Krauß et al. (eds.), Material Aspects of Reading in Ancient and Medieval Cultures (Open Access)

NEW BOOK FROM DE GRUYTER:

Material Aspects of Reading in Ancient and Medieval Cultures

Materiality, Presence and Performance

Series: Materiale Textkulturen, Volume: 26
Funded by: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Edited by: Anna Krauß, Jonas Leipziger and Friederike Schücking-Jungblut
De Gruyter | 2020

OVERVIEW

Open Access
This publication seeks to endeavour the relationship between material artefacts and reading practices in ancient and medieval cultures.
While the acts of reception of written artefacts in former times are irretrievably lost, some of the involved artefacts are preserved and might comprise hints to the ancient reading practices. In form of case studies, the contributions to this volume examine various forms of written artefacts as to their implications on modes of reading. Analyzing different Qumran scrolls, codices, Tefillin, Mezuzot, magical texts, tablets, bricks, and statues as well as meta-textual and iconographic aspects, the articles inquire the possibilities of how to correlate material aspects to assumed modes of reception and practices of reading. The contributions stem from Egyptology, Papyrology, Qumran Studies, Biblical Studies, Jewish Studies, Ancient Christianity, and Islamic Studies.
In total, this volume contributes to the research on practices of reception in times past and demonstrates the potential hidden in text-bearing artefacts.

OPEN ACCESS
£72.50
Hardcover
Price including VAT

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"Bloods of purity?"

PROF. TAMAR KAMIONKOWSKI: Postpartum “Bloods of Purity” (TheTorah.com).

Mesopotamian gynecological texts and what we know about women’s post-partum flow are helpful in parsing the unusual Hebrew idiom demei tohorah, literally, “bloods of purity,” used in Leviticus 12 to describe the second stage of postpartum bleeding.

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Millar, Genre and Openness in Proverbs 10:1-22:16

NEW BOOK FROM SBL PRESS:

Genre and Openness in Proverbs 10:1-22:16
Suzanna R. Millar

ISBN 9781628372724
Status Available
Price: $39.00
Binding Paperback
Publication Date March 2020

A fruitful reading strategy that reveals expansive meaning in Proverbs

Interpreters often characterize Proverbs 10:1–22:16 as a dead-end of cold, disengaged dogma closed off from the realities of the world. In Genre and Openness in Proverbs 10:1–22:16, Suzanna R. Millar takes a different view, arguing that the didactic proverbs in these chapters are not dull and dry but are filled with poetic complexities open to many possible interpretations and uses. By incorporating paremiology, the technical study of the proverb genre, Millar sheds light on important debates such as character development, kingship, the connection between act and consequence, and the acquisition of wisdom.

Features

• A clarification of the genre of the sayings in light of modern genre theory
  
• A linguistic analysis of how openness is generated in biblical proverbs
  
• An examination of the didactic use of proverbs to train the hearer’s mind

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Did the Nazis conceal an ancient synagogue in Spain?

CANDIDA MOSS: Did the Nazis Cover Up a Jewish Discovery in Spain's ‘Oldest Christian Basilica’? The dig at Elche was overseen by Nazi appointed archaeologists and a nationalist Franco supporter, and somehow a menorah discovered in the ancient mosaics went unreported... (The Daily Beast).

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The eagle and the woes

READING ACTS: What are the Three Woes in Revelation 8:13? Phil Long continues his blog series on the seven angels in the Book of Revelation. The eagle with the woes is introduced between the fourth and the fifth angel.

I have noted earlier posts in the series here and links.

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Masada

(VIRTUAL) TRAVEL: Masada – The Fortress Palace (Heritage Daily).

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

Antiquities looting flourishes

UNAPPREHENDED: Antiquities thieves operate with impunity during coronavirus crisis. Grave robbers, treasure hunters take advantage of reduced enforcement to plunder archaeological sites in Judea and Samaria (Arutz Sheva).

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Jesus, Galilee, and the imperial cult

THE HOLY LAND PHOTOS' BLOG: Emperor Worship In “Israel” in Jesus’ Day (Carl Rasmussen).

For my report, with links, on a 2016 symposium in St. Andrews which dealt with related themes, see here.

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The MT and the DSS

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: The Masoretic Text and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Should the original Hebrew Bible text be modified based on information obtained from the Dead Sea Scrolls?

A couple of related PaleoJudaica posts are here and here. And for a recent post on the Masoretic Text and the pronunciation of biblical Hebrew, see here.

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Tamer (ed.), Concept of Revelation in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

NEW BOOK FROM DE GRUYTER:

Concept of Revelation in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Series: Key Concepts in Interreligious Discourses, Volume: 1
Edited by: Georges Tamer
De Gruyter | 2020

OVERVIEW

The idea that God reveals himself to human beings is central in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but differs in regard of content and conceptualization. The first volume of the new series Key Concepts in Interreligious Discourses points out similarities and differences of "revelation". KCID aims to establish an archeology of religious knowledge in order to create a new conceptual platform of mutual understanding among religious communities.

From £22.50
Price including VAT

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The DSS are on lockdown too.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are in self-isolation — but they mean more than ever (Naomi Zeveloff, The Forward).

The Dead Sea Scrolls, which include some of the earliest biblical texts, are considered the most significant archaeological find of the 20th century. [Curator Hagit] Maoz is one of the people charged with their safekeeping. Yet when I asked if the coronavirus had spurred fears over their fate — as her dream seemed to suggest — she brushed my question away. She knows exactly where the museum’s scrolls are: behind five locked doors in a humidity and temperature-controlled vault at the Shrine of the Book. She put them there herself.

Good. I'm glad the scrolls in the Israel Museum are safe.

What about the ones in the Rockefeller Museum? I assume they are locked away too, but I can't find any specific information on its website or elsewhere. Does anyone know anything?

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No 2020 pilgrimage to Ghriba Synagogue, Tunisia

ANOTHER CANCELLATION: Virus nixes Jewish pilgrimage to Tunisia's Ghriba (AFP).

For a report on the annual pilgrimage to Djerba island in 2015, see here. And for more on the ancient Ghriba Synagogue there, see here and links.

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More fighting reported near Palmyra

PALMYRA WATCH: Syria claims that Israeli jets carried out strike near Palmyra (Jewish News Syndicate). My heart goes out to the people of Palmyra, who have seen a great deal of violence in recent years. The reports say that the bombing was "near" Palmyra, aimed at Iranian-backed militia groups and resources. I hope the local residents were spared.

Many other posts on Palmyra, its history, the ancient Aramaic dialect spoken there (Palmyrene), and the city's tragic reversals of fortune, which more recently had been trending for the better, are here and links.

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

50 Brown Judaic Studies volumes online

THE AWOL BLOG: Newly Open Access Monograph Series: Brown Judaic Studies. Many of the volumes involve ancient Judaism.

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

Wevers Institute for LXX Studies: online course and YouTube channel

THE JOHN WILLIAMS WEVERS INSTITUTE FOR SEPTUAGINT STUDIES at Trinity Western University now has a YouTube channel. Reader Jean Maurais e-mails:

I was wondering if you could add a mention in your blog of the recent creation of Youtube channel for the Wevers Institute? As a first foray, the institute has posted a video interview of Dirk Büchner concerning his upcoming course which is offered via live-streaming. The course title is Septuagint Approaches and Methods, and is held on May 4-8, 2020. Other details are available in the video description.

The video interview is here: https://youtu.be/giB3jLuWwos

Subscription to the Institute's channel is encouraged for those who would like to be notified of future updates: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcNJsVlhf5SSyuAJgxEF8cw

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Sifting Project virtual exhibition

THE TEMPLE MOUNT SIFTING PROJECT BLOG: CHECK OUT OUR NEW VIRTUAL EXHIBITION. Featuring lots of interesting artifacts from all periods. Go and have a look!

For many, many PaleoJudaica post on the Sifting Project, start here and just follow those links.

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Review of Becker, The Birth of Christian History

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Book Note | The Birth of Christian History (Jeremiah Coogan).

Eve-Marie Becker, The Birth of Christian History: Memory and Time from Mark to Luke-Acts. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2017.

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On kosher laws

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Making Sense of Kosher Laws.

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Yom HaShoah 2020

ANOTHER APRIL COMMEMORATION UPENDED: Pandemic forces first-ever digital Holocaust Remembrance Day (Michael Blum and Guillaume Lavallee, AFP).

Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial/Remembrance Day) begins tonight at sundown. Past posts involving connections with ancient Judaism are here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

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Review of Jacobson, Agrippa II: the last of the Herods

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Agrippa II: the last of the Herods.

David M. Jacobson, Agrippa II: the last of the Herods. Routledge ancient biographies. London; New York: Routledge, 2019. xxviii, 232 p.. ISBN 9781138331815 $112.00.

Review by
Michael Girardin, Université du Littoral – Côte d’Opale. michael.girardin@univ-littoral.fr

The book is in English. The review is in French.

There were a lot of Herods and sorting them out can be confusing. For that, see the link here for a helpful post at the "Is That In The Bible?" Blog.

There were two (Herod?) Agrippas. Agrippa I (see here and links) is best known for being eaten alive by worms (Acts 12).

Agrippa II (see here and here and links) presided over Paul's trial, according to Acts 23-26. He was accompanied by his sister Julia Berenice (see here and links), who was the lover of the Emperor Titus.

There is some doubt about how accurate the Book of Acts is in its depiction of the two Agrippas.

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More on the Holy Fire ceremony

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: How a sacred flame spreads across the world despite the pandemic ( Kristin Romey). The first surviving mention of the Holy Fire ceremony was in 876 CE.

Also, the article reports that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Sepulchre) was closed in 1349 when there was an epidemic of the Black Death. That was last time public access was denied for an extended period.

Background here and here.

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LXX monograph series online

THE AWOL BLOG: Open Access Monograph Series: Mitteilungen des Septuaginta-Unternehmens Volumes Online. Free pfds of an important monograph series on the Septuagint. Mostly in German, but a few are in English.

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Holy fire and VR in Jerusalem

YESTERDAY: Orthodox ceremony of Holy Fire takes place in deserted Jerusalem (Rami Ayyub, Stephen Farrell, Reuters). In 2019 the event was crowded. (See at 2:25 for the appearance of the fire.) In 2020, just a few clerics were there, some wearing face masks. But the annual ceremony did go forward in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Sepulchre).

Background here.

By the way, today is Orthodox Easter, so best wishes to all celebrating.

And if you fancy a visit to Jerusalem from your home: With Jerusalem locked down, holy site pilgrims turn to virtual reality. Convergence of Passover, Easter and Ramadan should have been a boon for the city; now those who wish they could visit can instead turn to an immersive VR tour of the Old City (JUDAH KAUFFMAN, JTS).

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Corpus Papyrorum Judaicarum vol. 4

NEW BOOK FROM DE GRUYTER:

Corpus Papyrorum Judaicarum

Volume 4

Edited by: Noah Hacham and Tal Ilan
Founded by: Itzhak Fikhman z״l
In collaboration with: Meron M. Piotrkowski and Zsuzsanna Szántó
De Gruyter Oldenbourg | 2020

OVERVIEW

The edition collects and presents all papyri and ostraca from the Ptolemaic period, connected to Jews and Judaism, published since 1957. It is a follow-up to the Corpus Papyrorum Judaicarum (= CPJ) of the 1950s and 60s, edited by Victor Tcherikover, which had consisted of three volumes – I devoted to the Ptolemaic period; II to the Early Roman period (until 117 CE); and III to the Late Roman and Byzantine periods. The present book, CPJ vol. IV, is the first in a new trilogy, and is devoted to the Ptolemaic period.

The present and upcoming volumes supplement the original CPJ. They present over 300 papyri that have been published since 1957. They also include papyri in languages other than Greek (Hebrew, Aramaic, Demotic), and literary papyri which had not been included in the old CPJ. Aside from quite a number of papyri in these categories, the present volume (of over 100 documents) includes 21 papyri from Herakleopolis in Middle-Egypt that record the existence of a Jewish self-ruling body – the politeuma. These papyri put an end to a long-standing dispute over whether such a Jewish institution had ever existed in Egypt.

From £118.00 Price including VAT

Hardcover
ISBN: 978-3-11-067450-7
Published: 18 May 2020

PDF
ISBN: 978-3-11-067452-1
Published: 18 May 2020

EPUB
ISBN: 978-3-11-067457-6
Published: 18 May 2020

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For reading Biblical Aramaic and Hebrew

RELIGION PROF: Keep Up Your Biblical Aramaic and/or Hebrew in Two Minutes a Day (James McGrath). Again, I've mentioned these before, but current circumstances merit another mention. That said, you can manage more than two minutes a day on your Hebrew and Aramaic right now, can't you?

I'm fortunate enough to be teaching Biblical Aramaic this semester, now remotely, but uninterrupted. So I'm good.

Related idea here (immediately preceding post).

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Loebolus once again

THE AWOL BLOG: Loebolus: Open Access to all the public domain Loeb Classical Library volumes. I have already mentioned this free online collection a couple of times. But it's worth noting again under current circumstances. How better to spend that extra time than catching up on the Greek and Latin Classics?

Well, I know one way that's just as good. But see the next post for that.

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