;
On the technical side of the dig, daily levels help us keep track of our progress. Watch Arny and Liz do their magic.

Thank you, Jim Appelbaum, for recording this group of us singing in St. Anne’s church on the Via Delorosa in Jerusalem. The acoustics in the church are fabulous. Text to the hymn follows.





Come to Me, All Pilgrims Thirsty


By Delores Dufner, OSB, © 1995, 2008, GIA Publications, Inc.


“Come to me, all pilgrims thirsty: drink the water I will give.


If you knew what gift I offer, you would come to me and live.”


Refrain:


Jesus, ever-flowing fountain, give us water from your well.


In the gracious gift you offer there is joy no tongue can tell.




“Come to me, all trav’lers weary; come that I may give you rest.


Drink the cup of life I offer; at this table be my guest.” Refrain




“Come to me, believers burdened, find refreshment in this place.


If you knew the gift I offer, you would turn and seek my face.”
Refrain




“Come to me, repentant sinners; leave behind your guilt and shame.


If you knew divine compassion, you would turn and call my name.” Refrain




“Come to me, distressed and needy; I would be your trusted friend.


If you seek the gift I offer, come your open hands extend.” Refrain




“Come to me, abandoned, orphaned; lonely ways no longer roam.


If you know the gift I offer, you would make in me your home.”
Refrain

Here’s the video of Arthur Segal translating the first line of the inscription. The sound quality is not the best, but it’s worth watching for Arthur’s gestures and Andrea’s bounciness. I think there must have a been a bee buzzing around Andrea; that’s why she’s waving her hands in front of her face a couple of times.





Who’s who? Andrea Heiliger, illustrator for the Concordia team, is in the gray shirt and white hat; Kristina Neumann, assistant director for the Concordia team, is wearing the red bandanna around her head; Arthur Segal, head archaeologist of the dig and director of the Haifa team, is in the navy shirt; Mark Schuler, director of the Concordia team, is in the gray Yale shirt; later in the video they are joined by Michael Eisenberg, second in command for the whole dig.

Here’s Liz, engineering student from Northeastern College in Boston and 2nd year volunteer, with a large fragment of mosaic floor. By its position (way above floor level in A99), Dr. Archaeology Schuler has hypothesized that there was a second story above this room that collapsed in the earthquake of 749. My question: What room could be on the second story of the church complex that was important enough to rate a mosaic floor? And where are the stairs to get to it?


Maybe you’re wondering how the Concordia, St. Paul team got a volunteer from NE College in Boston. Liz tells me she wanted to go on a dig, any dig, last year, did some online research, and found the University of Haifa site. It had a link to the Concordia team. Her Dad emailed and then phoned “the other Dr. Schuler,” and after talking to him, said to his daughter, “These people seem nice. Why don’t you dig with them.” We’re so glad to have her back! She’s also among the “skilled labor” because she helps Arny check the elevation in each square at the end of the day. Thanks to Linda, who brought a set of walkie talkies, it’s easier for Liz and Arny to get those elevations on windy days. Liz holds the measuring stick in each square, gets it level, and then tells Arny (who’s in the distance with the elevation instrument) she’s ready. Sometimes we (that is, we who are unskilled labor) have to lift up or remove our shade tarps so that Arny can view the measuring stick.

Earlier this season Andrea, our illustrious illustrator, was commenting that she’s been digging for 4 years and hasn’t found anything of great importance. Of course, the fact that Andrea spends lots of her time drawing stuff other people unearth (wall, floors, etc.) may be one reason why she’s been so, shall we say, “unlucky.” Today (Monday) she was drawing the basalt stone floor in square F8, a complicated area with a small room to one side and staircase to nowhere uncovered by Arny’s Army and cleaned by Arny personally just yesterday. F8 is on the southwest side of the site; most of us were working in the nave and on the northeast side. Suddenly Andrea was yelling, “Dr. Schuler, Dr. Schuler, come and look!” “What did you find?” someone yelled back. “It’s writing!” she replied. Here’s what Andrea found:





Here’s Andrea, proudly posing in front of the inscription, which Professor Arthur Segal thinks is a stone in secondary use:





Here’s the first line of the inscription in legible format. It says “Good fortune …”





Check back later for more information! I took a long video of Arthur Segal reading it with Andrea making goofy faces, but getting my movies converted and posted takes a LONG time! Arny claims to have heard Professor Segal translating the inscription to read, “Roman Temple: Three blocks west.”