Matthew Fountaine Maury (1806-1873) is known as the Father of Oceanography.  Using Psalm 8:8 as his guide, he was determined to learn what “the paths of the seas” were, and he did just that, discovering what we call today ocean currents.  Even Wikipedia notes his complete reliance up on Scriptures for his endeavors, “Maury lived by the Scriptures; he fully and unconditionally believed in what the Holy Scriptures stated; he hardly ever spoke or wrote without the inclusion of scriptural references; he prayed every day.”

Hear what the man himself once said.  Maury’s daughter wrote a book in 1888 about her famous father and recorded these words:

“I have been blamed by men of science, both in this country and in England, for quoting the Bible in confirmation of the doctrines of physical geography. The Bible, they say, was not written for scientific purposes, and is therefore of no authority in matters of science. I beg pardon! The Bible is authority for everything it touches…The Bible is true and science is true, and therefore each, if truly read, but proves the truth of the other.”

Posted: December 2nd, 2008 under Creation/Evolution, Scriptures, Testimony.
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This article in the NY Times’ global paper talks about the latest biblically-related discovery of a three-foot tall tablet with writing on it that supposedly discusses “a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days.”  Although it was found ten years ago, it is in vogue now, it seems; with some putting the discovery on par with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947-79.

The article (or the actuals scholars) aim at, once again, insinuating that the accounts of Jesus as God who dies and is resurrected may not be so original in antiquity afterall.  I say “once again” because it was only a few days ago where I covered similar stories collectively known as the “Christ Myth” (Read here).

Besides the above “been there, done that” element, there are at least three significant problems with the tablet:

1. The “some” who would hope to see the tablet put on par with the Dead Sea Scrolls are basically those who would stand to gain from its new-found notoriety.

2. The tablet has sign_f_cant  por___ns of let__rs  m_s__ng in very im___tant _arts so _t_ not ve_y reli_ble.  In fact, any words that would make it sensational were subjectively read into (onto?) the tablet, so who can say for sure what it originally said?  It is an unreliable witness–certainly not a 2,000 year old “star” witness–I wouldn’t want to be the lawyer bringing this guy to the stand!

3. Some quick math from a guy with a public high school education: Nearly 1,000 scrolls were found at Qumran and thousands more fragments.  Over three dozen copies of Psalms, 33 copies of Deuteronomy, two dozen copies of Genesis…all nearly identical (allowing for copyist errors) and thus cross-validating each other’s validity or subsequent translations……..so far all that’s in the news about the “Gabriel’s Revlation” tablet as it is called is one rather suspect tablet.  Now a thousand more similar tablets?  That’d be news-worthy.

So, Christian, no need to be dismayed or befuddled by headlines or news blurbs connecting the words “tablet” and “Jesus” together to make for attention-getting teasers and sound-bites.  Just keep walking with the Savior Who said, “The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but MY WORDS shall not pass away” (Luke 21:33, emphasis added).

Posted: July 6th, 2008 under Apologetics, Current Events, Scriptures, Uncategorized.
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