c. 2007 Religion News Service
Israel claims artifacts dating to First Temple
JERUSALEM (RNS) Israeli archaeologists who have been inspecting maintenance work done by Muslims on the Temple Mount have discovered what they believe are artifacts dating back to the time of the First Jewish Temple.
Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said workers from the Wakf Islamic Trust had uncovered “an apparently sealed archaeological level dated to the First Temple Period” near the Dome of the Rock, the third holiest site in Islam.
Finds included fragments of ceramic tableware and animal bones. The finds are dated from the eighth to the sixth centuries BC.
The discovery marks the first time Israeli archaeologists have been able to examine Temple Mount artifacts still in the ground. The Wakf, which maintains the mount, has for several decades denied requests by international archaeologists wishing to conduct excavations.
In an ongoing project, archaeologists and volunteers have been salvaging thousands of Temple Mount artifacts found in tons of debris removed _ illegally, Israelis say _ by the Wakf during renovations on a mosque in 1999. Archaeologists strive to discover artifacts in their original position in the ground in order to gain valuable context.
The First Temple, built by King Solomon, was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BC. The Second Temple was finished around 516 BC, expanded by King Herod beginning in 20 BC and destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
The Israeli archaeologists said the characteristics and location of the finds may aid scholars in reconstructing the dimensions and boundaries of the Temple Mount during the First Temple Period.
The finds include fragments of bowls, the base of a juglet used for the ladling of oil, the handle of a small juglet and the rim of a storage jar. The bowl shards were decorated with wheel burnishing lines characteristic of the First Temple Period.
Gabriel Barkay, director of the Temple Mount Sifting Project, called the Temple Mount “the most delicate and important and sensitive site in this country; and not counting the destructive acts of the Wakf, it’s hardly been excavated.”
_ Michele Chabin
Falwell’s church grows under son’s leadership
(RNS) Thomas Road Baptist Church, the Virginia megachurch founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, had the largest numeric growth recorded in a new list of the nation’s fastest-growing churches.
In a special issue this month, Outreach magazine reported that the church in Lynchburg, Va., saw an increase in overall weekly attendance of 4,750 within the last year. The church ranked No. 9 on the magazine’s list of fastest-growing churches because researchers averaged numerical and percentage growth of attendees to determine the rankings.
Thomas Road was listed No. 8 in the magazine’s ranking of largest U.S. churches, with an average attendance of 17,445.
In a statement, the church said more than 1,000 people have joined the church since Falwell’s death on May 15.
“The Thomas Road Baptist Church has not faltered since my father’s passing because it has not faltered in its mission,” said Jonathan Falwell, who now leads the church. “Dad founded this church in 1956 for the purpose of reaching the world with the Gospel of Christ. We have done this for 51 years, and I can assure this church will continue to pursue this exact same mission as long as I serve as its pastor.”
Outreach, a church leadership magazine based in Vista, Calif., compiled the lists in partnership with Ed Stetzer, director of research at LifeWay Research, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention’s LifeWay Christian Resources. The attendance figures are based on self-reported data from the churches cited.
The top five fast-growing churches listed are:
1. Iglesia Cristiana Segadores de Vida, Hollywood, Fla.
2. Community of Faith, Cypress, Texas
3. Valley Bible Fellowship, Bakersfield, Calif.
4. Community Christian Church, Naperville, Ill.
5. The ROC (Richmond Outreach Center), Richmond, Va.
The top five largest churches listed are:
1. Lakewood Church, Houston, Texas (47,000)
2. Willow Creek Community Church, South Barrington, Ill. (23,500)
3. Second Baptist Church, Houston, Texas (23,198)
4. Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, Calif. (22,000)
5. LifeChurch.tv, Edmond, Okla. (19,907)
_ Adelle M. Banks
Court sidesteps dispute over Muslims’ dowry
(RNS) A dowry arrangement made by a Muslim couple is a religious agreement and not a legal contract, and therefore not enforceable by the courts, an Ohio judge has ruled.
When Raghad Alwattar and Mohammed Zawahiri agreed to be married in Franklin County, Ohio, about two years ago, the couple and their families agreed the bride would receive a $25,000 payment.
Called a “mahr,” dowries are typically part of a marriage contract between Muslim couples. Because some Muslim women do not work, the payment is considered security so they are not left destitute should their husband leave. The monetary amount depends on the bride’s social status and the groom’s financial prospects.
Now they are divorcing and Alwattar is suing for the money.
But Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Dana Priesse ruled Oct. 10 that because the “obligation to pay $25,000 is rooted in a religious practice, the dowry is considered a religious act,” instead of a legal contract.
Alwattar’s attorney, Noure Alou, said the ruling _ the first of its kind in Ohio _ represents a departure from rulings in New York and New Jersey, which have upheld dowries as legally enforceable.
Alwattar will appeal the Common Pleas court decision, Alou said.
Zawahiri, the husband, argued in court that the mahr is not a prenuptial agreement and that he did not realize the implications of the agreement when he signed it, just a few minutes before the wedding ceremony.
The judge said Zawahiri should have been allowed to consult an attorney before signing the mahr.
Alwattar, 21, was born of Syrian parents and raised in the United States, where she is a student at Ohio State University. Zawahiri, 29, is Syrian.
_ Daniel Burke
Quote of the Day: Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani
(RNS) “You and I know that I am not a perfect person. I’ve made mistakes in my life. But I’ve always done the best that I could to try to learn from them. I pray for forgiveness, I pray for strength, I pray for guidance. I feel my faith deeply, although maybe more privately than some, because of the way I was brought up, maybe for other reasons.”
_ Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, addressing religious conservatives at the Family Research Council Values Voter Summit in Washington.
KRE/RB END RNS
