RNS on Alter's Bible translation

REVIEW: In Robert Alter’s majestic Bible translation, the achievement is in the details (A. James Rudin, RNS).

There is a good thought experiment on what translating today's English would be like for someone in 2319.

Note also the section on the meaning of Genesis 1:1, which I was discussing recently in the context of the Israeli moon probe.

This review is of Alter's recently completed translation of the whole Hebrew Bible. The author of the review does not menton his new book with Princeton University Press, The Art of Bible Translation. More on it here. And follow the links from there for more on the Bible translation itself.

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The Seleucid Coins, Part 4

NUMISMATICS: CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series – The Seleucids and Their Coins: Part IV (Mike Markowitz).

My knowledge of the Seleucid dynasty starts to fizzle out in this period. I assume I am not noticing everything interesting for ancient Judaism in this article. It scarcely helps that so many of them were named Antiochus, and even Antiochus Epiphanes. But that's just me. It's a good article with lots of coin images of the various rulers and you should have a look.

Alexander I Balas appears in 1 Maccabees 10 as "Alexander Epiphanes." And the article notes that Josephus mentioned Demetrius III.

That concludes this series of articles. For comments on parts 1-3, see here and links.

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Conference on the Urtext (?) of the HB

THE OTTC BLOG: Urtext, Archetype, Fluidity or Textual Convergence The Quest for the Texts of the Hebrew Bible International Conference (Drew Longacre). It takes place in Metz in November of 2019. Follow the link for more information.

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When amulets come inactivated

THE COPTIC MAGICAL PAPYRI BLOG: Looking at the Coptic Magical Papyri III: Boundary-Crossing Texts.

Sometimes magical texts formatted for practical application come in generic form, as though copied from a handbook, without putting in the name of the client.

I noted the first two posts of this series here.

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Robert Alter's new book on Bible translation

ROBERT ALTER has spent the last couple of decades publishing a remarkable, respected, and popular translation of the Hebrew Bible. Not content with that achievement, he has just published another book on the art of translating the Bible. I noted this earlier in passing, but it deserves more attention. Jonathan Kirsch introduces the new book in two articles in the Jewish Journal:

A Masterful Primer on Bible Translation.

Now Alter has crowned his life’s work with “The Art of Bible Translation” (Princeton University Press), which serves as an essential companion volume to his own translations. And it can be seen as the completion of a trilogy that started with “The Art of Biblical Narrative” (1981) and continued with “The Art of Biblical Poetry” (1985), which contributed importantly to the teaching of “the Bible as literature” as distinguished from its use in religious belief and practice.

Author and Scholar Talks About the Importance of Words and Meaning. An interview with Professor Alter and a brief excerpt from the new book.

For more on the now-complete Alter translation of the Bible, start here and follow the many links.

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More on the Roman-era town near Beer Sheva

ARCHAEOLOGY: Ancient Jewish Town Found in Be'er Sheva Solves Decades-old Mystery. Where were the Jews of the city during the Second Temple period, and why did they disappear after 150 years? (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz premium).

The answer to the first question is that at least some of them lived in this town.

The answer to the second is less straightforward. They just left. I suspect the area wasn't very prosperous after the disastrous Bar Kokhba Revolt.

Anyhow, read the article for a detailed discussion of both questions.

Background here.

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The voices of Lamentations

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

Trauma and the Failure of Narrative in Lamentations

The Book of Lamentations reflects the sorts of struggles that trauma survivors encounter when provided with narratives that attempt to explain the suffering that resulted in their trauma. We encounter some voices in Lamentations trying to create explanatory narratives for the destruction of Jerusalem that resulted in the survivors’ suffering, only to find the voices of the survivors reject or contradict those narrative explanations.

See Also: Trauma and the Failure of History (SBL Press, 2019).

By David Janzen
Department of Theology and Religion
Durham University
Durham, United Kingdom
March 2019

Cross-file under New Book.

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Renewed Philology

ANNOUNCEMENT BY YALE UNIVERSITY: Renewed Philology. Biblical Studies for the 21st Century.

Renewed Philology is an international working group of scholars in biblical studies whose work reflects critically on the intellectual frameworks brought to bear in philological practice. The work of this group is diverse in its interests, interdisciplinary in its readings of ancient texts and the recovery of ancient world-views, and meta-critical in its practices. We are comprised of a core group of researchers and are supported by a broader advisory board.

Follow the link for details, participants, recommended reading, and upcoming events.

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Jerusalem cable-car comment period concludes

KARAITE-AND-CABLE-CAR-CONFLICT WATCH: With objection period ending, opposition to Jerusalem cable car plan peaks. Daniel Libeskind: City’s ‘traffic problems should not be solved by cable cars which will mar the image of Jerusalem with a technology reminiscent of a Swiss mountainside’ (Sue Surkes, Times of Israel).

The project — strongly backed by Tourism Minister Yariv Levin and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion — has already been approved, subject to a period of public comment, which ends on April 3.

That was yesterday.

Opposers of the project include archaeologists, architects, and the local Karaite community. This article covers the details of the controversy thoroughly.

Background here and here.

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The Talmud on ritual purity and meat

THIS WEEK'S DAF YOMI COLUMN BY ADAM KIRSCH IN TABLET: Impure Thoughts. In this week’s ‘Daf Yomi’ Talmud study, the practical-minded, hyperspecific, sometimes contradictory rules of Jewish ritual purity. Plus: Why religious uncleanliness is like a virus. For the specific topic of purity and meat, read the essay.

Some past posts on the subject of ritual purity and impurity in the biblical and rabbinic world are here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Earlier Daf Yomi columns are noted here and links.

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Menorah decoration found in Roman-era town near Beer Sheva

ARCHAEOLOGY: 2000 Year Old Jewish Settlement Unearthed in Beer Sheva (David Israel, The Jewish Press).

The excavation discovered for the first time evidence of Jewish daily life in the ancient city, including part of an oil lamp decorated with a nine-branch menorah, limestone vessels used by Jews for ritual purity, and a watchtower. The site, dated from the early first century CE to the Bar-Kochva rebellion of 135, contains hidden underground passageways that were used by the Jewish rebels.

The menorah decoration is one of the earliest surviving depictions of a menorah. The Jerusalem Post says it's the earliest, but that isn't clear. The one on the Magdala Stone (see here for a photo) is of a comparable date and could be earlier. Note that the one on the Magdala Stone has seven branches, which implies that it is a depiction of the menorah in the Temple.

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The Pope is meeting with scholars defending the Pharisees

WELL GOOD: Pope who chides Pharisees to meet experts wanting them rehabilitated (John L. Allen Jr., Crux).

ROME - Founded by Pius X in 1909 as a center of scripture scholarship in Rome, the Pontifical Biblical Institute has been at the service of popes for 110 years and will be at it again in May with a conference aimed at debunking prejudices surrounding the Pharisees, the ancient precursor of the rabbis who feature in the New Testament.

Ironically, one figure who might find the program especially interesting is the current pope, since the Pharisees are a frequent rhetorical trope for Francis and rarely in a positive vein.

The May 7-9 event, titled “Jesus and the Pharisees: An Interdisciplinary Reappraisal,” was presented at a news conference on Wednesday at the Jesuit-sponsored Pontifical Biblical Institute, located adjacent to the Gregorian. The scholarly meeting will culminate on May 9 with a private audience for participants with Francis.

[...]

I'm glad the Pope is meeting with them. For some past posts defending the Pharisees from negative stereotyping, see here and links.

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Sex in the Bible and the Talmud

A THOROUGH REVIEW OF THE TOPIC: Sex and the Jews: How the Rabbis Made It Up as They Went Along. How often should a camel-driver have sex? What about a sailor? The bible is rife with confusing references and the rabbis set out to regulate intercourse, not that they agreed on the details (Elon Gilad, Haaretz premium).

The Babylonian Talmud recounts a story about the third-century sage Rav Kahana sneaking under his master’s bed in order to observe him having sex with his wife. He was discovered, roundly rebuked and ordered to leave at once, but Rav Kahana defended his actions, saying that it – sex – “is Torah, and I must learn” (Berachot 62a).

Sex, like all other aspects of Jewish life, is regulated by Jewish Law. But the laws governing sex in the Bible are not the same as the laws elaborated by the rabbis in the Talmud, the main source of Jewish Law, and those are no identical with the Medieval codices of Jewish law.

[...]

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Review of "Jesus: His Life," episodes 3-4

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

Jesus: His Life from the Perspectives of Mary and Caiaphas (Pt. 2)

See Also: “Jesus: His Life—Perspectives of Joseph and John the Baptist” (Pt. 1)

By Paul N. Anderson
George Fox University
Newberg, Oregon
April 2, 2019

I also noted Professor Anderson's review of episodes 1 and 2 here.

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How was Rome like a boar?

DR. MALKA Z. SIMKOVICH: Why Rome Is Likened to a Boar (TheTorah.com).

The Romans were baffled as to why Jews would not eat pork, an idiosyncrasy which became the subject of speculation as well as ethnic humor. In response, Jewish texts highlight the way the hated Romans remind the rabbis of pigs and wild boars.

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Ritual purity in Iron Age Israel

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Purity and Impurity in Iron Age Israel. The archaeology of a purification ritual (Marek Dospěl).

Writing for the March/April 2019 issue of BAR, archaeologist Avraham Faust [Director of the Tel ‘Eton archaeological expedition] explores what we know about how the ancient Israelites dealt with issues of religious purity and impurity during the Iron Age—long before ablution in a mikveh became the norm. In his article “Purity and Impurity in Iron Age Israel,” Faust explains that restrictions of movement of the impure necessarily have “a spatial dimension, and rules governing impurity had to be formulated in relation to space.”

As usual, the BAR article itself is behind a subscription wall. But this BHD essay gives you a taste of it.

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Rollston on the Nathan-Melekh bulla

THE ROLLSTON EPIGRAPHY BLOG: The Bible, a New Hebrew Inscription from Jerusalem, and a High Official of Judah. We can rely on Professor Christopher Rollston to provide the definitive epigraphic analysis of new Northwest Semitic inscriptions. This post is no exception. Go there for just about everything we can currently know about the Nathan-Melekh (Nathan-Melech/Natan-Melek) bulla.

Background here and here.

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Where did YHWH worship start?

THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY: Where Does Yhwh Come From? (Martin Leuenberger). From the south or the north?

For more thoughts on the possible origins of the worship of YHWH, see here and here. Both opt for a southern origin, as does Professor Leuenberger.

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Review of Keim, Pirqei deRabbi Eliezer

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Book Note | Pirqei deRabbi Eliezer: Structure, Coherence, Intertextuality (Yoni Nadiv).

Katharina E. Keim. Pirqei deRabbi Eliezer: Structure, Coherence, Intertextuality. Leiden: Brill, 2017.

Excerpt:

Pirqei deRabbi Eliezer (PRE) is a “thematic discourse” that is organized as a shadow to the Bible (from creation to Sinai) and is made up of an anthology of literary forms pieced together in a “lego-like” (p. 75) structure. These are the major conclusions of Katharina Keim’s study, a 204 page work, with excellent appendices, based on her Manchester dissertation of 2014. ...

I have noted the book here and here.

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Biblical Studies Carnival 157

THE SPOILEDMILKS BLOG: Biblical Studies Carnival (March 2019) (Spencer Robinson). This is the 1 April edition of the Carnival, so frame the contents accordingly.

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Is Jordan "weaponizing" archaeology against Israel?

ARCHAEOLOGICAL POLITICS: Opinion // How Jordan Is Weaponizing Archaeology Against Israel. Despite formal peace, you won't find maps naming Israel in Jordan. Visit the kingdom's archaeological sites, and the message is clear: 2000 years ago, Jews were already 'oppressors' in the Middle East (Adam Sacks, Haaretz premium).

As [the Hasmonean era is] the sole context in which Jews are mentioned in the Hashemite Kingdom, one cannot escape the impression that the Jordanians are really talking about the contemporary State of Israel, and that they are using a not so highly encrypted form of code language.

What is notable here is not the critical language itself, which appears frequently in left-wing media around the world, but rather the use of archeological and historical sources to draw evocative historical parallels. Leaving aside questions of historical veracity, the overall message given is that the late 20th century is not the first time Jews were seen as oppressors in the Middle East.

Here are some examples that illuminate that position.

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An intriguing detail about the Nathan-Melekh bulla

THE BIBLE PLACES BLOG: Seal Impression of Nathan-Melech Discovered in Jerusalem. Yesterday I noted the story of the two Hebrew inscriptions, a stone seal and an clay bullae, uncovered at the City of David’s Givati Parking Lot. The bulla mentions a royal administrator named Nathan-Melekh, who quite possibly appears in the Bible in 2 Kings 23:11.

Now Todd Bolen has highlighted something about the bulla that, as far as I can tell, no media article has noticed. Follow the link to read about it. No fooling.

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Review of "Jesus: His Life"

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

“Jesus: His Life—Perspectives of Joseph and John the Baptist”

By Paul N. Anderson
George Fox University
Newberg, Oregon
March 2019

Excerpt:

In addition to other historical treatments of Jesus and his life, the value of this project is that it seeks to further a set of dialogues between different disciplines and approaches to biblical texts in historical perspective, showing both sides of debated issues while allowing viewers to come to their own conclusions. Thus, the Gospel of John is given a place alongside the Synoptic Gospels, and in the first two episodes diverse perspectives are integrated in a thoughtful and nuanced way. If the remaining episodes are as good as the first two, this new series will have made a contribution, not only for this year but also for years to come.

I noted another review, also of the first two episodes, here.

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The latest on Coptic magic

THE COPTIC MAGICAL PAPYRI BLOG has begun a new series. Two posts are up so far:

Looking at the Coptic Magical Papyri I: Defining Magical Texts

Are the texts magical, amuletic, medical, or literary?

Looking at the Coptic Magical Papyri II: Formularies and Applied Texts

The distinction is fairly simple: formularies – also called handbooks or grimoires – contain one or more recipes for performing rituals. By contrast, applied or activated texts are objects – such as amulets or curse tablets – created in the course of these magical rituals.

Cross-file under — of course — Coptic Watch.

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Two Hebrew seals excavated in Jerusalem

EPIGRAPHY: Two tiny First Temple inscriptions vastly enlarge picture of ancient Jerusalem. Rare Paleo-Hebrew seal and seal impression found in large administrative center in the Iron Age capital’s western sprawl ahead of the Babylonian capture (Amanda Borschel-Dan, Times of Israel).

Two First-Temple-era inscriptions have been found by the City of David’s Givati Parking Lot excavation.

One is a bluish agate stone seal “(belonging) to Ikkar son of Matanyahu” (LeIkkar Ben Matanyahu). The other is a clay seal impression, “(belonging) to Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King” (LeNathan-Melech Eved HaMelech).

An official in the reign of King Josaiah was named Nathan-Melekh (2 Kings 23:11). The person named on the seal impression (bulla) could well be the same person.

Read the article for lots more information. The same excavation found two other Hebrew seals a couple of years ago. Follow the links there for earlier discoveries at that site.

Also, the New York Times has an article by Bari Weiss on the bulla: The Story Behind a 2,600-Year-Old Seal. Who was Natan-Melech, the king’s servant?

Is it true that most NYT readers have never heard of King Josiah? Really? Anyway, the basic story is covered accurately.

UPDATE: More about the Nathan-Melekh bulla here.

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Lidzbarski's publications online

THE AWOL BLOG: Digitized publications of Mark Lidzbarski at Menadoc. Lidzbarski did foundational work on Northwest Semitic epigraphy and on the Mandeans (Mandaeans). His work is more than a century old. Of course it is dated. But much is still useful.

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BJS monographs for free!

MICHAEL SATLOW: Open Books! Professor Satlow shares the good news that he has a grant to digitize about fifty titles from the Brown Judaic Studies Monograph Series and make them available online for free. See the link for details and the press release. For you, special deal!

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On Pontius Pilate

THE WORLD IS FULL OF HISTORY: Who Was Pontius Pilate? (Owen Jarus, Live Science).

Despite his biblical fame, little is known about Pilate. Only a small number of historical accounts and artifacts that date close to his lifetime survive today.

Some past PaleoJudaica posts on Pontius Pilate are here and here and links.

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