rachel

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?

By: Devorah Emmet Wigoder

The brevity of life is compared to the delicate bloom of the caper in one of the Bible’s many references to fragrant and edible plants. Enjoy a glimpse of some of these plants.

By: Adele Berlin

According to Adele Berlin, the Book of Ruth illuminates the main theme of the Hebrew Bible: the continuity of God’s people in their land.

By: Walter Zanger

What are zodiac mosaics doing in ancient synagogues in Israel?

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Joel S. Baden and Candida R. Moss analyze the Biblical portrayal of infertility in the Biblical Views column “Reevaluating Biblical Infertility.”

By: Lawrence Mykytiuk

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.

By: John Drummond

Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, and Rachel—the names of biblical matriarchs such as these have lived on long after they were first written down more than […]

By: Megan Sauter

Mark W. Chavalas explores the history of camel domestication in BAR.

By: Megan Sauter

Who are Rachel and Leah in the Bible? Sisters, rivals, mothers, matriarchs—these two women had a complicated relationship.  In the Fall 2022 issue of Biblical Archaeology […]

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

In a special collection of Bible Review articles, Biblical scholars provide different avenues to understanding the Genesis account of the patriarch Abraham.