Biblical Archaeology Review, November/December 2010
Features
Bells, Pendants, Snakes & Stones
A Samaritan temple to the Lord on Mt. Gerizim
According to the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, the Samaritan leader Sanballat promised to build a temple on Gerizim, the Samaritan’s holy mountain, in imitation of the Jerusalem temple. This, Josephus tells us, occurred at the time of Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Land of Israel (332 B.C.E.). Did Josephus...Read more ›
Jesus of History vs. Jesus of Tradition
BAR interviews Sean Freyne
Sean Freyne is director of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies, as well as emeritus professor of theology, at Trinity College Dublin. His research focuses on the integration of literary and archaeological sources for understanding the social and religious world of Galilee in Hellenistic and Roman times. Editor...Read more ›
Texts from Ugarit Solve Biblical Puzzles
Hebrew is a “language of Canaan,” says the prophet (Isaiah 19:18), a conclusion amply confirmed by archaeologically recovered inscriptions. In scholarly terms, Hebrew is a south Canaanite dialect. As with the language, so with the alphabet: From its earliest appearance until the Babylonian destruction,...Read more ›
What Is This?
Answer: A On August 3, 2010, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the discovery in a press release that called the bracelet “extraordinary,” “unique.” There was no end to the IAA’s superlatives: “unusual,” “intriguing,” “fascinating.” (Was there an advance hint of trouble in the press release’s observation...Read more ›