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magdala

magdala Latest

Aerial image of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee. Excavation sites in foreground with sea in top left and modern road/hillside in top right. Photo: AVRAM GRAICER, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

May 5 Blog

Where Was Mary Magdalene From?

By: Marek Dospěl

Where was Mary Magdalene from? According to early Christian tradition, the famous disciple of Jesus was from a town called Magdala, hence her name, Mary […]

The pre-penitent Magdalene by Chris Gollon

Mar 26 Blog

Was Mary Magdalene Wife of Jesus? Was Mary Magdalene a Prostitute?

By: BAS Staff

Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute who repented or simply an influential female follower of Jesus? Mary from Magdala has popularly been saddled with an unfavorable reputation, but how did this notion come about?

19th-century painting of Jezebel by John Liston Byam Shaw

Mar 3 Blog

Scandalous Women in the Bible

By: BAS Staff

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

Nov 20 Blog

The Tomb of Jesus? Wrong on Every Count

By: Craig Evans and Steven Feldman

Back to “Jesus Tomb” Controversy Erupts—Again Rarely does the world of Biblical archaeology make as much news as when filmmakers James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici […]

The Magdala Stone. Photo: Yael Yulowich, Israel Antiquities Authority

Aug 17 Blog

The Magdala Stone: The Jerusalem Temple Embodied

By: Jennifer Ristine

For a people living in the diaspora, unable to visit the Jerusalem Temple frequently, what kept the memory and centrality of the Temple fresh in their minds? An intriguing stone uncovered at the Galilean site of Magdala might offer a clue.

Menorah Stone

Jul 10 Blog

Understanding the Jewish Menorah

By: BAS Staff

The Jewish menorah—especially the Temple menorah, a seven-branched candelabra that stood in the Temple—is the most enduring and iconic Jewish symbol. But what did the Temple menorah actually look like? Learn more in this post and view a number of important menorah depictions from antiquity.

gamla-synagogue

Dec 3 Blog

Ancient Synagogues in Israel and the Diaspora

By: Megan Sauter

Were there synagogues before the Romans destroyed the Temple, or did they develop only afterward? Communal structures from the Second Temple period have been discovered, but should they be considered synagogues even though they don’t share the major architectural feature common to post-destruction synagogues?

magdala-synagogue

Sep 1 Blog

Discoveries in Mary Magdalene’s Hometown

By: Marek Dospěl

Following the discovery of a synagogue at Magdala on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, four ritual purification baths dating to Jesus’ time have been uncovered. These attest to the vibrant religious and social life of the local Jewish community just before it was crushed by the Romans in 67 C.E.

Magdala Synagogue Excavations

Dec 15 Blog

Archaeologists Discover New First-Century Synagogue in Magdala, Israel

By: Nathan Steinmeyer

Earlier this week, the University of Haifa announced the discovery of a first-century C.E. synagogue in Magdala, Israel. Magdala (Migdal in Hebrew) is thought to […]

Sep 8 Blog

A Samson Mosaic from Huqoq

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Jodi Magness's excavations at Huqoq have exposed an elaborate Samson mosaic as well as new insights into the development of ancient synagogues.

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