BiblePlaces now speaks French. It’s taken about a year and the heroic efforts of Mr. Philippe Viguier, but BibléLieux is now ready to share the best photos and descriptions of biblical sites to readers in France, Algérie, Bénin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroun, Cap vert, Centrafrique, Comores, Congo Brazzaville, Côte d’ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinée, Guinée-Bissau, Guinée-Equatoriale, Haiti, La Réunion, Les Seychelles, Madagascar, Maurice, Mali, Maroc, Mauritanie, Monaco, Niger, République démocratique du Congo, Rwanda, Sénégal, Suisse, Tchad, Togo, Tunisie and Québec.
If you’re a French speaker, hop on over and explore the biblical world.
If you’re an English speaker, you can do one of the following:
- Practice your French and see beautiful pictures at the same time.
- Tell all of your Canadian, African and French friends about it.
- Take a few minutes to learn something (in English) about a biblical site that you don’t know much about, such as Aphek, Edom, Laodicea, or the Nahal Besor.
- Tagged Resources
You hear about the fights in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, but I’ve never read as good of an account as this one.
The source is William E. Blackstone, The Jewish Era. Thanks to Jonathan Moorhead for sending it my way.
Some fanatic BiblePlaces readers have suggested that I go to Iraq and take pictures of the biblical sites there. Here are four reasons why that is a bad idea.
But it may be, and thus this inquiry, that there are people who have such pictures and would be interested in making them available to Bible teachers and students. These people could include soldiers recently in Iraq or tourists who went in safer days. So I’m putting a call out for anyone who has 1) good quality photos that 2) they can clearly identify of 3) biblical, Assyrian, and Babylonian sites in Iraq and is 4) willing to share them with a large audience. If that’s you, drop me a note. Or you know someone in this category, have them email me.
For those of you who want such photos, you are free to comment here, but there’s no need to pursue me. I’ll let you know if and when such is available via the BiblePlaces Newsletter (signup here).
This is a screenshot from the amazing Google Earth of Nebuchadnezzar’s palace in Babylon.
I’ve been asked what the top 5 archaeological discoveries related to the biblical record have been discovered in the last 5 years. I’m not really sure where to start in formulating a list except from my memory. So I’ll start a list here and welcome suggestions for additional items.
James Ossuary (forgery?)
Jehoash Inscription (forgery?)
“Goliath” inscription from Gath
Ketef Hinnom Silver Amulets – new inscription
Palace of David (?)
9th century seals from City of David (not announced as far as I know)
Noah’s Ark (3 or 4 times!)
A few notes:
1. This list is in no particular order.
2. The experts that I trust have not been convinced that the James Ossuary and Jehoash Inscription are forgeries. Some experts that I decidedly do not trust are convinced that they are forgeries. I have
included them on this list until there is greater agreement on the matter.
3. I am not claiming that these items mean everything that has been attributed to them by various writers. I am also reserving judgment about the identification of the “palace of David,” but include it here because it seems, in any case, to be a significant building in OT Jerusalem.
4. The Noah’s Ark thing is a joke. (Here’s an easy way to know if something is a genuine hoax: if it has the names of Ron Wyatt or Robert Cornuke attached to it.)
- Tagged Analysis
We’ve reported in multiple BiblePlaces Newsletters and here about the plan to excavate the collapsed earthen ramp leading from the Western Wall plaza to the Temple Mount. This ramp gives access to the only Temple Mount gate open to non-Muslims. Haaretz reports today that the Israel Antiquities Authority will begin digging in a few days.
The ramp, which leads from the Western Wall plaza to one of the Temple Mount Gates, is located in one of the most sensitive places in the world, and plans to carry out excavations under it have therefore been held up by the Shin Bet security service and the prime minister’s military secretary for the past two years, for fear of Muslim riots.
Archaeologist Meir Ben-Dov warned yesterday that any digging in the area could lead to bloodshed.
“Digging in this place goes way beyond the archaeological sphere. This place is far too sensitive and the price would be much too high,” he said.
However, a reliable source told Haaretz that “now that the Palestinian Authority is paralyzed and incapable of resisting, it’s an excellent opportunity to carry out the plan.”
These photos were taken in the last year.
The temporary wooden ramp is on the left side of the earthen ramp to be excavated.
The north side of the earthen ramp collapsed after a snowfall in February 2004.
The ramp is more prominent when viewed from the south side. The new excavations will apparently create a connection between the Western Wall prayer plaza and the Jerusalem Archaeological Park (aka Southern Temple Mount Excavations).
- Tagged Jerusalem, Temple Mount
