A complaint of mistreatment by a superior, written in Hebrew on an ostracon (a piece of broken pottery used to write on) from Metsad Hashaviahu (between Tel Aviv and Ashdod), from the last quarter of the seventh century BCE. This letter may not be simply an appeal for help, but rather a legal complaint, since it is reminiscent of the laws and practices in Exodus 22:25, Deuteronomy 24:10–13, and Amos 2:8, though the circumstances seem different. This is the only extrabiblical legal document found in Israel from before the Babylonian exile.
The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim a release among them— that everyone should set free his Hebrew…
Circumcision in an Egyptian relief, Sakkara, Egypt, Sixth Dynasty (ca. 2350–2170 BCE). Priests perform circumcision on boys. The hieroglyphic legend reads “circumcision.” The hands of the boy on the…
There were two reasons why Di Yunge chose to carry on by themselves in a separate cafe. One was purely financial. The coffeehouse on Division Street was too dear for young writers, most of whom either…