(Image- Princeton) Just before Easter, James Tabor and Simcha Jacobovici made all sorts of sensational claims about their discovery of a new ‘Patio’ tomb at Talpiot. These are the same guys who brought us the supposed ‘Jesus Family Tomb’ a couple of years ago. They produced a book and a documentary all about their new [...]

Here’s NT Scholar Dr. Ben Witherington’s take on the discovery of the ‘lead codies’: “Lead or Mislead—- The Curious Case of the Lead Codices”

(Catacombs by nd_architecture_library via Flickr) Early icons of four Apostles have been discovered in catacombs in Rome. The likenesses of Peter, Paul, John, and Andrew dating from the late 4th century are being touted as the earliest known icons of the Apostles. But is that really the case? I would expect earlier examples from Asia [...]

(Wall by Brian Negin via Flickr) Lately it has become fashionable to question whether the Biblical accounts of a strong kingdom ruled by David and Solomon could have even existed in the 10 century BC (BCE). Many scholars consider the accounts to be rather mythical in nature. Now a recent archeological finding lends strong support to the Biblical record. [...]

By Craig A. Evans and N.T.Wright (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009, 116 pages) A scholarly examination of the last events in the life and resurrection of Jesus. (Read the whole review @  Book Reviews)       *Top

The trial over the authenticity of the James ‘the brother of Jesus’ Ossuary is finally in the defense phase. Dr. Ben Witherington gives an update and his opinion of how the trial is going in this article: The Dead Shall Have Their Say– More on the James Ossuary            *Top

Found a link to this article at SmartChristian.com—Dr. Andrew Jackson calls this “Very speculative” and I agree: “Bone fragments confirmed to be Saint Paul” According to the article, Pope Benedict XVI claims that scientific tests confirmed shards found in the underground chamber at the church of St Paul’s-Outside-the-Walls in Rome were from the apostle: "This [...]

(Shrine where the Ethiopian Ark is housed) The Orthodox Church of Ethiopia has claimed for years that they actually have the original Ark of the Covenant spoken of in the Bible. One of the problems with the claim is that they have never allowed archeologists to inspect or test the artifact which most scholars believe [...]

Found this update on the trial at Ben Witherinton’s blog. The trial over the authenticity of the inscription on the ossuary is nearly over. Opponents to the historicity of the ossuary had held that the first part of the inscription could well be genuine but that the last part, saying ‘brother of Jesus’ was forged. [...]

A group of archaeologists in Israel has found what appears to be the royal seal of an Old Testament prince who opposed the prophet Jeremiah.  The discovery was made earlier this year in ruins considered to include the Palace of David, about 600 feet south of the Temple Mount. It is identified as the official [...]