Category Archives: Inscriptions and Manuscripts

Khirbet Qeiyafa inscription deciphered. Refers to next-gen “Solomonic” gate design

An astonishing new technology is bringing damaged and faded ancient texts to light. Scientists demonstrated its potential by scanning and translating the Khirbet Qeiyafa inscription during a news conference this morning. Researchers at MIT have developed the Subatomic Ultra-Parsing Epigraphic Resolving … Continue reading

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Information on the second Qeiyafa inscription coming later this year

A few people have inquired about the new Khirbet Qeiyafa inscription discovered in the 2012 season. I asked Yossi Garfinkel about it last week when I drove up to Chattanooga (from Tampa!) to catch his presentation at Southern Adventist University. He … Continue reading

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Dead Sea Scrolls coming to Cincinnati

An exhibition of select Dead Sea Scrolls opens this Friday, November 16th, at the Cincinnati Museum Center (near my old stomping grounds of Mason, Ohio). The Dead Sea Scrolls include the oldest surviving manuscripts of Bible books. Around 600 biblically-related … Continue reading

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Ancient papyrus: Was Jesus Married? Don’t overlook this perspective…

Harvard professor Karen King is publishing her findings on an ancient papyrus that mentions Jesus’ “wife.” What to think? Here are four items that should shape our perspective. a) According to the New York Times article, “the provenance of the papyrus fragment … Continue reading

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Does a Newly Discovered Seal Show Samson Fighting a Lion?

Excavators at Tel Beth-Shemesh recently announced the discovery of a small seal that shows a human figure possibly fighting a large lion. The seal was found in an 11th century B.C. context. In the Bible, Samson lived in the area … Continue reading

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The Qeiyafa Inscription at the Israel Museum – Photos now Allowed!

We recently visited the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and saw many of the Bible-related archaeological treasures displayed there. Bible students would probably recognize objects from Bible dictionaries, class materials, PowerPoint lessons, textbooks, and other sources. It’s one thing to see … Continue reading

Posted in General Archaeology, Inscriptions and Manuscripts, Interesting places to visit, Israel, Jerusalem, Khirbet Qeiyafa, Museums | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Qeiyafa Update #2 – Two Things You May Want to Know

This excavation week has come to a close. Lots of hard, dirty, sweaty, rewarding, and enriching work. Here are some tidbits for the future: 1. This may be the last dig season here. Due to hard work over the past 3 weeks, … Continue reading

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New Discovery: Earliest archaeological evidence of Bethlehem during First Temple Period

Excavations in Jerusalem have produced a bulla inscribed with the name of Bethlehem from the biblical Divided Kingdom period. A bulla is a piece of clay that was used for sealing a document or object. The bulla was impressed with the seal of the person who sent … Continue reading

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The Latest Jesus-related Tomb

It’s happened again. The same individuals who brought us the highly problematic Jesus Tomb a few years ago have returned with another tomb. This one has an inscription and a picture of (allegedly) Jonah’s fish. Jonah was sometimes used by early … Continue reading

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1st Century Fragment of Mark’s Gospel: Yes or No?

Scholars have been speculating over a text fragment provisionally dated to the 1st century A.D. It is a Greek uncial text of Mark 5:15-18. If genuine, it would confirm that written texts on Jesus were circulating only a few decades … Continue reading

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