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Essenes
The Essenes were a Jewish sect that emerged in the 2nd century BCE and established the community at Qumran. They emphasized ritual purity, copied books of the Jewish Scriptures, and wrote commentaries on the Books of the Prophets. They believed...
Definition
Zealots
The Zealots were a group of Jews who began to emerge as a religious/political movement around the beginning of the 1st century CE. They strongly opposed Roman rule and turned on everyone, including other Jews, who cooperated with Rome. A...
Definition
The Gospels
The New Testament contains four gospels attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The four gospels are not biographies of Jesus, nor are they history as we define it. What each gospel attempted to do was write a theological explanation...
Definition
The Bar-Kochba Revolt
The Bar Kochba Revolt (132–136 CE) was the third and final war between the Jewish people and the Roman Empire. It followed a long period of tension and violence, marked by the first Jewish uprising of 66-70 CE, which ended with the destruction...
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Second Temple Model
A 50:1 scale model of the Second Temple, this detailed replica was originally commissioned by Hans Kroch for the Holyland Hotel in memory of his son, Jacob, following Israel's War of Independence. It was designed by Hebrew University's Professor...
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Stele of Merenptah
Stele of Merenptah. Israel as a cultural entity is first mentioned in this stele of the Egyptian pharaoh Merenptah (1213-1203 BCE) in which he states that “Israel lies devastated, bereft of its seed”. (Cairo Museum, Egypt)
Definition
Ancient Jordan
Jordan is a country in the Near East bordered by Israel, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia which was part of the Land of Canaan in ancient times. The country is named for the River Jordan which flows between modern-day Jordan and Israel and whose...
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Gezer Calendar Original
The original tablet of the so-called Gezer calendar from the site of Tel Gezer in modern-day Israel. It describes agricultural activities throughout the year at Gezer hence the name. The calendar itself though dates to the 10th Century BCE...
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Storage Jar from Hazor
This water vessel has a pointed base and a long narrow neck. The site of Hazor is located 5 miles south-west of Lake Huleh, north of Galilee. During the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, it had been one of the most powerful cities in the Levant...
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The Archaeological Excavations at Magdala
Magdala, known as Migdal in Hebrew (מִגְדָּל: tower) and also as Taricheae (Ταριχέα, from the Greek Τάριχος or tarichos: preserved by salting or drying fish), was an important fishing...