ANGLIA GOOD NEWS!      

from the Ipswich Christadelphians

July 2022

 

 

TREASURE TROVE!

 

In 2009, metal-detectorist Terry Herbert discovered a priceless hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure on farmland close to his home near Lichfield in Staffordshire.   Trove

 

Some 70 years earlier, Basil Brown, a self-taught archaeologist, born and bred in Suffolk, excavated one of the burial mounds at Sutton Hoo and brought to light the remarkable Great Ship Burial, thought to be the burial place of a king. 

 

This year, precious artefacts from the ship burial and the Staffordshire hoard, many made of intricately worked gold and silver, are on display in the Exhibition Hall and the Treasury at Sutton Hoo. Sutton

 

Another kind of detector…

 

The discoveries on display date back to AD 600-700, when the new faith of Christianity was spreading across Britain. Remarkable though they are, they pale into insignificance compared with the wealth of material discovered by archaeologists working in the Middle East. They used a different kind of detector in their searches for lost civilisations – the Bible! With Bible in hand, they located cities and towns and evidence of events and individuals; demonstrating beyond doubt that the Bible is about real people, places, and events.

 

The Cyrus Cylindercyrus

 

Currently on display in the British Museum, the Cyrus Cylinder was discovered in Mesopotamia in 1879. Its records how King Cyrus of Persia captured Babylon and describes his policy of sending exiles back to their homelands and restoring their means of worship: “I returned to these sacred cities on the other side of the Tigris the sanctuaries of which have been in ruins for a long time…I gathered all their inhabitants and returned their habitations.” Remarkably, the Old Testament book of Ezra written more than 2000 years earlier records exactly this: it was this decree which allowed the Jews to return to their land in about 539BC! (see Ezra 1:1-4) Today  some commentators regard it as the world’s first charter of human rights.

 

Bible people leave their mark

 

Important documents are still today delivered under seal to indicate their authenticity. Clay seals have been found belonging to Bible characters, such as Ahaz, king of Judah in the 8th century BC. Look carefully at the left of the picture and you’ll see traces of a fingerprint which could have been his!

 

 

Pontius PilatePilate

Pontius Pilate has achieved notoriety as the Roman governor of Judea who authorised the crucifixion of Jesus, at the same time washing his hands of the matter, saying: “I am innocent of the blood of this just person…” (Matthew 27:24) There was no evidence of his existence outside of the Bible until an inscription bearing his name was discovered at Caesarea in 1961.

 

A pool called Bethesdasiloam

 

“Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralysed, waiting for the moving of the water…” (John5:1-2) It was at this pool that Jesus healed a man bed-ridden for 38 years. Its existence was denied for many years until it was unearthed in 1961 lying about 40 feet below ground level with five colonnaded porches just as John describes in his Gospel. 

 

The Good News of the Kingdom of God

 

Jesus likened the Kingdom of God to treasure trove: “…the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matthew 13:44)

 

Remarkable though the precious material on display at Sutton Hoo is, it’s not to be compared with the coming Kingdom of God!

 

 

 

Our Bible Hour is on Sundays at 10am at Castle Hill Community Centre, Highfield Road, Ipswich, IP1 6DG.

 

It’s also available on Skype by following this link:

https://join.skype.com/BZxKOt46Cxdb

 

Here’s our programme for July to September, God willing:

 

3 July Will man destroy the earth? (video film)

10 July God’s promises to Abraham and You

17 July Peace in the Middle East (video film)

24 July Parables for today – the Sower (video film)

31 July The Gospel and the Kingdom of God

7 August Parables for today – the hidden treasure

14 August Why did Jesus have to die?

21 August The Bible from scratch - Isaiah

28 August The Bible from scratch - Jeremiah

4 Sept. Learning to pray with Paul: Philippians

11 Sept. The Bible from scratch - Ezekiel

18 Sept. The Bible from scratch - Daniel

25 Sept. The Bible from scratch – Revelation

 

 

 

 

 

We welcome comments, feedback and questions. Contact us via our website: www.ipswichchristadelphians.info, or write to: Ipswich Christadelphians, FREEPOST RTJU-SYAE-LZTA, 28 Westland, IPSWICH, IP5 3SU, or phone 07419 837115

 

 

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Owing to Covid -19 restrictions our Sunday Bible Hour has been cancelled , but you are welcome to join our Bible Classes on Wednesdaty evening at 7;45pm on Skype and on Thursday evening at 7:30 on Zoom. please contact us for more details.

 

 

 

We welcome comments, feedback and questions. Contact us via our website: www.ipswichchristadelphians.info, or write to: Ipswich Christadelphians, FREEPOST RTJU-SYAE-LZTA, 28 Westland, IPSWICH, IP5 3SU, or phone 07419 837115

 


What do you want to do ?
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What do you want to do ?
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What do you want to do ?
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What do you want to do ?
New mail
What do you want to do ?
New mail
Our Bible Hour is on Sundays at 10am at Castle Hill Community Centre, Highfield Road, Ipswich, IP1 6DG.   
It’s also available on Skype by following this link:
https://join.skype.com/BZxKOt46Cxdb
Here’s our programme for July to September, God willing:
3 July Will man destroy the earth? (video film)
10 July God’s promises to Abraham and You
17 July Peace in the Middle East (video film)
24 July Parables for today – the Sower (video film)
31 July The Gospel and the Kingdom of God
7 August Parables for today – the hidden treasure 
14 August Why did Jesus have to die?
21 August The Bible from scratch - Isaiah
28 August The Bible from scratch - Jeremiah
4 Sept. Learning to pray with Paul: Philippians
11 Sept. The Bible from scratch - Ezekiel
18 Sept. The Bible from scratch - Daniel
25 Sept. The Bible from scratch – Revelation
We welcome comments, feedback and questions.  Contact us via our website: www.ipswichchristadelphians.info, or write to: Ipswich Christadelphians, FREEPOST RTJU-SYAE-LZTA, 28 Westland, IPSWICH, IP5 3SU, or phone 07419 837115
  ANGLIA GOOD NEWS!        
 from the Ipswich Christadelphians
July 2022
TREASURE TROVE!
 
In 2009, metal-detectorist Terry Herbert discovered a priceless hoard of Anglo-Saxon treasure on farmland close to his home near Lichfield in Staffordshire.   
Some 70 years earlier, Basil Brown, a self-taught archaeologist, born and bred in Suffolk, excavated one of the burial mounds at Sutton Hoo and brought to light the remarkable Great Ship Burial, thought to be the burial place of a king. 
This year, precious artefacts from the ship burial and the Staffordshire hoard, many made of intricately worked gold and silver, are on display in the Exhibition Hall and the Treasury at Sutton Hoo. 
Another kind of detector…
The discoveries on display date back to AD 600-700, when the new faith of Christianity was spreading across Britain. Remarkable though they are, they pale into insignificance compared with the wealth of material discovered by archaeologists working in the Middle East. They used a different kind of detector in their searches for lost civilisations – the Bible! With Bible in hand, they located cities and towns and evidence of events and individuals; demonstrating beyond doubt that the Bible is about real people, places, and events.
The Cyrus Cylinder
Currently on display in the British Museum, the Cyrus Cylinder was discovered in Mesopotamia in 1879. Its records how King Cyrus of Persia captured Babylon and describes his policy of sending exiles back to their homelands and restoring their means of worship: “I returned to these sacred cities on the other side of the Tigris the sanctuaries of which have been in ruins for a long time…I gathered all their inhabitants and returned their habitations.” Remarkably, the Old Testament book of Ezra written more than 2000 years earlier records exactly this: it was this decree which allowed the Jews to return to their land in about 539BC! (see Ezra 1:1-4) Today  some commentators regard it as the world’s first charter of human rights.
Bible people leave their mark
Important documents are still today delivered under seal to indicate their authenticity. Clay seals have been found belonging to Bible characters, such as Ahaz, king of Judah in the 8th century BC. Look carefully at the left of the picture and you’ll see traces of a fingerprint which could have been his!
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate has achieved notoriety as the Roman governor of Judea who authorised the crucifixion of Jesus, at the same time washing his hands of the matter, saying: “I am innocent of the blood of this just person…” (Matthew 27:24) There was no evidence of his existence outside of the Bible until an inscription bearing his name was discovered at Caesarea in 1961.
A pool called Bethesda
“Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralysed, waiting for the moving of the water…” (John5:1-2) It was at this pool that Jesus healed a man bed-ridden for 38 years. Its existence was denied for many years until it was unearthed in 1961 lying about 40 feet below ground level with five colonnaded porches just as John describes in his Gospel. 
The Good News of the Kingdom of God
Jesus likened the Kingdom of God to treasure trove: “…the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matthew 13:44)
Remarkable though the precious material on display at Sutton Hoo is, it’s not to be compared with the coming Kingdom of God!