It
is a tale that seems at home in an espionage thriller about ancient religious
secrets, such as the "The Da Vinci Code." For nearly 2,000 years,
stories have circulated about the ultimate fate of sacred Jewish objects
plundered from the Jerusalem Temple by Romans in A.D. 70—including a
human-size, solid-gold Menorah. One widely shared theory among some Jews holds
that the artifacts are hidden inside the Vatican, which many believe inherited
the wealth of the Roman Empire. There is only one problem, say many scholars:
It isn't true. Read the complete article at -- http://online.wsj.com/articles/yeshiva-students-challenge-myths-of-the-menorah-1408069132
The witnesses, laying their coats at the feet of Saul, were the men that would cast the first stones at Stephen in Acts 7. Why did they all lay their coats at Saul’s feet? The Talmud contains a very interesting account of the act of stoning that may provide the answer. “When the trial was over, they take him [the condemned person] out to be stoned. The place of stoning was at a distance from the court, as it is said, ‘Take out the one who has cursed.’ [i] A man stands at the entrance of the court; in his hand is a signaling flag [Hebrew sudarin = sudar , ‘scarf, sweater’]. A horseman was stationed far away but within sight of him. If one [of the judges] says, ‘I have something [more] to say in his favor,’ he [the signaler] waves the sudarin , and the horseman runs and stops them [from stoning him]. Even if [the condemned person] himself says, ‘I have something to say in my favor,’ they bring him back, even four of five times, only provided that there is some substance to...
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