Jasper Doctor Honored by Princeton University on April 19, 2007

Dr. Joe Wesley Dickerson of Jasper has a long-standing love for history and for Biblical studies. In 1978 these combined interests, along with some enduring friendships, resulted in an invitation to serve on the Assessment Committee to investigate the Shroud of Turin, which is reputedly the burial cloth of Jesus Christ (located in the cathedral of St. John the Divine, Turin, Italy).

Because of his experiences with the Shroud team in 1978, he was invited to Duke University Theological School in Durham, NC, to discuss the Shroud of Turin. Through contacts at Duke who arranged his speaking engagement, Princeton University representatives approached him to serve as a liaison in obtaining permission to copy unexplored documents at St. Catherine's Monastery.

St. Catherine's Monastery sits on the Sinai Peninsula at the traditional site where Moses met the daughters of Jethro, a desert priest, who were watering their father's flock. Moses later married one of these ladies (Exodus 2:16, 21 and 3:1). Tradition also holds that the Monastery contains the site of the burning bush event (Exodus 3:1,2), at the 5,200-foot level, and that Moses received the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19:20 and 20:1-17) at the 7,200-foot level of the same mountain. This is reportedly also the site of the Prophet Elijah's refuge when he fled the wicked Queen Jezebel (I Kings 191:1 - 8).

Around 300 A.D. the Roman Empire's military mission in Alexandria, Egypt, was overwhelmed by a wave of Christian conversions. The Caesar at the time, probably Maximinus ( who ruled 308-313 A.D.), sent two delegations to control the troublemakers. At the heart of the problem was a 17 year old of noble birth named Catherine, the daughter of the Roman governor of Alexandria. After interviewing the teenager, the Emperor's envoys were also converted. Maximinus ordered the imprisonment of the unapologetic young evangelist. In Alexandria for a festival, the curious Empress, the accompanying military commander, and members of the Roman aristocracy converted when they visited St. Catherine in her cell. Consequently, Maximinus issued Catherine's death warrant and had her placed upon a wheel (thereafter known as a St. Catherine Wheel) to be twisted to death. When she was tied to the wheel, though, it reportedly miraculously fell apart. Furious, the Emperor ordered her execution by beheading. According to tradition, monks found St. Catherine's bones near the Monastery about 300 years later and positively identified them, and they remain a permanent exhibit within its protective walls. As a result, the Monastery adopted the name St. Catherine.

St. Catherine's Monastery is an island of Christianity in a sea of Muhammadism. Around 600 A.D. Muhammad visited St. Catherine's and was there granted asylum from his enemies. The Monastery displays a huge cow hide that, in Arabic, instructs the Muslim people to respect the Monastery and to do it no harm. In fact, there is a small mosque within the Monastery walls for use by its nearly 200 agricultural and housekeeping servants, most of whom are Muslims. Tradition holds that Muhammad was illiterate, that St. Michael gave him all of his writing, and that he dictated the Koran to his coworkers, who recorded it. Because of his illiteracy all of Muhammad's documents are validated by his signature handprint, which the cow hide declaration bears.

Because of its historical significance, the Monastery has drawn massive numbers of pilgrims through the centuries, many of whom fell victim to desert aggressors. To secure the safety of visitors, Emperor Justinian I (527 - 565) of Constantinople, initiated construction of the enclosed fortress in 527 A.D. St. Catherine's is about a five-acre compound, the granite outer walls of which are six to nine feet thick and about 60 feet tall.

Over time, St. Catherine's Monastery has accumulated a vast library of ancient religious documents. Greek Orthodox monks have maintained St. Catherine's throughout the centuries. They have remained jealously protective of the library's documents, declining permission to foreigners'request to examine them. There is roughly 3,000 linear feet of shelf space in the monastery library. These icon manuscripts, scrolls, parchments, and books include writings in Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, and various Biblical tribal languages. Most of these have not been seen by man for a thousand years. They have been protected by the Monastery's naturally preservative climate, roughly five thousand feet above sea level, with two inches of rain per year. Temperatures vary from freezing cold at night to 120 degrees in the afternoon.

In 1980, Dr. Dickerson was challenged to "open up St. Catherine's Monastery,"which he accomplished. Asked how he overcame the resistance and built a trusting relationship with the monks, Dr. Dickerson stated, "It was a Byzantine adventure that required four trips to the Monastery, much bowing and scraping, and many half gallons of Scotch whiskey."

Since 500 A.D. a long line of dedicated Christians has lived in this desert as archbishops, priests, and worshippers of Christ. While Dr. Dickerson's project continued, the Archbishop of Sinai (Greek Orthodox) was Damianos, "a veritable living saint," Dr. Dickerson declares, saying further, "He welcomed Dr. Charlesworth [of Princeton Theological Seminary] and me with open arms, and we became warm friends. I have lost count of the number of times that I went there, but I always got the best rooming house, and I always got the biggest glass of wine with dinner."

As a result of this warm Christian bonding, around 1998 the Archbishop invited Drs. Charlesworth and Dickerson to attend an event in New York as his guests. The Metropolitan Museum of Art presented a remarkable six-month exhibit of Greek, Ottoman, and Byzantine art. Contributors included numerous art galleries from Rome, Greece, and Mt. Sinai. One exhibit, of which Archbishop Damianos was custodian, included the art treasures of St. Catherine's Monastery including documents, icons, and statues. Many of these had not been displayed in a thousand years until the theologian physician research team uncovered them, dragging accumulated trash away from boxes in the Monastery. The opening of this unrivaled exhibit included a grand dinner, held in probably a thousand seat venue, to solicit funds for St. Catherine's. Many of America's wealthy citizens of Greek heritage attended this benefit dinner. Once prosperous, St. Catherine lost many of its vast land holdings in Bulgaria, Rumania and other countries in the Communist days. Now the Monastery sits in the desert on a few hundred acres with major agrarian disabilities. By pure accident of seating arrangement at the dinner, about 50 feet directly in front of Dr. Dickerson sat Charles, Prince of Wales, the future King of England. An audience member asked Prince Charles, "What are you doing here?" In his bland, unimpressive, don't-give-a-damn British manner, he stood and replied, "I am not generally viewed by the public as a religious man, but I have visited St. Catherine's Monastery twice in my life. On each of these occasions, I had a profound religious experience. When I was asked to offer my services to this event pro bono, I was afraid to turn it down." In some ten trips to Mt. Sinai, travel has presented several noteworthy incidents. The usual itinerary included departure from Bush International Airport in Houston, a layover at Kennedy in New York, a non-stop flight to Amsterdam, Holland and a final non-stop flight to Cairo. The 250 miles from Cairo to St. Catherine's were by van. On one trip, a Royal Dutch non-stop flight from Houston to Amsterdam was interrupted, landing in Atlanta to board about 14 people, all of the Dutch royal family. On another occasion when a scheduling error required a two-hour layover in Amsterdam, the gifted African American musician Stevie Wonder, also enroute to Cairo, gave an hour-long musical performance for the delayed travelers. Still another episode involved Dr. Dickerson's seat mate asking his name. Dr. Dickerson introduced himself, "I am Joe Dickerson, country doctor, of Jasper, Texas, with an intense avowed interest in Biblical history. And who are you, sir?" He seat mate replied, " I am Dr. Roberston, chairman of the Xerox Corporation research group of Rochester, New York, and I have a devout interest in Sodom and Gomorrah. I'm on my way to the Holy Land for another research mission." This meeting enabled Dr. Charlesworth to enlist the vast resources of the Xerox Corporation for an analysis of the Dead Sea Scrolls over a three-year period.

Dr. Dickerson took a team to St. Catherine's, which copied most of the ancient documents using black and white Kodak cameras, color Kodak cameras, and Polaroid cameras. At that time, DVDs were not yet available.

The information acquired by Dr. Dickerson's investigative team proved crucial to shedding light on scholars'interpretation of ancient Biblical literature. Throughout the 1980 and 1990s, Dr. Dickerson facilitated this research. His contribution to this project was at the root of his recognition by Princeton Theological Seminary on April 19, 2007. The University presented Dr. Dickerson with a certificate at a luncheon, at which he was the guest of honor.

Dr. Dickerson reports that this interview would be incomplete without acknowledging those who made his receiving this award possible:

• Esteemed Jasper attorney Joe Tonahill, Dr. Dickerson's lifelong friend • Dr. William Seales, world renowned historian, recognized and honored in multiple academic circles. Those who do not know Dr. Seales would do well to become acquainted with this local native, for he is a credit to the Jasper community. • Dr. Idris Traylor, agriculture and climatology professor at Texas Tech University • The late Sheam Moody and the Moody Foundation of Galveston • The venerable George Mitchell, Galveston philanthropist • John Morrison, the respected journalist, of Woodville, TX, and the Reverend Gary Herbst, pastor of Trinity Episcopal Church in Jasper at that time, who joined Dr. Dickerson in the initial visit to Sinai • Last and most important is Dr. Dickerson's distinguished friend and Christian brother, Dr. James Hamilton Charlesworth, the eminent professor of New Testament Language and Literature studies in the George L. Collard chair at Princeton Theological Seminary

"The combined efforts of all of these," Dr. Dickerson states, "were foundational to creating the environment, generating the inspiration, and shaping the events that underlie my receiving this recognition."

- Joe Wesley Dickerson, M.D.