This short home movie clip captures, in a very fuzzy and faded way, my first time visiting Jerusalem in July, 1962–now over 60 years ago! I was just 16 years old, in my “Buddy Holly” teenage stage, having lived outside of Paris the previous year and wanting to major in…
I would love to meet and spend time with some of my blog readers this Fall in San Antonio, November 17-19 for the “26th annual “Bible and Archaeology Fest.” Click on the link for all the details. I have been at these for all but two of the 25 years!…
David Clausen, The Upper Room and Tomb of David: The History, Art and Archaeology of the Cenacle on Mount Zion (McFarland, 2016). This fascinating Medieval structure, visited by millions of Christian a year as the “Room of the Last Supper,” whereas the lower floor is revered by Jews as the…
Ken Dark, Archaeology of Jesus’ Nazareth (Oxford, 2023) (Kindle link), is a marvelous little “must have” volume for anyone interested in the a readable summary of the evidence. The archaeology of ancient 1st century CE Nazareth has been controversial over the years, with some even claiming there was no such…
Does the 1980 Talpiot “Jesus Family Tomb” have any likely connection to the historical Jesus of Nazareth and his family? In January of 2008 a group of internationally renowned scholars from a broad range of disciplines met in Jerusalem to discuss that very question. Covering the archaeological facts about the…
In this wide-ranging interview with Neal Sendlack host of YouTube channel @GnosticInformant, we delve into all sorts of questions regarding the the history and mythology of Masada–the last stand of Jewish patriots against the Romans during the first revolt (73 CE). One of the core mysteries of the entire story…
The on-line magazine, Popular Archaeology, which I highly recommend, recently circulated its “Top Ten” feature stories of the past decade. I was honored and pleased that one of the ten stories that my research on the historical Jesus, as related to material and textual evidence, was chosen as one of…
If you check the dropdown menu at the top of any page on my TaborBlog you will see an emerging new feature titled “The Jewish-Roman World of Jesus.” During my years at UNC Charlotte these materials were on a university web site used by my students in my courses–but since…
For a bit of a change of pace, checkout this cartoon video a friend created. I only recognize myself in my dreams, but I really did rappel down Masada to get into the southern caves! See my post on the Masada Bones of Cave 2001 to find out what I…
In this informal presentation I relate our very human attachment to “old things,” to which we attach emotion and meaning–including some of my own personal experiences–and how that is connected broadly to “archaeology”–that is, the scientific exploration of the human material past. Our imagination connects us to the past–places, artifacts,…