The first definitive account of what scholars and the media are calling 'the most important archaeological discovery' about Jesus and his family. 
 This is the definitive story of the recent discovery of the first–century ossuary (limestone bone box) with the legend 'James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus', and its implications for understanding Jesus, his family (mother, father, brothers), his followers, the first Christians and the Jewish Christian movement in Jerusalem that James led. This ossuary is the first ever archaeological discovery directly confirming the existence of Jesus, and his relationship to his father, Joseph, and brother, James, who became the leader of the important Jewish Christian community in Jerusalem. No one is as qualified and well connected to recount the discovery and its authentication as Hershel Shanks, whose magazine first broke the story.

The Brother of Jesus: The Dramatic Story & Meaning of the First Archaeological Link to Jesus & His Family

History

Witherington III, Ben

Shanks, Hershel

Ancient Civilizations

HarperOne

1st edn. 4to. Original gilt lettered blue cloth (very slightly scuffed at tail of spine - otherwise near Fine), dustwrapper (small open tear on upper cover - otherwise bright VG, price clipped). Pp. 192, illus with coloured plates and b&w photos and drawings in text (no inscriptions).

Judaism in Stone: the Archaelology of Ancient Synagogues - 1st Edition/1st Printing

Politics & Social Sciences

Archaeology

Harper Row Publishers

From the Publisher A short, authoritative exploration of the full sweep of the history of ancient Israel -- from Abraham (the first Hebrew) to the Roman destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D. From the Back Cover This history of ancient Israel is unique - a short account that covers the entire span from Abraham to the Roman destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D.

Ancient Israel: A Short History from Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple

Religion & Spirituality

PRENTICE/HALL

A groundbreaking anthology that demolishes the myths -- and reveals the true significance -- of the greatest archaeological discovery of our time.Ever since their initial discovery in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls have aroused excitement, jealousy, and not a little dread among some who feared their contents might undermine the foundations of Judaism and Christianity. For more than 35 years the majority of scroll texts remained the intellectual property of an exclusive coterie of scholars. Recently, however, the Biblical Archaeology Review succeeded in breaking that monopoly.This path-clearing volume is an illuminating assessment of what these texts reveal about a lost era in the history of two world religions, Christianity and rabbinic Judaism. Were the Dead Sea Scrolls written by the Essenes, an ascetic sect of Jews that may have included John the Baptist among its members? Is the Copper Scroll a secret map to the treasures of the Jerusalem Temple? In what way do these books prefigure the teachings of early Christianity? Additional chapters address the controversies surrounding the Scrolls' discovery and their long suppression -- including the possible role of the Vatican and charges of anti-Semitism on the part of a former chief editor of the official scroll publication team.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls

Christian Books & Bibles

SPCK.

Random House Value Publishing

A lavishly illustrated volume traces three thousand years of Jerusalem history from an archaeological perspective, describing the events that surrounded such objects as the bones of a crucified man and Babylonian arrows. 25,000 first printing.

Jerusalem:: An Archaeological Biography

Biographies & Memoirs

Random House]

Fifty years have passed since the world-shaking discovery of the first Dead Sea Scrolls in a desert cave by bedouin shepherds. Now, after decades of controversy surrounding their dissemination and interpretation, here is the fullest possible account of what they reveal--how they challenge our understanding of the origins of Christianity, shake the authority of the Hebrew Bible, and provide a new perspective on Judaism at the time of Jesus. Although almost everyone has heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls, few people can explain what they say or why they are significant. In The Mystery and Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hershel Shanks, the distinguished editor of Biblical Archaeology Review, gives a vivid account of their religious and historical context and their dissemination, meaning, and implications. Of the eight hundred manuscripts that were eventually found, fewer than a dozen were more or less intact. The rest were mere fragments, many no bigger than a fingernail. The scrolls contain a vast array of bewildering new material: unknown psalms, biblical commentaries, calendrical texts, and apocalyptic manuscripts, many of which seem to foreshadow Christian doctrine. Over two hundred biblical manuscripts were hidden in the Qumran caves, some dramatically different from accounts in the Bible. The Dead Sea Scrolls provide unique insight into the turbulent religious world at the time of Jesus, when Jewish society was richly varied and hotly contentious--so much so that some scholars now refer to Judaisms, rather than to a single Judaism. This is a clear, definitive account, from beginning to end, for the layperson as well as the scholar, of the mystery and meaning of the scrolls--a model of insight and understanding.

The Mystery and Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls

"Illuminating . . . absolutely fascinating." --The New York Times "First-rate. . . . An important addition to the Dead Sea Scrolls literature. . . . Shanks' compelling narrative of their discovery and contents . . . truly does justice to the material." --Archaeology Fifty years ago, in a cave near Qumran on the Dead Sea, a Bedouin shepherd made a remarkable discovery--a cache of scrolls, in Hebrew and Aramaic, dating roughly from the time of Jesus. Here, in hundreds of literary fragments, was a window into an unknown world--the world where Christianity and modern Judaism were born. Everyone has heard about the scrolls, but what, exactly, are their contents? Who wrote them? What do they reveal? Do they undermine the authority of the Hebrew Bible? Do they shed new light on Jesus, his sayings and his sacraments? Until recently, only a handful of experts could answer these questions, for only they had access to the scrolls. Now, thanks to the liberating efforts of scholars such as Hershel Shanks, the scrolls are the property of us all, their mystery at long last yielding to meaning. Here, in arresting detail, is the most complete assessment of the scrolls to date. It is a history of their discovery and dissemination, a summary of their scholarly interpretation, and a thoughtful meditation on their ultimate significance. Above all, it is an act of generosity--a great scholar's gift to the common understanding of the most important ancient texts found in modern times.

Vintage

According to the Hebrew Bible, King Solomon built a Temple to the Lord in Jerusalem on a threshing floor that his father, King David, purchased from Araunah the Jebusite for 50 shekels of silver. "No other building of the ancient world," claims the Anchor Bible Dictionary, "either while it stood in Jerusalem or in the millennia since its final destruction has been the focus of so much attention throughout the ages." This stunning book, with its 160 illustrations, is a history of the Temple or Temples in Jerusalem from Solomon's time to the present. The book reads like an archaeological excavation, digging deeper and deeper at one site. Starting with a discussion of the Palestinian denial of a Jewish Temple, the book proceeds to explore the Islamic Dome of the Rock, the little-known Roman Temple of Jupiter, Herod's massive Temple Mount, the Temple built by the exiles returning from Babylon, and finally Solomon's Temple. With a lively and informative text to accompany the pictures, Jerusalem's Temple Mount is replete with archaeology, history, legends (Jewish, Christian, and Muslim), inscriptions, biblical interpretations, and forgeries.

Jerusalem's Temple Mount: From Solomon to the Golden Dome

The Continuum International Publishing Group

The most important archaeological discovery ever about Jesus! For 2,000 years we’ve gone without archaeological EVIDENCE of Jesus and his family … until now … This is the dramatic inside story of what may well be the most momentous archaeological discovery of our time: the first-century ossuary of Jesus’ brother, James, the head of the Jerusalem Church. Reportedly found just outside ancient Jerusalem, the fragile limestone burial box bears the inscription ‘James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus’. The ossuary and its inscription are now regarded as authentic by top scholars in the field; they represent the first visual, tangible, scientific evidence of Jesus’ existence. The implications are monumental for understanding Jesus, his family, and the Jewish Christian movement during the formative years of Christianity. Hidden for centuries, the ossuary was purchased many years ago by an Israeli collector of ancient artifacts who never suspected its importance. Only when the renowned French scholar André Lemaire saw the Aramaic inscription (Aramaic was the language spoken by Jesus and his earliest followers) in April 2002 was its significance discovered. In October 2002, Lemaire announced the news to the world, asserting that it was almost certain that the inscription referred to Jesus of the Bible, his father Joseph and his brother James. Controversy immediately erupted over the age and authenticity of the inscription. The discovery also rekindled an ancient debate over whether Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin throughout her life - a doctrine that still divides Catholics and Protestants. Hershel Shanks, a central figure of biblical archaeology, who led a forceful campaign to make the Dead Sea Scrolls available to the world, recounts the story of the ossuary’s discovery and authentication. Ben Witherington III, a leading New Testament scholar, shows how the discovery reveals surprising facts about a story people thought they knew: how Jesus was raised in a large, religiously conservative Jewish family; how his brothers and sisters were skeptical about his claims - until he died; how Jesus’ brother James went on to head the Jewish Christian movement in Jerusalem, becoming the leader Peter and Paul looked to for guidance and approval; how James brokered the major church controversy of the first century and wrote a book of the Bible; how he was martyred and soon written out of history by the Church of Rome. The dramatic discovery of the ossuary allows us to become reacquainted with the towering historical figure the apostle Paul called a ‘pillar of the church’.

The Brother of Jesus: The Dramatic Story And Significance Of The First Archaeological Link To Jesus And His Family

Continuum

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Books by Shanks, Hershel

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Shanks, Hershel. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Brother of Jesus: The Dramatic Story & Meaning of the First Archaeological Link to Jesus & His Family

Judaism in Stone: the Archaelology of Ancient Synagogues - 1st Edition/1st Printing

Ancient Israel: A Short History from Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple

Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls

Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls

Jerusalem:: An Archaeological Biography

The Mystery and Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls

The Mystery and Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Jerusalem's Temple Mount: From Solomon to the Golden Dome

The Brother of Jesus: The Dramatic Story And Significance Of The First Archaeological Link To Jesus And His Family