[katana]

Thanks, excellent detail! Dialogs like this no doubt bore the crap out of those who aren't cursed with historians' disease (like my wife and kids), but so be it.

As a side note, the professor who taught the "Ancient Near East" course I took in college in the 70's used a modern translation of the Bible as his main text source. In spite of all the subsequent archaeology that verifies so much of it as historically accurate, I doubt whether he would be allowed to do that today.

[Claud]

You’re right, I doubt that would be allowed today! :)

Yeah, historians’ disease...I’m definitely a sufferer. There’s a great book, something like “The Search for St. Peter’s Bones” which goes into this all in detail. It’s utterly fascinating.