Jesus and Archaeology

by James H. Charlesworth

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2006

Overview

Archaeology still has many things to reveal about the life and world of Jesus of Nazareth. To touch a two-thousand-year-old pot held by a Jew who lived in a small village frequented by Jesus can bring us closer to understanding those who were touched by Jesus.

Jesus and Archaeology contains the revised and edited lectures that leading archaeologists and biblical scholars presented at a gathering in Jerusalem to celebrate the new millennium. Many contributors came directly from their excavations in places like Bethsaida, Capernaum, Nazareth, and Jerusalem to share their discoveries and insights, focusing on the question In what ways do new archaeological discoveries clarify the world, life, and thought of Jesus from Nazareth? Readers of Jesus and Archaeology will gain many new insights into the life and times of this fascinating Galilean Jew.

Key Features

• Contains revised and edited lectures from leading archaeologists and biblical scholars.
• Explores how new archaeological discoveries clarify the world, life, and thought of Jesus from Nazareth.
• Provides information about excavations in places like Bethsaida, Capernaum, Nazareth, and Jerusalem.

Contents

• Abbreviations
• Contributors
• Preface
• Introduction: What Is Biblical Archaeology?
• STUDIES IN ARCHAEOLOGY
• Jesus Research and Archaeology: A New Perspective
• Archaeology and the Historical Jesus
• Recovering Jesus’ Mamzerut
• Did Antipas Build the Sepphoris Theater?
• Khirbet Qana (and Other Villages) as a Context for Jesus
• Bethsaida
• Mount Tabor
• Jesus the Exorcist in Light of Epigraphic Sources
• Reflections on Jesus’ Eschatology in Light of Qumran
• Did Jesus Attend the Synagogue?
• Synagogues and Spirituality: The Case of Beth Alfa
• The Theodotos Synagogue Inscription and the Problem of First-Century Synagogue Buildings
• Jesus and the Theater in Jerusalem
• Jesus and the Herodian Temple Mount
• Mount Zion, Jesus, and Archaeology
• Excavating Caiaphas, Pilate, and Simon of Cyrene: Assessing the Literary and Archaeological Evidence
• “Stone House,” Birah, and Antonia during the Time of Jesus
• Miracles, Maleficium, and Maiestas in the Trial of Jesus
• Ramat Hanadiv and Ein Gedi: Property versus Poverty in Judea before 70
• Between Jerusalem and the Galilee: Samaria in the Time of Jesus
• The Sanctuaries of the Baptism on the East Bank of the Jordan River
• The Cemeteries of Qumran and Celibacy: Confusion Laid to Rest?
• Essene Community Houses and Jesus’ Early Community
• Judas and Jesus: A Message on a Drinking Vessel of the Second Temple Period
• ARCHAEOLOGY AND THEOLOGY
• Archaeology and John’s Gospel
• Aspects of Historicity in the Gospel of John: Implications for Investigations of Jesus and Archaeology
• Bultmann, Archaeology, and the Historical Jesus
• Jesus and Resurrection Faith in Light of Jewish Texts
• Archaeology and Early Christology
• The Christian Apocrypha and Archaeology
• Fonclusion: The Historical Jesus and Biblical Archaeology: Reflections on New Methodologies and Perspectives
• Glossary
• Selected Bibliography
• Index of scripture and other ancient texts
• Geographical index

Praise for Jesus and Archaeology

Comprehensive in scope, yet retains a depth of analysis and allows ready access to a host of highly significant issues.

—Expository Times

A very interesting and informative collection that provides an excellent overview of the state of the question to date on archaeology’s contribution to our knowledge of Jesus and first-century Judaism.

—The Bible Today

Recommended reading for New Testament scholars interested in the ways in which archaeology is brought to bear on Jesus research.

—Review of Biblical Literature

Product Details

• Title: Jesus and Archaeology
• Author: James H. Charlesworth
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 2006
• Logos Release Date: 2025
• Pages: 740
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Bible. N.T. › Antiquities; Jesus Christ
• Resource ID: LLS:JSSRCHLGY
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-02-05T18:00:17Z

About James H. Charlesworth

James H. Charlesworth is George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature at Princeton Theological Seminary. His academic interests include the Dead Sea Scrolls, apocryphal works, the historical Jesus, the Gospel of John, and the Revelation of John. He teaches courses on the relationship between the Jesus traditions in the Gospels and the theologies of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the life and thought of Jesus of Nazareth, the Old Testament in the New, the Gospel and Epistles of John, and the Hebrew and theology of the Dead Sea Scrolls. He is the author of The Messiah: Developments in Earliest Judaism and Christianity, The Pesharim and Qumran History, and is the editor of The Old Testament Pseudepigripha.