Interview: Dr Gabriel Barkay

The Associates for Biblical Research News Letter (Vol. 9, Issue 4, April 2009) is out (a little late due to some technical difficulties). Catching my interest this month is the launch of Gordon Franz’s new personal website,  Life and Land Seminars. On it he writes:

The Bible was written by real people, to real people, in real places, and who [...]

Ancient Jewish Oil Lamps

The electricity was off earlier today giving us a real taste of the coming winter (cold, rain, power failures, etc.). It cut off my research as well (with the laptop’s battery giving me less than a half hour of extended time). At times like these, I always try to imagine what life would have been like without these modern conveniences [...]

Understanding the History of Ancient Israel

Not much in life is free. While researching domestic life in  Iron Age Israel, I came across this  free download (pdf).  Edited by HGM Williamson, Understanding the History of Ancient Israel is a helpful resource that is actually a book still in sale.  If you’re not interested in the whole work, you can download individual chapters here.

There are [...]

Scale Model of the Temple

This is amazing. Farmer Alec Garrard from Norfolk England has spent the last 30 years constructing a 1:100 scale model of the  Herodian Temple. Built in 19 BC by King Herod the Great, the Temple was eventually destroyed by the troops of Titus in AD 70. Mr Garrard spent hours everyday on the replica which was made entirely [...]

The Jesus Tomb Unmasked

I’m pretty glad when productions such as these are released. With so many blatant lies, distortions of the truth, and general deception in Biblical archaeology, works that debunk and refute the falsehood are like a breath of  fresh air. All credit goes to the Expedition Bible for producing “The Jesus Tomb Unmasked”. They have the following to say:

The Jesus Tomb Unmasked, now out [...]

Western Wall Restoration

The Israel Antiquities Authority has announced that urgent action will be taken to prevent any further deterioration of the Western Wall in Jerusalem as part of its role to safeguard and preserve cultural heritage within Israel. After initial surveys, it was determined that the current condition holds a threat to the visiting public and restoration work was [...]

Palms in the Bible and Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday. The Gospel according to St Mark has the following:
“As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied [...]

James Ossuary Trial Update

This trial was dubbed at its inception, the “Trial of the Century”. Ongoing since September 2005, more than 120 witnesses have been called on to testify in what has become a dragging case. Now, only two defendants remain,  antiquities dealers Oded Golan (who has been charged with, among other smaller forgeries, faking the inscription found on the James ossuary) and Robert Deutsch [...]