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No word on the date of the beam fragment. I imagine it would be hard to date. There won't be many ancient ones to compare with it. Wood deteriorates too easily. And it has been buried out of its original context for a long time, so I doubt that radiocarbon dating woud be reliable. But it's not my area of expertise. We'll see.
Cross-file under Material Culture.
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Nick, you’ve recently published an article about a Bible fragment.For PaleoJudaica posts on the Arabic Bible, see the links collected here.That’s right. Two fragments in fact: T-S NS 305.198 and T-S NS 305.210. They join together to make a single bifolium from an Arabic psalter manuscript. So, a book of Psalms and other liturgical songs that would’ve been sung in Arabic church services. This page is the beginning of the ‘canticles’, a selection of songs from other parts of the Bible that Orthodox churches included at the end of their psalters. The first canticle here is from Exodus 15:1–120 [Sic - read 15:1-12]. It’s known as the ‘Song of the Sea’, the song which the Israelites supposedly sang after escaping from Pharaoh’s army in Egypt.
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For two other early copies of the Song of the Sea, apparently both from the Cairo Geniza, see here and links (especially here and here), plus here.
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My colleague, Estara Arrant posted an image on social media of one of the nine fragments that constitutes T-S K22.16, jokingly remarking that the streaky brown mess resembled a slice of toast.They did manage to identify the document, but there is plenty of work left to do on it - someday when the technology is better.As one might expect the catalogue entry on these fragments is short. Very short. It consists of one word - ‘illegible’. This of course piqued my interest. What was the ‘toast’ hiding? Also, I love a challenge. Thus, the day after the 2024 Ullendorff lecture, Estara brought the manuscript into the Genizah Unit and we set to work to solve the puzzle.
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But curiously, this example of the relationship between legal statements and anecdotes about Halacha (Jewish law) is not the standard one in the Babylonian Talmud. In The Stories They Tell: Halakhic Anecdotes in the Babylonian Talmud, Prof. (emerita) Judith Hauptman of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, a leading scholar of rabbinic literature, explains, “Since halachic anecdotes, the subject of this volume, appear only sporadically in the Talmud... a traditional commentary fails to note their cumulative message.”I noted the publication of the book here.
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What this website is aboutIn French, English, and Spanish. The project is in its early stages, but it looks promising.The Bible in Its Traditions is a project of the École Biblique et Archéologique Française de Jérusalem, the creators of the Jerusalem Bible.
The goal of this project
We intend to create the most extensive and helpful set of notes for the entire bible, with information of interest both to biblical scholars and casual readers. View this sample passage
Unique Features
The Bible in Its Traditions will present significant differences between different versions of the text of the Bible in the text itself, rather than in footnotes. In addition, the text is accompanied by extensive notes divided into different topics, such as vocabulary, social and cultural milieu, and Jewish and Christian tradition, among others.
HT Todd Bolen at the Bible Places Blog.
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Textual Amulets from Antiquity to Early Modern TimesOriginally published in 2022, but I missed it then. Now out in paperback.The Shape of Words
Christoffer Theis (Anthology Editor) , Paolo Vitellozzi (Anthology Editor)
Paperback
$39.95$35.95Hardback
$120.00$108.00Ebook (PDF)
$35.95$28.76Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
$35.95$28.76Product details
Published May 30 2024
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 216
ISBN 9781350254572
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Illustrations 50 bw illus
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series Bloomsbury Studies in Material Religion
Publisher Bloomsbury PublishingDescription
Comparing amulets over time and space, this volume focuses on the function of written words on these fascinating artefacts. Ranging from Roman Egypt to the Middle Ages and the Modern period, this book provides an overview on these artefacts in the Mediterranean world and beyond, including Europe, Iran, and Turkey.
A deep analysis of the textuality of amulets provides comparative information on themes and structures of the religious traditions examined. A strong emphasis is placed on the material features of the amulets and their connections to ritual purposes. The textual content, as well as other characteristics, is examined systematically, in order to establish patterns of influence and diffusion. The question of production, which includes the relationships that linked professional magicians, artists and craftsmen to their clientele, is also discussed, as well as the sacred and cultural economies involved.
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