Late yesterday I posted my first YouTube video of 2024–which is #3 of my new series I am calling “Jesus Archaeology.” It already has over 4K views in less than 24 hours. The video has to do with the “Forgotten City of Sepphoris,” on a very basic level. Many of…
As I have done in the past, I want to commend to my readers the many uniquely valuable posts of “Scribes of the Kingdom” blogger Alex Finkelson. He never disappoints. This latest one truly hits the mark and expels a huge cloud of confusion among those who dabble in New…
Too long the origins of early Christianity and its development in late Roman antiquity has focused on ancient texts–to the neglect of important material evidence, particularly the considerable numismatic evidence of the period–and its relationship to astrological beliefs. The view arose that one’s fortune or destiny was determined by the…
Over the decades I have heard dozens of interviews with John Crossan, listened to his lectures, read his books, and spent time together in Jerusalem in 2007 with him and his wife Sarah, in endless conversation, visiting some of the “off the beaten tourist paths” places with Shimon Gibson. He…
Millions around the world viewed the “Great Conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn in the southwest sky Monday evening as Jupiter “caught up with” and passed Saturn, appearing as one bright star from our earthly vantage point even though their orbits are millions of miles apart. This close a conjunction between…
Many decades ago I had the privilege of studying at the University of Chicago with the late, great, Norman Perrin. I have many memories of Mr. Perrin, some personal, that I have shared previously on my blog, see “Remembering Norman Perrin.” One of his most distinguished students, Werner H. Kelber,…
Given my chosen field of study, namely “Christian Origins,” I am often asked by students and attendees at my lectures whether there are any reference to Jesus and the early “Christian” movement outsidethe New Testament. The following references, from a diverse collection of Roman writers around the time of the…
I am teaching an advanced undergraduate/graduate course this semester on the “Archaeology of Earliest Christianity,” probing the question of what archaeology provides as a context for understanding Jesus and his movement. Those of us who work on “Christian origins” understandably focus primarily on texts, particularly the texts of the New Testament,…
This article, published in the December, 1999 issue of Bible Review magazine remains relevant to this day.
If you missed the recent PBS two hour special “Last Days of Jesus” those of you in the United States can stream it free of charge on-line here. I offer a few comments here, not by any means a full review, which would deserve several blog posts. I thought the…