Queries & Comments

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Canceling BAR Subscription

Well, my mother finally did it. She canceled her subscription to BAR. She always said it would be over her dead body that she would ever cancel her BAR subscription—and that is what she did. She passed to the other side at age 96. Now, at 76 years, I must stand on my own two feet, clip the umbilical cord and get my own BAR subscription.

Stimulating Neurons

While I always enjoy reading BAR, the September/October issue is extraordinary!

Thank you for the mental stimulation BAR always offers. At 78, this stimulation keeps the neurons alive.

Which Eclipse?

When Was Jesus Born? When Did Herod Die?

Professor John A. Cramer argues that Herod the Great most likely died shortly after the lunar eclipse of December 29, 1 B.C., rather than that of March 13, 4 B.C., which, as Cramer points out, is the eclipse traditionally associated with Josephus’s description in Jewish Antiquities 17.6.4 (Queries & Comments, “When Was Jesus Born?” BAR 39:04) and which is used as a basis to reckon Jesus’ birth shortly before 4 B.C. Professor Cramer’s argument was made in the 19th century by scholars such as Édouard Caspari and Florian Riess.

There are three principal reasons why the 4 B.C. date has prevailed over 1 B.C. These reasons were articulated by Emil Schürer in A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, also published in the 19th century. First, Josephus informs us that Herod died shortly before a Passover (Antiquities 17.9.3, The Jewish War 2.1.3), making a lunar eclipse in March (the time of the 4 B.C. eclipse) much more likely than one in December.

Second, Josephus writes that Herod reigned for 37 years from the time of his appointment in 40 B.C. and 34 years from his conquest of Jerusalem in 37 B.C. (Antiquities 17.8.1, War 1.33.8). Using so-called inclusive counting, this, too, places Herod’s death in 4 B.C.

Third, we know that the reign over Samaria and Judea of Herod’s son and successor Archelaus began in 4 B.C., based on the fact that he was deposed by Caesar in A.U.C. (Anno Urbis Conditae [in the year the city was founded]) 759, or A.D. 6, in the tenth year of his reign (Dio Cassius, Roman History 55.27.6; Josephus, Antiquities 17.13.2). Counting backward his reign began in 4 B.C. In addition, from Herod the Great’s son and successor Herod Antipas, who ruled over Galilee until 39 B.C., who ordered the execution of John the Baptist (Mark 6:14–29) and who had a supporting role in Jesus’ trial (Luke 23:7–12), we have coins that make reference to the 43rd year of his rule, placing its beginning in 4 B.C. at the latest (see Morten Hørning Jensen, “Antipas—The Herod Jesus Knew,” BAR, September/October 2012).

Thus, Schürer concluded that “Herod died at Jericho in B.C. 4, unwept by those of his own house, and hated by all the people.”

John A. Cramer responds:

Trying to date the death of Herod the Great is attended by considerable uncertainty, and I do not mean to claim I know the right answer. Mr. Tempelman does a good job of pointing out arguments in favor of a 4 B.C. date following the arguments advanced long ago by Emil Schürer. The difficulty is that we have a fair amount of information, but it is equivocal.

The key information comes, of course, from Josephus who brackets the death by “a fast” and the Passover. He says that on the night of the fast there was a lunar eclipse—the only eclipse mentioned in the entire corpus of his work. Correlation of Josephus with the Talmud and Mishnah indicate the fast was probably Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur occurs on the tenth day of the seventh month (mid-September to mid-October) and Passover on the 15th day of the first month (March or April) of the religious calendar. Josephus does not indicate when within that time interval the death occurred.

Only four lunar eclipses occurred in the likely time frame: September 15, 5 B.C., March 12–13, 4 B.C., January 10, 1 B.C. and December 29, 1 B.C. The first eclipse fits Yom Kippur, almost too early, but possible. It was a total eclipse that became noticeable several hours after sundown, but it is widely regarded as too early to fit other information on the date. The favorite 4 B.C. eclipse seems too far from Yom Kippur and much too close to Passover. This was a partial eclipse that commenced after midnight. It hardly seems 009 010 a candidate for being remembered and noted by Josephus. The 1 B.C. dates require either that the fast was not Yom Kippur or that the calendar was rejiggered for some reason. The January 10 eclipse was total but commenced shortly before midnight on a winter night. Lastly, in the December 29 eclipse the moon rose at 53 percent eclipse and its most visible aspect was over by 6 p.m. It is the most likely of the four to have been noted and commented on.

None of the four candidates fits perfectly to all the requirements. I like the earliest and the latest of them as the most likely. The most often preferred candidate, the 4 B.C. eclipse, is, in my view, far and away the least likely one.

Strata

David Uncircumcised

Re: “Bill Clinton, King David and Nathan the Prophet” (Strata, BAR 39:05).

Michelangelo’s David is not King David; he is not circumcised.

Shaye J.D. Cohen, Littauer Professor of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy in the department of Near Eastern languages and civilizations at Harvard University, responds:

Michelangelo’s David is not circumcised for the same reason that Christ, in virtually all medieval and Renaissance depictions, is not circumcised: The artist is not depicting the figure as he was historically but as he was remembered and revered by the Church. The historical Jesus was circumcised (Luke 2), but the Christ of the Church was not; in fact, by his circumcision, Christ brought an end to circumcision as a covenantal marker. So Christ is depicted with a foreskin. As a Christian hero and forerunner of the Christian Messiah, David too is depicted with a foreskin. Whether the historical David was circumcised or not is beside the point entirely.

Protecting Sites

Will Cameras Work?

Regarding Hershel Shanks’s suggestion in First Person (“Smile! You’re on Camera,” BAR 39:05) that cameras be employed to protect archaeological sites: As someone who has worked in the alarm business for more than 13 years and who handles camera alarms, I can say that his idea wouldn’t hurt, but as Mr. Shanks recognizes, it’s only a “partial solution.”

Many crimes are committed in full view of a camera, even where police response is at a maximum. How many times have I seen people take items out of donation boxes in front of signs saying “camera surveillance”? By the time the police come, the thieves have already left. How much more difficult will it be for police or park rangers to respond to an alarm at an archaeological dig not in urban areas?

Another problem is one Mr. Shanks brings up himself: If the looters destroy a camera, what good will it do to have an alarm sent to the police or central station at an alarm company if the thieves keep breaking the cameras. Who is going to provide the money to keep repairing them? This equipment is very expensive.

Even with all these drawbacks, in lieu of a security guard at the site I think Mr. Shanks’s idea of security cameras is the best solution possible. It’s better than doing nothing.

Hershel Shanks responds:

Thanks. Fortunately it takes longer to loot than to steal money from a donation box, giving the police more time to get there.

Rahab

Greek Word Porne Explains Harlot

Surely Anthony Frendo (“Was Rahab Really a Harlot?” BAR 39:05) knows that twice in the New Testament (Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25) Rahab is described as a harlot with the undeniably clear Greek word porne. Is that not important evidence to include in any article on the subject?

Anthony Frendo responds:

Firstly, I would like to thank Ms. Handford for pointing out the two important New Testament passages (Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25) that refer to “Rahab the prostitute.” In my article, I took it for granted that Rahab was traditionally viewed as a prostitute—both according to the Masoretic text of Joshua 2:1 and the early Christian tradition as rightly pointed out by Ms. Handford. However, since a deeper probe into the vocalisation of the Hebrew word for “prostitute” in Joshua 2:1, and the tradition relayed by Josephus who labeled her an “innkeeper,” together with the overall narrative drift of Joshua 2 indicated that Rahab functioned as a landlady, I thought of underscoring the fact that she could have very well been the latter without excluding the fact that she simultaneously was also a prostitute. I meant to add something to the CV of Rahab rather than to take something away from her.

065

Hezekiah’s Tunnel

The Need for a Bulkhead

Thank you for the fascinating article “Will King Hezekiah Be Dislodged from His Tunnel?” (BAR 39:05). The article makes a good point about building a bulkhead of some sort to hold back water before the Siloam Tunnel was complete. I would go further and argue that, even if the Tunnel VI was built last, as Ronny Reich and Eli Shukron claim, the builders still would have needed a bulkhead. The last step cannot be to break through solid rock to the Gihon Spring if the latter is flowing 8 feet above.

Paul Malocha is a consulting engineer who works on dam safety and municipal water systems.

Did Some Tunnels Precede Hezekiah’s Time?

As a tour guide in Jerusalem, I try to keep up with the constantly evolving story of the City of David water systems, and avidly read your article the second that BAR arrived (“Will Hezekiah Be Dislodged from His Tunnel?” BAR 39:05).

The question that occurred to me is whether Tunnel IV (and perhaps Tunnel VI too) might have been built earlier than the rest of the Siloam Tunnel for some other purpose. For example, we know that the passage leading to Warren’s Shaft was deepened at some point in the first millennium B.C.E., leading to the discovery of the top of Warren’s Shaft. In order to use the newly discovered shaft as a well, it would have been necessary to bring the spring water to its base: Could Tunnel IV have been dug for this purpose, in order to bring water from the rock-cut pool? If so, the opening of a new shorter route to the water source might well have been worthy of a commemorative inscription. At some later stage—but still before Hezekiah’s time—Tunnel VI could have been built as a more direct route between the base of Warren’s Shaft and the spring, thus making the rock-cut Pool and Tunnel IV redundant. In Hezekiah’s time, they would just need to connect the new tunnel to Tunnel VI; rather than constructing a wall to contain the water, as you suggest, perhaps they left breaking through until the new tunnel was complete.

King’s Portrait?

What a Lotus in the Left Hand Means

Re: “Portraits of Ancient Israelite Kings” by Irit Ziffer (BAR 39:05). On page 51 is a reproduction of “A Ruler 066 on His Throne” from the Apadana at Persepolis. After doing some sleuthing, I ascertained that that ruler is Darius. That makes the gentleman standing behind the throne, identified by author Ziffer as the crown prince, none other than Xerxes I, the monarch who marries Esther in the Book of Esther (2:16–17).

Darius holds a staff (scepter). This fits quite well with his son Xerxes later extending “the gold scepter that was in his hand” to his queen in Esther 5:2. Author Ziffer surmises that extending the staff like this “seem to be gestures of protection.” This was certainly the intent of Xerxes when he extended his gold scepter to Esther and expressed a willingness to grant her “up to half the kingdom” (Esther 5:3).

But a question arises: Both Darius and Xerxes hold lotus blossoms in their left hands (so do Tiglath-Pileser and other Assyrian kings pictured in this article when indicating protection). So why does the Book of Esther not indicate that Xerxes extended “the gold scepter and the lotus blossom that were in his hands”?

Could it be that the Xerxes-Esther interaction occurred when lotus blossoms were out of season? What did these ancient kings put in the left hands when lotus was not in bloom? Something tells me those hands were filled with something equally symbolic.

An illuminating response to this letter by Dr. Irit Ziffer appears at www.biblicalarchaeology.org/responses—Ed.

Correction

Helios in the Synagogue

The pictured mosaic featuring the full-face Helios, the Greek sun god, riding his four-horse chariot (First Person, “The Sun God in the Synagogue,” BAR 39:06, p. 6) is from the Beth Alpha synagogue—not from the Hammath Tiberias synagogue.

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