Studies of Biblical Interest
@biblicaljournal.bsky.social
Studies of Biblical Interest (SBI) publishes a journal by scholars and students who are interested in espousing their new and original ideas about the Bible.
Learn more: https://www.biblicaljournal.org/
Learn more: https://www.biblicaljournal.org/
Pinned
Studies of Biblical Interest is officially in print! Our first issue marks a milestone in fact-based biblical studies. Copies are on their way to our authors and selected libraries. Thanks to all who made this possible—here’s to more insights ahead. #BiblicalStudies #Academia
Medieval frescoes in rural Piedmont churches are being reopened via a simple phone app, unlocking spaces of prayer and art long kept closed.
#BiblicalArt #MedievalChristianity #SacredSpace
#BiblicalArt #MedievalChristianity #SacredSpace
‘When the church door opens, it’s like a miracle’: the phone app that’s a key to Italy’s religious art
A cultural initiative in Piedmont is unlocking a trove of priceless medieval frescoes in rural churches
www.theguardian.com
January 20, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Medieval frescoes in rural Piedmont churches are being reopened via a simple phone app, unlocking spaces of prayer and art long kept closed.
#BiblicalArt #MedievalChristianity #SacredSpace
#BiblicalArt #MedievalChristianity #SacredSpace
Archaeologist Flint Dibble challenged Graham Hancock on Joe Rogan, stressing that claims of a lost advanced civilization lack archaeological evidence. The exchange highlights how method, data, and peer review shape credible history.
#Archaeology #AncientHistory
#Archaeology #AncientHistory
Flint Dibble is on a mission to debunk ancient civilisation myths
Flint Dibble's high-profile debate with Graham Hancock on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast has opened up the debate around the dangers of pseudoarchaeology
www.newscientist.com
January 20, 2026 at 9:24 AM
Archaeologist Flint Dibble challenged Graham Hancock on Joe Rogan, stressing that claims of a lost advanced civilization lack archaeological evidence. The exchange highlights how method, data, and peer review shape credible history.
#Archaeology #AncientHistory
#Archaeology #AncientHistory
Lab’ayu emerges in the Amarna Letters as a disruptive Late Bronze Age ruler, leveraging ʿApiru alliances and trade routes to challenge Egypt’s vassal order. His highland power politics anticipate patterns later echoed in biblical figures like Abimelech and Saul.
#AmarnaLetters
#AmarnaLetters
Lab'ayu of Shechem: Amarna Era Supervillain
Lab’ayu of Shechem was one of the most dynamic and disruptive figures in the Amarna Letters and Late Bronze Age Canaan. Drawing directly from the texts, we reconstruct Lab’ayu’s political strategy,…
www.youtube.com
January 19, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Lab’ayu emerges in the Amarna Letters as a disruptive Late Bronze Age ruler, leveraging ʿApiru alliances and trade routes to challenge Egypt’s vassal order. His highland power politics anticipate patterns later echoed in biblical figures like Abimelech and Saul.
#AmarnaLetters
#AmarnaLetters
Did Moses receive the Ten Commandments at Sinai, or do the texts tell a more complex story? Comparing Exodus and Deuteronomy reveals tensions in law, theology, and morality, and how ancient Israelites understood divine authority and ethical obligation.
#BiblicalStudies
#BiblicalStudies
The Ten Commandments | The Ancients
A podcast for all ancient history fans! The Ancients is dedicated to discussing our distant past. Featuring interviews with historians and archaeologists, each episode covers a specific theme from…
shows.acast.com
January 19, 2026 at 9:24 AM
Did Moses receive the Ten Commandments at Sinai, or do the texts tell a more complex story? Comparing Exodus and Deuteronomy reveals tensions in law, theology, and morality, and how ancient Israelites understood divine authority and ethical obligation.
#BiblicalStudies
#BiblicalStudies
Why do archaeologists leave sites unexcavated? Because excavation destroys as it reveals. Preserving layers in the ground protects evidence for future study, including sites tied to the biblical world and ancient Israel.
#Archaeology #BiblicalStudies
#Archaeology #BiblicalStudies
Why Archaeologists Don’t Dig Everything
Why don’t archaeologists excavate entire sites? Sometimes, leaving things in the ground is the best way to protect the past and understand what we have.
📖 Reading Recommendation:
The Five-Minute…
www.youtube.com
January 18, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Why do archaeologists leave sites unexcavated? Because excavation destroys as it reveals. Preserving layers in the ground protects evidence for future study, including sites tied to the biblical world and ancient Israel.
#Archaeology #BiblicalStudies
#Archaeology #BiblicalStudies
Pope Leo XIV calls archaeology essential for today. In a 2025 letter, he argues archaeology grounds religion in real bodies, places, and memories, offering hope and credibility in a wounded world.
#BiblicalStudies #ChurchHistory #FaithAndHistory
#BiblicalStudies #ChurchHistory #FaithAndHistory
Why the Vatican is reinvesting in Christian archaeology
Archaeology, the Pope suggests, offers the Church a way to speak credibly to a wounded humanity by grounding faith in history rather than abstraction.
aleteia.org
January 18, 2026 at 9:24 AM
Pope Leo XIV calls archaeology essential for today. In a 2025 letter, he argues archaeology grounds religion in real bodies, places, and memories, offering hope and credibility in a wounded world.
#BiblicalStudies #ChurchHistory #FaithAndHistory
#BiblicalStudies #ChurchHistory #FaithAndHistory
Archaeologists uncover a massive sun temple at Abusir, built by King Nyuserre in the 25th century BCE. Covering 10,000+ sq. ft., it’s only the second sun temple ever found and reshapes our understanding of Egyptian solar worship. 🌞🏛️
#Abusir
www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...
#Abusir
www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...
Temple of the Sun Discovered at Abusir
Archaeologists working at the site of Abusir have uncovered an extensive temple complex dedicated to the solar deity.
www.biblicalarchaeology.org
January 17, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Archaeologists uncover a massive sun temple at Abusir, built by King Nyuserre in the 25th century BCE. Covering 10,000+ sq. ft., it’s only the second sun temple ever found and reshapes our understanding of Egyptian solar worship. 🌞🏛️
#Abusir
www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...
#Abusir
www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancien...
New geoarchaeological research reveals that Karnak Temple was built on a fluvial “island” surrounded by river channels, echoing the Egyptian creation myth of the primeval mound. Occupation began around 2520 BCE, with later dramatic landscape changes.
#Karnak #Egyptology
#Karnak #Egyptology
Conceptual origins and geomorphic evolution of the temple of Amun-Ra at Karnak (Luxor, Egypt) | Antiquity | Cambridge Core
Conceptual origins and geomorphic evolution of the temple of Amun-Ra at Karnak (Luxor, Egypt) - Volume 99 Issue 408
www.cambridge.org
January 17, 2026 at 9:24 AM
New geoarchaeological research reveals that Karnak Temple was built on a fluvial “island” surrounded by river channels, echoing the Egyptian creation myth of the primeval mound. Occupation began around 2520 BCE, with later dramatic landscape changes.
#Karnak #Egyptology
#Karnak #Egyptology
Hittite style carvings and cuneiform have claimed to be found in Kateřinská Cave, Czech Republic. If ancient, the tablet implies astonishing long distance connections. If modern, it may be a rare archaeological hoax. How do you interpret these findings?
#Archaeology #Cuneiform
#Archaeology #Cuneiform
Hittite-Style Carvings and Cuneiform Found in a Czech Cave: An Archaeological Puzzle from Kateřinská Cave
An officially documented discovery in Kateřinská Cave reveals a stone fragment with Hittite-style carvings and cuneiform script—an object seemingly out...
arkeonews.net
January 16, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Hittite style carvings and cuneiform have claimed to be found in Kateřinská Cave, Czech Republic. If ancient, the tablet implies astonishing long distance connections. If modern, it may be a rare archaeological hoax. How do you interpret these findings?
#Archaeology #Cuneiform
#Archaeology #Cuneiform
From a royal tomb to ancient DNA and a deciphered script, 2025 brought major breakthroughs in Middle Eastern and North African archaeology, reshaping how we understand kingship, mobility, and writing in the biblical and ancient Near Eastern world.
#BiblicalStudies
anetoday.org/top-discover...
#BiblicalStudies
anetoday.org/top-discover...
Top Archaeological Discoveries of 2025 - The Ancient Near East Today
ANE Today’s editor shares some of the most exciting archaeological discoveries and breakthroughs of 2025.
anetoday.org
January 16, 2026 at 9:24 AM
From a royal tomb to ancient DNA and a deciphered script, 2025 brought major breakthroughs in Middle Eastern and North African archaeology, reshaping how we understand kingship, mobility, and writing in the biblical and ancient Near Eastern world.
#BiblicalStudies
anetoday.org/top-discover...
#BiblicalStudies
anetoday.org/top-discover...
Pompeii archaeologists are restoring al-Dirah, a historic town in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla oasis. The site preserves medieval to modern lifeways in western Arabia, near ancient Dedan, illuminating long continuities of settlement and trade in a wider Arabian context.
#Archaeology
#Archaeology
A team of archaeologists from Pompeii is restoring a Saudi Arabian city abandoned in the 1980s
Pompeii Archaeological Park is engaged in the restoration of a Saudi Arabian city abandoned in the 1980s. The intervention is part of the cooperation agreement between Pompeii and the Royal…
www.finestresullarte.info
January 15, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Pompeii archaeologists are restoring al-Dirah, a historic town in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla oasis. The site preserves medieval to modern lifeways in western Arabia, near ancient Dedan, illuminating long continuities of settlement and trade in a wider Arabian context.
#Archaeology
#Archaeology
Century-old watercolours by Egyptian artist Ahmed Yousef, made during 1920s Penn Museum excavations, preserve New Kingdom tomb scenes now lost. They illuminate funerary beliefs that shaped the biblical world.
#BiblicalWorld #AncientEgypt #Archaeology
#BiblicalWorld #AncientEgypt #Archaeology
Ancient Egypt in Watercolors
Start here—for a world of adventure
www.penn.museum
January 15, 2026 at 9:24 AM
Century-old watercolours by Egyptian artist Ahmed Yousef, made during 1920s Penn Museum excavations, preserve New Kingdom tomb scenes now lost. They illuminate funerary beliefs that shaped the biblical world.
#BiblicalWorld #AncientEgypt #Archaeology
#BiblicalWorld #AncientEgypt #Archaeology
Swansea University’s Egypt Centre is revamping its “House of Death” gallery with immersive sound and smellscapes. Ancient Egyptian funerary beliefs shaped the biblical world Exodus knew, from coffins to afterlife imagery.
#BiblicalWorld #AncientEgypt #MuseumStudies
#BiblicalWorld #AncientEgypt #MuseumStudies
Egypt Centre wins major funding boost to improve facilities
Future visitors to a popular Swansea museum will be able to experience the sounds and smells of ancient Egypt, thanks to £300,000 of Welsh Government support.
www.swansea.ac.uk
January 14, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Swansea University’s Egypt Centre is revamping its “House of Death” gallery with immersive sound and smellscapes. Ancient Egyptian funerary beliefs shaped the biblical world Exodus knew, from coffins to afterlife imagery.
#BiblicalWorld #AncientEgypt #MuseumStudies
#BiblicalWorld #AncientEgypt #MuseumStudies
The Khalidi Library in Jerusalem preserves centuries of Islamic scholarship and archives beside sites sacred to the Bible. Founded in 1900, its manuscripts illuminate the lived religious, legal, and intellectual world of the city.
#BiblicalWorld #JerusalemStudies #Manuscripts
#BiblicalWorld #JerusalemStudies #Manuscripts
The Khalidi Library: The Preservation of Palestinian History in Jerusalem
Established in 1900, the Khalidi Library was the first Arab public library formed by a private initiative in Palestine.
www.jerusalemstory.com
January 14, 2026 at 9:24 AM
The Khalidi Library in Jerusalem preserves centuries of Islamic scholarship and archives beside sites sacred to the Bible. Founded in 1900, its manuscripts illuminate the lived religious, legal, and intellectual world of the city.
#BiblicalWorld #JerusalemStudies #Manuscripts
#BiblicalWorld #JerusalemStudies #Manuscripts
Christianity in Africa long predates colonialism. From early communities in Egypt, Nubia, and Aksum to churches in Kongo and West Africa, conversion unfolded through gradual inculturation, not sudden rupture.
#BiblicalStudies #EarlyChristianity #AfricanChristianity
#BiblicalStudies #EarlyChristianity #AfricanChristianity
A brief history of Christianity in Africa's Religious Traditions
Christianity was present in Africa long before the imposition of colonial rule; however, it remained only one of several religious traditions, and despite centuries of sustained contact with…
www.africanhistoryextra.com
January 13, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Christianity in Africa long predates colonialism. From early communities in Egypt, Nubia, and Aksum to churches in Kongo and West Africa, conversion unfolded through gradual inculturation, not sudden rupture.
#BiblicalStudies #EarlyChristianity #AfricanChristianity
#BiblicalStudies #EarlyChristianity #AfricanChristianity
Rockefeller Archaeological Museum has reopened, showcasing finds that anchor biblical history in material culture, from Shoshenq I’s campaign against Judah in 1 Kings 14 to artifacts linked with the Temple Mount and Holy Sepulcher. Its future remains uncertain.
#BiblicalStudies
#BiblicalStudies
Jerusalem’s ‘cursed’ antiquity museum reopens its doors amid rumors it may become a hotel
The Rockefeller Archaeological Museum stores some 60,000 artifacts spanning millennia, including unique decorations from the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher
www.timesofisrael.com
January 13, 2026 at 9:24 AM
Rockefeller Archaeological Museum has reopened, showcasing finds that anchor biblical history in material culture, from Shoshenq I’s campaign against Judah in 1 Kings 14 to artifacts linked with the Temple Mount and Holy Sepulcher. Its future remains uncertain.
#BiblicalStudies
#BiblicalStudies
New quantitative models show New Kingdom Egypt’s Nubian gold mining was profitable, especially simple placer methods along wadis and the Nile.
#BiblicalStudies #AncientEgypt #Nubia
#BiblicalStudies #AncientEgypt #Nubia
www.sciencedirect.com
January 12, 2026 at 6:31 PM
New quantitative models show New Kingdom Egypt’s Nubian gold mining was profitable, especially simple placer methods along wadis and the Nile.
#BiblicalStudies #AncientEgypt #Nubia
#BiblicalStudies #AncientEgypt #Nubia
A rare 1,300-year-old lead medallion bearing a seven-branched menorah has been uncovered in Jerusalem, offering a personal glimpse into Jewish identity under early Islamic rule and recalling the menorah of Exod 25 as a persistent symbol of memory, worship, and hope.
Rare Byzantine-Era Medallion With Menorah Found in Jerusalem - GreekReporter.com
A 1,300-year-old Byzantine-era menorah medallion discovered in Jerusalem reveals rare evidence of Jewish faith, presence, and resilience.
greekreporter.com
January 12, 2026 at 9:24 AM
A rare 1,300-year-old lead medallion bearing a seven-branched menorah has been uncovered in Jerusalem, offering a personal glimpse into Jewish identity under early Islamic rule and recalling the menorah of Exod 25 as a persistent symbol of memory, worship, and hope.
Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land is rooted in antiquity, echoing Ps 131:7. Archaeology shows many holy sites preserve continuous worship, embedding early Christian memory of Jesus’ life in enduring sacred architecture.
#BiblicalStudies #EarlyChristianity
#BiblicalStudies #EarlyChristianity
Commemorating Jesus: Constantine’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre - The Ancient Near East Today
Since antiquity, Christians have travelled to “Holy Land” to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre looms largest as a site of commemoration.
anetoday.org
January 11, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land is rooted in antiquity, echoing Ps 131:7. Archaeology shows many holy sites preserve continuous worship, embedding early Christian memory of Jesus’ life in enduring sacred architecture.
#BiblicalStudies #EarlyChristianity
#BiblicalStudies #EarlyChristianity
New research finally deciphers Cryptic B scripts among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Translations of 4Q362 and 4Q363 reveal biblical idioms and eschatological themes, offering fresh insight into Qumran scribal culture and the use of cryptic writing in Second Temple Judaism.
#DeadSeaScrolls
#DeadSeaScrolls
brill.com
January 11, 2026 at 9:24 AM
New research finally deciphers Cryptic B scripts among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Translations of 4Q362 and 4Q363 reveal biblical idioms and eschatological themes, offering fresh insight into Qumran scribal culture and the use of cryptic writing in Second Temple Judaism.
#DeadSeaScrolls
#DeadSeaScrolls
Excavation at Ḥorvat Tevet uncovered a rare Iron IIC cremation burial with luxury goods and wide-ranging imports, contrasting with the modest settlement remains. The find sheds new light on elite funerary practice.
#BiblicalArchaeology #IronAge #NeoAssyrian
#BiblicalArchaeology #IronAge #NeoAssyrian
Browse all journals
Browse all journals
www.tandfonline.com
January 10, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Excavation at Ḥorvat Tevet uncovered a rare Iron IIC cremation burial with luxury goods and wide-ranging imports, contrasting with the modest settlement remains. The find sheds new light on elite funerary practice.
#BiblicalArchaeology #IronAge #NeoAssyrian
#BiblicalArchaeology #IronAge #NeoAssyrian
New research nearly doubles evidence for tattooing in the ancient Nile Valley. Study of Nubian remains from 350 BCE to 1400 CE shows a major shift in the Christian period, including tattoos on infants and early Christian identity marking in northeast Africa.
#EarlyChristianity
#EarlyChristianity
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly…
www.pnas.org
January 10, 2026 at 9:24 AM
New research nearly doubles evidence for tattooing in the ancient Nile Valley. Study of Nubian remains from 350 BCE to 1400 CE shows a major shift in the Christian period, including tattoos on infants and early Christian identity marking in northeast Africa.
#EarlyChristianity
#EarlyChristianity
A 9,000-year-old Mesolithic shaman grave from Bad Dürrenberg reveals remarkable details: a woman buried with a 6-month-old child, wearing a deer-antler headdress with animal tooth pendants, and now microscopic feathers.
#Mesolithic #Shamanism #AncientRituals #Archaeology
#Mesolithic #Shamanism #AncientRituals #Archaeology
With feathers into the afterlife: New results on the Bad Dürrenberg shaman burial
The approximately 9,000-year-old grave of the shaman from Bad Dürrenberg (Saalekreis district) is one of the most spectacular finds in Central European archaeology. Excavated under considerable time…
phys.org
January 9, 2026 at 6:30 PM
A 9,000-year-old Mesolithic shaman grave from Bad Dürrenberg reveals remarkable details: a woman buried with a 6-month-old child, wearing a deer-antler headdress with animal tooth pendants, and now microscopic feathers.
#Mesolithic #Shamanism #AncientRituals #Archaeology
#Mesolithic #Shamanism #AncientRituals #Archaeology
New skeletal evidence from Roman Britain shows health declined in cities, not rural areas. This sharp urban-rural divide echoes biblical critiques of imperial “civilization,” where empire brings inequality and suffering.
#BiblicalStudies #RomanEmpire #SocialHistory
phys.org/news/2025-12...
#BiblicalStudies #RomanEmpire #SocialHistory
phys.org/news/2025-12...
Roman urbanism was bad for health, new study confirms
Analysis of skeletal remains from England before and during Roman occupation confirms theories that the population's health declined under Roman occupation, but only in the urban centers, suggesting…
phys.org
January 9, 2026 at 9:24 AM
New skeletal evidence from Roman Britain shows health declined in cities, not rural areas. This sharp urban-rural divide echoes biblical critiques of imperial “civilization,” where empire brings inequality and suffering.
#BiblicalStudies #RomanEmpire #SocialHistory
phys.org/news/2025-12...
#BiblicalStudies #RomanEmpire #SocialHistory
phys.org/news/2025-12...
For ancient Romans, public bathing was central to daily life and social order. This context sharpens biblical scenes like John 5 at the pools of Bethesda, where healing unfolds within familiar Graeco-Roman bath culture.
#BiblicalStudies #NewTestament #RomanWorld
daily.jstor.org/bread-circus...
#BiblicalStudies #NewTestament #RomanWorld
daily.jstor.org/bread-circus...
Bread, Circuses, Baths: Bathing in Rome, the Public Way - JSTOR Daily
By the fourth century CE, Rome had some 856 privately owned public baths, the grounds of which served as civic gardens adorned with sculptures.
daily.jstor.org
January 8, 2026 at 6:30 PM
For ancient Romans, public bathing was central to daily life and social order. This context sharpens biblical scenes like John 5 at the pools of Bethesda, where healing unfolds within familiar Graeco-Roman bath culture.
#BiblicalStudies #NewTestament #RomanWorld
daily.jstor.org/bread-circus...
#BiblicalStudies #NewTestament #RomanWorld
daily.jstor.org/bread-circus...