Christmas 2021

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all those celebrating!

For posts of Christmases past, see my 2020 Christmas post and links.

More recent Christmas posts are here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

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The Cave of Treasures etc.

THE ANXIOUS BENCH: The Magi and the Cave of Treasures (Philip Jenkins). Some more Christmas apocrypha!

The Cave of Treasures presents itself as an extended prequel to the New Testament account of the gifts of the magi. It was composed, apparently, in Syriac. It survives also in various derivative translations.

We published a translation of it by Alexander Toepel in Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: More Noncanonical Scriptures, volume 1 (ed. Bauckham, Davila, and Panayotov; Eerdmans, 2013), pp. 531-84. But one could also make a case for including it among the New Testament Apocrypha.

I have collected links on the Cave of Treasures, including to an old German edition and an old English translation here, with more here, here, and here.

Cross-file under Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Watch, More Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Christian Apocrypha Watch, New Testament Apocrypha Watch, Syriac Watch, and 'Tis the Season.

UPDATE: Please pardon the glitched links above. I have unglitched them!

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Jesus' birth in the Gospel of James.

SENTENTIAE ANTIQUAE: Virgin Birth in the Wilderness: The Apocryphal Gospel of James for Christmas Eve.

Continuing the series of excerpts from the Gospel of James (the Protevangelium of James). More on it here and follow the links.

This is quite a different version of events from Luke chapter 2. No inn or manger (or whatever), no angel choir, and no shepherds. Instead a grotto, a cloud, a midwife, the angel of the Lord, and a burned and healed hand.

Cross-file under New Testament Apocrypha Watch and 'Tis the Season.

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Apocryphal Christmas, once again

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Christmas Stories in Christian Apocrypha. The birth of Jesus in the apocryphal gospels (Tony Burke). I have linked to this essay before, but this is a good time to do it again.

For more on the Protevangelium of James, see here and links. For more on the infancy gospels, see the links collected here.

Cross-file under New Testament Apocrypha Watch and 'Tis the Season.

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Demythologizing the Cairo Geniza?

GENIZA FRAGMENTS BLOG: Q&A Wednesday: Deconstructing Genizah mythology, with Rebecca Jefferson (Melonie Schmierer-Lee and Rebecca Jefferson).

The discovery of the Cairo Geniza involve mored people than just Solomon Schechter. I learned a great deal from this blog post. I look forward to Rebecca Jefferson's book: The Cairo Genizah and the Age of Discovery in Egypt: the History and Provenance of a Jewish Archive (I. B. Tauris, 2022).

For PaleoJudaica posts on Solomon Schechter and his relationship with the Cairo Geniza, see here and links, plus here and here.

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A stop in a grotto

SENTENTIAE ANTIQUAE: Travel Plans for the Holidays: On to Bethlehem with the Protoevangelium of James.

Another excerpt. The more common spelling of the title of this work is the Protevangelium of James.

Cross-file under New Testament Apocrypha Watch and 'Tis the Season.

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Surprise sifting soil

THE TEMPLE MOUNT SIFTING PROJECT BLOG: 22 YEARS LATER… some Temple mount soil shows up at the Project for sifting.

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Schiffman on Fraade's Damascus Document commentary

PROF. LAWRENCE H. SCHIFFMAN: S. D. FRAADE’S THE DAMASCUS DOCUMENT, THE OXFORD COMMENTARY ON THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS. Remarks from the online book launch, December 16, 2021..

I would like to use my opportunity today to take the new volume as a jumping off point and to ask how the Damascus Document fits into the wider questions pertaining to the history of Jewish law.

I noted this event as upcoming here. A related post is here.

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More on the late-antique Caesarea shipwreck

UPDATE: 1,700-year-old coins, Jesus ‘Good Shepherd’ ring, found in shipwrecks off Caesarea. Divers’ discoveries include gold ring with green gemstone carved with Christian image of the ‘Good Shepherd’ – an early depiction of Jesus – and carved image of ‘David’s Harp’ (Amy Spiro, Times of Israel).

I posted on this story yesterday. This article has more photos, notably of the red gem inscribed with an image of a lyre. It was mentioned in yesterday article, but not pictured.

It looks as though the full text of the IAA press release is posted here, along with the accompanying photos.

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St. Catherine's Monastery in the news

ST. CATHERINE'S MONASTERY IN THE SINAI is getting some media attention this week.

First, the Greek Reporter has a useful orientation article, with a brief history and some information on its manuscripts:

Historic St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai (Philip Chrysopoulos).

Then the Jewish Press reports on a new digitization initiative by the Israel National Library:

Ancient Christian Manuscripts from Mount Sinai Monastery Go Online via Israel’s National Library.

The INL took the 1,600 photos of the manuscripts and the monastery in the 1960s, but they only digitized them in recent years.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on St. Catherine's Monastery, its manuscripts, and their digitization, start here (cf. here) and follow the links. And for other manuscript digitization projects, see here and links.

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

Two shipwrecks found at Caesarea

MARINE ARCHAEOLOGY: Ancient underwater treasure found in Caesarea with Christian gold ring, Maritime archaeologists found several precious artifacts, hundreds of silver coins from two shipwrecks dating over a millennium apart in the ancient harbor (Rossella Tercatin, Jerusalem Post).

I noted another report of a late-antique shipwreck found at Caesarea five years ago. It sounds like the one in the current article is a new one. In any case, there are new discoveries coming from it.

For many other posts on ancient shipwrecks, see here and links and here. Cross-file under Marine (Maritime, Underwater) Archaeology.

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

CT's biblical archaeology top ten 2021

CHRISTIANITY TODAY: Biblical Archaeology’s Top 10 Discoveries of 2021. Evidence of Herod’s green thumb, Roman crucifixion methods, and Philistine bananas add to our understanding of the world of the Bible (Gordon Govier).

As usual, PaleoJudaica has posted on many of these stories. For the Ashkelon basilica, see here. For the inscription of Pharaoh Hophra, see here. For the rediscovered Egyptian city, see here. For the Cambridgeshire crucifixion, see here and here. For the new Dead Sea Scroll fragments recovered in the Cave of Horror, see here, follow the links back from here, and also note the space coin from the same cave. For the recent discoveries at Yavneh, see here, here, and here. For that public building ("banquet hall") in the Western Wall Tunnels, see here. For the Jerubbaal (?) jug, follow the links back from here. And for the second synagogue found at Magdala, see here.

For another 2021 archaeology top-ten list, see here.

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

In memory of Baruch Levine

OBITUARY: Baruch Levine, Bible scholar who grew Judaic Studies at NYU, dies at 91. The Emeritus Skirball Professor of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at New York University, Levine passed away on December 16th in Hamden, Connecticut at age 91 (ANDREW SILOW-CARROLL, JTA via Jerusalem Post).

Background here.

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Review of Litwa, Posthuman transformation in ancient Mediterranean thought

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Posthuman transformation in ancient Mediterranean thought: becoming angels and demons.

M. David Litwa, Posthuman transformation in ancient Mediterranean thought: becoming angels and demons. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2021. Pp. 248. ISBN 9781108843997 $99.99.

Review by Tom Mackenzie, University College London. t.mackenzie@ucl.ac.uk

This is an enjoyable, erudite, and informative book, even if the argument could at times be presented with greater precision. ... The method of covering such a wide range of texts in such a short span has the benefit of readability and brings to light some very interesting overarching connections. He provides a wealth of material to support his central historical claim, that Jewish and Christian discourses of angelification were part of the same intellectual tradition as Platonic daimonification. ...

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Baruch A. Levine (1930-2021)

H-JUDAIC WITH SAD NEWS: Passing of Prof. Baruch A. Levine.

H-Judaic is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Baruch A. Levine (1930-2021), Skirball Emeritus Professor of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at New York University, and one of the foremost Jewish biblical scholars of our time. ...

May his memory be for a blessing.

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Runia, Philo of Alexandria: an Annotated Bibliography 2007-2016 (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Philo of Alexandria: an Annotated Bibliography 2007-2016

With addenda for items earlier than 2006

Series: Vigiliae Christianae, Supplements, Volume: 174

Author: David T. Runia

This volume is a further continuation of the annotated bibliographies on the writings and thought of the Jewish exegete and philosopher Philo of Alexandria, following those on the years 1937–1986 published in 1988, 1987–1996 published in 2000 and 1997–2012 published in 2012. Prepared in collaboration with the International Philo Bibliography Project, it contains a complete listing of all scholarly writings on Philo for the period 2007 to 2016. Part One lists texts, translations, commentaries etc. (75 items). Part Two contains critical studies (1143 items). In Part Three additional items up to 2006 are presented (27 items). In all cases a summary of the contents of the contribution is given. Six indices, including a detailed Index of subjects, complete the work.

Copyright Year: 2022

Prices from (excl. VAT): €183.00 / $220.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-49911-9
Publication Date: 08 Nov 2021

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-47196-2
Publication Date: 11 Nov 2021

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What did Pontius Pilate ever do for Jerusalem?

ANCIENT INFRASTRUCTURE: Notorious Pontius Pilate Is the One Who Built Jerusalem Aqueduct, Study Finds. The researchers, who collected their data while spelunking into shafts and digging through mud and chilly water, also discovered the aqueduct’s 'cutting-edge' method of construction (Nir Hasson, Haaretz premium). HT Joseph Lauer.

You can find the underlying article in Geoarchaeology here, but it is behind a subscription wall.

I was hoping for an inscription that said "Pontius Pilate built this aqueduct." No such luck. I wasn't really expecting one. Such things are exceedingly rare.

The Haaretz headline overstates the certainty of the connection with Pilate. This case for the building of the aqueduct under him rests on archaeological dating correlated with comments by Josephus. The Geoarchaeology article favors the connection but is cautious about it. It keeps a second-century CE dating as a live possibility.

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CT on Obbink and the missing Oxford papyri

CHRISTIANITY TODAY: Missing Papyri Professor Must Return $7 Million to Hobby Lobby. Dirk Obbink has lost a federal lawsuit over the fraudulent sale of Gospel fragments. (Gordon Govier). HT Brent Nongbri.

Obbink was arrested in 2020 and then sued in 2021. Shortly after that, court records show, he moved to a houseboat named the James Brindley and started hiding from the private investigators attempting to serve him summons.

For PaleoJudaica posts tracking the missing-Oxyrhynchus-papyri scandal, start here and follow the links. This story does not seem to be getting any less strange.

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

Top 10 "ancient Greek archaeological discoveries" 2021

ARCHAEOLOGY: The Ten Best Ancient Greek Archaeological Discoveries of 2021 (Patricia Claus, Greek Reporter).

It's end-of-year-list time again!

I have commented on that bronze bull figurine from Olympia here.

Israeli archaeology is well represented. I noted the discovery of the winepress complex at Tzipori/Tzippori/Zippori/Sepphoris back in 2018, so it is not exactly a 2021 story, except that that seems to be when the Greek Reporter covered it. Likewise with the Dionysius mosaic at the same site, which I noted back in 2013. I noted the discovery of the gold coin of Heraclius here and the "Christ born of Mary" inscription here.

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Ben-Dov & Rojas (eds.), Afterlives of Ancient Rock-cut Monuments in the Near East (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Afterlives of Ancient Rock-cut Monuments in the Near East

Carvings in and out of Time

Series: Culture and History of the Ancient Near East, Volume: 123

Editors: Jonathan Ben-Dov and Felipe Rojas

This book concerns the ancient rock-cut monuments carved throughout the Near East, paying particular attention to the fate of these monuments in the centuries after their initial production. As parts of the landscapes in which they were carved, they acquired new meanings in the cultural memory of the people living around them. The volume joins numerous recent studies on the reception of historical texts and artefacts, exploring the peculiar affordances of these long-lasting and often salient monuments. The volume gathers articles by archeologists, art historians, and philologists, covering the entire Near East, from Iran to Lebanon and from Turkey to Egypt. It also analyzes long-lasting textual traditions that aim to explain the origins and meaning of rock-cut monuments and other related carvings.

Copyright Year: 2021

Prices from (excl. VAT): €158.00 / $190.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-46208-3
Publication Date: 27 Sep 2021

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-46207-6
Publication Date: 23 Sep 2021

HT Bibliographia Iranica.

The final three essays of this volume are of particular interest to PaleoJudaica:

Chapter 9 Neo-Babylonian Rock Reliefs and the Jewish Literary Imagination
Author: Jonathan Ben-Dov
Pages: 345–37

Chapter 10 Translatio studii: Stelae Traditions in Second Temple Judaism and Their Legacy in Byzantium
Author: William Adler
Pages: 380–401

Chapter 11 The Long History of an Imaginary Inscription: Josephus’ Two Pillars in Early Modern European Histories of Astronomy
Author: John Steele
Pages: 402–426

For more from Jonathan ben Dov on this subject, see here and here.

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Litwa, The Evil Creator (OUP)

NEW BOOK FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS:

The Evil Creator

Origins of an Early Christian Idea

M. David Litwa

• Interprets the evil creator as a distinctly Christian idea
• Contrasts Judaist readings with Gnostic and Marcionite analysis
• Connects ancient understandings of God to modern theology and atheism

Description

This book examines the origins of the evil creator idea chiefly in light of early Christian biblical interpretations. It is divided into two parts. In Part I, the focus is on the interpretations of Exodus and John. Firstly, ancient Egyptian assimilation of the Jewish god to the evil deity Seth-Typhon is studied to understand its reapplication by Phibionite and Sethian Christians to the Judeo-catholic creator. Secondly, the Christian reception of John 8:44 (understood to refer to the devil's father) is shown to implicate the Judeo-catholic creator in murdering Christ. Part II focuses on Marcionite Christian biblical interpretations. It begins with Marcionite interpretations of the creator's character in the Christian "Old Testament," analyzes 2 Corinthians 4:4 (in which "the god of this world" blinds people from Christ's glory), examines Christ's so-called destruction of the Law (Eph 2:15) and the Lawgiver, and shows how Christ finally succumbs to the "curse of the Law" inflicted by the creator (Gal 3:13). A concluding chapter shows how still today readers of the Christian Bible have concluded that the creator manifests an evil character.

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