Bill Thompson > Quotes

“The Qumran sect of Essenes spent their days copying the Holy books onto scrolls, their particular goal being to ensure no man or popular religion of the day would or could usurp the very words of God as handed down to His prophet Moses.  They accomplished this goal by copying ancient, crumbling texts onto modern parchment, sealing the finished works into earthen jars, and hiding them in nearby caves. ”
― Bill Thompson, The Bethlehem Scroll

“Have no fear of them for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.”   Matthew 10:26”
― Bill Thompson, The Strangest Thing

“time was short – the metro system had to be completed so the government was not willing to allow years to do an archaeological dig as it should be done. One thing led to another and, as happens so often, time constraints caused priceless artifacts to be removed from the places they had lain for centuries, ending up in the hands of a collector willing to pay a staggering sum to own them.”
― Bill Thompson, Ancient: A Search for the Lost City of the Mayas

“He earned his title because he was upstanding and fair in everything he did.  This was unusual in a world of turmoil.  He prayed constantly and many things he prayed for came to pass.  This enraged the Jewish leaders of the time and when I was still a young boy, he was stoned to death for making it rain by praying.”   Onias’ eyes misted as he spoke of his father.  He said that Onias the Righteous had set a prediction onto a scroll seventy years before.”
― Bill Thompson, The Bethlehem Scroll

“Judea was a hodgepodge of ethnic groups today.  Each brought different interpretations of the laws of Moses.  The Essenes strived for purity in teaching, in acts and particularly in the written word, which in their opinion could never be modified.”
― Bill Thompson, The Bethlehem Scroll

“the Essenes sought to keep Moses’ laws from being corrupted by foreign influences. ”
― Bill Thompson, The Bethlehem Scroll

“the back door that the servants would have used – was hanging off its hinges, drifting back and forth in the breeze.”
― Bill Thompson, Callie

“In the 1400s, Tenochtitlan was built by the Aztecs. It became the capital of the Aztec Empire and was a vast complex of temples, buildings and homes. In around 1521 Hernan Cortes laid siege to the city. His victory brought down not only the capital but the entire Aztec civilization itself. As the Spanish so often did, Cortes built a cathedral on the site where a major temple once stood, and eventually the entire area became the bustling metropolis of Mexico City, one of the world’s most densely populated cities. The Aztec capital was known to have existed somewhere, but it was largely forgotten.”
― Bill Thompson, Ancient: A Search for the Lost City of the Mayas

“British Honduras became Belize in 1973, but not before Jack Borland was Governor-General of the colony, the Queen’s own representative to this small country.”
― Bill Thompson, Ancient: A Search for the Lost City of the Mayas

“I located that scroll three days ago when I first heard of the events in Bethlehem with the child.  I have read it many times since.  The scroll is a prediction by my father, given to him in a dream.  It speaks of a baby who will be born within a century and who will become the savior of mankind.  It speaks of God’s son coming as a child in a stable.  It speaks of an earthly mother and a heavenly father.  And it speaks of you.”   “It . . . it speaks of me?”  Benjamin was astonished.  “A scroll written seventy years ago speaks of me?”    Onias laughed.  “Not just you.  The most exciting thing about your visit today was when you told me you were shepherds.  The scroll of my father says that shepherds in the hills outside Bethlehem will be visited by messengers from God and will be shown where the newborn King lies.”
― Bill Thompson, The Bethlehem Scroll

“If it had been a man and woman claiming their child was the Son of God, that would be one thing.  But we were given a sign by angels, led to the place by a heavenly light, and we saw for ourselves the unearthly events that happened.  Do you remember that figure in the back of the stable?”    Benjamin nodded.  “That was another angel, father.  He was the herald angel, telling us of the Messiah’s arrival.  He even told us to bow down and worship Him whom God has sent.”
― Bill Thompson, The Bethlehem Scroll

“years into the future, men would gaze upon the scrolls of Qumran and know how the law had truly been written, without the corruption of man.”
― Bill Thompson, The Bethlehem Scroll

“In 1978 workers building the bus and subway system unearthed a massive disc of stone that led them to a stairway and the huge Temple of Tenochtitlan. Archaeologists from the University of Mexico descended upon the site and made an intelligent decision – they called in colleagues from around the world. This project was far too vast, and Mexico was too poor, to provide the massive resources required to quickly examine the enormous area.”
― Bill Thompson, Ancient: A Search for the Lost City of the Mayas

“tore a piece of the nest away and reached inside, pulling out several termites which he picked out of the nesting material and stuck in his mouth. “This is one of the most-eaten insects on earth,” he said, swallowing. “They’re full of protein and taste like nuts.”
― Bill Thompson, Ancient: A Search for the Lost City of the Mayas