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True
Treasure...
On
November 16, 1992, Eric Hawes, a metal-detecting
enthusiast, was asked to help a local farmer find his
hammer, which had been lost in a field. Using his
metal detector, Hawes found something else instead:
coins and other gold and silver objects.
He immediately recognized it as something
valuable, so he reported to the Suffolk County
Council, owners of the land. The Suffolk Archaeological Unit professionally removed the
contents on the following day.
The collection is now in the British Museum.
The find consisted of “15,000 gold and silver
coins, gold jewelry and numerous small items of silver
tableware, including pepper pots, ladles and
spoons" (www.britishmuseum.org).
It
is estimated that this Roman treasure, better known as
the Hoxne (pronounced 'Hoxon') Hoard, was buried
around 407-408 A.D. as Roman rule in Britain was
deteriorating. It
may have been hidden due to the political turmoil of
the time. The
hoard had been buried in a wooden box that had long
since rotted away.
The careful burial of this treasure probably
means that the owner intended to come back and recover
it later, but for whatever reason was unable to do so.
It
was thus declared “treasure trove,” that is, objects of gold or silver that had
been hidden with the intention of recovery but for
which the original owner could not be found. Such
discovery is to be reported to the police and subject
to a coroner's inquest. If the find is declared
treasure trove, it reverts to the British Crown and
can be acquired by a museum on payment of a sum equal
to its full market value. This amount then is passed
on to the finder as a reward.
The
British Museum purchased the treasure and a reward was
paid to Hawes. Hawes gave the hammerless farmer, Peter
Whatling, half of the 1.75 million British pounds paid
him. *
The Hoxne Hoard
Treasure, however, is not the GREATEST treasure!
LISTEN to the words
of Jesus:
"The
kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a
field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it
he goes and sells all that he has and buys that
field.” –
Matthew 13:44
The
GREATEST TREASURE is to be a part of the
kingdom of heaven, for therein are the greater,
spiritual, and eternal blessings!
Jesus
Christ, God’s Son, gave His life on the cross to pay
the price for the sins of the world (Ephesians
1:7). Those who accept His offer of salvation through trusting faith
(Acts 16:30-31), repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), confession
of His name before men (Romans 10:9-10), and baptism
(immersion) into Christ (Acts 2:38), have their sins
washed away by His blood and are added to the Kingdom
of Christ, the church (Acts 2:41, 47; Colossians
1:13).
Jesus
DIED in order to PURCHASE His kingdom (see Acts
20:28). It
is worth much more than any sacrifice that we might
make in order to be a part of His kingdom!
Won’t
YOU trust and obey the King of kings so that you can
have True Treasure?
David
A. Sargent, Minister
P.S.
Eric Hawes shared HIS treasure.
Won’t YOU
share the True Treasure of Christ
and His kingdom with others?
Why not share Living Water with
someone today?
Church
of Christ at Creekwood
1901
Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
* Sources: Neal Pollard,
minister of the Bear Valley Church of Christ in Denver, CO, in his article
entitled “The $3 Million Dollar Hammer.” Daily
Bread, 8-12-10. See http://www.bearvalleycofc.org/.
Additional information
gleaned from The Encyclopaedia
Romana, the British Museum (www.britishmuseum.org),
and www.hoxne.net
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