Over the past century and a half, archaeologists have excavated a variety of sites in Jerusalem, bringing to light many aspects of everyday life in the biblical city. The examination of ceramic vessels for cooking and serving, as well as…Continue Reading
Tag: Jerusalem
The Symbolism of Doves
Few symbols have a tradition as long and as rich as the dove. A particular favorite in art and iconography, the dove often represents some aspect of the divine, and its use has been shared, adapted and reinterpreted across cultures…Continue Reading
New Second Temple Era Stone Inscription Mentions Jerusalem
During the winter of 2017, archaeologists working in a Jerusalem suburb, discovered the foundations of a Roman structure dating to the 1st century B.C.E. What they found was building remnants and a part of a common round column. The exiting…Continue Reading
Altar of Incense in the Holy of Holies?
Not long ago I received a curious question from a man who was struggling reading through the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. His question had to do with the temple and with tabernacle arrangement, which was originally described…Continue Reading
Continued Revival of the Hebrew Language
Hidden away between the dense trees of the Hebrew University’s Givat Ram campus lies the past, present and future of the Hebrew language. Disguised by its modest exterior and dwarfed by impressive new university faculties, two small buildings are home…Continue Reading
The Shiloah Tunnel
Shiloah is Hebrew for Siloam, the famed water source of ancient Jerusalem. In John’s gospel, Jesus healed a man born blind at Siloam (Shiloah). But what about the tunnel? That story goes back much further. The rebellion of the king…Continue Reading
Sing Hosanna: Lessons for Today’s Worshipers
Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem just before Passover is a well-known and sometimes even a celebrated event. Each of the four gospel writers describes this Hosanna moment from their own vantage point. This article is written in a form of a…Continue Reading
No such place as Calvary in Ancient Jerusalem
An old Christian hymn evokes God’s help to never to forget the suffering of Jesus – “King of my life, I crown Thee now, Thine shall the glory be; lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow, lead me to Calvary… Lest…Continue Reading
Customs, Traditions and Rituals of Israel
Where can you learn more about the peculiar ways of Jewish people? The Bible is full of customs, traditions, and rituals unusual to the rest of the world. Take the most fundamental of gospel passages, the cornerstones of Christian practice…Continue Reading
The Lost Tomb of Jesus in Talpiot, Really?
The archaeologist who excavated a Jerusalem burial cave in Talpiot, featured in a new film is among the experts who have slammed the movie’s claim that the cave is the tomb of Jesus, his wife, and their son. The film—The…Continue Reading
Earliest Mention of Jerusalem Outside of the Bible
In October of 2016 Israel Antiquities Authority unveiled a papyrus which is believed to be 2,700 years old. The Israeli archaeologists have discovered an ancient wine ledger which they believe contains the earliest written reference to Jerusalem outside the Bible.…Continue Reading
Byzantine Coins Found Near Highway
A buried treasure of nine well-preserved bronze Byzantine coins found by archeologists during an excavation near Highway 1 serves as evidence of the Persian invasion of Jerusalem at the end of the Byzantine period, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced. According…Continue Reading
The Synagogue of Freedmen in Jerusalem
The Synagogue of Freedmen (συναγωγή των Λιβερτίνων) is mentioned in Acts 6:9. The Greek term Freedmen (Λιβερτῖνος) is a loanword from Latin libertini, who were freed slaves. In the Roman world, this was a reference to one’s social status, usually…Continue Reading