The Best of BAR
A look back at some of our favorite stories
Across five decades, Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR) has brought its readers the best and latest scholarship on archaeology and the world of the Bible. Many of our articles have highlighted extraordinary new discoveries or involved readers in contentious scholarly debates. But the most enjoyable stories—and perhaps the most controversial—are often those that use new evidence to challenge long-held assumptions about the biblical past. The following five BAR articles—covering subjects from the Bronze Age world of the Canaanites to the monumental basilica churches of Byzantine Christianity—remain some of our favorites for the fresh critical perspectives they provide on the Bible’s myriad peoples, cultures, and traditions.
How the Alphabet Was Born from Hieroglyphs
Orly Goldwasser, March/April 2010
More than 3,800 years ago, illiterate Canaanite laborers working in the turquoise mines of Sinai were responsible for one of the most significant inventions in human history: the alphabet. In this groundbreaking article, Hebrew University Egyptologist Orly Goldwasser explored the simple but ingenious ideas that led these miners under hieroglyphic inspiration to create the first-ever alphabetic script. The article not only generated considerable response from our readers but also launched a valuable online scholarly debate between Goldwasser and the late Anson Rainey that remains one of the most frequently visited pages on our website.
The Song of Deborah: Why Some Tribes Answered the Call and Others Did Not
Lawrence E. Stager, January/February 1989
When the Israelites entered Canaan around 1200 BCE, they vied with other peoples for land on which to settle. In the Book of Judges, we learn of Deborah and her general Barak, who fought the Canaanites at Mt. Tabor. Although Deborah called on ten tribes, only six rallied with her. In this seminal BAR article, the late esteemed archaeologist Lawrence E. Stager presented then-groundbreaking archaeological evidence suggesting that early Israel’s agricultural tribes joined Deborah, while those who were sheepherders or ship laborers declined. In addition to examining the historical context of the Deborah story, Stager’s article was an essential primer on the archaeology of early Israel.
Face to Face: Biblical Minimalists Meet Their Challengers
Hershel Shanks, July/August 1997
In this 1997 roundtable discussion, BAR readers had a front-row seat in the ongoing and often polarizing “maximalist–minimalist” debate over the historicity of the Bible. Amid dramatic new discoveries like the Tel Dan Stele and fresh challenges to the traditional archaeological chronology of the United Monarchy of David and Solomon, BAR editor Hershel Shanks moderated a rollicking, often barbed exchange of views between two prominent minimalists—Niels Peter Lemche and Thomas Thompson—who believe the Bible is largely useless as a historical source, and two renowned maximalists—William Dever and P. Kyle McCarter, Jr.—who believe the Bible does preserve accurate historical memories.
The Genesis of Judaism
Yonatan Adler, Winter 2022
The Torah (Pentateuch) serves as the basis for a system of laws that governs almost all aspects of Jewish life. But when exactly did Jewish society come to recognize these regulations as authoritative? Based on his landmark study, archaeologist Yonatan Adler proposed in BAR that the archaeological and historical evidence indicates that many key aspects of Torah observance were not widely practiced in Judea until centuries after the laws were first written down. Indeed, the Torah may have gained wide acceptance only during the late second century BCE, when the Hasmonean dynasty used it to unify the newly established Judean state around a single “national” narrative. Adler’s arguments received significant feedback from readers, who challenged his assertions in BAR and online.
Ancient Churches in the Holy Land
Yoram Tsafrir, September/October 1993
When Constantine the Great legalized Christianity in the early fourth century, Christian communities across the Roman world quickly established formal houses of worship. In just a few centuries, this new religious architecture, which adapted the well-known Roman basilica to Christian needs, dramatically transformed the landscape of the Holy Land, leaving behind countless churches—many adorned with impressive mosaics. In this widely referenced BAR article, the late archaeologist Yoram Tsafrir explained and illustrated the standard architectural elements of Byzantine-era churches. He also explored the biblical traditions commemorated by many of these buildings as well as the distinctive ways in which they were designed and decorated.
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This article was first published in Bible History Daily on March 28, 2025.
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