Temple at Jerusalem

Painting of Philip in robes baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch who is kneeling with arms crossed at the chest. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Apr 22

Who Was the Ethiopian Eunuch?

It is common in the Acts of the Apostles to present brief episodes of evangelization that move rapidly across space, with little sustained interest in […]

People sitting in seats in front of a projection screen in a large room. Courtesy UNESCO

Apr 10

39 Sites in Lebanon Gain UNESCO Protection

By: Lauren K. McCormick

In a decision prompted by a request from the Lebanese government, UNESCO granted enhanced protection status to 39 sites across Lebanon under the 1954 Hague […]

Collection of clay vessels found in and around tombs in Aswan, lined up in rows on sand. Courtesy Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Mar 23

Elite Old Kingdom Tombs Discovered in Aswan

By: Lauren K. McCormick

A recent excavation by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has uncovered a cluster of rock-cut tombs in the Aswan region, near Egypt’s southern […]

bronze coin bearing an amphora in shades or dark brown and black

Feb 6

“Render Unto Caesar” and the First Jewish Revolt

By: Lauren K. McCormick

Two coins from the First Jewish Revolt (66–74 CE) have been found among the numismatic material excavated at Carchemish. Located on the Euphrates River in […]

3D model of one of the cylinders found at Tell al-Uhaimir in southern Iraq. Courtesy Ahmed Ali Jiwad and Hussein Fleih Al-Ammari, “Two Inscribed Cylinders of Nebuchadnezzar II from the Ziggurat of Kish,” IRAQ (2025), CC-BY 4.0

Jan 26

Babylonian Texts Complicate Bible’s Image of Nebuchadnezzar

By: Lauren K. McCormick

In biblical memory, Nebuchadnezzar II (604–562 BCE) looms large as an agent of catastrophe. He appears across multiple biblical books—2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, Jeremiah, […]

Photo: Photography by G. Laron/Courtesy of the Khirbet Qeiyafa Expedition

Jan 17

The Doorways of Solomon’s Temple

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?

Nov 22

What Did Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem Look Like?

By: Jennifer Drummond

Fifty years ago, leading Israeli scholar Michael Avi-Yonah constructed a now-iconic model of Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem. How accurate is it?

Illustration of a stonecutter using a pickax to cut a channel in a limestone block, while another worker pours water over some logs stacked in the channel between two blocks. Photo: Leen Ritmeyer

Nov 9

The Stones of Herod’s Temple Reveal Temple Mount History

By: BAS Staff

Building and furnishing the Herodian Temple involved more than stone quarrying and laying, but the stones and foundations of Herod’s Temple can give us clues to Temple Mount history.

Aerial photo of Temple Mount showing the Ophel excavaton. Photo: Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Sep 24

Jewish Pilgrimage in Second Temple Jerusalem

By: Marek Dospěl

The biblical command to appear before God on the three major festivals every year (Deuteronomy 16:16) meant that Jerusalem received thousands of pilgrims at Passover […]

The Temple menorah depicted in a deeply carved relief panel from the Arch of Titus in Rome. Photo: Courtesy Steven Fine, The Arch of Titus Project

Sep 16

Where Did the Temple Menorah Go?

By: Marek Dospěl

There is little doubt that the Temple Menorah was taken to Rome after the destruction of Jerusalem. However, Rome was sacked, and the Temple Menorah was looted. After disaster befell the cities that housed it as a spoil of war, was it returned to Jerusalem?

Temple at Jerusalem