Episodes
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Archaeology, Jesus, and the Gospel of John - part 3
The synoptic Gospels — Matthew, Mark, and Luke — are historical biographies of Jesus. And John is…something else, but not history. That’s what some Bible scholars have been saying for the past 150 years. But John actually has more historical information than those other three Gospels, sometimes…
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Archaeology, Jesus, and the Gospel of John - part 2
The synoptic Gospels — Matthew, Mark, and Luke — are historical biographies of Jesus. And John is…something else, but not history. That’s what some Bible scholars have been saying for the past 150 years. But John actually has more historical information than those other three Gospels, sometimes…
more -
Archaeology, Jesus, and the Gospel of John
The synoptic Gospels — Matthew, Mark, and Luke — are historical biographies of Jesus. And John is…something else, but not history. That’s what some Bible scholars have been saying for the past 150 years. But John actually has more historical information than those other three Gospels, sometimes…
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Finding Bethsaida - part 3
Part 3 of our interview with Steven Notley, academic director of the el-Araj excavation project along the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. WIthin the last decade, surprising discoveries have confirmed that el-Araj is indeed the site of New Testament Bethsaida, home of the Apostles Peter…
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Finding Bethsaida - part 2
Part 2 of our interview with Steven Notley, academic director of the el-Araj excavation project along the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. WIthin the last decade, surprising discoveries have confirmed that el-Araj is indeed the site of New Testament Bethsaida, home of the Apostles Peter…
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Finding Bethsaida
The question "where is Bethsaida" has finally been answered, the debate resolved. In this interview with Steven Notley, the academic director of the el-Araj excavation project along the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, we discuss the search and the controversy. Bethsaida was the home of the...
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What Happened to King Solomon's Gold - And Silver? - part 2
In King Solomon's day there was so much gold that silver "was considered as nothing." After Solomon the kingdom split, an Egyptian pharaoh invaded, and there went the gold, and silver. But that's not the end of the story. In this interview we follow the trail with professor Clyde Billington, my...
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What Happened to King Solomon's Gold - And Silver?
In King Solomon's day there was so much gold that silver "was considered as nothing." After Solomon the kingdom split, an Egyptian pharaoh invaded, and there went the gold, and silver. But that's not the end of the story. In this interview we follow the trail with professor Clyde Billington, my...
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Excavating burnt wooden beams from the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC
Among the stories we've been covering is the recent excavation of burnt wooden beams from the 586 BC destruction of Jerusalem. Other stories include secret excavations under Jerusalem's western wall plaza, and a tunnel surprise at kibbutz Ramat Rachel, justs outside of Jerusalem.
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Huqoq synagogue and Machpelah Tomb updates
Among the latest biblical archaeology news stories reported in ARTIFAX magazine is our cover story on the new museum display about the excavation of the biblical mosaics at the Huqoq synagogue and the untold story of how Herod the Great planned to be buried alongside the patriarchs at the Cave of...
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Tel Shiloh Excavation 2026 - part 2
Tel Shiloh is annually one of the largest excavations in Israel, digging into the site that was the home of the tabernacle (including the Ark of the Covenant) and the unofficial capital of Israel before Jerusalem. This year the excavation continued in three areas: a monumental building that...
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Tel Shiloh Excavation 2026
Tel Shiloh is annually one of the largest excavations in Israel, digging into the site that was the home of the tabernacle (including the Ark of the Covenant) and the unofficial capital of Israel before Jerusalem. This year the excavation continued in three areas: a monumental building that...
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Remembering Keith Schoville
For the first 30 years of TB&TS, we enjoyed the expert commentary of professor Keith Schoville, who taught biblical archaeology at the University of Wisconsin. He was the author of the textbook BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY IN FOCUS, and has served as president of the Near East Archaeological Society. He...
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The Dead Sea Scrolls-Vendyl Jones and the Mystery of the Temple Incense
In1992: an estimated 600 kilograms of reddish-brown organic powder was found in a sealed cave near the Dead Sea, a find that has raised questions that have yet to be definitively answered. The search team was led by Vendyl Jones, an unconventionial archaeologist who devoted himself to deciphering...
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The Dead Sea Scrolls Are Still in the Headlines - part 2
With episode 2001 its tempting to reference Stanley Kubricks famous Space Odyssey, and then maybe go on to the current (and controversial) Odyssey movie, but no. With program #2001 we continue our conversation with Michael Wise, professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Languages and Scholar in...
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The Dead Sea Scrolls Are Still in the Headlines
This is program #2000 for The Book & The Spade and we celebrate this landmark in a conversation with Michael Wise, professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Languages and Scholar in Residence at the University of Northwestern - Saint Paul. We discuss the intersection of his research with the latest...
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Turkiye in the Footsteps of Paul - part 3
Following in the footsteps of Paul was our theme, from Antioch to Ephesus. But there was more. We also visited the seven cities of the churches of Revelation. (Ephesus fits both categories.) John DeLancey, of Biblical Israel Ministries and Tours, is our travel partner and is featured on two of...
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Turkiye in the Footsteps of Paul - part 2
Following in the footsteps of Paul was our theme, from Antioch to Ephesus. But there was more. We also visited the seven cities of the churches of Revelation. (Ephesus fits both categories.) John DeLancey, of Biblical Israel Ministries and Tours, is our travel partner and is featured on two of...
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Turkiye in the Footsteps of Paul - part 1
Following in the footsteps of Paul was our theme, from Antioch to Ephesus. But there was more. We also visited the seven cities of the churches of Revelation. (Ephesus fits both categories.) John DeLancey, of Biblical Israel Ministries and Tours, is our travel partner and is featured on two of...
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Israeli Glass and the Pharos Lighthouse
The glass fibers that are so critical to modern computerized communication have their roots in the biblical world. Recent archaeology has discovered locations in Israel where glass was created and exported across the Roman empire. Meanwhile, in Alexandria, Egypt, underwater archaeologists are...
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Restoration in Bethlehem and Caesara Maritima
The oldest still-operating church in the world, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, is due for some much-needed restoration amongst the smoke stained walls surrounding the traditional grotto of Christ’s birth. The aqueduct at Caesarea Maritima also needs some work to preserve this unique...
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Hippos Sussita Baptisms and Israel's Stonehenge
The ongoing excavations of the seven churches in the decapolis city of Hippos/Sussita has revealed that in the largest church, no doubt the seat of the bishop, there were two separate baptismal areas. At one of them they found a block of marble with three cup-shaped depressions that appear to…
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Archaeology and the Ministry of Paul, part 2
To better understand the writings of the Apostle Paul, which make up much of the New Testament, it helps to trace his history, which makes up much of the book of Acts. In this 2-part interview, based on his new book Archaeology and the Ministry of Paul, David deSilva takes across across the…
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Archaeology and the Ministry of Paul
To better understand the writings of the Apostle Paul, which make up much of the New Testament, it helps to trace his history, which makes up much of the book of Acts. In this 2-part interview, based on his new book Archaeology and the Ministry of Paul, David deSilva takes across across the…
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Theophilus and Joanna, part 2
One of the mysterious men of the Bible is Theophilus, whose name is found at the beginning of Luke's Gospel and also at the beginning of Luke's history of the early church, The Acts of the Apostles. Various suggestions of his identity have been postulated, but lately I discovered that archaeology...
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Dead Sea Scrolls and the Museum of the Bible - part 5
This is the 5th and final interview of this series on the current Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Museum of the Bible. It features Risa Levitt, one of the curators of this traveling exhibit. She is also Executive Director at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem. I thought it would be interesting…
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Theophilus and Joanna
One of the mysterious men of the Bible is Theophilus, whose name is found at the beginning of Luke's Gospel and also at the beginning of Luke's history of the early church, The Acts of the Apostles. Various suggestions of his identity have been postulated, but lately I discovered that archaeology...
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"Dead Sea Scrolls 2026 and the Museum of the Bible - part 4" with Christopher Rollston
The Book and the Spade program #1988
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"Dead Sea Scrolls 2026 and the Museum of the Bible" with Christopher Rollston
The Book and the Spade program #1987
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"What Happened to the Ark of the Covenant-part 2" with Chris McKinny
The Book and the Spade program #1966
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"What Happened to the Ark of the Covenant-once again" with Chris McKinny
The Book and the Spade program #1965
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"Dead Sea Scrolls 2026 and the Museum of the Bible - part 2" with Bobby Duke
The Book and the Spade program #1986
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"Easter in the Holyland" with Jenny Feldman
The Book and the Spade program #1428
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"Dead Sea Scrolls 2026 and the Museum of the Bible" with Bobby Duke
The Book and the Spade program #1985
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"Origin of the Pharisees and Digging for Egyptian Gold" with Clyde Billington
The Book and the Spade program #1984
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"Royal Purple and Shipwrecks at Dor" with Clyde Billington
The Book and the Spade program #1983
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"Following the Footsteps of the Apostle Paul Across Turkey, part 2" with Mark Wilson
The Book and the Spade program #1982
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"Following the Footsteps of the Apostle Paul Across Turkey
The Book and the Spade program #1981
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"John Monson Remembers his friend Gabriel Barkay - part 2
The Book and the Spade program #1980
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"John Monson Remembers his friend Gabriel Barkay
The Book and the Spade program #1979
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"Remembering Gabriel Barkay and the Silver Scrolls - part 2
The Book and the Spade program #1978
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"2026 Excavation Plans, part 2" with John DeLancey
The Book and the Spade program #1976
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"2026 Excavation Plans" with John DeLancey
The Book and the Spade program #1975
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"Women in the Early Church at Megiddo" with Joan Taylor
The Book and the Spade program #1974
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"My Top 10 Archaeology Stories of 2025" by Gordon Govier
The Book and the Spade program #1973
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"Not Little Town of Bethlehem" with Joan Taylor
The Book and the Spade program #1972
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"Remembering Stephen Pfann - Writing"
The Book and the Spade program #1971
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"Remembering Stephen Pfann and Nazareth Villa"
The Book and the Spade program #1970
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"Alphabets and the History of Writing" with Clyde Billington
The Book and the Spade program #1969
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"Siloam Pool Dam and the Rockefeller" with Clyde Billington
The Book and the Spade program #1968
About this show
The Book and Spade program has the latest information on discoveries and developments in Biblical Archaeology.
Hosted by
Gordon Govier
Categories