I didn’t want this one to get lost in the weekend roundup, so here’s a link to the newly released, all-free video series entitled “Following the Messiah,” produced by Appian Way and featuring Barry Britnell. We have mentioned this several times in the past, including when they were raising funds for the project on Kickstarter. The work is now complete, and all five videos are posted on their website. You won’t have to watch very long to see that the production quality is first-rate. Each episode is 20-25 minutes in length. You can’t beat a personal visit to Israel, but for those who aren’t able to go, or for those eager to return, this is a terrific resource. A big thanks to Appian Way and to all of their supporters who made it possible!
The Jerusalem Post and Haaretz are reporting the collapse of an Israelite-period wall at Tel Dan following heavy rains. From the Jerusalem Post:
The stone wall, located near the entrance gate to the ancient city of Tel Dan, collapsed on top of five tombstones located at its base, according to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. The wall was made of a combination of the original ancient stones and reconstructed pieces, the INPA said.
Rainfall last week was estimated at approximately 8 inches (200 mm). Authorities hope to rebuild the wall in the coming months.
The Post includes a photograph of the damage, but it’s difficult to see the location without some context. In the aerial photograph below, we have marked the area of the collapse.
The Iron Age city of Dan flourished during the reigns of the Israelite kings Jeroboam I, Ahab, and Jeroboam II.
photo by Bill Schlegel
HT: Joseph Lauer
I have mentioned previously the “Following the Messiah” video series being created by Appian Media. They’re wrapping up post-production now and have scheduled two public showings of Episodes 1 and 2 in January. Tickets are free and the event is open to the public.
You can find out more and secure tickets for the January 14 showing in Indianapolis here, and for the January 21 date in Birmingham here.
You can check out the trailer for the videos here. All five videos will be available for free at Appian Media on January 14th.
For thirty years now, Rami Arav has led excavations at the site of et-Tell. Since the beginning, he has identified the ruins with the New Testament site of Bethsaida. This identification was quickly adopted by Israeli road sign makers, and most popular literature today calls the site “Bethsaida.” Arav has argued strenuously that his site is Bethsaida, and the titles of all of the excavation reports begin with “Bethsaida.” The problem is that as excavations progressed, the site turned out to be primarily an Iron Age city, with little remains from the first century AD.
That has bothered a number of scholars for several decades now, and the site of el-Araj has been suggested as the true site of the fishing village where several of Jesus’s disciples lived. This past summer, Mordechai Aviam began excavations to determine if el-Araj is a more suitable candidate for Bethsaida.
A preliminary summary posted online gives a bit of the background as well as brief descriptions of the two excavation areas. Of the western area, Aviam writes:
Underneath the Crusader level we discovered remains of a dwelling dated to the late Byzantine-early Islamic period. An unusual large bronze jar was uncovered, which has been sent to the laboratory for conservation. Coins and pottery dating from the 6th-8th centuries were uncovered on the floors. The most surprising find was a group of gilded glass tesserae, which are used in the construction of wall mosaics. These type of tesserae are typical to large and important churches. Which means, even before finding the church itself, it is possible to suggest that in the Byzantine period, el-Araj was identified as a holy place, most likely Bethsaida. One of the walls contains a large, reused, monolithic, limestone pillar, and nearby, outside of the excavation area, there is another limestone double “heart-shaped” pillar, which are both typical to late Roman Jewish synagogues in Galilee.
Concerning the period of interest, he summarizes:
Both areas yielded a large number of typical early Roman pottery. As of yet, structures from the early Roman period have not been uncovered.
He concludes:
After this initial season of excavation, our primary conclusions are: 1) the site of el-Araj was most likely identified as Bethsaida during the Byzantine period, and a church, probably a pilgrim monastery was erected at the site. 2) The site of el-Araj was inhabited during the early Roman period; therefore, it remains a good candidate for the identification of Bethsaida. 3) We will continue to excavate el-Araj in the coming years.
I think he’s on solid ground on point #3. The other two points are clearly premature. While making these claims may help the team raise money and support, scholarship is not well served by making such bold assertions so early in the process. This in fact is what troubles many about Arav’s identification. He made the claim early on and now it’s not easy to admit failure. If Aviam’s site is indeed Bethsaida, he can take his time to collect the evidence that will make a compelling case.
A two-minute video (mostly in Hebrew) provides footage of excavations at both candidates for Bethsaida, with a cameo by Indiana. Nyack College has a couple of dozen photos on its Facebook page.
I’m told that donations would be appreciated for next year’s excavations. You should be able to do that through the Center for Holy Lands Studies.
- Tagged Analysis, Excavations, Galilee
Archaeologists have finally discovered the port of ancient Byblos.
Philippe Bohstrom looks at the history of the city of Dan and the tribe of the Danites in a well-illustrated Haaretz article.
Wayne Stiles beat me to the new Virtual Reality tour at the Western Wall in Jerusalem and I asked him to write about it. He did.
Albawaba has a short slide show of the pre-Islamic Middle East.
New tests on the (probably fake) lead codices from Jordan suggest that the lead is ancient.
The Jewish Virtual Library posts a list of significant archaeological discoveries in Israel from 2004 to present. The list seems to be more complete for the last two years than for earlier ones.
Leon Mauldin visited the largely ignored site of Tirzah on his recent trip to Israel.
The Jewish Press posts a 15-minute video entitled “Secrets of the Machpela in Hebron.”
Amazon has a $5 off code good through Sunday on any book(s) that total $15 or more. Enter GIFTBOOK at checkout. Here are three books that qualify:
- Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, ed. John Walton and Craig Keener
- Biblical Turkey, by Mark Wilson
- Jerusalem: The Temple Mount, by Leen and Kathleen Ritmeyer
HT: Charles Savelle, Joseph Lauer, Agade
- Tagged Discoveries, Forgery, Galilee, Jordan, Judah, Lebanon, Samaria, Weekend Roundup
Wayne Stiles explores the 8 (present) and 12 (future) gates of Jerusalem.
Ferrell Jenkins shares some beautiful photos and helpful information about the Citadel of David in Jerusalem.
David Hansen provides an introduction to the significance of biblical geography that could be useful in many Bible classes. Note, in particular, the two important questions he suggests.
Jennifer Ristine, coordinator of the Visitors Center at Magdala, provides an explanation of the various symbols on the Magdala Stone.
Bryant Wood is on The Book and the Spade this week talking about “The Conquest and Archaeology.”
A 1500-year-old copy of the Ten Commandments is being auctioned off by the Living Torah Museum. There’s more here.
The Toledo Museum of Art is selling part of its Egyptian collection.
Five Dead Sea Scroll fragments have been put up for sale.
On November 15 in London, Sotheby’s is auctioning rare and early photo albums of the Holy Land,
including a rare hand-coloured subscriber’s copy of David Roberts’s Holy Land and Egypt.
HT: Joseph Lauer, Steven Anderson, Agade, Charles Savelle, Ted Weis, Paleojudaica
- Tagged Dead Sea, Egypt, Exodus-Conquest, Galilee, Jerusalem, Museums, Tourism, Weekend Roundup