jewish christians

By: Noah Wiener

Geza Vermes explores the origin of Christianity by examining the characteristics of the Jewish Jesus movement to see how it developed into a distinctly gentile religion.

By: J. Harold Ellens

Ptolemy’s grandest project, begun in 306 B.C.E., was the Library of Alexandria, a research center that held one million books by the time of Jesus.

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Was Jesus a Jew? Some people claim that Jesus was a Christian. Some have claimed that he was an Aryan Christian. But in recent decades scholars have been returning to ancient historical settings and discovering the Jewish Jesus.

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

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

By: Nathan T. Elkins

Roman Emperor Nerva’s reform of the Jewish Tax had a significant effect on Jews and Christians of the first century C.E.

By: Lawrence H. Schiffman

In part four of his study on schisms in Jewish history, Lawrence H. Schiffman examines the Jewish-Christian schism.

By: Lawrence H. Schiffman

In part one of his study on schisms in Jewish history, Lawrence H. Schiffman examines the early history of Jewish unity and disunity.

By: James Tabor

On Wednesday Jesus began to make plans for Passover. He sent two of his disciples into the city to prepare a large second-­story guest room where he could gather secretly and safely with his inner group.

By: Dorothy Willette

With the holiday season (and all of the associated feasting) upon us, we took a cue from the candy, cookies and turkeys and stuffed the November/December 2012 issue of BAR full of great articles and fascinating columns. Learn about texts: from references to Yahweh at Kuntillet ‘Ajrud to a single scribal hand at Masada and Qumran. Get to the heart of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament with discussions on David's Tomb and the birth of Christian identity.

By: Reviewed by Shaye J.D. Cohen

The fiscus Judaicus was a tax imposed on the Jews of the Roman Empire by Emperor Vespasian in the early 70s C.E. Whereas formerly the Jews had sent a half shekel (two drachmas) annually to the Temple of Jerusalem, now, after the Roman destruction, they would be required to send that same amount to the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus in Rome, which had been badly damaged by fire and was in need of repair and restoration.