The Purpose of the Balustrade in the Herodian Temple

Within the Herodian temenos in Jerusalem, a warning inscription prohibited non-Jews, under penalty of death, from proceeding any further inward. This was mounted on a low stone balustrade that encircled an area larger than the actual holy ground. As suggested in research, the underlying pentateuchal law for the inscription was הזר הקרב יומת, “the unauthorized encroacher shall be put to death.” The subjection of gentiles to this law, in particular, and its application even when they had not, de facto, trespassed on holy ground remain, however, unexplained. The article suggests that the inscription applied הזר הקרב יומת to a זר, in the sense of “a foreigner,” who merely קרב, “draws near” to sacred ground. A further suggestion is that this reading and implementation of the biblical law reflects a preemptive endeavor to blunt Jewish objection to a major cultic innovation by Herod: granting gentiles access to the Jerusalem temenos.

MAKNA TANAH PENGUNGSIAN BAGI JEMAAT GPM BANDA SULI

The congregation of Banda Suli (Read: Jemaat GPM Banda Suli) is one of the members of the Protestant Church in the Moluccas (GPM). The members of Jemaat GPM Banda Suli have initially displaced members of the congregations in the Banda Islands due to the 1999 conflict. Accustomed to living with extensive land ownership with Banda identity as Banda people, then settling in small, limited land with identity as a Banda people in the land of Suli need the right meaning to be able to improve the welfare of life. This research uses qualitative methods with in-depth interview techniques and literature studies. The results of the study found that by experiencing God's presence in the land they inhabited, both on the island of Banda and in the land of Suli, they had the spirit and were motivated to continue working and trying to improve the existence of their lives. The land of Suli Banda is also understood as the Holy ground for God.

Dirty Money on Holy Ground: Isolation of Potentially Pathogen-ic Bacteria and Fungi on Money Collected from Church Offer-ings

Background: Fomites (including money) can transmit diseases to humans. How the nature of money influences contamination has not been adequately demonstrated. Moreover, such studies in church settings are non-existent. Thus, we studied how money collected from a church could serve as human disease transmission vehicles. Methods: Overall, 284 money samples (currency notes and coins) were collected during two Sundays in the months of Nov and Dec 2015 from a church congregation in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. The presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria and fungi were investigated using culture (Colilert® method) and molecular methods (Sanger sequencing). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to visualize the possible positions of the bacteria on various parts of a currency note. Results: Of the 192 samples (first sampling round), 76 (39.6%) were positive for E. coli. Smaller notes (R10) recorded the highest E. coli counts per note. Of the 92 notes analyzed for potentially pathogenic bacteria and fungi (second sampling round), 76 (82%) showed growth on at least one of the six culture media used. Sequencing revealed three bacterial (Bacillus, Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium) and two fungal (Clavispora and Rhodotorula) genera. SEM revealed that microorganisms could enter cracks of creased notes. Conclusion: Unlike previous studies conducted where recent contamination could occur, the current study shows that microorganisms can survive on money; samples were collected from a church, where little or no exchange takes place. Moreover, using SEM demonstrates that aged and creased notes favor attachment of bacteria to money and could be of public health concern by transmitting disease within a given population.