This ancient city situated in the central mountain range of Judea, about 34 miles from the Mediterranean Sea has been the center of worship and political intrigue for centuries -- from today all the way back to early Christian times (Much of the opening books of Acts takes place here) and to the time of King David of Israel.
This city is none other than the hilltop fortress of Zion captured and renamed Jerusalem by King David in 1070 B.C.E.
From this time on the city has grown to include such other areas as Mount Moriah, youi'll remember, is where Abraham tried to sacrifice his only son Isaac some 1900 years earlier.
David's son, King Solomon, looking for a central point for, political -- the Jewish Sanhedrin was located here -- as well as social and religious events made Mount Moriah a part of the city of Jerusalem with a temple he built on it.
Worshipers from many parts of the Mediterranean traveled here to sacrifice, worship and observe seasonal festivals such as the Festival of Booths and Passover in obedience to Jehovah's command at Deuteronomy 16:16: where he said: "Three times in the year every male of yours should appear before Jehovah your God in the place that he will choose." This was Jerusalem from the time of King Solomon -- at least until the temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Buyers and Sellers During Bible Times
Both specialized retail and the problem of inflation began early in human history although much of the economy during Bible times was still based on farming, herding and bartering.
Still early predecessors to our shopping malls; Bible writers speak of such early markets situated at city gates as the Sheep Gate, the Fish Gate, and the Gate of Potsherds.
Nehemiah 3: 1,3 mention two of these gates, describing how "Eliashib the high priest and his brothers, the priests, proceeded to get up and build the Sheep Gate. They themselves sanctified it and went setting up its doors" And at Jeremiah 3: 1, and 3 Jeremiah is directed by God to go down to the Gate of the Potsherds to buy an earthenware flask apparently.
Inflation too had early roots in human history with prices that kept getting higher and higher. The actual price of merchandise naturally fluctuated throughout the centuries just as they do today and it is hard to pinpoint what something would have cost at a given date --but generally prices for got steadily more as we can see in the human slave trade;.
The information from ancient sources, including the Bible shows that this trade existed and that when slaves were sold to new masters inflation was a factor. Joseph, the son of Joseph, for instance was told by his brothers for 20 silver prices, (possibly shekels) in the 18 century B.C.E. according to Genesis 37:28.
Three hundred years later, however, the price had risen to 30 shekels -- by the 8th century B.CE. to 50 shekels according to Exodus 32:22 and 2 King s 15:20 -- and by 200 years after this, during the time of the Persian Empire, the price for a slave had risen to 90 silver shekels.
So neither specialized commercial centers or the problem of inflation are something new to the modern era.
Still early predecessors to our shopping malls; Bible writers speak of such early markets situated at city gates as the Sheep Gate, the Fish Gate, and the Gate of Potsherds.
Nehemiah 3: 1,3 mention two of these gates, describing how "Eliashib the high priest and his brothers, the priests, proceeded to get up and build the Sheep Gate. They themselves sanctified it and went setting up its doors" And at Jeremiah 3: 1, and 3 Jeremiah is directed by God to go down to the Gate of the Potsherds to buy an earthenware flask apparently.
Inflation too had early roots in human history with prices that kept getting higher and higher. The actual price of merchandise naturally fluctuated throughout the centuries just as they do today and it is hard to pinpoint what something would have cost at a given date --but generally prices for got steadily more as we can see in the human slave trade;.
The information from ancient sources, including the Bible shows that this trade existed and that when slaves were sold to new masters inflation was a factor. Joseph, the son of Joseph, for instance was told by his brothers for 20 silver prices, (possibly shekels) in the 18 century B.C.E. according to Genesis 37:28.
Three hundred years later, however, the price had risen to 30 shekels -- by the 8th century B.CE. to 50 shekels according to Exodus 32:22 and 2 King s 15:20 -- and by 200 years after this, during the time of the Persian Empire, the price for a slave had risen to 90 silver shekels.
So neither specialized commercial centers or the problem of inflation are something new to the modern era.
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