Review of Mastrocinque, The Mysteries of Mithras

BYRN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Attilio Mastrocinque, The Mysteries of Mithras: A Different Account. Orientalische Religionen in der Antike, 24. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2017. Pp. xxi, 363. ISBN 9783161551123. €99.00. ISBN 9783161551185. (ebook). Reviewed by Dominic Dalglish, Worcester College, Oxford (dominic.dalglish@worc.ox.ac.uk).

In this volume, Attilio Mastrocinque brings together work undertaken over the past two decades to offer a bold account of the formation and beliefs of the Roman Mysteries of Mithras. Its subtitle, ‘A Different Account’, offers the first clear sign that the work is far from conventional. It can in fact be considered controversial, at once managing to hark back to the work of the father of the discipline, Franz Cumont, whilst offering a thesis that would, should it be widely accepted, fundamentally change our understanding of this most intriguing of religious phenomena.

[...]

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Collins, Villiers, & Collins (eds.), Apocalypticism and Mysticism in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity

NEW BOOK FROM DE GRUYTER:

Apocalypticism and Mysticism in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity

Ed. by Collins, John J. / Villiers, Pieter G. R. / Yarbro Collins, Adela

Series: Ekstasis: Religious Experience from Antiquity to the Middle Ages 7

Hardcover
Publication Date: September 2018
ISBN 978-3-11-059183-5

Aims and Scope
The nature and origin of Jewish mysticism is a controversial subject.
This volume explores the subject by examining both the Hebrew and Aramaic tradition (Dead Sea Scrolls, 1 Enoch) and the Greek philosophical tradition (Philo) and also examines the Christian transformation of Jewish mysticism in Paul and Revelation. It provides for a nuanced treatment that differentiates different strands of thought that may be considered mystical. The Hebrew tradition is mythical in nature and concerned with various ways of being in the presence of God. The Greek tradition allows for a greater degree of unification and participation in the divine. The New Testament texts are generally closer to the Greek tradition, although Greek philosophy would have a huge effect on later Christian mysticism.
The book is intended for scholars and advanced students of ancient Judaism and early Christianity.

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The meaning of Sarah’s expulsion of Hagar?

DR. RABBI DAVID FREIDENREICH: What Does Sarah’s Expulsion of Hagar Signify for Abraham’s Descendents? (TheTorah.com).

Paul, in the 1st c., allegorizes the expulsion of Hagar to argue that his rivals should be expelled from the church, a lesson applied by later Christians to their own Jewish and Muslim rivals. Ramban, in the 13th c., uses the same biblical story to explain why Jews of his day are persecuted. Such readings highlight an assumption ingrained in Judaism and Christianity alike: Biblical stories speak to the present-day circumstances of their audience.

Exegesis and politics often go together.

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Children in the Bible and in ANE archaeology

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: What Does the Bible Say About Children—and What Does Archaeology Say? Examining the lives of ancient children (Megan Sauter).

Using ancient texts and archaeological remains, Kristine Henriksen Garroway of Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles, reconstructs what life was like for the average child in ancient Israel—and throughout the Near East during the Bronze and Iron Ages. In her article “Children in the Ancient Near East,” published in the November/December 2018 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, she explains that as soon as they were able, children became part of the household economic system. They helped in ways suitable for their age. Thus, their lives were more work and less play than many of us may have envisioned.

It's a bit grim that our best evidence comes from ancient child burials.

As usual, this BHD essay is a summary of a BAR article that is behind the subscription wall.

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Tel Shimron

EXCAVATION: Archaeologists Seek Signs of Joshua's Conquest in Last Unexplored Biblical City. Scrambling to save the last unexcavated biblical town from dirt bikers, archaeologists have found layers going back more than 4,000 years, since before Joshua's time (Ariel David, Haaretz premium). Note that this site is not to be confused with Shomron, which is ancient Samaria/Sebaste.

Shimron is one of the last major biblical sites yet to be properly explored by archaeologists. Now the tel, a mound formed by subsequent levels of human habitation, has become the focus of a major expedition. The archaeologists have already turned up the remains of a large Canaanite city from the Middle Bronze Age; a prosperous Hellenistic town with international connections; and a Jewish village from the Roman era.

Researchers hope the site will help answer key questions about the historicity of the Bible, including, possibly, whether the Israelite conquest narrated in the Book of Joshua actually happened.

I'm not holding my breath on that one. But if the question brings in funding, I'm for it.

Fun fact: the excavation is funded by the Museum of the Bible.

The site is also important for the Second Temple era:

During this phase, the village was called Simonias, and played a key role in Jewish history. It is mentioned in the Talmud and the Mishna, and it also appears in the autobiography of Josephus Flavius, the Jewish general and historian charged with defending the Galilee during the Great Revolt of 66-70 C.E.

It was at Simonias, Josephus tells us, that he won a victory against the Romans, temporarily halting their advance in the region. Josephus would eventually switch over to the Romans after being captured, but perhaps it is a testament to his early military prowess that the Jewish village at Simonias appears to have endured well into the 4th century.

A long article worth reading. Haaretz requires free registration for access to the full text.

Past PaleoJudaica posts on the Tel Shimron excavation are here and here.

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Late-antique Aramaic poetry

THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY: Aramaic Poetry: A Window into Jewish Life in Late Antiquity (Laura S. Lieber).

Foremost among this body of nonliturgical, non-Hebrew Jewish poetry is a small body of poems in Jewish Palestinian Aramaic (JPA). These poems, written to embellish the observance of holidays and life-cycle events, do not reflect a rebellion against institutions—they do not exist in tension with the Hebrew poems and the liturgy of the synagogue—but rather offer a window through which a bit more of Jewish life, as lived Jewishly, can yet be perceived.

This essay is based on Professor Lieber's recent book, Jewish Aramaic Poetry from Late Antiquity, which I noted here. And I also noted a relevant essay by her in the Geniza Fragment of the Month series. Cross-file under Aramaic Watch.

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Building a 5th minaret on the Temple Mount?

TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH: Jordan Renews Its Request to Build a Fifth Minaret on the Temple Mount (Nadav Shragai, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs).

Jordan has asked Israel to allow it to build a fifth minaret on the Temple Mount, on the eastern wall of the Mount, facing the Mount of Olives. The Jordanian request is not new, and as far as it is known, at least at this stage, Israel does not intend to allow it. This issue has again been put on the public agenda, along with other matters relating to the ties between Jordan and Israel on the Temple Mount, in light of Jordan’s decision not to renew the lease agreement for land in Naharayim and the Arava, which Israeli farmers have been working for the past 25 years.

[...]

As I have said many times, I oppose any construction or excavation on the Temple Mount until we have non-invasive and non-destructive technologies to do the work.

That said, I am a political realist. It does not sound as though this request has any traction. I doubt it will come to anything. But if for some reason it were approved, I would expect Jordan to fund generously a scientific archaeological excavation of the construction site.

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Dell and Kynes (eds.), Reading Proverbs Intertextually

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Reading Proverbs Intertextually

Editor(s): Katharine J. Dell, Will Kynes

Published: 18-10-2018
Format: Hardback
Edition: 1st
Extent: 272
ISBN: 9780567667373
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies
Volume: 629
Dimensions: 234 x 156 mm
RRP: £85.00
Online price: £76.50
Save £8.50 (10%)

About Reading Proverbs Intertextually
Sitting alongside the partner volumes Reading Job Intertextually (2012) and Reading Ecclesiastes Intertextually (2014) also published in the Library of Hebrew and Old testament Studies, this addition to the series continues the study of intertextuality in the Hebrew Bible. Dell and Kynes provide the first comprehensive treatment of intertextuality in Proverbs. Topics addressed include the intertextual resonances between Proverbs, and texts across the Hebrew canon, as well as texts throughout history, from the Dead Sea Scrolls to African and Chinese proverbial literature. The contributions, though comprehensive, do not provide clear-cut answers, but rather invite further study into connections between Proverbs and external texts, highlighting ideas and issues in relation to the extra texts discussed themselves.

The volume gathers together scholars with specific expertise on the array of texts that intersect with Proverbs and these scholars in turn bring their own insights to the texts at hand. In particular the contributors have been encouraged to pursue the intertextual approach that best suits their topic, thereby offering readers a valuable collection of intertextual case studies that address a single biblical book.

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The MOTB and BHD on the forged DSS fragments

PRESS RELEASE: Museum of the Bible Releases Research Findings on Fragments in Its Dead Sea Scrolls Collection. I received this by e-mail just after I posted on this story. The online link comes via Christian Askeland at the ETC Blog. It seems only fair to let the Museum give its own side of the story.

Also, Bible History Daily has posted an essay on the story by Biblical Archaeology Review chief editor Robert Cargill: Five Museum of the Bible Dead Sea Scrolls Are Fake. Scientific tests conducted on Dead Sea Scroll fragments. Unlike some of the press coverage, Professor Cargill's evaluation is balanced and thoughtful. Excerpt:

The Museum of the Bible should be commended for submitting the scroll fragments for analysis and for releasing the results of the study’s findings, even though the results would be embarrassing for the museum. This, however, is the best way forward for the Museum of the Bible. Full transparency should be the museum’s modus operandi moving forward. This is the only way to begin to repair the damage done to the institution’s credibility following years of scholarly protest and concern about their collection.

From this point forward, it is my hope that the people who are hired by the Museum of the Bible, from the museum’s newly-announced CEO, Ken McKenzie, on down, will take seriously the criticisms and the advice of the scholarly community and focus on becoming a world-class museum

That's exactly right. The Museum and the Green collection has made some serious mistakes, especially early on. But I prefer to judge people, not by their mistakes, but by how they deal with their mistakes. That's how we all want to be judged ourselves. So far, the MOTP has responded well. I hope that continues.

Background here. For many past PaleoJudaica posts on the Museum of the Bible and the Green Collection, start here (also here) and follow the links.

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The People's Talmud

TALMUD WATCH: PEOPLE’S TALMUD LAUNCHES ONLINE. The new resource will contain 7,000 entries from the pages of the Talmud to make the wisdom of the ancient Jewish text accessible and relevant to all (Jeremy Sharon, Jerusalem Post).

Ever been totally snookered by Aramaic? Can’t tell your Babylonian Talmud from your Jerusalem Talmud? Is your Talmudic concentration span shorter than Rabban Gamliel’s fuse?

If your answer to these questions is yes, or even “huh?” then the “People’s Talmud” project might well be for you.

[...]

Sounds like a creative project.

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The Historical Dictionary of the Hebrew Language online

THE AWOL BLOG: Ma'agarim: The Historical Dictionary of the Hebrew Language. I linked to an article on the Historical Dictionary some years ago here. But now it is available online.

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HB/Second-Temple-era job at Santa Clara University

TENURED/TENURE-TRACK ACADEMIC POSITION: Open Rank Professor in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament — The Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in California.

The Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University invites applications for an open-rank position in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament with a specialization in the second temple era, to begin Fall 2019. Areas of sub-specialization are open, but may include Wisdom Literature, the Psalms, Deuterocanonical Books, Intertestamental Literature, and Qumran. In addition to firm grounding in traditional methods of interpretation, applicants with facility in such approaches as Literary, Cultural, Postcolonial, Feminist Criticisms of texts, and ability to teach all levels of Hebrew are invited to apply. Particular consideration will be given to candidates attentive to cultural context, interdisciplinarity (i.e., Bible and Spirituality, Bible and Interreligious Dialogue, Bible and the Quran, etc.), and a willingness to teach on-line. Candidates must demonstrate promise/success as a teaching scholar and understand and support the school’s Ignatian mission.

[...]

Follow the link for further particulars and application information. The closing date for applications is 10 November 2018.

Seen on Facebook.

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The Devil in Judaism

HISTORY OF TRADITION: Do Jews Believe in the Devil? Satan didn’t arise from Hell fully formed. The concept of an ultimate Evil One was apparently borrowed from the Persians and continued to evolve throughout antiquity (Elon Gilad, Haaretz premium). This is a good overview of the evidence for the development of the idea of Satan or the Devil in Judaism from antiquity into the Middle Ages. I would be a little cautious about assigning specific dates to the texts in the Hebrew Bible, but most specialists would more or less agree with the flow of thought proposed in the article.

A few small points.

The reference to "Samyaza" in the "Book of Enoch" is more accurately to "Shemihazah," the fallen watcher in 1 Enoch who led the watchers down from heaven to mate with mortal women. His name has something to do with seeing and "My name." "Samyaza" is a later form of the name, I think(?) the form in the Ethiopic translation of 1 Enoch.

There is no reference to Mastema in the Book of Watchers (which is the first section of 1 Enoch). He does appear in Jubilees and in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The words Satan and Mastema come from two different, but very similar, Hebrew roots (√śṭn and √śṭm, respectively). The roots have different, but very similar meanings ("to be an adversary to" and "to be hostile to," respectively).

For many past PaleoJudaica posts on the Devil/Satan (a.k.a. Azazel, Belial, and Beelzeboul) start here and follow the links.

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Ancient Jews with Greek names

PHILOLOGOS: Some Notable First-Century BCE Palestinian Jews With Greek Names. A recent archaeological discovery in Jerusalem reminds us that Jews once bore names like Antigonus, Aristobulus, and, possibly, Daedalus (Mosaic Magazine). There were lots of them.

Background on the recently discovered "Jerusalem inscription" is here and links.

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Zakovitch, The Song of Songs

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

The Song of Songs
Riddle of Riddles

By: Yair Zakovitch

Published: 20-09-2018
Format: Hardback
Edition: 1st
Extent: 136
ISBN: 9780567676139
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies
Volume: 673
Dimensions: 234 x 156 mm
RRP: £85.00
Online price: £76.50
Save £8.50 (10%)

About The Song of Songs
The Hebrew Bible is religious literature, the fundamental interest of which lies in the relations between humankind, especially the people of Israel, and God. The Song of Songs, on the other hand, is interested in the relations between men and women. In this volume Yair Zakovitch examines the presence of the Song of Songs in the Hebrew Bible, and questions how this enigmatic collection of poetic writings came to be within the Bible.

Zakovitch poses and addresses a range of enticing questions in the eight chapters of this volume, including: what does this erotic poetry have to do with Israel's formative texts? What do the poems tell us about gender relations in those years, and about early Israel's attitudes towards beauty, love, women, and sex? Do we finally get to hear women's voices in the Song, where the rest of the Bible gives a male perspective? How, despite our astonishment, is the Song of Songs nonetheless intrinsically biblical? What does it have in common with the Bible's other books? Was the allegorical interpretation of the Song just an excuse in order to include the book in Scripture?

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Hurtado on the latest Oxyrhynchus Papyri volume

LARRY HURTADO: Latest Volume of Oxyrhynchus Papyri. This is a reviewlet based on his forthcoming RBL review. The volume publishes many texts. The four biblical manuscripts include the infamous formerly-first-century Mark fragment, fragments of Luke, a fragment of Philemon, and a fragment of Psalms.

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5 MOTB DSS fragments acknowledged as fake

CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE: US museum says 5 fragments in Dead Sea Scroll collection are fake. Washington’s controversial Museum of the Bible removes the pieces from display after a German research institution concluded they weren’t old enough (Times of Israel and Agencies). PaleoJudaica readers, I know this is hardly a surprise to you. We have been following developments concerning those dubious post-2002 Dead Sea Scroll-like fragments for years. (New readers, start here and follow the links.)

This article doesn't give the details of the work of the German research institution. But another article, by Peter Dockrill at Science Alert, fills us in: A $500 Million Museum Just Revealed Its Priceless Dead Sea Scrolls Are Fakes.

Dead Sea Scrolls expert Kipp Davis from Trinity Western University voiced doubts about the authenticity of some of the fragments in 2017, and a high-tech analysis by scientists at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing in Germany appears to have confirmed the suspicions.

Using 3D digital microscopy, scanning X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), the researchers analysed the ink and sediment in the fragments.

According to the museum, the results look to back up Davis's previous inklings, based on "scribal quality and technique in the penning of the texts as well as the physical composition and current state of the manuscript media."

We should always be cautious of materials tests, because they are fallible too. But in this case, multiple lines of evidence lead to the conclusion that these fragments are fake. Probably other fragments are too, but those have not (yet?) undergone the materials tests.

The Museum of the Bible has always openly admitted, including in the exhibitions, that these fragments could be forgeries. I commend them for now acknowledging the new evidence against them and acting accordingly

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The Talmud, the omer, and the Boethusians

THIS WEEK'S DAF YOMI COLUMN BY ADAM KIRSCH IN TABLET: Flour Power. In this week’s ‘Daf Yomi,’ Talmudic rabbis—debating the origins of the omer—explore the sanctity of different forms of wheat. Plus: Can seeds found in elephant dung be made clean by replanting? That was a rare question to which the Talmudic rabbis could not find an answer.

Earlier Daf Yomi columns are noted here and links.

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A new Greek edition of the Letter of Aristeas

NEW BOOK FROM SBL PRESS:

Jewish Fictional Letters from Hellenistic Egypt: The Epistle of Aristeas and Related Literature

L. Michael White, G. Anthony Keddie

ISBN 9781628371857
Status Forthcoming
Price: $56.95
Binding Paperback
Publication Date November 2018
Pages 490


The first Greek text of the Epistle of Aristeas published in more than a century

The Greek text Epistle of Aristeas is a Jewish work of the late Hellenistic period that recounts the origins of the Septuagint. Long recognized as a literary fiction, the Epistle of Aristeas has been variously dated from the third century BCE to the first century CE. As a result, its epistolary features, and especially those in which the putative author, Aristeas, addresses his brother and correspondent, Philocrates, have largely been ignored. In light of more recent scholarship on epistolary literature in the Greco-Roman world, however, this volume presents for the first time a complete Greek text and English Translation with introduction, notes, and commentary of the Epistle of Aristeas with key testimonia from Philo, Josephus, and Eusebius, as well as other related examples of Jewish fictional letters from the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha.

Features

• Relevant excerpts from Eupolemus, 2 Maccabees, 3 Maccabees, and the Greek Additions to Esther with translations and introductions
• A critical introduction to ancient Greek letter-writing
• An outline of epistolary features in the text

Cross-file under Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Watch.

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CFP: Special Issue "Synagogue Art and Architecture"

H-JUDAIC: CFP: Special Issue "Synagogue Art and Architecture."

This Special Issue offers a global, online, free-access platform for representing current research in the field. We invite historians of art and architecture; historians; archaeologists; and experts in religion, literature, folklore, and anthropology to join the ongoing exchange of ideas on synagogue architecture and art by submitting a paper to be considered for publication.

The Special Issue will include discussion of synagogue architecture and art from all time periods and places.

Details follow. Paper proposals are due by 1 December 2018.

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The History of the Temple Mount in 12 Objects: #1

THE TEMPLE MOUNT SIFTING PROJECT BLOG: The History of the Temple Mount in 12 Objects: #1 The Late Bronze Age.

Hello everyone!

As those of you who follow our newsletter know, the blog is about to embark on an exciting new journey: Inspired by the British Museum’s A History of the World in 100 Objects, we will, over the course of the coming year, showcase objects of different periods in the Temple Mount’s history, telling you about them and about the periods they represent.

So without further ado – here’s the first post, of the Temple Mount back before there was a temple: ...

The first object is an Egyptian faience amulet. I noted the report of its discovery here. And there's more here on that LBA cuneiform fragment excavated in Jerusalem (not by the Sifting Project).

And finally, for many past PaleoJudaica posts on the Temple Mount Sifting Project, start here and just keep following those links.

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

Review of Azar, Exegeting the Jews

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Book Note | Exegeting the Jews: The Early Reception of the Johannine “Jews” (Janelle Peters).

Michael Azar, Exegeting the Jews: The Early Reception of the Johannine “Jews.” Leiden: Brill, 2016.

Excerpt:

Azar focuses on three prominent ancient interpreters: Origen of Alexandria, John Chrysostom, and Cyril of Alexandria. He concludes that the anti-Jewishness of these authors is not consistent within their writings. Moreover, there is no overarching anti-Jewish position of nascent orthodoxy. Rather, the three men achieved positions of ecclesial prominence and found themselves needing to interpret scriptures to address problems in very different times and places.

I noted the book and an essay by the author a couple of years ago here.

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Philo on the war of the kings in Genesis 14

DR. ELLEN BIRNBAUM: What Caused the War between the Kings? Philo’s Dual Interpretation (TheTorah.com).

In his account of Abraham’s life, the first-century thinker Philo of Alexandria skillfully interprets the bewildering details in the story of the war between the four and five kings. Understanding the tale on a literal and allegorical level, he offers intriguing suggestions about what motivates both powerful rulers and forces within the soul.

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Atkinson, The Hasmoneans and Their Neighbors

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

The Hasmoneans and Their Neighbors
New Historical Reconstructions from the Dead Sea Scrolls and Classical Sources

By: Kenneth Atkinson

Published: 23-08-2018
Format: Hardback
Edition: 1st
Extent: 232
ISBN: 9780567680822
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: Jewish and Christian Texts
Volume: 27
Dimensions: 234 x 156 mm
RRP: £85.00
Online price: £55.25
Save £29.75 (35%)


About The Hasmoneans and Their Neighbors
Kenneth Atkinson adds to an already impressive body of work on the Hasmoneans, proposing that the history and theological beliefs of Jews during the period of the Hasmonean state cannot be understood without a close investigation of the histories of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid Empires, as well as the Roman Republic. Citing evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls and classical sources, Atkinson offers a new reconstruction of this vital historical period, when the Hasmonean family changed the fates of their neighbors, the Roman Republic, the religion of Judaism, and created the foundation for the development of the nascent Christian faith.

Atkinson additionally provides reconstructions of events in classical history, including the most detailed examination of Pompey the Great's assassination in light of Jewish sources; by focusing on his death, this volume uncovers new information that explains the discrepancies in the classical accounts of this pivotal event that shaped Middle Eastern and Roman history, and which helped end the Republic. Collecting sources ranging from the beginning of the Hasmonean monarchy, through its religious strife and golden age, to its eventual downfall, Atkinson concludes that that Jewish sectarianism and messianism played far greater roles in the Hasmonean state than has previously be assumed.

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Gamble Festschrift forthcoming

THE ETC BLOG: Forthcoming Festschrift for Harry Gamble (Peter Gurry). The title is Books and Readers in the Premodern World (ed. Karl Shuve). The subject is material and literary book culture in the Roman, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic worlds.

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

Those lost books weren't so lost?

THE ANXIOUS BENCH: Three Gnostic Books (Philip Jenkins).

Here’s my main problem. Very little in the “lost scriptures” was ever really lost, and was pretty well known through texts preserved – accurately, and at great length – by various Church Fathers. More to the point, the great age of rediscovering original heretical and alternative texts occurred long, long, before the 1970s, or 1940s. If there was a turning point in the process of rediscovery, it occurred closer to 1890 than 1980. We have forgotten a century or so when all these insights were well known, and were in fact thoroughly absorbed into popular culture.

Professor Jenkins's point is valid and he spells out the details in this post.

That said, there are still many, many books from antiquity — scriptures and otherwise — which are now lost. We know some only from their title or from brief quotations. Doubtless not even that much survives of many more.

For past PaleoJudaica posts on Lost Books, see here, here and here and keep following those links.

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CFP: IOSCS 2019

THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF SEPTUAGINT AND COGNATE STUDIES: IOSCS Aberdeen 4th–9th August 2019

Call for Papers
The main theme of the IOSCS meetings will be ‘The Septuagint in its Hellenistic Jewish setting’, encompassing questions of history, textual development, interpretation, religious outlook, cultural context, and lexicography. Papers relating to this theme will be especially welcome.
However, papers on other subjects will also be considered. Both the IOSCS projects (NETS, Hexapla, LXX.D, SBLCS) and other allied groups (e.g. HTLS, Göttingen volume editors, La Bible d’Alexandrie) are encouraged to offer panel sessions, either on the conference theme or on aspects of their current work.

This meeting is in association with the 2019 IOSOT annual meeting and the 2019 IOQS annual meeting.

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Free issue of Textus!

FOR YOU, SPECIAL DEAL: Textus: A Journal on Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible (Volume 27, Issue 1, 2018) is now availabe online for free. There are some good articles, so go have a look!

Introduction
Introduction
Author: Emanuel Tov
pp.: 1–2 (2)

Research Article
The Relationship between Paleography and Textual Criticism: Textual Variants Due to Graphic Similarity between the Masoretic Text and the Samaritan Pentateuch as a Test Case
Author: Hila Dayfani
pp.: 3–21 (19)

Research Article
Repetition due to Detected Omission
Author: Leeor Gottlieb
pp.: 22–43 (22)

Research Article
Reconsidering the Date of the En-Gedi Leviticus Scroll (EGLev): Exploring the Limitations of the Comparative-Typological Paleographic Method
Author: Drew Longacre
pp.: 44–84 (41)

Research Article
An Eleventh- or Twelfth-Century Masoretic Bible Codex (Jeremiah, Zechariah, Proverbs, and Chronicles): Its Place among Eastern Codices
Author: Jordan S. Penkower
pp.: 85–110 (26)

Research Article
The Book of Samuel in the Cairo Genizah. An Interim and Introductory Report
Author: Gary A. Rendsburg
pp.: 111–121 (11)

Research Article
Does the Yod of ‮נַפְשִׁי‬‎ in Ps 24:4 Represent a Minuscule Waw?
Author: David Marcus
pp.: 122–134 (13)

Research Article
The Socio-Religious Setting of the (Proto-)Masoretic Text
Author: Emanuel Tov
pp.: 135–153 (19)

Introduction
Horizons in Textual Criticism: New Approaches and New Questions
Authors: John Screnock and Jan Joosten
pp.: 157–159 (3)

Research Article
Scribal Revision. A Post-Qumran Perspective on the Formation of Jeremiah
Author: Justus Theodore Ghormley
pp.: 161–186 (26)

Research Article
Reflections on the Critical Edition of the Hebrew Text of Ben Sira. Between Eclecticism and Pragmatism
Author: Jean-Sébastien Rey
pp.: 187–204 (18)

Research Article
How to Edit an Elusive Text? The So-called Poem of Solomon (1 Kgs 8:12–13 MT // 8:53a LXX) as a Case Study
Author: Matthieu Richelle
pp.: 205–228 (24)

Research Article
A New Approach to Using the Old Greek in Hebrew Bible Textual Criticism
Author: John Screnock
pp.: 229–257 (29)

Research Article
The Role of Memory in Vorlage-based Transmission: Evidence from Erasures and Corrections
Author: Jonathan Vroom
pp.: 258–273 (16)

HT IOTS Facebook.

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