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Oct 3 Blog

What Is the Oldest Hebrew Bible?

The oldest Hebrew Bible texts are the Dead Sea Scrolls (c. 250 B.C.E.–115 C.E.), but the most nearly complete copies of the Hebrew Bible are codices from a thousand years ago. What happened in the period between these two discoveries? The Ashkar-Gilson Manuscript fills the gap in our knowledge of this interim period.

The Great Isaiah Scroll. Photo: John C. Trevor, PhD. Digital Image: James E. Trevor

Jul 2 Blog

The “Original” Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls

By: Noah Wiener

More than 200 Biblical texts written in Hebrew were discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls. How do these ancient Biblical texts compare with the Masoretic Text and the Greek Septuagint in scholars’ search for the most authoritative text of the Hebrew Bible?

Jun 25 Blog

Lydia and Tabitha in the Bible

By: Megan Sauter

While the majority of the leaders of the early Christian church were men, the New Testament describes several prominent women leaders as well. Teresa Calpino analyzes two of these women—Tabitha and Lydia—in her Biblical Views column in BAR.

Apr 9 Blog

The Masoretic Text and the Dead Sea Scrolls

By: BAS Staff

Do insights from the Dead Sea Scrolls add to the Masoretic text, and if so, should the original Hebrew Bible text be modified based this information? Scholars from both sides of the divide weigh in on this issue.

Sep 30 Blog

Why Did Early Christians Prefer the Codex to the Bookroll?

By: Marek Dospěl

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

Jul 5 Blog

BAR Interview with Elie Wiesel and Frank Moore Cross

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel died on July 2, 2016. Read an interview BAR Editor Hershel Shanks conducted with Wiesel and Biblical scholar Frank Moore Cross, republished from BAR, July/August 2004.

Sep 5 Blog

A “Jesus Hideout” in Jordan

By: James Tabor

Biblical Scholar James Tabor examines the setting of some of the Jesus' final excursions before his crucifixion.

Jun 6 Blog

The Art of Biblical Criticism

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

In the May/June 2012 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Biblical scholar James A. Sanders reviews what he considers “an essentially new book and mandatory to any serious student of the Hebrew Bible text.”

Apr 17 Blog

The Art and Science of Textual Criticism

By: Reviewed by James A. Sanders

Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible by Emanuel Tov. This third edition of Tov’s enlightening treatise is the necessary handbook for the understanding and practice of the art and science of textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible today.

Mar 21 Blog

The Oxford Handbook of the Dead Sea Scrolls

By: Reviewed by Charlotte Hempel

Discovered in the caves above Qumran, the Dead Sea Scrolls have provided scholars with important information about the Jewish communities that resided in the environs of Qumran.

Must-Read Free eBooks

The Dead Sea Scrolls: Past, Present, and Future

Biblical Peoples—The World of Ancient Israel

Who Was Jesus? Exploring the History of Jesus’ Life

Ancient Israel in Egypt and the Exodus

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