Three Types of Stones

HI there...

What I like to do is take a Bible verse or passage which is being discussed and then to provide a broader understanding of that passage from what archaeology in the Holy Land has shown about that passage.

For example... from my notes on the Gadarenes.

Gathering Stones in the Land of the Gadarenes

Mark 5:1-5 1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones....

The location of the "land of the Gadarenes" is questioned by many Bible scholars, but in studying the older manuscripts, the area that meets all the criteria for the location is the ancient area known today as "Kursi." The biblical account describes the demoniac being delivered of demonic forces identified as "legion". But where does the demoniac live?

He lives on "the other side" which is a reference to the east side of the Galilee. In the first century, the west side of the Galilee was known as the Jewish side, and the east side of the Galilee was the Gentile side, referenced in the Bible several times as "the other side".


The "tombs" in the first-century Gentile area is usually a reference to caves where the dead were buried. There are caves in the hillside above Kursi in the progression of Nahal Samakh.

There is a steep slope of the land located there that slopes into the Sea of Galilee fitting the description of the swine running down the incline into the Sea.

But in gathering stones at Kursi, there is a noteworthy comment to be made. There are three types of stones in this area. First there is basalt, a dark-colored stone that is formed from volcanic activity. This type of rock has been molten in the past and is usually more smooth and rounded from water erosion from the Wadi runs and the splashing waves of the Sea of Galilee. Basalt could never be the type of rock that fits the description given in Mark of the demoniac "in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones...."

The second type of rock in this area is limestone which is the result of compression on the sands. It is soft limestone and is easily cut, but it doesn't have the hardness to cut human flesh.

But, the third type of rock that is found naturally in the area of Kursi is flint. Flint has a sharpness that is defined historically for use in tools and weapons, particularly in arrowheads or spearheads. Flint would easily cut human flesh as in body mutilations such as in the description of the demoniac.

Isn't it just awesome to find out that even the little, insignificant details of biblical accounts such as having rocks sharp enough to cut skin--just add credibility to the story. Did Mark know when writing the first-century account of the Gospel, that in recording the details of the account, he was actually recording the historical accuracy of the event? Mark was probably focused on recording the miracle of the healing and didn't have a clue on the geographics of the area. Archeology gave the details of the account that add to the credibility.

Gathering Stones at the Peter's House.

14 ¶And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.
15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
Matthew 8:14-15

Charles Ryrie in his work, "A Survey of Bible Doctrine", identifies the Doctrine of the Trinity as

God as Three in One -- the Trinity
There is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), but within that unity are three eternal and co-equal Persons, all sharing the same essence and substance, but each having a distinct existence.
The Bible states that there is only one true God. But it also states that there was a man named Jesus Christ who claimed to be God, and that there is Someone called the Holy Spirit who is also God.

The concept of the Trinity focuses on God's tri-unity: three persons/one God. The Father is recognized as God; Jesus Christ is recognized as God and claimed oneness with God (John 10:30-33); the Holy Spirit is recognized as God (Acts 5:304). See also Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14.

I want to focus on the statement, "Jesus Christ is recognized as God...."

There are certain attributes which assign deity to a specific moment or period of time. One of those attributes is the worthiness of praise.

"...Five gospels record the life of Jesus. Four you will find in books and one you will find in the land they call holy. Read the fifth gospel and the world of the four will open to you."( From the publisher," With Jesus Through Galilee: According to the Fifth Gospel,"Bargil Pixner)

So, what does the gospel of the land tell us about Jesus Christ being God and being worthy of praise?

If we travel to first-century Capernaum, we could go to the house of Peter and find that it has been converted into a house church, that the inside walls have been modified and plastered and beautiful mosaics cover the floors. A baptistery would be added and a seat would reach around the circumference of the main room. And what does this house church have to do with the determination that Jesus Christ is God?

Well, Peter walked with Christ for three years across Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. He was present at the transfiguration when the glory was restored for a while to the Living Word. He was one of the leaders of the early church in Jerusalem, and he was in Jerusalem at the crucifixion of Christ and the glorious resurrection three days later. Peter was in Jerusalem fifty days later when the Spirit of God would come as the Mighty Rushing Wind to empower the believers to equip them for the work for which they were called.

Again, what is the significance of Peter's house in Capernaum? It is believed to be the first house church (domus ecclesia) for Christians to worship, and eventually it became a point where most Christians visited on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land. And it is the house where 131 inscriptions were found during the excavations of Capernaum in 1905 and in 1921. One hundred thirty one inscriptions. That "fifth gospel" had a lot to say in Capernaum. That "fifth gospel" records the name of Jesus Christ

The Lady Egeria, a Spanish pilgrim, visited the site at some time between 381 and 384 AD during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land: "The house of the prince of the Apostles (St. Peter) in Capharnaum was changed into a church; however, the walls (of that house) are still standing as they were (in the past)." In fact, the pottery sherds in the plaster date many of the inscriptions to the first-century house church.

The glorious part and the point of the posting: Those inscriptions identify Jesus Christ, both by name and by character. "Lord" ... "Jesus," ... "Christ" ... "Amen" and "Kyrie Eleison." There is an inscription that identifies Jesus Christ as "the Most High God".

It seems that those who lived in the city where Jesus conducted his first-century ministry were certainly aware that Jesus Christ was the "Most High God", and nothing less.

One of the symbols on the wall of Peter's house in Capernaum is the inscription of the letter "rho" with the Christian markings. A sign for Christianity was to make the sign of "rho" in the ground, and if one extended the two lines of "rho" it changed the translation of the letter into the context of "the one who is and who is to come" This symbol was safely "stored" in the plaster walls of Peter's home in Capernaum until excavation in 1905 and again in 1921 resulted in the removal the inscriptions in Peter's house and relocating them in the control of the Catholic magistrate in Jerusalem. The early symbol of "Christ" was later replaced by the "chi-rho" symbol identified with Constantine and his conversion to Christianity.

~serapha~

This statement of yours is false, "There are certain attributes which assign deity to a specific moment or period of time." Actually deity is always deity, for He is unchanging. There are not some moments of the deity being non-deity. There is only one is deity which is God. Occam's Razor says extra deities are unecessarily complicating.

The reason you got an infraction was because your profile contradicts your post (violating Board Etiquette #4) when you claim you believed in God's 3 Persons, but in question #2 you do not.

You should give your life to Christ and accept His substitutionary death on the cross and co-death with him, but for now you have decided to reject Him (question #1).

The church is built on the rock Christ, not Peter. Remember, Peter (Petros) is the little stone, Jesus is the rock (Petras). Catholic refers to "universal" Church. The Roman Church is not the Church.