I got to London yesterday for the International Society of Biblical Literature conference, being hosted by King’s College. Unlike the SBL Annual Meeting in the US, and apparently previous international meetings, the first day of the conference “hit the ground running.” I was rather dismayed, as a result of not having planned my travels with this in mind, to have missed the first day’s batch of papers, in particular Mark Goodacre’s on the story of the discovery of the Nag... Read more
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 other sources relevant to their faith are literally true, many others (including most famously Reconstructionists) are persuaded that not only a literal Exodus can go... Read more
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 as “Jesus son of Joseph,” “Judas son of Jesus,” and “Mariam and Mar(th)a” (previously suggested to read “Mariamne also (known as) the Master.” If this... Read more
The Biblical Studies Carnival rounding up highlights of last month’s posts is now up at Targuman. Read more
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, and the jar placed in a box of its own marked “Fragile.” You may think that from there on it will be smooth sailing. But... Read more
Although getting access to the Internet while in Israel was not always straightforward, that was largely a result of my decision to not go overboard with the 3G option. While I had it, it seemed to work fine, and the key will presumably be to get a larger data refill right away and then be restrained and sparing with the amount of time I spend online. Apart from not being able to take photos in dark indoor locations, I felt... Read more
My last day in Israel (which I decided to write about separately from my account of the airport, where my time in Israel ended) included a visit to a some 3,000-year-old Phoenician fortress, and seeing a tomb belonging to one Jehoshua of Sachnin. Local Muslims, as well as Jews and Christians, come to the tomb to kiss the stones. A couple of local gentlemen mentioned that this rabbi’s father’s name was Jacob. There is a Jacob of Sachnin mentioned in... Read more
Today’s touring focused on sites connected with Jesus – and one strikingly unconnected. We began in Nazareth, whose Church of the Annunciation is the key location. I may have more to say on a later occasion about why I sought permission of the priest in charge to get access to a locked stairwell, and what I saw there when I did, but for now, it is more appropriate – and much more fun – to be allusive and mysterious. Next,... Read more
A question for anyone interested, but in particular those of you with some archaeological experience: What do you think this might be? It is the same object from three different angles. What about this one? Or this one, which I assume are three pieces of one archaeological “puzzle”? Read more
Today’s touring and exploring started at the Mount of Beatitudes. The beatitudes are, as typically in Christian tradition, presented in the Matthean version around the church and site, and so the contrast between Luke’s “Blessed are you who are poor” and the relatively rich site is not felt as strongly as it might be. We also visited Tel Dan, which is not only the location where the famous “house of David” inscription was found, but also home to a significant... Read more
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