James Barclay was a 19th-century American missionary and physician who discovered Barclay's Gate, one of the original monumental entrances to the Second Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This discovery provides vital archaeological and historical proof of the physical Jerusalem during the life and times of Jesus.

Was it even possible? According to the book of Acts, three thousand were baptized in Jerusalem in just one day. And yet, baptisteries did not exist during the time of Jesus. Or…did they? Naturally, the New Testament does not require a specially constructed baptistery to fulfill the command to be baptized. But in Jerusalem, a place high in elevation and so far away from a river, how was it possible for so many to be immersed? The answer: in the many mikva’ot (Jewish ritual baths) located...

Sitting at the opening of a 2,700 year-old tomb near Jerusalem, Dr. Gabriel Barkay reflected upon one of the world's most celebrated discoveries: “I couldn’t bear the sight of this boy anymore." He was remembering how Nathan had continuously tugged at the back of his shirttail as he directed a major archaeological dig southwest of Jerusalem. He was “always asking silly questions, but so it happens,” as Barkay continued, “he made one of the most important discoveries in my life"--a discovery...