Where a Libyan Jew from the 2nd century BCE saw the hand of God, his counterparts in Judea saw human courage.

Nicanor, commander of the elephant cavalry.

A Seleucid sling stone.

A rabbi’s provocative thesis.

From the books of Maccabees to the Jewish sections of the Soviet Communist party.

And American Jews needn’t be hypocrites.

Two competing responses to blood in the sanctuary.

Evidence of a bustling Hellenistic metropolis.

Il Vecchio Testamento.

And may help clarify Jerusalem’s borders at the time.

“Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valor.”

With help from a porcupine.

“A rare and exciting find.”