What Can/Can’t Christianity Exist Without?

My post asking a “what if” question about the Talpiot Tomb sparked some comments about what Christianity does or does not require in order to “survive.” Having just visited Israel, I have fresh in my mind the fact that, while some Jews are persuaded that some or all of the claims in the Bible and [...]

The Talpiot Tomb and the James Ossuary: What If…?

Being busy preparing for my travels, I only barely caught wind of the fact that a scientific report declared that the James Ossuary, i.e. the one with the inscription “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus,” has a patina with a chemical signature matching the Talpiot tomb, in which were found ossuaries with inscriptions such [...]

Biblical Studies Carnival for June/July 2011

The Biblical Studies Carnival rounding up highlights of last month’s posts is now up at Targuman.

Ben Gurion Airport

Anyone traveling to Israel hears stories about prolonged searches. If you expect them on arrival, you may think you have had it lucky, breezing through the process. But it is on departure that such extensive searches are typical. I discovered that having a jar of date preserves will get you sent into a separate line, [...]