Queries & Comments

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and comments about our Spring 2022 issue. We appreciate your feedback. Here are a few of the letters we received. Find more online at biblicalarchaeology.org/letters.

Expanding My Mind

As a Judaic artist, I am grateful to BAR for expanding my knowledge of Judaic art and interest in Jewish studies. When I attend Shabbat services, I often have BAR right next to my Torah because it provides a broader perspective on the biblical text and rabbinical commentaries. I now include paleo-Hebrew letters in my visual creations. As I stare at this ancient writing, I think, “Was this how King Solomon wrote the Song of Songs?” Thank you for expanding my experience of the Bible and enriching my creative world.

Piece by Piece

I wonder if the references to Caphtor in Amos and Jeremiah (Daniel Master, “Piece by Piece: Exploring the Origins of the Philistines,” Spring 2022), and the fact that they would survive after five centuries, is related to the Israelites’ fear of the sea. Could the Israelites have feared the Philistines more than others because, having come from across the sea, they were considered to be a mightier people than, say, the Egyptians, who often came by land?