Khan Festschrift

THE AWOL BLOG: Studies in Semitic Linguistics and Manuscripts: A Liber Discipulorum in Honour of Professor Geoffrey Khan. Congratulations to Professor Khan!

The volume is open access. For you, special deal!

For a 2018 interview with Geoffrey Khan, see here.

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Fear, Mithras (Routledge)

NEW BOOK FROM ROUTLEDGE:

Mithras

By Andrew Fear

Copyright Year 2022

Hardback
£120.00

eBook
£33.29

ISBN 9781138499799
Published June 24, 2022 by Routledge
224 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations

Book Description

Mithras explores the history and practices of the ancient mystery religion Mithraism, looking at both literary and material evidence for the god Mithras and the reception and allure of his mysteries in the present.

The genesis and spread of Mithraism remain highly controversial. This book examines our current state of knowledge on the pre-classical Indo-Iranian god, Mitra, and argues that Mithraism was a product of Mitra’s encounter with the religious thought of the classical world. It then charts the life history of Mithraism in the Roman Empire, exploring the social background of its initiates and the reasons for their attraction to the religion. The rituals and beliefs of the cult are as mysterious as its origins; in studying Mithraic "caves" and paintings found in some Mithraic temples, we can better understand and reconstruct the rituals the Mithraists practiced. While "bull-slaying", or tauroctony, lies at the core of the Mithraic mythos, this volume explores other incidents in the god’s life depicted in ancient art, including his miraculous birth and his banquet with the sun, as well as the disconcerting lion-headed "enveloped god". After a fall from grace in the post-classical world, Mithras has resurrected himself in the present, establishing himself as one of the most recognisable if elusive gods of antiquity.

Mithras provides a fascinating study of this complex god that will be of interest to scholars and students of Roman and Late Antique religion, mystery cults, as well as those working on society and religion in antiquity more broadly.

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Bartłomiej Bąk (ed.), Proto-Isaiah in the Sahidic Dialect of the Coptic Language

NEW BOOK FROM BREPOLS:

Proto-Isaiah in the Sahidic Dialect of the Coptic Language
Critical Edition Based on the Coptic Manuscript sa 52 (M 568) and Other Witnesses

Tomasz Bartłomiej Bąk (ed)

Pages: 328 p.
Size:180 x 265 mm
Language(s):Coptic, English, Greek
Publication Year:2021

Buy print version
€ 115,00 EXCL. VAT
RETAIL PRICE
ISBN: 978-2-503-59444-6
Paperback
Available

SUMMARY

Ce fascicule présente l’édition critique du Proto-Isaïe (Is 1-39) en copte saïdique avec traduction anglaise, sur la base du manuscrit sa 53, Morgan 568, avec les variantes des autres témoins connus. Elle est précédée par une analyse philologique précise du principal témoin comparé avec la tradition manuscrite grecque. Comme le montre l’Introduction, un tiers du texte du Proto-Isaïe saïdique n’est attesté que par sa 53 qui n’avait pas encore été publié jusqu’à aujourd’hui.

Cross-file under Coptic Watch.

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Stone & Topchyan, Jews in Ancient and Medieval Armenia (OUP)

NEW BOOK FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS:

Jews in Ancient and Medieval Armenia

First Century BCE - Fourteenth Century CE

Michael E. Stone and Aram Topchyan

• The first book length study of the history of the Jews in Armenia
• Disrupts the common consensus that were few, if any, Jews in ancient and medieval Armenia
• Examines sources, some previously unpublished, in Armenian, Hebrew, Aramaic, Judaeo-Arabic, Greek, Latin, and other languages

Description

It was once common consensus that there was no significant Jewish community in ancient and medieval Armenia. The discovery and excavation (1997-2002) of a Jewish cemetery of the thirteenth-fourteenth centuries in southern Armenia substantially changed this picture. In this volume, Stone and Topchyan assemble evidence about the Jews of Armenia from earliest times to the fourteenth century. Based on research of the Greco-Roman period, the authors are able to draw new conclusions about the transfer of Jews—including the High Priest Hyrcanus—from the north of Palestine and other countries to Armenia by King Tigran the Great in the first century BCE.

The fact that descendants of King Herod ruled in Armenia in Roman times and that some noble Armenian families may have had Jewish origin is discussed. The much-debated identification of the "Mountains of Ararat" of Noah's Ark fame as well as ancient biblical and other references to Ararat and the Caucasus are re-assessed, and new evidence is adduced that challenges the scientific consensus. The role of Jews during the Seljuk, Mongol, and later times is also presented, from surviving sources in Armenian, Arabic, Hebrew, and others.

The volume also includes studies of medieval Jewish sources on Armenia and the Armenians and of communication between Armenia and the Holy Land. Documents from the Cairo Geniza, newly uncovered inscriptions, medieval itineraria, and diplomatica also throw light on Armenia in the context of the Turkic Khazar kingdom, which converted to Judaism in the latter part of the first century CE. It responds both to new archeological discoveries in Armenia and to the growing interest in the history of the region that extends north from the Euphrates and into the Caucasus.

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

New book on the Venice Edition of the Palestinian Talmud

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Editio Princeps: The 1523 Venice Edition of the Palestinian Talmud and the Beginning of Hebrew Printing (Yakov Z. Mayer).

Yakov Z. Mayer, Editio Princeps: The 1523 Venice Edition of the Palestinian Talmud and the Beginning of Hebrew Printing, Magnes Press, 2022

The author introduces us to his new book.

Cross file under Jerusalem Talmud and Talmud Yerushalmi. For PaleoJudaica posts on the Yerushalmi, start here and follow the links

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

Collins & Geyser-Fouché (eds.), Emerging Sectarianism in the Dead Sea Scrolls (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Emerging Sectarianism in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Continuity, Separation, and Conflict

Series: Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah, Volume: 141

Volume Editors: John J. Collins and Ananda Geyser-Fouché

These essays reflect the lively debate about the sectarian movement of the Scrolls. They debate the degree to which the movement was separated from the rest of Judaism, and whether there was one or several watershed moments in the separation. Notable contributions include a cluster of essays on the Teacher of Righteousness and a thorough survey of the archaeology of Qumran. The texts are problematic in historical research because they rely on biblical stereotypes. Nonetheless, possible interpretations can be compared and degrees of probability debated. The debate is significant not only for the sect but for the nature of ancient Judaism.

Copyright Year: 2022

Prices from (excl. VAT): €159.00 / $191.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-51712-7
Publication date: 18 Jul 2022

Hardback
Availability: Not Yet Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-51711-0
Publication date: 17 Aug 2022

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McGrath in the footsteps of John the Baptist (7)

RELIGION PROF: In the Footsteps of John the Baptist 7: Qumran and the Judean Wilderness (James McGrath).

The more time I have spent looking at the connections scholars have drawn between John the Baptist and the Essenes, the less persuaded I am that there is a basis to think John was part of that group at some point. He might have been influenced or borrowed ideas from them, but that could have happened anywhere and did not require him to have joined the movement, much less to have spent time at Qumran.

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

Egypt celebrates the hieroglyphics decipherment bicentennial

ANNIVERSARY: Celebrating 200 years of Egyptology (Nevine El-Aref, Ahram online).

To mark one of the most important moments in our understanding of ancient history, the decipherment of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and the creation of Egyptology 200 years ago, a series of events is being organised to explore the ancient Egyptian civilisation and show how the decoding of hieroglyphs was key to our knowledge of it.

The celebration starts on 1 September and lasts until the 27th and will feature major events at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to mark the day when pioneering French Egyptologist Jean-François Champollion succeeded in deciphering ancient Egyptian writing at the beginning of the 19th century and to celebrate World Tourism Day.

[...]

I noted celebrations in Paris here and here.

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

Biblical Studies Carnival 198

THE AMATEUR EXEGETE: BIBLICAL STUDIES CARNIVAL #198 (AUGUST 2022) (Ben).

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

Mark Twain's Samaritan legacy?

SAMARITAN WATCH: Samaritans on the American Protestant Mind. In the early 20th century, interest in the ancient community—and its religious artifacts—caught the attention of everyone from tourists to researchers to Mark Twain (Yitzchak Schwartz, Tablet Magazine).

The story [Reverend William Eleazer] Barton told, which was often somewhat embellished in newspapers, was as follows: On his visit to the Holy Land, he had sought out the Samaritans of Nablus and made the acquaintance with a leading priest, perhaps the high priest Jacob son of Aaron. Impressed by Barton’s letter of introduction, the priest gave Barton the rare honor of a chance to see the Abisha scroll, ascribed to Abisha the grandson of Aaron the high priest. The scroll is believed by Samaritans to be the most ancient copy of their Torah in the world and it has historically been inaccessible to foreigners. ...

For more on the Abisha scroll, see here.

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

Sohag exhibition

THE REGION OF SOHAG IN EGYPT is in the news again:

‘Sohag's Forgotten Treasures’ Coptic exhibition launches at Sohag National Museum (Egypt Today).

The exhibition aims to shed light on nine unregistered Coptic artefacts from Sohag’s monasteries, which are displayed to the public for the first time.

There are photos of six undated icons captioned "Part of the exhibited items - Min. of Tourism & Antiquities."

This article has additional photos: ‘Forgotten Treasures of Sohag’… Sohag National Museum Opens Temporary Exhibition (Ali Abu Dashish, Sada ElBalad).

The icons don't look particularly ancient to me. But since PaleoJudacia has found the archaeology and history of Sohag to be of no little interest, I include this story for completeness.

The exhibition continues until 20 September 2022.

Previous posts on Sohag are here and links and here.

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

Ecbatana display and workshop

EVENT: Ecbatana: photo exhibit, workshop to spotlight 22 seasons of excavation (Tehran Times). HT Rogue Classicism.

Organized to mark 22 chapters of archaeological excavations on Hegmataneh, the event will be turning the spotlight on the scientific and specialized concepts of protection and restoration conducted on the discovered ruins and relics, the official stated.

Situated in modern Hamedan, west-central Iran, Ecbatana was one of the ancient world’s greatest cities. Pitifully little remains from antiquity, but significant parts of the city center are given over to excavations. Ecbatana was the capital of Media and subsequently a summer residence of the Achaemenid kings who ruled Persia from 553 to 330 BC.

The article give a summary of Ecbatana's history, but doesn't refer to the city's mention in the Bible (Ezra 6:2). Background here.

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

The Arbel synagogue

LEEN RITMEYER: Arbel Synagogue.

In the fourth century, a Byzantine style synagogue was built in the centre of the settlement of Arbel, on the west side of the middle residential terrace. In 1987-’88, Zvi Ilan and Avraham Izdarechet began preservation and restoration work on the synagogue and its surroundings, and they asked me to prepare a reconstruction drawing.

For more on the site of Arbel, its ancient synagogue, and its cliff fortresses, see here, here (cf. here), here, and here.

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

DNA dating?

ALGORITHM WATCH: Researchers develop the first AI-based method for dating archaeological remains (Lund University via Phys.Org).

By analyzing DNA with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), an international research team led by Lund University in Sweden has developed a method that can accurately date up to ten-thousand year-old human remains.

[...]

This technology has no immediate application to the study of ancient Judaism. But it seems to have potential for many uses. Worth keeping an eye on.

HT Archaeologica News.

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

Forness et al. (eds.), 1 Maccabees According to the Syriac Peshitta Version with English Translation (Gorgias)

NEW BOOK FROM GORGIAS PRESS:

1 MACCABEES ACCORDING TO THE SYRIAC PESHITTA VERSION WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION

English Translation by Philip Forness; Text Prepared by George Anton Kiraz & Joseph Bali

This volume is part of a series of English translations of the Syriac Peshitta along with the Syriac text carried out by an international team of scholars.

Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC
Availability: In stock
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-4632-0585-0

Formats: Cloth

Publication Status: In Print
Series: Surath Kthob
Publication Date: May 16,2022
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 7 x 10
Page Count: 256
Languages: English, Syriac
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0585-0

Price: $150.00
Your price: $120.00

OVERVIEW

This volume is part of a series of English translations of the Syriac Peshitta along with the Syriac text carried out by an international team of scholars. Forness has translated the text, while Kiraz has prepared the Syriac text in the west Syriac script, fully vocalized and pointed. The translation and the Syriac text are presented on facing pages so that both can be studied together. All readers are catered for: those wanting to read the text in English, those wanting to improve their grasp of Syriac by reading the original language along with a translation, and those wanting to focus on a fully vocalized Syriac text.

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

Usha in the Galilee

ARCHAEOLOGY: Explore the nearly 2,000-year-old Jewish metropolis of Usha in the western Galilee. Remains of the city founded by rabbis fleeing Roman persecution in Judea were recently uncovered, revealing roads, stunning mosaic floors, ritual baths and oil and wine presses (AVIVA AND SHMUEL BAR-AM, Times of Israel).

Two decades ago, while preparing an article on the scenic Kiryat Ata forest, we came across the Usha ruins, just east of Haifa. Aside from rocks and weeds, there was little to see. That’s why an invitation to view excavations at the site just last week was particularly exciting. This time we walked on an ancient street and explored mosaic floors, ritual baths, and presses for the production of oil and wine.

We were guided through the site by three archeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA): Saar Ganor, national director of educational and tourism projects; Dr. Einat Ambar-Armon, director of the Northern Region Educational Center, and Hanaa Abu-‘Uqsa, director of excavations at Usha.

A nice Travel piece on the site of Usha and the Sanhedrin Trail.

For more on the Usha excavation, see here and here. For more on the Sanhedrin Trail, see here and links. For that gold coin of Theodosius II, see here. For the Arbel amulet, see here and here.

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

On the Jewish Himyarite Kingdom

ANCIENT ORIGINS: The Himyarite Kingdom’s Bloody Conversion to Judaism: Passion or Ploy? (Robbie Mitchell).

The Himyarite Kingdom was established in 110 BC and lasted until 570 AC. It is most often remembered these days as the “Jewish Kingdom”, thanks to the fact that for some time its predominant religion was Judaism. The history of the rise and eventual fall of the Himyarite Kingdom is a bloody one. It is also a fascinating lesson in the impact religious shifts had on the ancient empires.

[...]

A detailed account of the violent history of the Himyarite Kingdom.

For PaleoJudaica posts on the Himyarite Kingdom and its conflict with Axum (Aksum), see here and here.

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

Lehtipuu & Petersen, Ancient Christian Apocrypha (Bible & Women Series; SBL)

NEW BOOK FROM THE SOCIETY OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE:

Ancient Christian Apocrypha: Marginalized Texts in Early Christianity

Outi Lehtipuu, Silke Petersen, editors

ISBN 9781589835696
Volume BW 3.2
Status Available
Publication Date August 2022
Paperback $59.00
Hardback $79.00
eBook $59.00

This latest volume in the Bible and Women series examines ancient noncanonical Christian texts for what they reveal about women, their engagement with Scripture, and attitudes toward them in texts dating to the second to eighth century. Three sections include once-forgotten texts rediscovered in locations such as Nag Hammadi, those that have been in continuous use through the centuries, and works written by women that are traditionally excluded from discussions of noncanonical texts. Contributors Bernadette J. Brooten, María José Cabezas Cabello, Anna Carfora, Ute E. Eisen, Judith Hartenstein, Ursula Ulrike Kaiser, Karen L. King, Outi Lehtipuu, Heidrun Mader, Antti Marjanen, Silvia Pellegrini, Silke Petersen, Uwe-Karsten Plisch, Cristina Simonelli, Anna Rebecca Solevåg, M. Dolores Martin Trutet, and Carmen Bernabé Ubieta examine a range of texts, including noncanonical gospels and acts, poems, prophecy, and grave inscriptions.

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

A call for a Hannibal movie

CINEMA AND PUNIC WATCH: Top 10 Historical Events That Have Yet To Be Adapted To Film, According to Reddit. The film industry has covered a wide range of historical events, but there are some stories that Redditors still think need their time to shine (DOUGLAS CARRUTHERS, Screen Rant). Number 4 in the list:

Hannibal The Conqueror

Quite possibly the "Greatest Military General in history" or so says littledramaboy when suggesting that there should be a film of the legendary commander of Carthage, Hannibal. Aside from a few appearances in some Italian silent films and the subject of multiple documentaries, there has not been a single feature film on one of the greatest military minds to have walked on this Earth. ...

My regular readers are aware that Vin Diesel has been planning such a film for many years.

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More LXX publications from William Ross

WILLIAM A. ROSS: TWO RECENT PUBLICATIONS. A pre-print article on "Some Problems with Talking about ‘Septuagint Greek" and a Spanish translation of his recent book with Greg Lanier, The Septuagint: What it is and Why it Matters.

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