Holmstedt et al., Phoenician Inscriptions (SBL)

NEW BOOK FROM SBL PRESS:

Phoenician Inscriptions
Robert D. Holmstedt, Aaron Schade, Philip C. Schmitz

ISBN 9781628377675
Volume WAW 45
Status Available
Publication Date March 2026

Paperback $70.00
Hardback $90.00
eBook $70.00

Phoenician Inscriptions introduces readers to the writing of the ancient people groups who originated in the ancient Levantine cities of Byblos, Tyre, and Sidon by the late second millennium BCE. Thanks to their establishment of colonies throughout the Mediterranean world, written evidence of their influence has been discovered from the Levant, Anatolia, and Cyprus to Egypt, Greece, Italy, and Spain. Each inscription in this volume is transliterated and includes an English translation and select critical commentary. Helpful maps, discussions of historical context, and drawings of inscribed artifacts supplement the translations. This resource opens a window onto the religious ideas and economic practices of people instrumental in shaping the history and culture of the ancient Mediterranean for a variety of readers, including curious nonspecialists and scholars and students of ancient history, linguistics, and archaeology.

Cross-file under Phoenician Watch.

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Report: the Great Isaiah Scroll exhibit is reopening today

EXHIBITION: Great Isaiah Scroll, oldest near-complete biblical book ever found, to be displayed again after Iran war (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

The Great Isaiah Scroll, the oldest nearly complete book from the Hebrew Bible ever found, will be back on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem starting from Friday, a spokesperson for the museum says.

[...]

This is very good news, even if the headline is a tad optimistic.

Background on the exhibition, interrupted by the Iran war after only five days, is here and links.

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

Jerusalem in Psalm 122

FOR JERUSALEM DAY: Psalm 122: A Visit to the Jerusalem of Old (Prof. Adele Berlin, TheTorah.com).

What did it feel like to stand inside the gates of ancient Jerusalem at the height of its glory? A postexilic psalm imagines just that—revisiting a bustling city filled with pilgrims, justice, and divine presence. Blending memory, longing, and hope, Psalm 122 transforms Jerusalem into both a vivid past reality and a future ideal, culminating in its enduring call: שַׁאֲלוּ שְׁלוֹם יְרוּשָׁלִָם, “Seek the peace of Jerusalem.”

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

More on Lost Books from Jenkins

THE ANXIOUS BENCH: Books, Epics, And Scriptures, Lost And Found.

Lots of good links here. Background here and links. Cross-file under Lost Books.

For more on those lost "Biblical-adjacent texts" cited in the Hebrew Bible, see here and links, plus here and here.

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

US returns smuggled rare coins to Israel

REPATRIATED NUMISMATICS: Early Persian silver coin smuggled from Israel to Big Apple also regained after being offered for sale (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

Antiquities detectives in New York have recovered two rare ancient coins smuggled out of Israel, which will be returned home, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Wednesday. They aren't on a plane yet but will be at some point thanks to a massive joint effort by the Israel Antiquities Authority with the Antiquities Trafficking Unit at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and Homeland Security. ...

One of the recovered coins is a bronze prutah, the lowest known denomination of Judean currency. Its purchasing power was weak: a loaf of bread cost about 10 of these. However, this one had been minted during the reign of the last Hasmonean king, Mattathias Antigonus, who ruled in Jerusalem from 40 to 37 B.C.E. It shows nothing less than the seven-branched menorah that stood in the Second Temple in Jerusalem on one side and the Temple's showbread table on the flip side. ...

The second coin wouldn't have been allowed out of the country either. It was a lovely early silver tetradrachm from the Persian period, minted in Ascalon over 2,500 years ago, only a couple of centuries after the invention of coinage itself. Only one other of its type is known, and that one sits in the Israel Museum. Its design emulates the famous Athenian tetradrachm, which was the standard coin throughout the Eastern Mediterranean at the time.

For more on the prutah, see here and links. And for posts on the tetradrachm, see here and links.

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

Controversial nomination for IAA director

POLITICS AND ARCHAEOLOGY: Esther Shreiber for next IAA director, first woman in role. Her appointment will soon be submitted for approval by the IAA’s council and the government (Miriam Sela-Eitam, Jerusalem Post).

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu tapped Esther Shreiber, CEO of the INEXTG Group, to be the next director of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), which would make her the first woman to ever serve in the position.

Her appointment will soon be submitted for approval by the IAA’s council and the government. ...

She holds a bachelor’s degree in the History of the Jewish People from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a master’s degree with honors in Public Administration and Policy from the University of Haifa, and is a Stern Prize recipient for studies of the Second Temple period.

The Jerusalem Post notes and discusses the controversy over the nomination, but doesn't seem to take a position on it. Othe media are less neutral:

Head of NGO Promoting 'Jewish Values' Tapped to Lead Israel's Antiquities Authority. Esther Schreiber was nominated under pressure from far-right minister Amichai Eliyahu, sources said. A senior archaeologist warned the authority could face 'a process of decline' (Nir Hasson, Haaretz)

Archaeologists within and outside the authority reacted with shock to the appointment, calling it unprofessional. According to them, Schreiber lacks the qualifications to lead the authority, and her work has no connection to archaeology or managing large organizations such as the authority, whose annual budget exceeds 400 million shekels (about $138 million).

Heritage Minister taps new Antiquities Authority head with no archaeological experience (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel)

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, taps Esther Shreiber, a Jewish professional with no archaeological experience, as the new head of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

[...]

The Times of Israel does concede the following (also mentioned by the Jerusalem Post).

The current IAA head Eli Escozido also does not have a background in archaeology, nor did his predecessor, former Shin Bet deputy director Israel Hasson, who served in the position between 2014 and 2021.

Haaretz hints at the point, but doesn't state it directly.

There are conflicting claims about Ms. Schreiber's current position and its responsibilities. There are also reports of insider claims from various anonymous sources, which I discount on principle. It is not always easy to distiguish the latter from official statements.

That's the information I can find. I take no position on the nomination. I blog, you decide.

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

Mystery tunnel found in Jerusalem

SPELUNKIC ARCHAEOLOGY: Ancient tunnel with unknown age, purpose found near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel ahead of Jerusalem Day. After descending a set of ancient stairs from the surface, archaeologists found themselves standing at the hewn opening of the tunnel, found to be filled with hundreds of years of ancient sewage (Miriam Sela-Eitam, Jerusalem Post).

A mysterious and ancient stone tunnel was recently discovered near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel in southern Jerusalem during preventative excavations ahead of the construction of the new neighborhood promoted by the Israel Land Authority (ILA).

The find, announced by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) on Thursday morning, is expected to measure approximately 50 meters long, 5 meters high, and 3 meters wide.

[...]

As the headline indicates, the tunnel's date and purpose are unclear. The archaeologists have guesses, though.

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

Turin Egyptian-papyri restoration project funded

PAPYROLOGY: Egyptian Museum of Turin, ME-Scripta, a laboratory for the study of artefacts, is born. Fondazione Crt guarantees 3 million euro for 10-year project combining restoration and philological study (Filomena Greco, Il Sole 24 ore).

The Laboratory of the Egyptian Museum will be called ME-Script and will be directed by Susanne Töpfer, curator in charge of the Egyptian Museum's papyrological collection, with the ambition of uniting the work of restorers with that of philologists, to enable the recovery of artefacts and the study of texts belonging to different types of ancient codices, up to Coptic bindings. It employs two curators, three collaborators, an apprentice and a data manager.

Great news! Cross-file under Philology and Coptic Watch.

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

On the Ptolemaic Era in Egypt

THE WORLD IS FULL OF HISTORY: Alexander’s Legacy: The Ptolemaic Era of Greek Rule in Egypt (Nick Kampouris, Greek Reporter).

When Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BCE, he signaled the beginning of the era of Ptolemaic rule.

His general Ptolemy established the Ptolemaic dynasty that would govern the vast lands of Egypt for the next 300 years. The Ptolemies became the rulers over a complex fusion of Greek and Egyptian cultures.

[...]

A nice, brief overview of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

There are many PaleoJudaica posts on the Ptolemies, who are important for understanding various aspects of Second Temple Judaism, not least the Book of Daniel. Some notable posts are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, and follow the many links!

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

Boy finds late-antique god figurine-fragment in Negev

MATERIAL CULTURE IN THE ROUND: Eight-year-old boy finds 1,700-year-old statuette fragment while hiking in Negev. Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist says the artifact might depict Roman god Jupiter (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

[IAA Theft Prevention Unit supervisor Akiva] Goldenhersh acknowledged it was difficult to precisely identify who the statuette portrays.

“Stylistically, it might be of the god Jupiter, or Zeus-Dushara, a Nabatean god who was identified and merged with Zeus in the context of the encounter between the Nabatean culture that was widespread in the Negev region, and the Hellenistic-Roman world,” he said. “This tiny find thus reflects the combination of local traditions with influences from the classical world.”

Cross-file under Nabatean (Nabataean) Watch.

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

Expansive cultural and material range in the new Posen Library volume

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Jewish Cultures and Material Artifacts (Karen Stern).

Jewish Cultures and Material Artifacts: Comments on The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, Vol.2, Emerging Judaism, 332 BCE–600 CE, ed. Carol Bakhos

... In this grand volume, everything is an artifact and everything (appropriately) requires guided interpretation. Indeed, Carol Bakhos and her entire editorial team have gathered into this work one of the richest and most diverse collections of artifacts, both in forms of redacted texts and archaeologically attested objects, amassed to this point in English translation and prose, inclusive of hundreds of pages of analysis and annotation. Through editors’ careful introductions, contextualization, and connections, this volume invites readers to explore and interpret textual and archaeological artifacts anew, demonstrating how it is always possible to tell new stories (or histories) about old things. The results are exciting, generating opportunities for academics and lay readers to reexamine known evidence and develop novel insights into Jewish cultures from 332 BCE to 600 CE. ...

For the first essay in this review series, see here.

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

Revised bill for new West Bank antiquity authority passes first Knesset reading

ARCHAEOLOGY AND POLITICS: Knesset advances controversial West Bank antiquity bill in first reading. Legislation’s critics maintain it amounts to de facto annexation, while supporters say it is necessary to preserve territory’s unique heritage (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

A controversial bill creating a new civilian authority in charge of antiquities in the West Bank was approved by the Knesset plenum in the first reading overnight between Monday and Tuesday. ...

If passed into law, which will require two additional readings by the plenum, the bill will create a “Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority,” using the biblical name for the West Bank.

The authority is set to assume the responsibilities currently held by the Defense Ministry.

The person responsible for the file now is a staff officer of the Archaeology Unit of the Civil Administration, a branch of the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which is in charge of civilian affairs in the territory.

An earlier version sought to transfer this authority to the Israel Antiquities Authority, but it was widely opposed, including by the IAA. Detailed background is here, here, and (most recent summary) here. This current bill is the revised result.

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

Review of Van Maaren, The Gospel of Mark’s Judaism ....

BOOK REVIEW: The Gospel of Mark’s Judaism and the Death of Christ as a Ransom for Many (R. B. JAMIESON, Themelios).

Many monographs proclaim their ambition to shift a paradigm; few do. In my opinion, this volume stands a better chance than most. This monograph is the second to develop from the author’s doctoral dissertation at McMaster University; the first was published as The Boundaries of Jewishness in the Southern Levant: 200 BCE–132 CE (Berlin: de Gruyter, 2022). The present work applies a nuanced, textured set of conceptualities for discerning and situating the “Jewishness” of an ancient religious text such as the Gospel of Mark, which it employs to undermine the reigning scholarly paradigm, which the author calls “Gentile Mark.”

[...]

For more on the book, see here and here.

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

Josephus' effeminizing propaganda?

THE CLASSICAL QUARTERLY:

SELF-MADE ‘MEN’: THE PROGRESSIVE EMASCULATION OF THE BROTHERS ASINAEUS AND ANILAEUS IN JOSEPHUS, ANTIQUITIES 18

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 April 2026

The Classical Quarterly , First View , pp. 1 - 15
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0009838826101190
Open Access

Joseph Scales and Isaac T. Soon

Abstract

This article analyses how Flavius Josephus presents the conquests of Asinaeus and Anilaeus, two robber-bandits who established a fiefdom in first-century Babylonia. In dialogue with common Roman tropes about gender and his previous writings on the notable physical features of men in times of war, this article focusses on how Josephus progressively effeminizes Asinaeus and Anilaeus. Although their military feats abound, their increasingly risky behaviour and their growing neglect of Jewish ways of life jeopardize their own character and the safety of their Jewish kin. With this strategy of emasculation, Josephus undermines those who self-interestedly seek power and influence.

Follow the link for the full text of this open-access article.

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

Narsai: The Homilies. Volume 2 (Peeters)

NEW BOOK FROM PEETERS PUBLISHERS:

Narsai: The Homilies. Volume 2

Series:
Eastern Christian Texts in Translation, 7

Author:
Becker A.H.

Price: 65 euro
Year: 2026
ISBN: 9789042954250
Pages: XIV-203 p.

Summary:

Narsai, who is variously called “the tongue of the East” and “the harp of the Spirit”, is among the most important and influential Syriac authors. His life spanned the fifth century, which was a tumultuous time for Christians following the controversies surrounding the First Council of Ephesus, the Second Council of Ephesus, and the Council of Chalcedon. Playing a crucial role at this critical juncture, Narsai would ultimately be remembered as one of the foundational figures of the Church of the East. This volume, the second in the series Narsai: The Homilies, offers translations of several of Narsai’s homilies that focus on Lent and moral reform. The homilies translated in this volume are “On Lent I” (20), “On Lent III” (23), “On Lent IV” (24), “On Lent V” (26), “On Reproof” (25), “On Reproof of the Clergy” (78), and “On Reproof” (79).

I noted the publication of volume one here. Cross-file under Syriac Watch.

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