The Legacy of Joseph Barnabas in Cyprus

Hillside threshing area

Today was a day for odds and ends. I had to fill out a lengthy report for the Fulbright folks. Good questions but time consuming to answer. My point is that I have no new discoveries about Barnabas to report–just yet. But I will say that I am getting some new information that is very important for my research. I just need to have the time to locate the sources and study them.

Note the way the driver just places a chair on top of the sledge

So today’s blog is about threshing sledges. Periodically in the Bible, stories will mention threshing floors. At CAARI, tucked away in a corner, is an old threshing sledge. Although not truly ancient, it does reveal a lot about technology that has been around the Middle East for centuries. I decided to take some

This photo is recent enough to be in color, but it is still an old picture

pictures of it today and put them in this blog as a means of giving a mental picture that at least approximates some of what you read about in the Bible.

I also took photos of some old pictures from library books and two from photos hanging on the walls at CAARI. They are all of Cypriot threshing sledges, and reveal how farmers threshed their grain (separated the grain from the stalks).

Threshing sledge at CAARI

Notice in the photos of the sledge at CAARI the way in which the cutting stones are inserted into the wood of the sledge: narrower end pointed forward. You need to click on the

Here is a closeup, showing the way the chipped stones are imbedded in the wood

thumbnail size photos to get a larger picture in order to see the details. Once you see how the sledge works, some biblical stories will make more sense.

Pretty soon, I will present some of the juicy tidbits of information about the development of traditions about St Barnabas and the political and cultural causes for them. Reflecting as an outsider on the beliefs that developed on the island provides a good opportunity to be able to look objectively at data–because I am not personally involved in the belief system. As I do so, I am reminded of how difficult it is for me to look objectively at data regarding my own Christian traditions, especially when the data are collected by outsiders. It is a good lesson on the difficulties of being objective with one’s own belief systems.