Jonathan Klawans, Author at Biblical Archaeology Society

Jonathan Klawans Latest

Late-15th-century painting of The Last Supper by the Spanish artist known as the Master of Perea.

Apr 8

Was Jesus’ Last Supper a Seder?

Many assume that Jesus' Last Supper was a Seder, the ritual Passover meal. Examine evidence from the synoptic Gospels with scholar Jonathan Klawans.

Apr 1

Jesus’ Last Supper Still Wasn’t a Passover Seder Meal

By: Jonathan Klawans

Many people still assume that Jesus’ Last Supper was a Seder, a ritual meal held in celebration of the Jewish holiday of Passover. In this exclusive Bible History Daily guest post, Boston University Professor of Religion Jonathan Klawans provides an update to his popular Bible Review article questioning this common assumption.

Dec 26

Hanukkah, 1 and 2 Maccabees, and the Apocrypha

By: Jonathan Klawans

Every year, Jewish families the world over celebrate the festival of Hanukkah. And how dramatic it is: Just as the nights are starting earlier and […]

Mar 5

The Shapira Fragments

By: Jonathan Klawans

Followers of this blog may have heard that the 19th-century Shapira Affair[1] has resurfaced again. In March, 2021, a biblical scholar at the University of […]

Nov 1

How to Spot a Biblical Fake

By: Jonathan Klawans

Editor’s Note: This Bible History Daily article discusses an unprovenanced object. Learn more about the problems associated with objects that lack a secure archaeological context. […]

Aug 2

Colorful Crusader Churches

By: Jonathan Klawans

Seasoned visitors to Jerusalem surely know the Church of St. Anne, a pristinely preserved 12th-century Crusader church in the Romanesque style, near the beginning of […]

Oct 19

Site-Seeing: Exploring Beautiful Tel Dan

By: Jonathan Klawans

The archaeology bug runs unequally in some families. I have no scientific data to back this claim, but anecdotal evidence abounds, starting in my own […]

Mar 25

The Other Upper Room

By: Jonathan Klawans

The traditional location of the Last Supper—the Crusader era “Upper Room,” known also as the Cenacle—has one thing going for it: height. The only location-specific […]

Mar 25

Site-Seeing: El-Jazzar’s Architectural Gem

By: Jonathan Klawans

The Old City of Akko was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001, and rightly so: With layers of Ottoman and Crusader ruins above […]

Nov 14

Site-Seeing: Nimrod

By: Jonathan Klawans

Nestled in the northern Golan between Tel Dan to the west and the Hermon Ski Resort to the east, there’s a site that is too often passed by: Nimrod Fortress.

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