Hershel Shanks, whose magazine uncovered ancient Israel, dies at 90
The magazine, Biblical Archaeology Review, which Shanks commanded for over 40 years until his retirement in 2017, popularized what was a rather arcane, technical and exclusive subject and made it digestible for tens of thousands of readers.
by Joseph Berger
(NYT NEWS SERVICE)
.- Hershel Shanks was neither an archaeologist nor a biblical scholar when the notion of creating a popular magazine devoted to biblical archaeology began to germinate in his mind; he was a real estate lawyer in Washington. But in 1972 he took a yearlong hiatus and traveled with his wife and two daughters to Israel, where he became captivated by the wealth of archaeological digs.
Hershel Shanks, Whose Magazine Uncovered Ancient Israel, Dies at 90
For more than 40 years at Biblical Archaeology Review, Mr. Shanks simplified esoteric scholarly articles and crowned them with tantalizing headlines.
Hershel Shanks in 1972 in Hezekiah’s Tunnel, beneath the City of David in Jerusalem. Mr. Shanks became fascinated with biblical archaeology while visiting Israel that year and later founded a magazine devoted to the subject.Credit.Biblical Archaeology Society
Published March 7, 2021Updated March 13, 2021
Hershel Shanks was neither an archaeologist nor a biblical scholar when the notion of creating a popular magazine devoted to biblical archaeology began to germinate in his mind; he was a real estate lawyer in Washington. But in 1972 he took a yearlong hiatus and traveled with his wife and two daughters to Israel, where he became captivated by the wealth of archaeological digs.
Biblical archeologist Hershel Shanks dies at 90 christiancentury.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from christiancentury.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Andrew Silow-Carroll is the editor-in-chief of JTA
Hershel Shanks, editor of Biblical Archaeology Review, talks about the ancient inscriptions on a first-century stone burial box that refer to Jesus of Nazareth, during a press conference at a Washington hotel, Monday, Oct. 21, 2002. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
JTA Hershel Shanks, the one-time publisher and editor of Moment magazine and a powerhouse in the popularization of biblical archaeology, has died at 90.
He died Feb. 5 at his home in Washington, D.C., from COVID-19, his daughter told The Washington Post.
An attorney by training, in 1975 he started Biblical Archaeology Review, a Washington-based magazine that reached more than 250,000 subscribers at its peak in the early 2000s. The magazine took scholarly works on Middle East history and archaeology and adapted them for a popular audience with titles like “Did a Rolling Stone Close Jesus’ Tomb?” and “What We Don’t Know About Moses and the Exodus.” Readers ra
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