Sermons and Biblical Studies

Gordon Franz Micah, an 8th century BC Judean prophet, made puns on the names of the cities of Judah about to be destroyed by the Assyrians. Of Lachish, the capital of the Shephelah (steppe country) and second most important city of Judah, he stated, “Harness the chariot to the team of horses, O inhabitant of … Continue reading “LACHISH
STABLES FOUND!”

Abraham Rabinovich The oldest intact city gate ever uncovered in this country, and perhaps anywhere else — it may have existed when Abraham appeared before the city walls — was uncovered this summer at Tel Dan, in northern Israel. The beautifully preserved structure, built of sunbaked mud brick, was constructed in the 19th-18th centuries B.C., … Continue reading “FROM
ISRAEL
4,000 YEAR-OLD CITY GATE FOUND INTACT AT TEL DAN”

Sherman E. Johnson [Sherman E. Johnson is Visiting Professor of New Testament at the Lexington Theological Seminary.] WHEN PAUL WAS ACCUSED of bringing Gentiles into the Temple in Jerusalem, and arrested because of the ensuing riot, he explained to the tribune commanding the Roman cohort that he was a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, “no … Continue reading “STUDIES
IN BIBLE BACKGROUNDS
TARSUS AND THE APOSTLE PAUL”

K.A. Kitchen [Kenneth A. Kitchen is lecturer in the School of Archaeology and Oriental Studies at the University of Liverpool, England. He is the author of Ancient Orient and Old Testament (Inter-Varsity Press, 1966) as well as numerous other articles and books on the ancient Near East.] In early Hebrew tradition, one of the most … Continue reading “FROM
THE BRICK — FIELDS OF EGYPT”

Bryant G. Wood Music has always been an important part of Jewish and Christian worship. Just exactly what form that music should take, however, has been the subject of much debate. In Christian worship, it is generally agreed that hymn singing should be a part of the service. But when it comes to the instruments … Continue reading “MUSICAL
INSTRUMENTS IN OLD TESTAMENT WORSHIP”

Abraham Rabinovich Sitting comfortably beneath the canvas shade on the hilltop, it is easy to imagine Napoleon standing on this very spot, ordering his cannon to open fire on the walled city of Acre lying placidly a kilometer to the northwest like a bumpy tree-stump waiting for a boy to throw a stone at it. … Continue reading “FROM
ISRAEL
EXCAVATIONS AT TEL AKKO”

Herold Weiss [Herold Weiss, Ph.D., is chairman of the department of religious studies, St. Mary’s College, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana.] The results of renewed archeological excavations at Capernaum are of interest to Bible students because the synoptic Gospels quite clearly center Jesus’ ministry in that small town on the northwest shore of … Continue reading “RECENT
WORK AT CAPERNAUM”

Stanislao Loffreda [Stanislao Loffreda, O.F.M., participated in the Franciscan excavations at Capernaum between 1968 and 1977. He has written a number of the final excavation reports.] The identification of the old town of Capernaum is firmly based on the evidence of literary sources and archaeological data. According to literary sources, Capernaum was near the lake … Continue reading “CAPERNAUM
— JESUS’ OWN CITY”

Abraham Rabinovich A STRANGE, stepped structure unlike any other ever uncovered in a biblical city in Israel has emerged from the stony slopes of David’s City to raise intriguing speculations, one of them so outlandish that archaeologists hesitate to speak it. Dr. Yigal Shiloh of Hebrew University pointed out the monumental structure, higher than a … Continue reading “JERUSALEM
REPORT:
SOLOMONIC RIDDLE”

The third season of the Expedition to the Southeastern Dead Sea Plain was completed between May 25 and July 11, 1979. (For reports on the first two seasons, see the Winter 1977 and Summer 1978 issues of Bible and Spade.) Work was again concentrated at Bab edh-Dhra, thought to be biblical Sodom, and Numeira, thought … Continue reading “FROM
JORDAN:
RESULTS OF THE 1976 SEASON AT SODOM AND GOMORRAH”