Resources Archives - Page 66 of 136

Weekend Roundup

Archaeologists working on the Gezer water system have new evidence supporting its dating to the Middle Bronze period. Volunteers are invited for next season’s dig.

A court has ruled that Elad can continue to run the Jerusalem Archaeological Park in the City of David.

The Museum of the Bible has announced plans to excavate Tel Shimron in Galilee.

Palestinians have set fire to the traditional tomb of Joseph in Shechem.

Nearly 1,000 riders completed a three-day bike race in northern Israel. Dates have been announced for Epic Israel 2016.

Nehemia Gordon shares his experience in working on the Temple Mount Sifting Project. You can donate to the effort here.

The New York Times has issued a correction for their article on the Temple Mount. Jodi Magness’s letter to the editor is here.

ISIS’s destruction of the Roman Arch of Triumph in Palymra made some Russians unhappy.

Egypt is opening a small museum at the Cairo airport later this month.

Volume 3 of NGSBA (Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archaeology) Archaeology has been released. The articles are primarily about the excavations at Yehud and Maresha. The entire issue can be downloaded for free. Previous volumes are available here.

The Oriental Institute has begun posting their photo archives online. Images are now available from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. As far as I can tell, the images are all low-res.

Jodi Magness reviews The Tomb of Jesus and His Family?, edited by James H. Charlesworth. She provides a summary of the articles, including the one by A. Kloner and S. Gibson, excavators of the Talpiot tomb. Ben Witherington provides an abbreviated version of her review.

Brent Seales is on the Book and the Spade to talk about the technology that enabled reading the oldest biblical text outside the Dead Sea Scrolls. Listen here.

Here’s a unique tour of Israel: the Life and Land of Jesus, with Wayne Stiles. This should be particularly attractive for those who want to return but don’t want to visit the same places as every time before.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Paleojudaica

Our most popular Facebook post and tweet of the week:

Mount of Beatitudes aerial from northeast, ws011415241

The Mount of Beatitudes, Tabgha, Gennesaret, Arbel – so much of Jesus’s ministry right here!

Tagged Egypt, Excavations, Jerusalem, Museums, Photo Resources, Resources, Samaria, Shephelah, Syria, Technology, Temple Mount, Tomb of Jesus, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

Just posted: Preliminary Report of the 2015 Jezreel Expedition Field Season

A full schedule of speakers and topics for the Annual Bible and Archaeology Fest is now online. Eric Cline is the plenary speaker.

After the heat wave and brutal sandstorm, Israel this past week experienced lightning, hail, and flash floods. This is not typical September weather.

Near Eastern Archaeology‘s latest issue is devoted to “The Cultural Heritage Crisis in the Middle East.” It is available online for free to all.

Eisenbrauns has just released its fall catalog.

A new book: Distant Views of the Holy Land, by Felicity Cobbing and David Jacobson. 330 pages, 350 illustrations, $200. A free sample is available here.

Here’s more about Penn Museum’s new exhibit, “Sacred Writings: Extraordinary Texts of the Biblical World.”

This Wednesday, Sept 23, Brent Strawn of Emory University will give a lecture at Trinity Evangelical
Divinity School entitled “The Historical Psalms, Iconographically Considered.” The event will take place at 7:00 pm on Trinity’s campus, Hinkson Hall in Rodine Building. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Clashes on the Temple Mount have caused damage to Al Aqsa Mosque.

Aren Maeir is on the Book and the Spade talking about his excavations of Gath and the discovery of a large gate this season (part 1, part 2).

Egyptian security officials have ordered the shutdown of St. Catherine’s Monastery.

From ASOR: Can you pass this Sea of Galilee quiz?

The latest issue of Popular Archaeology includes articles on Gath and Magdala.

Ferrell Jenkins explains the significance of Mahanaim (mentioned 13x in the OT) and shares some photos.

HT: Agade, Charles Savelle, A.D. Riddle, Paleojudaica

Tagged Excavations, Galilee, Jerusalem, Jezreel Valley, Jordan, Lectures, Museums, Philistines, Resources, Temple Mount, Tourism, Weather, Weekend Roundup

New Resource: The Regnal Chronology of the Kings of Judah and Israel

For many years I have enjoyed taking students deep into the world of ancient Israel, exploring its land, its people, and its stories. One place that is always most rewarding is the era of Israel’s kings, for this terrain is little known and yet abounding with riches.

The chronology, however, can get people tied up real fast. That’s why I’m excited about a new
resource that maps everything out with clarity. The Regnal Chronology of the Kings of Judah and Israel: An Illustrated Guide puts every detail in its place, so with one glance you can figure out in any given year who is ruling, the king’s age and regnal year, and every extrabiblical synchronism. It truly puts everything at your fingertips.

Chris McKinny has been developing this resource for many years while living, studying, and teaching in the Jerusalem area. Both the digital book and the e-poster reflect his passion for the subject, and they’re now available at an introductory price of $9.99 for the e-poster, $19.99 for the digital book (pdf), or $24.99 for both.

I encourage you to take a look. You can order it quickly and easily here. And we would appreciate it if you would tell friends, pastors, students, and teachers about it. This sort of resource is unique, and we believe there are many who will absolutely love it, if they know about it.

Tagged 10th Century, Resources

Weekend Roundup

Archaeologists working at Laodicea have uncovered an inscription with the “water law” of the city from AD 114.

The mummy of King Tut will remain on display in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

A girl shattered a Roman vase in a display case at the Israel Museum. Or did she?

The Pope’s visit has inspired a new exhibit at the Penn Museum: “Sacred Writings: Extraordinary Texts of the Biblical World.”

Popular Archaeology runs a story on the latest discoveries on the Mount Zion dig.

Carl Rasmussen posts photos of two wall paintings from the Herodium now on display at the Israel Museum.

“The first Protecting the Past conference will be held in Amman (Jordan) between 28-30 September 2015 at The Jordan Museum.”

LiveScience has the latest on the “Gospel of Jesus’s Wife.”

The Biblical Archaeology Society’s Blowout Sale ends on Monday. Many items are marked down 50% or more.

The NIV Zondervan Study Bible has dropped in price to $26.18.

HT: Agade, Joseph Lauer, Paleojudaica

We’ve been posting a photo each day this year on Facebook and Twitter. Our most popular photo this week was this image of the City of David from the 1890s.

Jerusalem City of David and Mt of Olives, pcm02712

The City of David, Temple Mount, and the Mount of Olives

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Excavations, Herod's Tomb, Jerusalem, Museums, New Exhibits, Resources, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

New Release: NIV Zondervan Study Bible

The NIV Zondervan Study Bible is being released today. The successor to the best-selling study Bible will likely quickly become a best-seller itself, especially since it was written under the direction of D. A. Carson, one of the most well-known and well-liked evangelical scholars today.

I’m excited about it for all of the reasons you’ll read on other sites and reviews, but it was also a privilege to have been invited to contribute. I wrote the notes on 2 Kings, a book I have studied in great depth for the last 25 years. The editors also selected 50 of our favorite images from the BiblePlaces.com collection.

My parents gave me the first NIV Study Bible when I was a teenager and I carried and read it through high school and college. I use it today when teaching in the classroom (preferring a smaller Bible when teaching on the field). This all-new edition is now even more personal.

Here are a few of the books and contributors I expect to be extremely valuable:

Genesis 12–50: T. D. Alexander
Judges: K. Lawson Younger
Psalms: David M. Howard Jr.
Proverbs: Bruce K. Waltke
Isaiah: John N. Oswalt
John: D. A. Carson
Romans: Douglas J. Moo
Galatians: Stephen Westerholm
Philippians: Simon J. Gathercole
Hebrews: Buist M. Fanning

And there are many inviting articles, including these:

The Story of the Bible: How the Good News About Jesus is Central, by Timothy Keller
A Biblical-Theological Overview of the Bible, by D. A. Carson
The Glory of God, by James M. Hamilton Jr.
Sin, by Kevin DeYoung
Sonship, by D. A. Carson
Holiness, by Andrew David Naselli
The Gospel, by Greg D. Gilbert

I haven’t held the Bible in my hands yet, but to judge from the editors, the editorial process, the contributors, and the goal, I expect this to be an outstanding work that will benefit many for decades to come.

What distinguishes this study Bible from the many others? Carson notes five characteristics in the preface. Here’s a portion of the first and last.

So what characterizes this NIV Zondervan Study Bible? First, in common with the best study Bibles, all our contributors revere Scripture as the Word of God and joyfully bow to its authority. Our desire is not so much to be masters of the Word, as to be mastered by it. That shapes how we approach the text and how we write about it. Our aim is to bring glory to God by helping people think his thoughts after him, and to bring understanding and edification to his people as they do so.
[…]
Finally, this study Bible emphasizes biblical theology. By this we mean that instead of focusing primary attention on how the Bible as a whole addresses many questions (which is what many people mean by “systematic theology”), we have tried to highlight the way various themes develop within the Bible across time.

This emphasis upon biblical theology was the part I enjoyed the most as I wrote the notes on 2 Kings.

Providing the dates of each king is important, but I relished showing how the Bible fits together through God’s faithfulness to his promises as all things move toward the glorious consummation.

The Bible is available in print, personal, Kindle, and Logos formats. The print version comes with a free digital version as well. You can see a video preview as well as a 180-page sample at the official website.

Tagged Resources

Weekend Roundup

The Islamic State beheaded the retired chief archaeologist of Palmyra. The Oriental Institute condemns this “brutal and senseless act.” Ian Tuttle suggests that he be added to the ranks of martyrs.

Does Syria’s Director-General of Antiquities and Museums have the saddest job in the world?

Recently his job has been to hide antiquities from ISIS.

The forthcoming Museum of the Bible in Washington DC has made a multi-year deal with the Israeli
Antiquities Authorities to display numerous artifacts.

Opening October 12: The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art will have an exhibition entitled,

“Ancient Egypt Transformed: The Middle Kingdom,” featuring a range of artifacts from monumental stones to fine jewelry.

Greece’s financial woes have halted work on the great tomb which last year generated huge publicity.

The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles is hosting an exhibit on bronze sculptures in the Hellenistic era. The link includes some fantastic pictures.

Here’s more on the claim that the tomb of Egyptian queen Nefertiti may have been found. And a 15-minute video that explains the technology behind the claim.

The former director of the Walters Art Museum tries to make the case for buying antiquities in order to save them (WSJ; subscription required).

Ancient inscriptions in the Cave of the Elijah the Prophet are in danger.

The Lost Sheep is a new video short from Source Flix that will serve as a great intro or illustration in teaching.

Can you guess the location of these photos from the ASOR Archives? (We scored a 10.)

Rose Eveleth: Is Archaeology Better Off without Religion?

If you’ve been looking for an original, but affordable, copy of Edward Robinson’s Biblical Researches in Palestine, there’s one available now from a bookseller in California ($69 for three volumes). It looks like the Logos version is quite close to production, needing only a few more bids.

HT: Jared Clark, Charles Savelle, Agade, Joseph Lauer, and especially Ted Weis

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Egypt, Greece, Museums, New Exhibits, Resources, Syria, Weekend Roundup