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Hi, I haven't received emails from this list for a while, I had some trouble with my email and likely got lost somehow. Ya'll may have already received this, if so, of course, disregard. If not, read on...(brief synopsis: Temples apparently to Isis and Cybele have been uncovered in central Germany on the site of a planned shopping mall. As is often the case, this sacred site is believed to be on top off an earlier celtic tomb and was then covered by a couple of layers of christian monastary/churches. It's too true and sacrilegious to build the "modern" church, a shopping mall, over this site. Folks are encouraged to write to the mayor of the city to protest destruction of these sacred sites.) > ---------- > From: Pat Hogan[SMTP:[log in to unmask]] > Reply To: [log in to unmask] > Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2001 1:06 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: [webra] Fwd: [rcgi] Goddess Temple > > >Dear Friends, > > > > The following letter came to the husband of one of the priestesses > >in our Iseum Musicum. He is an instructor at the local seminary. As > >you wade through the letter, you'll find that temples to Isis and > >Cybele have been uncovered in Mainz, Germany. This is the first > >proof of these goddess' worship in Central Europe. The temples were > >found when the city started building a mall. Please FAX a letter to > >the mayor of Mainz protesting the building of the mall. Use whatever > >academic or religious credentials you have and say that this is a > >sacred site that you wish to visit in the future. The mayor's FAX > >number is: 011-49-6131-22626. Hurry! > > > >Thanks, > > > >Kay Gardner, Priestess of Isis > >Iseum Musicum/Temple of the Feminine Divine > >Bangor, Maine > > > >-----Original Message----- > > > >Subject: DISCOVERIES IN MAINZ > > > > > >Greetings from Heidelberg! A couple of weeks ago, I had a chance to > >visit the remarkable excavation in Mainz where a temple complex has > >a series of wooden dining rooms with hearths, where food offered to > >idols was obviously served. It has such close connections with 1 Cor > >8 and 10 that I took the opportunity of writing a letter to the > >mayor of Mainz. In the middle of this month, the emergency > >excavation will be finished on this site right in the middle of the > >commercial center of the city where a large mall was to be > >constructed; if insufficient interest and pressure is not brought to > >bear, the bulldozers will destroy the entire site and cover it with > >concrete. My letter below provides an assessment of the historical > >and cultural value of this site and the significance of its > >preservation in some form. Would you be willing to write a letter > >and fax it to the same number in Mainz, speaking as an authority in > >early Christianity? If you know of other scholars whose expertise > >would cover this site, would you send this message on to them as > >well? I hope all continues well with you and your family; it goes > >well here! > >More later. > >Cordially, Bob > > > >FEBRUARY 5, 2001 > > > >MESSAGE FOR THE OBERBÜRGERMEISTER OF MAINZ Recently I had an > >opportunity to visit the archaeological site in the center of Mainz, > >accompanying my colleague Prof. Peter Lampe. Having heard last > >summer about the important discoveries being made there, and having > >discussed them with colleagues in the United States during a recent > >visit, I was very pleased to be able to get acquainted with the > >distinguished team of archaeologists and view their excavation. > > >From the perspective of someone who has worked on the historical > >background of early Christianity for the past forty five years, > >contributing sixteen books and more than 125 articles to these > >issues, the discoveries in Mainz appear highly significant. For the > >first time, as far as I know, the worship of Isis and Cybele has > >been discovered in a central European site. The Mainz site also > >provides a brilliant illustration of the way religious locations > >tend to remain holy despite the changing identity of the gods being > >worshipped, with the temple complex being built directly over the > >site of an important Celtic tomb, and the entire site being later > >used as a Christian monastery. Most important of all, for the first > >time outside of Corinth, there is direct evidence of a series of > >small dining rooms in close proximity to the temple where food > >offered to the gods was shared. This throws vivid light on Saint > >Paul's discussions of early Christians participating in such meals > >(1 Corinthians 8 & 10), and confirms that such > >dining facilities were probably quite frequently built next to > >temple complexes. Earlier archaeological investigations in other > >locations may well have overlooked the slight evidence of such > >temporary apppearing wooden buildings with charcoal pits; in this > >instance, the sharp eyes of the archaeological team in Mainz noticed > >the odd postholes for small, wooden rooms with charcoal hearths, and > >Prof. Lampe's expertise in this area supplied the appropriate > >cultural information that allowed a firm identification to be made. > >This is a discovery of immense historical significance, made by > >discerning German investigators, and soon to be > >announced to the world in the form of a technical article in the > Zeitschrift > >für neutestamentliche Wissenschaft. > >Some years ago I sponsored a doctoral dissertation on the topic of 1 > >Corinthians 8 & 10, which was subsequently published by E. J. Brill in > 1995 > >under the title, Rhetorical Interaction in 1 Corinthians 8 and 10: A > Formal > >Analysis with Preliminary Suggestions for a Chinese, Cross-Cultural > >Hermeneutic. I have related the account of the Mainz discovery to its > >author, Prof. Khiok-khng Yeo. He is a prolific writer and lecturer both > in > >the United States and in China, one of the world's foremost experts on > this > >topic, who may write you a letter with an assessment of the significance > of > >the Mainz discoveries for Christians in the third world. He will probably > >wish to visit the Mainz excavation, probably in 2002 when the elite > Society > >of New Testament Studies meets in Germany. Many other colleagues who > attend > >that meeting from around the world will probably also wish to visit Mainz > >and report on these findings to their students and colleagues. It would > be > >a terrible loss to scholarship and cultural history if the site in Mainz > >were not preserved in some manner. This certainly could be achieved, > without > >any diminishing of the commercial value and function of this site which > lies > >right at the center of Mainz. I have visited many sites where important > >portions of excavations were left in place, visible through glass, in > >buildings that now have other uses. It is particularly intriguing that > >Woolworth is planning to build a food court on this site; would it not be > >commercially appealing to advertise restaurants on the oldest > discernable, > >restaurant site in Germany in which a series of dining rooms had been > >constructed and used for private parties and club meetings over a span of > >some centuries. In all probabililty the military, administrative, guild, > and > >business leaders of ancient Mainz visited these facilities on a regular > >basis and were served food whose dedication to the gods was thought to > >enhance its value, flavor, and health-giving power. An early form of > global > >commerce has also been discovered by the Mainz archaeologists, with food > >from the Mediterranean found in various hearths in this temple complex. > The > >later, Christian monastery built on this site would also have had a > dining > >room, where locally grown food was served to members and guests. The > >remarkable cultural continuity of this site would therefore be honored by > >its contemporary re-use for modern commerce and the culinary arts. If no > >efforts are made to preserve culturally significant portions of this > >excavation, the attraction and appeal of this religious and culinary > >continuity will be lost forever. Tourists, scholars, and students from > all > >over the world would not be drawn to this site in Mainz because the > cement > >foundation of the mall that destroys all of this historical legacy would > >produce a building that looks like every other food court around the > world, > >another sadly homogenous, "Americanization" of commerce. It would be as > if a > >non-descript modern skyscraper were built over the site of Gutenberg's > >printing press in Mainz, destroying every visible aspect of the original > >building. Sites of historical significance like this are routinely > destroyed > >by new buildings in other countries, including my own. But how many > tourists > >are drawn to cities such as Chicago because of its historical sites and > >buildings? Part of the glory of Germany is its preservation of > significant > >historical buildings and locations, which makes it immensely appealing to > >visitors from other cultures and other parts of Germany itself. In view > of > >the unique historical and cultural importance of these unexpected > >discoveries in Mainz, I urge you to support some form of preservation. > >Convinced that the difference between statesmen and politicians is that > the > >former take a longer view of things and struggle for causes that will > >benefit the next generation, I hope you and your colleagues will find a > >creative way to integrate this archaeological site in a new construction > in > >this vibrant commercial area of the city. > >Yours sincerely, > >Prof. Dr. h.c. mult. Robert Jewett > >Harry R. Kendall Professor Emeritus of New Testament > >Interpretation > >Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary > >Member of the Joint Doctoral Faculty at Northwestern > >University > >Currently Guest Professor of New Testament > >University of Heidelberg > >Robert Jewett > >Visiting Professor > >University of Heidelberg > >WTS, Kisselgasse 1 > >D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany > >E-Mail: [log in to unmask] > > > > Pat Hogan/Sounds & Furies Productions > PO Box 21510, 1850 Commercial Dr Vancouver BC Canada V5N 4A0 > Ph: 604-253-7189, Fax: 604-253-2191 Email: [log in to unmask] > http://www.soundsandfuries.com (a work in progress) > > "producing concerts and special events since 1990" > > Friday Feb 16: 'IT'S A GIRL THING' Concert, 8 PM, at VECC, 1895 > Venables St, Vancouver, with SONIA from disappear fear,Baltimore MD, > REBECCA RIOTS, Berkeley, CA and local Grrrls with Guitars -- Nadine > Davenport, Shelley Lennox, and Linda McRae. Co-produced by Sounds & > Furies and Nada Problem Bookings. $18 tickets at Ticketmaster, Urban > Empire, 1108 Commercial Drive, Little Sisters,1238 Davie > > 2001 Women's Magical Journeys > Oct 15-28 2001 > GREECE--Athens, Aegina, Santorini, Crete > January 28 - February 6, 2002 Big Island of Hawaii > late May 2002 - Ireland with Starhawk. > > > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-~> > eGroups is now Yahoo! Groups > Click here for more details > http://click.egroups.com/1/11231/0/_/_/_/982184699/ > ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> > > For administrative info please go to > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/webra/files/ and click on 'list maintenance > information'. If you can't find your answer there, feel free to email > Sophia at [log in to unmask] . To unsubscribe from this group, > send an email to: > [log in to unmask] > > >