Machaerus Ostraca being translated by Dr. Christopher Rollston

Machaerus Ostraca being translated by Dr. Christopher Rollston

Dr. Christopher Rollston is working on translating ostraca inscriptions found at Machaerus. Machaerus is the site where, according to tradition, John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded under the reign of Herod Antipas. The location is in Jordan. Read a tiny bit more about Machaerus, the ostraca, and the work at the George Washington University link.

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10th Century Manuscript of Exodus, in Hebrew transliterated with Arabic and with traditional Hebrew vowel points

10th Century Manuscript of Exodus, in Hebrew transliterated with Arabic and with traditional Hebrew vowel points

Viewable online at the British Library is a fragmentary codex of Exodus (containing Exodus 1:1-8:5 in 21 folios, including covers) with Hebrew transliterated into Arabic, but with traditional Hebrew vowel points. The work is incredible and beautiful and dates from the 10th century. It was purchased from an antiquities dealer in Jerusalem in the 19th century.

Here’s a summary of the contents from the British Library:

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Israel Antiquities Authority showcases Beit Shemesh “Gloriorius Martyr” Church

Israel Antiquities Authority showcases Beit Shemesh “Gloriorius Martyr” Church

The Israeli Antiquities Authority showcased information about the excavation of a sixth-century Byzantine church in Beit Shemesh with an exhibit at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem. The excavations were directed by Benjamin Storchan.

Here’s a snippet about the excavation of the church structure from the full article:

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Ein Asawir (En Esur): 5000 year old city in the news

Several different news outlets (MSN, HaAretz, UPI, and others) are carrying the story from the Israeli Antiquities Authority press release about excavations at Ein Asawir (En Esur) of a large 5000 year old city in the north of modern day Israel (southeast of Haifa, in the Sharon plain). The 5000 year old city was also apparently built on another city/village which was inhabited 2000 years earlier, and this earlier city apparently included a temple structure. According to the reports, the location “spanned 160 acres and is estimated to have had 6,000 inhabitants.”

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Great National Geographic Article on the city of Jerash

Great National Geographic Article on the city of Jerash

Jerash, located in modern Jordan, was one of the “10 Cities”, the Decapolis, mentioned in the Gospels (see references to Decapolis here and specific mentions of Jerash [Gerasa] here). National Geographic, as always, does a fantastic job of of a visual presentation, with photos and reconstructions of the ancient city, as well as giving an overview of the history of the location. I have yet to visit Jerash, but I hope to in the near future.

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