Orlov, Cursed Creation in the Book of Job and the Book of the Watchers (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Cursed Creation in the Book of Job and the Book of the Watchers

Series:
Vetus Testamentum, Supplements, Volume: 205

Author: Andrei A. Orlov

This study constitutes the first comprehensive analysis of the connections between the Book of Job and Jewish apocalypticism. It examines the motifs of creation’s corruption through curses and its restoration through the revelation of cosmological knowledge, as depicted in one of the earliest Jewish apocalyptic texts, the Book of the Watchers, and their thematic parallels in the Book of Job. The study demonstrates that both the Book of Job and the Book of the Watchers exhibit striking similarities in their portrayals of the corruption and restoration of God’s creation.

Copyright Year: 2026

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-76074-5
Publication: 20 Apr 2026
EUR €109.00

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-75925-1
Publication: 21 May 2026
EUR €109.00

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Archaeologists have excavated First-Temple-era remains on the Temple Mount

TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH: Archaeologists spotlight first Solomon’s Temple-era artifacts ever found on Temple Mount. Carried out in rare cooperation with Muslim authorities, series of digs in recent years at flashpoint site yielded unprecedented proof of biblical-time activity, scholars say (Ilan Ben Zion, Times of Israel).

Israeli archaeologists on Thursday presented new details of what they said were the first tiny artifacts, unearthed in situ on the Temple Mount, ever conclusively dated to the time of the First Temple over 2,600 years ago. The discoveries were made during limited scientific excavations carried out atop the flashpoint Temple Mount in the past decade, the first of their kind since the British Mandate.

The highly sensitive Israeli excavations were conducted with minimum publicity in cooperation with the Islamic Waqf which manages the incendiary holy site. The artifacts excavated from the mount, detailed in a paper and presentations at a conference at Hebrew University, are said to include olive pits, animal bones and pottery fragments dating to the time of the First Temple, between the 8th and 6th Centuries BCE.

[...]

As the article notes, the Temple Mount Sifting Project has been doing great work for many years sifting ancient artifacts out of the rubble that was illicitly excavated and dumped by the Waqf. I have posted on its discoveries many times.

But this article is about actual scientific archaeological excavations quietly undertaken on the Temple Mount since 2007. Given the nature of the site, the original strata would likely have been very mixed up anyway, but archaeological excavation can at least recover whatever stratigraphic information there is.

I know that I have said many times, No excavation on the Temple Mount until we have non-invasive and non-destructive technologies to do it. But in this case the Waqf was undertaking authorized infrastructive maintenance that required some digging. It was quite right for the IAA to use the opportunity to do some archaeology in the process.

I am pleased, but not surprised, to learn that the archaeologists have recovered material from the First Temple period in these excavations.

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How far does textual criticism of the Torah get us?

FOR SHAVUOT: Do We Know the Original Text of the Torah? (Emanuel Tov, TheTorah.com).

Well, we can theoretically arrive at a 3rd century B.C.E. archetype by using the conservative Masoretic Text (MT) as the default and comparing it with non-harmonistic variants in the Septuagint (LXX), Samaritan Pentateuch (SP), and Qumran fragments. But textual criticism offers little help in understanding what the text of the Torah looked like at an earlier stage, or how and when it was composed.

I agree that textual criticism can, at best, only take us back to an edition of the Pentateuch from the late Persian or early Hellenistic periods. To get behind it we have to resort to source criticism, where the temptation is to atomize the text beyond the surviving evidence.

Incidentally, I edited 4QGenesis^h and 4QGenesis^k in my doctoral dissertation and published them in DJD 12 (1994).

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West Bank and Gaza archaeology bills in the Knesset

ARCHAEOLOGY AND POLITICS: Knesset panel ends without advancing West Bank and Gaza antiquities bill, will resume discussions next week (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

The Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee ends without a vote to send the controversial “West Bank and Gaza” antiquities bill, which many say amounts to de facto annexation, to the plenum for its final approval.

[...]

My interest is in ancient Judaism rather than Israeli or other politics, so I try to stay out of these things. But for those interested, these articles fill out the current picture:

Government approves NIS 250M plan to develop heritage sites in the West Bank (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel)

West Bank, Gaza antiquities bill advances as government okays $86 million heritage plan. Knesset committee working to finish controversial legislation, which critics say would mark an unprecedented step toward annexation, for final votes in the plenum on Sunday (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

The bill aims to establish a “Judea, Samaria and Gaza Heritage Authority” under the Heritage Ministry. The body is also set to have the power to operate in parts of the West Bank governed by the Palestinian Authority (Areas A and B).

'De Facto Annexation' Despite Professional Opposition, MKs Propose West Bank Antiquities Authority Operate in Gaza. The army's representative told the Knesset Education Committee meeting that applying the law to Gaza 'could be perceived as characteristics of de facto annexation.' She added that the plan is not 'consistent' with the Trump plan for the Gaza Strip's rehabilitation (Noa Shpigel, Haaretz). Most of this article is behind a subscription wall.

Background here and links. Related post here.

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Shavuot 2026

THE FESTIVAL OF SHAVUOT (Weeks, Pentecost) begins tonight at sundown. Best wishes to all those celebrating.

Last year's Shavuot post is here, linking back to previous years' posts. For biblical references, see here.

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

Redating an Iron Age fortress at Ein Hatzeva

ARCHAEOLOGY: How ancient seeds are rewriting the history of biblical-era trade with Arabia. New radiocarbon dating of Ein Hatzeva fortress on ancient trade route in the Arava suggests it was built 2,800 years ago by the Kingdom of Israel, shoring up Bible’s account (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

New research from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) uses C14 dating of preserved organic samples taken from one of two ancient fortresses in the Arava in southern Israel. The findings suggest they were built by the biblical kingdom of Israel almost 2,800 years ago, and not by the Assyrian empire decades later.

The underlying article in Levant is behind the subscription wall, but the ToI article has a link to the abstract.

PaleoJudaica posts dealing with (other periods at) Ein Hatzeva are here and here.

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Rogue Classicism reloaded

THE ROGUE CLASSICISM BLOG, run by David Meadows, is undergoing refurbishment. Regular reader know that I consult this blog and refer to it frequently. It's still under construction, but go and have a look.

I like the new formatting. More compact and easier to follow. Sad to see the Latin headings go, but probably better for overall clarity. Well done, David!

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More on Washington's Hannibal movie

CINEMA AND PUNIC WATCH: Denzel Washington Beat Vin Diesel to the Role He's Wanted for 24 Years (Philip Etemesi, MovieWeb).

Once upon a time, there lived a Carthaginian general and statesman. Born in 247 BC, he would wage war against the Roman Empire for decades, notably during the Second Punic War. Hannibal Barca was his name. Today, his tactics still wow historians, especially his choice to invade Italy by crossing the Alps with North African war elephants. His methods have also wowed Denzel Washington and Vin Diesel, both of whom have tried to bring him to the big screen. Only the former appears to have succeeded.

[...]

This article covers much of what we already knew, but it has some new information, including on how Diesel's "idea of a three-part saga got stuck in development hell for too long."

Background here and many links. I have been following Diesel's and then Washington's plans for a Hannibal movie for more than twenty years. I look forward to the film's release, reportedly in 2027.

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Fictional lost gospels (etc.) in popular culture

NEW TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA FICTION: Scriptures: Lost, Found, And Forged (Philip Jenkins).

... But by the same token, it is tempting for anyone wishing to make their own point to exploit this rediscovery idea, either by interpreting new finds in devious or subversive ways, or else by inventing fake ancient texts. These themes, of false interpretation and forgery, account for a large part of the popular writing about rediscovered texts, and have long played a potent role in mainstream popular culture. Sad to say, for the average non-expert “intelligent reader,” this is often the means by which rediscovered texts are understood.

In this post, I will discuss the “forged and fake” theme in that popular culture, and the tradition goes back a long way. Nineteenth century discoveries deeply concerned conservative believers, who dreaded the possible discovery of yet other new texts that could still further undermine orthodox faith. What else was still out there, waiting to be found? ...

Incidentally, Prof. Jenkins argues that the very idea of the Secret Gospel of Mark fragment being genuine is risible.

Earlier posts in this series are noted here, here, and here.

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Notes on the latest Enoch Seminar

RELIGION PROF: Paul, Mark, And Revelation Within Judaism (Enoch Seminar) (James McGrath).

The Enoch Seminar puts on wonderful conferences and this one on “The New Testament Within Judaism” was no exception. I took extensive notes on the days that I attended, and will share some of them here and in a follow-up post, even though the conference sessions are now on YouTube (and I will of course share the videos as well, see below). ...

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More on Jerusalem's mystery tunnel

SPELUNKIC ARCHAEOLOGY UPDATE: Two more articles cover the news about the apparently ancient, but of uncertain date and purpose, tunnel recently discovered in southern Jerusalem. Both include interviews with excavation co-director Zinovi Matskevich.

'We Know What It Wasn't': Strange Tunnel Exposed in Jerusalem Near Ramat Rahel. Tunnel up to five meters in height discovered in bedrock near ancient Jerusalem's center, but archaeologists can't figure out its purpose (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

"The quarrying was executed meticulously. It is clear that whoever carved this tunnel invested tremendous effort," they say.

For what? "We can say a few things about what it wasn't," Matskevich says. "At first we suspected the whole thing was modern, 20th century. Now we are sure it isn't. First of all, dirt entered into this cavern in stages, so it can't have just been dug recently. But how ancient it is, we can't say."

Mysterious ancient tunnel, possibly thousands of years old, discovered in Jerusalem. Dating and purpose of structure near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel still not clear; archaeologists say its construction required significant resources and manpower (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

According to Matskevich, the tunnel was probably built at least 2,000 years ago, in Roman times, and likely even earlier, but they cannot be sure.

Background here.

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The languages of Achaemenid-Hellenistic Central Asia

PHILOLOGY: Lost Multilingual World Shows Greek Culture Flourished Across Ancient Asia (Abdul Moeed, Greek Reporter).

A new study of ancient written records shows that multilingual societies thrived across Hellenistic Central Asia for nearly a thousand years, with scribes regularly switching between languages and scripts to serve whichever empire happened to be in power.

Rachel Mairs, a researcher at the University of Reading, published the findings in “Writing in the Ancient World.” The study examines surviving texts from regions now known as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, covering the period from roughly the fifth century BC to the second century CE.

Mairs identifies four main written languages in the region: Aramaic and Elamite under the Achaemenid Persian Empire, Greek under Macedonian rule, and Prakrit under the Mauryan Empire from India.

[...]

This substantial Cambridge Element is free for download until 20 May (so don't dawdle). The GR article is a good summary of it.

Language and Script in Achaemenid and Hellenistic Central Asia

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 May 2026

Rachel Mairs

Summary

This Element examines – for the first time in a single volume – the written evidence from the 'Far East' of the Hellenistic world (Bactria, Sogdiana, Arachosia, Gandhara). It examines how successive invaders of this region, from Persia, Greece and India, left their linguistic and textual mark. It reviews the surviving Hellenistic-period written material from archaeological sites in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan in Aramaic, Greek and Prakrit.

For more on the Emperor Ashoka and his edicts in Pali, Aramaic, and Greek, see here and links. For lots more on the texts from Persepolis in Aramaic, Old Persian, Elamite, etc., start here and follow the links. And for a bit more on the Bactrian Aramaic texts, see here. Cross-file under Aramaic Watch.

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Nelson, Jesus' Physical Appearance (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Jesus' Physical Appearance

Biography, Christology, Philosophy

John D. Nelson (Author)

Hardback
$120.00 $108.00

Ebook (PDF)
$108.00 $86.40

Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
$108.00 $86.40

Product details

Published Dec 11 2025
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Pages 264
ISBN 9780567723208
Imprint T&T Clark
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series The Library of New Testament Studies
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

John Nelson presents the first full length study of the Gospels' treatment of Jesus' appearance, exploring precisely why, though Christ's image is recognised throughout the modern world, he is not physically described in the texts. Nelson argues that while the Gospels resemble Graeco-Roman biographies in their focus on a single individual, they also frequently depart from the genre's conventions; one of their most glaring omissions, picked up in recent scholarship, is their total silence on what Jesus looked like.

Nelson thus explores how the evangelists as Jewish authors might have uniquely engaged both the genre of the Gospels and the topic of Jesus' physical appearance. He makes clear the distinction between two broad attitudes Jewish authors took to Greek genres: to assimilate that genre's conventions, and to 'indigenise,' or adopt the conventions of Jewish narrative prototypes in their adaption of Greek forms. Utilising genre theory, masculinity studies and post-colonial theory, Nelson consequently argues against the common view that Jewish writers simply adopted the same obsession with appearances that their gentile neighbours expressed, suggesting instead that the Gospels' reticence to describe Jesus' body may have been influenced by the reticence of biblical texts to describe the Lord's body.

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