Gold,
chemical symbol Au (from the Latin aurum meaning ‘shining dawn’), is a precious
metal which has been used since antiquity in the production of jewelry, coinage, sculpture, vessels and as a
decoration for buildings, monuments and statues. Gold does not corrode and
so it became a symbol of immortality and power in many ancient cultures. Its
rarity and aesthetic qualities made it an ideal material for ruling classes to
demonstrate their power and position. First found at surface level near rivers
in Asia Minor such as the
Pactolus in Lydia, gold was also
mined underground from 2000 BCE by the Egyptians and later by the Romans in Africa, Portugal and Spain. See pictures and read article at -- http://www.ancient.eu/gold/
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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