In the spring of 2024, David A. deSilva, Ph.D., joined the École Biblique et Archéologique Française de Jérusalem as a visiting professor under the auspices of the Catholic Biblical Association of America. He spent his residency working on his latest book, Archaeology and the World of Jesus: A Visual Guide.
The book is designed both as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and seminary students and as a companion for travellers to the Holy Land who want to prepare more thoroughly for what they will see and understand how it connects to the Gospel narratives. After a short introduction to Judea and its neighbouring regions under Greek and Roman rule, it moves site by site through the Galilee and Peraea, as well as the Decapolis and Judea and Samaria.
For a project of this kind, the École’s library proved invaluable. “I enjoyed access to one of the finest libraries for biblical studies that I’ve ever encountered,” Dr deSilva recalls. “The project I was undertaking was greatly improved by the opportunities I had to read through the many publications on archaeological sites throughout Israel and Palestine.”
Yet Dr DeSilva’s time in Jerusalem was not spent only among books. He travelled to visit, or revisit, several sites in the region, and joined the class of Br Yunus Demirci, O.F.M. Cap., on its in-depth study trip to sites throughout Jordan.
The École Biblique is grateful to Dr deSilva for his presence among us and looks forward to welcoming him again.