I have a shelf of books, articles, and software that I'd love to give my opinion on to readers, but I usually don't have the time to do all that I would like.  Over the Christmas break, I wrote two brief reviews of resources that you might find interesting and helpful.  The first is a book on the Temple Mount and the second is a powerful Bible software program.

Last, but not least, the featured photos of this month's newsletter are of "Waterfalls in Israel."  Do not view these pictures if you want to retain the false idea that Israel is all dry and barren.

In 1973 Hershel Shanks wrote a small book on the City of David.  A few years later he founded Biblical Archaeology Review, the world's largest circulation magazine today on the subject of archaeology and the Bible.  In 1995 he wrote Jerusalem: An Archaeological Biography which has been a favorite of my students and highly recommended by me as an introductory work on the Holy City.  Shanks' latest work, The Temple Mount: From Solomon to the Golden Dome, restricts its focus to the sanctuary holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims.  Those familiar with BAR or Shank's previous work on Jerusalem will find the format familiar: easy-to-read text saturated with gorgeous photographs and captions that summarize the main points.  The 200-page work travels in reverse chronological order, as an archaeologist would excavate a tell, even though the Temple Mount is not a tell and has never been excavated.

Shanks is not an archaeologist, but he does what has always done so well: summarize the work of the experts in laymen's terms.  His perspective tends toward the maximalist and Zionist side, and accordingly his goals include showing the abundance of evidence for a Jewish temple before the Arab conquest and in agreement with the biblical descriptions.

Nearly everyone can learn from and enjoy this book, no matter how much you know about Jerusalem.  Shanks presents an interesting array of information from the later periods (Arab and Byzantine) as well as from the biblical ages.  An example of something new concerns the massive cracked column in the Russian Compound.  Most have thought that this was for Herod's Royal Stoa, but Shanks reports that two leading archaeologists have told him they believe it was intended for the Nea Church 500 years later.  He cites Ehud Netzer in suggesting that the Royal Stoa was built by Herod as a place of his own.  Shank's blend of biblical texts, other historical sources, and archaeological insights is commendable.

The weakness of the book, surprisingly, is in the editing.  Normally meticulous in this area, Shanks makes a number of grammatical errors, the most egregious of which is the misspelling of Jerusalem (p. 103).  In several places, the flow of thought seemed disconnected.  Sometimes the author wanders from his topic, as in his discussion of how many commandments there are in the Ten Commandments (p. 165).  Though he strongly argues for the existence of the Temple, he denies the existence of the Tabernacle, a conclusion with which I cannot agree.  Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Jerusalem.

One of the best Bible software programs for the PC is BibleWorks 7.  If you're only interested in reading the Bible and doing simple searches, this program is more than you need.  But those who know, or plan to learn, the original languages will find a wealth of capabilities available at lightning speed.  The powerful "Copy Center" makes it fast and easy to copy and paste multiple translations - any number, any versions - in a single click.  This would have saved me a lot of time on a recent study.  The right-click context menus are also easy to use.  If you're still learning Greek and Hebrew (or haven't started yet), the built-in flashcard module has plenty of options which makes it easy to quiz yourself.  At $350, the program is not inexpensive, but browsing through the list of works included in the copyright list will make you wonder how the software can cost so little.

Version 7 added a map module, and BibleWorks sent me a review copy of the program to evaluate this new feature.  I love the integration of the map module; simply right-click on a site name and choose "Lookup in BibleWorks Maps" to get a list of relevant maps to open.  Teachers will find this a handy way to access a map while in the middle of a course without having to use other software.  The module includes a variety of terrains that you can load, including Landsat data, and some are more aesthetically pleasing than others.  Unfortunately, the map data has significant shortcomings; it reminds me more of a beta program.  BibleWorks has a major revision of the map module underway which I expect will solve many of the labeling problems.  One problem that exists with both the map module and the program in general is that while the documentation is extensive, the features are not always intuitive.  This means the happiest user will be the one who reads first and plays second.  If you never read any of the documentation, you'll probably miss many of the features and spend too much time in frustration.  Would I recommend the program?  Absolutely.  Would I recommend its purchase primarily for the map module?  Not yet.  With their policy of free upgrades within a version, any existing user will be able to download all of the updates as they are released.

February isn't my favorite month for traveling around Israel because of the colder weather and more frequent storms.  But one natural feature that is better at this time of year than any other is the waterfalls.  Following the winter rains and the beginning of the snowmelt, the streams are running at full strength.  Besides the photos below, some impressive waterfalls include Gamla Waterfall (the highest in the country), Deborah Waterfall, Saar Falls, and several in the Nahal Yehudiyah and Nahal Iyon.