Lawrence H. Schiffman

The years of the Chashmonean Empire that followed from 152 BCE to the Roman conquest of Eretz Yisrael in 63 BCE are barely understood. In this period, the Jewish people came into conflict for the second time with the occupants of what is now the Gaza Strip lawrenceschiffman.com/gaza-and-the-c…

There is a saying that old myths never die. This has certainly been the case with the persistent myth that the Vatican is holding the treasures of the Bayis Sheini. lawrenceschiffman.com/the-myth-of-va… (Photo by Daniel Ventura – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?cu…)

I continued reading and became increasingly skeptical. The article claimed that an ancient Hebrew inscription that had been deciphered referred explicitly to the digging of the Siloam tunnel (Shiloach in Tanach), providing its exact date. lawrenceschiffman.com/the-writing-on…

The story of archaeology in Eretz Yisrael began in 1920-21 when Nahum Slouschz (1872-1966), under the auspices of the Jewish Palestine Exploration Society, undertook the excavation of one of the two ancient synagogues at Hamat Teveryah lawrenceschiffman.com/clues-from-the…

Disspelling some misconconceptions about the Vatican’s collections of Jewish manuscripts lawrenceschiffman.com/whats-really-i…

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we discuss the evolution from early Judaism to modern observance, as well as the outcomes of superimposing ancient Judaism onto our present day understandings. lawrenceschiffman.com/the-world-of-e…

The Dead Sea Scrolls and Jewish-Christian Dialogue Monday, November 7, 2022 7:00 PM CST Prof. Lawrence H. Schiffman Judge Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, New York University Register at ctu.edu/event/2022-fal…

A biography of the recently deceased Professor Baruch A. Levine. lawrenceschiffman.com/baruch-a-levin…

Scholars in a variety of fields should salute the publication of Steven Fraade’s new commentary on the Damascus Document. lawrenceschiffman.com/s-d-fraades-th…

I am probably the person here who knew Baruch Levine longest. I first met him as a freshman at Brandeis when I took his Talmud course. lawrenceschiffman.com/eulogy-for-pro…

The excavation of a destroyed fortress that belonged to the Seleucid military forces—the Yevanim of Chanukah—brings the battle to life after more than 2,000 years. lawrenceschiffman.com/a-fortress-une…

My appearance on the Vatican TV show Holy Land Uncovered on the subject of fighting anti-Semitism. youtube.com/watch?v=n3Spkl…

There is one massacre, the effects of which are still with us today, that remains virtually unknown and uncommemorated. It is the massacre of between 600 and 900 Arabian Jews that resulted from Muhammad's withdrawal from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. lawrenceschiffman.com/the-arabian-ma…

My article on the new texts found in the Judean Desert lawrenceschiffman.com/judean-desert-…

Join me for this FREE lecture tonight! classilearning.com/event/bringing…

The new exciting discoveries of Dead Sea Scroll fragments has renewed interest in our past and what we know. This lecture will focus on what we can learn from the Scrolls about the history of these important aspects of Jewish life and traditions. classilearning.com/event/bringing…

Since the first Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947, there has been a constant race between Bedouin antiquities hunters and archaeologists. This time the archaeologists won, and the prize was well worth the effort. lawrenceschiffman.com/new-dead-sea-s…

This illustrated lecture led by Professor Lawrence Schiffman, will discuss the character of the various text-types in evidence in the Qumran biblical manuscripts and their significance for the history of the biblical text. lawrenceschiffman.com/the-bible-and-…

A recent report from Israeli archaeologists should be of great interest to all of us. Excavations at Timna, just north of Eilat, have revealed a hoard of textiles, including some dyed purple, from the era of Kings Dovid and Shlomo, almost 3,000 years ago. lawrenceschiffman.com/the-purple-of-…