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The Recently Discovered Pool of Siloam
In this free sample lecture from the 2006 Jerusalem Perspective Conference, archaeologist and JP contributor Ronny Reich discusses the excavation of the first-century remains of the pool of Siloam discovered in Jerusalem. The complete collection of presentations delivered at the 2006 Jerusalem Perspective Conference is available through the En-Gedi Resource Center.
Design and Maintenance of First-century Ritual Immersion Baths
Archeologists and other scholars have not written prolifically about ancient mikvaot (or ritual immersion baths). Nevertheless, ritual immersion in the first century A.D. constitutes an important element of the overall historical, social and religious background of the New Testament. Here, Ronny Reich explains in non-technical language the intricacies of the design and maintenance of ancient mikvaot.
Six Stone Water Jars
In 1969, large stone containers were unearthed in the Jewish Quarter excavations in Jerusalem’s Old City. “What were these vessels used for?” the archaeologists asked. The Gospel of John provided the answer.
Perspective on the Caiaphas Tomb
At the end of December 1990, one of the most significant New Testament-related archaeological discoveries ever made came to light in Jerusalem. Park construction workers accidentally exposed a Second Temple-period tomb, which archaeologist Zvi Greenhut of the Israel Antiquities Authority was called to excavate. Some of the ossuaries found in the tomb were inscribed with the name “Caiaphas,” and it soon became clear that this was a tomb belonging to the Caiaphas family.
Ossuary Inscriptions from the Caiaphas Tomb
The ossuary inscriptions found in the Caiaphas tomb point to the fact that the name Caiaphas in its Aramaic version was in daily use in the middle of the first century C.E.