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Jesus’s crucifixion displayed on the fifth-century C.E. wooden doors of the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome. Photo: Jim Forest

Jan 26 Blog

Jesus and the Cross

By: Steven Shisley

Most scholars believe that early Christians did not use the cross as an image of their religion. So how did the cross become modern Christianity’s most popular symbol?

Late-15th-century painting of The Last Supper by the Spanish artist known as the Master of Perea.

Nov 5 Blog

Was Jesus’ Last Supper a Seder?

By: Jonathan Klawans

Many assume that Jesus' Last Supper was a Seder, the ritual Passover meal. Examine evidence from the synoptic Gospels with scholar Jonathan Klawans.

Judas Betrays Jesus with a Kiss 1873 in 'The story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation'

Mar 26 Blog

Why Did Judas Identify Jesus with a Kiss?

By: Hershel Shanks

I’ve been reading a new book titled Pseudo-Cyril of Jerusalem “On the Life and the Passion of Christ”: A Coptic Apocryphon by the Dutch scholar Roelof van den Broek.1 In case it has escaped your attention, it provides a new translation of an eighth-century Gnostic gospel in Coptic from Egypt that has been in the Morgan Library in New York since 1908, a gift of J.P. Morgan.

Jan 6 Blog

Ancient Amulets with Incipits

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Ancient amulets containing incipits of Biblical passages have been uncovered in Egypt and were used as protective charms to ward off evil. Learn about early Christian amulets with incipits in this Bible History Daily guest post by Joseph E. Sanzo.

Jun 10 Blog

Is the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife a Fake?

By: Ellen White

When Harvard’s Karen King announced at a 2012 scholarly conference in Rome that a fragment of an authentic fourth-century gospel had come into her hands in which Jesus, speaking in the first person, refers to “my wife,” that was only the beginning.

Nov 4 Blog

First Person: Why Consult Scholarship to Judge “Jesus’ Wife” Fragment?

By: Hershel Shanks

BAR editor Hershel Shanks discusses a recent article in the Atlantic unmasking a fake ancient inscription in which Jesus refers to “my wife.”

Jun 30 Blog

“Down the Rabbit Hole”: Owner of the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife Papyrus Unmasked

By: Robin Ngo

An investigative article by Ariel Sabar recently published in The Atlantic delves into the identity of the anonymous owner of the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife papyrus, revealing more than anyone could have ever imagined.

Jun 30 Blog

Timeline of the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife Saga

By: Christian Askeland

Coptic scholar Christian Askeland provides a timeline of events in the controversial case of the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife.

Jul 15 Blog

First Person: Gold from the Temple?

By: Hershel Shanks

In his First Person in the July/August 2014 issue of BAR, Hershel Shanks discusses two very different inscriptions—the “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” papyrus fragment and the Jehoash Inscription—that are both creating headlines.

Apr 23 Blog

The “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” Papyrus Revisited

By: Noah Wiener

Harvard Divinity School declares the text ancient, but the debate on the papyrus including the words “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife …’” rages on.

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