Biblical Archaeology Review - Bible History to Life

CURRENT ISSUE

Table of Contents • Biblical Archaeology Review
November / December 2009

ON THE COVER: This beautiful mosaic was excavated from an ancient dump at Tel Dor in 2000. In “Treasure in the Trash,” archaeologists S. Rebecca Martin and Andrew Stewart explain the mosaic’s captivating figure and why someone would have wanted to destroy this stunning work of art.

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Special Section • “Secret Mark”—A Modern Forgery?

“Secret Mark”: An Amazing Discovery

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By Charles Hedrick

Southwest Missouri State University professor Charles Hedrick opens the discussion by setting the stage for us, as we asked him to do, without revealing his own belief in the authenticity of Secret Mark.

“Secret Mark”: Morton Smith—Forger

By Hershel Shanks

In true BAR fashion, we wanted to present the case for a forgery, a position numerous scholars hold. After being turned down by three major scholars who embrace this position, editor Hershel Shanks undertook to summarize the evidence himself.

“Secret Mark”: Was Morton Smith a Great Thespian and I a Complete Fool?

By Helmut Koester

Harvard professor Helmut Koester presents a fascinating textual analysis of Secret Mark. Koester includes an account of his relationship with Columbia professor Morton Smith who discovered Secret Mark (or forged it) and why he believes it is authentic.

“Secret Mark”: Restoring a Dead Scholar’s Reputation

By Hershel Shanks

Hershel Shanks reveals his own conclusion about Secret Mark as a result of his study of the opposing arguments.

Features

Treasure in the Trash

By S. Rebecca Martin and Andrew F. Stewart

In 2000, during the excavation of an architectural dump at Tel Dor, fragments of an exquisite mosaic floor began to surface. At first glance the well-preserved face might appear to be that of an elegant lady, but on closer examination, it is in fact a theater mask of a young man. What can this enigmatic mosaic mask tell us about the tumultuous history of Tel Dor, and why was it destroyed and relegated to the rubbish heap in antiquity?

How Did Israel Become a People?

By Avraham Faust

Israel is first mentioned in the archaeological record in the famous Merneptah Stele at the end of the 13th century B.C.E. What has remained a mystery, however, is how and when Israel coalesced into a single people that saw itself as ethnically distinct from other peoples in the region. In a path-breaking analysis, we explore the archaeological evidence for Israel’s ethnogenesis and the historical circumstances that led to the creation of Israelite identity.