Excavating Jesus

Examine these questions before you read The Bible: Gospel of Mark, Visual Guide to the New Testament, pp. 2-53, and Excavating Jesus, pp. 1-14 and 49-88. Once you have completed the reading, answer these questions in a MS Word document and submit it as an attachment in the assignment area by Day 5.

1. Using two of the following examples, write a one-paragraph description of how archaeology can be used to better understand earliest Christianity. Examples: the Caiaphas ossuary, the “House of Saint Peter” in Capernaum, the “Sergius Paullus” inscription from Turkey, and the decorations on the tombs in the Roman Catacombs.

2. What has archaeology revealed about past societies that we cannot figure out from only reading texts? What can you figure out about ancient people by studying names on ancient monuments and gravestones, the layout of a city, or the design of an ancient house?

3. List 10 places where Jesus went that are mentioned in the Gospel of Mark.

4. In 2 sentences each, describe the location on a map of the following areas or cities: Caesarea, Galilee, the Dead Sea, the region of Samaria, Capernaum, and Masada. For example, your description should look something like this: “Jerusalem is located approximately 30 miles east of the Mediterranean Sea in the region called Judea. It is 10 miles from the north shore of the Dead Sea and is in the area known as the Central Highlands.”

Caesarea:

Galilee:

Dead Sea:

The Region of Samaria:

Capernaum:

Masada: