An excavation team has uncovered one of the oldest churches in the world, dating back to the late fourth century, where it is believed that the Ark of the Covenant once stood in biblical times. The team, led by Yitzhak Magen and Yevgeny Aharonovitch, unearthed the church not far from the Jewish settlement of Shiloh in Samaria. The floor of the worship sanctuary is decorated with brightly colored mosaics and many of the inscriptions refer to Yeshua (Jesus). The original church was built in 380 AD. It was probably destroyed by a flood and later replaced by a new building, based on information gleaned from the inscriptions.

Aharonovitch said one of the inscriptions is particularly unusual as it mentions the name Shiloh: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on Seilun [Shiloh] and its inhabitants, Amen." Aharonovitch said; "This is very rare and indicates that the early Christians revered this place as a holy shrine."

Nearly thirty leading religious-Zionist rabbis visited the Temple Mount "in purity" Sunday, after taking the necessary "Halakhic" precautions. The precautions involve immersing in a mikveh (ritual bath), taking off one's shoes, and clarifying the precise areas forbidden for entry - or else going only with a guide who knows the area. The visit was unique in that it marks the first time such a large group of rabbis ascended together to the holy site. Among the visitors were Kiryat Arba Chief Rabbi Dov Lior, Yeshivat Har Etzion Dean Rabbi Yaakov Meidan, Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz of Maaleh Adumim, Rabbi Daniel Shilo of Kedumim, and Rabbi Shalom Gold of Har Nof, Jerusalem, and others.

Rabbi Shilo, when asked to explain the timing of the visit said, "For one thing, Jerusalem Reunification Day is approaching. In addition, our hold on the Temple Mount is not yet strong among many people of Torah and others; because of halakhic [Jewish-legal] obstructions that we feel are no longer relevant." Biblical law forbids one from entering the holy areas of the Temple Mount, and some feel that the precise boundaries of those areas are not known. However, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel of the Temple Institute has shown that the rock under the Dome of the Rock is in fact the Holy of Holies, and most scholars agree.

Police accompanied the rabbis, and the "representatives of the Islamic Waqf [the Moslem body that oversees the site] looked quite miffed," Rabbi Shilo said.

Minister of Knesset (MK) Uri Ariel (National Union Party) expressed approval of the rabbis' move, saying, "It appears that the police now understand that the current situation of restricting Jewish presence on the Jews' most sacred site is absurd and must change... This disgrace must be stopped. Jewish prayer must be allowed on the site, in a gradual manner and in the places permitted by Halakhah." Last week, a group of over forty rabbis signed a declaration calling upon the religious public - those who know the laws and restrictions - to frequent the permitted sites on the Temple Mount "and to arouse love for this holy site in which our prayers are most accepted." Among the signatories are Rabbi Chaim Druckman, head of the Yeshivot Bnei Akiva organization; Rabbi Shlomo Riskin of Efrat; Kiryat Shmonah Chief Rabbi Tzefaniah Drori; Rabbi Bnayahu Bruner of Tzfat; Rabbi Re'em HaCohen of Otniel; Rabbi Daniel Cohen of Bat Ayin; Rabbi Chanan Porat of Kfar Etzion; Rabbi Gideon Perl of Alon Shvut; Rabbi Moshe Tzuriel of Bnei Brak; and more. Former Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, however, issued an opposite call, saying that visits to the Temple Mount could lead to the grave sin of entering forbidden sacred locations. "It's not that anyone is apathetic to our inability to pray on the Temple Mount," his son, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu of Tzfat said in his father's name. "Our pain over this is almost physical." Rabbi M. Eliyahu is of the opinion that a synagogue should be built in a permitted area of the Temple Mount.

The Fortieth anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem in the Six Day War was celebrated this week by Israel and by Jews around the world. Though Jerusalem Day was on the 28th day Iyyar (Hebrew Calendar), which fell this year on Wednesday, May 16, celebrations took place throughout week. Last Sunday's weekly Cabinet session was largely dedicated to Jerusalem, as was a special Knesset session on Monday, which was followed by a musical festival featuring Avihu Medina, Shuli Natan and others. The walls of the Old City were lit up in a unique manner, as were the streets, overpasses and central sites.

On Tuesday evening, some 10,000 people took part in a farmers' parade, which featured exhibits, floats, tractors, bands, dancers and even acrobats. On Tuesday night, the central religious-thanksgiving celebration was held in Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav Kook in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood. On Wednesday night, a main event featuring the Paratroopers Brigade that liberated the Old City was held at Sultan's Pool.

Rain Stops Everything
Torrential rains in Jerusalem on Wednesday forced the postponement and cancellation of some of the central events marking the fortieth anniversary of the reunification of the holy city under Israeli rule. The "Parade of Flags" through central Jerusalem was postponed until the early evening, and several outdoor memorial ceremonies were called off altogether as Jerusalem was hammered with well over an inch of rain during a two-hour period in the middle of the day. Flash floods were a danger not only in the valleys outside of Jerusalem, but also on many streets in the city itself.

It was the first time since Israel liberated the eastern half of Jerusalem from Jordanian occupation that Jerusalem Day events were affected by rain. Those familiar with Israel will know that such heavy rain in mid-to-late May is quite rare.

On Monday and in honor of Jerusalem Day, archaeologists revealed a number of seals from the time of the Biblical Kings David and Solomon. The seals, along with other recently uncovered artifacts, were displayed for the first time on Monday, at a conference marking forty years since the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem by the modern State of Israel. The Bible-period artifacts were unearthed during archaeological excavations underway in the City of David, below Jerusalem’s Old City to the east. The specific artifacts on display on Monday were found at the Beit HaMaayan (well-house) dig, overseen by Haifa University's Archaeology Department Director, Professor Ronny Reich. The greatest scientific and public interest was focused on more than one-hundred seals and signet rings, used as a means of authentication for written papyrus documents, from the time of the reigns of Kings David and Solomon. The seals bear various markings that, when deciphered, indicate the sender of the document and his or her location. The large number of such seals, archaeologists explained, indicates that the City of David area was a commercial and trading center.

Similar seals and signets have been found at various excavation sites around Jerusalem over the past decade. Some of those seals bear names of royal advisors and servants mentioned in various Biblical accounts of the reigns of Jewish monarchs. In 2005, a Hebrew University archaeologist and a leading authority on ancient Jerusalem, Dr. Eilat Mazar uncovered a clay seal in what she claimed served as the residential palace of Jewish kings from King David until the destruction of the First Temple, for a period of 450 years. That seal, dated from about 580 BCE, bears the name Yehuchal Ben-Sheleimiya, who is identified as a royal envoy and court minister sent by King Zedekiah to the prophet Jeremiah (in chapters 37 and 38 of the Bible's Book of Jeremiah). Several years earlier, another circa-580 BCE royal seal was found at the same site. It had the name of Gemaryahu, son of Shafan, who is also mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah, and who was a top official in the court of King Zedekiah's predecessor, King Yehoyachim. Another seal found among dozens of others bears the name of Azaryahu Ben-Hilkiyahu, a member of a priestly family, who served in the Temple before Jerusalem's destruction (according to I Chronicles, 9:10).

For the first time in six months, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) sent several tanks into the northern Gaza Strip near the town of Beit Lahiya Thursday morning. The tanks moved in to battle ongoing Qassam rocket fire in the area. In all more than thirty Qassam had been fired at Israel's south Wednesday and Thursday. One rocket directly hit a classroom at the Shaar Hanegev School, severely damaging the structure. Head of the Shaar Hanegev local council Alon Shuster said that there were still a few classrooms in the school which had not been fortified. "Only the students that had to take their matriculation exams came to school today and they were placed in fortified classrooms," he stated. The damage to the classroom can be clearly seen in the photo (left).

The Tzemach Institute has joined forces with the Christian Friends Of Israeli Communities (CFOIC) in planning a special tour of the heartland of biblical Israel. Join us as we explore Israel from a genuine Biblical Zionists perspective. Meet the people who are continuing the Biblical narrative in the Land today. See for yourself how ancient prophesies are being fulfilled. Discover how you too can participate in the ongoing process of Biblical Redemption. Join us for an opportunity of a lifetime, to see the real Israel from the viewpoint of those who are living the Bible today. The experience will change your life. The tour has been coordinated with Sondra Baras of CFOIC and will be guided by Associate Pastor Jon Klein [pictured left].
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