That British Museum lecture was a success

UPDATE: British Museum event on Ancient Israel and Judah draws largest audience of Jewish Culture Month (Board of Deputies of British Jews).

A British Museum talk exploring the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah drew the largest audience of Jewish Culture Month, with around 4000 people joining in person and online.

The lecture, delivered by Dr Paul Collins, Keeper of the Department of the Middle East at the British Museum, explored how objects in the Museum’s collection illuminate the history of ancient Israel and Judah, offering insights into its cultures and societies. Artefacts from across the region bring to life the daily lives and political struggles described in the Book of Kings of the Hebrew Bible as well Assyrian and Babylonian chronicles. The ancient historical events illustrated through the artefacts shape Jewish culture and practice through to the present day.

[...]

British Museum defies intimidation to host ancient Israel lecture. Rescheduled Jewish Culture Month lecture proceeds without interruption (Jenni Frazer, Jewish News).

This time, the museum was taking no chances and had layers of security which ensured that only ticket-holders to the lecture were able to get into the building.

Everyone was then funnelled through a security tent for a first bag search, before being asked to go through a second bag search, immediately outside the lecture theatre.

Before people were allowed inside, about 15 museum staff were given a briefing as to what actions to take if anyone in the 100-strong audience tried to disrupt Dr Collins.

Well done.

Background here and links.

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The rest of the review series on Vidas, The Rise of Talmud

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW has continued its review series on Moulie Vidas's book, The Rise of Talmud. I was away for a bit and got behind on noting the rest of the essays. Here they are:

Intellectual Profiles in both Talmud and Midrash (Maren Niehoff)

To conclude, I have greatly benefited from Vidas’ book and am sure that it will inspire further research. The area where my own views differ most distinctly from his pertain to the impact of redaction. Both the individual profile of rabbis and the image of geographical centers of learning seem to me to be more complicated and filtered through cultural and political agendas.

Vidas’ Yerushalmi and the Reputation of the Tannaim (Ishay Rosen-Zvi)

Moulie uncovers a new world of distinctions between the Yerushalmi and the Tannaitic literature. We’ve missed these distinctions because the Yerushalmi is usually studied as a supplement—either as a continuation of the tannaitic literature (revising traditions) or as a precursor to the Bavli (proto-sugyot).

Author Response: Moulie Vidas on the Rise of Talmud (Moulie Vidas)

The Rise of Talmud concludes with the argument that Talmud was distinctive because it centered humans reading other humans, as opposed to humans reading God; let this piece conclude with an argument for humans reading other humans as opposed to machines.

Yes.

I noted the first essay in the series here.

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The Ketef Hinnom silver amulets as ritual texts

DR JEREMY D. SMOAK: The Ketef Hinnom Amulets: Wearing the Priestly Blessing for Protection (TheTorah.com).

Inscribed in silver and rolled into scrolls, the Ketef Hinnom amulets, ca. 6th century B.C.E., contain an early version of the Priestly Blessing (Numbers 6:24–26). More than an important textual witness, they reveal that protective ritual practices were an integral part of Judahite religion, and show how divine blessing could be worn on the body, transforming sacred words into a tangible safeguard against danger, illness, and misfortune.

For more on the Ketef Hinnom inscribed silver amulets and their relation to the priestly blessing in Numbers, start here (cf. here and links) and follow the links. For more on Jeremy Smoak's work on the amulets, see here and links.

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That British Museum lecture on ancient Israel is this afternoon

RESCHEDULED: New date confirmed for postponed British Museum ancient Israel lecture. Jewish Culture Month event will now take place on 11 June after organisers delayed original take over security concerns (Annabel Sinclair, Jewish News).

The British Museum has now confirmed that ‘Ancient Israel and Judah in the British Museum’ will be held on Thursday, 11 June, from 3.30 pm to 4.30 pm.

The event will also be live-streamed for those unable to attend in person.

Further details are here.

Background here and links.

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Proverbs used Egyptian scribal techniques?

PROF. BERND U. SCHIPPER: Proverbs in Egyptian Scribal Style (TheTorah.com).

The parallels between Proverbs 22:17–23:11 and the Egyptian Instruction of Amenemope are well established. But how can their specific similarities—and differences—be explained? Rather than simply borrowing Egyptian wisdom traditions, the Hebrew author adopted the very scribal techniques used in Egyptian schools to study and transmit such texts, composing a wisdom teaching in Egyptian style that became part of the Book of Proverbs.

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Are the Nag Hammadi codices a "library?"

NAG HAMMADI WATCH: The hunt for the Gnostics, Christianity’s bogeyman. For decades, the Gnostic Gospels were widely believed to have been a library of ancient texts hidden away to protect their secrets. But what if the evidence for that is thinner than the papyrus the books were written on? (Candida Moss, National Geographic).

In sum, we do not know where the books were found, by how many people, or in what circumstances. And, because ‘Ali no longer remembered where he had found them, we cannot look for corroborating evidence.

The lack of archaeological context matters. The traditional story is that codices were buried for safekeeping and protection. But if they were found in a grave, then they look more like grave goods owned by a single individual. If they weren’t found together in a single jar or a single grave, then we don’t know how, or if, they are connected to one another. At that point, we can’t really claim they are a library.

In late antiquity, Gnosticism, like Neoplatonism. and Hermeticism, seems often (mostly?) to have been practiced by small groups around a teacher or by independents rather than by some extended "community." It would not be surprising if a collection of their books turned out to be a personal library, perhaps even owned by someone with traditional ecclesiastical or nondescript social connections.

For many posts on the Coptic Gnostic "library" (collection?) from Nag Hammadi, start here and follow the links. Othe relevant posts on Gnostic and similar movements are here, here, and here.

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Hannibal movie paused

CINEMA AND PUNIC WATCH: Netflix Pauses Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua’s Hannibal War Movie Over Budget Concerns (Angelique Jackson, Nick Vivarelli; Variety).

Variety previously reported that the historical epic was planning a summer shoot in Italy, with Fuqua directing and Washington starring as the Carthaginian general, who, as the official logline explains, “is widely regarded as one of the greatest military commanders in history.” However, the war movie — which was in early pre-production — has been put on pause while the producers, including Fuqua and Washington, and the studio hammer out budgetary concerns. The hope is for the project to move forward at Netflix once the concerns are addressed.

I hope Washington's Hannibal movie doesn't get stuck in "development hell" like Diesel's.

Background here and many links.

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Fraenkel ... Confrontation Stories among Rabbis in the Babylonian Talmud (Magnes, Hebrew)

NEW BOOK (IN HEBREW) FROM MAGNES PRESS:

The Fragility of the Mind
Confrontation Stories among Rabbis in the Babylonian Talmud
By: Yuval Fraenkel

Print $43 $30 (Launch Price)

More details

Publisher:Magnes Press
Year: 2026
Catalog number : 45-131185
ISBN: 978-965-7854-97-6
Pages: 380
Language: Hebrew
Weight: 760 gr.
Cover: Hardcover

Synopsis

Within the Babylonian Talmud are dozens of stories depicting sharp confrontations between the Amoraim, the Talmudic sages. These narratives portray the charged relationships among the sages, the emergence of conflict, and the profound emotional harm that results from it. Why do conflicts among the creators of Talmudic literature occupy such a central literary place? This book examines these stories as a distinct literary corpus. The analysis shows that the conflicts consistently center on one domain: injury to personal honor. They are also marked by a characteristic plot structure, in which conflict develops unintentionally and escalates uncontrollably, leading to a rupture between the characters. Using tools from narrative theory and comparative poetics, the book explores how these stories operate. They draw the reader into a web of misunderstandings and communicative failures, making simple moral judgment difficult. Instead, they direct attention to the inner and interpersonal worlds of the characters, and to the literary construction of the Talmudic study house as a space of mutual dependence and identity formation.

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What do the Phoenician inscriptions say?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: The Phoenician Alphabet in Archaeology. What did the Phoenicians record with their innovative script? (Josephine Quinn).

What did Phoenicians use this new technology to record? The truth is that we don’t really know. We have more that 10,000 inscriptions in Phoenician, from all over the Mediterranean, but almost all are short and formulaic, recording dedications to the gods, the deaths of friends and family members, or occasional brief magical texts. ...

This is a good overview of what we find in the sparse textual remains in ancient Phoenician. I already noted this essay when it came out in 2017. But BAS has just posted it again, so here are some more thoughts.

I can't imagine that the Phoenicians didn't write down their myths and legends, but it's likely that all the papyri and parchments they were written on have perished.

The surviving Greek quotations of the Phoenician History by the Roman-era writer Philo of Byblos do preserve some knowledge of Canaanite/Phoenician religion. Arguably his work is based on Phoenician sources, although it's difficult to say more than that.

The essay mentions the Phoenician administrative archive recently excavated at Idalion, Cyprus. Since it was published, another Phoenician archive has been excavated at nearby Kition-Pampoula (Kition-Bampoula) in Cyprus. More on it here and here. Alas, still no reports of any literary texts.

Cross-file under Phoenician Watch and Northwest Semitic Epigraphy.

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Did the Phoenicians give us democracy?

THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY: Did the Phoenicians Bring Democracy to Greece? (Brett Kaufman).

Democracy therefore evolved as a form of political competition. The idea of a government designed for the people and not just for the elite was not something that the Greeks gave to the Phoenicians. Instead, it was already being mandated at least politically if not legally by Phoenician kings and settlers before the Phoenicians ever taught the Greeks how to write; or in any case, right around that time. Leaders must compete with each other for followers, and the same held true in the free market of governmental forms, as we see between various city-states in the 1st millennium BC, both within and without Greece.

The author argues that the Minoans gave the concept to the Canaanites, who passed it on to the Tyrians. The Carthaginians got in on it too.

I noted the publication of Prof. Kaufman's book here. Cross-file under Phoenician Watch and Punic Watch.

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Aberbach, Ancient Bible Interpretation and its Legacies (Routledge)

NEW BOOK FROM ROUTLEDGE:

Ancient Bible Interpretation and its Legacies
Politics, Literature, and Heresy

By David Aberbach

Copyright 2026
Hardback
£124.00
eBook
£36.79
ISBN 9781041051435
300 Pages 4 B/W Illustrations
Published December 29, 2025 by Routledge

Description

Ancient Bible Interpretation and its Legacies: Politics, Literature, and Heresy offers a sweeping exploration of the evolving role of Bible interpretation from ancient to modern times, revealing its profound impact on religious, political, literary, and secular culture.

Tracing the origins of Midrash in post-Temple Judaism and its transmission across Christian and Islamic traditions, this book examines how scriptural exegesis has shaped – and been shaped by – historical trauma, national identity, and cultural transformation. It explores the central role of Midrash in Jewish survival and education, its responses to persecution and polemic, and its influence on mystical traditions, Zionism, and modern literary movements. Moving beyond religious contexts, the volume investigates how biblical interpretation has informed dissenting voices in English literature, the formation of modern nationalism, responses to anti-Semitism, and contemporary concerns from environmental ethics to the search for justice in postcolonial and global literatures. Through a rich tapestry of case studies – from ancient rabbis to Bunyan, Blake, Bialik, Orwell, and Achebe – it reveals the enduring power of homiletic traditions in shaping moral and political imagination across ages and cultures.

This book is essential reading for scholars of Jewish studies, religious studies, comparative literature, intellectual history, and cultural studies, offering a vital perspective on the complex legacies of ancient Bible interpretation in the modern world.

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The silver trumpets of Numbers 10, with pictures and sound!

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

The Silver Trumpets of Numbers 10

The silver trumpet from Tutankhamun’s tomb offers a striking material parallel to the two silver trumpets described in Numbers 10:1–10. Egyptian artifacts, biblical texts, later commentary, and the 1939 BBC recording of King Tut’s trumpets illuminate the passage’s royal, cultic, and military dimensions.

By Gary A. Rendsburg
Rutgers University
Department of Jewish Studies
May 2026

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A Turoyo version of the Syriac Bible?

(NEO-)ARAMAIC WATCH: Syriac Peshitta Bible now available in Turoyo (Surayt) in the Qadishapp (Syriac Press).

TUR ABDIN — To strengthen the presence of the spoken language Turoyo (Surayt) dialect in ecclesiastical and spiritual life, and facilitating easy access to the Syriac Bible, scholars of Syriac language and heritage continue have made a notable technological step in their efforts to provide religious and educational resources that help preserve cultural identity for future generations. They have now made the Syriac Bible available in Turoyo and in a mobile application. ...

This Turoyo (Surayt) edition is based on the Syriac Bible translation called the Peshitta (ܦܫܺܝܛܬܳܐ), the authoritative biblical text for churches of the Syriac Rite tradition.

For more on the modern Aramaic dialect of Turoyo spoken in the Tur Abdin region of Turkey, see here. The translation project was undertaken at the Mor Gabriel Monastery in Tur Abdin (Mardin), on which more here and many links.

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Is the Siloam Tunnel Inscription an accident memorial?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Was the Siloam Inscription a Message for the Dead? Rethinking the Siloam Tunnel with Ariel Cohen (Lauren K. McCormick ).

In the Spring 2026 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Ariel Cohen, Professor of Linguistics at Ben-Gurion University, has a new and highly original interpretation of the Siloam inscription. He calls much into question with a simple flip of the audience: He asks whether the Siloam inscription was written for the living, as has always been assumed, or if it was written for the dead.

That does explain some problems. But if it is a memorial inscription, it seems oddly allusive to me. It just describes the accident. No naming of those killed in it or any expression of mourning. But this interpretation is thought provoking. It could be right.

Unusually, the full BAR article is available at the link above. So read it and see what you think.

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Recovering biometric data from ancient bullae?

HEBREW EPIGRAPHY AND ANCIENT MATERIAL CULTURE: Fingerprints of Artisans and Officials Discovered on the Backs of Clay Seals from Ancient Jerusalem (Guillermo Carvajal, LBV).

Among the most personal findings revealed by this approach are fingerprints. The clay, while still wet and malleable, retained the ridges of the person who pressed the bulla against the cord that sealed the package. Uziel and Shalev’s team has managed to recover and individualize these impressions using photogrammetry and transformed reflectance techniques.

Although the age of the remains prevents matching them to specific identities, their morphology makes it possible to estimate the age and sex of the artisan or official who handled each piece, as well as the force applied in sealing. These traces, which no written record could have preserved, turn the bullae into somatic testimonies of the past.

I have already noted this new Israel Science Foundation project here. But this article has accessible coverage of the story, with emphasis on how the project is recovering the abovementioned biometric data, along with information about the material the bullae were attached to and what that might tell us about their function.

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Digitizing ancient inscriptions.

MICHAEL L. SATLOW: How Do You Teach a Computer to Read a Broken Ancient Inscription? It's complicated.

Digitizing an inscription into EpiDoc is not a trivial task. Information about an inscription, such as its context, size, find location, current location, language, place, etc., all must be entered into special fields in some database system (or directly given strict, uniform tags). This takes time and expertise. Even more laborious, though, is the digitization of the inscription’s text, even at its most simple level. Epigraphers typically (and ideally) transcribe an inscription in two formats. The first is called a diplomatic transcription, and seeks to record the inscription as it appears, with all the gaps, misspellings, etc. The second is sometimes called a normalized transcription. Both employ a specialized set of typographical markers.

Cross-file under Algorithm Watch and Epigraphy.

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Klein, Between the Lines (Gorgias)

NEW BOOK FROM GORGIAS PRESS:

Between the Lines
The Literary and Ideological Shaping of Judah’s Genealogies in the Book of Chronicles

By Neriah Klein

Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC
Availability: In stock
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-4632-4813-0
Formats *
Hardback (In Print) ISBN 978-1-4632-4813-0
eBook PDF (In Print) ISBN 978-1-4632-4814-7 on Gorgias Mobile App (Glassboxx)
Publication Status: In Print
Series: Perspectives on Hebrew Scriptures and its Contexts 38
Publication Date: Feb 19,2026
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Page Count: 507
Languages: English
ISBN: 978-1-4632-4813-0
Price: $114.95 (USD)
Your price: $68.97 (USD)

The book of Chronicles has received a revival in recent scholarship, making it one of the most studied books, and this is especially true from 1 Chronicles 10 onwards—often ignoring the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1–9. The Chronicler’s genealogies contain seemingly endless lists of names, with neither intriguing plot nor sublime poetry, and thus hardly generate interest in the reader. Yet this was not the Chronicler’s intention. When he incorporated these lists into his book, he shaped them with a deliberate and sophisticated literary design, serving distinct ideological and narrative purposes.

In Between the Lines, Klein takes the reader deep into the genealogies of the tribe of Judah (1 Chr 2:3–4:23) to expose these designs in all their glory and show the great richness inherent in seemingly boring texts. Through close literary analysis, the book uncovers structural patterns, thematic messages, and theological ideas embedded within the lists—revealing unexpected insights about identity, kingship, intermarriage, and the future envisioned by the Chronicler.

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JiSeong James Kwon, Wisdom Discourse and Torah in Second Temple Judaism (SBL)

NEW BOOK FROM SBL PRESS:

Wisdom Discourse and Torah in Second Temple Judaism: Challenging the Integration Paradigm
JiSeong James Kwon

ISBN 9781628377781
Volume AIL 52
Status Available
Publication Date November 2025
Hardback $105.00
Paperback $85.00
eBook $85.00

Did wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible develop over time from secular to religious, as many early modern scholars believed? Did it develop in reaction to historical events or out of conflict with other traditions, including Torah? In Wisdom Discourse and Torah in Second Temple Judaism, JiSeong James Kwon moves beyond this impasse by applying a discourse-critical method to intertextual readings of Proverbs, Ben Sira, the Wisdom of Solomon, Baruch, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Deuteronomy. Kwon’s study reveals that wisdom literature maintained an independent identity and theological orientation distinct from the legal traditions of the Torah. Rather than wisdom being subsumed into legal material, Jewish intellectual production remained pluralistic in form, genre, and theological orientation throughout the Persian and Hellenistic periods.

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