Another review of Eisenstock, Talmud Chronicles

BOOK REVIEW: Recreating the story of the sages in Talmud Chronicles. Rabbi Zalman Eisenstock’s new book aims to bring the era of the rabbis to life, writes Simon Rocker (The Jewish Chronicle).

But even if the Talmud’s dense walls of Aramaic remain impenetrable to many, there are ways to appreciate its content. Rabbi Zalman Eisenstock’s new book, Talmud Chronicles, offers an entertaining glimpse into the history and culture of the sages.

He has taken episodes from the second century CE and presented them in the form of newspaper articles – not only as news stories, but features, interviews, advice columns, cartoons and even adverts (for dream interpreters, succah builders or camel drivers). He has clearly had a lot of fun along the way. But then the Talmud recognised the value of humour. The Babylonian master Rabba reputedly opened his classes with something light-hearted to bring a smile to the faces of his students.

I noted the publication of the book here and a recent review here.

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... Unveiling the ancient Iranian language of eschatology (Brill)

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: The Final Frontier.

Notice of a New Book: Rezania, Kianoosh, Neda Mohtashami & Yusef Saadat (eds.). 2026. The final frontier: Unveiling the ancient Iranian language of eschatology (Dynamics in the History of Religions 18). Leiden: Brill.

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Carthago excavanda est

PUNIC WATCH: Carthage begins a new archaeological mission on 15 October. Carthage in Tunis is hosting a Tunisian-Chinese archaeological mission, with excavations and surveys continuing until 8 January 2027 (Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS).

The project was launched by Tunisia's National Heritage Institute, known as the INP, in cooperation with China's National Centre for Archaeology, or NACA. The mission brings together researchers, specialists, heritage conservators and students from both countries.

The programme includes excavations at the Punic ports and studies of the remains and their immediate surroundings. Teams are also carrying out geometric and topographic surveys with modern technology, while archaeological collections found during the work are being studied and inventoried. Details of the mission published by Le Quotidien place the start on 15 October 2026 and the planned end on 8 January 2027.

Glad to hear it. There has also been recent archaeological work by the INP at the Carthage Tophet.

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The Sibyls in the Renaissance

THE KIWI HELLENIST BLOG: Sibyls and Sibylline oracles. 4. The Renaissance.

The Sibyls were thoroughly christianised after Lactantius finished with them. He successfully reimagined them as virtuous pagans of the distant past. Most later readers imagined the Sibylline oracles poems were authentic predictions of Christ and the end times.

Their reputation continued to expand in late antiquity and the Mediaeval period. According to Finn Schulze-Feldmann (2017), they were integral to a wave of Christian apocalyptic literature: they were an ideal hook to hang new prophecies on.

[...]

The fourth and (I think) final post in this informative series. Earlier posts are noted here (with links to earlier PaleoJudaica posts), here, and here.

In both late antique and Renaissance Christianity, Hermes Trismegistos and the Sibyls sometimes were associated as venerably ancient pagan prophets. See here and links (cf. here) for more.

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CFP: Problematic Prophecies (CAC Annual meeting)

CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION OF CANADA: Call for Papers: Problematic Prophecies, CAC Annual meeting (Deadline: January 15). HT Rogue Classicism.

Classical Association of Canada, May 4th–6th, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador ...

This panel is envisioned as a forum to discuss the abnormal unfolding of prophecies and invites proposals for papers centered on case studies describing fake, false, falsified, misinterpreted or otherwise problematic prophecies and oracles in literary texts. ...

Follow the link for further particulars.

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Bellum Punicum exhibition at Cartagena, Spain

PUNIC WATCH: Roman Theatre of Cartagena hosts Bellum Punica until 15 November. Roman Theatre of Cartagena in Cartagena presents Bellum Punica until 15 November, with Francano's terracotta sculptures exploring the Second Punic War (Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS).

The Spanish city of Cartagena was an important player in the Second Punic War. It was founded by Hannibal Barca's brother-in-law, Hasdrubal the Fair. Hannibal commenced his march across the Alps from Cartagena.

Sorry to miss this exibition. I visited Cartagena in 2025 for its annual Festival of the Carthaginians and Romans. Subsequent posts on Cartagena's history and archaeology are collected here.

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CFP: Rutgers Rabbinic Conference, 1 December proposal deadline

H-JUDAIC: One month till deadline: CFP for Rutgers Rabbinic Conference 2027 due December 1.

Submission deadline: December 1, 2026

Papers may be on any topic related to classical (Late Antique) rabbinic literature, culture, or history. Papers from adjacent fields that are in dialogue with rabbinics are also welcome.

The 2-day conference will include panels of short papers that will be grouped thematically and include scholars of different ranks. In addition there will be book presentations by authors of new or forthcoming books on rabbinics.

The conference seeks applicants from all academic ranks. Senior scholars, junior and unappointed scholars, and graduate students are all encouraged to submit proposals for short papers and/or for book presentations.

The conference will provide kosher meals, but cannot offer funds for travel or accommodation.

Follow the link for further particulars.

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Burke on Christian Apocrypha at SBL 2026

THE APOCRYPHICTY BLOG: Christian Apocrypha at SBL 2026 (Tony Burke).

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Review of Ewan, Fountain of Living Water

SYRIAC WATCH: Book review: Fountain of Living Water: Poetry, prayers, and hymns of the mystics of the Early Church of the East, edited and translated by Robert Ewan. Here is a rich tradition of the Eastern Church, says John Binns (Church Times).

There are 31 writers whose work is included. Most come from the “golden age” of Syrian literature from the fourth to sixth centuries, beginning with the hymn-writer Ephrem the Syrian, and then on to others who followed him; and there is one modern poet included. There are patriarchs, bishops, abbots of monasteries, ascetics, and teachers in the schools. There are short biographies of each writer, which introduce the poems and also the life of the Church. ...

Fountain of Living Water: Poetry, prayers, and hymns of the mystics of the Early Church of the East
Robert Ewan, editor and translator
Gracewing £12.99
(978-1-78182-201-2)
Church Times Bookshop £11.69

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The Bible of Edessa: Ezekiel (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

The Bible of Edessa: Ezekiel

Series:
The Bible of Edessa: An Annotated Translation of the Syriac Peshitta, Volume: 2

Editors / Translators: Jerome A. Lund, Godwin Mushayabasa, and Herculaas F. van Rooy

Authoritative, Based on the Best Syriac Text, and Fully Annotated

This extensively annotated translation offers an accessible introduction to the Peshitta of Ezekiel. It evaluates variant readings and explains the preferred text, enabling students and scholars to engage confidently with the Syriac Bible. Notes on the relationship between the Syriac and Hebrew texts support research on Ezekiel’s textual history and its ancient translations. Members of the Syriac/Assyrian churches will value its use of the oldest and most reliable manuscripts, as presented in the Leiden–Amsterdam Peshitta edition, together with references to Syriac interpreters. The Bible of Edessa is authorized by the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament (IOSOT) and published by the Amsterdam Peshitta Institute.

Copyright Year: 2027

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-77012-6
Publication: 29 Sep 2026
EUR €153.00

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-72252-1
Publication: 29 Oct 2026
EUR €153.00

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Milco (ed), Beall Festschrift (Gorgias)

NEW BOOK FROM GORGIAS PRESS:

“TEACHER, MOTHER, GIVER OF ALL GOOD ADVICE”
Essays in Memory of Judith Beall

Edited by Katherine E. Milco

Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC
Availability: In stock
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-4632-5032-4
Formats *
Hardback (In Print) ISBN 978-1-4632-5032-4
eBook PDF (In Print) ISBN 978-1-4632-5033-1 on Gorgias Mobile App (Glassboxx)

Publication Status: In Print
Series: Perspectives on Philosophy and Religious Thought23
Publication Date: Sep 15,2026
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 7 x 10
Page Count: 225
Languages: English
ISBN: 978-1-4632-5032-4

Price: $95.00 (USD)
Your price: $57.00 (USD)

OVERVIEW

This volume commemorates the life and work of Dr. Judith Beall (1945-2025), a popular professor and the Director of the Religious Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, with contributions from scholars in the disciplines of theology, history, classics, science, and literature. The essays reflect the major themes of her research and teaching, such as the interpretation of history as a praeparatio evangelica, the recovery of ancient Jewish and early Christian texts, the role of ressourcement in the self-understanding of the Church, and the relationship between suffering and sanctity.

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Uusimäki, Women, Travel and Transformation from the Bible to Bar-Kokhba (Routledge)

NEW BOOK FROM ROUTLEDGE:

Women, Travel and Transformation from the Bible to Bar-Kokhba
By Elisa Uusimäki
Copyright 2027

Open Access content is available for this title

Hardback
£137.59

ISBN 9781041139744
350 Pages
Published September 18, 2026 by Routledge

Description

This book provides a novel, cultural-historical perspective on travel in the ancient world by exploring a wide range of women’s (in)voluntary journeys and relocations, such as can be derived from passing references, short sections, and extended narratives found in the early Jewish corpora that remain to us.

The book delivers a more nuanced notion of the past by challenging and demonstrating the need to move beyond the binary idea of “female stayers” and “male movers.” In doing so, it foregrounds a previously overlooked aspect of travel history: female mobility, its many facets and inherent complexity as a sociocultural phenomenon, and its multiple transformational effects. The selected sources include a large body of literary texts from the Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, Pseudepigrapha, Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo of Alexandria, Flavius Josephus, and the New Testament, together with some documentary sources indicating the existence of certain types of travel up until the early second century ce. They reveal a variety of mobile girls and women, such as brides, businesswomen, captives, diplomats, diviners, economic and forced migrants, knowledge-seekers, midwives, musicians, nurses, pilgrims, refugees, sages, (semi)nomads, slaves, tourists, and war leaders.

Women, Travel and Transformation from the Bible to Bar-Kokhba is of interest to students and scholars working on travel history, early Jewish literature, and women in antiquity, as well as those in biblical studies, religious studies, ancient history, and classics.

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On the Arch of Titus

ANCIENT ICONOGRAPHIC PROPAGANDA ARCHITECTURE: Arch of Titus: The monument that celebrated Jerusalem’s fall but became a Jewish emblem. Rome’s most famous ruins hold a Jewish story that many visitors, Jews included, never hear (Asaf Peled, Pittsburg Jewish Chronicle).

A nice tourism overview.

There are many PaleoJudaica posts on the Arch of Titus. For some of them, see here, here, and here, and follow the links

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Biblical Job in Early Christianity and Beyond (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Biblical Job in Early Christianity and Beyond

Series:
Vigiliae Christianae, Supplements, Volume: 193

Volume Editors: Nienke M. Vos, Paula Rose, and Albert C. Geljon

This volume focuses on close readings of the biblical book of Job and its reception in early Christianity. It offers thought-provoking research: from the Bible in Hebrew and Greek to Job’s impact on Christian traditions in East and West, on Judaism and Islam. The sources include the fascinating Coptic Testament of Job as well as texts in Greek, Syriac, Armenian, and Latin. Intriguing and complex material is presented, such as a mēmrā by Narsai, a homily by Basil of Seleucia (first edition), midrashim, and Islamic storytelling. Thus, Job emerges as an engaging and multifaceted figure of imaginative and religious reflections.

Copyright Year: 2027

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-77192-5
Publication: 22 Sep 2026
EUR €164.00

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-77191-8
Publication: 22 Oct 2026
EUR €164.00

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Shih-En Kuo, The Golden Calf Narrative in the Book of the Twelve (Gorgias)

NEW BOOK FROM GORGIAS PRESS:

THE GOLDEN CALF NARRATIVE IN THE BOOK OF THE TWELVE
Inner-Biblical Allusions to Exodus 34:6–7

By Shih-En Kuo

Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC
Availability: In stock
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-4632-5020-1
Formats *
Hardback (In Print) ISBN 978-1-4632-5020-1
eBook PDF (In Print) ISBN 978-1-4632-5021-8 on Gorgias Mobile App (Glassboxx)

Publication Status: In Print
Series: Bulletin for Biblical Research Dissertation Series 4
Publication Date: Sep 29,2026
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Page Count: 385
Languages: Englishv ISBN: 978-1-4632-5020-1
Price: $95.00 (USD)
Your price: $57.00 (USD)

OVERVIEW

A simple question repeatedly emerges when reading the Book of the Twelve as a collection: Why do echoes of the Golden Calf Narrative (Exod 32–34), especially the Attribute Formula (Exod 34:6–7), surface at multiple points across these prophetic writings, and what do those echoes accomplish for their readers? Biblical research on the Twelve has offered a range of accounts for its coherence, while scholarship on inner-biblical allusion has continued to refine how textual reuse should be identified and evaluated. This study brings these conversations into direct contact by tracing its resonances across the Twelve and asking how they contribute to the collection’s literary and theological unity.

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