Biblical

Philippi in the Time of Paul (c. A.D. 60)

The city plan shows those features of the city of Philippi that archaeologists have so far identified as dating from the time of Paul. “Paul’s Prison” is not believed to be an authentic site, but was a cistern later associated with Christian worship.

Biblical

Ephesus in the Time of Paul (c. A.D. 60)

The city plan shows those features of the city of Ephesus that archaeologists have so far identified as dating from the time of Paul. Many of the notable buildings uncovered in the excavation at Ephesus date from later periods.

Biblical

Corinth in the Time of Paul (c. A.D. 60)

The city plan shows those features of the city of Corinth that archaeologists have so far identified as dating from the time of Paul. Others remain to be discovered by future archaeological excavations.

Biblical

Rome in the Time of Paul (c. A.D. 60)

The city plan shows most of the features of the city of Rome that archaeologists have so far identified as dating from the time of Paul. Sections of the city would have been very impressive in his time, but most of the outstanding buildings visible in Rome today date to

Biblical

The Tomb of Jesus

The Gospel writers tell us that after his death, Jesus’ body was taken to a garden and laid in a newly hewn tomb (Matt. 27:60; Luke 23:53; John 19:41). This is important archaeological information. Tombs from this period usually consisted of several burial chambers, which had loculi

Biblical

Golgotha and the Temple Mount

For many centuries, Christians have worshiped at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the belief that this was the place where Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead. This view was challenged in 1883 by General Charles Gordon, who argued that the Garden Tomb, a site just

Biblical

The Synagogue and Jewish Worship

In cities other than Jerusalem, the synagogue was the center of Jewish worship during the time of Christ. Synagogues were located in most of the leading towns of Israel. Although very little remains of the original first-century synagogue at Nazareth, extensive archaeological evidence exists for a typical Jewish synagogue in

Biblical

Herod’s Temple Complex in the Time of Jesus

When the Gospels and the book of Acts refer to entering the temple or teaching in the temple, it is often not a reference to Herod’s temple itself, but rather to this temple complex, including a number of courts and chambers that surrounded the temple. These latter structures were

Biblical

Herod’s Temple in the Time of Jesus

Herod began construction of this magnificent temple in 20/19 b.c., during the 18th year of his reign. The main construction phase was completed within about a decade. Detailed descriptions of the temple exist in Josephus (Jewish Antiquities 15.380–425; Jewish War 5.184–247) and in early

Biblical

The Temple Mount in the Time of Jesus

Herod’s Temple Mount was the focal point of Jerusalem during the time of Jesus. Sitting atop Jerusalem’s northeastern ridge, it occupied one-sixth of the city’s area. Under Herod the Great, the Temple Mount’s foundation was expanded to encompass approximately 1.5 million square feet (140,000

Biblical

Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus

The heavily fortified city of Jerusalem lay atop adjacent hills in the mountainous region of Judea. It therefore proved difficult even for the Romans to recapture during the Jewish revolt, although they eventually did so in a.d. 70 after a bitter siege. The oldest portion of Jerusalem, called “the

Biblical

Galilean Fishing Boat

This illustration shows the type of boat that Jesus and his disciples probably used, based on the remains of an approximately 2,000-year-old fishing boat found on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It could hold 15 men, and was 26.5 feet long, 7.5 feet wide,

Biblical

The City of Nineveh

Nineveh, which was situated at the confluence of the Tigris and Khoser rivers (modern-day Mosul, Iraq), was first settled in the seventh millennium b.c. According to the Bible, Nimrod was the founder of the city (Gen. 10:11). Major excavations took place under the direction of Henry Layard from

Biblical

The City of Babylon

The city of Babylon reached its zenith under Nebuchadrezzar II (Nebuchadnezzar of Scripture, who reigned 605–562 b.c.). He restored and enlarged it, making it the largest city seen in the world up to that time. The Euphrates River flowed through it, with the oldest quarter of the city

Biblical

Ezekiel’s Temple Vision

Ezekiel’s final vision of an ideal temple (and city, and land; chs. 40–48) forms a counterpart to the vision of chs. 8–11. In each case he is taken on a tour of the structure, but whereas in the earlier vision he discovers abominations and perverted worship, in

Biblical

Jerusalem in the Time of Nehemiah (c. 444–420? b.c.)

Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 b.c. Upon their return from exile in 536 b.c., the Jews, under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Jeshua, first restored the altar and then laid the foundation of the temple. Twenty years later, in 516 b.c., the temple was

Biblical

Zerubbabel’s Temple

The rebuilding of Jerusalem’s temple was done in stages (c. 536–516 b.c.). First, the altar was built, so that sacrifices could again be made (Ezra 3:2–3). The second phase was the laying of the foundation of the temple. This elicited mixed reactions from the people.

Biblical

Jerusalem in the Time of Hezekiah (c. 725–686 b.c.)

During the reign of King Hezekiah, the city of Jerusalem expanded more than ever before. Many refugees from the Assyrian invasion settled on the Western Hill, as the ancient city built by King Solomon on the Eastern Hill was not able to absorb them. New city walls encircled both hills,

Biblical

Bronze Basins and Stands

In the temple courtyard there were 10 bronze wheeled stands that held 10 basins filled with water—five on the south side of the temple, five on the north side. They were used to rinse off the animal parts that were used for the burnt offerings (1 Kings 7:27–

Biblical

Solomon’s Temple and Palace Complex

To get to the new quarter that Solomon built from the old city of David, one had to pass through the gate in the northern Davidic city wall. Going in a northerly direction, the new complex consisted of an entrance hall, the so-called Hall of Pillars (1 Kings 7:6)

Biblical

Solomon’s Temple

Solomon began to build “the house of the Lord” in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah in the spring of 967 or 966 b.c. (1 Kings 6:1; 2 Chron. 3:1–2) and completed it seven years later, in the fall of 960 or 959 (1 Kings 6:38). The

Biblical

Jerusalem in the Time of Solomon (c. 970–930 b.c.)

David commanded his son Solomon to build a new temple. This work took seven years, followed by 13 years of building an adjacent royal complex (1 Kings 6:38; 7:1). As this quarter was located outside and north of the original city of David, new city walls must have

Biblical

Jerusalem in the Time of David (c. 1010–970 b.c.)

About four millennia ago, Melchizedek was king of Jerusalem, which was then called Salem (Gen. 14:18). This was an unwalled city, which was taken over in c. 1850 b.c. by the Jebusites, who built a city wall around it and called it Jebus (cf. 1 Chron. 11:4)

Biblical

The City of Jericho

Jericho (Tell es-Sultan) is perhaps the oldest city on earth, and it is the lowest city on the surface of the planet (c. 750 feet/229 m below sea level). Jericho has undergone massive excavation work; major digs were led by Ernst Sellin and Carl Watzinger (1907–1909, 1911), John

Biblical

The High Priest’s Holy Garments

The illustration depicts the holy garments worn by the high priests (Exodus 28; 39). The turban of fine linen held a plate of pure shining gold, on which were engraved the Hebrew words for “Holy to YHWH.” The ephod (a colorful linen torso garment held by a skillfully woven waistband)