What does Daniel 11 actually say about Antiochus IV?

HANUKKAH IS COMING: Antiochus IV’s Persecution as Portrayed in the Book of Daniel (Prof.Reinhard G. Kratz, TheTorah.com).

Two key accusations against Antiochus IV in 1 Maccabees are that he suspended the tamid, the daily offering, and that he placed an “abomination of desolation” on the Temple altar— either a cultic object or a new, pagan altar. What does the older source, Daniel 11:31, actually tell us about these two accusations and, more broadly, about Antiochus IV’s intervention in the Jerusalem cult?

Some interesting revisionist commentary on the account of Antiochus's desecration of the Temple in Daniel 11.

Some PaleoJudaica posts on Daniel 11 are here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, with links and commentary.

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Where was Jesus born?

'TIS THE SEASON: A second Bethlehem? Some researchers re-think Jesus' birthplace. Recent findings suggest Jesus' birthplace may differ from tradition, with experts proposing Nazareth or another Bethlehem in Galilee (Jerusalem Post).

Scientists and historians are raising fresh questions over the long-held belief that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. Recent archaeological findings and scholarly debates suggest that the historical birthplace of Jesus may not align with traditional narratives, with some experts proposing alternative locations such as Nazareth or another Bethlehem in Galilee.

[...]

I don't seem to have posted on this question since 2007, but I agree with what I said there and don't have much to add. The current article does refer to more evidence that Bethlehem of Judea may have been inhabited in the first century CE. It's also interesting, but not significant, that the apocryphal Protevangelium of James places Jesus' birth not quite in Bethlehem, but in the desert between Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

Jesus was born sometime around the turn of the era in Bethlehem of Judea, or another Bethlehem, or Nazarerth, or somewhere. We really don't know.

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Late-antique incised menorah defaced at Mount Karkom

VANDALISM: Ancient menorah carving vandalized at Mount Karkom as visitors return to site. Israel Nature and Parks Authority suspects deliberate defacement of ancient menorah engraving at Mount Karkom, with branches etched to obscure them; guide calls it attempt to erase Jewish history (Gilad Carmeli, Ynet News).

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Late-antique oil-lantern lamp excavated in Sepphoris

JUST IN TIME FOR HANUKKAH: Rare, intact 1,500-year-old ceramic lantern discovered in Galilee. Small clay lantern uncovered in Tzippori National Park dated to the 4th-6th centuries CE, was likely used by flourishing Jewish community there, archaeologists say (Gavriel Fiske, Times of Israel).

The small round lantern, dated to the Byzantine period (4th to 6th centuries CE), is just 18 centimeters in diameter and 19 centimeters high (4.1×4.5 inches) and could be rested on a flat surface or hung. It has a rectangular opening in the front, into which an oil lamp would be placed, and some 55 small openings or “light slits” around the body to radiate light, the notice said.

For more on the archaeology of Sepphoris (Zipori//Tzipori/Tzippori/Zippori), start here (cf. here) and follow the links.

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James Ossuary on display in Atlanta

CONTROVERSIAL ARAMAIC EPIGRAPHY: Ossuary inscribed with the words ‘brother of Jesus’ now on display in Atlanta. In 2003, its owner, Oded Golan, was accused of forging the inscription. Golan was later acquitted of all charges (Ami Matthew Bonder, Jerusalem Post).

An ancient ossuary inscribed with the words "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" in now on display at Pullman Yards in Atlanta, sparking renewed controversy and debate over its authenticity and historical significance. The 2,000-year-old limestone box is part of an exhibition featuring 350 historical artifacts from the time of Jesus.

PaleoJudaica has followed the James Ossuary story from nearly the beginning. For the posts, start here and keep following the links. The authenticity of the second part of the inscription, "brother of Jesus," remains highly debated.

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Those legs of the Queen of Sheba

PROF. JILLIAN STINCHCOMB: The Queen of Sheba’s Hairy Legs (TheTorah.com).

In the Bible, the Queen of Sheba is an unnamed foreign visitor to Solomon’s court. How did she later become a paradigmatic religious convert, Solomon’s wife, and the mother of Nebuchadnezzar and Menelik I, the founding figure of the Ethiopian royal court? The answer begins in the Qur’an.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the Queen of Sheba and the legends about her, including about her legs, start here and and follow the links. And for posts on the the medieval Ethiopian national epic, the Kebra Negast, follow the links from there too.

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Forderer & Schumann (eds.), Antiocha I (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Antiochia I. Frühchristliche und diasporajüdische Identitätsbildung im Ausstrahlungsbereich einer antiken Großstadt. Edited by Tanja Forderer and Daniel Schumann. [Antioch I. Early Christian and Diaspora Jewish Identity Formation in the Sphere of Influence of an Ancient Metropolis.] 2024. VIII, 502 pages. Civitatum Orbis MEditerranei Studia (COMES) 8. Published in German. €159.00 including VAT. cloth available 978-3-16-163900-5. Also Available As: eBook PDF €159.00.

Summary

Antioch on the Orontes is of great importance for the formation of Hellenistic Judaism in the Diaspora and the emergence of Christianity. This volume shows the factors that influenced the shape and development of both religious communities from different specialist perspectives and emphasizes the religious-historical significance of Antioch.

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Simkovich, Letters from Home (Eisenbrauns)

NEW BOOK FROM EISENBRAUNS:

Letters from Home

The Creation of Diaspora in Jewish Antiquity

Malka Z. Simkovich

“An excellent and thought-provoking analysis of Hellenistic period Jewish literature.”—Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, Catholic Books Review

$74.95 | Hardcover Edition
ISBN: 978-1-64602-274-8

$24.95 | Paperback Edition
ISBN: 978-1-64602-275-5

Available as an e-book

230 pages
6" × 9"
1 map
2024

Description

The announcement by the Persian king Cyrus following his conquest of Babylon in 539 BCE that exiled Judahites could return to their homeland should have been cause for celebration. Instead, it plunged them into animated debate. Only a small community returned and participated in the construction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. By the end of the sixth century BCE, they faced a theological conundrum: Had the catastrophic punishment of exile, understood as marking God’s retribution for the people’s sins, come to an end?

By the Hellenistic era, most Jews living in their homeland believed that life abroad signified God’s wrath and rejection. Jews living outside of their homeland, however, rejected this notion. From both sides of the diasporic line, Jews wrote letters and speeches that conveyed the sense that their positions had ancient roots in Torah traditions. In this book, Malka Z. Simkovich investigates the rhetorical strategies—such as pseudepigraphy, ventriloquy, and mirroring—that Egyptian and Judean Jews incorporated into their writings about life outside the land of Israel, charting the boundary-marking push and pull that took place within Jewish letters in the Hellenistic era. Drawing on this correspondence and other contemporaneous writings, Simkovich argues that the construction of diaspora during this period—reinforced by some and negated by others—produced a tension that lay at the core of Jewish identity in the ancient world.

This book is essential reading for scholars and students of ancient Judaism and to laypersons interested in the questions of a Jewish homeland and Jewish diaspora.

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What is "Late Antiquity?"

ASKING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: What is “Late Antiquity”? (Michael L. Satlow). After a detailed and informative discussion, he concludes:

My own conception of Late Antiquity emerges from my background as a historian of Jews and Judaism. It thus covers the years 70 CE – 620 CE, with special attention to the third through sixth centuries (the rabbinic period). There has been much scholarly discussion, due to its relevance to the question of Christian origins, about whether there was a “common Judaism” when the Jerusalem Temple stood. Less attention has been paid to the time after the Temple’s destruction. Chronology, though, is only one component of Late Antiquity. Late Antiquity also gestures toward a shared culture. Jews are part of this fabric, neither central nor marginal. The evidence that they left can thus be seen as reflecting this wider culture, not as the parochial writings of an isolated community.

PaleoJudaica's focus is on the Second Temple Period to the end of Late Antiquity, so this question is of interest. I think everyone agrees (I know, I just jinxed it) that the Second Temple Period runs from the building of the Second Temple in the late 500s BCE to the destruction of its Herodian restoration in 70 CE. This overlaps with the Hellenistic and Roman Periods.

My conception of Late Antiquity is similar to Professor Satlow's. I would start it in the early third century CE (when the Mishnah was assembled) and like him take it to the rise of Islam in the early seventh century. Some would end it with the fall of Rome c. 400, others with the Carolingian Renaissance c. 800. I use the latter occasionally, when it suits me.

In any case, focus is not mandate. I try to maintain some relevance to ancient Judaism and not veer off into, e.g., politics and latest-thing current events. Within that range, I post on what I think is interesting. Anything pertaining directly to ancient Judaism, of course. But also most news involving Northwest Semitic epigraphy, many stories dealing with the broadly-construed biblical period, and some about the Middle Ages. Even an occasional modern story.

For more details see my About PaleoJudaica page.

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Joseph and those Egyptian women

DR. RABBI EDWIN C. GOLDBERG: Egyptian Women, Captivated by Joseph’s Beauty, Cut Their Hands Slicing Citrons (TheTorah.com).

Potiphar’s wife sets up her friends to learn about Joseph’s beauty for themselves, the hard way, in a story that appears in both rabbinic midrash and the Quran. Sefer HaYashar, a 16th century midrashic work, dramatizes this story in a way sympathetic to her character, even giving her the name Zuleikha, borrowed from Islamic sources.

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Preview of Narsai: Selected Sermons

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Publication Preview | Narsai: Selected Sermons (Andrew Younan).

Andrew Younan. Narsai: Selected Sermons. Paulist Press, 2024

Cross-file under Syriac Watch and New Book.

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Samaritan Decalogue tablet sells for more that $5m

SOLD! Oldest known stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments sells for over $5m. Winning bid is far higher than predicted; anonymous buyer will donate Samaritan-linked slab to Israeli institution, while some question its authenticity ("Agencies" and Times of Israel).

All right then. The market has spoken. For more on those specialist reservations about the object's authenticity and date, see here. And follow the links from there for more posts on it, going back to its earlier sale in 2016.

I'm glad the new owner intends to donate it to an Israeli museum. I hope he or she follows through with that. Then there will be better opportunities to address questions of date and authenticity.

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Still more on those 3rd-millennium alphabetic (?) inscriptions

ALPHABETIC NORTHWEST SEMITIC EPIGRAPHY? A claim that the earliest alphabet was found in Syria sparks a media maelstrom – finally. A Johns Hopkins archaeologist recycles a 20-year-old hypothesis that small clay cylinders found in an ancient tomb reset the genesis of letters by 500 years. Why are people listening now? (Gavriel Fiske, Times of Israel).

Numerous experts have expressed support, sometimes tentatively, for Schwartz and his theory. Schwartz declined an interview with The Times of Israel and would not comment further about his theories. However, a former student was willing to weigh in.

“The writing on these cylinder seals seems to me to be alphabetic writing, and I don’t really have any doubt about that,” wrote Prof. Christopher Rollston, department chair and professor of Biblical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at George Washington University, in an email exchange.

A long and informative article.

Background here and here.

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Does the Tel Dan Stele prove there was a King David?

HISTORY AND EPIGRAPHY? This ancient archeological marvel celebrates the defeat of King David — does it prove he existed? The Tel Dan stele, currently on display at the Jewish Museum, is the oldest non-biblical mention of the House of David (Olivia Haynie, The Forward).

Although the stele is significant for being a non-biblical reference to King David, it is not indisputable evidence that he existed. In The New York Times, Dr. Jack M. Sasson, a former religious studies professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, argued David may still only be a mythical ancestor for those who created the stele, a figure they used to legitimize their rule.

I haven't seen the NYT article, but, yes, this is possible. Also, if there was an actual King David, which is how I think I would bet, it does not necessarily follow that the stories about him in the Deuteronmistic History have much basis in fact. Maybe, but we have too little information and too few external controls in our data to know.

Background on the Tel Dan Stele, a fragmentary Aramaic inscription from roughly the late ninth century, see here and links. It is currenly on display at the Jewish Museum in New York.

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White, The Poetics of Visuality (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Justin J. White. The Poetics of Visuality. Ekphrasis, Material Agency, and the Visual Imagination in Biblical Antiquity. 2024. XV, 279 pages. Forschungen zum Alten Testament (FAT) 182. €129.00 including VAT. cloth available 978-3-16-163344-7. Also Available As: eBook PDF €129.00.

Summary

Justin J. White explores the nature of images in ancient Israel through a reconceptualization of the relationship between image and text. He proposes that in ancient Israel, texts evoked images as a core part of their rhetoric. Rather than conceptualizing texts and images as ontologically or functionally distinct media, he argues that both media are mixed media even while neither medium is reducible to the other. In order to make this argument, he focuses on the visual aspects of textual rhetoric—what he terms »the poetics of visuality.« He builds his argument across three text-specific axes of visual rhetoric: ekphrasis, the visual imagination and material agency. He makes the claim that each of these three axes are endemic to Israelite literature, and mutually contribute to the formation of a robust ontology of visual representation in ancient Israel.

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Collins, The Apocalypse and Apocalyptic Topics (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Adela Yarbro Collins. The Apocalypse and Apocalyptic Topics. Collected Essays II. 2024. VI, 371 pages. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament (WUNT I) 524. €149.00 including VAT. cloth available 978-3-16-163669-1. Also Available As: eBook PDF €149.00.

Summary

In this volume of collected essays, Adela Yarbro Collins provides a wide-reaching insight into her work on the Apocalypse that spanned her professional career from 1973 to 2021. Emphasizing the variety in form and content of the early and late antique Christian apocalypses within the genre, she focusses on the apocalyptic Son of Man sayings in the Synoptic Gospels and raises questions about the impact of Revelation on its ancient and modern audiences regarding ethical norms and the problem of violence. Also examined in detail are a range of themes in the Apocalypse, feminine symbolism, the role of the city of Pergamon in the work, its use of vivid description (ekphrasis), its millennial themes, portraits of rulers, and time and history, especially the author's contemporary history. The collection is rounded off with a discussion of the challenge of apocalypticism to the project of creating a New Testament theology.

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