Todd Bolen, Author at BiblePlaces.com

Weekend Roundup

The recent snowfall in Jerusalem was the heaviest December storm since 1953. Haaretz has the latest.

Where is Mount Sinai in Arabia (Galatians 4:25)? This is the final article in Gordon Franz’s series challenging the arguments of Robert Cornuke.

Can you trace the presence of God on earth throughout history? Wayne Stiles begins with the Garden of Eden and the tabernacle and goes from there.

Emek Shaveh posts some details on the forthcoming seven-story visitors’ center to be constructed in the Givati parking lot below the Dung Gate of Jerusalem. (Scroll down for the English version.)

The Cyrus Cylinder is wrapping up its tour of the U.S. and heading for India.

Miriam Feinberg Vamosh describes life for the wealthy in New Testament times.

Ferrell Jenkins reviews the new Zondervan Essential Atlas of the Bible.

David Livingston, founder of the Associates for Biblical Research, died recently. In honor of his life,
ABR has posted an issue of Bible and Spade devoted to his years of service.

Ferrell Jenkins asks, If not Tell Hesbân, where is Heshbon?

The National Museum of Iraq remains closed to the public. This is one Iraqi journalist’s tale of trying to get an explanation.

Wayne Stiles recommends the Top 5 Gifts for Bible Lands Study.

HT: Joseph Lauer, Jack Sasson

Tagged Egypt, Jerusalem, Jordan, Mesopotamia, Museums, Resources, Weather, Weekend Roundup

Two Major Snow Storms in Jerusalem

With a foot of snow on the ground already, Jerusalem is bracing for a weekend storm that is estimated to be triple the size of the last one. The city’s mayor, Nir Barkat, said that that the city is facing “a battle against a rare storm, the likes of which we have never seen.” Some highways are closed and residents are being urged to stay home. From the Jerusalem Post:

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the next storm will likely strike in the early evening and last throughout tomorrow. “There are still hundreds of abandoned cars to deal with and it will be closed again during the next storm,” he said. “Police units are working to secure the city and will make patrols throughout the storm.”
Sprung added that residents and visitors should not leave their homes and are asked to check on and assist disabled and elderly neighbors.
“We need everyone to stay off the roads, secure their homes and wait until this next storm passes tomorrow,” she said.
[…]
Some 2,000 stranded motorists in the capital and on the highways leading to the city were rescued by police, IDF and Border Police forces.
[…]
We are currently using all means available to save the people stuck in the storm. Only after the weather calms will we be able to open all of the roadways in the city,” Barkat said Friday morning, adding that the city was facing “a battle against a rare storm, the likes of which we have never seen.”

The story includes more details and 8 photos of the recent storm. For scenic shots of Jerusalem in the snow some years ago, see our page here.

Photo of the Judean wilderness from the Mount of Olives
Photo from the Jerusalem volume

Tagged Jerusalem, Weather

Deal Signed To Replenish Dead Sea

From The Washington Post:

On Monday, Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority agreed on an ambitious plan to begin refilling the ancient salt lake with briny water pumped from the Red Sea — and relieve local shortages of fresh water at the same time.
In the first stage of what could become a massive joint initiative, private investors will be asked to finance construction of a large desalination plant in Jordan, on the Gulf of Aqaba. The plant would suck billions of gallons from the Red Sea and convert it to drinking water that would be shared by Israel and Jordan. Israel, in turn, would increase the amount of water it sells to the Palestinian Authority by as much as 30 million cubic meters a year.
Billions of gallons of “reject brine” — essentially, super-salty water created by the desalination process — would be pumped via a new, 100-mile pipeline and discharged into the Dead Sea, in quantities hoped to be large enough to buy some time and slow the lake’s disappearance.
[…]
Much about the project remains to be worked out. Bids from private investors will be solicited next year, with estimated construction costs for the plant and pipeline running anywhere from $500 million to about $1 billion. The sensitive issue of fees for the water and the exact routing of the pipeline remain to be negotiated.
The first drop of brine would probably not be deposited into the Dead Sea before 2017.

Such a project has been discussed for many years, but this is the first agreement that I am aware has been signed. The Washington Post includes more details, background, and a map of the area. For more general info and photos on the Dead Sea, see this page.

Dead Sea view of lake from above PEF Marker, tb011703401

View of Dead Sea from approximate level of water 100 years ago
Photo from Judah and the Dead Sea

Tagged Dead Sea

Weekend Roundup

Robert Deutsch is suing the Israel Antiquities Authority for $3 million.

Leen Ritmeyer points to a Washington Post article and detailed graphic of the Temple Mount.

Seth Rodriquez shares an animated map that shows who controlled the Middle East from 3000 BC to present.

The story of Eilat Mazar’s discovery of gold coins and medallion near the Temple Mount and how she kept it secret is recounted by Israel HaYom.

The Egyptian Museum is open, but King Tut is all alone, according to an update in the Washington Post.

The first winter storm in Israel brought snow to Mount Hermon and a rise in the level of the Sea of Galilee.

HT: Jack Sasson

Graphic from The Washington Post

Tagged Egypt, Forgery, Museums, Resources, Temple Mount, Weather, Weekend Roundup

Jewish-Christian Conflict on Mount Zion

The Caspari Center Media Review summarizes a recent report in Maariv on antagonism between Jews and Christians on Mount Zion.

The area surrounding King David’s tomb on Mount Zion has become a conflict zone between Christians and Jews, reports Ari Galhar. The monks from Dormition Abbey, which is adjacent to the tomb, claim that the Jews who frequent the place “spit on priests and nuns, spray-paint graffiti on the walls, stand in front of the church and curse the Christians, calling out ‘Death to Christians and Jesus is a monkey,’ and hold events on Saturday evenings with loud music.” The Jews, on the other hand, claim that a secretary and priest from the Abbey, both from Germany, “harass the Jews in that place for anti-Semitic reasons, especially because of the priest’s German background.” They also claim that Christians removed two mezuzot from the entrance to the tomb and also removed prayers books, which they then threw away “in order to hurt us.” An effort has been made to mediate between the two sides in recent weeks. One mediator explains that much of the blame can be placed on both Jewish and Christian delinquent youth who have been stirring up trouble on purpose. The church held a special meeting on Monday with representatives from the president’s office, the mayor’s office, the Ministry of Interior, and the police, where they expressed their grievances. According to the mayor’s office, the next step will be to hold a similar meeting with the Jews who frequent the tomb.

Passageway leading to David’s Tomb from Dormition Abbey
Photo from Jerusalem volume

Tagged Jerusalem

Hasmonean Building Discovered in City of David

The holiday of Hanukkah is an appropriate time to announce the discovery of a Hasmonean-period building in Jerusalem. The structure is located in the Central Valley just south of the Dung Gate in the former Givati parking lot. The Israel Antiquities Authority describes the find in a press release.

In recent months remains of an impressive building from the Hasmonean period (second century BCE) are being unearthed in excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is directing in the Giv‘ati parking lot, located in the City of David in the Walls Around Jerusalem National Park. The excavations are sponsored by the “Friends of City of David”.
The building stands c. 4 meters high and covers an area of c. 64 sq. m. The building’s broad walls (more than one meter thick) are made of roughly hewn limestone blocks that were arranged as headers and stretchers, a construction method characteristic of the Hasmonean period.
Although numerous pottery vessels were discovered inside the building, it was mainly the coins that surprised the researchers. These indicated the structure was erected in the early second century BCE and continued into the Hasmonean period, during which time significant changes were made inside it.
According to Dr. Doron Ben Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets, the excavation directors on behalf to the Israel Antiquities Authority, “The importance of this discovery is primarily because of the conspicuous paucity of buildings from the Hasmonean city of Jerusalem in archaeological research, despite the many excavations that have been conducted to date. Apart from several remains of the city’s fortifications that were discovered in different parts of Jerusalem, as well as pottery and other small finds, none of the Hasmonean city’s buildings have been uncovered so far, and this discovery bridges a certain gap in Jerusalem’s settlement sequence. The Hasmonean city, which is well-known to us from the historical descriptions that appear in the works of Josephus, has suddenly acquired tangible expression”.

The story is also reported by Arutz-7 and Israel HaYom.

We’ve reported on excavations at this same area many times in the past:

Feb 2012: New Visitor Center Approved for City of David (with 2 photos)
Aug 2010: Cameo Stone Discovered in Jerusalem’s Central Valley
Sept 2009: Petition Against City of David Excavations Rejected
Aug 2009: Roman Building Excavated in City of David
Jan 2009: Roman Figurine Discovered in Jerusalem
Dec 2008: 264 Gold Coins Found in City of David
Nov 2008: Beautiful Earring Found in Jerusalem
Aug 2008: City of David Excavation Report (with photo)
Dec 2007: Palace of Queen Helena Found? (with aerial photo)

Hasmonean period building uncovered in Jerusalem

Hasmonean building in Jerusalem.
Photo by Assaf Peretz, courtesy Israel Antiquities Authority.

Jerusalem from the southwest Click photograph for higher-resolution version.

UPDATE (12/4): Eric Welch has sent this photo taken at the excavations during the summer.

Excavations in Givati parking lot. The three chambers in the foreground correspond with the chambers on the right side of the top photo.

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Jerusalem