The Book of Esther Between Judaism and Christianity
Through the ages, the Book of Esther has been one of the most beloved biblical books across Jewish communities. Why has it been neglected by Christians?
From Monolatry to Monotheism: The Changing Face of the Biblical Pantheon
Exclusive worship of a single god defied the religious norms of the ancient world. So how did Yahweh’s followers push their deity to the top of the divine hierarchy?
A Minor Biblical Prophet Lives Again—Among the Dead
March 2024 | Vol. 12.3 By Amy Erickson In the catacombs beneath the city of Rome, where the dead were interred, honored, and visited, Jonah is strikingly alive. On the walls, the c
Who Invented Idolatry?
June 2023 | Vol. 11.6 By Daniel Barbu In late antiquity, Christian authors triumphantly celebrated the end of polytheism and idolatry: Christ had vanquished the demons and the Chur
The “Tomb of Absalom”: The Earliest Judeo-Christian Place of Pilgrimage in Jerusalem
March 2023 | Vol. 11.3 By Joe Zias The so-called Tomb of Absalom in Jerusalem is one of the more popular pilgrimage sites since the Late Roman period. It is also one of the most en
![Picture of the Theodotus Inscription from the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel: “Theodotus—son of Vettenus, priest and the ruler of the synagogue, son of the ruler of the synagogue, and grandson of the ruler of the synagogue—built this synagogue, which his ancestors, the elders, and Simonides laid the foundation of, for the reading of the Law and the teaching of its commands. [He built] the guest-chamber, the rooms, and the plumbing for the lodging of those who are in need from a foreign country” (Hannah M. Cotton et al., Corpus Inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae: A Multilingual Corpus of Inscriptions from Alexander to Muhammad [Berlin: de Gruyter, 2008], I.1.9; © and translation by D. Clint Burnett).](https://i0.wp.com/anetoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Image-6.jpg?fit=1000%2C603&ssl=1)
Reading Inscriptions Alongside the New Testament
April 2021 | Vol. 9.4 By D. Clint Burnett Inscriptions, messages engraved on durable materials, play an important but underappreciated role in our earliest Christian documents, inc
Commemorating Jesus: Constantine’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre
March 2021 | Vol. 9.3 By Jordan J. Ryan Since antiquity, Christians have travelled to the region that they call the “Holy Land” in order to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and
The Cross: History, Art and Controversy
The Christian cross is a ubiquitous symbol today, but actual images of the cross were uncommon in Christian iconography before the mid-4th century.