Jerusalem Archives - Page 176 of 197

Popular Sites in Israel for Christian Tourists

A column in the Calcalist (December 3) surveyed the "Most popular sites in Israel visited by Christians." In first place, rather surprisingly, came the Western (Wailing) Wall: "Despite the fact that Christians have no religious connection to the Wall, its proximity to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Via Dolorosa has made it one of the four sites everyone has to visit in Jerusalem." The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was second: "Although not all Christian denominations concur that Yeshu was buried here, this church in the heart of the Christian Quarter is of great importance . . ." Third was the Via Dolorosa, "along which Yeshu passed on his way to his crucifixion, stopping at nine places . . ." The fourth site was the Mount of Olives – "mentioned in the New Testament as the place whence Yeshu ascended to heaven and to which he will also return in the end times." In fifth place was Capernaum, where "after he left Nazareth, Yeshu transferred his activities . . . and also chose his apostles." The information was credited to the Ministry of Tourism, the statistics to the first half of 2008. Tourists visiting Kibbutz Ein Gev on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee will now be able to experience a "reconstruction" of one of Jesus’ miracles, according to a report in Israel HaYom (December 4). Having caught an enormous St. Peter’s fish (musht), the kibbutz’s veteran fisherman has decided to "preserve" it, put a gold coin in its mouth, and present it to tourists as a visual aid to Jesus’ catch of a "huge" fish, the proceeds from the sale of which he used to pay the border tax owed by his disciples.

Tagged Galilee, Jerusalem

Temple Mount Poster in National Geographic

Leen Ritmeyer mentions that the current (December) issue of National Geographic includes a poster supplement of the Temple Mount. He includes a picture of the poster and tells a little bit about his role in its creation. He links to the NG website, but I cannot find a way to buy just a single issue. My guess is that a newstand copy would not include the poster, and that a subscription ($15/year) ordered now would not include this issue. But if you already have a subscription, don’t discard the poster insert before realizing what a resource you have.

Tagged Jerusalem, Resources, Temple Mount

Jerusalem, Rome, and Alexandria

Zachi Zweig recently produced photographs of a Byzantine mosaic floor discovered under Al Aqsa Mosque between 1938 and 1942. Zweig is certain that this was part of a Byzantine church on the Temple Mount. To this point, it has generally been held that the Byzantines left the Temple Mount in ruins. The 6th century Medeba Map does not show any buildings in this area. Underneath the mosaic floor was a Jewish ritual bath (mikveh). The story is in the Jerusalem Post, and Leen Ritmeyer comments at his blog.

Google Earth has added a layer for Ancient Rome as it stood in A.D. 320. Judging from a 2-minute video preview, this is an extraordinary resource. As with the rest of Google Earth, it is free. It probably would not be difficult to remove a few buildings and create a layer for Rome in the 1st century. Perhaps someone will be so motivated.

Leen Ritmeyer has created a less detailed Jerusalem layer that shows the city in the 1st century.

(UPDATE 11/20: This layer is no longer available.)

This story has been around before, but perhaps its re-circulation indicates that progress is being made.
The JPost reports that plans are underway for the world’s first underwater archaeology museum in Alexandria.

“The whole Bay of Alexandria actually still houses the remains of very important archeological sites. You have the place of the Pharaohs – the ancient lighthouse of Alexandria – which is one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. You have the Polonike Palace, which was the palace of Cleopatra, and there might also be the grave of Alexander the Great,” she said.

Tagged Discoveries, Egypt, Jerusalem, Resources, Temple Mount

Jehoash Inscription: Five Scholars Claim Authentic

The Jehoash Inscription is a total fraud and everyone knows that, according to some people.

Apparently these five scholars didn’t get the memo, as they conclude that the inscription is authentic.

The Bible and Interpretation has the article. Here is the abstract:

A gray, fine-grained arkosic sandstone tablet bearing an inscription in ancient Hebrew from the First Temple Period contains a rich assemblage of particles accumulated in the covering patina. Two types of patina cover the tablet: a thin layer of black to orange iron-oxide-rich layer, a product of micro-biogenic processes, and a light beige patina that contains feldspars, carbonate, iron oxide, subangular quartz grains, carbon ash particles and gold globules (1 to 4 micrometers [1 micrometer = 0.001 millimeter] in diameter). The patina covers the rock surface as well as the engraved lettering grooves and blankets and thus post-dates the incised inscription as well as a crack that runs across the stone and several of the engraved letters. Radiocarbon analyses of the carbon particles in the patina yield a calibrated radiocarbon age of 2340 to 2150 Cal BP. The presence of microcolonial fungi and associated pitting in the patina indicates slow growth over many years. The occurrence of pure gold globules is evidence of a thermal event in close proximity to the tablet (above 1000 degrees Celsius). This study supports the antiquity of the patina, which in turn, strengthens the contention that the inscription is authentic.

This isn’t the last word, but that’s the point. Scholars must be allowed to study this inscription without desperate-sounding people trying to silence those they disagree with.

The best indication of the inscription’s authenticity that I know and understand (which doesn’t include archaeometric evidence) concerns the “obvious” linguistic error in the inscription. It doesn’t make sense that someone brilliant enough to do so many things right on this inscription would make such an obvious mistake. Maybe, just maybe, we don’t know everything about how Hebrew was used in the 8th century.

The Bible and Interpretation has published much more on this inscription in previous years.

UPDATE (11/17): The more scientific version of this article was mentioned previously here.

Tagged Forgery, Jerusalem, Temple Mount

Beautiful Earring Found in Jerusalem

From the Associated Press:

A luxurious gold, pearl and emerald earring provides a new visual clue about the life of the elite in Jerusalem some 2,000 years ago. And its discovery was a true eureka moment for excavators. The piece was found beneath a parking lot next to the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City. It dates to the Roman period just after the time of Jesus, said Doron Ben-Ami, who directed the dig. The earring was uncovered in a destroyed Byzantine structure built centuries after the piece was made, showing it was likely passed down through generations, he said. Archaeologists came upon the earring in a corner while excavating the ruins of the building under a parking lot. "Suddenly one of the excavators came up shouting ‘Eureka!’" said Ben-Ami. The find is eye-catching: A large pearl inlaid in gold with two drop pieces, each with an emerald and pearl set in gold. "It must have belonged to someone of the elite in Jerusalem," Ben-Ami said. "Such a precious item, it couldn’t be one of just ordinary people." Archaeologist Shimon Gibson, who was not involved in the dig, said the find was truly amazing, less because of its Roman origins than for its precious nature. "Jewelry is hardly preserved in archaeological context in Jerusalem," he said, because precious metals were often sold or melted down during the many historic takeovers of the city.

The story continues here. Arutz-7 has a similar story.

Tagged Discoveries, Jerusalem

Conference: New Studies on Jerusalem

The Ingeborg Rennert Center, The Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology, The Faculty of Jewish Studies, Bar-Ilan University invite you to the 14th Annual Conference of The Ingeborg Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies

“NEW STUDIES ON JERUSALEM”

Thursday, November 13, 2008

8:20 gathering

8:45 opening remarks:

Prof. M. Orfali, Dean of the Faculty of Jewish Studies, Bar-Ilan University

Prof. J. Schwartz, Director of the Ingeborg Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies

Prof. A Faust & Dr. E. Baruch, conference organizers

Session 1 – 9:00- 10:30

Chair: Aaron Demsky

Eilat Mazar
The Stepped Stone Structure in the City of David in Light of the New Excavations in Area G

Moshe Garsiel
The Elah Valley’s Battle, the Duel of David’s and Goliath and Why Goliath’s Head and Weapons End
Up in Jerusalem

Avraham Faust
Sennacherib’s Campaign to the Judean Highlands and Jerusalem: A New Perspective

Tsvika Tsuk
“And Brought the Water to the City” (2 Kings 20, 20): Water Consumption in Jerusalem in the
Biblical Period

Discussion

Break

Special Discussion- 10:50-11:40

Shlomo Bunimovits & Avraham Faust
The Archaeology of the Biblical Period in the Twenty-First Century: Towards a New Dialogue
between Archaeology and the Bible

Discussion

Break

Session 2 – 12:00- 13:50

Chair: Ben-Zion Rozenfeld

Joseph Patrich
On the Chamber Called House of Stone (beth even), Which was Facing the Northeast Corner of the
Temple Building (birah) (Mishnah, Parah 3:1)

Michael Ben-Ari
Recollections of the Temple: Between Yavne and Lod and Between the Ideal and the Real

Ehud Netzer
How to Handle the Different Reconstructions of the Temple and its Surrounding Courts

Joshua Schwartz
The Temple Cult Without the Sages: Prolegomena on the Description of the Second Temple Period
Cult according to Sources of the Second Temple Period

Yehoshua Peleg
The Pre-Herodian Sanctified Temple Area and Outer Court.

Discussion

Lunch Break

Session 3 – 14:50-17:00

Chair: Hanan Eshel

Eyal Baruch
The Palatial Mansion in Jerusalem: Class and Ideology

Yuval Shahar
The Concept of the Temple Mount in the Second Temple Period

Ram Bouchnick, Nimrod Marom & Guy Bar-Oz
“Rams from Moab and Ewes from Hebron”: Herd Maintenance Strategies in the Late Second Temple
Period in Jerusalem

Zachi Zweig
New Information from Various Temple Mount Excavations from the Last Hundred Years

Yair Talmor
Between the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Nea Church – The Religious Space of Byzantine
Jerusalem

Discussion

Break

Session 4 – 17:20- 19:10

Chair: Yvonne Friedman

Peretz Reuven
“A Female Slave from the Harem Who Became the Mother of the Caliph”: a Suggestion to Connect
an Unknown inscription from the Al-Aqsa Mosque to the Mother of the Abbasid Caliph Al-Muqtadir.”

Nissim Dana
The Prophet Mohammad’s Night Ascent to Heaven: A Review of the Passage in the Qur’an and in
Other Islamic Sources

Shelomo Lotan
The Symbolism of Jerusalem and the House of King David in the Teutonic Military Order Medieval
Heritage

Josef Drory
The Contribution of Franciscan Documents for Esteem of the Local Minorities’ Rights in Mamluk
Jerusalem

Oded Shay
The Beginning of Historical Documentation and Modern Archives of the General Population in
Jerusalem at the End of the Ottoman Period

Discussion

The conference proceedings (app. 400 pp. including 2 articles in English and 20 articles in Hebrew,
with English abstracts) will be on sale during the conference.

HT: Joe Lauer

Tagged Jerusalem, Lectures