Todd Bolen, Author at BiblePlaces.com

Limited Offer: 2011 Calendar

Over the last decade, BiblePlaces has contributed photos to many calendars, but we think that the 2011 “Lands of the Bible” calendar is our favorite one yet. Orange Circle Studio is a leading calendar publisher and they chose some of our favorite pictures to brighten our days through the next year. Every month has two photographs for these scenic sites:

Capernaum
Garden Tomb
Michmash
Nile River
Beth Shean
En Gedi
Jordan River
Dead Sea
Dome of the Rock
Sea of Galilee
Herodium

I have made special arrangements to purchase a limited number at an excellent price. A large 12” by 12” wall calendar is not inexpensive to ship, but shipping charges are already included in these prices:

1 calendar: $12 (retail $14)
2 calendars: $21 (retail $28)
3 calendars: $29 (retail $42)
4 calendars: $37 (retail $56)
5 calendars: $45 (retail $70)

We could have raised the prices and threw in a 20% off coupon, but we didn’t. These are absolutely rock-bottom prices. We have less than 150 left and when they are gone, they are gone.

You can see more about the calendar (with sample images) here, but the discount prices listed above are available only at BiblePlaces.com.

Tagged Opportunities

Samaritan Synagogue Discovered near Beth Shean

From the Israel Antiquities Authority:

According to Dr. Walid Atrash and Mr. Ya’aqov Harel, directors of the excavation for the Israel Antiquities Authority, “The discovery of another Samaritan synagogue in the agricultural hinterland south of Bet She’an supplements our existing knowledge about the Samaritan population in this period. It seems that the structures uncovered there were built at the end of the fifth century CE and they continued to exist until the eve of the Muslim conquest in 634 CE, when the Samaritans abandoned the complex. The synagogue that is currently being revealed played an important part in the lives of the farmers who inhabited the surrounding region, and it served as a center of the spiritual, religious and social life there. In the Byzantine period (fourth century CE) Bet She’an became an important Samaritan center under the leadership of Baba Rabbah, at which time the Samaritans were granted national sovereignty and were free to decide their own destiny. This was the case until the end of the reign of Emperor Justinian, when the Samaritans revolted against the government. The rebellion was put down and the Samaritans ceased to exist as a nation”.
The building that was exposed consisted of a rectangular hall (5 x 8 meters), the front of which faces southwest, toward Mount Gerizim, which is sacred to Samaritans. Five rectangular recesses were built in the walls of the prayer hall in which wooden benches were probably installed. The floor of the hall was a colorful mosaic, decorated with a geometric pattern. In the center of the mosaic is a Greek inscription, of which a section of its last line was revealed:

T[]OUTON NEWN
meaning “This is the temple”.

The full press release and four high-resolution photos are available here (temporary link).

Samaritan synagogue and farmstead. Photograph: SKYVIEW, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Samaritan synagogue inscription: “This is the temple.” Photograph courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Tagged Discoveries, Samaria

Ritmeyer on the American Colony Photo Collection

Leen Ritmeyer writes:

I felt like a kid in a candy store when I viewed the “American Colony and Eric Matson Collection” of more than 4,000 photographs of sites and scenes from Palestine (as Israel was called then), Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt. My attention was immediately drawn to Volume 2: The Temple Mount and it was exciting to see pictures of views that cannot be seen anymore or of places that are now inaccessible. I have been in most of the underground places on the Temple Mount, such as the Golden Gate, the Double and Triple Gate passages and Solomon’s Stables, but was never able to enter the interior of Barclay’s Gate. It was therefore fascinating to see pictures taken in the 1940′s of the interior and see the views which I only knew from the survey drawings of Charles Warren. Each photograph is described by Tom Powers and his comments are very helpful.

You can read the rest here. You can purchase the entire collection of 4,000 high-resolution images for only $99 here. You can download for free the Temple Mount photos that Ritmeyer mentions here.

Tagged American Colony Photos

The Sacrificial Lamb

Today is Yom Kippur, the most holy day of the biblical calendar, and the day when atonement was made for the sin of the nation (Lev 16:1-34; 23:26-32). Jews all over the world observe this day by afflicting themselves through fasting. Christians generally ignore this day, with the result that they have less understanding of and less appreciation for what Jesus did on the cross.

A good start to remedy this failure is by watching the video that SourceFlix released today. In just nine minutes, they show the need for a sacrifice, the death of an animal, and the fulfillment in Jesus.

The video is well-produced and it avoids showing the most graphic scenes. I have been teaching through the book of Isaiah and this comes just in time for me to help the class better understand the imagery of chapter 53. I also envision using this video for teaching about Passover.

I recommend that you watch it, show your kids, and tell your friends. For the ancient Israelites and those who stood at the foot of the cross, the concept of a sacrificial lamb was not words on a page.

Tagged Samaria

Greek Goddess Found in Byzantine Hippos

A wall painting of the Greek goddess of fortune was discovered in excavations this season at Hippos (Sussita). From the Jerusalem Post:

A wall painting (fresco) of Tyche, the Greek goddess of fortune, was exposed during the 11th season of excavation at the Sussita site, on the east shore of the Sea of Galilee, according to a University of Haifa statement released Thursday.
During the season of excavation, which was conducted by researchers of the University of Haifa, another female figure was found, of a maenad, one of the companions of the wine god Dionysus.
“It is interesting to see that although the private residence in which two goddesses were found was in existence during the Byzantine period, when Christianity negated and eradicated idolatrous cults, one can still find clear evidence of earlier beliefs,” said Prof. Arthur Segal and Dr. Michael Eisenberg of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa, who headed the excavation.

The story continues here. You can see several enlargeable photos here.

HT: Joe Lauer

Tagged Discoveries, Galilee

Picturesque Palestine: Some Answers

Some have had questions or difficulties in taking advantage of the special offer for Picturesque Palestine. To that end, we have just posted some answers.

Tagged Resources