Free Republic

Few have heard anything about the "Abba Cave," discovered in 1971 in the north Jerusalem suburb of Givat Hamivtar-not far from the tomb of "Yehohanan," the famous "crucified man," discovered in 1968-about which much has been written. The Abba cave held the remains of another "crucified man," with three nails-not just a single one in the heel bone-that clearly pinned the hands (not the wrists, as some have argued) in hook-like fashion to a cross beam. It was assumed back in the 1970s that these bones were buried and no longer available for analysis-but it turns out this is not...

The fortress, an important site in the Maccabee revolts which Hanukkah commemorates, is located in 'Area A' not under Israeli control. Tour guides from the Kfar Etzion Field School this week discovered that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has been digging at Beit Betzi, a Hasmonean fortress located between Bethlehem and the Herodion in "Area A." The Hasmonean revolt against the Greek empire is commemorated in the holiday of Hanukkah that begins Wednesday night. Following the Oslo Accords the site, one of the only existing discoveries from the days of the Hasmoneans, was transfered to PA control. News of PA digs...