Biblical Archaeology Review, May/June 2015
Features
Synagogues: Before and After the Roman Destruction of the Temple
Were there synagogues while the Temple still stood in Jerusalem? Nearly 200 ancient synagogues have been discovered by archaeologists at numerous sites in the Land of Israel as well as in the diaspora. After the Roman destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 C.E., the major architectural...Read more ›
Iconoclasts and Fishermen: Christian Symbols Survive
This short article is a kind of pushback against the iconoclasts of the eighth century C.E. who gouged out images of people and animals in churches and synagogues. They offend me. I am going to explore the meaning of two mosaic medallions involving fish and fishing that...Read more ›
A Short History of the Dead Sea Scrolls and What They Tell Us
I want to say here and now how grateful I am to the original team of Dead Sea Scroll scholars who failed to publish the bulk of the scrolls for nearly 40 years and refused to let other scholars see them in the meantime. But for them,...Read more ›
The Saga of ‘The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife’
Although he is not an archaeologist, Canadian/Israeli TV journalist and producer Simcha Jacobovici (pronounced Yacobovitch) has made some remarkable archaeological discoveries. For example, the first plague: When pharaoh refused to let the people go, Moses held out his rod, and the waters of Egypt, including the Nile...Read more ›
Departments
ReViews: Murder, Mayhem and Resolve in Biblical Lachish
Biblical Lachish: A Tale of Construction, Destruction, Excavation and Restoration
ReViews: Harmonizing Bible and Archaeology for Israel’s Ethnogenesis
How Israel Became a People
ReViews: Peering over an Ancient Scribe’s Shoulder
Understanding the Alphabet of the Dead Sea Scrolls—Development, Chronology, Dating