origins of christianity

origins of christianity Latest

Jan 14 Blog

Can A Pre-Christian Version of the Book of Revelation Be Recovered?

James Tabor suggests that in the same way the basic apocalyptic texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls have as their historical reference points the parties and politics of the mid-1st century BCE, the Ur-text of revelation is most likely composed against the backdrop of local events in Judea in the 40s and 50s CE–and has little to do with Rome and its emperors.

Preserved hair from a Jewish male found in the 1st-century “Tomb of the Shroud”

Mar 17 Blog

The Only Ancient Jewish Male Hair Ever Found

By: James Tabor

The braided hair of a Jewish woman was found at Masada but until recently no example of preserved hair from a Jewish male had ever been found from the late 2nd Temple period. This discovery is one of the many fascinating, but less publicized finds of the 1st century “Tomb of the Shroud,” discovered in the summer of 2000 just outside the Old City of Jerusalem. The secrets this tomb continues to yield are many, including recent correlations with the DNA test results from the Talpiot Jesus tomb.

Mar 8 Blog

The Making of a Messiah

By: James Tabor

In this post I want to to consider what I call the “textual dynamics of messianic self-identity.” I realize that is a mouthful but bear with me here, as this subject is quite fascinating and I think we can see some light on this issue if we take all our evidence into account, both ancient and modern.

Jul 20 Blog

Bible Artifacts Found Outside the Trench: The Dead Sea Scrolls Discovery

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

The Dead Sea Scrolls discovery is so widely celebrated by the scholarly community and the scrolls have played such an important part in Biblical scholarship as the oldest biblical manuscripts that it is sometimes easy to forget that most of them are in fact Bible artifacts found during archaeological looting by Bedouin.

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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