Ross Buckman
- Mike Flynn (Vicar)
Some of us will not know Ross as he moved to Mount Martha a few years ago and was not able to keep attending St. Columb’s. Ross was a clergyman and professor. There are not many people you will meet who dream and sing in ancient Hebrew or relax by reading Akkadian texts with German footnotes or work at translating cuneiform writing from photos of ancient clay tablets, but that was Ross.
Over the last year Ross and I had been corresponding by email about exciting new discoveries in archaeology. There are bricks and tiles found in Egypt and elsewhere with very early Hebrew script on them. Most of the writings are building directions (this way up, fourth brick, second row ... and so on) a few are graffiti and a few are jokes at the expense of the masters overseeing the brick makers! The reason Ross found these things exciting is that the discoveries are forcing scholars to re-date the emergence of written Hebrew by at least 500 years. It now appears to be amongst the earliest written languages of humanity and these humble tiles and bricks provide supporting evidence for events described in the earlier parts of the Bible.
I recall when Ross ran a seminar for us on Archaeology several years ago that he told the story of Sir William Ramsay. Ramsay was an expert in ancient histories and, as a sceptic, had decided to debunk the historical value of Luke’s book of Acts. He set out on a tour of the Mediterranean world to check ancient trade routes, crop rotations, shipping records, time tables, the position of harbours ... the background scenery to the drama of Acts. Part way through his research he gave up his scepticism and became a Christian. When asked why he had done so he is reported to have said that if the Bible is found to be a reliable historical witness of the things we can investigate then we can trust its witness to the things we cannot check.
In many ways I think this was Ross’s work and love too. To uphold the word of God.
May he rest in peace until the coming of the Lord.
- Mike Flynn (Vicar)
Some of us will not know Ross as he moved to Mount Martha a few years ago and was not able to keep attending St. Columb’s. Ross was a clergyman and professor. There are not many people you will meet who dream and sing in ancient Hebrew or relax by reading Akkadian texts with German footnotes or work at translating cuneiform writing from photos of ancient clay tablets, but that was Ross.
Over the last year Ross and I had been corresponding by email about exciting new discoveries in archaeology. There are bricks and tiles found in Egypt and elsewhere with very early Hebrew script on them. Most of the writings are building directions (this way up, fourth brick, second row ... and so on) a few are graffiti and a few are jokes at the expense of the masters overseeing the brick makers! The reason Ross found these things exciting is that the discoveries are forcing scholars to re-date the emergence of written Hebrew by at least 500 years. It now appears to be amongst the earliest written languages of humanity and these humble tiles and bricks provide supporting evidence for events described in the earlier parts of the Bible.
I recall when Ross ran a seminar for us on Archaeology several years ago that he told the story of Sir William Ramsay. Ramsay was an expert in ancient histories and, as a sceptic, had decided to debunk the historical value of Luke’s book of Acts. He set out on a tour of the Mediterranean world to check ancient trade routes, crop rotations, shipping records, time tables, the position of harbours ... the background scenery to the drama of Acts. Part way through his research he gave up his scepticism and became a Christian. When asked why he had done so he is reported to have said that if the Bible is found to be a reliable historical witness of the things we can investigate then we can trust its witness to the things we cannot check.
In many ways I think this was Ross’s work and love too. To uphold the word of God.
May he rest in peace until the coming of the Lord.
Comments