Israel turns in paperwork to withdraw from UNESCO

POLITICS: UNESCO chief receives Israel’s withdrawal notice: ‘I regret this deeply.’ Audrey Azoulay's confirmation of Israeli departure comes after last minute scramble to submit paperwork; Jewish state will leave UN's cultural arm on December 31, 2018 (Agencies and TOI Staff). There is still time to turn this back, but UNESCO will have to change its tune. Background here, here, and here.

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

The ruins of the Khokha Synagogue in Egypt

A CALL FOR RESTORATION: Fallen from Grace: Rabbi Hayyim El-Imshati Synagogue (Samar Samir, Egypt Today).

CAIRO - 30 December 2017: Walking in through the two-meter-wide entrance, you will find in the semi-demolished ramshackle and stumble across a big cement block and a corridor leading to a rickety staircase leading to the second floor, which is now collapsed and filled with an acrid smell. A few hundreds years ago, this place was a Fatimid-Caliphate era synagogue filled with supplicating people; now it is left to turn in to ruins.

Around 150 kilometers away from Cairo, at the Mahala Al Kobra’s Souk al-Labn in the Delta, stands the ruins of Rabbi Hayyim El-Imshati Synagogue.

The synagogue is also known as Synagogue of Khokhet El Yahoud, Ostad Synagogue and Rabbi El-Imshati Synagogue. The history of Khokha makes it a good candidate to be part of the Ministry of Antiquities’ future plan of developing and restoring the Egyptian Jewish heritage. The ministry has started on a big project to restore Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue in Alexandria, and has also registered Alexandria’s Menasce Synagogue as an antiquity, giving it further protection and potential restoration privileges.

Khokha Synagogue, however, is unregistered as an antiquity, an obstacle that stands in its way to restoration or being preserved.

[...]

This synagogue was founded in the eleventh century so it is not precisely ancient. But it is very old. It deserves some attention, so I am giving it some here. I hope it makes it onto the restoration list.

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

Best of Bible and Interpretation 2017

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION: Editors' Choice: The Best of 2017. I think I linked to most or all of these.

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

No, the Temple did not stand over the Gihon Spring

TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH: Jerusalem’s Garbage. How garbage disposes of the idea that the Temple once stood over the Gihon Spring (Leen Ritmeyer).

It is interesting to read historical sources including the Bible, but if the interpretation of the text conflicts with archaeological evidence, positive or negative, the theory itself becomes garbage.

Background here.

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

Monster Theory

REMNANT OF GIANTS BLOG: Monster Theory in Biblical Studies. And what better place to catch up on your Monster Theory?

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

A rabbi reviews the Museum of the Bible

MUSEUM REVIEW: A Rabbi’s Take on the New Museum of the Bible (Rabbi Perry Tirschwell, The Jewish Link).

Should Orthodox families and yeshiva day schools visit this museum, which opened just before Thanksgiving in Washington, D.C.? It was founded, and to a large extent paid for, by the Evangelical Christian family who are the owners of the 600-store Hobby Lobby chain, who successfully challenged Obamacare’s mandate to pay for morning-after pills in the Supreme Court. Is this museum a subterfuge for Christian indoctrination? I went to find out.

I was simultaneously blown away, and underwhelmed, by the Museum of the Bible.

[...]

For many, many past PaleoJudaica posts on the Museum of the Bible and related matters, see here and links.

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

A year 5 shekel from the Great Revolt

NUMISMATICS: NGC Ancient Coins Highlight January 2018 Auctions (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation, Coin World). There are two coins from the Jewish War, including this unusual one:

Lot 32080 – A Year 5 silver shekel from the Jewish War, graded NGC XF with a 4/5 Strike and 3/5 Surface. This extremely rare coin was struck in 70 or 71 CE, during the terrifying, final stage of the Jewish revolt against Rome that led to the destruction of Jerusalem. Heritage Auctions estimates its value at $100,000 to $150,000.

As always, but especially with unusual artifacts like this one, I hope the buyer will be willing to make the objects available to scholars for study, if requested.

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

CFP: Conference on Religious and Philosophical Conversion in the ancient Mediterranean

RELIGION PROF: #CFP Conference on Religious and Philosophical Conversion in Ancient Mediterranean Traditions (James McGrath). In Bonn in September of 2018. Looks interesting.

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

Ross on the founding of the IOSCS

WILLIAM ROSS: JELLICOE’S LETTER & THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE IOSCS. IOSCS stands for the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies. This is the first in a series of blog posts on an archive of information about the IOSCS that William recently acquired from Robert Kraft. I look forward to many more posts on this material.

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

Joseph as a prophet?

JASON TRON: Joseph: The Making of a Prophet (TheTorah.com).

The Torah is silent about the nature of Joseph’s dreams: What do they mean? Do they come from God? This ambiguity is part of the literary artistry of the story, which relates Joseph’s “coming of age” as a prophet.

I would call Joseph a "mantic sage," like Daniel, rather than a prophet. I'm surprised that there is no reference to Daniel in this essay. The parallels between the mediatory functions of Daniel and Joseph are extensive.

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

CT's Biblical Archaeology top 10 for 2017

IT WAS A GOOD YEAR: Biblical Archaeology’s Top 10 Discoveries of 2017 (Gordon Govier, Christianity Today).

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

Did Jesus Exist? - reprised

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible. Lawrence Mykytiuk’s feature article from the January/February 2015 issue of BAR with voluminous endnotes. This BHD essay was originally published in 2014 and I linked to it here. But things are quiet and they've just republished, so I'm linking to it again. Related PaleoJudaica posts are collected at the latter link. And more recent relevant posts are here, here, here, and here.

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

The camp of the 6th Legion near Megiddo

ARCHAEOLOGY: Cremated Soldier Found in Cooking Pot at Vast Roman Camp in Israel. The camp discovered by Armageddon is the only full-scale Roman legionary base found so far in the East: It housed the 'Ironclad' Sixth Legion, a cremated comrade in a cooking pot, and a Sacred Eagle, whose birdly squawks would be interpreted as portents of war (Philippe Bohstrom, Haaretz).

A monumental gate and dedicatory inscription in Latin are among the finds unearthed at the vast Roman military encampment discovered at Legio, near Tel Megiddo in northern Israel. The huge gate led to the principia, or headquarters.

The existence of the camp categorically proves the assumption, which had been based on multiple sources, that ancient Rome maintained a massive military presence in the Galilee some 1,900 years ago.

The camp at Legio (also known as Lajjun) dates to the 2nd and 3rd centuries C.E. Today covered by crops, then it was home to the famous Sixth Legion.

[...]

A long and informative article. Past PaleoJudaica posts on the excavation of the camp of the Sixth Legion are here, here, here, and here.

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

On the elusive Elder John and lost books

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

Would the Real Elder John Please Stand up?

Our information about the “Elder John,” the source of our earliest traditions about the origins of the Gospels, is quite meager. There was even a basic disagreement among Patristic interpreters about whether or not the “Elder John” should be identified as or distinguished from the “Apostle John.” This article will explore the competing ideological agendas in the debate over the Elder John’s identity. It draws on the third chapter of my book The Beloved Apostle? The Transformation of the Apostle John into the Fourth Evangelist (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017). Used by permission of Wipf and Stock Publishers. www.wipfandstock.com.

See Also: Why Did the Gospel of Mark Survive?

By Michael J. Kok, Ph.D.
www.jesusmemoirs.wordpress.com
December 2017

I know others have strong views about the matter, but I myself cannot do any better than the conclusion of this essay.

Back in 2005 I quoted Michael Pahl's mention of Papais' Expositions of the Logia of the Lord as one of those lost books that we really wish we still had. It almost certainly will never be recovered, but if it were, it would answer many questions. No doubt it would also raise many more.

Incidentally, that 2005 post introduced PaleoJudaica's longstanding interest in lost books. For past posts on the subject, see here, here, and here, and follow the links back to the original 2005 post.

And incidental to that, isn't it interesting to see how many of the blogs I linked to in that original post now themselves are lost books?

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

Review of the "Keep Up Your Biblical Languages in Two Minutes a Day" series

WILLIAM ROSS: REVIEW: KEEP UP YOUR BIBLICAL LANGUAGES IN TWO MINUTES A DAY (HENDRICKSON).

You don't necessarily need these books to keep up you biblical languages. But if you find them helpful, by all means use them.

For many other interesting blog posts by William Ross, see here and links.

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

Again on the birth stories in Matthew and Luke

REMNANT OF GIANTS: Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem Again: Possible Harmonizing Interpretations versus Probable Contextual Interpretations. A follow-up post by Dr. Galbraith to his earlier post on the New Testament Nativity stories, noted here. Yes, I was agreeing with Deane. I also agree that two conflicting accounts can always be harmonized by introducing enough secondary assumptions, but that often that is not good exegesis.

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

Exhibition on Hippos-Sussita

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAIFA: New Exhibition Tells Story of Sussita as Israel Transitioned from Paganism to Christianity (JNi.Media).

A pagan amulet used by a senior clergyman at the church in Hippos (Sussita), a fresco depicting the Greek goddess Tyche on a wall by the church; and a figurine of one of the regular participants in the alcohol-soaked processions devoted to the god of wine Dionysus all tell the story of ancient Hippos during the transition from the pagan Roman period to the Christian-Byzantine era. These and other findings are on display in a new exhibition in the University of Haifa’s Hecht Museum entitled Before the Earth Shook: the Ancient City of Hippos-Sussita Emerges. “The case of Hippos clearly shows how in the center of the city, the residents – including Christian clergy – openly and publicly continued to use the pagan emblems of the Roman era,” explains Dr. Michael Eisenberg of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa, who is directing the excavations at Hippos.

[...]

The site of Hippos-Sussita has produced many exciting artifacts and architectural finds. For past PaleoJudaica posts, start here and follow the links.

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

Postel (trans. Weiss), On the Conciliation of Nature and Grace

NEW BOOK FROM MAGNES PRESS:

On the Conciliation of Nature and Grace
A Latin Translation and Commentary on the Zohar by Guillaume Postel (1510-1581)

By Guillaume Postel
Translation: Judith Weiss

Publisher: The Hebrew University Magnes Press
Categories: Jewish Studies, Christianity, Jewish Mysticism
Publish date: November 2017
Language: Hebrew
Danacode: 45-141030
ISBN: 978-965-7759-28-8
Cover: Paperback
Pages: 373
Weight: 800 gr.

Ever since its emergence in the thirteenth-century, Jewish Kabbalah, and most prominently – the Book of Zohar, has captured the hearts of Jewish as well as non-Jewish readers. Significant interest in Kabbalah is evident in the Renaissance, when various Christian Scholars accepted the traditional Jewish narrative, according to which the corpus of medieval Jewish Kabbalah is the Oral Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai. The sixteenth century is rightfully considered the golden age of this kind of Christian interest in Jewish Kabbalah. During this period a group of scholars, high-rank priests, and secular rulers were familiar with Kabbalistic notions, some of these Christians read the Kabbalistic treatises, whether in their original versions or in translation, some even composed commentaries or translated them into Latin, and most important - they incorporated Kabbalistic notions into their own theological and messianic conceptions. Among Kabbalistic writings, most of these thinkers' attention was drawn to the Zohar, and some of them attempted to translate parts of it into Latin. The first comprehensive, though not complete Latin translation of the Zohar was composed by the French orientalist and mystic Guillaume Postel in the middle of the 16th century. Postel was a prolific and original thinker, who developed an elaborate messianic theological schema, which he based upon Kabbalistic notions. Convinced, as he was, that the Zohar is the perfect and ultimate expression of his own messianic concepts, he embarked on his life project – producing a Latin translation and commentary on the Zohar. This fascinating commentary on the Zohar never appeared in print nor was it ever translated into any language. In Judith Weiss's On the Conciliation of Nature and Grace substantial parts of Postel's Commentaries on the Zohar are presented in the original Latin vis a vis her Hebrew translation, accompanied by introductions and notes, elucidating Postel's unique perception of the Zohar and the Kabbalah.

Cross-file under Zohar Watch. For many past PaleoJudaica posts on the Zohar, start here (cf. here) and follow the links.

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

Another review of Jenkins, the Crucible of Faith

BOOK REVIEW: Baylor history professor sees crucial era shaping Christmas story (Carl Hoover, Waco Tribune-Herald). Excerpt:

“There’s a real cultural and spiritual revolution in that period,” Jenkins said.

Power struggles over territory in the decades after Alexander’s death in 323 B.C. — primarily between the Seleucid and the Ptolemaic dynasties, with Rome coming to dominate both — and popular revolts against those ruling powers made ripe conditions for cultural and theological ferment, captured in the title of Jenkins’ newest history, “Crucible Of Faith: The Ancient Revolution That Made Our Modern Religious World.”

Jewish books and writings from that period, some preserved in the Apocrypha found between the Old and New Testaments in many Bibles, show the development of new ideas on angels and demons, Satan, heaven, hell, a messiah and a final apocalypse between good and evil, Jenkins said.

The Book of 1 Enoch, written in approximately the second century B.C., proved a pivotal work, particularly in its description of supernatural beings and existence.

For past PaleoJudaica posts on the book, see here and links.

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

Tucker, The Holiness Composition in the Book of Exodus

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: PAAVO N. TUCKER, The Holiness Composition in the Book of Exodus. [Die Heiligkeitskomposition in Exodus.] 2017. IX, 230 pages. Forschungen zum Alten Testament 2. Reihe 98. 79,00 €. sewn paper. ISBN 978-3-16-155190-1.

Published in English.
In this study, Paavo N. Tucker considers the different models of formation for the Priestly literature of the Pentateuch through an analysis of the Priestly texts in Exodus and how they relate to the Holiness Code in Lev 17–26. The texts in Exodus that are traditionally assigned to the Priestly Grundschrift are not concerned with the priestly matters of Exod 25-Lev 16, but are better understood as relating to the language, theology, and concerns of Lev 17–26, and should be assigned to the same strata of H with Lev 17–26. The same applies to the Priestly narratives beginning in Gen 1. The Priestly literature in Gen 1-Lev 26 form a composition that develops the themes of creation, Sabbath, sanctuary, and covenant to their climactic expression and culmination in the legal promulgation and ethical paraenesis of H in Lev 17–26. The author shows that, rather than being a “Priestly composition” as Erhard Blum argues, it is more fitting to see this literature as an “H composition,” which weaves narrative and law together in order to motivate obedience to the laws of Lev 17–26.

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

Why gold, frankincense, and myrrh?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Why Did the Magi Bring Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh? Medicinal uses of frankincense may help explain the gifts of the magi. Maybe. But I doubt that the baby Jesus was suffering from arthritis.

Cross-file under 'Tis the Season.

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

A Maccabean battle at Shilo

BELATED HANUKKAH-RELATED NEWS: Ancient findings show how Maccabees defeated the Greeks. Archeological excavation in Shilo reveals ancient Greek community attacked by the Maccabees in the Great Revolt, showing the great battle that took place at the site (Elisha Ben Kimon, YnetNews).

Rare finds discovered in excavations conducted in ancient Shilo in Binyamin show how the Maccabees defeated the Greeks there.

A Hellenistic (Greek) structure that was destroyed during the Maccabean Revolt, which broke out following the religious decrees of Antiochus IV, was discovered in the excavations.

[...]

The discoveries more "show that" than "show how," but are significant nonetheless. Incidentally, the phrase "Great Revolt" is usually reserved for the first revolt against Rome in 66-70 CE. This article is about the Maccabean Revolt in 167-164 BCE.

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

On the rescue of the Mar Benham manuscripts

THE MANUSCRIPTS MEN: The men saving history from ISIS. In the face of danger, a pair of padres are finding and protecting ancient religious books and manuscripts from terrorists (Lesley Stahl, 60 Minutes).

We have come across an unlikely band of brothers on the battlefield against terrorism. They are men of the cloth, a pair of padres, who go into harm's way to find and protect ancient religious books and manuscripts.

We joined them in a region of Iraq that was once Mesopotamia where human culture and learning really began. It's believed to be the birthplace of mathematics, writing and agriculture and recently, the scene of some of the fiercest battles in the U.S.-backed war against ISIS.

Father Columba: I think it's the graffiti that's most horrifying to me.

Father Columba, a Benedictine monk from Minnesota and Father Najeeb Michaeel, a Dominican friar from Iraq decided to partner up to rescue what old documents they could from places like this monastery, Mar Behnam, in Northern Iraq that goes back to the 4th century. It was occupied and defaced by ISIS.

[...]

See also: The manuscripts saved by a monk. A monk from Minnesota travels the world to preserve ancient documents. Here's a look at what he's saved from war, weather and other forces of nature (60 Minutes Overtime). The monk is the abovementioned Father Columba Stewart, on whom more here.

PaleoJudaica followed this story as it was happening, although parts happened behind the scenes and only came to light later. Before the ISIS occupation, Father Yousef Sakat hid more than four hundred manuscripts at the site of the Mar Benham monastery and they remained hidden until the monastery was liberated. For details, see here and links.

It's good to see 60 Minutes taking notice of this story.

While we're on the topic, let's take note that here at the end of 2017, ISIS has been annihilated in the Middle East. Only its last pockets of resistance remain to be mopped up. That doesn't mean it can't still cause some trouble, there and elsewhere, but it is critically weakened.

I didn't see that coming. Things looked very grim in 2014 and 2015. But good riddance. Let's hope for better things for the people there in 2018.

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

Maronite Aramaic at Jish

(MODERN) ARAMAIC WATCH: Do you hear what I hear? Christians in Holy Land revive the language of Jesus (CBC/Yahoo News).

In the hills of the Galilee, the lush region in the Holy Land where it's said that Jesus Christ grew up, residents of the town of Jish are preparing to celebrate Christmas Mass in the language Jesus spoke.

A handful of people from Jish are at the centre of an effort to revive the Aramaic language — centuries after it all but disappeared from the Middle East.

[...]

More on the Maronite revival of Aramaic in Jish here and links. I'm glad to hear that they are still at it.

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

Christmas 2017

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all those celebrating!

For posts of Christmas past, see my 2016 Christmas post and links. Christmas-related posts in the last year are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here (cf. here), and here.

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

Britt and Boustan, The Elephant Mosaic Panel in the Synagogue at Huqoq

NEW BOOK FROM THE JOURNAL OF ROMAN ARCHAEOLOGY SUPPLEMENT SERIES:

Published December 13, 2017.
S106. THE ELEPHANT MOSAIC PANEL IN THE SYNAGOGUE AT HUQOQ: OFFICIAL PUBLICATION AND INITIAL INTERPRETATIONS, by Karen Britt and Ra'anan Boustan. Paperback, 7 x 10 inch. 82 pages, 21 figures including colour. List price $49.75. Prepublication price to JRA individual subscribers $39.75.
Huqoq elephant panel update: with information on further discussions of the interpretation of the mosaic
Authorized photographs of the mosaic are now available on the National Geographic Society's popular news website: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/09/mysterious-mosaic-alexander-the-great-israel/ The full publication of the mosaic, however, is only available in JRA Supplement 106.

More on the ancient elephant mosaic from Huqoq is here and links. And for much more on the Huqoq excavation and the other mosaics excavated there, start here and follow the links.

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

Brooke to give Dirk Smilde Fellowship Inaugural Lecture

UPCOMING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GRONINGEN: Dirk Smilde Fellowship Inaugural Lecture by Prof. Dr. George J. Brooke: "A Summer's Day? With What Shall We Compare the Dead Sea Scrolls?" On 2 Feburary 2018.

Prof. George Brooke’s inaugural lecture asks: to what should the Dead Sea Scrolls be compared? Over the years, many comparisons have been offered: sometimes with texts from the second millennium BCE, sometimes with texts from the Middle Ages, and with everything in between. Comparisons have also been made with items from Babylon to Italy, and from Asia Minor to Egypt. How should such comparisons be controlled? What makes a comparison appropriate? With eight examples from the Bible to the Copper Scroll, from Libraries to Voluntary Associations, the lecture will address some of the issues as it seeks to locate and illuminate the Dead Sea Scrolls within a broader comparative frame of reference.

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

Jesus' birth according to Matthew and Luke

REMNANT OF GIANTS: The Two Stories of Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem. In a festive spirit, Deane Galbraith reminds us that the Christmas story is a combination of two irreconcilable accounts from the New Testament.

Cross-file under 'Tis the Season.

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

Jesus films poll at Duke

'TIS THE SEASON: Favourite -- and least favourite -- Jesus Films (Mark Goodacre, NT Blog). Professor Goodacre was surprised by this year's result, but I am not. Who can resist Aramaic?

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