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.

Ramat Rahel mikveh, tb031905812

Mikveh with plastered walls at Ramat Rahel
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The Lanier Theological Library in Houston was recently profiled in the Baptist Standard. This private research library is building its impressive collection of 100,000 volumes by purchasing the libraries of retiring scholars. They have announced a series of free lectures for the spring.


John Monson, Physical Theology: The Bible in its Land, Time, and Culture, February 11 (abstract and details). Responses by Emanuel Tov, Steven Lancaster, and Mark Lanier. Note: Registration is now full.

Sy Gitin, Ekron of the Philistines: From Sea Peoples to Olive Oil Industrialists, March 18 (abstract and details)

Peter Williams, Things Which Ought To Be Better Known About The Resurrection of Jesus,
April 7 (more information)

Olive oil jugs at Ekron Museum, tb031500014

Olive oil jugs, Ekron Museum of the History of Philistine Culture

HT: Charles Savelle

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A Byzantine-period bathhouse has been discovered near Moshav Tarum north of Beth Shemesh.

A cuneiform inscription discovered in the Tas-Silg sanctuary on Malta is now the westernmost such inscription known.

Haaretz reports on an archaeologist who believes he is close to finding the true tombs of the Maccabees.

Preston Sprinkle asks if Jesus was born at an inn and if he was a carpenter.

Leon Mauldin shares some photos of the traditional site of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem and of a stone manger possibly similar to one used for the newborn.

Ferrell Jenkins links to some previous posts about the birth of Jesus and Christmas.

Aren Maeir’s idea of a Hanukkah/Christmas gift is to share one letter from an inscription found at Gath.

As far as we know, he was never known as “Herod the Great” during his lifetime. Ferrell Jenkins explains why a better appellation is “Herod the Small.”

The Bible and Interpretation is sharing one of my favorite photos of Jerusalem today (click on the thumbnail for large version).

Bryant Wood will be giving a series of lectures at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary on March 14, 2012. His topic will be “Archaeology and the Conquest: New Evidence on an Old Problem.”

The Daily Mail publishes an illustrated account of one visitor’s five-day visit to Jordan and its main attraction, Petra.

The Jerusalem Post suggests 10 things to do over Christmas in the Holy Land. For the first time ever, live-size nativity scenes will be set up in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Item 9 explains how you can celebrate Christmas three times this season.

HT: Charles Savelle, Jack Sasson, Joseph Lauer

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A conference will be held at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev (Beersheba) on January 19th, 2012. Entitled “‘In the Shadow of the Olive Trees’ – Olive Trees, Olive Oil and Their Products,” the conference is being organized by the Southern District of the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Department of Bible, Archaeology and Near Eastern Studies of the Ben-Gurion University in the Negev.

This announcement was circulated on the Agade list. Presumably all lectures are in Hebrew. For more information, contact the sponsors.


9.30-11.00 First session.
The olive and the production of olive oil. 
Chairman: Dr. Gideon Avni.

Prof. Nili Liphschitz. The domestication of the olive in the land of Israel

Dr. Ianir Milevski. The barter of olives during the Early Bronze Age

Prof. Avigdor Horowitz. “I have been anointed with fresh oil” – The oil in the Bible and the Ancient Near East

Prof. Avi Faust. The Assyrians and the introduction of the olive industry from the north


11.15-12.30.
Second session. 
The olive press and the products of the olive oil. 
Chairman: Prof. Steve Rosen.

Mr. Yeoshua Drei. The evolution of the oil presses

Dr. Eitan Ayalon. The two screw oil presses in the land of Israel

Dr. Akiva London. Did olive tree nurseries exist during the Roman and Byzantine periods in the land of Israel?

Mr. Tawfiq Da`adli. Soap and soap factories during the Ottoman period

13.30-14.30. 
Third session.
 Panel and general discussion. 
Prof. Nili Liphschitz, Dr. Eitan Ayalon, Dr. Yigal Israel.


14.45-16.00.
Archaeological news in the southern district. 
Chairman: Dr. Peter Fabian.

Dr. Hayim Goldfus. The excavations at Horbat Zalit.

Dr. Daniel Varga and Mr. Vladic Lipshitz. Underground houses in Beersheva during the 
Byzantine period

Mr. Gregory Seri and Prof. Yulia Ustinova. The excavations of Ashkelon, Neve Yam D neighborhood, and the Greek inscriptions

Dr. Gunnar Lehmann. News from the excavations at Qubur el Walaydah

Mr. Oren Shmueli. An arched building and an underground oil press at Horbat Anim

Olives closeup, tb112103241

Olives in the Shephelah (late November)
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A lecture series will be held next weekend in Boca Raton, Florida, with leading scholars of the Second Temple period. The conference is open to the public and free of charge. The purpose of the meetings is described as follows:


Focal Question: How significantly and in what ways did the Temple and its cult help define the social and spiritual life of early Jews, including Jesus and his earliest followers?


Purpose: To correct the popular impression that Jesus despised the Temple and its cult because he attacked the money changers and was apparently condemned by the leading high priests [the historicity of each event must be discussed]. To raise questions which are focused on pre-70 Jews, Jesus, his followers and the Temple and to seek a new consensus on the grid questions.

Lectures include:


Leen Ritmeyer: “Imagining the Temple Early Jews Knew”

Response: Dan Bahat: “Imagining and Excavating the Temple Area”


Dan Bahat: “The Architecture of the Temple”


Motti Aviam: “Temple Symbolism and the Lives of Galilean Jews”


Lawrence H. Schiffman: “The Importance of the Temple for Early Jews”


Dan Bahat: “Worship in the Temple”


James H. Charlesworth: “Jesus, the Temple Cult, and the Temple”


Gary A. Rendsburg: “The Davidic Psalms and the Temple”


James H. Charlesworth: “Jesus’ Followers and the Power of the Temple”


Harold W. Attridge: “The Temple and the High Priestly Jesus in New Testament Texts”


Loren Stuckenbruck: “The Temple in the Jewish and Christian Apocalypses”

PANEL DISCUSSION

An extension of the symposium is being held on Dec 18-19 in Miami Beach, Florida.

Though I have serious misgivings about the stated purpose of the symposium, I would certainly attend if I was able.

Full details are here. An RSVP is requested.

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I cannot find this posted online, so instead of including a link in the Weekend Roundup, I am posting it here in full. A portion of a previous interview by Dr. Tsedeka is online here.


Samaritans, Samaritanism and the Samaritan Pentateuch: Reflections on Samaritan Manuscripts in YU Special Collections

Lecture by Benyamim Tsedeka, Director, A-B Center for Samaritan Studies, Holon, and a leader of the Samaritan Israelite Community in Israel

Thurs, November 17, 2011, Furst Hall 311, Wilf Campus, Washington Heights (184th and Amsterdam Avenue)

Celebrating the completion of his catalog of the YU collection of Samaritan manuscripts, which will be published early next year, Benyamim Tsedeka, Director, A-B Center for Samaritan Studies in Holon, Israel and a leader of the Samaritan Israelite Community will speak on the significance of the YU manuscripts for the modern history of the Samaritans and for the history of the Bible on Thursday, November 17 at 6:45 in Furst Hall 311 on our historic Washington Heights campus (184th and Amsterdam Avenue).

This project is sponsored by the YU Center for Israel Studies.

HT: Jack Sasson

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