Hershel Shanks
Encyclopedia
Hershel Shanks is the founder of the Biblical Archaeology Society
and the editor of the Biblical Archaeology Review
and has written and edited numerous works on Biblical archaeology
including the Dead Sea Scrolls
.
Shanks communicates the world of biblical archaeology
to general readers through his magazines, books, and conferences. Hershel Shanks is "probably the world's most influential amateur Biblical archaeologist," wrote New York Times book critic Richard Bernstein
.
In a famous legal case before the Israeli Supreme Court in 1993 Shanks and others were successfully sued by leading Dead Sea Scrolls scholar Elisha Qimron
for breach of copyright
when Shanks published material written by Qimron in A Facsimile Edition of the Dead Sea Scrolls without Qimron's permission. In 2000 Shanks' appeal against the earlier decision was dismissed.
Shanks' television appearances include Who Wrote the Bible? (1996), The Naked Archaeologist
(2005) and 'Mysteries of the Bible.
He used the pseudonym "Adam Mikaya" for a few articles published in the Biblical Archaeology Review.
Biblical Archaeology Society
The Biblical Archaeology Society is a non-denominational organization that supports and promotes biblical archaeology. It publishes Biblical Archaeology Review. Its past publications included Bible Review and Archaeology Odyssey . The Biblical Archaeology Society also publishes books about...
and the editor of the Biblical Archaeology Review
Biblical Archaeology Review
Biblical Archaeology Review is a publication that seeks to connect the academic study of archaeology to a broad general audience seeking to understand the world of the Bible and the Near and Middle East . Covering both the Old and New Testaments, BAR presents the latest discoveries and...
and has written and edited numerous works on Biblical archaeology
Biblical archaeology
For the movement associated with William F. Albright and also known as biblical archaeology, see Biblical archaeology school. For the interpretation of biblical archaeology in relation to biblical historicity, see The Bible and history....
including the Dead Sea Scrolls
Dead Sea scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name...
.
Shanks communicates the world of biblical archaeology
Biblical archaeology
For the movement associated with William F. Albright and also known as biblical archaeology, see Biblical archaeology school. For the interpretation of biblical archaeology in relation to biblical historicity, see The Bible and history....
to general readers through his magazines, books, and conferences. Hershel Shanks is "probably the world's most influential amateur Biblical archaeologist," wrote New York Times book critic Richard Bernstein
Richard Bernstein
Richard Bernstein is an American journalist, columnist, and author. He writes the Letter from America column for The International Herald Tribune...
.
In a famous legal case before the Israeli Supreme Court in 1993 Shanks and others were successfully sued by leading Dead Sea Scrolls scholar Elisha Qimron
Elisha Qimron
Dr Elisha Qimron is a leading academic in the study of ancient Hebrew, in which he took his PhD in 1976 at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, writing his dissertation on The Hebrew of the Scrolls. Currently, he is a professor in the Department of Hebrew Language at Ben-Gurion University of the...
for breach of copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
when Shanks published material written by Qimron in A Facsimile Edition of the Dead Sea Scrolls without Qimron's permission. In 2000 Shanks' appeal against the earlier decision was dismissed.
Shanks' television appearances include Who Wrote the Bible? (1996), The Naked Archaeologist
The Naked Archaeologist
The Naked Archaeologist is a television show produced for VisionTV in Canada and History International in the US that is hosted and prepared by the Emmy Award–winning journalist Simcha Jacobovici together with Avri Gilad...
(2005) and 'Mysteries of the Bible.
He used the pseudonym "Adam Mikaya" for a few articles published in the Biblical Archaeology Review.
Publications
- Hershel Shanks, The City of David;: A guide to Biblical Jerusalem, Bazak 1973
- Hershel Shanks and Benjamin Mazar, Recent Archaeology in the Land of Israel, Biblical Archaeology Society 1985, ISBN 0-9613089-2-3
- Hershel Shanks, Ancient Israel: A Short History from Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple, Prentice Hall College Div 1988, ISBN 0-13-036435-5
- Hershel Shanks, editor, Early Israel, Biblical Archaeology Society 1990, ISBN 0-685-45487-8
- Hershel Shanks, editor, Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism: A Parallel History of Their Origins and Early Development, Biblical Archaeology Society 1992, ISBN 1-880317-08-7
- Hershel Shanks, In the Temple of Solomon and the Tomb of Caiaphas, Biblical Archaeology Society 1993, ISBN 1-880317-11-7
- Hershel Shanks, editor, Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls: A Reader From the Biblical Archaeology Review, Vintage Press reprint 1993, ISBN 0-679-74445-2
- Hershel Shanks and Suzanne F. Singer, editors, Cancel My Subscription: The Best of Queries and Comments from Letters to Biblical Archaeology Review, Biblical Archaeology Society 1995, ISBN 1-880317-44-3
- Hershel Shanks, Jerusalem: : An Archaeological Biography, Random House 1995, ISBN 0-679-44526-9
- Hershel Shanks, The Mystery and Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Vintage Press 1999, ISBN 0-679-78089-0
- Hershel Shanks, Dave Clark (illustrator), 101 Best Jewish Jokes, Biblical Archaeology Society 1999, ISBN 0-9671632-1-8
- Hershel Shanks, editor, Abraham & Family: New Insights into the Patriarchal Narratives, Biblical Archaeology Society 2000, ISBN 1-880317-57-5
- Hershel Shanks and Ben Witherington III, The Brother of Jesus : The Dramatic Story & Meaning of the First Archaeological Link to Jesus & His Family, HarperSanFrancisco 2003, ISBN 0-06-055660-9
- Hershel Shanks, editor, City of David: Revisiting Early Excavations, English translations of Reports by Raymond Weill and Louis-Hugues Vincent, Notes and Comments by Ronny ReichRonny ReichRonny Reich is an Israeli archaeologist, excavator and scholar of the ancient remains of Jerusalem.-Education:Reich studied archaeology and geography at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His MA thesis Ronny Reich (born 1947) is an Israeli archaeologist, excavator and scholar of the ancient...
, Biblical Archaeology Society 2004, ISBN 1-880317-70-2
Memoir
- Freeing the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Adventures of an Archaeology Outsider, ISBN 9-78-1441-15217-6, Continuum Books, 2010.