A Phoenician temple bath at Tel Dan?

ABLUTIONARY ARCHAEOLOGY: Ancient Temple in Israel Reveals Phoenician Bathing Rituals (Abdul Moeed, Greek Reporter).

Archaeologists in northern Israel have uncovered evidence that bathing played a role in ancient Phoenician religious practices. A study by Dr. Levana Tsfania-Zias, published in Levant, details how ritual bathing was likely part of worship at the sacred site of Tel Dan, where Phoenician traditions continued for nearly 500 years. The findings shed light on how ritual, water, and faith intertwined in ancient communities.

The most compelling discovery is a small bathing facility built during the reconstruction of the temple after the Seleucid conquest. ...

The underlying article in Levant is behind the subscription wall:

Ritual purity among the Phoenicians in the sacred precinct at Tel Dan in the Hellenistic and Roman periods
Levana Tsfania-Zias
Pages 79-100 | Published online: 22 May 2025
Cite this article https://doi.org/10.1080/00758914.2025.2498295

Abstract

Excavations in the sacred precinct at Tel Dan revealed two water facilities from different phases — a ritual bathing unit from the Hellenistic period (beginning of the 2nd century BCE) and a fountain house from the Late Roman period (beginning of the 3rd–4th centuries CE). This paper presents and analyses the architectural and spatial development of the Tel Dan sanctuary in these periods, highlighting the hydraulic installations as integral components in the precinct’s public spaces and rituals. The presence of these water installations, together with other elements in the sacred precinct’s material culture, suggest a Phoenician religious and social praxis.

Cross file under Phoenician Watch.

Tel Dan is best known for the fragmentary, Aramaic, ninth-century BCE Tel Dan Stele excavated there. Follow the link for many posts.

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More on AI Enoch's dating of the DSS

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Can AI Date the Dead Sea Scrolls? Scholars debate results of new scroll study (Nathan Steinmeyer).

First discovered in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls are one of the most important collections of ancient texts ever found in the lands of the Bible. Despite decades of research, however, scroll scholars still struggle to conclusively answer some basic questions, such as when exactly the scrolls were written. Publishing in the journal PLOS One, an international research team proposes a new method for dating individual scrolls using artificial intelligence. According to the team, this analysis reveals that many of the scrolls are likely older than previously thought. However, not all scholars are convinced.

[...]

I have already noted and commented on this story here. This BDH essay has a good summary with responses from some other scholars.

I always want to hear what Professor Rollston thinks about epigraphic matters. But one of his quoted arguments needs some nuancing:

However, as Rollston points out, some of Enoch’s proposed dates are demonstrably too high based on the available historical and textual evidence. For example, Rollston said, “Enoch’s calibrated date range for 4Q114 is: 230–160 BCE. This manuscript contains portions of Daniel 8–11. Chapters 7–12 of Daniel reference the desecration of the Jerusalem Temple by Antiochus IV Epiphanes (r. 175–164 BCE), something which occurred in 167 BCE. Therefore, it has been recognized for centuries that this block of Daniel cannot be dated prior to 167.

First, the possible date range that "Enoch" gives includes the generally accepted date for Daniel 8-11, so its results still fall within the correct range. C-14 dating of a couple of thousand years ago is not all that precise. It's true that it is imprecise tilting very early in this case.

Second, no, the fact that the Book of Daniel refers to supposedly future events does not prove that it was written after those events. It says it was a miracle. Arguments that miracles can't happen always involve circular reasoning. And there's nothing in the laws of physics that precludes transmission of information from the future to the past. We just don't know how to do it.

But, yes, I agree that Daniel was written after most of its predicted events—because at a certain point the supposed predictions go wildly wrong, as predictions of the future generally do. I have commented on this question in more detail here.

When this issue comes up, I perhaps make a nuisance of myself about what may seem like a fine point, especially since I am a late-dater of Daniel too. But I like to keep my metaphysical house in order. Ideological materialism need not be mistaken for objectivity.

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Manuscripts of Josephus' Jewish War

VARIANT READINGS: Manuscripts of The Jewish War by Josephus (Brent Nongbri). It's good to know these things.

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Hirshman, ... Aspects of Rabbinic Culture in its Late Antique Context (OUP)

NEW BOOK FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS:

Grounded Spirituality

Aspects of Rabbinic Culture in its Late Antique Context

Marc Hirshman

£64.00

Hardback
Published: 26 May 2025
152 Pages
210x140mm
ISBN: 9780197660584

Also Available As:
E-book

Description

Grounded Spirituality: Aspects of Rabbinic Culture in its Late Antique Context examines a series of themes engaged by rabbinic literature, including the primacy of learning, the fading of universalism, the place of love, a unique rhetoric of charity and good deeds, and rabbinic attitudes to philosophy and mysticism. Particularly, it focuses on the formative period of rabbinic religion, from 1-500 C.E., which roughly parallels what classical historians call late antiquity.

Each chapter focuses on a central text from the rabbinic corpus drawn from Mishna, Tosefta, Midrash and Talmud. After carefully explicating the text, Marc Hirshman explores the themes emerging from the central text and other —often differing and opposing— views in rabbinic literature. An exploration of possible influences or polemics with the regnant cultures and religions of the region will be included in most chapters. The book is both a primer for a critical reading of rabbinic texts, as well as an exploration of the development of rabbinic thought and religiosity.

In the final chapter, Hirshman explores the implications of the study of classical rabbinic literature of antiquity for contemporary humanities and religion. What lessons are to be learned from rabbinic discourse, and what place should their unique cultural approaches have on the development of religion and the humanities in the twenty-first century?

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Houtman, Studies in Targum Isaiah (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Studies in Targum Isaiah

Textual Witnesses, Translation Techniques, and Theological Explorations

Series: Supplement to Aramaic Studies, Volume: 19

Author: Alberdina Houtman

Studies in Targum Isaiah: Textual Witnesses, Translation Techniques, and Theological Explorations is the culmination of 30 years of in-depth research into Targum studies. This comprehensive work offers a detailed description and comparison of available manuscripts, an analysis of translation techniques, and essays exploring the theological perspectives of the translators. The final chapter delves into the risks and opportunities of intertextual comparison with the New Testament, providing a thoughtful perspective for scholars and students alike. Essential for anyone interested in biblical studies, this book offers valuable insights into the complexities of Targum Isaiah and its relevance in theological discourse.

Copyright Year: 2025

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-72391-7
Publication: 14 Apr 2025
EUR €105.00

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-72388-7
Publication: 24 Apr 2025
EUR €105.00

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On Israel and Iran

POLITICS, WARFARE, HISTORY, ARCHAEOLOGY: Regarding the current conflict, I note the following stories relevant to PaleoJudaica's interests:

From Beersheba to Babylon: Netanyahu casts himself as liberator of Iran. Speaking at a hospital hit by an Iranian missile, the Israeli prime minister invoked ancient Persia as he hinted at a historic mission (Julian Borger, The Guardian)

It was in the Beersheba, about 1,000km and 2,500 years from Babylon, that Benjamin Netanyahu suggested on Thursday that the time had come for the Jews to repay their ancient debt to Cyrus the Great and bring liberation to Iran.

[...]

For many PaleoJudaica post on Cyrus the Great, start here and follow the links. Quite a few books about him have been published in recent years. This is far from the first time that his name has been deployed politically by Israel, Iran, or the United States.

Antiquities Authority: No known damage to archaeological sites in Israel (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel)

“To the best of our knowledge, no damage has been caused thus far to archaeological artifacts under the responsibility of the Israel Antiquities Authority, and no reports have been received regarding damage to exhibits in museums,” the statement reads.

As a precautionary measure, the IAA has transferred hundreds of crates containing highly sensitive finds — such as glass and other delicate materials — to protected underground storage at the IAA headquarters in the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus in Jerusalem.

Iran and Israel secure museum treasures ahead of raids (Noemi Capoccia, Finestre sull'Arte)

Museum institutions in Tehran in Iran and Tel Aviv in Israel have activated their respective emergency procedures in recent hours to safeguard their collections amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel. According to local sources, escalating hostilities in the region, which have already involved airstrikes on high-density urban areas, have prompted both countries to secure archaeological artifacts, works of art and archives of historical and cultural value.

[...]

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Goranson on Schmidt and Schwartz on the Testimonium Flavianum

THE NT BLOG (Mark Goodacre): What, Exactly, Did Josephus Write About Jesus? Guest Post by Stephen Goranson.

Two new books address this question, whether Flavius Josephus, who wrote Antiquities of the Jews, or Judean Antiquities, in about the year 94 of the first century CE, mentioned Jesus of Nazareth. This most famous portion of his book eventually came to be called the Testimonium Flavianum, often abbreviated as the TF. Both books conclude that Josephus did indeed mention this Jesus, though they arrive at that conclusion via somewhat different paths. They significantly differ as to exactly what Josephus wrote about Jesus, as far as we can tell, which may have been partially altered in later manuscripts. Though all available manuscripts of Josephus’ book include the passage about Jesus, there are at least three different camps of thought that interpret this fact: either Josephus wrote it all, or nearly all of it; or Josephus wrote something, but the Jesus section was considerably rewritten and expanded; or Josephus wrote none of it, because it was all added, fully interpolated, later.

[...]

I noted the publication of Schmidt's book here, also noting early comments by Roger Pearse and in this essay by Stephen Goranson, which he had shared with me in advance. And I give my own assessment there.

The other new book which deals with the Testimonium Flavianum is published by Brill:

Flavius Josephus: Translation and Commentary, Volume 8: Judean Antiquities, Books 18-20

Series:
Flavius Josephus: Translation and Commentary, Volume: 8

Author: Daniel R. Schwartz

These last three books of Josephus’s Antiquities detail Jewish history between the establishment of direct Roman rule in Judea in 6 CE and the outbreak of the Judean rebellion against Rome in 66 – a rebellion that culminated in 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple. Along the way, these books also constitute the main source for the context in which Christianity was born. This volume offers a translation of Josephus’s Greek text, along with a commentary that aims to clarify the history to which Josephus testifies and also its meaning for him as an exiled Jerusalemite and rebel-turned-historian.

Copyright Year: 2025

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-70368-1
Publication: 28 Nov 2024
EUR €180.00

Cross-file under New Book.

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Reviewlet of Lied and Nongbri, Working with Manuscripts

THE ETC BLOG: Working with Manuscripts: A very brief review (maybe just a note, really) (Peter M. Head).

I think the key thing about it is that it is written as a basic guide for new graduate students, which assumes they've read some texts in a critical edition, but now are thinking about accessing manuscript resources for their research - but don't really know anything about actual manuscripts (see p. 6).

I noted the publication of the book here.

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Premodern Encounters with Giant Bones

ELISHA FINE, PROF. STEVEN FINE: “There We Saw the Giants”—Premodern Encounters with Giant Bones (TheTorah.com).

Greek, Roman, Christian, and Jewish authors described discovering enormous bones buried just beneath the earth’s surface and interpreted them through their own lenses: Greeks and Romans saw mythic heroes and monsters; Jewish writers identified them as biblical giants, especially Og, king of Bashan. These discoveries reinforced the enduring belief that ancient humans were far larger than those of today.

For more from the Fines on Josephus's giant bones etc., see here. And follow the links from there for still more, including on modern giant-skeleton hoaxes.

And for much more on ancient giant traditions, including the Book of Giants, the Rephaim,and the biblical giants Og and Goliath, start here (cf. here) and follow the many links.

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The Aseneth Home Page Reloaded

THE NT BLOG: The Aseneth Home Page: Revised and Relaunched.

Mark and Viola Goodacre have relaunched Mark's excellent Aseneth Home Page, which I first noted back in 2013.

I am also pleased to see that Mark's NT Blog, which has been quiet for a while, is active again. As is his podcast. I have added the blog back to my Blogroll.

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Recovering the lost Galen commentaries of Gesius

SYRIAC WATCH: New research set to uncover lost ancient medical texts (University of Manchester).

More than a thousand years ago, Alexandria was one of the world’s great centres of medical learning. Among its most influential figures was Gesius, a renowned professor whose teachings helped shape health practices across the Islamic world and medieval Europe. His writings were thought to be lost, erased and overwritten on parchment, buried beneath layers of later texts.

Now, thanks to the discovery of five newly identified palimpsests - manuscripts that were scraped and reused centuries ago - those lost texts may soon be readable again. Hidden beneath newer writings are Syriac translations of Gesius’ commentaries on the works of Galen, one of the most important physicians in history.

Gesius (Gessius) of Petra was a physician and philospher who worked in Alexandria in the fifth to six century CE.

For the research on the Syriac palimpsest of a translation of a Greek work of the Roman-era physician Galen, also at the University of Manchester, see here and follow the links.

For many other PaleoJudaica posts on palimpsest manuscripts, see here and links, plus here and here and links.

Bit by bit, a letter at a time, whatever it takes. Until we're done.

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Green & Laato (eds.), ... The Reception of Noah, Abraham and Jacob Stories (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Between Universalism and Particularism: The Reception of Noah, Abraham and Jacob Stories

Series: Studies on the Children of Abraham, Volume: 12

Volume Editors: Stefan Green and Antti Laato

The study deals with Jewish and Christian reception of the Book of Genesis and how the concepts “universalism” and “particularism” are used in Noah, Abraham and Jacob stories before the rise of Islam. As a synthesis of its discussed topics, the volume is a useful resource to understand early development of universalistic and particularistic ideas which became central theological topics in the three Abrahamic religions.

Copyright Year: 2025

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-72812-7
Publication: 19 May 2025
EUR €149.00

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-72793-9
Publication: 15 May 2025
EUR €149.00

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Review of Altekamp, Karthago: archäologische Stadtbiographie

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Karthago: archäologische Stadtbiographie

Stefan Altekamp, Karthago: archäologische Stadtbiographie. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2024. Pp. xiv, 924. ISBN 9783111332178.

Review by
Gregor Utz, Universität Basel. gregor.utz@unibas.ch

... The publication aims to bridge the gap between academic readership and non-experts, which is expressed through detailed passages peppered with technical terms that alternate with more general descriptive sections on archaeological methodology (and thus contribute to a heterogeneous reading experience). Altekamp’s work succeeds in addressing the need of a comprehensive and accessible overview on Carthage for a German-speaking audience. ...

Cross-file under Punic Watch.

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