See the press release below.  The theory is several decades old, and few, if any, scholars hold to his view which places the Temple significantly north of the Dome of the Rock.

The Temple Mount: Where is the Holy of Holies? by Asher Kaufman, Ph.D.

Tuesday Evening, June 19, 2007; Lecture in English (there will be no Hebrew translation).  Location: Jerusalem Menachem Begin Heritage Center (near the junction of King David and Emek Refaim). 

Lecture starts promptly at 8:30pm and will finish with questions and answers at 10:30pm.  Doors open at 7:30 pm; Cost: 20 NIS per person, payable at the door.  This lecture is being sponsored and filmed by the Israel Media and Global Education Network TV (IMAGENET.TV)  Dr. Kaufman will be making his book available for sale.

Dr. Kaufman was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He received his training in physics, earning a Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh. In the 1950’s he was engaged in nuclear fusion research. In 1959, he made aliyah to take up an academic appointment in the physics department of the Hebrew University (now the Racah Institute of Physics). Dr. Kaufman is currently Honorary Research Fellow, the College of Judea and Samaria and Emeritus Professor, the Hebrew University. His latest work, The Temple Mount: Where is the Holy of Holies was published in 2004 by Har Yera’eh Press, Jerusalem.  The reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 was an electrifying event in Jewish history. For the first time in nearly 2,000 years, the Old city of Jerusalem came under Jewish sovereignty. Now with free access to the Temple Mount, Kaufman and others unknown to him at the time, were spurred on to find the pearl of Jerusalem archeological research-the location of the ancient Temple.

At first, Kaufman played with the idea of trying to fit the sanctified outer court of the Second Temple within the larger area of the Temple Mount. Later, as he perused further the ancient text of tractate Middot, he came across the passage mentioning the conduit that led from the Altar conveying sacrificial blood into the Qidron Valley. As a physicist, he suggested that sensitive physico-chemical methods could perhaps be used to detect blood remains. This idea transformed him from a plasma physicist into an investigator of the Temple.

As a research project, the blood approach was replaced by another, the red heifer ceremony (Numbers Chapter 19). Within a half a year, Kaufman, fond of measurement, was sure that he had located the Second Temple to within about a meter. His book presents an unusual combination of ancient Jewish texts and Josephus’ writings with the scientific method applied to archeological objects discovered on the Temple Mount. The research has led him to the discovery of the Foundation Stone and the architectural plan of the Temple sited on the Temple Mount. Kaufman’s scientific research offers each of us some fresh thoughts in light of a very old issue: Where is the Holy of Holies?

A commenter on the previous post noted that Logos Bible Software also offers a package of electronic works on archaeology. For an extra $125 (total: $400), the Logos collection also includes Biblical Archaeologist, Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land (ed. A. Negev), and a few others. Biblical Archaeologist includes 60 years (1938-1998) and normally sells for about $120. The Archaeological Encyclopedia is an older edition (earlier even than the current 2001 edition), but still useful. The other works (need I comment on “Photos from the Holy Land“?) are not significant. One other advantage of this offer is that it doesn’t seem to have an expiration date.
UPDATE (6/9): Interesting timing here, as days after this anonymous commenter (Logos employee?) mentions the set, it is featured in the Logos newsletter. The price is still $400, but I feel compelled to address this prominent claim:

If you ever use visual aids for your sermons and lessons and include images to enhance or illustrate your text – you will love The Ultimate Archaeology Collection.

That statement is false. I think there are many good reasons to purchase the collections, but the pictures is not one of them. Many people have told me this, and I have observed it myself. I use thousands of pictures from multiple sources in teaching various courses on the Bible and archaeology, but I don’t use these pictures.

From the Yardenit baptismal site:

And yes, Hawaii Pidgin is a real  language.  One of my students last semester was a native and spoke like the sign above.

Rejoice Christian Software is offering the complete set of CDs from the Biblical Archaeology Society for $275 (reg. $475) until June 15.  This includes:

• Biblical Archaeology Review: The Archive (1975-2005) CD-ROM
• Bible Review: The Complete Archive (1985-2005) CD-ROM
• Biblical World in Pictures Enhanced Edition CD-ROM
• Archaeology Odyssey: The Complete Archive (1998-2006) CD-ROM

My opinion, for what it’s worth, is that the first and last items listed above are great.  I’ve never been a fan of Bible Review because it was so liberal (now defunct).  The Biblical World in Pictures looks promising based on the list of photos, particularly artifacts, listed, but the quality of the images is poor.  If you want everything and don’t yet have it, this is the best price you’re likely to find.  You can purchase it here.  I couldn’t find a direct link to all of the above online, so I’m including below the details directly from RCS’s email advertisement.

• Biblical Archaeology Review: The Archive (1975-2005) CD-ROM
• Every issue of BAR from 1975 to 2005
• 1,800 informative articles
• 9,500 photographs, maps, drawings and charts
• Search by keyword, author or title
• Or browse the subject index 
• Powered by Libronix
• View Product Cover Graphic
• Bible Review: The Complete Archive (1985-2005) CD-ROM
  • Every issue of BR from 1985 to 2005
  • 800 informative articles
  • 2,500 photographs
  • Book reviews, side bars, letters to the editor, etc.
  • Search by topic, word, date-range, issue
  • Powered by Libronix
  • View Product Cover Graphic
• Biblical World in Pictures Enhanced Edition CD-ROM
  • 1,300 images from BAS’s 10 most popular Slide Sets
  • Photographs of sites, artifacts, inscriptions, vistas and more
  • Extensive captions by archaeological scholars
  • Powered by Libronix
  • View Product Cover Graphic
  • View the complete list of photos/slides included
• Archaeology Odyssey: The Complete Archive (1998-2006) CD-ROM
  • Every issue of AO from 1998 to 2006
  • 300 articles
  • 2,250 photographs, maps, drawings and timelines
  • Search by word, author, title
  • Subject index included
  • Powered by Libronix
  • View Product Cover Graphic

Bonus: You’ll also receive a free PRINT edition of Biblical Archaeology Society’s book The Dead Sea Scrolls — with scholarly articles and more than 90 illustrative color photographs.

You’ll also receive 5 of BAS’s published books in Libronix format, including The History of Ancient Israel. The print value of these 5 electronic titles is $80.

Excavations continue on the Mugrabi Gate leading to the Temple Mount, though the protests seem to have ended.  Haaretz has the story, and I have photos from a few days ago.

Tensions have subsided even though construction at the Mugrabi Gate has never stopped despite violent Temple Mount clashes in February and concerns of diplomatic confrontations with Arab and Muslim countries. The construction has not been considered a reason to limit entry to worshipers, and senior police sources say the relative calm stems from the evaluation of the work by a Turkish and UN delegation, who confirmed that the Temple Mount is not being harmed by these efforts.
The Jerusalem police no longer consider the construction activity, which is being carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority to bolster crumbling infrastructure, as a danger to calm in the Temple Mount area. Each Thursday the police hold a special meeting, evaluating the situation and deciding whether to impose restrictions to the entry of Muslims wishing to attend Friday prayers at the Temple Mount mosques.

Photos from May 17, 2007

 

HT: Explorator

I’m not sure if I’ve linked to this before, but if you haven’t yet seen this man move massive stones singlehandedly, it’s worth a look.  It certainly gives insight into how the ancients might have constructed monumental buildings like the Giza pyramids, the Temple Mount of Jerusalem, and Stonehenge.

I know that in recent weeks I haven’t been very regular in posting here, and that’s going to continue for the next three weeks as I am teaching a group, from Dan to Beersheba, and beyond.