Buck, The Amorite Dynasty of Ugarit (Brill)

RECENT BOOK FROM BRILL:

The Amorite Dynasty of Ugarit

Historical Implications of Linguistic and Archaeological Parallels

Series: Studies in the Archaeology and History of the Levant, Volume: 8

Author: Mary E. Buck

In The Amorite Dynasty of Ugarit Mary Buck takes a new approach to the field of Amorite studies by considering whether the site of Ugarit shares close parallels with other sites and cultures known from the Bronze Age Levant. When viewed in conjunction, the archaeological and linguistic material uncovered in this study serves to enhance our understanding of the historical complexity and diversity of the Middle Bronze Age period of international relations at the site of Ugarit. With a deft hand, Dr. Buck pursues a nuanced view of populations in the Bronze Age Levant, with the objective of understanding the ancient polity of Ugarit as a kin-based culture that shares close ties with the Amorite populations of the Levant.

"The author covers a contentious area of scholarship with confidence and competence, and has produced a convincing case for the Amorite origins of Bronze Age Ugarit."
-Nick Wyatt, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 44.5 (2020)

The Studies in the Archaeology and History of the Levant series publishes volumes from the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East. Other series offered by Brill that publish volumes from the Museum include Harvard Semitic Studies and Harvard Semitic Monographs, https://hmane.harvard.edu/publications.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €225.00 / $270.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-41511-9
Publication Date: 16 Sep 2019

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-41510-2
Publication Date: 26 Sep 2019

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2021!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Let us keep our eyes on a better 2021.

All best wishes for a safe, healthy, and much improved new year. And do continue to make PaleoJudaica a regular part of it.

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

The comprehensive biblical archaeology 2020 roundup

THE BIBLE PLACES BLOG: Top 10 Discoveries in Biblical Archaeology in 2020 (Todd Bolen). This is the most comprehensive 2020 Roundup for Bible-related archaeology that I have found. It goes far beyond the top 10 mentioned in the title. Again, PaleoJudaica has posts on many of the stories.

I have noted earlier 2020 archaeology roundups here (with some additions by me), here, and here. Todd notes others near the end of his post above.

This is a good place to say goodbye to 2020. Enjoy your New Year's Eve festivities, such as they may be, and stay safe.

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2020's futuristic archaeology

2020 ROUNDUP: As COVID hit, archaeologists turned to futuristic labs to dig up ancient history. From dental tartar studies to the use of police forensics techniques and AI to discern which scribe wrote the Bible, cutting-edge science beat out shovels for uncovering the past (Amanda Borschel-Dan, Times of Israel). This article links back to stories in the Times of Israel. PaleoJudaica has posts on many of the same discoveries. Cross-file under Technology Watch.

Earlier 2020 roundups are noted here and link.

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4 Enoch: The Online Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism

THE 4 ENOCH ENCYCLOPEDIC WEBSITE has been receiving another round of mentions. This seems like a good time for PaleoJudaica to link to it again. It is an invaluable resource.

Welcome to 4 Enoch: The Online Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism, and Christian and Islamic Origins. Scholarship and Fiction, from the 15th century to the present. A website by Gabriele Boccaccini, PhD.

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Armstrong, Dating Acts in its Jewish and Greco-Roman Contexts (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Dating Acts in its Jewish and Greco-Roman Contexts

By: Karl Leslie Armstrong

Published: 01-14-2021
Format: EPUB/MOBI eBook (Watermarked)
Edition: 1st
Extent: 256
ISBN: 9780567696496
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: The Library of New Testament Studies
List price: $103.50
Online price: $82.80
Save $20.70 (20%)

About Dating Acts in its Jewish and Greco-Roman Contexts

There has been consistent apathy in recent years with regard to the long-standing debate surrounding the date of Acts. While the so-called majority of scholars over the past century have been lulled into thinking that Acts was written between 70 and 90 CE, the vast majority of recent scholarship is unanimously adamant that this middle-range date is a convenient, political compromise. Karl Armstrong argues that a large part of the problem relates to a remarkable neglect of historical, textual, and source-critical matters. Compounding the problem further are the methodological flaws among the approaches to the middle and late date of Acts.

Armstrong thus demonstrates that a historiographical approach to the debate offers a strong framework for evaluating primary and secondary sources relating to the book of Acts. By using a historiographical approach, along with the support of modern principles of textual criticism and linguistics, the historical context of Acts is determined to be concurrent with a date of 62–63 CE.

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Top 2020 Haaretz archaeology stories

2020 ROUNDUP: Jesus’ Crucifixion, a Cursed King and Mysterious Giant Mounds: Top Biblical Archaeology Stories of 2020. Why did the ostensibly monotheistic ancient Hebrews make statuettes of nude women? Is that the face of Yahweh? What’s the village excavating itself up to now? All this and more in Haaretz archaeology 2020 (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz premium). The PaleoJudaica archives cover many of these. Sensibly, the article does not limit itself to a top ten. I count eighteen stories from 2020. HT Joseph Lauer.

Another list of top 2020 archaeology stories, with some additions of my own, is here.

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Who is the Son of God in Psalm 2?

PROF. MARC ZVI BRETTLER, PROF. AMY-JILL LEVINE: Psalm 2: Is the Messiah the Son of God? (TheTorah.com).

YHWH declares to the Davidic king, “You are my son; today I have begotten you” (Psalm 2:7). For the New Testament, this verse is a prooftext for Jesus’s divinity, but what did it mean in its original context, and how did Jewish interpreters understand it?

This is an excellent, comprehensive review of the history of interpretation.

I have one small criticism. Isaiah 42:14 is not a good example of metaphorical imagery. The image of a woman in labor is a simile, not a metaphor. But the point is valid. A better example would be Psalm 91:4:

he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. (RSV)

The language is metaphorical. The writer was not saying that God had wings.

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Norman Golb (1928 - 2020)

SAD NEWS: Dr. Norman Golb 1928 - 2020. Professor Golb did important work on the Cairo Geniza. His hypothesis that the Dead Sea Scrolls are the remnant of literary archives from Jerusalem is probably ultimately wrong, but he had some valid points and he made colleagues think outside the box. May his memory be for a blessing.

HT the Agade List.

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Lehnardt (ed.), European Genizah (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

European Genizah

Newly Discovered Hebrew Binding Fragments in Context.
European Genizah Texts and Studies, Volume 5

Series: Studies in Jewish History and Culture, Volume: 63

Editor: Andreas Lehnardt

This volume includes contributions presented at two conferences, in Mainz and Jerusalem, and presents new discoveries of binding fragments in several European libraries and archives and abroad. It presents newly discovered texts with unknown Jewish writings from the Middle Ages and analyses fragments of well-known texts, such as textual witnesses of Midrashim. One chapter overviews recent discoveries in certain collections, some of them far beyond the geographical horizon of the original project, but certainly all of European origin. Other chapters study palaeographical and codicological issues of manuscript fragments and Ashkenazic inscriptions. A final article refers to the beginnings of scholarly interest in Hebrew binding fragments in Germany and sheds light on the part played by Christian Hebraists in its development.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €150.00 / $181.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-42792-1
Publication Date: 22 Jun 2020

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-42791-4
Publication Date: 26 Jun 2020

For more on the European Geniza, see here.

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Video: Coins of the Bible

NUMISMATICS: Talking Ancient Coins With Mike Beall and Mike Markowitz, Part II: Coins of the Bible (CoinWeek Video).

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Zoom lecture: Material Reconstruction of 4QpaleoGen-Exl (4Q11)

FROM THE ORION CENTER:

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to the upcoming Greenfield Scholars’ Seminar of the Orion Center,

Material Reconstruction of 4QpaleoGen-Ex^l (4Q11) and
Its Contribution to the Textual Classification of the Scroll

Dr. Hila Dayfani
Department of Biblical Studies, Tel Aviv University
Orion Matlow Scholar, 2020/2021

Chair: Prof. Emanuel Tov
Department of Bible, The Hebrew University

Tuesday, 12 January 2021, at 17:30 Israel time, 10:30 EST

To enter the meeting, please click here.

For instructions on joining a zoom meeting, please click here.

The lecture will be held in English.

​Please feel free to share the attached invitation with interested colleagues.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

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Zoom lecture: Why are the Dead Sea Scrolls so Sensational?

BY INSTITUTE OF JEWISH STUDIES UCL:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/why-are-the-dead-sea-scrolls-so-sensational-tickets-134122777839

Why are the Dead Sea Scrolls so Sensational?

by Institute of Jewish Studies UCL

Lecture explaining why scholars concur that the recovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls is the most sensational discovery of ancient writings

Date And Time:
Thursday, 14 January 2021, 13:00 – 14:00 EST
Thursday, 14 January 2021, 18:00 – 19:00 GMT
Location: Online Event
Free

About this Event

Since the early 1960s, Professor James Charlesworth has focused his research on the scrolls found in eleven caves on the western shores of the Dead Sea: The Dead Sea Scrolls. In this lecture, Charlesworth seeks to explain why scholars concur that the recovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls is the most sensational discovery of ancient writings. Throughout the world the perspective on Early Judaism and the Origins of Christianity have received a paradigm shift. Why? It is because of the startling and unexpected thoughts found in these scrolls that take us back to a time in the Holy Land from 200 BCE to 67 CE. How and in what ways, if at all, were John the Baptizer and Jesus from Nazareth influenced by the unique symbolic language in these scrolls?

ONLINE EVENT
You will receive the link to the event content in your order confirmation email, and in a reminder email before the event starts.

From Joseph I. Lauer.

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Ruzer, Early Jewish Messianism in the New Testament (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Early Jewish Messianism in the New Testament

Reflections in the Dim Mirror

Series: Jewish and Christian Perspectives Series, Volume: 36

Author: Serge Ruzer

In Early Jewish Messianism in the New Testament Serge Ruzer takes a new tack on the investigation of early Christian polemical strategies against the backdrop of Second Temple Judaism. Complementing traditional inquiry on the subject, Ruzer focuses on those elements of Messiah- and Christ-centered ideas that bear witness to patterns of broader circulation – namely, the Jewish messianic ideas that provided the underpinning for the identity-making moves of Jesus’ early followers. The volume suggests that such attempts can be expected to reflect eschatological ideas of the Jewish ʻOtherʼ. Exploring cases where the New Testament shows itself an early witness for belief patterns found in contemporaneous or only later rabbinic sources, this volume reveals a fuller picture of Second Temple Jewish messianism.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €127.00 / $153.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-43293-2
Publication Date: 13 Jul 2020

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-43292-5
Publication Date: 02 Apr 2020

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Hirshman & Satran with Reisler (eds.), Rabbinic Study Circles (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Rabbinic Study Circles. Aspects of Jewish Learning in its Late Antique Context. Edited by Marc Hirshman and David Satran with the assistance of Anita Reisler. 2020. V, 153 pages. Studies in Education and Religion in Ancient and Pre-Modern History in the Mediterranean and Its Environs 8. 59,00 € including VAT. hardcover ISBN 978-3-16-159454-0.

Published in English.
Taking account of a wide range of literary evidence and the most recent scholarship on the nature of education in Rabbinic Judaism of late antiquity, these studies examine new and varied aspects of the scriptural and intellectual infrastructure of the educational ethos, the tension between oral tradition and literary practice, and the central role of the rabbinic sage as pedagogical innovator and model. They also study the underlying influence of social and economic factors, the evolution of teaching techniques and frameworks, and the formative role of both midrashic mentality and mythopoetic currents. With an eye on the broader contexts of Greco-Roman culture and emergent Christianity, these essays follow the development of rabbinic ideas and institutions from the first centuries of the Common Era in Palestine through the flowering of centers of learning centuries later in Babylonia.

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Ryan, From the Passion to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

From the Passion to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Memories of Jesus in Place, Pilgrimage, and Early Holy Sites Over the First Three Centuries

By: Jordan J. Ryan

Published: 01-14-2021
Format: EPUB/MOBI eBook (Watermarked)
Edition: 1st
Extent: 272
ISBN: 9780567677488
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: The Reception of Jesus in the First Three Centuries
Illustrations: 25 bw illus
List price: $103.50
Online price: $82.80
Save $20.70 (20%) [Available for pre-order.]

About From the Passion to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Since the early 4th century, Christian pilgrims and visitors to Judea and Galilee have worshipped at and been inspired by monumental churches erected at sites traditionally connected with the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. This book examines the history and archaeology of early Christian holy sites and traditions connected with specific places in order to understand them as interpretations of Jesus and to explore them as instantiations of memories of him.

Ryan's overarching aim is to construe these places as instantiations of what historian Pierre Nora has called “lieux de mémoires,” sites where memory crystallizes and, where possible, to track the course and development of the traditions underlying them from their genesis in the Gospel narratives to their eventual solidification in the form of pilgrimage sites. So doing will bring rarely considered evidence to the study of early Christian memory, which in turn helps to illuminate the person of Jesus himself in both history and reception.

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Hartog et al. (eds.), Jerusalem and Other Holy Places as Foci of Multireligious and Ideological Confrontation (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Jerusalem and Other Holy Places as Foci of Multireligious and Ideological Confrontation

Series: Jewish and Christian Perspectives Series, Volume: 37

Volume Editors: Pieter B. Hartog, Shulamit Laderman, Vered Tohar, and Archibald L.H.M. van Wieringen

Jerusalem and Other Holy Places as Foci of Multireligious and Ideological Confrontation brings together the papers that were read at an international conference at the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem in May 2018. The contributions to this volume develop a multi-disciplinary perspective on holy places and their development, rhetorical force, and oft-contested nature. Through a particular focus on Jerusalem, this volume demonstrates the variety in the study of holy places, as well as the flexibility of geographic and historical aspects of holiness.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €138.00 / $166.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-43721-0
Publication Date: 07 Dec 2020

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-43718-0
Publication Date: 10 Dec 2020

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Pre-order: T&T Clark Handbook of Septuagint Research

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

T&T Clark Handbook of Septuagint Research

Editor(s): William A. Ross, W. Edward Glenny

Published: 01-14-2021
Format: EPUB/MOBI eBook (Watermarked)
Edition: 1st
Extent: 480
ISBN: 9780567680266
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: T&T Clark Handbooks
List price: $157.50
Online price: $126.00
Save $31.50 (20%)

About T&T Clark Handbook of Septuagint Research

Students and scholars now widely recognize the importance of the Septuagint to the history of the Greek language, the textual development of the Bible, and to Jewish and Christian religious life in both the ancient and modern worlds. This handbook is designed for those who wish to engage the Septuagint in their research, yet have been unsure where to turn for guidance or concise, up-to-date discussion. The contributors break down the barriers involved in the technical debates and sub-specialties as far as possible, equipping readers with the tools and knowledge necessary to conduct their own research.

Each chapter is written by a leading Septuagint scholar and focuses upon a major area of research in the discipline, providing an overview of the topic, key debates and views, a survey or demonstration of the methods involved, and pointers towards ongoing research questions. By exploring origins, language, text, reception, theology, translation, and commentary, with a final summary of the literature, this handbook encourages active engagement with the most important issues in the field and provides an essential resource for specialists and non-specialists alike.

I noted the book as forthcoming here.

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Dreams and trauma in the Joseph story

PROF. MEIRA POLLIACK: Pharaoh’s Dreams and the Mirroring of Joseph’s Inner Life (TheTorah.com).

I'll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours” ― Bob Dylan

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Exotic "Egyptian" Apocryphal Acts

THE APOCRYPHICITY BLOG: The “Egyptian” Collection of Apocryphal Acts, Part 1: Coptic, Arabic, and Ge‘ez Sources (Tony Burke). Cross-file under New Testament Apocrypha Watch and Coptic Watch. Other languages are involved, but the earliest recoverable basis for the collection seems to be Coptic.

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García, On Human Nature in Early Judaism (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

On Human Nature in Early Judaism

Creation, Composition, and Condition

Series: Journal of Ancient Judaism - Supplements, Volume: 34

Author: Jeffrey P. García

This book is an analysis of early Jewish thought on human nature, specifically, the complex of characteristics that are understood to be universally innate, and/or God-given, to collective humanity and the manner which they depict human existence in relationship, or lack thereof, to God. Jewish discourse in the Greco-Roman period (4th c. BCE until 1st c. CE) on human nature was not exclusively particularistic, although the immediate concern was often communal-specific. Evidence shows that many of these discussions were also an attempt to grasp a general, or universal, human nature. The focus of this work has been narrowed to three categories that encapsulate the most prevalent themes in Second Temple Jewish texts, namely, creation, composition, and condition.

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-3-657-70486-6
Publication Date: 26 Oct 2020

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-3-506-70486-3
Publication Date: 13 Nov 2020

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