Biblical Archaeology Review, July/August 2012
Features
“Brother of Jesus” Inscription Is Authentic!
In all the hubbub and flurry of the verdict last March in the “forgery case of the century,” one question—the central question—seems to have gotten lost: Is the ossuary inscription “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus” genuine or not? And if it is, does it refer...Read more ›
Turkey’s Unexcavated Synagogues
Could the world’s earliest known synagogue be buried amid rubble?
BAR specializes in articles about sites that have been excavated, featuring the often dramatic finds archaeologists uncover. But what about finds from sites that have not been excavated (and should be)? We know a lot about the Jews of Cilicia from the New Testament and other ancient...Read more ›
Did Pharaoh Sheshonq Attack Jerusalem?
“In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, King Shishak of Egypt marched against Jerusalem.” (1 Kings 14:25) Did he really? If he did, this would be the earliest event in Biblical history for which we have a contemporaneous reference in an extrabiblical source. And...Read more ›
Can Archaeology Help Date the Psalms?
The previous issue of BAR included an article on the possibly oldest Hebrew inscriptions. Among the candidates were two abecedaries—that is, inscriptions of the alphabet. No words, just the alphabet.1 These abecedaries can also provide some archaeological help in dating the Book of Psalms! The 150 psalms...Read more ›