Mar 22 Blog
By: Lawrence Mykytiuk
How many people mentioned in the Hebrew Bible have been confirmed archaeologically? Lawrence Mykytiuk reveals the surprising number—from Israelite kings to Mesopotamian monarchs—and some lesser figures as well.
Mar 19 Blog
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.
Feb 15 Blog
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.
Feb 12 Blog
James Tabor discusses the wedding at Cana from the Gospels of Mark and John. Whose wedding was this and why were Jesus and his family present?
Jan 31 Blog
By: BAS Staff
The famous inscribed ivory pomegranate, which, if authentic, may have been the head of a scepter from Solomon’s Temple, has endured decades of debate. Is the inscription real, or is it a forgery? A meeting between world-class paleographers in the summer of 2015 may have settled the debate.
Jan 29 Blog
By: Mark Wilson
How did the Jewish name Ya’akov, properly translated as Jacob, become James in English versions of the Bible?
Jan 6 Blog
In the history of crucifixion, the death of Jesus of Nazareth stands out as the best-known example by far. Crucifixion in antiquity was actually a fairly common punishment, but there were no known physical remains from a crucifixion. Then, in 1968, archaeologist Vassilios Tzaferis excavated a Jerusalem tomb that contained the bones of a crucified man named Yehohanan. As Tzaferis reported in BAR, the discovery demonstrated the brutal reality of Roman crucifixion methods in a way that written accounts never had before.
Dec 30 Blog
By: Megan Sauter
What was the population of Jerusalem in Jesus’ time? Much as today, Jerusalem was a diverse city and pilgrimage center in the first century C.E. […]
Dec 16 Blog
Did Jesus of Nazareth, “the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5), really exist? What’s the evidence outside of the Bible? Classical and Jewish writings from the first several centuries C.E. give us a glimpse of the person who would become the central figure in Christianity mere decades after his crucifixion.
Nov 20 Blog
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 […]
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