Neo Babylonian Cuneiform Tablet Confirming Freedom on a Slave Family This Cuneiform tablet is written in the Neo-Babylonian dialect. The date is equivalent to April 1, 560 B.C.E. The location of the town of “Hubat” in Babylonia is not known. The Babylonian king Amel-Marduk, who ruled from October 562-August 560 B.C.E., is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible under the name Evil- Merodach; it was king Amel-Marduk that freed Jehoiachin, the king of Judah from prison (2 Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34). After the death of his father Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin became the king of Judah but for only a few months in 598 B.C.E. Jehoiachin and his court were carried away into exile by Nebuchadnezzar into Babylon and imprisoned. On the death of Nebuchadnezzar, Jehoiachin was freed by Evil-Merodach and was given honorable treatment. Translation of the Tablet: Shamash-zer-ibni, son of Balatu, of the Adad-rabi family, voluntarily sealed a document granting permanent freedom to Laqiptu and her children. Laqiptu and her children are free. Laqiptu and her children are not responsible for performing labor obligations connected with Shamash-zer-ibni. If she wishes, Laqiptu maysend her children to the houses of the freemen. Whoever alters these terms (of the grant), may Anu, Enlil and Ea curse him with illness.May Marduk and Zarpanitu order his disappearance. May Nabu, who controls everything in heaven and on earth, cut short his normal span of life. May Sin and Shamash not stand by him in a lawsuit. May Dilbat and Ishtar, Lady of the Lands, clothe him with leprosy. They swore by Amel-Marduk, their king. Laqiptu and her children took this oath by the Lady of Uruk and Nanaya: “As long as we shall live, we will not offend against Shamash-zer-ibni.”Translation and notes have been prepared by J. A. Brinkman (Oriental Institute, University of Chicago). Tablet (no. A 32099)

The Phoenicians manufactured a vessel that scholars believed was used to transport opium. These types of vessels are called Bilbils. The Phoenician Bibil was hand made from very fine levigated clay and is usually coverd by a dark black slip with white painted diagonal lines on the body of the vessel. The rims are everted and the handle were attached below the rim on the upper portion of the neck to the lower portion of the shoulder of the vessel. The handles were made by slicing the clay at the upper neck, while it was leather hard and inserting a band of leather hard clay into the opening in the neck and then sealing it in place by folding the inserted portion of the band that was inside the neck over.The bottom of the vessels were made with a ring base design. The neck of the vessel is slightly tilted diagonally from the lower body. There is also a local Canaanite version of the Phoenician Bilbil made of the indigenous clay (light brown color)called "imatition made locally"

Alexander the Great and his army defeated the mighty Persian Empire and then went on to conquer most of the ancient world as far as India. The Greek empire that Alexander founded had a huge impact on the world in which the Messiah would appear.

This style of vessel is called a Amphoriskos. It dates to the Early Bronze III Period (2650-2350BCE)the time of the builkding of the pyramids in Egypt and ziggurts in Mesopotamia. This vessel possibly dates back to the epic story in Genesis 11 of the "Tower of Babel". The vessel has a white slip with a dark red "line group" decoration painted of the suface. This design is commonly found among the southern family of terra cotta ware that is excavated around Ai and Jericho. The rim is everted and on either side of the shoulder of the vessel just below the neck are two lug handles. Amiran page 49 9cm x 10cm

Ancient Hebrew poetry evokes an emotional response through a sense of rhythm and rivh figurative language. It also conveys deep (often prophetic) meaning through patterns of parallel lines and linguistic word-play. Dr. Anne Davis uses Psalm 23 to demonstrate these literary aspects of ancient poetry.

Dr. Anne Davis has re-created ancient methods of midrash that people of the first century used to search the Scriptures for deeper meaning. Authors of the New Testament used these methods. When we read the plain or simple words, the meaning may seem puzzling or confusing. The original author intended his listeners to hear the midrash.