Hershel Shanks, who was captivated by the wealth of archaeological digs in Israel, published a magazine about intriguing discoveries and scholarly controversies in a field where the truthfulness of the Bible was tested and verified.

The magazine, Biblical Archaeology Review, which Mr. Shanks commanded for more than 40 years util his retirement in 2017, popularized what was considered arcane and technical subject matter and made it digestible for tens of thousands of readers.

In 1987, Mr. Shanks bought a second magazine, Moment, a Jewish affairs bimonthly that had been founded 12 years earlier by Elie Wiesel and Leonard Fein. He was its publisher and editor until 2004.

Hershel Shanks died Feb. 5 at his home in Washington. He was 90.