Village dogs, guard dogs, scavenger dogs, and dog burials—what archaeology and the Bible can tell us about dogs in ancient Egypt and the Levant, and the significance of their silence during the plague of the firstborn.
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For more on children in the biblical world, see here, here, here, here and links.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Eschatology and the Saviour
The 'Gospel of Mary' among Early Christian Dialogue GospelsPart of Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series
AUTHOR: Sarah Parkhouse, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne
DATE PUBLISHED: October 2020
AVAILABILITY: Available
FORMAT: Paperback
ISBN: 9781108712866
Description
This book focuses on the 'Gospel of Mary' in the context of a broader analysis of early Christian dialogue gospels - a popular literary genre used to present Jesus as conversing with select disciples and answering a series of questions on life, death and the cosmos at the conclusion of his earthly career. Jesus' teachings in these texts can vary greatly, from affirming the resurrection of the flesh to denying it completely. This book highlights the diversity of perspective within this genre, bringing together New Testament, 'gnostic' and (proto-)orthodox texts. Yet each text is based on the premise that it contains new or clarified teaching from the risen or glorified Lord, often in the form of a final revelation concerned with the disciples' eschatological salvation. This book offers a fresh and in-depth analysis of the 'Gospel of Mary' in the context of the dialogue gospel genre, concentrating on the narrative frame, the eschatological teachings, and the relationship between the two.
- Offers new insights into both New Testament texts and dialogue gospels, highlighting the complexity and diversity of early Christian gospel literature
- Includes Greek and Coptic text as well as translations, including appendices of translations and comparisons of the manuscripts of the 'Gospel of Mary'
- Presents in-depth analysis of narrative frame and eschatology of the 'Gospel of Mary'
Cross-file under New Testament Apocrypha Watch.
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For more on the Chester Beatty Library and its papyri etc. see here (cf. here) and links.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Looks like this is the fruit of the Arshama Project. Cross file unde Aramaic Watch. There are many PaleoJudaica posts on Elephantine Island in Egypt and on the Elephantine Aramaic papyri. Start here and follow the links.
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I linked to an earlier version of Phil's essay here. A couple of other PaleoJudaica posts on Ahiqar are here and here.
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According to ancient Egyptian belief, a person’s heart was weighed after death to determine whether they are righteous or wicked. By referring to Pharaoh’s heart as heavy, the exodus story originally expressed the extent of his guilt.While we're on the topic of the Book of the Dead, a new manuscript of one of its chapters has recently been recovered at Saqqara.
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A Guide to Early Jewish Texts and Traditions in Christian TransmissionThere is also an e-book version, if you can track it down.Editor-in-chief Alexander Kulik, Edited by Gabriele Boccaccini, Lorenzo DiTommaso, David Hamidovic, and Michael E. Stone
Description
- Offers a systematic exploration of Jewish literature of the Hellenistic and Roman periods
- Essays provide overviews, historical locations, methodological issues, and innovations in the study of the texts
- A thorough survey of a wildly diverse set of Jewish documents that are rarely treated together
The Jewish culture of the Hellenistic and early Roman periods established a basis for all monotheistic religions, but its main sources have been preserved to a great degree through Christian transmission. This Guide is devoted to problems of preservation, reception, and transformation of Jewish texts and traditions of the Second Temple period in the many Christian milieus from the ancient world to the late medieval era. It approaches this corpus not as an artificial collection of reconstructed texts—a body of hypothetical originals—but rather from the perspective of the preserved materials, examined in their religious, social, and political contexts. It also considers the other, non-Christian, channels of the survival of early Jewish materials, including Rabbinic, Gnostic, Manichaean, and Islamic. This unique project brings together scholars from many different fields in order to map the trajectories of early Jewish texts and traditions among diverse later cultures. It also provides a comprehensive and comparative introduction to this new field of study while bridging the gap between scholars of early Judaism and of medieval Christianity.
£97.00
Hardback
This item has an extended shipping time. The typical delivery time is 2 weeks.
Published: 06 December 2019
560 Pages | 2
254x178mm
ISBN: 9780190863074
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Divine Aggression in Psalms and Inscriptions
Vengeful Gods and Loyal KingsPart of Society for Old Testament Study Monographs
AUTHOR: Collin Cornell, University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee
DATE PUBLISHED: October 2020
AVAILABILITY: Available
FORMAT: Hardback
ISBN: 9781108842679Description
The aggression of the biblical God named Yhwh is notorious. Students of theology, the Bible, and the Ancient Near East know that the Hebrew Bible describes Yhwh acting destructively against his client country, Israel, and against its kings. But is Yhwh uniquely vengeful, or was he just one among other, similarly ferocious patron gods? To answer this question, Collin Cornell compares royal biblical psalms with memorial inscriptions. He finds that the Bible shares deep theological and literary commonalities with comparable texts from Israel's ancient neighbours. The centrepiece of both traditions is the intense mutual loyalty of gods and kings. In the event that the king's monument and legacy comes to harm, gods avenge their individual royal protégé. In the face of political inexpedience, kings honour their individual divine benefactor.
- Provides a sustained comparison between royal biblical psalms and ancient inscriptions
- Demonstrates the distinctive features of the biblical god, especially in terms of his aggression against his own client king and country
- Argues for the loyalty of kings to their specific patron god
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Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Some PaleoJudiaca post on the Letter of Aristeas are here and links. There is more on Ptolemy II Philadelphus: here and here. Cross-file under Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Watch.
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The Cambridge Companion to Jewish TheologyPart of Cambridge Companions to Religion
EDITOR: Steven Kepnes, Colgate University, New York
DATE PUBLISHED: December 2020
AVAILABILITY: Available
FORMAT: Paperback
ISBN: 9781108401432Description
The Cambridge Companion to Jewish Theology offers an overview of Jewish theology, an aspect of Judaism that is equal in importance to law and ethics. Covering the period from antiquity to the present, the volume focuses on what Jews believe about God and also about the relation of God to humans and the world. Parts I and II cover exciting new research in Jewish biblical and rabbinic theology, medieval philosophy, Kabbalah (mysticism), and liturgy. Parts III and IV turn to modern theology with an exploration of works by leading figures, such as Rabbi Abraham I. Kook, Franz Rosenzweig, and Emmanuel Levinas, as well as the relation of theology to issues such as feminism and the Holocaust, and the relation of Judaism to other world religions. In Part V, the book explores how the insights of analytic philosophy have been integrated with Jewish theology.
- Provides an accessible overview of the history of Jewish Theology, from antiquity to the present
- Uncovers exciting new research in Jewish biblical and rabbinic theology, medieval philosophy, Kabbalah (Mysticism), and Liturgy
- Explores modern Jewish theology and contemporary issues including the Holocaust, Feminism and the relation of Judaism to other world religions
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Manuel Sanz Morales, Chariton of Aphrodisias' 'Callirhoe': a critical edition. Antike Texte, Band 2. Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, 2020. Pp. xxx, 185. ISBN 9783825366155 €32,00.For more on ancient Greek novels and their possible interest for the study of ancient Judaism, see here, here and here.Review by William M. Owens, Ohio University. owensb@ohio.edu
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Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
The Golden Calf between Bible and Qur'anScripture, Polemic, and Exegesis from Late Antiquity to Islam
Michael Pregill
Oxford Studies in the Abrahamic Religions
Description
- A compelling exploration of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic understandings of the account of the Golden Calf
- Contributes to the ongoing reevaluation of the relationship between Bible and Qur'an
- The first major monograph on the story of the Golden Calf
- The book also addresses the issue of Western approaches to the Qur'an, arguing that the historical reliance of scholars and translators on classical Muslim exegesis of scripture has led to misleading conclusions
This book explores the story of the Israelites' worship of the Golden Calf in its Jewish, Christian, and Muslim contexts, from ancient Israel to the emergence of Islam. It focuses in particular on the Qur'an's presentation of the narrative and its background in Jewish and Christian retellings of the episode from Late Antiquity. Across the centuries, the interpretation of the Calf episode underwent major changes reflecting the varying cultural, religious, and ideological contexts in which various communities used the story to legitimate their own tradition, challenge the claims of others, and delineate the boundaries between self and other. The book contributes to the ongoing reevaluation of the relationship between Bible and Qur'an, arguing for the necessity of understanding the Qur'an and Islamic interpretations of the history and narratives of ancient Israel as part of the broader biblical tradition. The Calf narrative in the Qur'an, central to the qur'anic conception of the legacy of Israel and the status of the Jews of its own time, reflects a profound engagement with the biblical account in Exodus, as well as being informed by exegetical and parascriptural traditions in circulation in the Qur'an's milieu in Late Antiquity. The book also addresses the issue of Western approaches to the Qur'an, arguing that the historical reliance of scholars and translators on classical Muslim exegesis of scripture has led to misleading conclusions about the meaning of qur'anic episodes.
£95.00
Hardback
Published: 30 July 2020
528 Pages
234x156mm
ISBN: 9780198852421
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Three curious details in the plagues of blood and frogs show the hand of a post-priestly editor and his concern about purity laws.
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Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
For more on the decision to redefine the "widow's mite," see here. For yet more on the "widow's mite" (lepton, half-prutah), see here and here.
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The Theology of the Books of Haggai and ZechariahPart of Old Testament Theology
AUTHOR: Robert Foster, University of Georgia
DATE PUBLISHED: October 2020
AVAILABILITY: This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
FORMAT: Adobe eBook Reader
ISBN: 9781108690539Description
Tucked away at the end of the Minor Prophets, the Books of Haggai and Zechariah offer messages of challenge and hope to residents of the small district of Yehud in the Persian Empire in the generations after the return from Babylonian exile. In this volume, Robert Foster focuses on the distinct theological message of each book. The Book of Haggai uses Israel's foundational event - God's salvation of Israel from Egypt - to exhort the people to finish building the Second Temple. The Book of Zechariah argues that the hopes the people had in the prophet Zechariah's days did not come true because the people failed to keep God's long-standing demand for justice, though hope still lies in the future because of God's character. Each chapter in this book closes with a substantive reflection of the ethics of the major sections of the Books of Haggai and Zechariah and their implications for contemporary readers.
Provides a focused and thorough discussion of the key theological teachings of the books of Haggai and Zechariah Offers a summary of theological ethics of each major section of the books of Haggai and Zechariah, as well as how these interact with the theological ethics of the books of the Old Testament Discusses the theology of the Book of Zechariah in terms of its final form, to help the reader see its unified message while acknowledging its development across time
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#JohnTheBaptist Enoch Seminar Nangeroni Meeting Day 3
#JohnTheBaptist Enoch Seminar Nangeroni Meeting Day 4
I noted his post on day 1 here and on day 2 here.
By the way, please excuse my unusual silence in the last couple of days. I'm fine, but extremely busy.
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Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Tyler Smith, The fourth Gospel and the manufacture of minds in ancient historiography, biography, romance, and drama. Biblical interpretation series. volume 173. Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2019. Pp. xiv, 303. ISBN 9789004396036 €116,00.Review by Douglas Estes, South University. douglasestes@gmail.com
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The story of the ancestors in Genesis serves as a prequel to that of Moses in Exodus. Originally, however, each were self-standing accounts of Israel’s origin. They were combined for the first time by the Priestly author in the post-exilic period.This makes some sense to me, mainly because I can see a case for distinguishing J and E in Genesis, but after that the distinction seems to evaporate. I have commented briefly on that here.
Although I think elements of traditional source criticism remain sound, I am skeptical that we are able to make real progress on the question with the information currently available. As it stands now, there are many attempts to refine the state of the question, but none command anything like a consensus.
I have posted more thoughts on Pentateuchal source criticism here and links.
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