was formed. Current information states that there are 2022 members, 352 churches, in 120 countries. Some church endorsements have come from church leaders such as Pope Paul II, the Dali Lama, and of course the World Council of Churches. The council is organized much like the United Nations. Pope Paul II also called for nations to stop opposition to a world government. (Jeffery 2001). This is also known as the New World Order. In 1998, Hal Lindsey said that he expected to see more mergers between denominations and more emphasis on ecumenism. Hinson (nd) places Babylon’s New World Order to take place in the final phases of the Tribulation.
Returning now to John’s vision, an angel carries him in spirit to a desert where he sees a woman sitting on a scarlet beast (Antichrist) covered with blasphemous names and has seven heads (kings) and ten horns (kingdoms). (Rel 17.3). She is dressed in the royal colors of purple and scarlet and wearing accessories of gold, precious stones, and pearls. In showing off her wealth, indicates she is seeking attention and appeal. In addition, she is holding a golden cup full of abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. John also sees . . . “that the woman was drunk with the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus . . . ” (Rev 17.6). The Harlot of Babylon and the Great Ecumenical System will persecute and kill Christians during the Tribulation. However, John tells us that the beast (Antichrist) and the ten horns (puppet kings) will turn on Babylon and kill her and her deceived followers. Hal Lindsey (nd) comments: “I have found this about religion, the more a false religion is the more wealth it has. And a true religion usually has less material and does not care about it.”
This tablet, for the first time, gives us a contemporary illustration of the tower; along with an inscription giving us an account of Nebuchadnezzar II’s building plans and the restoration process.The Schøyen Collection has documented the translation of the inscription on the tablet, noting that it contains a helpful caption identifying the caption as:
ETEMENANKI: ZIKKURAT BABIBLI: THE HOUSE,
THE FOUNDATION OF HEAVEN AND EARTH,
ZIGGURAT IN BABYLON
The inscription goes on to describe the restoration process:
“NEBUCHADNEZZAR, KING OF BABYLON AM I – IN ORDER TO COMPLETE E-TEMEN-ANKI AND E-UR-ME-IMIN-ANKI I MOBILIZED ALL COUNTRIES EVERYWHERE, EACH AND EVERY RULER WHO HAD BEEN RAISED TO PROMINENCE OVER ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD – THE BASE I FILLED IN TO MAKE A HIGH TERRACE. I BUILT THEIR STRUCTURES WITH BITUMEN AND BAKED BRICK THROUGHOUT. I COMPLETED IT RAISING ITS TOP TO THE HEAVEN, MAKING IT GLEAM BRIGHT AS THE SUN”
Courtesy of Aletia.org
Bibliography A
Caldwell, Zelda (2017). Aletia.org
Duck, Raymond R. (1998). Revelation: God’s Word for the Biblically Inept. Lancaster PA: Starburst Publishers. Contributing authors: Jack Van Impe, Hal Linsey, John Hagee, Grant J Jeffrey.
Dyer, Charles H. (nd). World News and Bible Prophecy. p. 90.
Froese, A, (1996). News from Israel. p. 8.
Hagee, John. (nd). Beginning of the End. p. 171.
Harper’s Bible Dictionary (1973). p. 229.
Jeremiah, D. with Carlson, D. D. in Revelation God’s Word for the Biblically Inept. (1998).
Hinson, Ed. (nd). Final Signs. p. 21.
Life Application Study Bible NIV. (2005). Carol Stream IL: Tindale House and Zimmerman Grand Rapids MI Co-Publishers.
New King James Version Study Bible. (2007). Editors: Allen,Ronald H., House, Wayne H. Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson Publisher.
The following essay is brief, but informative paper to discuss the difference between soul and spirit, false teachings, and the doctrine of the Trinity. To some, the subjects are unfathomable, and to others, they are at best confusing. By much study of the Bible and prayer, theologians such as Grudem, Mcgrath, and others have helped us, who are in Christ, gain a better understanding. One thing that confuses us is false teaching. Just about the time you and your spirit connect and you begin to ‘get’ it, someone who has his/her own opinion without any Bible study or commitment to the Savior, tries to plant the seed of unbelief. This paper will begin with the four most common fallacies about soul and spirit so the reader can compare them with the Word of God. The sources for this paper are Bibles, Systematic Theology, Torah, and Apologetics listed in the Bibliography.
Fallacy
Fallacy1. A human is a spirit with a body wrapped around it.
Fallacy 2, Soul sleep.
Fallacy 3. Praying for the dead.
Fallacy 4. Spirit and soul are the same thing.
Fallacy 1
Following are verses that tell us that we are created in the image of God therefore, we are made with a spirit and a soul as well. That we are a “Spirit” is not a biblical teaching. However, we are a soul.
God created mankind in His image and we know that God is Spirit. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and truth.” (John 4.24).
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1.26-27).
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5.23).
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4.12).
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.(I Corinthians 2.14).
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. (Romans 8.16).
Our lives are in the hands of God and when that time comes to be with God, our mortality is over, ”. . .and the dust returns to the ground and the Spirit returns to God who gave it.” (Ecc. 12.7).
Fallacy 2: Soul Sleep
Soul sleeping is another fallacy that is not a biblical teaching. In the following biblical verses, you will learn that at death the soul goes directly to God. ‘Presence’ with God means just that–not being elsewhere. Sleep/sleeping are normally synonyms for death. However, in some portions of the Scriptures, those words are interchangeable. (Example: Ecc. 12.7. and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it). The words soul and spirit are also interchangeable in other scriptures.
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.
We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (II Cor. 5.8).
I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far. ( Philippians 1.23).
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me paradise.” (Luke 23.29).
Fallacy 3: Praying for the dead
Praying for the dead in Christ is not a biblical teaching. At death, the soul returns to God who gave it to us. (Matt. 10.28). Those in Christ are already with God.
Fallacy 4: Spirit and soul are the same thing
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5.23). From the beginning, as recorded in Genesis 1.26-27, God created humans in His image. As we have an almighty God, it stands to reason that we, too, are composed of body, soul, and spirit. God breathed the breath of life into man and he became a living being — a soul.
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matt. 10.28).
“Hearing the word ‘soul’ clearly must refer to that part of the person that exists after death” (Grudem 1994). Here, we are told that the soul is eternal. Once the soul is created, it never ceases to exist. Humans have a spirit but at its core is a soul. The soul is who we are, the essence of our humanity (Grudem 1994). People are referred to as souls in the Scriptures: Exodus 31.14, Proverbs 11.30, and Psalms 16. 9-10, Ezekiel 18.4, 1 Peter 1.22 and 2.25, Acts 2.41, and Rev. 18.13.
The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. (Deuteronomy 30:6).
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you (James 1:21).
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.(1 Cor. 2.4).
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”(John 4:24).
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.(Hebrews 4:12).
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your Matthews (22:37).
Or The Lord our God is one Lord; or The Lord is our God, the Lord is one; or The Lord is our God, the Lord alone Deuteronomy (6:4).
So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.”(1 Corinthians 8:4).
A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one (Galatians 3:20).
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, (1 Timothy 2.5).
Below is the best symbol for the Trinity we are aware of (GotQuestions.org),
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed, these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping (2 Peter 2
Bibliography
All Bible Verses used are from Life Application Study Bible NIV(2005) and BibleGateway.org
We Christians are familiar with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and how Joseph of Arimathea secured permission to have Him removed from the cross. With the Sabbath approaching just a few hours away, Joseph and Nicodemus prepared Jesus for burial in a new tomb crafted earlier for Joseph. Joseph is mentioned in all four gospels in the Bible and there is much more to learn about him. This essay is compiled from the Gospels, ancient accounts that are provable, references to letters and third-party accounts, and the Talmud.
Personal Data
Joseph was born in Arimathea in 41 BCE (now Ramallah, Israel) and died in 45 CE at age 86 at Glastonbury, England. He also was a resident of de Marmore in Egypt probably due to his trading business around the Mediterranean Sea, South America, and southern England where there were rich mines of copper and tin. At that time England was the largest producer of tin mining. Joseph was a very wealthy merchant whom the Romans designated as their Minister of Mines.
Jesus, as a teenager and young man, sailed with his great-uncle on his merchant voyages and that would account for those supposed lost years of our Lord. It was also recorded that Joseph followed the teachings of the Essenes. If so, this would account for some scholars believing that Jesus had leanings toward this sect. Members lived apart from their spouses and raised others’ children to maintain their population. This, too, would account for Jesus being under the tutorage of his great-uncle. There are accounts, at that time, of seeing Jesus in coastal cities with his great-uncle, especially in southern England and India; all on trade routes.
Family relationship to Jesus
Joseph is the son of Matthat, son of Levi ben Melchi and Esthra/Estha; Joseph is the husband of Anna bat Simon of Arimathea and Alyuba bat Ekeazar; Joseph is the brother of Joachim, Heli ben Matat, and Bianca; He is the half-brother of JoAnna of Arimathea. His stepmother is Rachel of Arimathea. Joseph is the younger brother of Joachim who was Mary’s, the mother of Jesus, uncle, and great-uncle of Jesus.
Joseph and the Sanhedrin
Joseph is recorded as being an important person in the Sanhedrin with the position of counselor and a voting member. He was careful to keep secret that he was a disciple of Jesus because the synagogue leaders held serious disapproval of Jesus. When he went to Pilate to secure the body of Jesus, the elders and Romans were furious with him and Nicodemus, a Pharisee who believed in the resurrection. And aided in getting the body of Jesus ready for burial. Normally, preparing a body for burial was left to the family women. However, this was an emergency situation because the Sabbath was only a few hours away. Joseph was family, and took on the responsibility. Most of the disciples had fled for their lives and the women left could not get the task done in time.
The elders didn’t see it that way and arrested Joseph and imprisoned him. They tortured Nicodemus and nearly beat him to death. His brother rescued him and kept him safe for the rest of his life at his country estate. While Joseph was in prison, Jesus appeared to him as He walked through the cell bars. According to this legend, Jesus told Joseph that because he had taken care of His body, that now He would take care of Joseph’s. Jesus took his hand and together they passed through the cell bars into freedom. Joseph fled to Arimathea. The legend continues by relating that the guards found the cell vacant and the lock untouched. After reporting the incident to the elders, the elders contacted Joseph to arrange a meeting. After listening to Joseph’s testimony, they dropped the charges against him. However, that was an exception probably due to Joseph’s influence and wealth.
The Escape by Sea
Several historical sources tell that about 37 CE and after Stephen was stoned to death on order of the Sanhedrin, Joseph and the Apostle Phillip and a group of Jesus’ followers escaped by sea by sailing from Phoenicia. They were fortunate because as they set sail, the Sanhedrin ordered any followers arrested were to be loaded onto boats without sails and oars and set adrift on the sea. Many were rescued or drifted to small islands.
Those who accompanied Joseph and Phillip used the event as their initial sea-borne missionary journey. According to Maurus (CE 766-850), the followers were: Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and the sisters’ maid, Marcella; Eutopus; Mary Salome (Jesus’ sister) and her maid, Sara; Mary Cleopos; Saturnus; Mary Magdalene; Maximin, a young ruler; Martral; Traphimus (or Restitus) and others.
The group sailed from the Levant in the Phoenician homeland. At that time Phoenicia bordered Judea. The Phoenicians were masters of the seas and trading routes and had trading posts around the entire Mediterranean Sea, and beyond to South America and British Isles especially southern England. They established three main trading routes: the shores of the northern sea; the shores of the southern sea; and a route running across the center of the sea to trade with the islands. It was the center route that the group took to Gaul (France) and Marseilles. It was there that Maximinus, Mary Magdalene and Lazarus parted from the group, while Phillip scouted the area for missionary work.
Lazarus became the Bishop of Marseilles, and Maximinus traveled with Mary Magdalene throughout southern France as escort and protector as they carried out missionary work. Maximinus later became the Bishop of Aix-en-Provence. Mary died in 63CE at 72 years of age. When she knew her time was near, she traveled to Aix where the bishop, her friend, took her confession. Her remains reside in the Basilica of Mary Magdalene in Sainte- Maximinus-la-Sainte-Baume. Other countries claim she died in them, but King Charles II found her grave site and built a new tomb. Due to wars and looting, her remains were eventually moved to the basilica with King Charles being informed of the move and why.
Glastonbury
From Marseilles, Josepha and Phillip and the remainder of the group sailed to southern England turning east along the coast toward the English Channel and ran aground in the Glastonbury marshes where Apostle Phillip sent Joseph ashore with twelve disciples. According to a legend, that is mostly true, the group climbed a nearby hill to view the surrounding countryside and being tired rested there. This place became known as “Wearyall Hill.” Joseph declared the place as sacred and planted his walking staff that was crafted from Jesus’ crown of thorns. The staff took root and a white thorn bush sprouted and grew. It is reported that this species only naturally grows in the eastern Mediterranean area including Judea. It is also said that the bush blooms twice a year – Easter and Christmas.
Joseph built an abbey (Vetresta Ecclesia) from mud wattle on the sacred site and decreed that twelve monks should always reside there; this church was destroyed by fire in 1184. It was the first Christian church built after Jesus’ resurrection. Joseph died in 45CE at age 86 and was buried very near the abbey. Later, after the abbey was destroyed, his remains were moved to a new grave in the chancel of Glastonbury-abbey where he is honored with an elegant tomb that bears the following engraving:
HERE LIES THE BODY OF THAT MOST NOBLE DISCIPLE, RECORDED IN SCRIPTURE BY THE NAME OF JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA, AND NOTED BY THE FOUR EVANGELISTS, ST. MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, AND JOHN, FOR HIS BEGGING THE BODY OF OUR BLESSED SAVIOUR WHEN CRUCIFIED TO REDEEM LOST MEN FROM ETERNAL DESTRUCTION, AND BURYING IT IN A TOMB OF HIS OWN MAKING. HE DIED A.D. 45, AGED 86.
The Chalice
Another legend concerning Joseph is that he was in possession of the chalice (cup) from the Last Supper, The legend reports that Joseph collected some of the blood and sweat from Jesus’ side after it was pierced by the Roman soldier. According to the legend, he hid the cup at the bottom of a deep well at Glastonbury. The well is called the Chalice Well or Blood Well. The well water runs red due to its high iron content.
Apostle Phillip
There are no records regarding how or when Phillip and others aboard the grounded ship continued their voyage by sea. It could be assumed that with Joseph’s influence in that mining area, help would not be far away; however they did continue. Phillip became an important missionary in Samaria and what is today Turkey. He preached mainly in Phrygia until he was martyred in Hierapolis by hanging
Sources
Berry, J. (2019), Historical & Spiritual Views of the Seven Churches of Revelation & Other Topics of Study.
Originally, parts of this paper appeared in the paper, What You May Not Know about Joseph of Arimathea. However, more information was discovered and was enough for a stand-alone paper on Mary Magdalene. Mary was among 70 passengers on a ship captained by Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus’ uncle. They barely escaped being arrested and martyred.
The Voyage
Several historical sources tell that about 37 CE and after Stephen was stoned to death on the order of the Sanhedrin, Joseph and the Apostle Phillip and a group of Jesus’ followers escaped by sea by sailing from Phoenicia. They were fortunate because as they set sail, the Sanhedrin ordered any followers arrested to be loaded onto boats without sails and oars and set adrift on the sea. Many were rescued or drifted to small islands.
Those who accompanied Joseph and Phillip used the event as their initial sea-borne missionary journey. According to Maurus (CE 766-850), the followers were: Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and the sisters’ maid, Marcella; Eutopus; Mary Salome (Jesus’ sister) and her maid, Sara; Mary Cleopos; Saturnus; Mary Magdalene; Maximin, a young ruler; Martral; Traphimus (or Restitus) and others.
The group sailed from the Levant in the Phoenician homeland. At that time Phoenicia bordered Judea. The Phoenicians were masters of the seas and trading routes and had trading posts around the entire Mediterranean Sea, and beyond to South America and the British Isles especially southern England. They established three main trading routes: the shores of the northern sea; the shores of the southern sea; and a route running across the center of the sea to trade with the islands. It was the center route that the group took to Gaul (France) and Marseilles. It was there that Maximinus, Mary Magdalene and Lazarus parted from the group, while Phillip scouted the area for missionary work.
Lazarus became the Bishop of Marseilles, and Maximinus traveled with Mary Magdalene throughout southern France as escort and protector as they carried out missionary work. Maximinus later became the Bishop of Aix-en-Provence. Mary died in 63CE at 72 years of age. When she knew her time was near, she traveled to Aix where the bishop, her friend, took her confession. Her remains reside in the Basilica of Mary Magdalene in Sainte- Maximinus-la-Sainte-Baume. Other countries claim she died in them, but King Charles II found her grave site and built a new tomb. Due to wars and looting, her remains were eventually moved to the basilica with King Charles being informed of the move and why.
Mary Magdalene’s remains (relics) are in France at the Shrine of the Basilica of St. Maximin-la-St. Bauma. Charles II, during his reign as King, had a small church built to hold the remains of Mary in its crept. The site was excavated in 1279 CE where her marble sarcophagus was discovered. A tress of dark brown hair was found with her skull. DNA tests in recent years determined that she was Jewish and had Mediterranean ancestry. According to French records, Mary was preaching there as late as 47 CE and was housed in one of the commonly used cave-house communities mainly occupied by widowed and single women.
Regarding her remains (relics), her skull was missing the mandible. However, Pope Boniface VIII recovered it and the skull was completed. That cannot be said about the rest of the skeleton because sections of it were sent as relics to various Roman Catholic churches. One church claims to have one of her hands, another claims to have one of her feet, and so on. Today, some of the bones remain in addition to the skull housed in the enormous Gothic basilica in France. There, the bones such as the tibia are displayed in a glass bulletproof -reliquary. The skull is protected in another bulletproof-glass reliquary where the skull is encased by gold adornments. The skull and tibia are paraded once a year through the city. The statuary of Mary is dressed in the royal colors of blue and red.
Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute
Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute and she was not called a prostitute until the sixth century when Pope Gregory misidentified her in trying to identify a woman who washed and anointed the feet of Jesus. Mary’s name is neither mentioned in the text nor the town from which she came. She was always addressed as Mary of Magdalena or Mary Magdalene(a).. The popes are only considered infallible by their church on doctrinal/dogmatic matters. Calling Mary a whore was not something he had a right to do. In 1969, Pope Paul VI effectively repealed and separated Mary Magdalene from this disrespectful slur on her name – over 1400 years after Gregory misidentified her. In Luke 8, she is listed with two other women and all three are considered wealthy and helped fund the ministry of Jesus.
Sources
Berry, J. (2019), Historical & Spiritual Views of the Seven Churches of Revelation & Other Topics of Study.
