Todd Bolen, Author at BiblePlaces.com

Bethsaida Excavations 2007

This year’s excavations at Bethsaida (et-Tell) are mentioned in a brief news report in today’s Caspari Center Media Review.

This season’s excavations have come to an end at Bethesda, with new findings related to the Iron Age gate of the city as well as the plaza in front of it. According to Dr. Rami Arav, the excavation’s director, “In the area next to the gate, we found parts of the main street that led into the city from the gate. On this paved road, from the ninth century B.C.E., we plan to lead visitors to the site from the gate.”

I haven’t seen any other reports, but you can read week-by-week summaries of excavation at the www.bethsaidaexcavation.com website. Go here for the 2007 reports.

My friends at SourceFlix Productions have just finished a 3-minute video in which they interview various archaeologists on site to answer the question, “Is the Bible relevant for archaeology in Israel?” If you don’t know the answer to that question, or if you’d just like to hear from some of the best archaeologists working in the Holy Land, take a look. Among those interviewed are Amihai Mazar, Amnon Ben-Tor, Aren Maier, and Gabriel Barkay.

Tagged Resources

Renovation of Israel Museum

The archaeology wing of the Israel Museum closed earlier this year for renovations, and today the New York Times has a good article (with photos) on the $80 million plan to improve the entire campus.

The project involves about 80,000 square feet of new buildings and about 200,000 square feet of renovation and renewal, mostly in the galleries. The new buildings, airy but modest glass structures with ceramic louvers to deflect and tame the sun, are designed to respect the Mansfeld grid and aesthetic. But they will also provide a sense of transparency and illumination, especially at night, making the museum more welcoming. The new entrance will fit neatly into a block of the existing sprawl, about two-thirds of the way up the promenade. It not only will shorten the hike but will guide visitors to a central concourse from which all the main galleries can be reached, providing a clear sense of geography. The renovation incorporates a flat, climate-controlled path for those who cannot or choose not to take the old steep promenade.

The project is scheduled to be finished in 2009. The NY Times article will cost after about 2 weeks, so if you’re interested, read it now.

Tagged Jerusalem

Ancient Church in Tiberias Uncovered

In my opinion, one of the most interesting cities historically in Israel is Tiberias. It might surprise some then that all I ever do with students in Tiberias is buy them lunch. Until recently, there have not been significant ancient discoveries to visit. Current excavations should change this in the coming years, as the results of these projects are opened to the public. One such discovery was announced this week: a 4th or early 5th century church. This was the time period when Tiberias was a thriving center of Jewish learning, as the so-called “Jerusalem Talmud” was being written/codified in the city at this time. Discoveries like this could help us to better understand the relationship between Jews and Christians in the Byzantine/Talmudic period.

The church’s remains were discovered adjacent to ancient public buildings among them a basilica, bathhouse, streets and shops that were exposed at the site in the past. Dr. Moshe Hartal and Edna Amos, the directors of the excavation on behalf of the Antiquities Authority, stated that this is the most ancient church to be uncovered in Tiberias and the only one that has been found in the center of the city.
According to Dr. Hartal, from the year 427 CE the Church issued a decree prohibiting the placement of crosses in mosaic floors in order to prevent them from being stepped on. “The presence of so many crosses in the floors of the church that was exposed here thus confirms the church dates to the period prior to the ban,” he said.
In addition, the remains of a Jewish neighborhood that dates to the tenth-eleventh centuries were discovered in the excavations. These remains extend up to the foot of the cliff in the high part of the city, in an area that was probably residential in nature.
“The discovery of the remains of the church in the middle of the ancient city, like that of the Jewish neighborhood and the magnificent city that existed in Tiberias more than one thousand years ago, greatly contributes to our understanding of the town planning, its scope and it structures,” archaeologists on behalf of the Antiquities Authority said.

The story in the “Scoop” has more information, including a photograph and partial translation of an inscription in the mosaic floor.

Recent excavations in Tiberias

Tagged Discoveries

The Sacred Abridgement

One of my favorite books on my favorite subject is The Sacred Bridge: Carta’s Atlas of the Biblical World. I’ve hoped to do a short review of it here, but I haven’t had the necessary time yet. I used the book last semester as a required text for a course I taught, but the problem with it is the cost. $100 may be standard for a chemistry textbook, but it’s hard on Christian college students who are used to paying much less. Thus the announcement of a shorter and cheaper version is welcome:

Carta’s New Century Handbook and Atlas of the Bible: Abridgement of The Sacred Bridge
by Anson F. Rainey and R. Steven Notley

Carta, Jerusalem, Forthcoming, November 2007

280 pages + full color illustrations and maps, English

Cloth, 9 x 12 inches

Your Price: $50.00

In some cases, shorter is better and I think this will be one. For most students, The Sacred Bridge is really over their heads. It’s sometimes over my head, and rarely is too basic for me. Thus I am guessing that most students will find the abridged version sufficient for their needs.

Just to be clear, there are many things in this book that I disagree with. If you’re looking for something more conservative, try the NIV Atlas of the Bible, by Carl Rasmussen or the Moody Atlas of Bible Lands, by Barry Beitzel. But the advanced version is The Sacred Bridge or its abridgement.

UPDATE (8/8): Not everyone reads the comments, so I’ll just note that the chairman of Carta has commented below that they are nearing publication of a new atlas by Paul H. Wright, In His Image: Carta’s Atlas of Biblical Geography. Wright is the director of the Jerusalem University College.

Tagged Resources

Audio Tours of Jerusalem

JerusaleMP3.com has some audio and video tours of the city. They seem to be about 4 minutes in length (contrary to one place that suggested 2-4 hours). You have to register on the site first with an email address, and it doesn’t seem to work with the Firefox browser. But there seems to be some interesting and informative tours here for those who want to know more about the Holy City. Tour-man.com seems to be the producer of these resources, though the site is connected to the Municipality of Jerusalem.

Tagged Jerusalem

Bethsaida Excavations 2007

Archaeologists and the Bible

Renovation of Israel Museum

Ancient Church in Tiberias Uncovered

The Sacred Abridgement

Audio Tours of Jerusalem