Biblical Archaeology Review, November/December 2002
Features
Burial Box of James the Brother of Jesus
Earliest archaeological evidence of Jesus found in Jerusalem
Amazing as it may sound, a limestone bone box (called an “ossuary”) has surfaced in Israel that may once have contained the bones of James, the brother of Jesus. We know this because an extraordinary inscription incised on one side of the ossuary reads in clear Aramaic...Read more ›
The Short List: The New Testament Figures Known to History
The relatively plain ossuary (bone box) described in the preceding article by André Lemaire is doubly important to the study of early Christianity. It is the earliest archaeological artifact ever found that refers to Jesus; in fact, it is the only nearly contemporaneous artifact that mentions Jesus...Read more ›
A “Centrist” at the Center of Controversy
BAR interviews Israel Finkelstein
A debate rages among Biblical archaeologists: Was there a United Monarchy under David and Solomon? Should impressive ancient structures throughout Israel be attributed to Solomon or were they built a century later? How old is the text of the Bible? A key figure in...Read more ›
Gorgon Excavated at Dor
It was a fitting climax. We had been excavating at Tel Dor—an 80-acre tell, or mound, on the Mediterranean coast of Israel—for 20 exciting years. This was to be our last season. It was near the end of the dig when we found evidence of a Greek...Read more ›