ancient Judaism
Even in the years of decline, the Land of Israel remained a center of Jewish creativity.
And an ancient sect’s version of all-night study.
How not to read the text through a modern lens.
What their gravestones tell us.
Forgotten Babylonian artifacts at the Hermitage.
And why the Dead Sea Scrolls are overrated.
A new book called The Origins of Judaism places the momentous occurrence much later in time than that proposed by most scholars. Is it right?
One thing is clear: talking to the dead is pagan.
Even older than their Christian counterparts.
Stories from the Talmud and historical findings might shed light on an apparent Jewish population explosion in the post-biblical era.
Where a Libyan Jew from the 2nd century BCE saw the hand of God, his counterparts in Judea saw human courage.
Yavneh and its sages.
And a clue to a mysterious ancient translation.
Silver bracelets, Greek inscriptions, and centuries-old Jewish folk beliefs.