Masada

[Heart For Jesus]

I have an item that I was thinking about placing on my desk at work. It has Masada written on it. I thought it would be a good positive thing for the Jews in my office to see. A show of support for them. After seeing a television show about Masada (granted it's a liberal channel and show that doesn't care about Jesus and proclaiming truth) I realized that throughout the years especially since 1948, Jews went through different phases in how they think about Masada and what happened there. Some are ashamed because they think suicide is involved.

Meanwhile, is Masada mentioned in the Bible?

I just don't know what to do at this point. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I want to help not hurt my relationships with Jewish co-workers.

[Jacob]

Originally posted by Heart For Jesus
I have an item that I was thinking about placing on my desk at work. It has Masada written on it. I thought it would be a good positive thing for the Jews in my office to see. A show of support for them. After seeing a television show about Masada (granted it's a liberal channel and show that doesn't care about Jesus and proclaiming truth) I realized that throughout the years especially since 1948, Jews went through different phases in how they think about Masada and what happened there. Some are ashamed because they think suicide is involved.

Meanwhile, is Masada mentioned in the Bible?

I just don't know what to do at this point. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I want to help not hurt my relationships with Jewish co-workers.

Masada is not mentioned in the bible.

The 900 + people who were inside Masada when the Roman army was attacking it did commit suicide to avoid being taken captive by the Romans - only two adults and five children survived.

I have no advice about whether or not to display your item on your desk, and what kind of impression it will make

[Heart For Jesus]

Originally posted by Jacob
Masada is not mentioned in the bible.

The 900 + people who were inside Masada when the Roman army was attacking it did commit suicide to avoid being taken captive by the Romans - only two adults and five children survived.

I have no advice about whether or not to display your item on your desk, and what kind of impression it will make

Thank you Jacob for your help.

[ekka]

Can you tell me about Masada? I have never heard of it. Thanks

[Ponderin]

Part 1: Masada (http://community.gospelcom.net/Brix?pageID=2110)
Part 2: David's Masada
Part 3: Herod’s Masada
Part 4: Zealots’ Masada
Part 5: An Empty Masada
Part 6: Our Masada (http://community.gospelcom.net/Brix?pageID=2115)




“My soul finds rest in God alone…. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken” (Ps. 62:1-2).

[ekka]

thank you

[Ponderin]

You are certainly welcome. Another poster on another board Ronaj2000 pointed me to that ministry. I am glad to be able to pass it on.


:):

[seeker42]

I think that its a good idea. It makes a statement without making
a controversy. You can tell others the history of it. I do think that it did happen (there are some who like to say now that massada did not happen - in order to attack Josephus and his credibility. But the Romans would not have built that Ramp and besieged it for 10 people - that is just rediculous).

It seems to be a talking point. It sounds like a good conversation starter. Josephus also wrote about Jesus, so there is a secular historian attesting to the fact of Jesus existence and death.



Seeker
:):

[Summland]

I visited it once. It is a do-not-miss site if you ever visit Israel. From a distance, it looks like a giant set of steps on top of a mountain in the middle of the desert. You can walk up (long hike) or take a cable car to the top. It is amazing once your up there. You can see all the way to the water (hmm, losing my perspective, Dead Sea I think). If you look below, you can still see the remanants of the Roman camps and walls below. Also there is a gigantic dirt ramp up the side that the Romans built. It is simply amazing that the Roman military presence was so strong that you can see evidence of it from the top. In Masada, there are all types of ruins. There is still a bath house left over from King Herod and lots of evidence left over from the rebellion against the Romans. You can follow the last few days by doing a tour of the breech in the walls. The defenders did indeed commit suicide instead of being taken captive. The entire palace was lost in the desert for centuries until the age of airplanes. I think some british pilot picked it out around WWI era.
If you go to Jerry Golden's website he has some pictures from a recent visit there.
YIC

[Workfromhomemom]

Been there, loved it! It is so moving to be there and realize (if in only a small way) the utter dispair that those folks must have felt, after fighting for so long.

If you are going to display something, just make sure that you know about it. That way it gives you an opening to talk about it.

:):

[Torah_Worm]

here is a site that is good
MASADA (http://mosaic.lk.net/g-masada.htm)


aslo today Masada is used by the Isreali army, the soon to be IDF troops climb to the top of MASDA to do the thier swearing in ceremony

[Jacob]

Originally posted by ekka
Can you tell me about Masada? I have never heard of it. Thanks
It is a high, ship-shaped rock formation that was converted into a fortification by the high priest Jonathan sometime after 152 BC. It is located near the Dead Sea. It has nearly vertical walls that drop over 500 feet.

In later years, Herod the Great built a wall around the rim of Masada and dug cisterns in the side of the cliffs for a water supply. After Jersusalem fell to the Parthians, Herod fled to Masada with some family members. He furnished this fortress as a place of refuge for himself. There were large storehouses for food and weapons.

After Herod's death the fortress was manned by a Roman garrision until about 66 AD. Then it was captured by the Jewish Zealots under the direction of Eleazer.

In A.D. 70, Titus of Rome conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the Jewish Temple. The Jews thus started their world-wide dispersion at this time until their reestablishement as a nation in 1948. Several hundred Jews used Masada as a fortress tor resist the Romans. In A.D. 72, the Roman governor Flavius Silva marshalled the Roman army to build a ramp on the west side of Masada and subsequently overcame Jewish resistance there and broke into Masada. However, during the night, before the Romans broke in, Eleazar convinced the 900+ Jewish people that it would be preferable to commit suicide rather than surrender themselves to the Romans. Over 900 people were found dead the next day when Flavius entered the fortress. Flavius Silvus surveyed the ruins and then returned to Caesarea.

it is my understanding that, today, each Israeli military officer, upon entering military service, takes an oath that "Masada shall never fall again."

[Heart For Jesus]

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions and help. You all have been wonderful!

[prairiewoman]

There was a movie out several years ago called "Masada" with Peter O'Toole as the Roman guy.

EXCELLENT movie - you might still be able to buy or rent it somewhere. Anyone know?

Edit to add: :eek WOW, I just checked ebay - apparently this has become QUITE a collector's item! :freaked

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.msn.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&krd=1&from=R8&MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&ht=51&SortProperty=MetaEndSort&query=masada