The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story
I’m finally back in business after maternity leave, office furniture disruptions, and the winter holidays, so you can expect regular posts again.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science is currently hosting an exhibit of interest to scholars and students of religion. “The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story” features a selection of ancient manuscripts and artifacts illustrating “the cultural, political and personal events that shaped Jerusalem and the surrounding region more than 2,000 years ago.” It runs through April 12, 2009.
Digitization of the Dead Sea Scrolls
The New York Times ran a story this week about an ambitious project with great scholarly and general interest potential: the digitization of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Sophisticated technology is enabling photographers to create high-quality reproductions without damaging the scrolls, and the resulting images will be made available online. Currently, even those who have the good fortune to see the scrolls in person must usually view them in dim light, often surrounded by crowds of people, so digital copies anyone can conveniently access at their leisure will be a wonderful development.
