People & Cultures in the Bible

People & Cultures in the Bible

guido-reni-saint-james

Mar 21

James or Jacob in the Bible?

By: Mark Wilson

How did the Jewish name Ya’akov, properly translated as Jacob, become James in English versions of the Bible?

Gospel of Thomas (Sayings of Jesus) from the Nag Hammadi

Mar 16

The Gospel of Thomas’s 114 Sayings of Jesus

By: BAS Staff

Read the 114 sayings of Jesus from the Gospel of Thomas as translated by Stephen J. Patterson and James M. Robinson.

The Apostle Paul in Arabia Petra Treasury

Mar 9

The Apostle Paul in Arabia

By: Megan Sauter

The New Testament recounts many episodes from the apostle Paul’s life. Yet it provides scant details about his visit to Arabia. In his letter to […]

Mar 1

Tabitha in the Bible

By: Robin Gallaher Branch

Biblical studies scholar Robin Gallaher Branch explores Luke’s depiction of a woman set on doing good for the poor and serving her friends, the widows, for whom she makes robes and clothing.

Feb 28

How Did Noah Build the Ark?

By: BAS Staff

Reading the story of Noah’s ark today (Genesis 6–9), we naturally imagine that Noah, his family, and the loaded animals of all kinds survived the […]

The Bethesda Pool, Site of One of Jesus’ Miracles

Feb 11

The Bethesda Pool, Site of One of Jesus’ Miracles

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

The Bethesda Pool, where Jesus heals the paralytic man in the Gospel of John, is a complex site. It appears to have been a mikveh, or ritual bath.

lilith

Feb 4

Lilith

By: Janet Howe Gaines

In most manifestations of her myth, Lilith represents chaos, seduction and ungodliness. Yet, in her every guise, Lilith has cast a spell on humankind. Who is Lilith in the Bible?

Feb 2

Scandalous Women in the Bible

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Mary Magdalene, Jezebel, Rahab, Lilith. Today, each are popularly considered scandalous women in the Bible. Are these so-condemned salacious women misrepresented?

peter-el-greco

Jan 31

The Apostle Peter in Rome

By: Nicola Denzey Lewis

Brown University Religious Studies professor Nicola Denzey Lewis answers frequently asked questions about the apostle Peter. Denzey Lewis appears in the CNN series Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, Forgery, which aims to investigate artifacts that shed light on the world in which Jesus lived.

Nehemiah

Jan 28

Nehemiah—The Man Behind the Wall

By: Dorothy Willette

Few people are familiar with the Biblical figure Nehemiah, and yet he was instrumental in the rebuilding and reestablishment of Jerusalem in the fifth century B.C. following the Babylonian exile.