Contents • May / June 2008 Jerusalem shines forth like a gem on this 12th-century map. The Crusaders first sighted the holy city from the hill of Nebi Samwil. In “Nebi Samwil: Where Samuel Crowned Israel’s First King”, author Yitzhak Magen explains that the religious significance of the site goes back even further, to when it was occupied by the Biblical city of Mizpah. BAR WEB EXTRAS Find BAR Web Extras along with your favorite articles—just click on the links below! Rabbi Reinman on the Documentary Hypothesis

Features

Nebi Samwil: Where Samuel Crowned Israel’s First King

In search of the elusive site of Biblical Mizpah, where Samuel assembled “all Israel.”

By Yitzhak Magen

Did Captured Ark Afflict Philistines with E.D.?

A new reading of the text—based on recent archaeological finds—adds an intriguing twist to the story of the Biblical Philistines.

By Aren M. Maeir

Judas Iscariot Among the Gnostics

Was the Gnostic Judas a bad guy after all?

By Birger A. Pearson

Ein Gedi’s Archaeological Riches

How did an aromatic perfume factory coexist with a stinking leather production factory? Hershel Shanks explores this and other questions relating to Ein Gedi’s rich archaeological record?

By Hershel Shanks

Departments

First Person

BAR—Most Loved and Most Reviled

Queries & Comments

Apologize! Twice!
Orthodox Is Orthodox
Polite Debate, Please

Biblical Views

Forgers and Scholars—Unlikely Bedfellows

By Ronald S. Hendel

Archaeological Views

Archaeologists: A Community of Compassion

By Steven Ortiz

Past Pefect

Seclusion and Skulls at Mar Saba

ReViews

The End of Biblical Studies by Hector Avalos

Flights into Biblical Archaeology by Duby Tal, Moni Haramati and Shimon Gibson

WorldWide

Afghanistan

Strata

Ritual Bath or Swimming Pool?

A new theory about the Pool of Siloam.

The Stones the Builders Rejected

Salvage excavation uncovers a quarry for Herod’s Temple.

Israeli Authorities Acquiesce in Destruction of Temple Mount Antiquities

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Will Egypt copyright the Sphinx?

Small but Significant

The first printed French Book of Hours.

How Many?

The Bible in the News

The Cup That Runneth Over

By Leonard J. Greenspoon

What Is It?

Milestones

Bernhard W. Anderson (1916–2007)
Philip C. Hammond (1924–2008)

In History

Special Collections

Realms of Faith
Imagining Christ
Neither Man nor Beast

Cartoon Caption Contest

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