An overview of the exhibit, good background on the excavation, and a substantial interview with the chief excavator, Jody Magness. Very informative.
Background on the exhibtion and on the remarkable discoveries at the site of Huqoq here and links.
By the way, don't worry about me, I'm fine. I just got distracted with other things for a few days.
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Because people, religious and nonreligious, use apocalyptic imagery and language to describe contemporary realities, it is helpful to understand the origins of this language and the ideas associated with it. While the focus is on ancient Judaism, understanding this material can help us better understand the ministry and message of Jesus and other early Christians, including Paul. By studying apocalyptic ideas, we gain more insight into the traditions that developed after apocalyptic ideas began to permeate religious society. In his book, Apocalypticism as a Worldview in Ancient Judaism, Collins does an excellent job of helping us understand the apocalyptic worldview, including its secular forms.I noted the publication of the book here.
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The oldest surviving copies of biblical texts are on view for a final few weeks at the Museum of the Bible in Washington. Dead Sea Scrolls: The Exhibition, now in its last rotation on the museum’s fifth floor, closes September 7. The fragments recovered from the caves near Qumran remain among the most important archaeological finds of the twentieth century, offering a direct window into the Hebrew Scriptures and the Jewish world of the Second Temple period.I think I would nuance the comments about the enthusiam of the Qumran community for the Messiah. The concept does appear, sometime doubled, but it's not all that prominent.[...]
Anyway, it's good to see that the IAA is taking steps to preserve the Dead Sea Scrolls for another 2,000 years.
Previous posts on the exhibition are here and links.
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Ancient Tyre between Myth and HistoryCross-file under Phoenician Watch. And for more on Tyre, see here and links.Hélène Sader
ISBN 9781628378290
Volume ABS 36
Status Available
Publication Date August 2026Hardback $70.00
Paperback $50.00
eBook $50.00Hélène Sader gathers and synthesizes the archaeological and textual evidence from excavations conducted during the past fifty years at Tyre and its far-flung settlements. By incorporating the results obtained from western Tyrian sites rich in metals, Sader confirms that Tyre and its colonies, which stretched to the Atlantic coast of Spain, held incredible wealth. In addition to her analysis of the material remains, soundings, and surveys, Sader includes a thorough discussion of the main Tyrian gods and the practice of cremation introduced at the beginning of the Iron Age. More than seventy-five images and maps illuminate the development of Tyre and its cultural heritage. The result is a more complex picture of the history of Tyre than that known from its description in the Hebrew Bible, ancient Near Eastern sources, and classical histories. Tyre emerges from the shadows of myth as the main protagonist of the Phoenician maritime expansion.
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To consume meat, Exodus (20:24) requires that the animal be sacrificed at a local altar, i.e., in any place where YHWH proclaims His name. When Deuteronomy centralized the cult to “the place,” it had to permit secular slaughter for those who lived far away, and it did so by presenting this innovation as an interpretation of the older law.The Priestly writer dispensed with this innovation.
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TALMUD CHRONICLES: Bringing Talmudic Events to LifeWell that's different. Cross-file under Talmud Watch.by Zalman Eisenstock
Price:
$34.95$31.00Hardcover, 112 pages, includes b/w images and illustrations throughout
Urim Publications, 2026
ISBN: 978-965-524-389-5From Rabban Gamliel’s fight with Rabbi Yehoshua in 100 CE through significant events over the next century, experience the story of the Talmud set against the background of the ancient world, and uniquely retold in the form of a modern daily newspaper. The engaging format of News from the Past brings this transformative period to life and makes it accessible to readers of all ages. Experience the resilience of the Jewish people as they faced two major revolts — the Parthian Revolt (115–117 C.E.) and the tragic Bar Kochba rebellion (132–135 C.E.). Despite these challenges, visionary leaders emerged to reinforce the Torah, culminating in the creation of the Mishnah — the foundational compilation of the Oral Law.
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Intertextuality as Reinterpreting TextsPapers Read at the 19th Joint Meeting of the Society for Old Testament Study and the Oudtestamentisch Werkgezelschap in Nederland en België, ’s-Hertogenbosch, 2024
Series:
Oudtestamentische Studiën, Old Testament Studies, Volume: 86Volume Editors: Archibald L.H.M. van Wieringen, Katharine J. Dell, and Arie Versluis
Intertextuality is a multifaceted and complex phenomenon, that can be studied form various perspectives, both diachronically and synchronically. An intertextual relationship is essentially about reinterpreting texts for creating new texts. This volume aims to highlight various approaches by exploring both the methodological dimensions of intertextual research and the ways in which such research may be concretized with regard to specific Old Testament texts.
Copyright Year: 2026
E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-76621-1
Publication: 29 Jul 2026
EUR €128.00Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-76618-1
Publication: 27 Aug 2026
EUR €128.00
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Earlier this month, researchers from across the world made the trek to Ann Arbor to check out the collection and to learn more about proper preservation techniques. Some of the highlights include a 2,200-year-old portion of “The Iliad,” some of the “lost works” of Greek philosopher Epicurus and a portion of the oldest-known copy of the Epistles of St. Paul.It also includes ancient magical papyri and Coptic texts. Some PaleoJudaica posts on it are here, here, and here. For more information on the workshop, and on the collection generally, make sure to follow the links in the article.The collection, the largest in North America, holds more than 7,000 ancient manuscripts and approximately 17,000 individual fragments from between 1,000 B.C. and 1,000 A.D.
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Notice of a New Book: Boivin, Odette. 2026. The Temple of Ištar-of-Akkad in Babylon from the Neo-Assyrian until the Persian Period. The Archival Texts (Abhandlungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft 33). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. Follow the link for description and a link to the publisher's page.
I like to keep track of what was happening in Babylon in the Second Temple period, both in reality, as here, and in Greek and Aramaic fantasy.
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On June 9, 68 CE, Emperor Nero died outside Rome after being declared a public enemy and abandoned by much of the political establishment. Or did he? Roman historians say yes. Jewish tradition has another version entirely. According to the Babylonian Talmud, Nero did not simply disappear from history. He fled a Roman campaign against Jerusalem, converted to Judaism and eventually became an ancestor of Rabbi Meir, one of the greatest rabbis of the Mishnah.The Talmudic story about Nero has come up before, but it's fun to revisit. It is not remotely credible, but the Roman account of his death isn't credible either. For commentary, see here and links.[...]
The stories about the other emperors are similarly not credible but entertaining. For another legend about Yohanan ben Zakkai and Vespasian, see here. For a bit more on the legends about "Antoninus," see here.
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The Sybilline Oracles and the Sibyl(s) have come up now and then on PaleoJudaica. Some posts are here and links, and here, here, here, and here. And recently (and occasionally earlier) on the ancient Hermetic literature here (cf. here) and Renaissance Hemeticism here.
The late-antique Christian writer Lactantius collected some fascinating ancient traditions about both.
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I checked Theodor Birt’s classic book on the depiction of papyrus rolls in art, and he of course also took note of the fine carving of these papyrus rolls:Indeed. Cross-file under Sculpture.“The large sarcophagus in the Athens Museum (inv. 1497) is like a marble illustration of Pliny’s account of the manufacture of papyrus: On its lid, a reclining male figure leans with his shoulder against a massive bundle of papyrus rolls, the outer edge of which alone contains no fewer than 18 rolls. These rolls depict the composition of the papyrus in horizontal and vertical strips, rendered with great care. On the rolls located on the back side of the lid, only the vertical strips are visible; on those on the front, both are visible. It was not possible to take a photograph due to the lighting in the room.”1
But the rendering may be even more clever than Birt describes. ...
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The Book of JoshuaComposition, Reception, and Interpretation
Series: Formation and Interpretation of Old Testament Literature, Volume: 203/11
Vetus Testamentum, Supplements, Volume: 203/11Volume Editors: Lissa M. Wray Beal, Craig A. Evans, and D. Allen Hutchison
The Book of Joshua presents many interpretive challenges. These include its depiction of warfare violence, its engagement with modern archaeological enterprise, its use in colonial expansion, and its insistence on the sole worship of Yahweh in pluralistic religious contexts. The expert contributors to this volume examine such questions and also ground the reader in ongoing scholarly discussion of key issues of composition, genre, theology, and Nachleben. This book serves as a valuable resource for graduate students and scholars alike, presenting a snapshot of the state of Joshua scholarship while opening new avenues for scholarly consideration.
Copyright Year: 2026
E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-75746-2
Publication: 08 Jun 2026
EUR €140.00Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-52985-4
Publication: 09 Jul 2026
EUR €140.00
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Apocalypticism as a Worldview in Ancient Judaism
by John J. CollinsImprint: Eerdmans
192 Pages, 6.00 × 9.00 in
PAPERBACK
9780802885005
Publication Date: June 25, 2026
$27.99
£20.99EBOOK
9781467469432
Publication Date: June 25, 2026
$27.99
£20.99DESCRIPTION
How did apocalyptic concerns shape ancient Jewish life and literature?
In this compelling study, renowned scholar John J. Collins examines the apocalyptic worldview that emerged in Jewish thought during the Hellenistic and Greco-Roman periods. He reconstructs this perspective through carefully contextualized readings of ancient Jewish apocalyptic literature.
According to Collins, defining features of the apocalyptic worldview include the desire to grasp history in its entirety; the expectation that history as we know it will come to an end; the use of patterns and images drawn from ancient myths to frame history as something beyond human control; increased interest in the heavens and otherworldly regions; and hope that humans may enjoy eternal life in heaven. As Collins systematically outlines ancient Jewish understandings of time and space, he situates them within broader intellectual currents. Ultimately, he shows that apocalyptic concerns extend beyond specific historical crises to fundamental questions of human mortality and limitation. Addressing the challenge that many Jewish apocalyptic texts survive only in Christian translations, Collins argues persuasively for identifying authentic Jewish layers in this literature, recovering voices that would otherwise remain lost.
This comprehensive study offers fresh perspectives on Jewish apocalyptic literature—and in so doing, reestablishes apocalypticism as a category worthy of sustained scholarly attention. Essential reading for scholars and students in biblical studies.
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