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Gammadia On Early Jewish And Christian Garments, John W. Welch, Claire Foley

BYU Studies Quarterly

Among the textile fragments excavated at Masada were the remains of pieces of fabric with L-shaped cloth markings affixed to them. Dating to before A.D. 73, these are among the very earliest known examples of such marked garments. Scholars refer to these markings as gammadia, some of them being shaped like the Greek letter gamma (Γ). Though similar patterns have been found in several locations, the significance of these markings remains unknown to archaeologists and art historians. Because these markings seem to appear artistically in conjunction with some hope for life or glory after death, their presence on the …

Miquaot: Ritual Immersion Baths In Second Temple (Intertestamental) Jewish History, Stephen D. Ricks

BYU Studies Quarterly

One of the most intriguing developments in the archaeology of the Second Temple (intertestamental) period of Judaism occurred during excavations supervised by Yigael Yadin and other archaeologists at Masada, the residence built for King Herod the Great. While excavating the south casemate wall at Masada, these archaeologists came upon three structures that looked like a Jewish ritual bath complex—a small pool, a medium-sized pool, and a large pool. During a routine press conference, it was announced that a possible Jewish ritual bath—a miqveh—had been uncovered. News of this discovery spread quickly throughout Israel, particularly in the very orthodox Hasidic …

The Priestly Tithe In The First Century A.D., John A. Tvedtnes

BYU Studies Quarterly

Among the artifacts uncovered during the archaeological excavation at Masada was a terra-cotta pot with these words written on it: ma^caser kôhēn, "priestly tithe." It is reminiscent of a Herodian-period stone vessel fragment unearthed near the temple mount in Jerusalem, inscribed with the word qorban, "sacrifice." The Herodian vessel fragment also depicts two birds, perhaps indicating that it was used to present doves or pigeons in sacrifice at the temple as specified in Leviticus 12:8. Mishnah Ma^caser Sheni 4.10-11 mentions vessels inscribed with qorban or its abbreviation, q, and notes that among the …

Sacred Books: The Canon Of The Hebrew Bible At The End Of The First Century, Robert L. Maxwell

BYU Studies Quarterly

A number of fragmentary manuscripts in Hebrew and Aramaic have been found at Masada, including seven from the Hebrew Bible. These are Mas1a (Lev. 4:3-9), Mas1b (Lev. 8:31-11:40), Mas1c (Deut. 33:17-21, 34:2-6), Mas1d (Ezek. 31:11-37:15), Mas1e (Ps. 81:6-85:6), Mas1f (Ps. 150:1-6), and Mas1g (Ps. 18:26-29). Aside from minor orthographic differences, these are, in all cases, the same as the Masoretic text (MT) of the Hebrew Bible we have today. There are, in addition, a number of extrabiblical fragments, including a fragment of a Ben Sira (Ecclesiasticus) (Mas1h) and a fragment apparently of the book of Jubilees (Mas1i).

The Masada Fragments, The Qumran Scrolls, And The New Testament, David Rolph Seely

BYU Studies Quarterly

During the last fifty years, the Judean Desert on the western shore of the Dead Sea has yielded a wealth of textual material from many locations, evidence that has illuminated our understanding of the history of Israel and Judaism in the two centuries preceding and the two centuries following Christ. All of these manuscripts are properly referred to as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Masada: Herod's Fortress And The Zealot's Last Stand, Yigael Yadin

BYU Studies Quarterly

From 1963 to 1977, before Professor Yigael Yadin entered politics and became Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, he held the most distinguished chair of archaeology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, a chair which was established in the name of his father, Professor E. L. Sukenik, who was in his own right a noted archaeologist and linguist and who performed the initial work on three of the seven Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in Cave 1 at Qumran. An indication of the remarkable abilities of Professor Yadin can be seen in his notable military career. Without receiving any formal military training, …

King Herod, Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

BYU Studies Quarterly

Herod visited Masada, a Hasmonean mountain stronghold situated near the Dead Sea, on at least two occasions before he began his remarkable career as king of the Jews. Popularly known today as Herod the Great, Herod eventually became connected with this site when he indelibly placed his architectural mark on its isolated rocky plateau. Standing at an elevation of about thirteen hundred feet above the level of the Dead Sea, the fortress, now called Horvot Mezada (Ruins of Masada), is extremely difficult to access because of its steep and sometimes vertical sides.

Legal And Social Perspectives On Robbers In First-Century Judea, John W. Welch

BYU Studies Quarterly

Robbers, bandits, zealots, Sicarii, and other groups operating outside of normal legal channels were prominent features on the political landscape in and around the Roman province of Judea in the first century. To an extent, the Jewish insurgents who died at Masada can be viewed as robbers or bandits within the ancient meaning of those terms. Knowing something about the prevailing laws concerning robbery and the typical characteristics of social banditry helps modern people to understand these "outlaws" and to imagine how typical Roman rulers or average Jewish citizens in that day probably viewed both the group of dissidents who …

The Fruit Of The Vine: Wine At Masada And In The New Testament, Jo Ann H. Seely

BYU Studies Quarterly

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe

who created sweet wine, good must from grapevines,

that is pleasing to a person and good for man,

that gladdens the heart and makes the face shine.

It is consolation to mourners, and those of bitter spirit forget their misery.

It is medicine to all who drink it. (to him who drinks it sensibly).

It is heart's joy, gladness, and great delight to its drinkers.

He, our God, created it of old for pleasure,

among the works established from the beginning,

so that all who drink it shall bless …

Herod's Wealth, John W. Welch

BYU Studies Quarterly

Herod's construction of Masada and many other massive building projects leave no doubt that Herod the Great had access to large amounts of gold and silver. But where his wealth came form and how much he had is not entirely clear. Several clues, however, concerning the sources and relative amounts of Herod's immense wealth and his use of this money to achieve political ends can be found in the historical remains and from the records of Josephus Flavius. This article briefly identifies the main financial information known about Herod, outlines his political uses and principal sources of income, and appraises …

“The Keys Of The Kingdom”: Keys From Masada, Marti Lu Allen

BYU Studies Quarterly

At least six keys were recovered at Masada from levels the excavators apparently associated with the occupation of the Sicarii. Would a small group of people living close together and uniquely bound by a common cause feel the need for security from each other—even as they defended themselves on an isolated mesa in the middle of the desert? What do these keys tell us about the people who used them on Masada, and what significance do they hold for the modern observer? This chapter explores the types and functions of typical locking devices in the ancient Mediterranean world from 2000 …

Loosing A Shoe Latchet: Sandals And Footwear In The First Century, Shane A. Baker

BYU Studies Quarterly

During the 1964 season of excavations at Masada, archaeologists made a stunning and emotionally compelling discovery while working in the area of the elaborate palace complex built by Herod at the north end of the fortress. Located beneath a pile of heavy rubble covering the ruins of a small Roman-style bathhouse, excavators found the only physical remains of Masada's Jewish defenders discovered at the site itself. Sprawled upon the steps leading to the cold-water pool of the baths and on the ground nearby were the skeletal remains of three individuals—a young man in his twenties, a young woman about eighteen, …

Coins In The New Testament, Nanci Debloois

BYU Studies Quarterly

The coins found at Masada—Ptolemaic, Seleucid, Herodian, Roman, Jewish, Tyrian, Nabatean, etc.—testify not only of the changing fortunes of Judea, but also of the variety of coins circulating in that and neighboring countries during this time. Such diversity generates some difficulty in identifying the coins mentioned in the New Testament.

The Masada Synagogue And Its Relationship To Jewish Worship During The Second Temple Period, E. Jan Wilson

BYU Studies Quarterly

During the first season of excavations at Masada in 1963, Yigael Yadin and his crew discovered a strange structure adjoining the northwestern wall. The building was not like any other they had thus far excavated in the casemate wall. It contained clay-plastered benches along all the walls and two rows of pillars in the center of the main room. The inside dimensions were twenty-seven by thirty-six Roman feet (one Roman foot equals 0.2957 meters). A second, smaller room was on the western side and immediately adjacent to the casement wall. On the floor were coins of the period of the …

Casting Stones: Ballista, Stones As Weapons, And Death By Stoning, James V. Garrison

BYU Studies Quarterly

Josephus reports that once the Romans had completed their great siege ramp on the west side of Masada, they brought up an enormous tower in wheels, over one hundred feet high (based on a twenty-inch cubit) and entirely encased in iron. From this tower, Roman artillery opened fire on those defending the walls, sending showers of stones and other missiles down on them and forcing them to retreat into the fortress. With this objective accomplished, a great battering ram began the assault on the walls, and the fall of Masada became imminent.

Suicide At Masada And In The World Of The New Testament, Daniel K. Judd

BYU Studies Quarterly

One of the most problematic issues surrounding the story of Masada is the reported mass suicide of 960 men, women, and children. Assuming that the suicides actually occurred, were they expressions of courage, selfish acts of cowardice, or blind obedience to authoritarian rule? Were the inhabitants of Masada faithful and devout Jews defending their homeland and families, or were they terrorists using political and religious justifications for their selfish deeds? Because the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus are the only primary sources of information concerning the events at Masada, definite answers to these questions are impossible to ascertain. Thus, …

History And Fable, Heroism And Fanaticism: Nachman Ben-Yehuda's The Masada Myth, Arnold H. Green

BYU Studies Quarterly

Nachman Ben-Yehuda, The Masada Myth: Collective Memory and Mythmaking in Israel. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1995. xxi; 401 pp. Illustrations, tables, appendix, bibliography, index. $22.95.