For too long, submissions to /r/BiblicalArchaeology have been generally unmoderated leading to a proliferation of of crackpot apologetics and conspiracies that are not substantiated by legitimate archaeological endeavors. For that reason, I'm changing this sub to mod approved posts only. This sub is not the place for apologetics, it is not the place for peddling unsubstantiated theories about the end times—rather, it is the place for discussing legitimate matters pertaining to legitimate archaeology of the eastern Mediterranean and how such discoveries impact our understanding of the world that produced the Bible.

The term "biblical archaeology" is already problematic in and of itself. As I cannot change the name of the sub, I can at least call attention to the fact that Southern Levantine and Classical archaeology are fields independent of biblical studies. Yes, archaeology can be insightful for interpreting the biblical text, but archaeology is not done with the Bible specifically in mind.

So, going forward, things will be restricted to mod approved posts only to clean up the noise that distracts from legitimate conversations surrounding legitimate archaeological finds and legitimate interpretation.

This comes from The Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers (Ward, 1975), a collection of recorded sayings/experiences of the ascetic monks who lives in the deserts in the first few hundred years of the common era (200-450 CE/AD). One such record recalls a boy who "went to the lake which was full of nitre, undressed, went down to it and jumped in, up to the nose. He remained there many hours, as long as he could, until his body was changed and he became like a leper" (pg. 117-118).

From my understanding of the area (northern Egypt, west of the Nile), many 'lakes' were salt marshes or natron beds (from Wikipedia: "Natron is a naturally occurring mixture of sodium carbonate decahydrate (Na2CO3·10H2O, a kind of soda ash) and around 17% sodium bicarbonate (also called baking soda, NaHCO3) along with small quantities of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate"). Natron was used to make mummies, as well as glass.

I'm just curious as to what this text is saying. Is this a deadly event that the boy survived? Should it permanently have changed his skin? For my research purposes, it actually matters whether the miracle here was that he didn't die when he should have, or if it was that he was physically changed when he shouldn't have been.

Hello there, i would like to know about the race Phoenicians.

A scholar from my place made all these claims to debunk Christianity, i just want to if her facts are true

Who are Phoenicians, what are their origins(some scholars claim that they are migrated from India and are a vedic people) how true is this??

Did they invented Proto-Canaanite ?? for their trading purpose.

Did they introduced papyrus to Greeks??

Looking for an article (s) about the destruction or possible of cultic objects from Iron Age II in the Kidron valley. Can anybody help?

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Sadly, I do not know ancient Hebrew, and I hope to learn it, but for now I only know English. I already found the Israeli museum site that partnered with Google that let's me a see a photocopy of the great Isaiah scroll, and that gives me the ability to read the masoretic text that corresponds to the text written on the scroll, however I would personally like something other than the masoretic text as it has many apparent flaws, most of which bleed into modern Bibles. I know the sight let's me compare a translation of the first 5 chapters of the scroll with the first 5 chapters of the masoretic text, but Isaiah has 66 chapters, and 5 isn't enough for me. I want it all.

So, does anybody know of a translation of the great Isaiah scroll that I could read? I am fine with an online "Dead sea Bible", but would prefer to be able to buy a physical copy or get one through a library, so books are more appreciated than websites.

Chariots are not very sea people like

Bart Ehrman mentions in Lost Christianities that the four gospels that made it into the New Testament were attributed to the apostles later in their existence, as opposed to when written. How were they refererred to before they got their current names?

Hi,

Trying to investigate further the relationship/meaning and relevance of the archangels in both Judaism and Christianity. How many are there in total? Where do they appear? What’s there relationship to god? How can I further study them?

Apparently some were removed from certain texts after the reformation ?

Any books on them?

Thanks

Title says it all. Is there universal agreed upon evidence that all 12 Apostles existed? If not all 12 which one are we sure about?

Thanks in advance.

Writing a paper on Yahweh and Asherah, and if that Yahweh having a consort means G-d has a wife.

It is my understanding that pre-monotheism, Yahweh was a local/national god, and that there was Baal and Asherah as seen in the Bible and archaeological findings of "Yahweh and his Asherah."

If Yahweh as one of the gods had a wife, how does that translate to YHWH having a wife (as my book portrays)? What's puzzling is that YHWH as the "real" name of G-d as revealed to Moses appears so similar to the Yahweh-the name of the local god.

Please help I'm lost

hi, I hope that I'm in the right subreddit. as I can see from the biblecal text there is no obvious reason for king david to move his capital from hebron to jerusalem just after cuncuring the city, so why did he do it? did jerusalem have a holy status? why did his son kind salomon build the temple in jerusalem? and why on mount moria? was this place holy and he just wanted to build his temple where there was already holyness? all these questions came to me after I read about the west wall monolite, could it be that some earlier colture build something holy on mount moria and put the monolite to support it, and then salomone came years later, when there was alsmost noting left and build his temple? thanks.

In June 2016, archaeologists announced the discovery for the first time of a Philistine cemetery that had been founs 3 years earlier but kept secret to avoid interference from the ultra Orthodox. At last it would finally be revealed where the Philistines came from through DNA testing. Since then there hasn't been a single peep in mainstream media. Has anyone heard any updates on this research?