{"id":93353,"date":"2026-02-23T06:30:58","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T11:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/?p=93353"},"modified":"2026-02-23T13:05:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T18:05:24","slug":"spring-2026-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/queries-comments\/spring-2026-2\/","title":{"rendered":"More Queries and Comments Spring 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Different Strokes for Different Folks<\/h4>\n

Thanks to BAR<\/strong>, readers hear from real experts in the field, not a summary or a version of an event that is redacted by a staff writer with little hands-on experience. I commend BAR<\/strong> and its editorial team for giving us a journal where you can still find trustworthy, relevant, and reliable information, conveyed by real professionals, unafraid of pushing against established dogma. <\/p>\n

Jose M. Paredes<\/strong>
\nFlossmoor, Illinois <\/p>\n

\nI really am sorry to see your magazine has gone so liberal! Truly, it appears many universities today are producing well-credentialed skeptics rather than apologists of God\u2019s Word. If this is the decided course, may I suggest you drop \u201cbiblical\u201d from your title and replace it with \u201cbiblical lands\u201d or \u201cMiddle Eastern\u201d as a more accurate reflection of your position? <\/p>\n

Pastor Mike Pangburn<\/strong>
\nBridgeton, New Jersey <\/p>\n

\nI am not renewing my BAR<\/strong> subscription,\u202fand\u202fI would like to let you know why.\u202fFirst,\u202fI have studied the Bible for years.\u202fI have a B.A.\u202fin\u202fhistory and\u202freligion.\u202fI\u202falso\u202fhave\u202fa\u202fmasters of\u202fdivinity.\u202fOn more than\u202fone occasion, I have found the authors of your articles straying into areas\u202fwhere\u202fthey do not appear to be qualified, such as\u202fbiblical interpretation.\u202fSome authors go from\u202fthe particular\u202fto\u202fthe general.\u202fAs a student of history, I learned\u202fthat\u202fis not\u202fgood\u202finterpretation.\u202fIn\u202fthe article \u201cNails or Knots\u2014How\u202fWas\u202fJesus Crucified?\u201d<\/a> published in the\u202fSpring\u202f2025\u202fissue<\/a>, Jeffrey P. Arroyo\u202fGarc\u00eda goes to great lengths\u202fto prove that Jesus was crucified by tying his arms to the cross.\u202fHe\u202fstates\u202fthat only in John\u2019s Gospel is Thomas mentioned as placing his fingers in the nail marks.\u202fI submit that once is enough.\u202fThe Gospels were written from\u202ffour\u202fdifferent perspectives and to\u202ffour\u202fdifferent groups.\u202fHence, some details\u202ffrom one account\u202fmay not be mentioned in\u202fanother.\u202fAs I was taught, lack of evidence is not evidence.\u202fThe author\u202fconcludes\u202fthat\u202falthough crucifixion was\u202fa common form\u202fof execution in the Roman Empire, \u201cnailing a victim to a cross\u202fmay<\/em> not\u202fhave been as common as people think.\u202fAnd it\u202fmight<\/em>\u202fhave been introduced in Judea only after the time of Jesus\u201d\u202f(italics mine).\u202fI find he\u202foffers a great deal of ambiguity.\u202f <\/p>\n

Second, I am of the Catholic faith, born and bred.\u202fI do not recall seeing any articles from Catholic scholars\u202fin\u202fBAR<\/strong>.\u202fIf I am mistaken, I\u202fsincerely apologize.\u202fVery few if any\u202fof the conferences and workshops\u202fyou\u202fadvertise include Catholic scholars.\u202fWhen\u202fI want\u202fbiblical interpretation I can trust, I consult a Catholic theologian that I know I can trust.\u202f <\/p>\n

Duane Breaux<\/strong>
\nPierre Part,\u202fLouisiana<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t

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FREE ebook, Who Was Jesus? Exploring the History of Jesus\u2019 Life<\/strong>. Examine fundamental questions about Jesus of Nazareth.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t