The definitive book on the archaeology of Palestine from Alexander the Great's conquest to Constantine's reign Drawing on the most recent, groundbreaking archaeological research, Eric M. Meyers and Mark A. Chancey re-narrate the history of ancient Palestine in this richly illustrated and expertly integrated book. Spanning from the conquest of Alexander the Great in the fourth century BCE until the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine in the fourth century CE, they synthesize archaeological evidence with ancient literary sources (including the Bible) to offer a sustained overview of the tumultuous intellectual and religious changes that impacted world history during the Greco-Roman period. The authors demonstrate how the transformation of the ancient Near East under the influence of the Greeks and then the Romans led to foundational changes in both the material and intellectual worlds of the Levant. Palestine's subjection to Hellenistic kingdoms, its rule by the Hasmonean and Herodian dynasties, the two disastrous Jewish revolts against Rome, and its full incorporation into the Roman Empire provide a background for the emergence of Christianity. The authors observe in the archaeological record how Judaism and Christianity were virtually undistinguishable for centuries, until the rise of imperial Christianity with Emperor Constantine. The only book-length overview available that focuses on the archaeology of Palestine in this period, this comprehensive and powerfully illuminating work sheds new light on the lands of the Bible.

The new edition of The SAGE Handbook of E-Learning Research retains the original effort of the first edition by focusing on research while capturing the leading edge of e-learning development and practice. Chapters focus on areas of development in e-learning technology, theory, practice, pedagogy and method of analysis. Covering the full extent of e-learning can be a challenge as developments and new features appear daily. The editors of this book meet this challenge by including contributions from leading researchers in areas that have gained a sufficient critical mass to provide reliable results and practices. The 25 chapters are organised into six key areas: 1. THEORY 2. LITERACY & LEARNING 3. METHODS & PERSPECTIVES 4. PEDAGOGY & PRACTICE 5. BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 6. FUTURES

Sepphoris, "the ornament of all Galilee" according to Josephus, was an important Galilean site during the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods and into early Islamic times. It served as Herod Antipas's capital of Galilee in the late first century B.C.E. and the early first century C.E., and the Sanhedrin (the supreme Jewish judicial authority) was located there for a time in the third century C.E. Extensive excavations on the western acropolis-probably the location of many of the Jewish occupants of this multicultural city-by the Duke University-Hebrew University project in the mid- to late 1980s and the Duke excavations of the 1990s produced a remarkable assemblage of ceramic wares. This book provides an overview of the history and chronology of the site. It then presents a detailed examination of the pottery. Featuring 55 plates with line-drawings as well as some photos of the various ceramic types, this important publication will be essential for all studies of the archaeology of early Judaism and Christianity in the Holy Land.

A major settlement in the Roman and Byzantine periods, with its earliest inhabitants stretching back to at least the Persian period, Sepphoris has been intensively excavated by several teams, including Duke University in the 1980s and 1990s. This volume brings to a close a series of three reports detailing the findings of these excavations. Sepphoris III is organized into three parts: the first part provides a general overview of the Duke project and the chronology of the site, followed by detailed stratigraphic discussions of all of the excavated areas as well as a series of pottery plates supplementing the pottery presentation in Sepphoris II. The second part covers various aspects of the numerous stepped pools that were discovered on the western summit of the site. The third part offers comprehensive presentations of all the major artifact types recovered during excavation, with a list of all excavated loci and a section of color photos. Richly illustrated with hundreds of photos, drawings, and plans, this important publication is essential for specialists in the archaeology of early Judaism and Christianity in the Holy Land.

From the 700s B.C.E. to the late 300s B.C.E., Aramaic was the international language of the ancient Near East. With the arrival of Alexander the Great in the 300s, Greek supplanted Aramaic, but Aramaic did not disappear. Although it gradually broke apart into dialects, in many regions of the former Persian Empire, Aramaic became the lingua franca of peoples in the regions of Palestine, Syria, and Mesopotamia. As a result, a wealth of important works were written in Aramaic and have survived, from apocryphal and rabbinic texts to numerous translations of Scripture (targumim) and liturgical texts, as well as legal documents, letters, and inscriptions. In the decades following the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple in 70 C.E. and the failure of the Bar Kokhba Revolt in 135, large numbers of Jews migrated from Palestine to Babylonia. One of the three dialects of Aramaic used in Babylonia eventually formed the linguistic basis for the Babylonian Talmud, along with Hebrew. In Syria and northern Mesopotamia, Aramaic also developed into an important local language called Syriac. As Christianity began to grow, especially after its legalization under Constantine in the fourth century, Syriac took on a new role. While most Christians in the Mediterranean world adopted Latin and/or Greek for religious purposes, those in Syria used Syriac, and it played a major role in the formation of Christianity in the lands nearest its origins during its first millennium. The churches translated Scripture into Syriac, as well as using the language for commentaries, sermons, and liturgical works. The essays in this fine volume came into being during a six-week residential seminar in the summer of 2004 held at Duke University and directed by the editors. The seminar focused on Aramaic in postbiblical Judaism and early Christianity and was sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The important essays included here were written as a result of that seminar. Most were written in residence, and all were done in discussion with the seminar's participants and stellar faculty, which in addition to Eric Meyers and Paul Flesher included Lucas Van Rompay, Michael Sokoloff, Douglas Gropp, Tina Shepardson, and Hayim Lapin. The essays are arranged in engaging three sections: Awakening Sleeping Texts, the Details of Language, and Recasting: Making Old Texts New.

The site of Nabratein is situated on a remote promontory in an extensive pine forest northeast of Safed. This report is the sixth and final volume of the Meiron Excavation Project. The discovery in 1981 of the pediment of a Holy Ark from the Nabratein synagogue coincided with the release of the film Raiders of the Lost Ark. That coincidence brought much unanticipated press coverage to the expedition and its senior staff, even though we insisted that the discovery of perhaps the earliest synagogue ark was not to be identified with the recovery of the biblical Ark of the Covenant. Although the media attention was totally unexpected, we all did our best to respond to the occasion with honesty and a bit of whimsy. Such coverage of the Nabratein excavation resulted in making many more people interested in archaeology, even if it didn't solve a biblical mystery. Now we hope that this full publication of the results of our work at the site will afford it a lasting place in the annals of the archaeology of Israel."-from the Preface

The definitive book on the archaeology of Palestine from Alexander the Great's conquest to Constantine's reign Drawing on the most recent, groundbreaking archaeological research, Eric M. Meyers and Mark A. Chancey re-narrate the history of ancient Palestine in this richly illustrated and expertly integrated book. Spanning from the conquest of Alexander the Great in the fourth century BCE until the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine in the fourth century CE, they synthesize archaeological evidence with ancient literary sources (including the Bible) to offer a sustained overview of the tumultuous intellectual and religious changes that impacted world history during the Greco-Roman period. The authors demonstrate how the transformation of the ancient Near East under the influence of the Greeks and then the Romans led to foundational changes in both the material and intellectual worlds of the Levant. Palestine's subjection to Hellenistic kingdoms, its rule by the Hasmonean and Herodian dynasties, the two disastrous Jewish revolts against Rome, and its full incorporation into the Roman Empire provide a background for the emergence of Christianity. The authors observe in the archaeological record how Judaism and Christianity were virtually undistinguishable for centuries, until the rise of imperial Christianity with Emperor Constantine. The only book-length overview available that focuses on the archaeology of Palestine in this period, this comprehensive and powerfully illuminating work sheds new light on the lands of the Bible.

The Cambridge Companion to the Bible, 2nd edition provides in-depth data and analysis of the production and reception of the canonical writings of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, and also of the apocryphal works produced by Jewish and Christian writers. Unique among single-volume introductions, this book focuses on the ever-changing social and cultural contexts in which the biblical authors and their original readers lived. The authors of the first edition were chosen for their internationally recognized expertise in their respective fields: the history and literature of Israel; postbiblical Judaism; biblical archaeology; and the origins and early literature of Christianity. In this second edition, all chapters have been updated and thoroughly revised,under the direction of a new volume editor, Bruce D. Chilton. More than 22 new maps, 90 new photographs and a full-color section help illustrate the book.

In this important study, two active field archaeologists, one Jewish and the other Christian, combine in an attempt to draw an accurate picture of rabbinic Judaism and Christian origins in Roman Palestine on the basis of both historical literature and archaeological findings. Their work includes important material previously accessible only in other languages, including modern Hebrew. Writing for students and others concerned to arrive at a balanced understanding of Palestine in the first century AD, the authors are concerned to establish a general picture rather than to argue for particular hypotheses; above all, they document by archaeology and epigraphy the great diversity there was in early Palestinian, Judaism and early Christianity. They also make out a case for far more contact between, Jewish and Christian communities than has ordinarily been assumed possible. After examining the cultural setting of Galilee and the question of regionalism, together with the context of early Christianity and Palestinian Judaism in Jerusalem, Nazareth and Capernaum. they look in detail at the languages of Roman Palestine, Jewish burial practice and views of afterlife, evidences of-Christianity in Palestine and synagogues, art and the world of the sages. There are maps, drawings and diagrams of synagogues, and a final chapter discusses the place of Palestine in Jewish and Christian theology

This volume presents the papers given at the Second International Conference on Galilee in Antiquity held at Duke University and the North Carolina Museum of Art in 1997. The goal of the conference was to examine the significance of Galilee and its rich and diverse culture through an extended period of time. Several of the papers have been revised since the conference and in light of continuing discussion. Furthermore, three new papers have been added to the collection, for a total of 25 contributions.

Light Against Darkness is comprised of articles that put on display the power and pervasiveness of dualistic thought. Dualism has proved a potent cultural tool for clarifying and ordering reality. Particularly in times of social stress and psychological insecurity, it can offer a valuable conceptual grid that provides orientation to the world and a clear sense of identity. At the same time, though, there are important questions to be asked about the social effects of binary thinking. As history amply illustrates, dualistic notions can readily be deployed to legitimate cultural demonization and to rationalize violence. At a deeper level, a dualist worldview can also obscure the possibilities to be found in multiplicity. The articles in this volume treat Dualism across a wide historical spectrum and from multiple methodological perspectives. The studies are organized around the religious and cultural contexts of Ancient Judaism and they include contributions from leading voices on ancient Persia, Israel, Greece, and Egypt. Experts on modern religious and philosophical thought not only lend context to concepts applied to the ancient world, but engage recent European and American experiments in binary thought. All of the studies contribute to a richer and more complete portrait of dualism in ancient Judaism.

This commentary and new translation of Zechariah 9-14 continues the appraoch adopted in the authors' 1987 Anchor Bible volume (25B) on Haggai and Zechariah 1-8. Authors Carol and Eric Meyers are perhaps uniquely qualified for this work because of their backgrounds in biblical archaeology and the social sciences. Employing the highest standards of pilological, literary, and historical research, they shed light on many enigmatic passages and offer an entirely new perspective on the history of Israel and its religion in the Persian period. Whereas many scholars have viewed this point in the history of Israel as a time of deterioration of the beliefs and practices of biblical religion, the Meyerses paint a picture of an innovative and vibrant community struggling to maintain its identity within a rapidly changing world dominated by the mighty Greeks and Persians. In the face of this the author of Zechariah 9-14 makes extensive and transformative use of earlier biblical writings and of the sayings of previous prophets, and articulates a radically new view of Israel's future. The Meyerses are the first modern commentators to see in these ancient texts the central role played by the Greco-Persian Wars in shaping the postexilic Restoration Community of Israel and its views of an expansive and glorious future. And althought Zechariah 9-14 is often regarded as the swan song of biblical prophecy, the Meyerses clearly demonstrate that the new modes of prophetic discourse found within this text helped biblical religion to meet one of the greatest challenges in its long history.

Archaeological discoveries relating to the Bible are prominent in the public square. Even archaeological controversies normally confined to the pages of obscure journals are considered newsworthy when they touch on biblical themes, people, or places. However, scholars are not always equipped to handle this sort of attention. Thus, the conference published in this book was organized to bring scholars into conversation with representatives of the media and to help them become better prepared to address the general public. Participants included the print media and the visual media as well as academics. The relation between archaeological controversies and Middle East politics emerged as a fraught subject in several essays, with the situation of the City of David in Jerusalem as a case in point. Other essays consider looting in Iraq and in other regions in the Middle East and highlight the legal and moral issues involved-for when legal norms recognized in international law and archaeological standards are violated, chaos reigns. This volume opens a dialogue between scholars and the media, providing both with perspectives that will enable them to become better at communicating what they do to a wide audience. And it offers lay communities who learn about archaeology and the Bible through the popular media information that will make them more sensitive to the way discoveries and issues are presented.

The Cambridge Companion to the Bible, Second Edition provides in-depth data and analysis of the production and reception of the canonical writings of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, and also of the apocryphal works produced by Jewish and Christian writers. Unique among single-volume introductions, this book focuses on the ever-changing social and cultural contexts in which the biblical authors and their original readers lived. The authors of the first edition were chosen for their internationally recognized expertise in their respective fields: the history and literature of Israel; postbiblical Judaism; biblical archaeology; and the origins and early literature of Christianity. In this second edition, all chapters have been updated and thoroughly revised, under the direction of a new volume editor, Bruce D. Chilton. More than 22 new maps, 90 new photographs and a full-color section help illustrate the book

During 1977 and 1978 the Meiron Excavation Project moved north from its excavations at Khirbet Shema and Meiron, excavating at the site of the synagogue at Gush Halav. With only very limited areas available for excavation, the team nevertheless was able to extract significant information for the history of Galilean synagogues. The synagogue here had a unique form, with spatial elements that have few if any parallels elsewhere. This publication will thus be of great importance for the history of Galilee in the first millennium C.E. and for the development of synagogue architecture and its relationship to the culture of the region in general.

Haggai and Zechariah 1-8 - Volume 25B in the acclaimed Anchor Yale Bible part of the Scripture known as the Minor Prophets - were written during a critical period in Israel's history, the momentous return of the Jews from Babylonian exile. Following the conquest of Babylon by the Persian Empire, the Israelites sought to reestablish their ethnic and religious legacy in Judah. This was a time of profound turmoil and uncertainty, and Haggai and Zechariah provided a crucial measure of support and inspiration. They rallied Israel's energies and exhorted their fellow countrymen to heed the word of God. under their guidance the Jews restored the Temple at Jerusalem, which had been destroyed by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar. Together the two prophets guided Israel through an important transitional epoch and reconciled the influences of Persia's dominion with the sacred traditions of the Hebrew people. In this illuminating new translation and commentary, Carol and Eric Meyers consider the Book of Haggai and the first eight chapters of the Book of Zechariah in a linguistic, social, and historical context. They underscore the literary artistry, the political acumen, and the prophetic authority of these fascination volumes that proved so vital to the survival of Israel and the preservation of the Jewish faith.