Set in biblical times, the story of Nicanor's Gate—one of the entrances to the Temple in Jerusalem—shows how a man's faith is important to living a happy, fulfilled life. Nicanor, a wealthy merchant from Alexandria, is thrilled when King Herod calls on him to assist in rebuilding the ruined Temple in Jerusalem. Nicanor orders massive, beautifully intricate doors to be built, especially for the Eastern Gate of the Temple, but disaster strikes while the gates are being shipped from Alexandria to Jerusalem. To escape sinking, the ship must reduce its load, and one of the doors is pushed into the sea. But a miracle happens: the heavy door surfaces, is recovered from the sea, and installed as an entrance to the Temple area.

A detailed pictorial tour of Herod's temple with full-color illustrations of Alex Garrard's perfectly scaled model. Each area is shown and discussed in detail. An exceptional introduction to the temple and its place in Jewish religious practice.

Highly respected New Testament scholar Craig Keener is known for his meticulous and comprehensive research. This commentary on Acts, his magnum opus, may be the largest and most thoroughly documented Acts commentary available. Useful not only for the study of Acts but also early Christianity, this work sets Acts in its first-century context. In this volume, the second of four, Keener continues his detailed exegesis of Acts, utilizing an unparalleled range of ancient sources and offering a wealth of fresh insights. This magisterial commentary will be an invaluable resource for New Testament professors and students, pastors, Acts scholars, and libraries.

In 1980 archaeologists unearthed a tomb near Jerusalem that contained a family's ossuaries inscribed with some familiar New Testament names, including Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. In 2007 the Discovery Channel produced and broadcast a documentary called The Lost Tomb of Jesus, raising interest — and controversy -- among the public and specialists alike. Could this actually be the tomb of Jesus and his family? In January of 2008 a group of internationally renowned scholars from a broad range of disciplines met in Jerusalem to discuss that very question. Covering the archaeological facts about the discovery, Jewish burial customs during the late Second Temple period, first-century inscriptions, the Talpiot tomb, the James ossuary, the Holy Sepulcher, and more,this volume presents their expert perspectives on a much-publicized topic. Contributors:Mordechai AviamWolfgang E. KrumbeinJames H. CharlesworthAndré LemaireClaude Cohen-MatlofskyLee Martin McDonaldApril D. DeConickCharles PellegrinoCasey D. ElledgeStephen PfannMark ElliottPetr PokornýHoward R. FeldmanJonathan J. PriceJoseph A. FitzmyerChristopher A. RollstonCamil FuchsAmnon RosenfeldShimon GibsonJane SchabergRachel HachliliAndrew V. SillsEldad KeynanMark SpigelmanKevin KiltyJames D. TaborAmos KlonerKonstantinos Th. Zarras Watch an interview with James H. Charlesworth below:

Half a century ago, the primary contours of the history of the Jews in Roman times were not subject to much debate. This standard account collapsed, however, when a handful of insights undermined the traditional historical method, the method long enlisted by historians for eliciting facts from sources. In response to these insights, a new historical method gradually emerged. Rewriting Ancient Jewish History critiques the traditional historical method and makes a case for the new one, illustrating how to write anew ancient Jewish history. At the heart of the traditional historical method lie three fundamental presumptions. The traditional historical method regularly presumes that multiple versions of a text or tradition are equally authentic; it presumes that many ancient Jewish sources are the products of largely immanent forces of cloistered Jewish communities; and, barring any local grounds for suspicion, it presumes that most ancient Jewish texts faithfully reflect their sources and reliably recount events. Rewriting Ancient Jewish History unfurls the failings of this approach; it promotes the new historical method which circumvents the flawed traditional presumptions while plotting anew the limits of rational argumentation in historical inquiry. This crucial reappraisal is a must-read for students of Jewish and Roman history alike, and a fascinating case-study in how historians should approach their ancient sources.

An accurate acquaintance with the sacrificial services and the Temple-rites at the time of Jesus Christ serves a double end. First it illustrates a considerable part of the New Testament history in a precise and striking manner. The Virgin Mother at her purification and the presentation of her First-Born, the Christ-child among the Rabbis, the Lord Jesus teaching in the Temple-courts, walking in Solomon’s porch, sitting in the treasury, disputing with the scribes and the chief priests on the Feast of Tabernacles and finally denouncing their greed and hypocrisy, are a few of the events which will assume a new meaning when viewed in the light of the daily Temple-life. Aeterna Press