The Bible in the News
Items gleaned from the Explorator weekly newsletter
(see the bottom of this page for free subscription details)
Bible and Interpretation Breaking News:
http://www.bibleinterp.com/news.htm
5/9/04
Nice piece on the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative project:
http://snipurl.com/697n (Boston Globe)
A pair of books on ancient Jewish marriage practices:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/424708.html
5/2/04
A group is going in search of Noah's Ark:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4838007/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3664093.stm
http://tinyurl.com/yvmjs (National Geographic (!))
4/18/04
National Geographic has an item on ancient Egyptian poetry:
http://tinyurl.com/32cdr
4/4/04
A couple of works on the historicity of the Exodus:
http://www.indystar.com/articles/1/134656-2251-047.html
3/28/04
Here's another potential saga-in-the-works ... the ivory pomegranate
which is the only relic of Jerusalem's First Temple, might be
a forgery:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/408911.html
cf. http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/409140.html
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=60121
The excavations in Tiberias are already producing newsworthy items;
the first we read about is the discovery of a basilica that seems
to be associated with the Sanhedrin and some mosaics in a bath
building:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/407113.html
3/21/04
The BBC wonders whether Noah really built an ark:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3524676.stm
2/29/04
Lots of 'nice pieces' this week ... including this one on the
Ketef Hinnom inscriptions of the Old Testament:
http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?ID=17741
The Nimrud Gold will be going on tour:
http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=11597
The Temple Mount controversy continues:
http://tinyurl.com/3flde (Jerusalem Post)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/394454.html
http://tinyurl.com/yteou (Boston Globe)
A sampling of reactions to Mel Gibson's *Passion*:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/24/nyregion/24NYC.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/25/opinion/25WOOD.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/28/arts/28CONN.html
http://www.illinoisleader.com/news/newsview.asp?c=12537
http://www.abclocal.go.com/wls/news/022504_ns_romannails.html
http://tinyurl.com/2lwwb (Jewsweek)
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/movies/04mv276.htm
http://tinyurl.com/32hy5 (Reuters)
Related to the above (obviously) is a smattering of pieces on
Aramaic:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/24/nyregion/24NYC.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3488046.stm
http://tinyurl.com/ypgku (Jerusalem Post)
http://tinyurl.com/2u6q2 (Voice of America)
... and on crucifixion:
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/02282004/it/2529.htm
The James Ossuary saga has led to an investigation of antiquities
dealers in Israel:
http://tinyurl.com/23tag (USA Today)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/395868.html
Paleojudaica (blog):
http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com
2/15/04
A new theory on the purpose of Egyptian pyramids also received
plenty of coverage this week:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4242024/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4239529/ (interview)
http://tinyurl.com/2zpfg (Reuters via Yahoo)
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/02/11/egypt.pyramids.reut/
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1043124.htm
Joe Zias, "Qumran Archaeology: More Grave Errors":
http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/Zias_Qumran_Archaeology.htm
Book Review: Richard Fox, *Jesus in America*:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/15/books/review/15CRAINT.html
1/22/04
Russian mathematicians dissect the Red Sea miracle
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/01/21/003.html
1/4/04
Evidence of leprosy in ancient Jerusalem has been found:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3849407/
http://www.news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2361438
http://tinyurl.com/yq2mt (SF Chronicle)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/377808.html
12/28/03
The New York Times has a nice piece on archaeology in the
Wadi Arabah:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/23/science/23ARCH.html
Second Temple/Hasmonean period artifacts were uncovered
this week just outside the walls of Jerusalem:
http://tinyurl.com/3y6sq (Jerusalem Post)
Al-Jazeera has a piece on the neglected archaeological sites
of Palestine:
http://tinyurl.com/2xpfm
Last week we mentioned that a geologist was making suggestions about the authenticity of the James Ossuary ... Biblical Archaeology Review has a rather extensive article all about the claim (scroll down to the last paragraph if descriptions of
oxygen isotope analysis cause your eyes to glaze over):
http://www.bib-arch.org/bswbbreakingflawed.html
Al-Ahram has a sort of 'the past year in heritage stuff' piece
that highlights matters archaeological etc.:
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/670/heritage.htm
cf: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3753790/
Macquarie University has purchased some Oxyrhynchus Papyri:
http://tinyurl.com/ywksf (Daily Telegraph)
BBC Radio had an interesting program about the history and
development of the alphabet (RealPlayer):
http://tinyurl.com/3y5h6
The University of Akron has been given a pile of Near
Eastern artifacts:
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/living/7568830.htm
I think I mentioned this one before when it appeared in the
Washington post, but if not, it's a reasonable overview of
'Biblical archaeology':
http://www.detnews.com/2003/religion/0312/23/a12-16785.htm
Biblical Archaeology Review (Jan./Feb. 2004):
http://www.bib-arch.org/bswb_BAR/indexBAR.html
A sizeable chunk of an ancient fresco was stolen from the
Roman headquarters at Masada this week:
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/374340.html
http://tinyurl.com/2raru (Reuters via Yahoo)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1015015.htm
Stephen Prothero, *American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a
National Icon*:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/28/books/review/28MASSINT.html
Tomb of Zacharias:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1218/p14s01-wome.html
12/21/03
The authenticity of the James Ossuary is in the news again, with
an Israeli geologist weighing in with an alternate explanation
for the problems with the inscription:
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/374068.html
http://tinyurl.com/29pj9 (Jerusalem Post)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3753790/
http://tinyurl.com/3g373 (Guardian)
Ha'aretz has coverage of the 'state of the dig' of Be'er Sheva:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/372366.html
A good piece on the online Sumerian Dictionary project:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/features/11_12_03_d.asp
Book notes
A handful of tomes on the Faith vs. Reason debate:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/20/arts/20FAIT.html
Adiel Schremer, *Male and Female He Created Them*
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/368677.html
Yairah Amit, *Hidden Polemics in Biblical Narative*:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/371221.html
Pamela Tamarkin, *Reading the Lines: A Fresh Look at the Hebrew Bible":
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/371220.html
12/14/03
The Washington Post has a feature on 'Biblical' Archaeology:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61291-2003Dec12.html
12/7/03
An interesting piece on the clash between religion, development,
and archaeology in Israel:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/366828.html
11/30/03
In the wake of assorted scholarly meetings, we are being told it
is too early to write off the James Ossuary as a fake:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/997496.asp
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-11-25-ossuary-usat_x.htm
http://tinyurl.com/wi2m (CNN)
NEW ONLINE BOOK
Ishtar and Izdubar (The Epic of Gilgamesh):
http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/iai/
11/2/03
The New York Times waxes on the history of the 'curse of Ham':
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/01/arts/01HAM.html
Emmanuel Anati, "Where is Mount Sinai?":
http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/Anati_Mount_Sinai.htm
Thera Eruption (connected to Goedicke's theory of the Exodus):
http://tinyurl.com/tbw7 (AthensNews)
http://tinyurl.com/tbxe (Taipei Times)
10/12/03
Al-Ahram has a good piece on that cuneiform tablet which is being
used as evidence for Ramesses II having a capital in the Delta:
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/659/hr2.htm
The Oriental Institute's Mesopotamian collection is going on
display:
http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/031009/oi.shtml
Greg Doudna, "4Q Pesher Nahum and the Teacher of Righteousness":
http://tinyurl.com/qmmx (Bible and Interpretation site)
9/28/03
The discovery of a 13th century B.C. inscription which
confirms Ramses II had a capital in the Delta region:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s955027.htm
On the DNA front, researchers have traced the 'genetic signature'
which occurs in more than half the Levites of Ashkenazi origin
to Central Asia:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/27/science/27GENE.html
The current issue of Christianity Today, including its online
incarnation, has a number of articles focusing on Biblical
Archaeology. They're all available at:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ctmag/
(you'll have to scroll a bit ... each article is under a subtitle
called 'Archaeology Week')
Leonard Kind, *Legends of Babylon and Egypt in Relation to Hebrew
Tradition*:
http://djvued.libs.uga.edu/lbeh/ (requires djvu plugin)
Exhibition: From the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Forbidden Book:
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2110338
Folks itching for news about Mel Gibson's Passion, might find
the links at the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies
useful:
http://www.icjs.org/clergy/gibson.html
cf: http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=41157
9/21/03
Christianity Today has a good article on the politics lurking
beneath 'Biblical' archaeology:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/010/33.36.html
Lillian Klein, "Engaging Biblical Women":
http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/KLein_Biblical_Women.htm
Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium BC from the
Mediterranean to the Indus (Exhibition Catalogue):
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/16552
Hezekiah's Tunnel (repeats):
http://www.nature.com/nsu/030908/030908-9.html
http://tinyurl.com/o3wx
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=49924
9/14/03
There's a fair bit of coverage of this one -- archaeologists
have dated the so-called "Hezekiah's Tunnel" to a time that
matches up with Hezekiah:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-09/huoj-dok090903.php
http://tinyurl.com/nasy (New York Times)
http://www.msnbc.com/news/964464.asp
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3098018.stm
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/09/10/tunnel_biblical030910
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/afp/20030908/bibletunnel.html
Burials found during construction of various projects in Israel
have received various responses (this is a series from
Ha'aretz):
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/338105.html
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/338104.html
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/338103.html
The British Museum says it will not return the Rosetta Stone to
Egypt:
http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=11313
Biblical Archaeology Review (September/October 2003):
http://www.bib-arch.org/bswb_BAR/indexBAR.html
8/31/03
With all the hubbub over the Ten Commandments in Alabama, folks
might be interested in a piece on the various versions of the Commandments:
http://tinyurl.com/l7wr
8/24/03
A Bronze Age village and a first-century A.D./C.E. Jewish
farmhouse have been excavated in Israel:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=330859
http://tinyurl.com/l0e8 (Jerusalem Post)
http://tinyurl.com/l0dj (Newsday)
A rather lengthy piece on Saddam Hussein's project to rebuild ancient
Babylon:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/19/international/worldspecial/19BABY.html
... and an interesting editorial which mentions it in the context of
'manipulating history':
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/opinion/22_08_03_b.asp
Charles David Isabell, "'History' and 'Writing'" [on whether writers of
scripture thought they were writing history]:
http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/Isbell_history.htm
Archaeology 56.5 (Sept./Oct. 2003):
http://www.archaeology.org/magazine.php?page=curiss/index
Online book: J.Th. Bakker, *Living and Working with the Gods. Studies of
Evidence for Private Religion and its Material Environment in the City
of Ostia*
http://www.ostia-antica.org/privrel/privrel.htm
8/17/03
The IAA's final reports on the Jehoash inscription and the James
Ossuary:
http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/Final_Reports.htm
8/10/03
There's a new archaeological dating method, based on
superconductivity:
http://physicsweb.org/article/news/7/8/3
Marriage rites in various cultures, ancient and modern:
http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/WolfFiles/wolffiles251.html
A response to the 'ark hype' associated with Ballard's forays into the
Black Sea:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1015350,00.html
7/26/03
This week Robert Ballard will head out on his next exploration
of the Black Sea (they're still playing up the 'Noah' angle):
http://tinyurl.com/i6nf ('interesting' headline)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/21/tech/main564233.shtml
http://www.msnbc.com/news/940345.asp
http://www.msnbc.com/news/938234.asp
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,59651,00.html
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=24569 (no mention of Ballard!)
They've reassembled Hatshepsut's shrine:
http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html9/o100723.htm
Hype about the possible identification of Nefertiti (and, of course, a
related television program) continues:
http://icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0300southwark/content_objectid=13205077_method=full_siteid=50100_headline=-Specialists-to-work-on-a-3-000-year-old-patient-name_page.html
Excavations of a synagoge at near Dir Aziz are causing at least one
scholar to do some rethinking of some ancient religious practices:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=321013
Journalists appear to be treating the latest 'religious inscription'
discovery with rather less fanfare than we've seen of late:
http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/935413.asp
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/07/06/here.lies.zachariah.ap/ cf.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=320531
Anyone else have something they want to claim from the British Museum?
Now Egypt wants the Rosetta stone back:
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=426976
Microwave radar from satellites could help locate archaeological sites:
http://tinyurl.com/gjds
Oded Golan (the guy who brought the 'James Ossuary' to light) was
arrested this week:
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/204/nation/Israeli_held_in_suspected_forgery_of_artifacts+.shtml
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/23/international/middleeast/23BRIE3.html
http://www.canada.com/national/story.asp?id=C2B5D14E-EBFE-4014-B9B7-66AF9638191E
... and the reaction:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull%26cid=1059022251164
Yosef Garfinkel, *Sha'ar Hagolan Neolithic Art in the Jordan Valley*:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=319366
6/29/03
This is probably the big news of the week ... the Vatican has
put its museum collections on the web:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/06/24/tech/main560158.shtml (article)
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html (link to site)
The hype is beginning for Ballard's latest expedition:
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/state/hc-28135514.apds.m0169.bc-ct--expljun28,0,7625115.story?coll=hc-headlines-local-wire
Yuval Goren, "Shanks' Assertions are Simply Incorrect and Misleading":
http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/Reply_to_Shankes.htm
6/22/03
The tomb of Akhenaten's scribe has been found:
http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/article.asp?idart=11172
In case you missed it, the Israel Antiquities Authority has (finally)
declared the James Ossuary to be a hoax/fake/inauthentic:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/objects/pages/PrintArticleEn.jhtml?itemNo=305643 http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/international.cfm?id=673032003
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030617.wossu0617/BNStory/Entertainment/
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/06/18/jesus.box/ (good photos)
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/18/international/middleeast/18CND-ISRA.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/19/international/middleeast/19ISRA.html
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Israel-Jesus-Inscription.html
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=2949428
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0618_030618_jesusbox.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0619/p07s01-wome.html
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/GoodMorningAmerica/jamesossuary030619.html (deals with the politics involved)
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/124/51.0.html (interesting final 'graph) http://www.msnbc.com/news/928121.asp (somewhat useless photo)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=570&ncid=753&e=4&u=/nm/20030618/sc_nm/religion_israel_jesus_dc
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3000040.stm
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/PrinterFull&cid=1055816813268 cf.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/PrinterFull&cid=1055729931122
... and the Jehoash Inscription too:
http://www.archaeology.org/magazine.php?page=online/features/ossuary/index
Here's a report on the third season of excavations at Sussita:
http://www.bibleinterp.com/excavations/Hippos_2002.htm
Rochelle Altman, *Updates on the Ossuary of Ya'acob bar Yosef and the
Temple Tablet*
http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/altmanupdates.htm
Steven Grosby, *A Goy by Any Other Name -- The Problem of Nationality
in Antiquity":
http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/Problem_of_Nationality.htm
Online book: The Jewish Encyclopedia (1901-1906):
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/index.jsp
The New York Times has a feature on Elaine Pagels (*The Gnostic
Gospels*):
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/14/books/14PAGE.html
and Elaine Pagels, *Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas*:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/15/books/review/15KERMODT.html
6/8/03
Protestors showed up at a dig in Israel:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=300074
A piece on the history of the Ten Commandments might be of interest:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/07/national/07BELI.html
Archaeology 56.3 (May/June 2003):
http://www.archaeology.org/magazine.php?page=curiss/index
6/1/03
An Italian archaeologist is convinced Anatolia is the 'cradle of
civilization' (you might have to scroll down on this one and click a
link ... strange url things going on here):
http://www.zaman.com/default.php?kn=2492
Bible Review (June 2003):
http://www.bib-arch.org/bswb_BR/indexBR.html
Online book: E.A. Wallis Budge, *The Egyptian Heaven and Hell*:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/ehh.htm
OTHER SOURCES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL NEWS
================================================================
About.com Ancient History (blog): http://ancienthistory.about.com/
About.com Archaeology (blog): http://archaeology.about.com/mbody.htm
Ancient World Web Breaking News Page:
http://julen.net/ancient/breaking.html
Archaeologica: http://www.archaeologica.org/NewsPage.htm
Archaeology Magazine's Newsbriefs:
http://www.archaeology.org/magazine.php?page=0305/newsbriefs/index
Bible and Interpretation Breaking News:
http://www.bibleinterp.com/news.htm
CBA Newsfeed: http://www.britarch.ac.uk/newsfeed/index.html
CBA Archaeoblog: http://www.britarch.ac.uk/archaeoblog/
Classics in Contemporary Culture (blog):
http://www.people.memphis.edu/~mhooker/ccc.html
Cronaca (blog): http://www.cronaca.com/
Francis Deblauwe's 'Iraq War and Archaeology' site:
http://cctr.umkc.edu/user/fdeblauwe/iraq.html
Maritime Underwater Archaeological News:
http://www.munarchaeology.com/munarchaeology/news/main.htm
Mirabilis.ca (blog): http://www.mirabilis.ca
Paleojudaica (blog): http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com
Phluzein (blog): http://www.binref.com/phluzein/
Stone Pages Archaeo News: http://www.stonepages.com/news/
Texas A&M Anthropology News Site:
http://www.tamu.edu/anthropology/news.html
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