Jerusalem Archives - Page 123 of 195

Wednesday Roundup

The Travels through Bible Lands Collection (15 vols.) is available until Friday noon for $20. I recommended this set of books by Tristram, Layard, Merrill, Jessup, and others some time ago, but sufficient orders have been placed and this Logos software deal is now closing.

The Israel Museum is being criticized for not allowing photographs to be taken of their artifacts.

Wikipedia says these items belong to the world. The Israel Museum wants to make money by selling their own photographs. Jim Davila suggests that the world has changed and the Israel Museum should reformulate its policies.

Leon Mauldin has written a helpful and illustrated article about Azazel, the Scapegoat.

Tom Powers discusses the new visitor center in the City of David and some misinformation in the reporting.

A rabbi says that selling stones from the Western Wall on eBay is akin to embezzlement from God.

On the edge of the “Grand Canyon of Israel,” Mizpe Ramon is struggling to find its way.

I’ve always thought that the chief “dynamic” of the Jordan River was as a barrier (cf. Josh 22; Judg 12). Wayne Stiles makes a good case that we should think of it as a place of “transitions.”

Jordan River

Tagged Jerusalem, Museums, Resources

New Visitor Center Approved for City of David

In 1995, the construction of a visitor center above the Gihon Spring was halted with the discovery of some massive Middle Bronze towers. Today the ugly shell of the building hovers over the site with no apparent intention of ever being completed.

Yesterday the Jerusalem District Planning and Construction Committee approved the plan for another visitor center for the City of David, this one located in the former Givati parking lot below Dung Gate (aerial photo here). This is the same area where archaeologists have claimed to have excavated the palace of Queen Helene of Adiabene. Haaretz reports:

The new visitors’ center is to be built above the Givati parking lot and will be called the Mercaz Kedem (Kedem Center). The building will be built on stilts and beneath it there will be an area where visitors can view recently discovered archeological findings. The Elad organization promoted the plan and it obtained the support of Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, who appeared before the district committee earlier today to voice his support.
The Israel Antiquities Authority’s Jerusalem District director, Dr. Yuval Baruch, also expressed support for the plan, despite the presence of archeological findings under the building. “This is one of the most important projects in Jerusalem in recent generations. It would be impossible to find a serious archeologist with a bad word to say about the conduct of the excavations,” said Baruch. “The building as it stands is approved by the Israel Antiquities Authority and was presented to the authority in dozens of meetings.
All of the changes the Antiquities Authority requested were included in Arie Rahamimov’s plan: the number of parking spaces was reduced, and the height of the building was limited so it would not overshadow the height of the Old City wall (the difference is one meter). There is an important link here between the Ophel Garden, the City of David and the Western Wall and the creation of a direct link between the sites. We led the way to this result.”
The building, designed by architect Arie Rahamimov, will also include a parking lot for the use of visitors to the City of David, exhibition space and classrooms and on the roof, there are plans to build a plaza and observation deck overlooking Silwan and the Old City walls.

The full article includes an artist’s rendering of the new complex.

HT: Joseph Lauer

Givati Parking Lot Excavations, January 2010

Givati Parking Lot Excavations, January 2012

Tagged Excavations, Jerusalem, Tourism

Weekend Roundup

Aren Maeir provides links to grants for volunteer excavators.

Maeir also lists nine sites in the Shephelah that will be under excavation as of this summer: Azekah,
Beth Shemesh, Burna, Eton, Gath, Gezer, Qeiyafa, Socoh, and Zayit. That bodes well for the future of this blog.

Robert Mullins will begin a new excavation this summer for Azusa Pacific University at Abel Beth
Maacah. Mullins will also be lecturing on March 19 in Beverly Hills on “The Many Temples of Beth Shean.”

If you’ve ever wondered what that palatial structure atop Mount Gerizim is, Tom Powers has found the answer.

Daniel Wallace says that the first New Testament manuscript from the first century has been discovered.

Wayne Stiles: “Like so many great cities of yesteryear, Tel Samaria remains a testimony of all earthly glory. The only beauty that remains is what God put there to begin with.”

Leen Ritmeyer recalls the discovery of the Burnt House in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem.

Jodi Magness is interviewed on the Book and the Spade radio program (mp3 links: part 1, part 2).

LA Times: “The Israeli government is gradually releasing its National Photo Collection from copyright restrictions.”

The Jerusalem Post recommends the top 5 nature spots in the city.

The ASOR Blog surveys the latest in archaeology from around the world.

HT: G. M. Grena, Daniel Frese, Joseph Lauer

Abel Beth Maacah from the southwest

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Galilee, Jerusalem, Samaria, Shephelah

Holy Sepulcher, a 3D Journey Back in Time

Post by Chris McKinny

The following video illustrates the different phases of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher moving backwards in time from the Crusades until Crucifixion. Here is the information from the site:

A journey back in time to tell the story of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the site defined in many Christian traditions as “the Centre of the World”. This is the gift by ATS pro Terra Sancta to all the friends and the supporters of the Holy Land.Divided in chapters, the video by Mrs. Raffaella Zardoni for ATS pro Terra Sancta presents a 3D reconstruction of the basilica at different times, back to the stone cave which saw the burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our being here, our commitment for this land and our deep desire to help its living stones start and gather meaning from here.

While the video is extremely well done it should be noted that it illustrates the architecture of the bench of “Jesus’ tomb” identically in each chapter of the video. This is not exactly historically accurate. The burial bench beneath the “Rotunda” was actually reconstructed by Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachus in 1048 AD after it and much of the surrounding rotunda of Constantine/Helena had been destroyed by Fatimid Caliph Hakim in 1009 AD.

For more information regarding th the various stages of the development see the “Church of Holy Sepulcher” entry in the Anchor Bible Dictionary by Oliver Nicholson (pgs. 3: 258-260).

Tagged Jerusalem, Tomb of Jesus

Q&A: Illustrations of Herod’s Temple

Question: I’m writing to ask if you know of a place on the web (or anywhere else) that I could find good pictures or diagrams of Herod’s Temple. I want to help my church be able to really understand the temple that Jesus entered during Passion week. I’m preaching the Mark 11 version of the cleansing of the temple this week. –K.W.

Answer: Yes, there are a few sources. The place to start is the website of Leen Ritmeyer. As you probably know, he was the architect for the excavations south of the Temple Mount and his reconstructions are the best. He now has a series of excellent photos CDs for sale in his online store.

In particular, for your purposes I would recommend:

Volume 2: Jerusalem in the Time of Christ
Volume 4: The Archaeology of Herod’s Temple Mount
Volume 5: Worship and Ritual in Herod’s Temple

Even if you don’t have time for these to arrive in the mail before you teach,

I’d suggest picking them up for the (many) future opportunities when they will come in handy. For immediate download, the Ritmeyer website also has individual images available.

Another source is images from a virtual model created by a team at UCLA. There is an explanation of the model here, a series of (small) 360-degree panoramas here, and five still shots of the model here.

They also have an 8-minute video which gives you a tour of the model. You can turn the sound down and give your own explanation.

Archaeology Illustrated also has some individual images for sale, though their system seems to be less user-friendly (with the purchase of credits which can then be used towards illustrations).

The ESV Study Bible also has some great illustrations. These are available in digital format with purchase of a print Bible ($30) or from Logos ($40) or Accordance ($40). You can see some samples posted at Amazon. Ritmeyer was a consultant on these images as well.

Any readers who have additional suggestions are welcome to make them in the comments below.

Tagged Jerusalem, Resources, Temple Mount

Weekend Roundup

Scientists have discovered evidence for cultivation of three of the “four species” of Sukkot in the plaster of walls at Ramat Rahel.

A model of the Temple Mount made by Conrad Schick in 1872 will be on display next week in the new Heritage Center of Christ Church, Jerusalem.

Leen Ritmeyer has notice of a program to be held on the 20th anniversary of Nahman Avigad’s death.

Yosef Garfinkel is pretty upset with Rami Arav’s review of the first excavation report of Khirbet
Qeiyafa. [Update: The post has been removed. See comment below for detail.]

The world’s largest Israeli flag is now flying over Nazareth Illit.

Joe Yudin suggests visiting some sites from King David’s life when the wildflowers are blooming.

The 50th anniversary of the publication of The Dead Sea Scrolls in English, by Geza Vermes, was celebrated last week at Wolfson College.

Bedouin gunmen in Sinai kidnapped two US tourists traveling from Jebel Musa. They were released when Egyptian police set free four Bedouin who had been in custody.

The first snowfall in Rome in 26 years kept visitors out of the Colosseum, the Forum, and Palatine Hill.

HT: Jack Sasson

UPDATE (2/7): At the request of the sponsors, I’ve removed the link to the invitation to the (private)
presentation at Christ Church.

Mikveh with plastered walls at Ramat Rahel

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Italy, Jerusalem, Lectures, Shephelah