Review of Ran Zadok Festschrift

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Individuals and institutions in the ancient Near East: a tribute to Ran Zadok.

Uri Gabbay, Shai Gordin, Individuals and institutions in the ancient Near East: a tribute to Ran Zadok. Studies in ancient Near Eastern records, 27. Boston; Berlin: De Gruyter, 2021. Pp. xxii, 294. ISBN 9781501520525 $124.99.

Review by
Michaela Weszeli, Universität Wien. michaela.weszeli@univie.ac.at

This small volume is dedicated to a scientist who has a name in Ancient Near Eastern, Iranian and Jewish studies. His specialty is onomastics (personal, geographic, tribal names), ethnolinguistics and lexical studies of single words, as his extensive list of publications (p. xiii-xxii) shows. His studies concern, i.a., Old Iranian Anthroponyms as well as ancient survivals in modern Palestinian Toponymy, Jewish Onomastics, as well as historical and linguistic studies in the wide region of the Ancient Near East.

[...]

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Ishoʿdad of Merv: Commentary on Daniel (ed. Schmidt; Gorgias)

NEW BOOK FROM GORGIAS PRESS:

ISHO‛DAD OF MERV
Commentary on Daniel

By T. C. Schmidt

Ishoʿdad of Merv’s (fl. 850 AD) Commentary on Daniel provides an important witness to East Syriac exegetical technique. In it Ishoʿdad typically emphasizes an historical reading of the Old Testament above any kind of allegorical, spiritual, or even Christological interpretation. Most notable is Ishoʿdad’s belief that the Maccabees fulfilled several of the visions described in the book of Daniel, even including the Heavenly Kingdom of Daniel chapters 2, 7, and 8, and the physical resurrection of Daniel 12. These interpretations dramatically depart from most eastern and western commentators who considered Daniel’s visions to portend the rise of the Roman Empire and the advent of Christ. Ishoʿdad’s commentary is translated here into English for the first time.

Availability: In stock
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-4632-4278-7
Formats: Paperback, eBook

Publication Status: In Print
Series: Texts from Christian Late Antiquity 62
Publication Date: Aug 23,2022
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 7 x 10
Page Count: 106
Languages: English, Syriac
ISBN: 978-1-4632-4278-7

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Review of Matt, Becoming Elijah

BOOK REVIEW: Becoming Elijah: Prophet of transformation by Daniel C. Matt. Anthony Phillips reads about Elijah and how he has been revered (Church Times).

It is the elusiveness of Elijah which Matt seeks to explore, as he uncovers “the various portrayals of the immortal prophet”; for, whoever Elijah was in real life, he is still active.

I noted the publication of the book here.

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SBL Seminar Papers volumes now online

THE AWOL BLOG: Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting Seminar Papers.

The first link in the AWOL post is (at present) incorrect. It should go here.

This Emory University archive contains the full text of all the SBL Seminar Papers volumes from 1971 to 2003. Note that they are still copyrighted.

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Lieu on "The Parting of the Ways"

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: "The Parting of the Ways": Reflections on the Journey (Judith M. Lieu).

A common thread through much of what precedes here is the dilemma regarding how we negotiate the largely inaccessible patterns of life and personal interaction “on the ground” together with the inevitable degree of abstraction and narrative projection — and hence the need for descriptive terms and even labels — with which the historian must labour. ...

This essay is the second in a series on Careers in Jewish-Christian Relations, on which see here.

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Yale academic post: Judaism in 1st to 11th centuries CE

H-JUDAIC: FEATURED JOB: Assistant/Associate Professor, Judaism of 1st–11th Centuries, CE, Yale University.

Follow the link for details. Review of the applications commences on 24 October 2022.

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Himmelfarb becomes professor emerita at Princeton

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: Sixteen faculty members transfer to emeritus status. Sixteen Princeton University faculty members were transferred to emeritus status earlier this year by the Board of Trustees. Transfers were effective July 1, 2022, except where noted.

Congratulations to all sixteen, but especially to Martha Himmelfarb.

Follow the link and scroll down for her entry.

Martha Himmelfarb is a leading scholar of ancient Judaism and early Christianity. A member of Princeton’s faculty for more than 40 years, she joined the University in 1978.

[...]

Her scholarly work has had a profound impact on the study of ancient Judaism and early Christianity, challenging and reorienting the long-standing paradigm that assumed the inevitability of Judaism and Christianity diverging into distinct religious traditions. Her research has pioneered new ways of understanding this ongoing relationship from the Second Temple period through the Middle Ages.

[...]

Related recent post here. Professor Himmelfarb has appeared many times in PaleoJudaica posts. See the archive.

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AJR on "Careers in Jewish-Christian Relations"

ANCIENTJEW REVIEW has commenced a new series: Careers in Jewish-Christian Relations.

At the 2021 annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, two senior scholars (Adele Reinhartz and Judith Perkins) and two junior scholars (Deborah Forger and Krista Dalton) whose work relates to the study of early Jews and Christians convened to reflect upon their career trajectories.

One essay is published so far.

The Study of Early Jewish Christian Relations: Then and Now A personal reflection (Adele Reinhartz)

The growth in expertise, the move towards more complex and nuanced understandings of the history, text, and peoples of the ancient Mediterranean, the opening up of boundaries not only between early Christian and early Jewish studies but also with the field of classics, and the availability of new approaches and methods all bode well for the study of early Jewish Christian relations. The sky is the limit when it comes to the new questions that can be addressed, and the old questions that can be approached from new and exciting perspectives.

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Canaanite opium obsequies?

ORGANIC REMAINS: Israeli archaeologists uncover earliest known use of opium in the ancient world. Traces of psychoactive drug found in pottery from Tel Yehud; with new forensic scientific protocols at sites in Israel, discovery may herald many exciting new ‘firsts’ (Amanda Borschel-Dan, Times of Israel).

The opium residue was found in high-quality ceramic base-ring juglets that were imported from Cyprus and others used in a burial assemblage discovered at Tel Yehud, in a salvage excavation conducted by Israel Antiquities Authority dig director Eriola Jakoel in 2012-2017.

A number of Canaanite graves from the Late Bronze Age were discovered and the vessels removed for further residue analysis.

The opium traces were found in grave goods, which could imply some sort of funerary-ritual use. But we should be cautious about drawing too many inferences from this context. And to her credit, the lead researcher, Dr. Vanessa Linares, is cautious.

Ariel David's article on this story in Haaretz deserves a mention just for the title: Bong Age? Israeli Archaeologists Find Opium in Bronze Age Ceramics. Residue analysis of 3,300-year-old vessels from Canaanite tombs at Tel Yehud sheds light on ancient drug trade between Cyprus and the Levant.

There is archaeological evidence from Arad that ancient Israelites used a psychoactive substance (cannabis) in a ritual context. There is also evidence that the Philistines of three-thousand years ago used other psychoactive substances in their rituals.

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What was a "teruah" trumpet blast?

ROSH HASHANAH IS COMING: Rosh Hashanah: The Original Meaning of Blowing a Teruah (Rabbi Shawn Ruby, TheTorah.com).

Rosh Hashanah in the Torah is described as a day of teruah, a reference to one of the two types of blasts: a regular horn blast (tekiah) and a teruah blast. Interpreters ancient and modern understand the distinction as differing in sound, length, or pitch, but the biblical description of the shofar blowing during the siege of Jericho implies that the nature of a teruah lies in the people’s response to the blast.

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From Paul to John within Judaism

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: SBL 2021 Panel I Adele Reinhartz on John Within Judaism.

My main argument is that situating John within Judaism provides a comfortable answer to the uncomfortable question of anti-Judaism. I pinpoint three basic strategies, which I identify as historiographical, logical, and evangelical. All three are examples of Christian apologetics, at least in my view, if not in the view of their proponents.

This essay is part of a series. I noted the first three essays in it here.

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More on "The Samaritans"

EXHIBITION: New museum exhibit seeks to show Samaritans are more than a biblical parable. The Samaritans: A Biblical People,' opened Sept. 16 at the Museum of the Bible and includes artifacts spanning from the second century before the Common Era to contemporary paintings made in the past couple of years (Menachem Wecker, Religion News Service).

[Steven] Fine co-curated the exhibit “The Samaritans: A Biblical People,” which opened Sept. 16 at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, and edited a new scholarly volume of the same title. He was academic adviser to the first-ever Samaritan cookbook in 2020 and to a new documentary about Samaritans by filmmaker Moshe Alafi.

An informative article.

Background here and links.

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Review of Berthelot, Jews and their Roman rivals

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Jews and their Roman rivals: pagan Rome’s challenge to Israel.

Katell Berthelot, Jews and their Roman rivals: pagan Rome's challenge to Israel. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2021. Pp. 552. ISBN 9780691199290 $45.00.

Review by
Amit Gvaryahu, Hebrew University. amit.gvaryahu@mail.huji.ac.il

... This is a broad and ambitious book. Even without accepting all of its readings, or even the broadest version of its thesis, it will be an important reference point for years to come. Berthelot’s Jewish corpus spans four centuries, from the books of Maccabees to the middle stratum of rabbinic literature, known as amoraic literature. ...

I noted the publication of the book here.

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Byzantine-era mosaic found in Gaza

DECORATIVE ART: Unearthed Byzantine mosaic hailed as one of Gaza’s greatest archaeological treasures. Discovered and painstakingly excavated by an olive farmer planting a tree, find sparks excitement among archeologists, but also concern it could be damaged in conflict-ravaged zone (FARES AKRAM, Times of Israel).

The patch of land holding the mosaic is about 500 square meters (5,400 square feet) and three dug-out spots reveal glimpses of the mosaic.

The largest of the holes in the ground, about 2 meters by 3 meters (6 feet by 9 feet), has the 17 drawings of animals. The other two show intricate patterns of tiles. Roots of an old olive tree have damaged parts of the mosaic, which appears to be about 23 square meters (250 square feet) altogether in size.

According to archaeologist René Elter, the mosaic dates to the fifth to seventh centuries CE. There are photos.

The Jerusalem Post also covers the story: Gaza farmer uncovers Ancient Byzantine-era mosaic floors - watch. The Byzantine-era site was uncovered about half a mile away from the border with Israel by Suleiman al-Nabahin, a Gazan farmer (Tzvi Joffre). There is a video.

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Four Aramaic inscriptions excavated in eastern Turkey

ARAMAIC WATCH: Aramaic four inscriptions found for the first time in eastern Turkey (Oğuz Büyükyıldırım, Arkeonews).

The excavation director, Erol Uslu, is quoted as follows:

“Four inscriptions with Aramaic inscriptions carved into the surface of the outer walls were found. Scientific studies are continuing on these inscriptions. Four inscriptions need to be analyzed and translated in order to provide a clear periodical information. The first data is that this structure belongs to the Parthian Empire period. It must say that there are serious data and findings that the Persians and Parthians established dominance in this region after the Urartian period. Apart from the ancient city of Zernaki Tepe [that is, the site being excavated - JRD], no architectural remains from the Parthian Empire period have been recorded in the museum records to date. We saw that these typefaces, which we define as Aramaic, were used for the first time in this ancient city.”

It sounds as though the inscriptions have not been deciphered. There is a photo, but it is not very informative.

For more on the Parthian Empire, see here and links, plus here.

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"The Samaritans" at the Museum of the Bible

EXHIBITION: First-of-its-kind exhibition about Samaritans opens in Washington. The exhibition at the Museum of the Bible features some of the most important objects from Samaria’s history (All Israel News).

“Created in partnership with the Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies, directed by Dr. Steven Fine, the exhibition is the first of its kind,” the Museum of the Bible said on its website, noting that it “will offer unprecedented access to the life, culture and history of the Samaritans.”

For more on the exhibition at YU, see here.

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Oegema et al. (eds.), Overcoming Dichotomies (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK:Overcoming Dichotomies. Parables, Fables, and Similes in the Graeco-Roman World. Edited by Albertina Oegema, Jonathan Pater, and Martijn Stoutjesdijk. 2022. XV, 508 pages. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 483. 164,00 € including VAT. cloth ISBN 978-3-16-161157-5.

Published in English.
This volume aims to broaden our understanding of the related genres of parables, fables, and similes in the Graeco-Roman world. These genres, which make use of narrative analogy, appear in early Christian and ancient Jewish literatures and in various Graeco-Roman sources. However, despite the fact that these texts were part of the wider cultural context of Graeco-Roman antiquity, they have not yet been thoroughly studied in relation to each other. The present volume brings together contributions on a range of Graeco-Roman, Jewish, and Christian sources, so as to contribute to the study of parables, fables, and similes across disciplinary boundaries. The contributions highlight the fluid boundaries between these different genres, but also demonstrate how their adoption and adaption in different literary works give expression to the distinct identities of the composers.

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Was Elizabeth a "Palestinian?"

RELIGION PROF: Elizabeth the Palestinian? I agree with James McGrath that applying the term to Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist in this context is misleading.

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