Explorations in Antiquity Center

For many of us, the highlight of the week long tour came today at Jim Fleming's "Exploration in Antiquity Center." Fleming is no stranger to Chapelwood as he has given several lectures both at our church and throughout the Houston area.

Quoting from the brochure, "The Center is an interfaith museum of daily life in antiquity committed to making history come alive." For our group it was more than that, as we heard a lecture on the Dead Sea scrolls from Derek Lewis, the Operations Manager at the site. Fleming and his group of archaeologists aren't out to debunk any thinking about the Bible, but to help with better understanding. It was a fascinating discussion about a dig among the Essene which were a Hebrew community known to question the powers in Jerusalem.

We then toured the site with "Oliver" who's Hebrew name is too hard to pronounce or to spell. (He admits he's now using his second name as an author since his given name is too hard for Americans to figure out.) Growing up as a Jew in Brazil, Oliver was among Jim's crew when the center was in Israel. Today with the assistance from a grant from the Calloway Foundation, Fleming moved his operation to La Grange, Georgia and the museum which is now in its third year is doing well. We experienced what it would have been like if we were a first century shepherd, or a farmer or one who lived as a villager.

Lunch was exceptional, and we're not necessarily talking about the food. Imagine if you were taking part in the "Last Supper." Oliver painstakingly went through the entire meal as we ate without utensils like those in the first century. Every part of the lunch had Biblical significance as if we were experiencing a Passover meal like the twelve apostles did with Jesus.

Fleming, who is writing another book, did make a brief appearance to shake a few hands, and share a word with me about his vision. "We've tried to make full scale replicas of daily life from Biblical times that would help people better understand the background of the stories of the Bible. So things the first writers would have already known because they lived in that land and therefore took for granted and don't explain, we've made here so we can fill in between the lines and we can have folks say Aha! that's what that meant."

And it's not just adults who are learning. Fleming likes to tell about young folks making archaeological "digs" in the many sandboxes outside the museum. "We actually have real artifacts, some two and three thousand years old, that we bury each night so the kids can discover and sift through every day. It's nice for a child to see that the truth is not only for what is yet to discover, but what is also in the past to be uncovered. And for folks in the Judeo-Christian culture, we can look to the past for truth that will guide us in our life."

Fleming has spent a lifetime trying to unlock many secrets to Biblical life working and living in Israel since 1973. "After people visit here we are looking for sparkling eyes. We would like people to say so many old stories have new meaning now, now that I have new Biblical insight."

Back at Calloway Gardens we toured the Sibley Horticulural Center where flowers are always in bloom. Let me just say the pictures can only give you a glimpse of the beauty of Calloway Gardens which is celebrating its 25th year.