8
votes
Accepted
How does the Motza Temple fit into our tradition?
From what I've gathered so far, researchers seem to agree that this temple was built prior to the religious reforms enacted by Kings Chizkiyahu and Yoshiyahu1. On-site, the altar and other cultish/...
- 23.7k
7
votes
Websites or books about the Torah and history of the world
The Challenge of Creation by R. Natan Slifkin
Torah, Chazal, and Science by R. Moshe Meiselman
These two books contain very different approaches; in fact, the latter may be considered largely a ...
- 48.7k
7
votes
Accepted
Archaeological findings of events in the Torah or Neviim Rishonim
Biblical Archaeology Review has a list of 53 people that archaeology has confirmed in the bible. All of these are things that are generally agreed upon by the scientific community (although just as ...
- 6,908
7
votes
How do the Dead Sea Scrolls of Isaiah compare with today's version?
The text of 1QIsaᵃ (The so-called "Great Isiah Scroll") is very close to the masoretic text (M). Most of the differences are orthographic. 1QIsaᵃ usually is fuller, employing more matres lectionis (e....
- 3,496
6
votes
The luxury of murex trunculus indigo
I don't know if they address this concern particularly in terms of the expense.
However, the knowledge that murex indigo is chemically identical to plant-based indigo is something knowable only in ...
- 20.3k
5
votes
Earliest Identification of Ishmael as Arabs / Muslims
In Yeshayah (21:13-17) it refers to the families of “Teima” and “Keidar” - who were children of Ishmael (see Beraishis 25:13-15) - as dwellers of “Arav”
In the Tosefta (Berachos 4:14), it referrers ...
- 2,217
5
votes
Websites or books about the Torah and history of the world
Immortality, Resurrection and the Age of the Universe: A Kabbalistic View by Rabbi Kaplan discusss many of these topics.
See the table of contents:
The age of the universe
Longevity and ...
- 391
5
votes
Was Ankhmahor really Yosef?
I'll give it a try. There are some inaccuracies in your question that should be clarified before considering the question of Ankhmahor as Yosef.
This is not "the earliest archeological evidence we ...
- 11.2k
4
votes
Jewish Archaeology
Not a book but otherwise fits exactly what you ask: R Amnon Bazak has a series of written shiurim on Tanakh and Archaeology in English, see shiurim 6a to 6i.
He offers a fairly comprehensive review ...
- 44.7k
4
votes
Websites or books about the Torah and history of the world
Here are 3 books not already mentioned which are highly relevant and which I appreciated
Gerald Schroeder: The Science of God: The Convergence of Scientific and Biblical Wisdom (2009) which "...
- 44.7k
3
votes
Accepted
Recommendation for Temple archeological tour
The Western Wall Heritage Foundation offers the very popular Western Wall Tunnels Tour, which takes tourists under Jerusalem's Muslim Quarter, along the length of the western retaining wall of Herod's ...
- 47.4k
3
votes
Did Og exist or was he a metaphor?
R. David Tzvi Hoffman in his commentary to Deuteronomy 3:11 gives a large size for Og based on the bedstead described there. However, he then quotes the opinion of Jean Leclerc (?) that Og ...
- 48.7k
3
votes
Exodus points for discussion?
The Seder Olam Zuta (the basic Jewish book of chronology, compiled just after the sealing of the Talmud) says in Perek Rishon, Halacha Daled,
משנולד יצחק אבינו עד שיצאו ישראל ממצרים ארבה מאות שנה) ...
- 488
3
votes
First archaeological evidence of Crowns on Letters in a written scroll
I would say it's probably Wadi Sdeir Genesis (WS-1). According to Dr. Drew Longacre in his essay "Reconsidering the Date of the En-Gedi Leviticus Scroll (EGLev): Exploring the Limitations of the ...
- 23.7k
3
votes
Accepted
Does archaeology give us any idea of the geographical locations in שמות 14:2?
To my understanding, Pi Hakhirot has yet to be properly identified. Some say that "pi" refers to the Egyptian word "house", so it would mean "The House of Khirot" and ...
- 23.7k
3
votes
Jewish Archaeology
Rabbi Michael Shelomo Bar-on actually wrote a book on this topic called Oral Torah from Sinai:The case for the authenticity of the Oral Torah relating to this topic. You can also see his works on ...
- 4,235
2
votes
Where was Herod's temple built?
Herod did not build a new temple. The second Temple was standing when he came into power, and Herod did a major renovation on the existing second Temple. He upgraded and beautified the structure, ...
- 5,292
2
votes
Accepted
How to deal with modern archaeological knowledge regarding supposed polytheism of ancient Israel?
I suggest approaching the issues as follows, as a beginning point:
1) There was no clear monotheist/polytheist dichotomy during the Patriarchal period, those are modern categories. A better way to ...
2
votes
How do the Dead Sea Scrolls of Isaiah compare with today's version?
For the degree of correlation of the Great Isaiah Scroll (I Qa) to the Masoretic text, Gleason Archer in A Survey of Old Testament Introduction (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994) states: “Even though the ...
- 1,746
2
votes
Is there any support for the claim that tekhelet and argaman could be derived from the same creature?
According to הרב מאיר הלוי הלמן - לבוש הארון (modern English sefer on Techeiles), on page 21:
The color of murex dye was commonly known as “Tyrian Purple”, as the
city of Tyre (today in Lebanon) ...
- 18.9k
2
votes
Book on Biblical Archeology
Some books that I suggest that take a more Torah orientated view on Archeology:
מקרא מול ארכיאולוגיה by דניאל משה לוי, יוסף רוטשטיין (Reuven Mass Publishing, 2011) cover many psukim of Tanach with ...
- 6,825
2
votes
Have Egyptian paintings of the exodus been discovered? (some claim they are shown in this book)
Likely he was referring to the Book of Gates, an Egyptian text that was drawn on walls of Egyptian tombs and sarcophagi and features what some interpret to be the story of the splitting of the sea ...
- 23.7k
2
votes
Have Egyptian paintings of the exodus been discovered? (some claim they are shown in this book)
Some fair comments on my last answer were added, so I'll try to improve it.
"Are they really egyptian paintings of the exodus?" It's possible, I don't know. It's also possible they are not, I also ...
- 21
2
votes
Is the Midrash Chad Shenati available online?
All Genizah manuscripts are uploaded to the Genizah website (sign-up, for free, required) and can be viewed in the Cairo Genizah section. The portion of Midrash Chad Shenati quoted all over the ...
- 23.7k
2
votes
The Shamir vs Bronze/Flint tools
The pshat seems to be like Rabbi Nehemia:
אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה וְכִי אֶפְשָׁר לוֹמַר כֵּן וַהֲלֹא כְּבָר נֶאֱמַר כׇּל אֵלֶּה אֲבָנִים יְקָרֹת וְגוֹ׳ מְגֹרָרוֹת בַּמְּגֵרָה אִם כֵּן מָה ...
- 1,011
1
vote
Websites or books about the Torah and history of the world
There is a comprehensive compendium of the Rebbe’s discussions on science topics as related to the Torah: Mind over Matter: The Lubavitcher Rebbe on Science, Technology, and Medicine, compiled by ...
- 6,825
1
vote
While Torah means instructions, does this explain it equaling commands?
The Talmud describes some aspects of what happened at Mt. Sinai during the giving of the Torah in Shabbat 88a:
"The Gemara cites additional homiletic interpretations on the topic of the ...
- 23.7k
1
vote
Exodus points for discussion?
According to Ohr Somayach the Exodus took place in the Jewish year 2448 corresponding to 1312 BCE.
Ohr Somayach mentions “Thutmose III?” as the King.
- 46.6k
1
vote
Using archaeological findings for determining weights and measurements
Dr. Yehoshua Brand has an essay where he explores the original length(s) of the 'amah' measurement based on critical analyses of Rabbinic texts and archaeological findings (Klei Zchuchit BeSifrut ...
- 11.9k
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