A nice series of articles on the Dura Europos synagogue murals. The murals include a depiction of Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37).
http://www.jewishpress.com/pageroute.do/44249 (Posted June 23, 2010)
http://www.jewishpress.com/pageroute.do/44437 (Posted July 7, 2010)
http://www.jewishpress.com/pageroute.do/44593 (Posted July 21, 2010)
As reported by the Jerusalem Post, archaeologists have recently discovered the remains of a Philistine temple at Gath from the era of the judges.
Most Ancient Hebrew Biblical Inscription Deciphered
Ancient tablet reveals Noah’s ark was circular
A Residential Building from the Time of Jesus was Exposed in the Heart of Nazareth
Shroud of Turin Not Jesus’, Tomb Discovery Suggests – but it did wrap the remains of a leper, making it the earliest known case of leprosy
A team from Trinity Southwest University continues to dig Tall el-Hammam in Jordan. They report their results on their dig website and make a case that their site is the ancient Sodom from the book of Genesis (see Genesis 18-19).
With your typical media hype (and with a bit of perhaps shameless self-promotion thrown in), KOAT in Albuquerque reports “A real-life Indiana Jones tale is unfolding in New Mexico. A group of Albuquerque archaeologists think they’ve solved a biblical mystery. ‘From a biblical point of view, this is arguably the most important archaeological excavation of all time,’ archaeologist Dr. Steven Collins said” … hopefully tongue in cheek. The hype is mitigated somewhat by the archaeologists’ laudable community outreach reported in the article, exposing fifth-graders to the actual work of excavataion. One kiddo reports, “It’s cool, because you get to touch it — more than just read about it.” Amen to that.
Bono
Bono’s New York Times post-Easter reflections — “the dying and living that is Easter.” Profit, commerce, what if we are losing our soul?
As reported in Science Daily, the University of Toronto led excavation of Tayinat in Turkey has uncovered a 10th/9th century BCE temple. It evidences cultural and political continuity going from the Late Bronze age to the Iron age, which undercuts the otherwise concensus view that this period was one of cultural collapse and chaos in the eastern Mediterranean region.
Excavation of the Tayinat temple
The Israel Antiquities Authority Press Office issued a press release regarding a fragment of a stone inscription that contains two fragmentary lines of Hebrew. One of the words may be reconstructed to read “Hezekiah”. Also ScienceDaily.
Hezekiah inscription
The April 6, 2009 issue of Science Daily describes a collection of five foot-shaped structures in the Jordan Valley. These Iron Age stone enclosures may be related to festival gatherings, and may be related to the Hebrew terms gilgal (round stone structure?) and hag (festival procession).
Stone Enclosure in Jordan
The National Geographi News for April 10, 2009 reports that a plaque found at Beth Shemesh may depict the “Mistress of the Lionesses”, a female ruler of a Canaanite city known from the Amarna tablets of the 14th century B.C.E.
Mistress of the Lionesses
The April 13, 2009 issue of Newsweek magazine features a cover story entitled “The Decline of Christian America: How a reduction in religious affiliation will change the U.S.” It examines recent polling data that indicates how the religious profile of the nation is changing, and what this implies about the character of the United States.
April 13, 2009