The Biblical Archaeology Society (BAS) has released a series of lecture DVDs featuring Dr. William G. Dever, a retired biblical archaeologist and now frequent author on questions relating to the historicity of the Bible.

The eight-part DVD series, How Archaeology Illuminates the Bible, is an exclusive lecture series crafted especially for BAS and addresses such questions as:

• Did the Israelites escape slavery in a mass exodus from Egypt? • Was there a King David who established the United Monarchy in Jerusalem? • What was everyday life like in ancient Israel? more >>

For the last six months, North Carolina's Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh has been host to an exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls are believed to be one of the greatest archaeological treasures to ever be discovered.

The exhibition included fragments from Old Testament books of the Bible such as Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Isaiah. More than a hundred artifacts including inkwells, coins and sandals, stone clay jars and plates found in Qumran were also displayed.

Many may be unaware that the Dead Sea Scrolls have a Tar Heel connection. Dr. Betsy Bennett, director for the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, explains: "Historically, Duke [University] played an important role in bringing the scrolls into the public eye. Duke PhD William Brownlee was one of two Americans to first see the scrolls in Jerusalem, and helped verify their authenticity. In 1950, the first scrolls were put on exhibition in a few U.S. locations, including Duke University Chapel, where 30,000 people came to see the scrolls in only six days." more >>

The year 2008 was full of surprises for the Christian entertainment industry – from shocking confessions and tragic accidents to unexpected bestsellers and notable Christian-to-mainstream crossovers (and vice-versa).

As The Christian Post continues to reflect upon this past year, the following is being offered as the top 10 entertainment news of 2008 based the opinions of CP readers and editors:

1. 'The Shack' Author Insists Bestseller 'is a God Thing' more >>

HERODIUM, West Bank – Israeli archaeologists excavating what they believe is the tomb of biblical King Herod said Wednesday they have unearthed lavish Roman-style wall paintings of a kind previously unseen in the Middle East and signs of a regal two-story mausoleum, bolstering their conviction that the Jewish monarch was buried here.

Ehud Netzer, head of the team from Jerusalem's Hebrew University, which uncovered the site at the king's winter palace in the Judean desert in 2007, said his latest finds show work and funding fit for a king.

"What we found here, spread all around, are architectural fragments that enable us to restore a monument of 25 meters high, 75 feet high, very elegant, which fits Herod's taste and status," he told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday at the hillside dig in an Israeli-controlled part of the West Bank, south of Jerusalem. more >>

A two-hour documentary that claims to have “new discoveries that shake the foundation of biblical archaeology” presented nothing new, says at least one Bible expert.

“In sum, the program was well done and well illustrated,” commented Dr. James E. West, an adjunct professor at the Quartz Hill School of Theology in California.

“However, anyone who has opened up a commentary or a history of Israelite religion in the last 40 years has had access to everything it contains,” he wrote in a live blog during the airing of “The Bible’s Buried Secrets” Tuesday night. more >>

A two-hour program set to air Tuesday night claims to have “new discoveries that shake the foundation of biblical archaeology,” echoing claims by other contested documentaries such as “The Lost Tomb of Jesus,” which aired last year on The Discovery Channel.

“The Bible’s Buried Secrets,” produced by Rhode Island-based Providence Pictures for PBS's science series Nova, attempts to uncover who wrote the Hebrew Bible and whether it’s history or parable, delving into the origins of the Israelites to explore their gradual transformation into a monotheistic people.

The show also poses provocative ideas – including the “revelation” that many Israelites believed that God had a wife – and disputes literal readings of the text. more >>