religion of ancient israel

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Ta’anach Cult Stand. Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem/Israel Antiquities Authority (photograph by Avraham Hay)

Jan 20 Blog

Asherah and the Asherim: Goddess or Cult Symbol?

Who is Asherah? What is asherah? The reference may be to a particular goddess, a class of goddess or a cult symbol used to represent the goddess. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish what meaning is intended.

Jul 12 Blog

The Enduring Symbolism of Doves

By: Dorothy Willette

Few symbols have a tradition as long and as rich as the dove. Read about what it represents and how its use has been shared, adapted and reinterpreted across cultures and millennia to suit changing belief systems.

A rock-hewn altar carved out of limestone located about a mile from Shiloh. The four corners point to the four directions on a compass (Exodus 27:1-2). Photo: Yoel Elitzur

Jun 12 Blog

High Places, Altars and the Bamah

By: Ellen White

The open-air altar shrine, called a bamah (plural bamot), is known through several books of the Biblical canon. Often referred to as “high places” in translations of the Bible, bamot were worship sites that usually contained an altar.

Dec 12 Blog

Hezekiah’s Religious Reform—In the Bible and Archaeology

By: David Rafael Moulis

According to the Hebrew Bible, Hezekiah “removed the high places, broke down the pillars and cut down the sacred pole” (2 Kings 18:4). What was Hezekiah’s religious reform like on the ground, and what were his motives?

Jan 5 Blog

Judean Pillar Figurines

By: Robin Ngo

In “JPFs: More Questions than Answers” in the September/October 2014 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Robert Deutsch provides an overview of Judean pillar figurines.

Aug 13 Blog

The Biblical Archaeology Society 2013 Publication Awards Winners

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

The 2013 Biblical Archaeology Society Publication Awards recognize the best books published in 2011 and 2012. The biennial BAS Publication Awards for books about archaeology and the Bible have been presented since 1985. This year’s prestigious awards have been made possible by a grant from Frederick L. Simmons, Esq. of Glendale, California. Winning authors receive an honorary certificate and an award of $500.00 for each category. BAS congratulates the recipients of the 2013 Publication Awards and extends heartfelt thanks to the panel of judges.

Jan 10 Blog

Idols of the People

By: Victor Avigdor Hurowitz

Victor Avigdor Hurowitz reviews "Idols of the People: Miniature Images of Clay in the Ancient Near East" by P.R.S. Moorey.

Jul 17 Blog

How Should We Study Ancient Israelite Religion?

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Few Biblical scholars carry as much weight as does Frank Moore Cross, author of the following article, “The History of Israelite Religion: A Secular or Theological Subject?,” in which he says that anyone wanting to study the history of ancient Israelite religion should view the enterprise through the lens of history rather than theology.

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