Here is the Part 2 of my reposting of my responses to the review of my 2006 book, The Jesus Dynasty, by my friend and colleague Prof. James F. Strange originally published in Biblical Archaeology Review (November/December, 2006, pp. 72-76). You can read Part 1, “Was Christianity All a Mistake?”…
Various TV programs during this Spring/Easter season have focused on the question of the authenticity of the controversial “Shroud of Turin,” Those challenging the authenticity of this ancient relic point to carbon dating tests done at three independent labs in 1988 that dated samples of its cloth to AD 1260-1390,…
So once again Holy Week has arrived. Palm Sunday was yesterday, clouded by the horrific bombings of the Christian gatherings in Egypt. Today is the 14th of the Jewish month of Nisan, with the festival of Passover beginning at sundown. Jews around the world will gather to solemnly remember and…
Perhaps some of you have heard about the fabulous project at Yeshiva University pioneered by my friend Professor Steven Fine and others to restore the original colors to the famed Arch of Titus. It is finished and now can be viewed in this remarkable video. This project is as fascinating…
I am most pleased to note that one of my most popular Biblical Archaeology Society Seminars is on sale for a limited time at 75% off! I am not sure how long this sale will last and I should point out none of us receive royalties for such lectures, so…
Discover the historical Jesus in a new way through The Jesus Discovery. The book begins with the controversial Talpiot tombs (see “Does the Evidence Add Up?) but then uses that avenue to open up the whole forgotten world of the earliest Jesus movement, combining textual and material/archaeological evidence. As a result…
Those engaged in the academic study of religions, and specifically the origins and development of early Christianity, draw a sharp distinction between what they call the historical Jesus and the “Christ” of Christian faith and devotion. How and when this transformation took place–from Jesus the itinerant messianic Jewish teacher and…
I am honored to be a Biblical Archaeology Society “BAS Publication Awards” judge this year for “Best Book Relating to the New Testament.” I served in this way several times in the past and it is truly a great assignment. I look forward to some amazing reading. If you have…
Congratulations to my friend and associate Simcha Jacobovici for this well-deserved award. At the bottom of the news story you will find the link to watch free one of Simcha’s films dealing with what we know about the methods of Roman crucifixion in Judea based on the latest forensic evidence…
I find it somewhat amazing that so many freely expressing opinions on the controversial Talpiot “Jesus” tomb and/or the “James ossuary” have not kept up with even the most minimum of the latest research on the topic. I find this is the case even with all too many of my…