Tag Archives: Israel

Ashamed of the Old Testament?

Posted on September 30, 2019 by Tim Frank

As I noted in a few blog posts, there is a tendency in Christian theology and practice to disregard the Old Testament, or even to actively deny that it has any significance for the Church. Apart from any of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Biblical Studies, Church, Israel, Judah | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The destruction of archaeological sites

Posted on June 21, 2019 by Tim Frank

Right after development and artefact robbing, one of the main threats to archaeological sites is dirt bikes, or off-road motor cycles. Particularly archaeological sites in reserves are often at risk from dirt bike riders, if there are no expensive enforcement … Continue reading →

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50 years directing archaeological excavations in Israel

Posted on June 17, 2019 by Tim Frank

Yesterday I attended an event in honour of Professor Joe D Seger, celebrating 50 years of directing archaeological excavations in Israel. As a student at Harvard University, Joe Seger participated in excavations at Shechem, then Jordanian territory. He was a … Continue reading →

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The Assyrians in Israel

Posted on October 26, 2018 by Tim Frank

I published several blog posts on the Assyrian rule of the Levant, especially of the Philistine cities and parts of Judah. see here, here, here, and here. There is a debate among scholars to what extent the Assyrians exploited the … Continue reading →

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Literary criticism and agendas

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Tim Frank

I have recently read an article that argues that we use too much masculine imagery when referring to God, in particular the term “Father”. Such an argument is often made and one of which few would not be aware of. … Continue reading →

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More tannur baking

Posted on May 20, 2018 by Tim Frank

By now I get to build replicas of ancient tannur bread ovens quite frequently. After my previous attempts in Mississippi and Israel, I should be quite practiced with it. Nevertheless, I have to say that the tannur oven we built … Continue reading →

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Bibleworld in Rotorua

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Tim Frank

Recently I visited a relatively small, but very good museum Bibleworld in Rotorua, New Zealand. It is one of the few places in New Zealand, where people can get information about Ancient Israel. While Bibleworld has several artefacts from New … Continue reading →

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The aim of archaeology

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Tim Frank

During my archaeological studies at university I only got a cursory introduction to the history of the discipline. But we learned that it started mainly with the collection and subsequent classification of artefacts. Just as others in the early 19th … Continue reading →

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Those children of Israel of whom there is no memory

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Tim Frank

The apocryphal book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) contains a hymn to the ancestors of the Jews. It starts in chapter 44 Let us now sing the praises of famous men, our ancestors in their generations. The Lord apportioned to them great … Continue reading →

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The Samaria ostraca and family relationships

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Tim Frank

The Samaria ostraca were found during the Harvard excavations at Samaria from 1908-1910. These potsherds with ink-writing were found in the courtyard of the palace. Sixty-seven had a readable inscription. It seems that they recorded some sort of tax or … Continue reading →

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