When we meet someone in person for the first time, after hearing about them or corresponding with them online, we always say, “It’s great to put a face with a name!”
Seeing something - or someone - first hand, helps flesh-out the picture we have in our mind and deepen our understanding in a way that nothing else can. This is what Dr. Robin Knauth, a professor of Old Testament and Biblical Archaeology at Lycoming College (Williamsport, PA), gets to do every day with the foundational stories of our faith.
As Dr. Knauth walked us through hows, whys, and whats of an archaeological dig, she showed us how first-hand encounters with the historic record under our feet can help illumin what the Bible means and help us better appreciate the words passed down to us from such a different time and place, bringing those words to life in a new way.
In particular, Dr. Knauth shared how one recurring find - seemingly simple, though strangely uniform holes - can help shape what we believe and what the people in the Bible knew about bread. This one example, a staple of life across regions and centuries, makes tangible an idea at the very heart of our faith and sacraments.
