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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

The Copper Scroll in the news

NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE: A viral social media post is reminding the world that one Dead Sea Scroll is not scripture but a copper-engraved inventory of billions in buried treasure (Elroy Fernandes, Startup Fortune).

A TIL post circulating across social platforms this week has reintroduced millions of people to one of archaeology’s most tantalizing anomalies: a scroll discovered in 1952 that reads less like religious scripture and more like a treasure map written by someone who really did not want to forget where they buried everything. The document in question, formally designated 3Q15 and known as the Copper Scroll, was found in Cave 3 at Qumran and is unlike anything else recovered from the Dead Sea region , in material, in content, and in the questions it refuses to answer.

[...]

The "TIL post" is in the "Today I Learned" subreddit on Reddit, posted yesterday (16 April). You can read it here. It became something of a Reddit hit, with more than 10K upvotes in less than 24 hours.

This brief Startup Forture article is quite good. It describes the scroll and its contents, discusses why no one has yet found the treasure, and prudently advises investors not take the story as a "market signal."

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the Copper Scroll, start here (cf. here) and follow the links.

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

Review of Karla and Konstan, Life of Aesop the Philosopher

BYRN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Life of Aesop the Philosopher.

Grammatiki A. Karla, David Konstan, Life of Aesop the Philosopher. Writings from the Greco-Roman world, 50. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2024. Pp. 260. ISBN 9781628373271.

Review by
Marcus Ziemann, Florida State University. mziemann@fsu.edu

I noted the publication of the book here, with notes on the connections of the Aesop traditions with the Mesopotamian sage Ahiqar, who was adopted into the Jewish apocryphal tradition.

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

Safaee, Women of the empire (Brill)

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: Women of the Empire. Notice of a New Book: Safaee, Yazdan. 2026. Women of the empire: Life and labor in the Achaemenid Persepolis Archives (Ancient Iran Series 20). Leiden: Brill.

As the post indicates, Yazdan Safaee is one of the regular contributors to Bibilographia Iranica.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on Persepolis, the ancient Achaemenid ceremonial capital city, start here and just follow those links.

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

Moses of Crete, "the drowning messiah"

MESSIANISM: Moses of Crete: The ‘Messiah’ Who Promised to Part the Sea and Led Hundreds to Death (Nick Kampouris, The Greek Reporter).

In the midst of this upheaval, during the reign of Emperor Theodosius II, [402/408-450 CE] the figure later known as Moses of Crete began to attract attention. He did not merely present himself as a prophet but claimed to be the biblical Moses returned in the flesh, sent directly from Heaven. Over the course of roughly a year, he moved along the rugged coastline of the island of Crete, rallying local Jewish communities with an extraordinary promise: a new Exodus. He declared that he would part the Mediterranean Sea just as the Red Sea had once been parted, leading his followers back to the Promised Land on dry land.

As implausible as it sounds, his message proved deeply persuasive. Entire families abandoned their homes, livelihoods, and possessions, choosing instead to follow a man they genuinely believed to be Moses himself.

As you might guess, it did not go well.

Another PaleoJudaica post dealing with Moses of Crete and other "failed messiahs" is here. And for messianic figures in the late Second Temple Period, see here and here.

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

The siegeworks of the Roman conquest of Jerusalem

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: The Roman Conquest of Jerusalem. How were the siegeworks deployed around the city? (Clinton J. Moyer).

The Roman army’s conquest and destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 is well documented, both in contemporary written sources like Josephus and in the archaeological record. ...

Yet, despite all this evidence, little is known about the layout and organization of the protective walls, garrison camps, and other defenses that made up the Roman army’s siegeworks during the conquest of the city. In his article entitled “Under Siege: How Rome Conquered Jerusalem,” published in the Spring 2026 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, archaeologist Győző Vörös pieces together the available evidence to develop a clearer picture of the disposition of the Roman forces.

The article is behind the subscription wall, but this BHD essay give a substantial summary of it.

For the work of Győző Vörös on the site of Machaerus (the reputed site of the execution of John the Baptist), see here and links.

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

Pharaoh Tiberius?

EGYPTIAN ARCHAEOLOGY: Ancient Egyptian stone monument depicting a Roman emperor as a pharaoh discovered in Luxor. A stone slab depicting the Roman emperor Tiberius was found during restoration work at the Karnak temple complex in Luxor. (Margherita Bassi, Live Science).

For more on Tiberius as a god and a son of god, see my report on the 2016 St. Andrews Symposium on Divine Sonship, and also here.

Yet another important epigraphic discovery at the seemingly comprehensively explored Egyptian site of Luxor. What else is out there? Follow the link for discussion of implications.

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

On biocodicology

TECHNOLOGY WATCH: How DNA forensics is transforming studies of ancient manuscripts. Scientists are exposing the biological information hidden in ancient parchments without leaving a mark (Marla Broadfoot, Scientific American, reprint from Nature Magazine). HT Drew Longacre's OTTC Blog.

In May 2006, Tim Stinson travelled to England to tour the libraries of London, Oxford and Cambridge. ...

Nearly two decades later, that curiosity has helped to give rise to a new field. The development of non-destructive sampling methods, alongside advances in genomics and proteomics, have made it possible to extract biological information from ancient parchments without visibly damaging them. The emerging discipline — known as biocodicology — combines molecular biology with codicology, the study of books as material objects.

The results are transforming how scholars understand human history. By analysing parchment, researchers are uncovering evidence of trade networks, animal husbandry, medical and ritual practices, climate change, epidemics and floods.

In the process, they have found that ancient parchments preserve more than just words.

All of the examples in the article involve analysis of medieval manuscripts, the earliest from the eighth century. But applying the process to more ancient manuscripts sounds possible, assuming researchers can find a non-destructive way to harvest the samples.

I noted a recent unrelated project (at pre-print publication stage) which applied such methods to the Shroud of Turin here. I see that Scientific American has also published a response to it:

DNA analysis claiming new origins for the Shroud of Turin doesn't hold up, experts say. A metagenomic study of this cloth, controversially purported to bear the imprint of the body of Jesus Christ, has little to say about the relic’s origins (BY STEPHANIE PAPPAS EDITED BY JEANNA BRYNER).

Cross-file under Paleogenetics.

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

More on that Ark of the Covenant docudrama

CINEMA: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: 'Legends of the Lost Ark' docudrama: Archaeologist Chris McKinney investigates fate of the biblical artifact. McKinney discusses the history, legend and mystery surrounding the Ark of the Covenant (All Israel News).

A key element of “Legends of the Lost Ark” is its effort to move beyond modern speculation and instead reconstruct the conversation around the Ark through ancient traditions and early textual sources. McKinney emphasized that the goal is not to chase sensational theories, but to understand how ancient communities themselves wrestled with the Ark’s disappearance after the destruction of the First Temple.

In the interview, McKinney explained that the film is anchored in three early post-exilic traditions that consistently connect the prophet Jeremiah to the Ark’s concealment. While the sources differ on where it was hidden, they converge on several core ideas – including that the Ark was hidden before Jerusalem’s fall and that it is destined to be revealed in the future.

That sounds like a prudent approach.

The trailer is overdone, but trailers often are. I do not have time to listen to the whole interview now. This article has excerpts, plus links to trailer and interview.

I noted the film as upcoming here. Follow the links from there for many posts on the Ark of the Covenant and the many places where it is claimed to be. The film is currently, briefly, in the cinemas. I believe today is the last day.

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

U of Iowa project funded to reconstruct ancient manuscripts

TECHNOLOGY WATCH: UI professor repairs damaged ancient manuscripts with AI. Paul Dilley received a $500,000 grant from Schmidt Sciences to develop AI tools that can reconstruct missing sections of ancient manuscripts (Jacob Calvin, The Daily Iowan).

Dilley said even as multispectral imaging continues to advance, there is a limit to what it can decipher.

“If the manuscript has already been damaged, imaging obviously doesn’t help you see the missing parts,” he said. “That’s where AI comes in.”

Dilley said editors will train the AI to perform a process called infilling, or suggesting restorations for letter fragments. Generative AI will also be used to infer and suggest new text for lacunas, or portions of manuscripts where all text is missing.

For his current study, Dilley said the AI will be trained to perform infilling and restore lacuna for Greek, Latin, and Celtic languages.

“The plan is to publish the models open access and to make it extendable to other languages,” he said. “The basic pipeline should be extendable to other languages.”

The funding of this project is very good news.

The article mentions the Herculaneum papyri and the Dead Sea Scrolls in passing, but it does not specify which texts or manuscripts the project will work on.

Cross-file under Algorithm Watch.

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