BiblePlaces Newsletter
Vol 7, #1 -
February 14, 2008
News about biblical sites, excavations, and controversies never seems to stop, even if it's cold and rainy (or snowy) in the Holy Land.
Usually excavations run in the summer, but on-going excavations in the
City of David have been covered in several stories of late, including a
dramatic publication of an ancient seal - once thought to belong to one
person in the Bible and now said to possibly be related to a different
person. Debates over archaeological interpretation and trials of
alleged forgers continue as well. Keep reading for links to recent
stories of interest.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.
Todd Bolen
Editor, BiblePlaces.com
News from the BiblePlaces Blog...
Study Trip in Jordan - the best way I know of to see the land on
the other side of the river...
Excavations and Politics in the City of David - one reporter
attempts to explain the real purpose of archaeological
excavations in Jerusalem...![](img/bloglogo2.png)
Forgery Trial Update - the pace of this trial against Oded Golan
and Robert Deutsch for allegedly forging the inscription on the James
Ossuary and other items reminds one of the pace of the trial of the 9/11
masterminds...
Mazar: Seal of Temah Reading Wrong - an inscribed seal found in
excavations of the City of David probably doesn't say Temah as Eilat
Mazar originally claimed...
Eight Inches of Snow in Jerusalem - lots of snow fell over a
couple of days at the end of January...
New Western Wall Tunnel Approved - this is a tunnel that will
connect the "rabbinic tunnels" with the site of a historic synagogue...
Glass Mosaic from Caesarea Revealed - a beautiful glass mosaic
found at the "Bird Palace" and dating to A.D. 600 was unveiled...
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Gath Hepher, the hometown of the
prophet Jonah, from the southeast |
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Recent Excavations and Jonah - a great place to find
professional summaries of recent archaeological projects in Israel...
Tomb of Jesus, Last Time - the filmmaker who tried to make a
fortune by claiming that he found Jesus' tomb gave it one more try at
hoodwinking the public...
"David's Palace" and Contrary Opinions - if you like
controversy and can handle a little stratigraphic analysis, you can read
the latest in the debate over the date of a building Mazar has
identified as "David's Palace"...
Understanding Ancient Israel (Free PDF) - if you're like me and
your favorite words are "free" and "ancient Israel," then you won't want
to miss downloading the chapters of this $71 book in restricted pdf
format...
Excavation Opportunities in 2008 - links to places where you can
dig a hole in the ground this summer, with my recommendations...
And more...
Recommended Book:
Jerusalem's Temple Mount
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.
Recommended Software :
BibleWorks 7
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.
Featured BiblePlaces Photos:
Waterfalls of Israel
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.
Each photo is linked to a higher-resolution
version which may be used freely for personal and educational purposes.
Commercial use requires separate permission. These photos are also
available for download in a
PowerPoint file
(2.1 MB). For more
high-quality, high-resolution photographs and illustrations of biblical
sites, purchase the
Pictorial Library of
Bible Lands or the
Historic Views of
the Holy Land collections. |