by Dr. Greg Trull, Dean of Ministries, Professor of Biblical Studies
Escaping the Jerusalem summer heat, I slipped into the Wohl Archaeological Museum. As I paused to enjoy the sweep of cool air, I saw it. Barely the size of my hand. Broken after many uses. Buried for centuries. A powerful symbol of dedication. I’d seen pictures and read about it, but had never seen it for myself.
Beginning February of 1968, Benjamin Mazar excavated south and southwest of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. In the fill near the southern wall, Mazar discovered a fragment of a stone cup from the second Temple period, the time of Christ. The cup had two doves etched on it just under four inscribed Hebrew letters: Q-R-B-N. “Corban.”
The Jewish Mishnah records that in the time of Christ, stone vessels were set apart for use by worshippers to use to carry small sacrifices to the Temple. These vessels, like the Corban vessel, were inscribed as sacred. The presence of the two doves on the cup indicates that it was likely used by parents bringing a sacrifice after the birth of a child. The Mishnah says new mothers would carry the cups with their sacrifices to the Nikanor Gate, one of the four gates to the Court of Women. Since women could not go beyond this court, a priest would meet them at the gate. He would take their sacrifice and offer it on their behalf. The sacrifice represented their faithful obedience to the Word and their worshipful devotion to the Lord. Perhaps this unearthed cup was used by Mary and Joseph to dedicate Jesus at the Temple (Luke 2:22-24).
In our inaugural issue of Dedicated, we want to share with you our offering of devotion. Our university name was chosen because “Corban” captures the essence of what we desire for our students and for ourselves. Our motto makes it clear: “Dedicating Hearts and Minds to God.” We’ve dedicated this journal to the Lord to become a blessing and ministry to you.
The Corban Inscription, with the two doves etched below.
In this issue, you’ll see our School of Ministry faculty wrestle with aspects of devotion. What does it mean to intimately love the Lord? How does a believer genuinely yield to God’s Spirit? How does a church today stay true to the Lord and stay relevant to our culture? Read on to explore these important issues with us.
Two thousand years ago, we would have brought a simple sacrifice in a stone cup to Him. Today we bring our ordinary lives, dedicated as an offering. We hope you are blessed as we share this part of our offering.
