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Apr 27 Blog

The Aleppo Codex

The world’s oldest Hebrew Bible, the Aleppo Codex, is missing pages—and not just a couple leaves, but four of the Five Books of Moses! What happened to them?

Baroque artist Guido Reni depicts the apostle James, son of Zebedee, in his painting 'Saint James the Greater' (c. 1636–1638).

Apr 24 Blog

James or Jacob in the Bible?

By: Mark Wilson

How did the Jewish name Ya’akov, properly translated as Jacob, become James in English versions of the Bible?

Late-15th-century painting of The Last Supper by the Spanish artist known as the Master of Perea.

Apr 8 Blog

Was Jesus’ Last Supper a Seder?

By: Jonathan Klawans

Many assume that Jesus' Last Supper was a Seder, the ritual Passover meal. Examine evidence from the synoptic Gospels with scholar Jonathan Klawans.

Roman Catacomb Painting at the Catacombs of Santa Priscilla

Apr 6 Blog

The Last Days of Jesus: A Final “Messianic” Meal

By: James Tabor

On Wednesday Jesus began to make plans for Passover. He sent two of his disciples into the city to prepare a large second-story guest room where he could gather secretly and safely with his inner group.

Painting 'He turned their waters into blood,' by the 19th-century American folk painter Erastus Salisbury Field (1805–1900). Photo: National Gallery of Art, Washington/Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch

Apr 1 Blog

Exodus in the Bible and the Egyptian Plagues

By: BAS Staff

The Book of Exodus describes ten Egyptian plagues that bring suffering to the land of pharaoh. Are these Biblical plagues plausible on any level?

Mar 16 Blog

How Bad Was Jezebel?

By: Janet Howe Gaines

For more than two thousand years, Jezebel has been saddled with a reputation as the bad girl of the Bible, the wickedest of women. But just how depraved was she?

Mar 2 Blog

Bible Animals: From Hyenas to Hippos

By: Rabbi Dr. Natan Slifkin

Lions and crocodiles and monkeys, oh my! There are about a hundred different types of animal species mentioned in the Bible.

Woodcut from Historiae Celebriores Veteris Testamenti Iconibus Representatae—dated to 1712—depicts the Talents’ parable

Feb 6 Blog

What Does the Parable of the Talents Mean?

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Richard L. Rohrbaugh examines the Parable of the Talents’ meaning in his Biblical Views column “Reading the Bible Through Ancient Eyes” in BAR.

The Great Isaiah Scroll. Photo: John C. Trevor, PhD. Digital Image: James E. Trevor

Jan 16 Blog

The “Original” Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls

By: Noah Wiener

More than 200 Biblical texts written in Hebrew were discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls. How do these ancient Biblical texts compare with the Masoretic Text and the Greek Septuagint in scholars’ search for the most authoritative text of the Hebrew Bible?

Dec 3 Blog

Ancient Synagogues in Israel and the Diaspora

By: Megan Sauter

Were there synagogues before the Romans destroyed the Temple, or did they develop only afterward? Communal structures from the Second Temple period have been discovered, but should they be considered synagogues even though they don’t share the major architectural feature common to post-destruction synagogues?

Must-Read Free eBooks

The Dead Sea Scrolls: Past, Present, and Future

Biblical Peoples—The World of Ancient Israel

Who Was Jesus? Exploring the History of Jesus’ Life

Ancient Israel in Egypt and the Exodus

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