The 24 angelic elders in the Coptic magical papyri (Angels, part 2)

THE COPTIC MAGICAL PAPYRI BLOG: Angels in Coptic Magic II: The Twenty-Four Presbyters.

In sum, whether they were invoked for healing and protection, as prescribed in the homily attributed to Cyril of Jerusalem, or for more aggressive purposes, it seems that the most important thing was to know the names of the Twenty-Four Presbyters. Due to their holy origin, and for increased magical efficacy, it was also better to write them down, rather than speak them aloud. And while there was variety in the names used in Coptic magical texts, some lists and naming conventions, as well as the physical descriptions of the angels with their thrones and crowns, were shared across literary genres and iconography, showing that magical practices were not isolated from wider traditions about the Twenty-Four Presbyters.

I noted the first post in the series here. Cross-file under Coptic Watch.

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The mythological background of Revelation 13

THE "IS THAT IN THE BIBLE?" BLOG: The Jewish and Pagan Mythological Origins of Revelation 13: The Beasts from the Sea and the Earth and the Fear of Nero’s Return (Paul D.).

John may claim to have been shown these things in divine visions, but the data shows otherwise. John’s real skill was not that of a seer, but that of a writer who was able to mix and match bits of Jewish and Greco-Roman mythology to promote his own political and theological viewpoints. In this article, I examine some of the most famous elements of Revelation to see what they mean and where John really got them from. I also look at the ancient conspiracy theories about Nero’s death and expectations of his future return — a social phenomenon that explains some of the stranger passages in Revelation associated with the Antichrist.

Presumably divine visions would make use of contemporary imagery. But a theological defense of John's visions is outside my remit. This essay has a thorough review of the mythological background of this chapter.

For PaleoJudaica posts on Leviathan and Behemoth, see here and links. For more on the Number of the Beast, see here and links, notably here. For more on the Nero-Rediturus and Nero Redivivus myths, see here.

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Review of Bonura, A Prophecy of Empire

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: A Prophecy of Empire: The Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius from Late Antique Mesopotamia to the Global Medieval Imagination (Evan Bradley Schafer).

Christopher Bonura’s new monograph, A Prophecy of Empire, offers a comprehensive study of the Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius within its Syriac literary, theological, and political context. On this foundation, Bonura traces the trajectory of its reception from its original Mesopotamian milieu and its gradual transmission and translation westward.

The Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius is on the borderline of PaleoJudaica's period of interest, but it's high time it got a mention here.

This "Methodius" is not to be confused with Methodius the brother of Cyril. These two brothers invented the Glagolitic alphabet

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Taxation and evasion in the Roman empire

ANCIENT ECONOMICS: The Art of the Unpaid Denarius: Tax Evasion in Ancient Rome (Terry Madenholm, Haaretz).

The cat-and-mouse game intensified as the centuries wore on. The Roman government constantly tried to fight back, introducing a more professional bureaucracy and implementing fixed tax quotas for provinces to reduce the systemic abuse by tax farmers. In certain periods, they even resorted to harsh penalties, including the outright confiscation of property. However, enforcement remained uneven, especially in distant provinces where central oversight was weak.

This long article gives a fascinating account of ancient Roman taxation, and efforts to evade it, until the imperial bureacracy "collapsed under it's own weight." It includes an account of the recently published papyrus covering a pre-Bar Kokhba Revolt tax-fraud and forgery case, on which more here.

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Forthcoming Diodorus Siculus volume

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: Diodoros of Sicily: Bibliotheke Historike. Notice of a Forthcoming Book: Harding, Phillip (ed.). 2026. Diodoros of Sicily: Bibliotheke Historike: Translation, with Introduction and Notes. Vol. 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Follow the link for description and publisher link. The volume covers books 16-17 of the Bibliotheke.

Diodorus preserves an alternative account of the Maccabean Revolt, some Greek Fantasy Babylon stories, and other material of interest. For more PaleoJudaica posts on his work, start here and follow the links.

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Review series on Vidas, The Rise of Talmud

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW has a new review series: The Rise of Talmud Review Forum. It is devoted to Moulie Vidas's book, The Rise of Talmud (OUP, 2025), which I noted here. The first review is posted:

Talmud as a New Intellectual Project (Sarit Kattan Gribetz)

What Vidas suggests in his book is that the ancient rabbis were philologists, and among the earliest philologists and critical scholars at that, who sought to mine earlier rabbinic traditions in order to construct the best versions of them, clarify attributions, draw connections between individuals and texts, discuss textual differences, figure out methods of emendation, and so on. Vidas argues, then, that philology is not (exclusively) a modern, critical, etic tool that we can apply to the study of the Talmud, but rather that it is also an emic approach – and a thoroughly Jewish one – developed as part and parcel of the Talmudic enterprise itself.

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The latest on that British Museum lecture

THE BRITISH MUSEUM has announced that the canceled lecture on ancient Israel and Judah is rescheduled to some time early in June. But I cannot find a specific date given anywhere.

The director of the British Museum has also posted a defense of the decision to postpone the lecture:

Sunday Times – Dr Nicholas Cullinan OBE

Critics have framed the postponement, as a retreat from free speech. That misunderstands both the decision and the principle at stake. Freedom of expression does not require institutions to provide a platform for disruption. Nor does it require organisers to knowingly place speakers, audiences or visitors in circumstances where a legitimate event cannot proceed safely and respectfully.

The Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology has posted an essay on the situation and collects other responses:

The Attack on the British Museum and Biblical Archaeology. Ancient Israel and Judah—too controversial for modern-day London (Richard Palmer and Christopher Eames)

A postponed lunchtime lecture at the British Museum on the history of ancient Israel and Judah might seem like a minor episode. But it is only the latest incident among many in the ongoing war for history and truth. And for a renowned establishment such as the British Museum—“the world’s greatest temple of history,” in the words of Montefiore—“this matters.”

Then there was this disturbing incident on Saturday 30 November:

British Museum evacuated after ‘suspicious device’ found days after Jewish event postponed. Police were called to the museum at around 2.50pm and between 12,000 and 16,000 visitors were evacuated as a precaution (ADAM DECKER, Jewish News).

The British Museum was evacuated on Saturday after staff discovered a suspicious device in a visitor toilet and received what it described as “malicious communications”, just days after the institution faced criticism for postponing a Jewish Culture Month lecture on ancient Israel over security concerns.

Whatever was in the toilet turned out to be "non-suspicious." It may be tempting to connect this incident with the canceled lecture, but we really don't know what was going on and we shouldn't jump to conclusions. The museum has declined to comment on the nature of the "malicious communications." I cannot find any indication that the police have released any information about them.

Background here.

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Was Moses the author or the writer of the Torah?

TZIPPORAH MACHLAH KLAPPER: Moses the Lawgiver? Not For the Rabbis (TheTorah.com).

Writers in the Second Temple period portray Moses as the Torah’s author and master lawgiver, attributing commandments directly to him. The rabbis, by contrast, repeatedly depict Moses as forgetful, confused, and sometimes mistaken—downplaying his authority to emphasize the Torah’s divine authorship and elevate the rabbis’ own role as its interpreters.

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Cursed Chorazin produces precious gem

ANCIENT BLING WATCH? 12-year-old finds ancient gemstone in Galilean Jewish village cursed by Jesus. Sixth-grader Alon Horowitz finds rare ‘Nicolo’ stone, likely dating back at least 1,500 years, during community excavation at Korazim National Park (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

A 12-year-old schoolboy recently discovered a precious gemstone dating back at least 1,500 years in the Korazim National Park in the Upper Galilee, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority said Monday. Korazim was an ancient Jewish village that, according to the New Testament, was cursed by Jesus for rejecting his teachings.

The stone, a prestigious variety of agate known as “Nicolo,” which was probably set in a piece of jewelry from Roman or Byzantine times (1st – 6th centuries CE), was found by Alon Horowitz during a community excavation carried out by the Parks Authority in cooperation with Ariel University in the West Bank.

[...]

Maybe it fell out of a ring or an earring?

For more on the archaeology of the site of Chorazin, start here and follow the links.

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Reminder: Byblos, the Eternal City (Paris)

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Byblos, the Eternal City. Paris exhibit showcases Lebanon's oldest city.

Now open until 23 August. Noted as forthcoming here. Cross-file under Exhibition and Phoenician Watch.

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"From Trash to Treasure" at the Silk Road Virtual Museum

EXHIBITION: Silk Road Virtual Museum opens first Israel exhibit, displays ancient textiles found in Arava. The exhibit, curated by academics from the University of Haifa, features textiles from India, Central Asia, and China (Miriam Sela-Eitam, Jerusalem Post).

The University of Haifa’s exhibit, titled “From Trash to Treasure - Nahal Omer,” displays a collection of rare, well-preserved textiles and seeds discovered at the Nahal Omer archaeological site in the Arava in southern Israel, situated along the route of the ancient Spice Road.

Nahal Omer is a small agricultural village dating back to the Early Islamic period (mid-7th to 9th century CE) which was first surveyed in 1932. The most recent excavations began in 2020, when archaeologists excavated nearby middens (ancient trash heaps) and discovered the site’s remarkable connection to the trade route.

This story is right on the edge of PaleoJudaica's range of interest, but I note it because it underlines a point I like to keep making. The more arid regions in Israel, such as the Arava, have the potential to preserve very old scroll fragments. The Dead Sea region, of course has amply demonstrated that. This area, however, has been very thoroughly explored. But textile and organic remains recovered elsewhere, such as in the Timna Valley and even at Megiddo, provide more evidence. And ancient scroll fragments continue to turn up here and there. It is entirely possible that some substantial, very old, scroll remains are buried in one or more of these places. So keep looking!

I noted the discovery of these textile fragments in the Arava in 2023 here, with commentary.

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Rutledge, ... The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy of Pseudo-Denys: An Introduction (Routledge reprint)

A REPRINT FROM ROUTLEDGE:

Cosmic Theology
The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy of Pseudo-Denys: An Introduction

By Dom Denys Rutledge

Copyright 1964
Paperback
£25.59
Hardback
£84.00
eBook
£25.59
ISBN 9781032670072
226 Pages
Published January 19, 2026 by Routledge

Description

First published in 1964, Cosmic Theology introduces a work, little known to English readers, which has influenced theological and mystical writing for at least fourteen hundred years. It is, in effect, a synthesis of Christian teaching, particularly on the nature of the Church, in which science and religion, the other world and the values of the present world may be seen in their source and original harmony. Written before the division between Greek and Latin Churches, and later between Catholic and Protestant, it affords a convenient point from which to view later speculation and controversy in its true perspectives. Apart from helping those interested in the ecumenical movement and in the current liturgical revival, this work will serve as a bridge to the understanding of Eastern, and particularly Hindu, religion.

The works of Pseudo-Dionysius the Aeropagite come up occassionally on PaleoJudaica, recently here. It's a valuable corpus for late-antique mystical Christian theology and, as such, it was tremendously influential.

In addition, it did much to tame Ezekiel's bizarre angelology and make it palatable to the Scholastic theologians. Jewish merkavah mysticism had no such taming influence.

Some other PaleoJudaica posts involving Pseudo-Dionysius and such matters are here, here, here, and links.

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Atkinson (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Josephus

NEW BOOK FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS:

The Oxford Handbook of Josephus

Edited by Kenneth Atkinson

Oxford Handbooks

$208.00
Hardcover
Published: 21 April 2026
462 Pages
6 3/4 x 9 3/4 inches
ISBN: 9780197539071

Also Available As:
E-book

• Examines Josephus' life, times, writings, and the influential figures and empires within them in the first volume to comprehensively cover this area of scholarship
• Includes extensive examinations of religious movements and their practices during Josephus' era
• Features emerging research in the study of Josephus that is currently reshaping the field

Description

A Jewish priest, a freedom fighter, a Roman citizen, a biblical scholar, and a traitor. Josephus (37-100 CE) has been called all these and more. A controversial figure in his time, Jews and Romans alike either admired or hated him. He is our major historian of the Greek and the Roman periods in the Middle East from the second century BCE to the late first century CE. In addition to documenting these eras, Josephus participated in many of the great events of his time. His eyewitness account of the 70 CE Roman destruction of the Jerusalem Temple is among the most dramatic narratives from antiquity. Among his extensive writings is the first autobiography in Western tradition and a detailed retelling of the Old Testament. No scholar or serious student of the Bible, classical literature, or ancient history can conduct their research without using Josephus' books. With its contributions from a diverse array of experts representing both established academics and the best of a promising generation of new scholars from four continents, the Oxford Handbook of Josephus will shape the direction of future research on Josephus, the Bible, Classics, Ancient History, and related fields.

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Another AJR review of Lied and Nongbri, Working with Manuscripts

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Working with Manuscripts: A Guide for Textual Scholars (Julia Hintlian).

Liv Ingeborg Lied and Brent Nongbri. Working with Manuscripts: A Guide for Textual Scholars. Yale University Press, 2025.

... Working with Manuscripts is a fundamentally practical companion, in both form and content. The volume addresses a range of issues, including the basic terminology of manuscript study, expectations for working in repositories, and the ethical and legal considerations surrounding the publication of ancient documents. For early-stage graduate students, in particular, and for those who teach and mentor them, the volume offers a clear point of entry into a set of skills that is becoming increasingly essential, especially in an age of expanding digitization and access.

The previous AJR review is noted here with links.

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Israeli High Court petitioned to block IAA head appointment

ARCHAEOLOGY AND POLITICS UPDATE: Archaeologists petition High Court to block appointment of new antiquities authority chief. Petition deepens rift between academics and Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu, who have been at loggerheads over a controversial West Bank and Gaza antiquities bill (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

Earlier this month, Eliyahu tapped Esti Shreiber, the head of an NGO affiliated with the Chabad Hasidic movement promoting Jewish values among young people, as the new head of the IAA.

The appointment needs to be approved by both the government and the IAA Council. According to the document presented to the court, the minister has demanded that the council put the issue on the agenda of its upcoming meeting on Monday.

The petitioners argued that the procedure followed by Eliyahu was inconsistent with the legal requirements and that Shreiber inflated her resume to meet the criteria.

Background here. Related posts here and links and here.

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Mandell, Canaanite Scribal Creativity and the Making of Cuneiform Culture in the Amarna Age (Routledge, open access)

THE AWOL BLOG: Canaanite Scribal Creativity and the Making of Cuneiform Culture in the Amarna Age.

Notice of an open-access New Book: Canaanite Scribal Creativity and the Making of Cuneiform Culture in the Amarna Age. Alice Mandell. Routledge, 2026.

For more on Dr. Alice Mandell's work on the (Canaanite and other) Amarna Letters, see here and here.

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