Todd Bolen, Author at BiblePlaces.com

Holy Sepulcher Edicule, Restored but Now in Danger of Collapse

The iron cage holding together the edicule built over the traditional tomb of Jesus has been removed in time for the Easter celebrations, but now scientists are warning that the structure is in danger of collapsing because the foundation is built on rubble. From Daily Mail:

The team that led the recent restoration work said the foundations are so shaky that they could suddenly give way. ‘When it fails, the failure will not be a slow process, but catastrophic,’ Antonia Moropoulou, from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), told National Geographic. […] Parts of the Edicule rest on steep and sloping bedrock was once the site of an ancient quarry, and the foundation mortar of the tomb has crumbled after decades of moisture exposure. The survey also pinpointed secret tunnels and channels that run directly beneath the Edicule. […] But the researchers are now calling for another $6.5million (£5.2million) to fix the fractured foundations surrounding the Edicule. They plan to remove the precarious stone paving surrounding the Edicule and excavate the 1,000-foot site underneath to install new sewage and rainwater drainage.

The article includes more of the history of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and many great photos from today’s unveiling.

Tagged Jerusalem, Tomb of Jesus

Conference: Jesus in His Context

I’ve recommended this before, but I wanted to do so again before the early bird price ends in a few weeks. The three-day conference is being held in Zeeland, Michigan on June 12-14. You can see the faculty and conference schedule here. I expect it will be a unique conference, with lots of discussion-provoking presentations about fascinating details in the Gospels. I look forwarding to seeing some old friends and meeting others for the first time. You can register here.

Tagged Lectures

The Longest Stone in the Temple Mount

Those interested in the Temple Mount in Jerusalem are probably aware that the largest stone is visible on a tour of the “Western Wall Tunnels.” This massive monolith is located just south of Warren’s Gate and measures 43.4 feet (13.55 m) long. There is, however, a longer stone that was discovered only recently.

Western Wall with largest Herodian stone, tb123109463

Largest (known) stone in the Temple Mount

In Eilat Mazar’s survey of The Walls of the Temple Mount (reviewed here), she identified an even longer stone, and it has been seen by dozens of archaeologists and thousands of visitors for many years without its significance being realized.

The longest stone in the Temple Mount is in the photo below. Can you spot it?

The pier of Robinson’s Arch

Eilat Mazar determined that the second course of Robinson’s Arch is actually a single stone. The break in the middle is simply a crack in a single stone, not the division between two stones. This stone beats out the other by 2.2 feet (0.7 m), measuring 45.6 feet (14.27 m) long. It is not nearly as tall, so the other retains its title as the largest.

Robinson's Arch from west, tb050312430-labeled

The pier of Robinson’s Arch with the longest stone identified

A final note: I learned about this discovery when preparing an essay for the recently released Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Gospels, edited by Barry J. Beitzel. That essay,
“Magnificent Stones and Wonderful Buildings of the Temple Complex,” provides more interesting details about the construction of the Temple and its surrounding structures. This commentary is included with purchase of a Logos 7 base package (silver and up). I plan to say more about this excellent work in the future. In the meantime, there’s a preview here, more details here, and a discussion group here.

I’m told they plan to release the volume as a standalone digital work, with hopefully a printed book to follow.

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem, Temple Mount

Weekend Roundup

Archaeologists have discovered a Crusader ship that wrecked in the harbor of Acco.

A replica of a 2,500-year-old ship discovered at Ma’agan Michael launched yesterday from Haifa.

That colossus they recently dug up belongs not to Ramses II, but to Psamtik (Psammetichus) I of the 26th Dynasty.

High-tech imaging is revealing the text of erased and recycled parchments at St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai.

Carl Rasmussen has visited the Archaeology Museum of Nazareth and shares photos of Crusader capitals that depict scenes from the New Testament.

Philippe Bohstrom considers the problem of diving thieves who are looting antiquities from the ocean floor.

The Huis Marseille Museum of Photography in Amsterdam is hosting a spring exhibition about 19th-century photography in Egypt.

A World of Emotions: Ancient Greece, 700 BC – 200 AD has opened at the Onassis Cultural Center in New York.

The founder of Elad, the City of David Foundation, has been awarded the 2017 Israel Prize.

You can get caught up on what happened in the Gezer excavations last year by watching a 16-minute video.

How do you do math in Roman numerals?

After a successful fundraiser and launch of the initial episodes of “Following the Messiah,” Appian Media kicked off a new campaign to raise funds to complete the series. In the first few days, they’ve already raised more than half of their goal. You can pitch in here.

Jodi Magness will be lecturing on “The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls” at William Jessup University on March 23. You can register here.

This week’s program on The Book and the Spade is an interview with Clyde Billington entitled, “Dead Sea Scrolls and the Sinai Inscription.”

Wayne Stiles is leading a trip to Israel this fall and there’s an early-bird discount if you sign up soon.

HT: Ted Weis, Charles Savelle, Agade, Joseph Lauer, Paleojudaica

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Egypt, Galilee, Israel's Coast, Jerusalem, Lectures, Museums, New Exhibits, Shephelah, Technology, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

A new McDonalds in Italy incorporates a 150-foot section of Roman road that dates to the 1st or 2nd centuries BC.

Film footage from excavations of Nineveh in the late 1920s and early 1930s has been digitized by the Royal Asiatic Society.

Carl Rasmussen asks if the house of Jesus has been found in Nazareth.

Shmuel Browns provides the history of Naharayim and its short-lived hydroelectric plant. Naharayim gets its name from the junction of two rivers: the Jordan and the Yarmuk.

Israel’s Good Name took a walking tour of the abandoned village of Lifta and shares many photos.

John DeLancey, director of Biblical Israel Ministries & Tours, is now offering a “Physical Settings of the Bible” weekend seminar for local churches.

Aren Maeir has posted the schedule for this week’s conference at Tel Aviv University entitled, “From
Nomadism to Monarchy? ‘The Archaeology of the Settlement Period’—30 Years Later.”

The director of the Met has apparently been forced to resign.

ASOR’s March Fellowship Madness is underway and they are only $5,300 short of their $50,000
goal.

The Associates for Biblical Research have a $10,000 matching gift for the Shiloh Excavations for donations made this month.

We post a photo and verse/caption every weekday on Facebook, Twitter, and now Instagram. If you’re on any of those, we invite you to follow us.

HT: Explorator, Joseph Lauer, Agade

Tagged Galilee, Italy, Jerusalem, Jordan Rift, Lectures, Mesopotamia, Movies, Museums

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

Archaeologists have excavated a dolmen on the Golan Heights that is unique because of its large size and artistic decorations. The capstone weighs about 50 tons. You can watch a 2-minute video here.

Two large pharaonic statues, believed to be from the 19th dynasty, have been found near the ruins of Ramses II’s temple in Heliopolis. Zahi Hawass has responded to criticism of the rescue work.

Haaretz (premium): “The long-lost wreck of a Crusader ship and sunken cargos dating to the 13th century C.E. have been found in the bay of the crusader stronghold city Acre, in northern Israel.”

The Sea of Galilee is at its lowest level in a century, and it’s only March.

Here’s a short video of the Assyrian palace remains beneath the destroyed Tomb of Jonah.

Jordan’s Department of Antiquities has announced that the lead codices discovered in 2010 have “not been proven to be authentic so far.” James Davila provides a good review of why he (and others) rejects their authenticity.

The New York Times offers a guide to “make the most of the British Museum,” including sections on

“5 Must-Sees,” “Off the Beaten Path,” and “Tips for Visiting.”

The Grand Egyptian Museum is scheduled to open in the middle of next year.

ISD has a sale on two multi-volume archaeology works: The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Archaeology, ed. Daniel M. Master (was $395; now $150); ~~The Oxford Companion to Archaeology~~~~, ed. Neil Asher Silberman (was $595; now $99;~~ sold out?).

The new Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible is for sale on Kindle now for $3.99.

Purim begins at sundown. You might want to grab the kids and read them the book of Esther. Or check out the Maccabeats’ interpretation.

HT: Explorator, Joseph Lauer, Agade, Ted Weis, Charles Savelle, Bill Soper

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Forgery, Galilee, Golan, Holidays, Israel's Coast, Mesopotamia, Museums, Resources