Howes, The Formative Stratum of the Sayings Gospel Q (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Llewellyn Howes. The Formative Stratum of the Sayings Gospel Q. Reconsidering Its Extent, Message, and Unity. 2021. XIV, 393 pages. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2. Reihe 545. 94,00 € including VAT. sewn paper ISBN 978-3-16-160094-4.

Published in English.
In this study, Llewellyn Howes analyses the formative stratum (or earliest redactional layer) of the Sayings Gospel Q. He argues that certain texts in Q that have traditionally been excluded from its earliest layer should rather be included. In the process, the message of Q's formative stratum is reconsidered, featuring interesting and novel interpretations of certain Q texts that draw from advances in our knowledge of the logia and parables of Jesus, as well as the ancient Jewish world. Ultimately, the study argues that the formative stratum was a unified document before subsequent redactional layers were added, with interesting and important consequences for our understanding of the historical Jesus.

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Koester (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Book of Revelation (OUP)

NEW BOOK FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS:

The Oxford Handbook of the Book of Revelation

Edited by Craig Koester

Oxford Handbooks

• Fills a gap in the study of the most divergently interpreted book in the New Testament
• Features thirty essays from leading scholars around the world
• Divided into sections on Literary Features, Social Setting, Theology and Ethics, History of Reception and Influence, and Currents in Interpretation

Description

The Book of Revelation holds a special fascination for both scholars and the general public. The book has generated widely differing interpretations, yet Revelation has surprisingly not been the focus of many single-volume reference works. The Oxford Handbook of the Book of Revelation fills a need in the study of this controversial book. Thirty essays by leading scholars from around the world orient readers to the major currents in the study of Revelation. Divided into five sections-Literary Features, Social Setting, Theology and Ethics, History of Reception and Influence, and Currents in Interpretation-the essays identify the major lines of interpretation that have shaped discussion of these topics, and then work through the aspects of those topics that are most significant and hold greatest promise for future research.

£110.00

Hardback
Published: 10 December 2020
640 Pages | 4
248x171mm
ISBN: 9780190655433

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Boyd, Language Contact, Colonial Administration, and the Construction of Identity in Ancient Israel (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Language Contact, Colonial Administration, and the Construction of Identity in Ancient Israel

Constructing the Context for Contact

Series: Harvard Semitic Monographs

Author: Samuel L. Boyd

In Language Contact, Colonial Administration, and the Construction of Identity in Ancient Israel, Boyd addresses a long-standing critical issue in biblical scholarship: how does the production of the Bible relate to its larger historical, linguistic, and cultural settings in the ancient Near East? Using theoretical advances in the study of language contact, he examines in detail the sociolinguistic landscape during the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Achaemenid periods. Boyd then places the language and literature of Ezekiel and Isaiah in this sociolinguistic landscape. Language Contact, Colonial Administration, and the Construction of Identity in Ancient Israel offers the first book-length incorporation of language contact theory with data from the Bible. As a result, it allows for a reexamination of the nature of contact between biblical authors and a series of Mesopotamian empires beginning with Assyria.

The Harvard Semitic Monographs 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 Studies in the Archaeology and History of the Levant, https://hmane.harvard.edu/publications.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €280.00 / $336.00

E-Book (PDF) Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-44876-6
Publication Date: 15 Feb 2021

Hardback Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-44875-9
Publication Date: 18 Feb 2021

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Vorpahl, Aus dem Leben des Buches Jona (De Gruyter)

NEW BOOK FROM DE GRUYTER:

Daniel Vorpahl
Aus dem Leben des Buches Jona
Rezeptionswissenschaftliche Methodik und innerjüdischer Rezeptionsdiskurs

In: Studies of the Bible and Its Reception (SBR), 17

De Gruyter | 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110699319

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Daniel Vorpahl examines the early Jewish and rabbinic receptions of the biblical prophet Jonah for their narrative-dynamic negotiation processes. Following a specially developed methodology, Jonas’ receptions are contextualized in terms of discourse analysis and analyzed in a comparative manner along uniform analysis categories. The result is a detailed image section of an intra-Jewish reception discourse.

FROM £109.00

FORMATS

Electronic
Published: December 16, 2020
ISBN: 9783110699319

Hardcover
ISBN: 9783110699128

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Job: Academic Editor (Judaism) - University of St. Andrews

VACANCY: Academic Editor (Judaism) - AO1702SB School of Divinity

The St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology, based at the School of Divinity at the University of St Andrews, intends to appoint a full-time Academic Editor for a fixed term from 2 August 2021 (or as soon as possible thereafter) to 31 May 2024.

The St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology project is creating a free, online encyclopaedia of academic theology. It publishes peer-reviewed research articles of approximately 12,000 words, written and maintained by senior scholars. We are creating an internet resource for theology’s future: an Encyclopaedia in the emic rather than etic mode, focusing on theological concepts, structures, and systems. As the Encyclopaedia of Theology will ultimately incorporate intellectual content from all major religious traditions, we propose an emphasis on material being written by scholars for whom these traditions are alive. More information may be found at the project website, www.saet.ac.uk.

This section of the project is focused on articles relating to the full breadth of Jewish theological thought, including systematic accounts and interactions with philosophy, ethics, halakhah, and liturgy. The major communities of Jewish religious practice (Haredi, central Orthodox, Masorti, Reform, Liberal, etc.) will be represented. Candidates should have demonstrable experience or understanding of Jewish praxis and the field of Jewish theology, broadly understood.

The Christian section is already under way. Further sections will cover other religious traditions, including Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

Successful applicants will be part of a growing team of academic colleagues contributing to the commissioning and editing of several hundred articles, working collaboratively with our senior editorial team in identifying areas of expansion for the Encyclopaedia, and engaging in a range of technical and support tasks appropriate to their skills.

Candidates are expected to have a doctoral degree, or equivalent, in Jewish theology, philosophy, thought, or another area relevant to this Jewish-focused section of the Encyclopaedia, or a commensurate level of experience in relevant academic publishing. A demonstrable research record in an area related to this section of the Encyclopaedia is desirable, and there will be the option to maintain an independent research profile in addition to conducting research in areas of interest to the Encyclopaedia. Ideal candidates will possess both a terminal degree and experience in editorial or publishing roles, as well as having a record of research relevant to the needs of the Encyclopaedia.

Follow the link for further particulars and application information. The Closing Date is 14 April 2021.

I am not involved in this search, so please don't contact me. Contact information is at the link.

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A Syriac mosaic with an Homeric scene

DECORATIVE ART AND SYRIAC WATCH: Nouvelles mosaïques d’Osrhoène découvertes in situ en Syrie du nord (Komait ABDALLAH, Alain DESREUMAUX, Mohamad AL-KAİD, Journal of Mosaic Research, Year 2020, Volume , Issue 13, Pages 1 - 34).

Abstract

New Osrhoene Mosaics Discovered In Situ in Northern Syria

In 2017, a mosaic was discovered in a plain near Tell Shioukh Tehtani, located 60 km northeast of Aleppo in the Euphrates Valley and is known for remains from the Bronze Age found by an Italian-Syrian archaeological mission. The mosaic was found during a clandestine excavation carried out before 2017. The Directorate of Antiquity in Damascus which was informed by the local society sent a team of restorers who excavated and documented all the floor mosaic before removing it to the service of antiquity at Al-Hassake province. The work of the restorers has shown that this mosaic is the remains of the pavements of a private villa. The drawing plan done by the restorers shows a part of this building composed of several rooms and a corridor. All these parts are paved with mosaics, some of them was in situ, others were looted. The apse main room is paved with a mosaic around a basin in the center; there remains only one carpet figured by the Achilles scene in Skyros; the figures are identified by inscriptions in Syriac. In another room, there is a mosaic around a basin in the center representing a foliage of vine coming out of the vases with four Eros. The mosaic of the corridor is decorated with geometric patterns. The stylistic study shows that these mosaics are very close to those found at Edessa (Urfa) and dated to the 3rd century AD. This mosaic has an exceptional importance because, on the one hand, it attests the diffusion of the Edessa mosaics workshops outside the city and its region, and on the other hand, it gives an idea on the decoration of the mosaics in the public buildings in this region in Roman times.

HT David Taylor on Facebook.

This is a lovely mosaic, bearing a Homeric scene, although not necessarily one out of Homer. The Syriac captions name Odysseus, Achilles, Déidamie, and one other fragmentary name that could be either Circe or Briseis.

The article is in French. It appears to be open access. At least I had no trouble downloading it.

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Quick, Dress, Adornment, and the Body in the Hebrew Bible (OUP)

NEW BOOK FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS:

Dress, Adornment, and the Body in the Hebrew Bible

Laura Quick

• Provides a comprehensive overview of the history of dress and adornment in biblical literature and the wider eastern Mediterranean, including an up-to-date treatment of the archaeological and epigraphic evidence
• Brings sociological and anthropological models into dialogue with philology and exegesis of ancient literary texts
• Offers fresh insights into the complex relationship between the body, the self, and the other in ancient Israel

Description

Dress, Adornment, and the Body in the Hebrew Bible is the first monograph to treat dress and adornment in biblical literature in the English language. It moves beyond a description of these aspects of ancient life to encompass notions of interpersonal relationships and personhood that underpin practices of dress and adornment. Laura Quick explores the ramifications of body adornment in the biblical world, informed by a methodologically plural approach incorporating material culture alongside philology, textual exegesis, comparative evidence, and sociological models.

Drawing upon and synthesizing insights from material culture and texts from across the eastern Mediterranean, the volume reconstructs the social meanings attached to the dressed body in biblical texts. It shows how body adornment can deepen understanding of attitudes towards the self in the ancient world. In Quick's reconstruction of ancient performances of the self, the body serves as the observed centre in which complex ideologies of identity, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and social status are articulated. The adornment of the body is thus an effective means of non-verbal communication, but one which at the same time is controlled by and dictated through normative social values. Exploring dress, adornment, and the body can therefore open up hitherto unexplored perspectives on these social values in the ancient world, an essential missing piece in understanding the social and cultural world which shaped the Hebrew Bible.

£75.00

Hardback
Published: 09 February 2021
256 Pages
234x156mm
ISBN: 9780198856818

I noted another recent book on related matters here. And a couple of PaleoJudaica posts on sartorial history and archaeology are here and here with links.

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The Pope is visiting Iraq

COMMENCING TODAY: Pope Francis embarks on historic visit to Iraq (Barbara Bibbo, MSN News).

Pope Francis begins a historic visit to Iraq on Friday, the first by a pontiff to the birthplace of the Eastern Churches from where more than a million Christians have fled over the past 20 years.

I wish the Pope and his Iraqi followers well during this visit. There has been much preparation for it. I imagine it will touch on some ancient history of interest to PaleoJudaica. Stay tuned.

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Nasrallah, Archaeology and the Letters of Paul (OUP)

RECENT BOOK FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS:

Archaeology and the Letters of Paul

Laura Salah Nasrallah

• Illuminates the social, political, economic, and religious lives of those to whom and with whom the apostle Paul wrote
• Uses archaeological materials to consider specific, local contexts and the cities of the Roman Empire
• Engages in the imaginative work of history, amassing more and more details from archaeology to build cases of the rich, complicated, embroiled lives of those adelphoi, the brothers and sisters whom Paul addressed
• Tells six stories which emerge from local contexts, from a particular stone or building, from a pathway or an obelisk
• Presents a methodology for the use of archaeological materials in the study of the New Testament and lives out that methodology with its case studies focused on cities and regions of the Roman Empire
• Contributes to the ongoing work of New Testament interpretation

Description

Archaeology and the Letters of Paul illuminates the social, political, economic, and religious lives of those to whom the apostle Paul wrote. Roman Ephesos provides evidence of slave traders and the regulation of slaves; it is a likely setting for household of Philemon, to whom a letter about the slave Onesimus is addressed. In Galatia, an inscription seeks to restrain the demands of travelling Roman officials, illuminating how the apostolic travels of Paul, Cephas, and others disrupted communities. At Philippi, a list of donations from the cult of Silvanus demonstrates the benefactions of a community that, like those in Christ, sought to share abundance in the midst of economic limitations. In Corinth, a landscape of grief extends from monuments to the bones of the dead, and provides a context in which to understand Corinthian practices of baptism on behalf of the dead and the provocative idea that one could live "as if not" mourning or rejoicing. Rome and the Letter to the Romans are the grounds for an investigation of ideas of time and race not only in the first century, when we find an Egyptian obelisk inserted as a timepiece into the mausoleum complex of Augustus, but also of a new Rome under Mussolini that claimed the continuity of Roman racial identity from antiquity to his time and sought to excise Jews. Thessalonike and the early Christian literature associated with the city demonstrates what is done out of love for Paul-invention of letters, legends, and cult in his name. The book articulates a method for bringing together biblical texts with archaeological remains. This method reconstructs the lives of the many adelphoi ——brothers and sisters—— whom Paul and his co-writers address. Its project is informed by feminist historiography and gains inspiration from thinkers such as Claudia Rankine, Judith Butler, Giorgio Agamben, Wendy Brown, and Katie Lofton.

£20.00

Paperback
Published: 15 January 2021
336 Pages | 20 Half-tones; 13 Line drawings
234x156mm
ISBN: 9780198842026

The hardback edition was published late in 2018. The book just came to my notice with the announcement that it is now in paperback. For notice of a recent article by Cavan Concannon on the same subject, see here.

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Whose image and inscription is this?

NUMISMATICS: Changes in Portraiture on Ancient Roman Coinage (Tyler Rossi, CoinWeek).

... the first portrait of a living man to appear on a Roman coin was that of Julius Caesar. This decision was arguably one of the reasons for Caesar’s assassination.

You can also see a photo of the recently famous Brutus coin, which has EID MAR, "The Ides of March," on the reverse side. With daggers!

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Women and sorcery in the Bible and the ANE

PROF. JONATHAN RABINOWITZ: Accusing Women of Witchcraft (TheTorah.com).

It is clear in the Bible and ancient Near Eastern texts that men were sorcerers, yet Exodus 22:17 seems to single out women in its command, “You shall not permit a witch to live.”

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Festschrift for Chuck Hill

THE ETC BLOG: Festschrift for Chuck Hill Published (Peter Gurry). In addition to the expected coverage of New Testament textual criticism and related, there is an article on Mesopotamian writing and writers by J. Nicholas Reid and an article on the early textual history of the Hebrew Psalter by Peter J. Gentry. Cross-file under New Book.

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Unlocking letters and unrolling scrolls – virtually!

TECHNOLOGY WATCH: “Locked” for 300 years: Virtual unfolding has now revealed this letter’s secrets. Practice of intricately folding letters to secure them is known as "letterlocking" (Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica).

In 1697, a man named Jacques Sennacque wrote a letter to his cousin, a French merchant named Pierre Le Pers, requesting a certified death certificate for another man named Daniel Le Pers (presumably also a relation). Sennacque sealed the letter with an intricate folding method known as "letterlocking," a type of physical cryptography, to safeguard the contents from prying eyes. That letter was never delivered or opened. More than 300 years later, researchers have virtually "unlocked" the letter to reveal its contents for the first time, right down to the watermark in the shape of a bird. They described their results in a new paper published in the journal Nature Communications.

[...]

There are hundreds of such locked letters. The point of interest for PaleoJudaica is that the technology for "virtually unlocking" them has already been used on ancient scrolls.

So [researcher Jana] Dambrogio et al. turned to virtual "unwrapping" techniques, which are becoming increasing popular for the study of fragile historical documents. For instance, in 2016, an international team of scientists developed a method for virtually unrolling a badly damaged ancient scroll found on the western shore of the Dead Sea, revealing the first few verses from the book of Leviticus. The so-called En-Gedi scroll was recovered from the ark of an ancient synagogue destroyed by fire around 600 CE.

For the story of the Ein Gedi Leviticus scroll, see here and many links. For the virtual unfolding of a Coptic Elephantine papyrus, see here. And for the discovery of writing on apparently blank Dead Sea Scroll fragments at the Rylands Library, Manchester, using Multispectral Imaging, see here and here. These technological developments are providing many unforseen opportunities "to X-ray history."

HT reader Joe Slater.

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Online manuscripts at the Bodleian Library

OVER AT VARIANT READINGS, Brent Nongbri links to some online images of manuscripts of Homer, the Bible, New Testament apocrypha, and Old Testament pseudepigrapha from the Bodleian Library, Oxford University.

Color Images of the Hawara Homer Online

Online Images of Early Christian Manuscripts at the Bodleian Library

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The Babylonian Exile wasn't so bad?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: How Bad Was the Babylonian Exile? Were the Judahites really weeping by the rivers of Babylon?

The evidence reveals a diversity of experiences for the Judahite exiles, and the picture of the Judahite experience in the Babylonian Exile that emerges is perhaps not as morose as previously believed.

I imagine it still wasn't great for a lot of the exiles.

There is more in the full article “How Bad Was the Babylonian Exile?” by Laurie E. Pearce in the September/October 2016 issue of BAR. It is behind the subscription wall. For lots more on the (unprovenanced) Babylonian-Jewish cuneiform archive of Al-Yahudu, start here and follow the links.

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Ancient bronze helmet dredged from Haifa Harbor

MARTIAL ARTIFACT: Corinthian Warrior’s helmet dated to Persian Wars found in Israel (Greek City Times). The helmet was found in the Haifa Harbor back in 2007. It is receiving attention again because the Israel Antiquities Authority recently highlighted it on Facebook.

I see that I noted the story here in 2012. It may be that it wasn't announced before that. Follow the link there for more information.

In 2017 I also noted the discovery of a lion helmet from the Punic Wars.

UPDATE: This seems like a good opportunity to mention another remarkable artifact recently discovered at Pompeii: 2,000-year-old chariot unearthed at Pompeii. It was the 'Lamborghini' of its day (Tom Metcalfe, Live Science).

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Falk, The Ark of the Covenant in Its Egyptian Context (Hendrickson)

NEW BOOK FROM HENDRICKSON:

The Ark of the Covenant in Its Egyptian Context: An Illustrated Journey

By: David A. Falk

HENDRICKSON PUBLISHERS / 2020 / HARDCOVER
$39.95

Product Description

The Ark of the Covenant in Its Egyptian Context: An Illustrated Journey invites readers on a journey of discovery that will change the way they view the Ark of the Covenant forever!

Although much has been written about the Ark of the Covenant, few authors engage the wealth of information available that pertains to Egyptian material culture. The Ark of the Covenant in Its Egyptian Context: An Illustrated Journey is the first book to explore the complex history of sacred ritual furniture in Egypt that predated the ark by hundreds of years.

Within Egyptian culture, over four hundred examples of ritual furniture exist that shed light on the design and appearance of the ark. These examples form patterns that provide context for the Israelites' understanding of the ark at the time of its construction. That understanding would have been obvious to the Israelites of the time, but has since become obscured over the millennia. This groundbreaking book is the first to connect the Ark of the Covenant with the archaeology and chronology of ancient Egypt, and it does so in an accessible way with straightforward text and dozens of full-color photographs and graphics.

Key points and features:

• A groundbreaking work of scholarship—the first of its kind to connect the Ark of the Covenant with its ancient Egyptian context.
• High-level scholarship is paired with straightforward text, making it an accessible volume for students and curious laypeople, as well as experts in the field.
• Includes dozens of full-color photographs and graphics depicting ancient Egyptian artifacts and art. Durable hardcover is built to withstand heavy use in classrooms and libraries.

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Coogan, The Bible. What Everyone Needs to Know ® (OUP)

NEW BOOK FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS:

The Bible

What Everyone Needs to Know ®

Michael Coogan

What Everyone Needs To Know®

• Offers a broad overview of biblical authority, influence, and scholarship
• Written in an impartial style by a leading authority on the Bible
• Provides a clear, frank treatment of controversial topics associated with the Bible

The Bible is the most influential book in Western history. As the foundational text of Judaism and Christianity, the Bible has been interpreted and reinterpreted over millennia, utilized to promote a seemingly endless run of theological and political positions. Adherents and detractors alike point to different passages throughout to justify wildly disparate behaviors and beliefs. Translated and retranslated, these texts lead both to unity and intense conflict. Influential books on any topic are typically called "bibles." What is the Bible? As a text considered sacred by some, its stories and language appear throughout the fine arts and popular culture, from Shakespeare to Saturday Night Live. In Michael Coogan's eagerly awaited addition to Oxford's What Everyone Needs to Know® series, conflicts and controversies surrounding the world's bestselling book are addressed in a straightforward Q&A format. This book provides an unbiased look at biblical authority and authorship, the Bible's influence in Western culture, the disputes over meaning and interpretation, and the state of biblical scholarship today. Brimming with information for the student and the expert alike, The Bible: What Everyone Needs to Know ® is a dependable introduction to a most contentious holy book.

£12.99

Paperback
Published: 28 January 2021
208 Pages
210x140mm
ISBN: 9780199383030

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Biblical Studies Carnival 180

THE DUST BLOG: Biblical Studies Carnival 180 February 2021 (Bob MacDonald).

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Dogs in the Bible

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: No, No, Bad Dog: Dogs in the Bible. Israelite attitudes toward dogs (Ellen White).

There is archaeological evidence, such as figurines, pictures and even collars, that demonstrates that Israel’s neighbors kept dogs as pets, but from the skeletal remains found within the Levant, the domestication of dogs did not happen until the Persian and Hellenistic periods within Israel.

For more on dogs in the Bible (and in the Talmud), see here and here. And then there's Canine Aramaic. And can it really be that in all these years I have never blogged on the Ashkelon dog cemetery?

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Burnett, Christ’s Enthronement at God’s Right Hand ... (De Gruyter)

NEW BOOK FROM DE GRUYTER:

D. Clint Burnett

Christ’s Enthronement at God’s Right Hand and Its Greco-Roman Cultural Context

In: Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft, 242
De Gruyter | 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110691795

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Given the dearth of non-messianic interpretations of Psalm 110:1 in non-Christian Second Temple Jewish texts, why did it become such a widely used messianic prooftext in the New Testament and early Christianity? Previous attempts to answer this question have focused on why the earliest Christians first began to use Ps 110:1. The result is that these proposals do not provide an adequate explanation for why first century Christians living in the Greek East employed the verse and also applied it to Jesus’s exaltation. I contend that two Greco-Roman politico-religious practices, royal and imperial temple and throne sharing—which were cross-cultural rewards that Greco-Roman communities bestowed on beneficent, pious, and divinely approved rulers—contributed to the widespread use of Ps 110:1 in earliest Christianity. This means that the earliest Christians interpreted Jesus’s heavenly session as messianic and thus political, as well as religious, in nature.

FROM £79.00

FORMATS

Electronic
Published: January 18, 2021
ISBN: 9783110691795

Hardcover
Published: January 18, 2021
ISBN: 9783110691535

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What Happened to the Library of Alexandria?

LOST LIBRARY: What Happened to the Great Library of Alexandria? Learn About the Rise and Fall of This Ancient Institution (Margherita Cole, My Modern Met).

The legend in the Letter of Aristeas claims that the Septuagint Greek translation of the Pentateuch was commissioned for the Library of Alexandria.

Some PaleoJudaica posts on the Library of Alexandria and other ancient libraries are here and links.

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

Some missing Oxford papyri have been recovered.

VARIANT READINGS: More Stolen Papyri to be Returned to the Egypt Exploration Society (Brent Nongbri).

So, out of (at least) 120 missing papyri, 40 have now been identified and are reportedly being returned to the EES. Those that the EES has identified have been exclusively Christian (or possibly Jewish) literary texts. That leaves (at least) 80 or so missing pieces. I find it somewhat strange that the EES has not made publicly known what these pieces are.

Background on the complicated Oxford missing-papyri scandal is here and links. Ariel Sabar published the definitive account of the scandal last May. Brent Nongbri has contined to follow developments.

Dr Nongbri also has a subsequent post on a chronological detail about the history of the Sappho papyrus. I note it for those following the matter at that level of detail: A New Item in the P.Sapph.Obbink Timeline. I have no idea if his associated speculations are correct.

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Did the Golden Calf make itself?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: The Golden Calf. Made by Man...or God? An article by the late Victor Hurowitz published originally in Bible Review in 2004. It is about the original meaning of the Golden Calf story. I noted nother essay on that topic here.

For posts on the history of the interpretation of the story, see here, here, here, and here. For a supposed golden calf in eighteenth-century Malta, see the recent post here. And follow the links from there for an actual silver(-plated) calf (bull) and an actual golden calf.

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Knauf & Niemann, Geschichte Israels und Judas im Altertum (De Gruyter)

NEW BOOK FROM DE GRUYTER:

Ernst Axel Knauf and Hermann Michael Niemann
Geschichte Israels und Judas im Altertum

The History of Israel and Judah in Antiquity

In: De Gruyter Studium

De Gruyter | 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110411683

ABOUT THIS BOOK

The authors develop a new viewpoint on the ancient history of Israel and Judah by examining social and economic conditions, contemporary inscriptions, and archeological and iconographic sources as a basis for biblical exegesis and theology. In this way, the authors uncover the backdrop for the great biblical narrative, created as a collective memory since Persian period in Jerusalem, Babylonia, and the sanctuary on Mount Gerizim.

• Methodische Verbindung von Historischer Anthropologie, (biblisch-)literarischer und religionsgeschichtlicher Analyse
• Intensive Einbeziehung neuester archäologischer Ergebnisse
• Darbietung relevanter zeitgenössischer Texte neben der Bibel

FROM £27.00

FORMATS

Electronic
Published: January 18, 2021
ISBN: 9783110411683

Paperback
ISBN: 9783110145434

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Top Lebanese archaeological sites

PHOENICIAN WATCH: Top 5 Archaeological Sites in Lebanon (Carole Raddato, Ancient History Encyclopedia). Four of them are Phoenician sites. Baalbek, Byblos, and Tyre are familiar. I did not know about Faqra.

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