Jerusalem Tracker: News, Publications, and Media about the Holy City (No. 11)
Helpful lists of new material about Jerusalem
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Jerusalem Tracker is a quarterly publication that (perhaps naively) aims to list all new resources about historical Jerusalem. I currently follow a large number of periodicals, book publishers, and social media and popular outlets in search of relevant material. See the archive of previous lists here. I hope these resources are helpful for your study and appreciation of Jerusalem.
The following criteria apply to the publications and media below:
They must deal with an aspect of historical Jerusalem, whether its direct study, appropriation, or something else.
Material about Jerusalem’s hinterland or other topics are included only when there is a direct connection to the historical basin.
Forthcoming publications, even if available for preorder, are not included.
Open access (OA) works are noted.
Most publications below were issued after March 2025, though I may list some earlier ones that I missed in the past.
Information and outlets linked below are not an endorsement of the scholarly or ideological views they express unless stated otherwise.
If you sense that any relevant resources are missing, feel free to leave a comment or send an email to approachingjerusalem@gmail.com.
New Academic Articles about Jerusalem
Book Reviews
Review of Jerusalem II: Jerusalem in Roman-Byzantine Times, Katharina Heyden and Maria Lissek (eds) in Review of Biblical Literature by Magness
Review of The Jerusalem Temple and the Temple Mount: Collected Essays by Joseph Patrich in Review of Biblical Literature by Maria Brutti
Review of Jerusalem Through the Ages: from its Beginnings to the Crusades by Jodi Magness in Israel Affairs by Rodman
Review of City of Caesar, City of God. Constantinople and Jerusalem in Late Antiquity, Wienand Klein (ed) in Bibliotheca Orientalis
Review of Palestinian Rituals of Identity: The Prophet Moses Festival in Jerusalem, 1850–1948 by Awad Halabi in International Journal of Middle East Studies by Nassar
History of Jerusalem
“Approaches towards legal protection for holy places: The example of the Alexander Nevsky Church in the Old City of Jerusalem” in International Journal of Cultural Property by Hammer (OA)
“Jerusalem, Machaerus, and Masada in AD 70, 72, and 73: Comparative Analysis of the Three Subsequent Roman Circumvallation Siege Walls in the Lights of the Archaeological Evidence and the Narrative Accounts of Flavius Josephus” in Liber Annuus by Vörös
Jerusalem and Ancient Literature
“The Destruction of Jerusalem and its Earliest Representations” (book chapter) in The Destruction of Jerusalem and Anti-Jewish Commonplaces in Model Sermon Collections (1100–1350) by Jussi Hanska
Inscriptions from Jerusalem
“Diversity statistics of onomastic data reveal social patterns in Hebrew Kingdoms of the Iron Age” in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Vishne, Golub, Piasetzky, Finkelstein, and Sober
Archaeology of Jerusalem
“Iron Age II Miniature Black Juglets from the Tombs in Mamilla, Jerusalem” in ‘Atiqot by Reich (OA)
“The Holy Compound on Mount Sion – An Epigraphic Heraldic Corpus (Part 1): The Walls of the Cenacle” in Liber Annuus by Halevi, Berkovich, Chernin, Grigoryan, and Harutyunyan
“From Pagan Aelia Capitolina to Christian Jerusalem: A Reassessment of the Archaeological Data in the Context of the Urban Transformation” in Liber Annuus by Kosz
“The Mysterious Mount Zion Mug” in Biblical Archaeology Review by Gibson
“Consumption Patterns of a Vassal: The Case of Lachish and Jerusalem” in Oxford Journal of Archaeology by Avisar (OA)
“Decolonizing the Sacred: The Politics of Heritage in Jerusalem” in Heritage, Memory and Conflict by Munawar and Nassar (OA)
“Archaeological excavations in the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem: 2024 Preliminary Report” in Liber Annuus by Stasolla
New salvage excavation reports in ‘Atiqot (OA)
“Jerusalem, Ido Ha-Navi Street” by Avner
“Jerusalem, Schneller Compound” by Wiegmann
“Jerusalem, the Old City, the Jewish Quarter” by Weksler-Bdolah and Shor
New Books about Jerusalem
Asqa Mosque Walks: Nobel Sanctuary of Jerusalem, Full Illustrated Guide by Ehab Jallad
Jerusalem in archäologischer, historischer und theologischer Perspektive, Manfred Oeming, Yuval Gadot, and Yiftah Shalev (eds)
Jerusalem—a View of a Place, Volume 2: From the Crusader Conquest to the Present Day (Hebrew) by Tamir Yakubovich
Killing the Messiah: The Trial and Crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth by
Nathanael J. Andrade
Several chapters relate to physical aspects of Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion
New Pop/Social Media and Blogs about Jerusalem
The Art of Pressing Sesame: A Family Honors Its Tradition and Devotion to Craft (Jerusalem Story)
A “Pillbox” Tour of Jerusalem With the British Mandate Police (National Library of Israel)
The New Face of the Albright: BAR interviews Albright Director James Fraser (Biblical Archaeological Society)
Western Wall exhibit at Ben-Gurion airport sparks debate (Jewish News Syndicate)
What’s New in Biblical Jerusalem? Looking back at a decade of discoveries (Biblical Archaeological Society)
Why Muslim Families Hold the Keys to Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Greek Reporter)
Jewish Secrets Scratched in Stone: 2,000-year-old Cryptic Text Found in Jerusalem (Haaretz)
Question About Date of Destruction of Jerusalem (Ferrell Jenkins)
The Archaeology of Gethsemane (Leen Ritmeyer)
Centuries-old graffiti documents Bulgarian pilgrimage to Jerusalem (Jerusalem Post)
Jerusalem’s Public Kitchen: What It Says about Ottoman Governance (Jerusalem Story)
Armenian inscriptions found in Jerusalem offer glimpse into early Christian community (Jerusalem Post)
“India in Jerusalem”: The Hidden Legacy of the Indian Zawiya (Jerusalem Story)
Guest Post: The Abode of Indians. The fascinating story of the Old City’s Indian Hospice (Love of the Land)
King Abdi-Heba of Jerusalem Commissions a Syrian Scribe (TheTorah.com/Alice Mandell)
Media reports on Sabine Kleiman’s recent article on the location of the Rephaim Valley
A second Hellenistic golden ring discovered in the Givati Parking Lot
Media reports detailing recently published graffiti in the traditional Upper Room of Western Christianity (Cenacle)
New Approaching Jerusalem articles:
Monumental construction projects reshaped Jerusalem's terrain by cutting vertical bedrock scarps. This post explores four examples.
Pools once visible and now buried in northeastern Jerusalem, 19th-century hotels, and a book on the Cenacle
New Digital Resources related to Jerusalem
Podcasts
The Titanic, the Straus Brothers and Jerusalem (Ben Bresky)
The Great Jewish Revolt (The Ancients)
This Week in the Ancient Near East
Videos
Lecture by Garth Gilmour: Final Report of the Excavations on the Hill of Ophel, Jerusalem, 1923-1925 (Palestine Exploration Fund)
Lecture by Uzi Leibner: Pilgrimage to Jerusalem at the Time of Jesus—What the Ophel Excavations Reveal? (Armstrong Institute)
Lecture by Orit Peleg-Barkat and Uzi Liebner: At the Gates of the Temple: Pilgrimage in the Late Second Temple Period – In Light of the Renewed Excavations in Ophel (Yad Yizhak Ben Zvi)
In Hebrew, but many photos are included for non-Hebrew speakers.
The Way of the Cross: Jesus' last steps, in Jerusalem (Christian Media Center)
Sanctuary of the Flagellation: The Beginning of the Way of the Cross (Christian Media Center)
KAN 11 Short Documentary about the Temple Mount Sifting Project
Go with Me into the 1st century Jerusalem Tomb of the Shroud! (James Tabor)
Accessibility and Inclusion at the new Tower of David Jerusalem Museum (Tower of David Museum)
Tower of David - Site Tour (Bible Walks)
Virtual Jerusalem’s recent walks around the city:
A Walk Through Holy Jerusalem: City Center, Old City, Garden Tomb
Nighttime Secrets of Kidron Valley, Mount of Olives, and the Old City of Jerusalem
The Holy City of Jerusalem on the Eve of Easter 2025 Morning Walk
Jerusalem: The Fastest Route from the Tram Stop to the Christian Holy Sites
Hidden Christian Shrines of East Jerusalem, Concealed from Tourists' Eyes
New Developments in/on Jerusalem
Small-scale excavations in the southeastern part of the Ophel have just concluded. The dig was directed by Yosef Garfinkel and assisted by the Armstrong Institute. The aims of the excavation included removing several Roman and Byzantine walls which were built over a large structure from the time of the Judahite Monarchy (Iron Age IIA). More of this structure, which was interpreted by Benjamin and Eilat Mazar as a gatehouse, was exposed, and it will be subsequently restored for park visitors.
Watch a video detailing excavation goals before the season began and a wrap-up interview with Yosef Garfinkel describing what they accomplished.
Here is a day-by-day blog of the dig with photos.
An update on a new wing of the Terra Sancta museum located in St Saviour’s Convent inside New Gate which is slated to open in 2028. The museum will display gifts given to the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land both from European monarchs and from the local Christian community. See also this summary video and another write-up.
Vincent Lemire reflects on the museum’s role in the context of Jerusalem.
A renovation is underway at the “Little Western Wall.”
Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Mamilla Pool in Jerusalem with Mayor Moshe Lion and announced plans to restore the site for visitors. This was also reported in several news outlets. The immediately adjacent historic Muslim cemetery was not mentioned in the announcement.
The museum below Damascus Gate has reopened after renovation. It seems to contain the same prior footprint but with fresh displays highlighting aspects of the area’s history and a new column. See also this helpful video showing details of the renovation.
Ongoing archaeological work in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher includes a 6-meter probe reminiscent of several others that were excavated nearby in the past. See a video and explanation of the excavation here.
Media outlets have reported the presence of archaeobotanical (ancient plant) remains found beneath the floor which may indicate that the area of the church was a garden, as stated in the gospel of John. An analysis of these findings and any associated claims must await final publication, at least several years in the future.
A conference titled “Jerusalem through the Ages: New Perspectives” took place from April 27-30 in Germany. It was sponsored by the Ingeborg Rennert Center of Jerusalem Studies, Bar-Ilan University and Minerva Center for the Relations between Israel and Aram in Biblical Times.
A conference titled “Jerusalem: Where To?” took place in Amman on May 14–15. It was organized by the Arab Thought Forum, the Hassan bin Talal Centre for Al-Quds Studies, and the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies, with the collaboration of the Research Centre For Islamic History, Art and Culture. Read a recap of the conference here.
Roberto Mazza has published the finale of the Jerusalem Unplugged podcast where he explains his reasons for stepping back from further production. He will also be temporarily removing the archive due to current circumstances. A hearty thank you to Roberto for his dedicated work in making so many aspects of Jerusalem’s history and its people available to the public.
Upcoming Events about Jerusalem
The next livestream for paid supporters is scheduled for June 10 from 8:00-9:30pm ET. Supporters will receive a private link beforehand.
During the events, I discuss excavations, publications, pop media articles, and developments relevant to historical Jerusalem. I also share resources and occasionally present original research. Participants have the opportunity to ask questions. Paid subscribers also get access to the archive of previous livestreams.
This material was 100% human composed. AI was never utilized at any stage.
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