Artifacts and the Bible

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Until the discovery of the Nag Hammadi codices in 1945, the Gnostic view of early Christianity had largely been forgotten. The teachings of Gnostic Christianity had been virtually erased from history by the early church fathers.

By: David Moster

The Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem houses one of the world’s most important collections of Biblical artifacts.

By: Megan Sauter

In the Bible, the inner shrine of Solomon’s Temple is described as having five mezuzot. What are they? The question has puzzled Biblical scholars for centuries. Does a recently discovered shrine model from Khirbet Qeiyafa hold the answer?

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Few modern Biblical archaeology discoveries have attracted as much attention as the Tel Dan inscription—writing on a ninth-century B.C. stone slab (or stela) that furnished the first historical evidence of King David from the Bible.

By: Mark Wilson

The ubiquity of hoards in antiquity, both in time and region, suggests that the phenomenon was so well known that Paul could reasonably use it as an analogy. These treasures—the coin hoards mentioned in of 2 Corinthians 4:7—were never placed in clay lamps but rather in clay jars.

By: Yosef Garfinkel

I was pleased to see four reputable scholars dedicate such a long discussion[1] to refuting my putative interpretation of the cultic paraphernalia from Moẓa as […]

By: Marek Dospěl

Evidence shows that preserved early Christian manuscripts are more often codices than the then-established bookrolls. Why?

By: Marek Dospěl

Did Jesus use a magic wand when performing his miracles? It seems so—if we are to judge by some of the earliest depictions of Jesus […]

By: Marek Dospěl

The ancient oasis city of Palmyra—located northeast of Damascus in present-day Syria—abounds with archaeological treasures of the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Owing to its crucial […]

By: Marek Dospěl

The Hebrew word gilulim (or galal, in the singular) appears some 50 times in the Old Testament and is typically translated as “fetishes” or “idols.” […]