Karen Stern awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship

CONGRATULATIONS! PROFESSOR KAREN B. STERN NAMED 2026 GUGGENHEIM FELLOW. Karen B. Stern, who studies ancient Jewish life through archaeology, material culture, and the senses, has been named a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow (CUNY Graduate Center).

Her work explores Jewish communities in the Greek, Roman, and Sassanian worlds, drawing on archaeology, inscriptions, and sensory history to understand lived religious experience. She is the author of Writing on the Wall: Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity, which won a 2020 Jordan Schnitzer Book Award, as well as Inscribing Devotion and Death. Her research has been supported by organizations including the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Getty Villa, and she has received multiple teaching awards from Brooklyn College.

The fellowship will support Stern’s new project, “Sanctity: An Archaeology of the Senses in the Ancient Synagogue,” which reexamines ancient synagogues through fieldwork, artifacts, and sensory analysis. It will enable travel to sites and collections across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

Professor Stern is interviewed in this press release.

For PaleoJudaica posts on her work, see here and links.

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Moses in the Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions?

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

Stop Trying to Make MŠ Happen! Or Why Moses Does Not Appear in the Proto-Sinaitic Inscriptions

Claims linking the Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions to Moses are unconvincing and continue a long pattern in which biblical apologists overread fragmentary evidence. Michael Bar-Ron’s proposed “Moses” readings fail on epigraphic, linguistic, and historical grounds: the supposed letters are not actually present, the spelling does not fit, and even a genuine occurrence of the name would not establish a connection to the biblical figure. More broadly, sensational media coverage turned a weak scholarly claim into clickbait. The Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions are significant enough on their own for what they reveal about the early history of alphabetic writing, without the need for apologetic overreach or manufactured controversy.

See also The Lost Language of the Ghassulians: Proto-Writing at Nahal Mishmar?

On the Origin of Alphabetic Writing 2019

Hebrew or Not?: Reviewing the Linguistic Claims of Douglas Petrovich’s The World’s Oldest Alphabet 2017

Wandering in the Desert?: A Review of Charles R. Krahmalkov’s “The Chief of Miners Mashe/Moshe

By Aren Wilson-Wright
University of Chicago
Department of Middle Eastern Studies
Assistant Instructional Professor
April 2026

I've been aware of recent claims of finding Moses in the Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions, but they sounded dubious, so I have not posted on them. This essay has a detailed epigraphic and philological evaluation. The other links discuss other, sometimes similar, proposals.

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An Aramean bull stele and the New Moon?

LUNAR ARTIFACT? New moon takes the bull by the horns. Magnificent 8th century stone monument at Israel Museum preserves link between ancient Aramean god and Jewish calendar (Ilan Ben Zion, Times of Israel).

So the god depicted on the stele was an incarnation of Baal? It’s not as clearcut as that, Arie admits. The bull’s head on the Bethsaida stele is surmounted by horns forming a clearly defined crescent moon, suggesting it may represent a lunar deity.

Google in its wisdom, or whatever it is, has started showing me old articles in my searches. Usually I ignore them, but this one from 2013 is about an artifact that I knew little about which is worth a look. (I noted its existence in passing many years ago, but hadn't heard about it since.)

The "Bethsaida" mentioned in both places above is et-Tell/e-Tel, identified as the site of Geshur mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. The other site competing for recognition as ancient Bethsaida is el-Araj. The latter seems to be winning at present. For the details of the long debate, start here (cf. here, here, and here) and follow the links.

For PaleoJudaica posts on golden calf and other metal bull artifacts, some of them quite ancient, see here and links. It sounds like the Israel Museum has a substantial collection of terra cotta and metal bulls.

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Who was the "Ethiopian" "Eunuch?"

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Who Was the Ethiopian Eunuch? Rethinking identity, language, and narrative with Mark Wilson (Lauren K. McCormick).

The narrative in Acts is organized around the expansion of Christianity from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria, and ultimately to the “ends of the earth.” The Ethiopian eunuch is geographically distant, socially elevated, and—if Wilson is correct—a Jew open to seeing Jesus as the fulfillment of scripture. In this sense, the Ethiopian eunuch functions as a node within the larger narrative structure of Acts, which is less concerned with individual life stories than with the unstoppable crossing of boundaries that defines its vision of the early Christian movement.

Wilson's BAR article is behind the subscription wall, but this BHD essay gives a summary of it.

A couple of PaleoJudaica posts involving the Ethiopian Eunuch are here and here.

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Lost Classical epics

THE ANXIOUS BENCH: All The Epics We Have Lost (Philip Jenkins).

My current research involves the loss and rediscovery of Jewish and Christian scriptures, with a focus on the years between roughly 1870 and 1940. However, my next few blogposts are going to explore these themes of “lost and found” much more broadly and cross-culturally, before circling back round to that Biblical/Scriptural focus. I think the themes that emerge are really enlightening in many areas. So today, I will begin far away from the Christian world, in the deepest foundations of the Classical tradition.

There follows an excellent overview of lost Greek Classical epics known from references in later literature, with a sideline of lost plays by some of the great Classical playwrights.

You can read what we know about many of the lost epics and a little on the lost plays in the work of the Hellenistic-era mythographer (Pseudo-?) Apollodorus, The Library of Greek Mythology. The Suda gives more fulsome information on the lost plays.

I look forward to Professor Jenkins's promised further posts on Lost Books.

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Review of Osborne, The origins of Christianity in the Calendar Wars of the second century BCE

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: The origins of Christianity in the Calendar Wars of the second century BCE.

Alfred Osborne, The origins of Christianity in the Calendar Wars of the second century BCE. Studia traditionis theologiae, 60. Turnhout: Brepols, 2025. Pp. 325. ISBN 9782503613062.

Review by
Amit Gvaryahu, University of Copenhagen. amgv@teol.ku.dk

Excerpt:

Osborne’s book is erudite, and the sources dealt with span the gamut between the Hebrew Bible and the Cairo Genizah, in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. His command of Josephus, the books of the Maccabees, and the New Testament is impressive, as is his ability to cogently present a historical narrative. At the end of the day, however, it is unconvincing. As Osborne cheerily admits often, none of this narrative is explicit in the sources. ...

I haven't read the book, but from the description, that sounds about right to me. And if the calendar were so important for the origins of Christianity, I would expect the debate to figure, or at least to surface periodically, in the New Testament.

But feel free to read the book and decide for yourself.

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New scrolls coming to Museum of the Bible DSS exhibit

EXHIBITION ROTATION: Museum of the Bible prepares to receive Dead Sea Scrolls Isaiah fragments (Elizabeth Black, The Sift).

An ancient fragment of the book of Isaiah will go on display at the Museum of the Bible from May through September before returning to Israel to spend five years in a vault. The leather fragment is part of the Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in the 1940s and 50s in the caves of Qumran in the West Bank, or what the Israeli government refers to as Judea. It contains portions of several chapters of Isaiah and dates back to sometime around the first century A.D. The Isaiah fragment is part of the final stage of a Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the museum, according to Bobby Duke, the museum’s chief curatorial officer.

... The new display will also include other Dead Sea Scrolls fragments, including an apocryphal account of the birth of Noah, part of the ancient Jewish book of Tobit, and Duke’s favorite item: pieces of phylactery scrolls.

This is the third lot of scrolls in this exhibition. That Isaiah fragment mentioned is 4QIsaiah^d (4Q58). For details on the other scrolls in this rotation, follow the "exhibit" link to the museum page and scroll (heh) down.

Earlier posts on this exhibition are here (cf. here) and here.

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Homer at Oxyrhyncus?

OXYRHYNCHUS WATCH: Archaeological mission in Oxyrhynchus has found Homer's 'Iliad' inside a Roman-era mummy (PhysOrg/University of Barcelona, edited by Stephanie Baum, reviewed by Robert Egan).

During the campaign carried out between November and December 2025, Núria Castellano's team discovered a Roman-era mummy in Tomb 65 of Sector 22 that featured an unusual element: a papyrus placed on the abdomen as part of the embalming ritual. In previous campaigns, the Oxyrhynchus Archaeological Mission had already documented papyri written in Greek in similar positions, but all contained magical or ritualistic content. A literary text such as the "Iliad" had never before been found in this context.

The text is from the Catalogue of Ships in Iliad book II.

For a recent overview of the Oxyrhynchus papyri, see here. There are endless PaleoJudaica post on the site and the papyri in the archives.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Online Oxford Septuagint Seminar, TODAY and going forward

WILLIAM A. ROSS: (VIRTUAL) OXFORD SEPTUAGINT SEMINAR, 22 APRIL.

I’m happy to publicize information for the new Trinity term schedule for the Septuagint Seminar at Christ Church, Oxford. As you can see in the schedule below, there are a handful of seminars on the roster (including one by yours truly). I’ll post links here as they become available. But the very first one of the term is tomorrow. Info below:

That is now today, in just a few hours. Follow the link for the Zoom link and passcode.

Dr. Ross has been posting these lectures for a while, but usually too late for me to see them in time to relay them. But have a look at the list in his post. If any of the seminars interest you, keep an eye on his blog for Zoom info. I will try to relay it too, depending on the timing of the announcement.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

On "Masada syndrome"

ARCHAEOLOGY AND POLITICS: Why Israel Is Falling Again for the Masada Syndrome (Moshe Gilad, Haaretz).

Generations of Israelis grew up on Masada's myth of heroism and noble suicide. What really happened on the mountain does not quite fit the national narrative, yet the it keeps shaping Israeli society

Mixed with the political observations in this long article are observations about what we can infer really happened at the fall of Masada. The answer is not straightforward.

For some PaleoJudaica posts on the archaeology of Masada and the question of the reliability of Josephus' account of its fall to the Romans, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and links. And you can dig up still more in the archives.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

The Zoroastrian World (Routledge)

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: The Zoroastrian World. Notice of a New Book: Rose, Jenny, Albert De Jong & Sarah Stewart (eds.). 2026. The Zoroastrian World. New York: Routledge.

Follow the link for description and TOC. The volume looks comprehensive, with lots of articles of interest to PaleoJudaica.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

The Suda

A MASSIVE COMPILATION: The Suda, The Greek Encyclopedia Written in the Year 1100 (Patricia Claus, The Greek Reporter).

The lexicon copiously draws from scholia to the classics of the greatest Greek writers, including Homer, Aristophanes, Thucydides, Sophocles, and others. Later, the works of Polybius, Josephus, the Chronicon Paschale, George Syncellus, George Hamartolus, were used as sources.

The Suda quotes or paraphrases these sources at length. Since many of the original works have indeed been lost, The Suda serves an invaluable repository of literary history; this preservation of literary history is more vital than the lexicographical compilation itself, some scholars believe.

I noted the preliminary completion of the online English translation in 2014 here. The links have rotted, but you can now find the site here in its "temporary home."

Cross-file under Lost Books.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Trauma hermeneutics and the Bible

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

Trauma, the Body, and Politics in the Bible

Trauma hermeneutics offers a valuable lens for interpreting biblical texts by examining how violence, suffering, and injustice are embodied in characters, represented in literary form, and shaped by political and social power. Attending to trauma in the Bible can deepen interpretation, challenge moralizing readings, and reveal how narratives of suffering are used both to process harm and to construct communal identity, while also reminding readers that not all suffering is recognized or treated equally.

See also Esther Keeps the Score: Trauma, Body and Politics in the Hebrew Bible (SCM Press, 2026).

By Alexiana Fry
University of Copenhagen
Guest Researcher
April 2026

Cross-file under New Book.

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Niehoff & Markschies (eds.), Aspects of Time in Jewish and Christian Exegesis (De Gruyter, open access)

THE AWOL BLOG: Aspects of Time in Jewish and Christian Exegesis.

Aspects of Time in Jewish and Christian Exegesis. Edited by Maren R. Niehoff and Christoph Markschies. De Gruyter, 2026. Open access.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Law

NEW BOOK FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS:

The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Law

Zev Eleff, Roberta Rosenthal Kwall, and Chaim Saiman

Oxford Handbooks

£142.50

Hardback
Published: 03 March 2026
828 Pages
248x171mm
ISBN: 9780197508305

Description

Jewish law, known as halakhah, is a unique legal system that has developed over nearly two millennia, across multiple continents, and in innumerable different contexts. Dealing not only with ritual, Jewish law extends to virtually every aspect of life, including ethics, business, war, and sex. This Handbook highlights foundational questions about the nature of Jewish law, emphasizing what distinguishes it from other legal systems and illuminating its vitality throughout history.

The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Law navigates core issues such as halakhah's authority, interpretation, and the meaningfulness of an ancient legal system in a modern period. With contributions from an interdisciplinary cast of authors, the Handbook spans law, history, sociology, and religion. Its chapters draw from a wide range of sources, including traditional texts such as Mishnah and Talmud, rabbinical codes, and legal opinions known as responsa. Moreover, chapters addressing pressing modern issues cover the material from diverse denominational perspectives.

As halakhah remains deeply woven into the fabric of Jewish life and scholarship, The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Law offers readers an in-depth understanding of this rich and enduring legal tradition.

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The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, Volume 3

NEW BOOK FROM YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS:

The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, Volume 3
Encountering Christianity and Islam, 600-1200

Edited by Arnold E. Franklin

Series: Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization 1464 Pages, 8.00 × 10.00 in, 93 color + 117 b-w illus.

Hardcover
9780300186277
Published: Tuesday, 10 Mar 2026
$150.00

Description

This volume of the Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization covers the religious, political, economic, and geographic transformations of Jewish life through the early Middle Ages

Volume 3 of the Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization presents a time of tremendous vibrancy for Jews and Judaism in the early Middle Ages, with a comprehensive historical introduction to the period in over a thousand source texts, alongside the extant visual and material culture. The sources offer an unprecedented range of voices—male and female, religious and secular, mystical and rationalist, learned and commoner—from a historical period that is thoroughly unfamiliar to modern audiences. The volume captures passionate political controversies, virtuosic liturgical poets, learned scientific and medical texts, and spiritually uplifting philosophical and theological discussions, all alongside the plaintive voices of Jewish mothers writing to their sons, real-life cases of commercial transactions, legal contests, and the details of domestic disputes.

I noted the publication of Volume 1 here and of Volume 2 here.

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