Israel/Pal areas

A number of centuries after it disappeared from the Middle East region, efforts are being made to revive the ancient Aramaic language that many believe Jesus spoke.

The Palestinian village of Beit Jala, which is close to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, is one of two villages where elders are trying to teach the language to young children hoping they will take it up.

The other village is the Arab-Israeli community of Jish, where Christ once lived and preached – there children in elementary school are being taught Aramaic. The village is of the Maronite Christian community, which is one of the few that still chant prayers in Aramaic, though not many understand the meaning of the words, the Associated Press reported. more >>

Researchers are claiming to have discovered the exact date that Jesus Christ was crucified, according to a new geological study released in an academic journal this week.

The geological survey, published in the International Geology Review, suggests that Christ was crucified on Friday, April 3, in the year 33.

The year of Christ's crucifixion has been widely debated in religious and scholarly circles, but geologists now believe that their research points to the most likely year Jesus was put on the cross. more >>

The Israel Antiquities Authority revealed Wednesday what it is calling the earliest archaeological evidence of the city of Bethlehem.

Archaeologists have discovered a bulla – or piece of clay used to seal documents and other objects – that is only about half of an inch across and has the word "Bethlehem" written on it in ancient Hebrew.

"This is the first time the name Bethlehem appears outside the Bible, in an inscription from the First Temple period, which proves that Bethlehem was indeed a city in the Kingdom of Judah, and possibly also in earlier periods," said Eli Shukron, director of the excavation, in a statement. more >>

An archaeologist from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem says he has discovered cultic shrines dating back to the time of the biblical King David, which may provide clarity to some obscure building references in the Bible.

Professor Yosef Garfinkel says his discoveries at Khirbet Qeiyafa, an ancient fortified city that is 30 kilometers southwest of Jerusalem and is adjacent to the Valley of Elah, have confirmed the biblical view of the region prior to the construction of Solomon's Temple.

"This is the first time that archaeologists uncovered a fortified city in Judah from the time of King David," Garfinkel said in a press release. "Even in Jerusalem we do not have a clear fortified city from his period. Thus, various suggestions that completely deny the biblical tradition regarding King David and argue that he was a mythological figure, or just a leader of a small tribe, are now shown to be wrong." more >>

A new report on the state of Christians living in the Holy Land aired on CBS' "60 Minutes" last weekend has stirred controversy among some Christian and Jewish groups that have blasted the report as unfairly portraying Israel as an oppressor of Middle East Christians.

CBS' Bob Simon conducted the new report seeking to refute that Muslim discrimination is driving force for the mass exodus of Palestinian Christians from the Holy Land. He argued that it has been Israeli settlements and the policies of Israel that have forced Christians out of the Holy Land.

Today Christians make up 1.5 percent of the population of Jerusalem but just in 1967 had constituted five percent of those living in the holy city, according to the report. more >>

Thousands of Christians from around the world gathered in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher Saturday to witness a flame that is believed to emerge miraculously from the tomb of Jesus a day before Easter, according the older Julian calendar, each year.

The special ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built at a site where Jesus was crucified and buried, was attended by Christian pilgrims and clerics wearing their robes amid the presence of Israeli police, riot-prevention forces and border security guards.

"I am here because I would like to see the Easter Week from the Holy Land, because I think it is a very unique experience," The Associated Press quoted Nerea Craditotto, a Spanish pilgrim, as saying. Eastern Orthodox churches and others will celebrate Easter on Sunday. more >>