Firstly, Richard Bartholomew sums up Vendyl Jones’ career here: “Ark Hunter” Vendyl Jones has Died
Jones’ entire pseudo-archaeological “career” was a tragic misdirection of his undoubted energies, which were wasted on crank notions derived from an approach which regards religion as an exciting – but ultimately chimerical – treasure hunt.
And here is the increasingly crackpot, and archaeologically suspect, James Tabor, proponent of the ‘Jesus family tomb’, eulogising his benefactor Vendyl Jones (and also Herbert W. Armstrong): Vendyl Jones is dead . . .
Vendyl urged me to attend that conference, he even paid my expenses. He had never met or heard me, but he had seen some things I had written and sensed that I was one he could trust . . . So, I wanted to remember Vendyl in this way and give him the honor I think he deserves in this avenue — that he pointed me in this direction . . .
And I have thought of others, especially, of course, of David Horowitz, now departed from this “plane,” but with us in spirit I believe. And Herbert W. Armstrong, who so greatly influenced me when I was only 17 years old and knew nothing of Sabbath, Festival or Torah in general, having been raised in a “New Testament” very “Pauline” form of Christianity . . . it just got me to thinking, how we should remember and honor our “creators” and “teachers” and all those that YHVH has used to touch us . . .
