Biblical Archaeology Review, May/June 2009
Features
This Place Is for the Birds
New Testament tower?
Surely one of the most exciting moments in the life of a Biblical archaeologist is finding something that seems to illuminate the Biblical text. The recent discovery of the Siloam Pool where, according to John 9:1–7, Jesus cured a man who had been blind...Read more ›
How Lot’s Wife Became a Pillar of Salt
Abraham famously argued with God about his decision to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah: “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” the patriarch asks the Master of the Universe. “Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and...Read more ›
Tracking Down Shebnayahu, Servant of the King
How an antiquities market find solved a 42-year-old excavation puzzle
In Isaiah 22 the prophet rails in God’s name against the excesses of the officials in King Hezekiah’s palace. Among those he singles out is Shebna, the steward who is “in charge of the house [palace]” (Isaiah 22:15): What have you...Read more ›
Good as His Word
Jacob manipulates justice
A legal obligation is not the same as a moral obligation. There is a formality in the law, especially the law of contracts, that sets it apart from the dictates of justice. The patriarchal narratives in Genesis derive much of their dramatic force—not to...Read more ›
Past Perfect: Flora and Fauna of Mt. Sedom
Henry Baker Tristram (1822–1906) was an English clergyman, Biblical scholar, world traveler and ornithologist. He studied at Durham School and Lincoln College, Oxford, was ordained a priest and eventually served as canon of Durham Cathedral in 1873. He was secretary to the governor of Bermuda from 1847...Read more ›