Temple at Jerusalem
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?
Fifty years ago, leading Israeli scholar Michael Avi-Yonah constructed a now-iconic model of Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem. How accurate is it?
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.
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 […]
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?
Aug 25
Pilgrimage Pit Stop
By: Omri Abadi and Boaz Zissu
Despite its modern name, the Tomb of the Kings, located just north of the Old City in Jerusalem, was not the burial site of ancient […]
Jul 10
Understanding the Jewish Menorah
By: BAS Staff
The Jewish menorah—especially the Temple menorah, a seven-branched candelabra that stood in the Temple—is the most enduring and iconic Jewish symbol. But what did the Temple menorah actually look like? Learn more in this post and view a number of important menorah depictions from antiquity.
Jun 5
Searching for the Temple of King Solomon
By: BAS Staff
The black basalt ruins of the Iron Age temple discovered at ’Ain Dara in northern Syria offer the closest known parallel to the Temple of King Solomon in the Bible.
Jan 23
The Temple Mount in the Herodian Period (37 BC–70 A.D.)
By: Leen Ritmeyer
Archaeological architect Leen Ritmeyer presents drawings of the Temple Mount in the Herodian period.
Dec 3
Ancient Synagogues in Israel and the Diaspora
By: Megan Sauter
Were there synagogues before the Romans destroyed the Temple, or did they develop only afterward? Communal structures from the Second Temple period have been discovered, but should they be considered synagogues even though they don’t share the major architectural feature common to post-destruction synagogues?
