Paul Calvert spoke with Dudi Mevorach from the Israel Museum, about the development of Christianity in the Holy Land.

We understand that this is the place to announce the entry of Shabbat, of Saturday, when you have to cease work and then again at the exit of Saturday, when you can resume work. This is just a marker, but for the activity of the Temple itself.

It was found below the Temple Mount, because it was when the Temple was destroyed, it was thrown down by the Romans into the street below.

Paul: Today in modern Israel we have a siren that goes off for Shabbat, so this is the siren that they used.

Dudi: Exactly so. The same practice that was here 2000 years ago continues.

If you go to the market in Jerusalem today, on Friday afternoon, you would hear those religious people with Bugles walking through the streets, urging the merchants to close their shops for the entry of Shabbat.

One of the exciting exhibits here is a graffito, in size on a plaster of the exterior wall of one of the houses of Jerusalem. It very rarely describes implements of the Temple, the menorah, the seven branch candelabra, the altar, and the showbread table; three of the most important artefacts in the ritual in the Temple. We don't know where they are and we don't know how they looked. There is no description from the time itself. This incision probably made by one of the priests that served in the Temple and lived in that neighbourhood, described for us the menorah, one of the most important artefacts in the Temple of Jerusalem.

Heel bone and nail from the ossuary of ‘Yehohanan son of Hagkol”, Jerusalem, 1st century

Right next to it you can see a pile of silver coins. These are shekels and half shekels. They are important to understand another story that is very well known and relates to Jesus.

We all know that Jesus changes the tables of the money changers, but I think most of us don't stop to think why? What was he criticising? The banking activity? What was the reason for that?

The reason to that relates directly to these coins.

Every Jew has to give a donation. Every male has to give a donation yearly, of half a silver shekel to the Temple. It specifies exactly which kind of coin. This is the coin we are looking at, this silver coin minted in Tyre, which is Lebanon today.

The reason for that, is the exact amount of silver is there, and this is the amount that you need to donate. So people don't usually carry that much money on them, or not in silver. When they come to Jerusalem they want to donate to the Temple and they need to change their bronze coins into a half shekel silver coin. They go to money changers and money changers do what they do until today, they take commission.

This enrages Jesus, because it is taking commission from a holy donation, so they are making profit from a donation. This is why He turns their tables. It's not because he's angry at the rate they take. He is angry because they take a rate at all from this holy donation.

This is one example of how material culture or archaeology will add light to the stories that we read in the scriptures and put them in context. This is an opportunity at the museum to have more of a grasp, or more of a real look at the stories that we read in the scriptures.

Archaeology looks for remains from the past material culture remains, architecture, and artefacts, whatever is left behind. But it is very rare to find objects or things that are related directly to historical figures. In the case of the trail and crucifixion of Jesus, we have two such stunning finds that relate directly to that moment. Actually you may say "Remains of two of the bad guys of the story."