People in the Bible

By: Megan Sauter

Ancient interpreters frequently painted Lot as greedy and unscrupulous—a foil to Abraham’s righteousness.

By: Lee M. Jefferson

Whenever visitors arrive at the Church of St. Peter-in-Chains in Rome, they are struck with the grandeur of Michelangelo’s sculpture of Moses but ultimately are […]

By: Mark Wilson

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

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, […]

By: Megan Sauter

Who were the Maccabees, what did they do? From priests to kings, the Maccabees created an independent Jewish kingdom in the second century BCE. Their […]

By: Lawrence Mykytiuk

See a visualization of the Herodian family tree and key events in the New Testament related to members of the Herodian family.

By: BAS Staff

Read letters published in the Q&C section of BAR debating the dates of Herod’s death, Jesus’ birth and to which lunar eclipse Josephus was referring.

By: Marek Dospěl

As the mighty Assyrian army of King Sennacherib was getting ready to attack Judah at the close of the eighth century BC, the Judahite King […]

By: Megan Sauter

Who Is Joseph’s Wife in the Bible? Who is Aseneth? Daughter of the Egyptian priest Potiphera, Aseneth becomes the wife of Joseph and mother of […]

By: Jonathan Klawans

Every year, Jewish families the world over celebrate the festival of Hanukkah. And how dramatic it is: Just as the nights are starting earlier and […]