The episode of Doctor Who “Fury from the Deep” says goodbye to Victoria Waterfield as the Doctor’s companion, and says hello to a new companion for the first time that would remain with the Doctor down to the present day: the sonic screwdriver. This episode features the TARDIS landing on water, and the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria being apprehended after being discovered in the restricted area of the nearby beach. There is a natural gas pipeline there, which it soon... Read more
A movement is afoot to ditch the term “Jonah ossuary” which reflects an interpretation that most do not find plausible, and substitute another nickname, such as the “amphora ossuary” or, if that isn’t catchy enough, the “handled fish ossuary.” In The Bible and Interpretation James Tabor recounts James Charlesworth’s claim to have found the name of Jonah embedded in the inscription. The Globe and Mail features the news. Steve Caruso gives the suggestion a failing grade, in a blog post... Read more
Here’s the latest on the Talpiot tombs and the ossuary which should presumably cease being referred to as the “Jonah ossuary”: Bob Cargill has made another video about the image on the “Jonah ossuary”: The ASOR blog draws attention to a publication discussing that same ossuary, and the image on it, way back in 1981. See too the post about the article on Michael Heiser’s blog. Bob Cargill also offers further analysis not only of the image on the ossuary,... Read more
The Doctor Who episode “The Web of Fear” marked the return of the Yeti and the Great Intelligence, and the introduction of a character who would become a regular feature of the show in years to come: then Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart. The episode, in fact, has been considered the prototype for the main type of episode during the Pertwee era, when the Doctor would be confined to Earth for the most part. The Great Intelligence and the Yeti were introduced in... Read more
Having said that I didn’t find a comic from the Far Left Side as funny as I might have expected, precisely because it didn’t seem to make a useful point, it seems only fair to share a cartoon or two that I think makes a useful point or is more amusing. Read more
I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity to participate in the blog tour about Bart Ehrman’s latest book, Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth. Ehrman emphasizes that many mythicists appear to approach the question of Jesus’ existence in the manner of conspiracy theorists, and since such people refuse to change their minds, his book is not aimed at them. It is rather aimed at the genuine seeker after understanding. While a consensus among experts can... Read more
CALL FOR PAPERS “Science-Fiction Myths: Travels through Time and Space” An area of multiple panels for the Film & History Conference on “Film and Myth” September 26-30, 2012 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA http://www.filmandhistory.org Deadline: June 1, 2012 Films that depict travel through time and space captivate us with tales of the past, the future, the distant, and the alien. These stories are shaped, however, not just by scientific principles, but by complex mythologies that reflect our collective anxieties. How fragile is “our”... Read more
Many ossuaries are of archaeological and historical value. Some may be of more interest than others. But some, through spin, forgery, or other means, try to make the interesting seem incredible – and our historical understanding is liable to suffer as a result. On the Talpiot patio tomb, Bob Cargill has annotated a video with Simcha Jacobovici: See also the discussion on Bob’s blog (and the review of The Jesus Discovery in the Winnipeg Free Press). And on the James... Read more
Jim Davila shared a link to a news article about the desecration of Sabean or Mandaean graves in Kirkuk. Read more
Remembrance of the Daleks: Thus far in the Sylvester McCoy era, this is the episode that has made me feel most like the show I am watching is still Doctor Who, and the character played by Sylvester McCoy is still the Doctor. Bringing the classic enemies back, the Daleks, was a good move, as was returning once again to 76 Totters Lane where it all began, within years of the first Doctor’s departure. I think this was probably the first... Read more
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