There are five primary sources for the study of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, the Temple of Herod. They are:
The Bible
The Books of Maccabees
Josephus*
The Dead Sea Scrolls
The Mishna***War book 5, chapter 5; Antiquities book 15 chapter 11
**tractates Middot, Tamid, Yoma, Shekalim
These five sources along with archaeological discoveries provide us with sufficient information about the Temple of Herod during the time of Jesus.
Source:
Ancient Egyptians had a complex and elaborate process of mummification to preserve the bodies of the deceased for the afterlife. The process involved several steps: Removal of organs: The embalmers would first remove the internal organs, except for t...
Augustus, the first emperor of Rome had in his empire 25 legions of approximately 6,000 soldiers each. A legion was formed of 10 Cohorts (540 men in each Cohort). Each Cohort was subdivided into 6 Centuries (90 men formed a Century), and each legion ...
The Arch of Titus is one of Rome’s most famous monuments. It was built to commemorate the victories of Titus and Vespasian in the war against the Jews and their complete destruction in 70 AD. One wall relief inside the arch shows the spoils of the...
The fall of the Roman Empire was a complex event with multiple contributing factors. Some of the main causes include: Internal Decay and Political Instability: The empire faced a decline in effective leadership, political instability, and corruption ...
The weapons of a Roman solder included: the gladius (the short, straight, two-edged sword with which he would thrust rather than slash), and this he carried on a belt either from the shoulder or round the waist. He also carried the javelin “pilum...
The Passover Papyrus is a letter from among the elephantine papyri that dates back to the time of Darius II, in 419 BC. In 1907 archaeologists discovered in Aswan papyrus fragments of a letter that bears the royal authority of the Persian Empire (not...
Around 1000 BC David became king over Israel and conquered the Jebusites and stormed their fortress on Mount Zion (1 Sam. 5:5-9). Jerusalem became his home and the capital of his kingdom. He brought the Ark of the Covenant to the city and danced befo...
Pompey was a military genius and his soldiers recognized this and referred to him as “Magnus” which means the great, thus the name Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. Source: Pompey the Great...
Babylon is Akkadian “babilani” which means “the Gate of God(s)” and it became the capital of the land of Babylonia. The etymology of the name Babel in the Bible means “confused” (Gen 11:9) and throughout the Bible, Babylon was a symbol of...
The ancient Hebrews, Egyptians, and Greeks. used to eat sitting on mats spread on the floor. The Romans actually reclined on couches around a table. The couches were arranged forming three sides of a square. The open side was for the servants who wou...
In 1846 an English traveler and artist named Austen Henry Layard was digging around the ruins of ancient Nimrud (known as Calah) in northern Iraq. He discovered something amazing, a black limestone obelisk now referred to as “The Black Obelisk of S...
The ancient civilizations of the Incas and Aztecs left behind awe-inspiring cities and structures that continue to captivate our imagination. From the grandeur of Machu Picchu to the imposing pyramids of Teotihuacan, these remarkable achievements in ...
The Moabite Stone was discovered in 1868 about 20 miles east of the Dead Sea at Moab. It was a black and blue basalt stone dating back to around 830 BC, discovered by a German Missionary named F.A. Klein. It contains an inscription that reads: “I M...
The people of ancient Greece developed unique characteristics because of the topography of their country. The coastline curved inward very peculiarly, causing the bays to become very prominent, and stretching far out into the Mediterranean Sea. This ...
Only the Jewish historian Josephus provides us with what little information is known about Pilate’s life before 26 A.D. when Tiberius Caesar appointed him procurator of Judea. The sketchy information suggests that Pilate was probably an Italian bor...
In ancient Rome the “centurion” meant “captain of 100”, and the Roman centurion was captain over 100 foot soldiers in a legion. The centurion was loyal and courageous, beginning as a soldier in the army and working their way up the ranks. The...
Hadrian's Arch, also known as the Arch of Hadrian or the Triumphal Arch, is an ancient Roman monument located in Jerash, Jordan. It was erected during the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century CE. While the Bible does not specifically...
The etymology of the name Jerusalem is not certain; it is apparently of Semitic origin. An Egyptian notice from the third quarter of the nineteenth century B.C. mentions Urusalimum. The Assyrians called it Ursalimmu. Modern scholars take these names ...
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