Review of Mitchell, Cyrus the Great

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Cyrus the Great: a biography of kingship.

Lynette Mitchell, Cyrus the Great: a biography of kingship. Routledge ancient biographies. New York: Routledge, 2023. Pp. 206. ISBN 9781138024106

Review by
Bodil Due, Aarhus University. bdue@au.dk

... A central merit of the book is the demonstration of the rich pool of storytelling that existed in the Near East. Its different patterns of narrative, which emerge in stories of the King as warrior, or as gardener, or as stranger king, destroyer of cities as well as builder, as elected and protected by the gods and maybe in Cyrus’ case their equal. The many different Cyruses incorporate almost all of these patterns, but differently in different works and authors. ...

I noted the publication of the book here. For many PaleoJudaica posts on Cyrus, follow the links from there, plus here.

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

CFP (deadline soon): LXX colloquium at McGill University

WILLIAM A. ROSS: SEPTUAGINT COLLOQUIUM AT MCGILL UNIVERSITY (CALL FOR PAPERS).

This event colloquium is an initiative of the John William Wevers Institute for Septuagint Studies at Trinity Western University and the School of Religious Studies at McGill University. It’s being organized by my friend and colleague Jean Maurais, along with others from McGill University (Gerbern Oegema), McMaster Divinity College (Mark Boda), and Trinity Western University (Dirk Büchner). It will take place from 19-20 June 2024 at McGill University and the call for papers is now open and will remain so through 15 January.

Bold-font emphasis his. Follow the link for full details.

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

Magic and Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World (Faraone Festschrift, Routledge)

NEW BOOK FROM ROUTLEDGE:

Magic and Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World
Studies in Honor of Christopher A. Faraone

Edited By Radcliffe G. Edmonds III, Carolina López-Ruiz, Sofía Torallas-Tovar
Copyright 2024

Hardback £104.00
eBook £31.19

ISBN 9781032341262
396 Pages 40 B/W Illustrations
Published November 17, 2023 by Routledge

Description

This volume explores aspects of ancient magic and religion in the ancient Mediterranean, specifically ways in which religious and mythical ideas, including the knowledge and practice of magic, were transmitted and adapted through time and across Greco-Roman, Near Eastern, and Egyptian cultures.

Offering an original and innovative combination of case studies on the material aspects and cross-cultural transfers of magic and religion, this book brings together a range of contributions that cross and connect sub-fields with a pan-Mediterranean, comparative scope. Section I investigates the material aspects of magical practices, including first editions and original studies on papyri, gems, lamellae containing binding curses and protective texts, and other textual media in ancient book culture. Several chapters feature the Greco-Egyptian Magical Papyri, the compilation of magical recipes in the formularies, and the role of physical book-forms in the transmission of magical knowledge. Section II explores magic and religion as nodes of cultural exchange in the ancient Mediterranean. Case studies range from Egypt to Anatolia and from Syria-Phoenicia to Sicily, with Greco-Roman religion and myth integrated in a diverse and interconnected Mediterranean landscape. Readers encounter studies featuring charismatic figures of Magi and itinerant begging priests, the multiple understandings of deities such as Hekate, Herakles, or Aphrodite, or the perceived exotic origin of cult statues, mummies, amulets, and cursing formulae, which bring to light the rich intercultural networks of the ancient Mediterranean, and the crucial role of magic and religion in the process of cross-cultural adaptation and innovation.

Magic and Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World appeals to both specialized and non-specialized audiences, with expert contributions written in an accessible way. This is a fascinating resource for students and scholars working on magic, religion, and mythology in the ancient Mediterranean.

For more on Christopher A. Faraone's work, see here and here.

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

Darshan, Stories of Origins in the Bible and Ancient Mediterranean Literature (CUP)

NEW BOOK FROM CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS:

Stories of Origins in the Bible and Ancient Mediterranean Literature

AUTHOR: Guy Darshan, Tel Aviv University
DATE PUBLISHED: December 2023
AVAILABILITY: Available
FORMAT: Hardback
ISBN: 9781009344487

£ 85.00
Hardback

Description

In this book, Guy Darshan explores stories of origins that lie at the heart of Pentateuchal sources in the context of literature created in neighboring societies of the ancient Mediterranean world. A comparative study, his volume analyses the parallels between Biblical origin stories – the narrative traditions arranged in geneaological sequence that recount the beginnings of humanity and origins of peoples -- in tandem with ancient Greek genealogical writings from the 7–5th centuries BCE onwards. He also considers Phoenician and Anatolian sources from the first millennium, several of which have only been published in recent years. This is the first scholarly study to trace the origins of this genre of narrative and the circumstances that led to appearances in the Hebrew Bible and ancient Mediterranean literature. It sheds new light on our knowledge of the history of literature, as well as the interconnections and interrelations between civilizations of the pre-Hellenistic eastern Mediterranean and Near East.

• Sheds new light on our knowledge of the interconnections and interrelations between civilizations of the pre-Hellenistic eastern Mediterranean and the Near East
• Enlightens the question of the formation of the Pentateuch, and Genesis in particular, from a fresh comparative approach
• Broadens our knowledge of the history of literature in the ancient Levant, and the eastern Mediterranean in general

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

Sherman, Plant Metaphors in Prophetic Condemnations of Israel and Judah (SBL)

NEW BOOK FROM SBL PRESS:

Plant Metaphors in Prophetic Condemnations of Israel and Judah
Tina M. Sherman

ISBN 9781628375510
Volume AIL 49
Status Available
Publication Date November 2023

Hardback $73.00
Paperback $53.00
eBook $53.00

Tina M. Sherman offers a first-of-its-kind, detailed analysis of prophetic passages that depict people as plants—from grasses and grains to fruit trees and grapevines—examining how the biblical authors exploited these metaphors to portray the condemnation and punishment of Israel and Judah in terms of the everyday work of crop farming and plant husbandry. Additionally, she explores how the prophetic authors employed plant imagery to construct national identities that emphasize the people’s collective responsibility for the kingdoms’ fate. Plant Metaphors in Prophetic Condemnations of Israel and Judah demonstrates the usefulness of combining conceptual metaphor theory with aspects of frame semantics in the analysis of patterns of thought and expression in biblical metaphor.

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

Schiffman on Gaza and the Hasmoneans

PROF. LAWRENCE H. SCHIFFMAN: GAZA AND THE CHASHMONAIM. THE HISTORY THAT GOES BEYOND THE DAYS OF CHANUKAH.

Everyone knows the story of Chanukah, but for some reason the years of the Chashmonean Empire that followed from 152 BCE to the Roman conquest of Eretz Yisrael in 63 BCE are barely understood. In this period, the Jewish people came into conflict for the second time with the occupants of what is now the Gaza Strip and the southern coastal plain of Israel. In antiquity, this area ran farther north than today’s Gaza, continuing northward up through Ashkelon and Ashdod

[...]

The post links to a pdf reprint of the full article in Ami Magazine.

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