The Hebrew Bible and the Meanings Ruins Hold
MAY 2024 | Vol. 12.5 By Daniel Pioske On April 28, 1462 CE, Pope Pius II issued a bull (Cum almam nostram Urbem) prohibiting the destruction of Roman ruins on penalty of excommunic
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
“Sin”: The Hidden History
September 2023 | Vol. 11.9 By David Konstan Sin is a religious concept. In civil law, one is accused of committing a crime, not a sin. But sin is often still more narrowly understo
The Book of Esther as a Source for Achaemenian History
June 2023 | Vol. 11.6 By Morteza Arabzadeh Sarbanani The Book of Esther (Fig. 1) is set in the Persian capital of Susa during the reign of Xerxes (Ahasuerus in Hebrew) and tells th
The Myth of the Twelve Tribes of Israel
april 2023 | Vol. 11.4 By Andrew Tobolowsky The twelve tribes of Israel are, in a nutshell, how the Hebrew Bible’s historical narratives define Israel. Even today, the tribes are
Are Possession and Other Spirit Phenomena Depicted in the Hebrew Bible?
March 2023 | Vol. 11.3 By Reed Carlson Pop culture tropes have often had an outsized influence on how laypersons and scholars alike conceive of possession and other similar spirit
Death Wishes in the Hebrew Bible
December 2022 | Vol. 10.12 By Hanne Løland Levinson Many of us in the depths of despair have wished for death. What about figures in the Hebrew Bible? “Enough! Now, YHWH, take m
The History of Isaiah and the Age of Empires
October 2022 | Vol. 10.8 By Jacob Stromberg The prophet Isaiah stood at the beginning of an age of empires in the ancient Near East. In order, the age saw the rise of the neo-Assyr
![Edouard Despléchin, Moses: Act III: The porch of the temple of Isis: stage maquette [Moïse: Acte III: Le porche du temple d’Isis: maquette de décor en volume], 1863. Bibliothèque nationale de France.](https://anetoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Schaefer_Fig6.jpg)
The Biblical Scale of Gustave Doré
September 2022 | Vol. 10.9 By Sarah C. Schaefer The publication of Gustave Doré’s (1832-1883) Bible illustrations in 1865-1866 represents a watershed moment in the history of bi
What is Karaism and Are There Still Karaites?
august 2024 | Vol. 12.8 By Daniel J. Lasker Anyone familiar with a typical synagogue would be surprised by this photograph. Men are wearing skullcaps and prayer shawls. The ark is