Review of Ogden (ed.), The Cambridge companion to Alexander the Great

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: The Cambridge companion to Alexander the Great.

Daniel Ogden, The Cambridge companion to Alexander the Great. Cambridge companions to the ancient world. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024. Pp. 612. ISBN 9781108840996.

Review by
K. R. Moore, Teesside University. K.R.Moore@tees.ac.uk

... It is worth emphasising that none of the burgeoning scholarship on Alexander the Great is redundant or excessive. All of it adds to our highly imperfect understanding of the Macedonian Conqueror and his legacy. And so it is with this preamble in mind that we now turn to the contents of this most recent Companion to join the marching ranks of its noble predecessors. ...

PaleoJudaica notes in particular these chapters:

28. The Alexander Romance, Christian Thrue Djurslev
29. Alexander in Jewish and Early Christian Literature, Aleksandra Klęczar

For many posts on Alexander the Great and his connection with ancient Jewish traditions, notably in the Alexander Romance, see here and links. For some other books on Alexander and the Alexander tradition published in recent years, see here, here, here, here, here, here (reprint of an old book), here, and here.

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On Beth Shean

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Beth Shean: A Tale of Two Sites. Explore the Canaanite town that became a Roman city (Nathan Steinmeyer).

For an earlier BHD essay on Beth Shean (Beit She'an/Scythopolis) see here. And follow the links from there for more PaleoJudaica posts on the site.

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Lost Turfan fragments

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: Lost Turfan Fragments.

The cited article is of specialist interest, but when I saw it I was quick to read it. Fortunately, it is open access.

Turfan is a region in Northeast China in which the Manichean religion flourished in the early Middle Ages. More than a century ago it began to be excavated by German and then Japanese archaeologists. They found a treasure trove of—generally highly fragmentary—medieval Manichean manuscripts in Middle Iranian dialects, Old Turkic, Syriac, and Chinese. They were effectively the Manichean Dead Sea Scrolls

Among the discoveries were precious fragments of the ancient Book of Giants, translated into Middle Persian, Sogdian, Parthian, and Old Turkic. Regular readers will be familiar with the Book of Giants, which amounts to a fourth Book of Enoch.

It was written originally in Aramaic at around the same time as the works collected in the book of 1 Enoch. It tells the story of the giants found in the Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch 1-36), but from the perspective of the giants. Enoch himself is a character. Fragments of the original Aramaic book were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

I have already mentioned that our soon-forthcoming book, Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: More Noncanonical Scriptures, vol. 2 (MOTP2) will include, for the first time ever, English translations of all surviving fragments of the Book of Giants in all the languages listed above.

The editor's nightmare for a new collection of texts is that some important new manuscript will turn up just too late to be included. Thus, I was relieved to see that this article did not include any new fragments of the Book of Giants! We were already aware of one or two lost fragments of the book, but we had access to transcriptions of these, so we could still include them.

We did have a new manuscript turn up very late in the game for another text in this volume. But I will tell you that story when the time is right.

For some other PaleoJudaica posts on Turfan, see here and links and here. And for posts on the Book of Giants, follow the links collected here.

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Not the Balm of Gilead, but close?

PALEOBOTANY: Tree grown from ancient mystery seed found in cave could be source of biblical balm. Identified as species of Commiphora, part of the frankincense and myrrh family, plant lacks fragrance but medical compound suggests possible link with Bible’s ‘tsori’ (Sue Surkes, Times of Israel).

The resin of a tree germinated from a mysterious 1,000-year-old seed found in a Judean Desert cave could be the source of the biblical tsori, a type of medicinal balm, according to newly published research.

Radiocarbon dating has put the date of the seed’s origin somewhere between 993 CE and 1202 CE.

[...]

Any link to tsori, the biblical, Judean "balm of Gilead" seems to be indirect.

If fragrant — which tests so far suggest it is not — it could have been a candidate for the legendary Judean balsam or “Balm of Judea,” which no longer exists. Prized for its exquisite perfume and medicinal qualities in ancient times, this was a non-native plant cultivated at oases around the Dead Sea for 1,000 years until the 9th century CE. A native species such as the regerminated plant, Sheba, could have been used as rootstock onto which the Judean balsam was grafted, suggests an article published this month in Communications Biology.

The link is to the underlying article, which is open access. The abstract:

Characterization and analysis of a Commiphora species germinated from an ancient seed suggests a possible connection to a species mentioned in the Bible

Sarah Sallon, Elaine Solowey, Morgan R. Gostel, Markus Egli, Gavin R. Flematti, Björn Bohman, Philippe Schaeffer, Pierre Adam & Andrea Weeks
Communications Biology volume 7, Article number: 1109 (2024) Cite this article

Abstract

A seed recovered during archaeological excavations of a cave in the Judean desert was germinated, with radiocarbon analysis indicating an age of 993 CE– 1202 calCE. DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis identified the seedling as belonging to the angiosperm genus Commiphora Jacq., sister to three Southern African Commiphora species, but unique from all other species sampled to date. The germinated seedling was not closely related to Commiphora species commonly harvested for their fragrant oleoresins including Commiphora gileadensis (L.) C.Chr., candidate for the locally extinct “Judean Balsam” or “Balm of Gilead” of antiquity. GC-MS analysis revealed minimal fragrant compounds but abundance of those associated with multi-target bioactivity and a previously undescribed glycolipid compound series. Several hypotheses are offered to explain the origins, implications and ethnobotanical significance of this unknown Commiphora sp., to the best of our knowledge the first identified from an archaeological site in this region, including identification with a resin producing tree mentioned in Biblical sources and possible agricultural relationship with the historic Judean Balsam.

For more on the balm of Gilead, see the links collected here.

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McGrath interview

THE STONE CHAPEL PODCAST: ‘Christmaker’ With James McGrath.

David Capes interviews James McGrath about his new book Christmaker. Transcript included.

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Silver and pirates at Pantelleria?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Pirates and Silver Denarii. Roman coin hoard uncovered on Pantelleria island (Nathan Steinmeyer).

The excavators think the treasure was hidden from pirates. I'm sure we should go with their interpretation. But I still think it's fun to imagine that the pirates hid it there.

In honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Aaarr!

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Forthcoming: More Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vol. 2

VERY GOOD NEWS FROM EERDMANS:

Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vol. 2
More Noncanonical Scriptures

Edited by James R. Davila and Richard Bauckham

Imprint: Eerdmans

688 Pages, 6.12 x 9.25 in

HARDCOVER
9780802884411
Publication Date: April 24, 2025
$89.99 | £69.99

EBOOK
9781467468671
Publication Date: April 24, 2025
$89.99

The long-awaited companion to volume 1 of Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: More Noncanonical Scriptures

Edited by James Davila and Richard Bauckham, this is the second volume in a series focusing on Old Testament pseudepigrapha—ancient texts that are affiliated in some way with the Old Testament but are not included in any of the major biblical canons.

With contributions from twenty-three scholars, this collection introduces readers to little-known texts, with much of the material here translated into English for the first time. The texts encompass a variety of genres including apocalypses, prose narratives, magical and divinatory tractates, prophecies, and synagogue sermons. In their subject matter, the texts focus on diverse biblical characters and events ranging from Adam and the creation story to the messiah and the final judgment.

Complementing and building on the work of Old Testament Pseudepigrapha by James Charlesworth and Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: More Noncanonical Scriptures vol. 1 edited by Richard Bauckham, James R. Davila, and Alex Panayotov, this book ranks among the most important publications in biblical studies in recent decades.

The cover image is a photo of a two-column folio from the Sogdian Book of Giants.

Background here.

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

Why not plow with an ox and a donkey?

DR. ELAINE GOODFRIEND: Do Not Plow an Ox with a Donkey—Reasons, Metaphors, and Sexual Undertones. (TheTorah.com).

Is the prohibition about animal compassion, keeping species separate, or does it hold symbolic and metaphorical meanings? Beyond its surface, the law against “plowing” with an ox and a donkey also conveys a double entendre.

What an interesting essay. A few thoughts.

I would go with Philo's and Paul's interpretation to find the basic meaning. They both were part of the ancient agricultural society where the law originated.

I don't understand the interpretation that says the law was to prevent the two animals from mating. What? The ox wasn't going to mate with anyone. And no one would use an intact bull to plow. Too dangerous.

I'm skeptical of allegorical or double-entendre interpretations, but I have no objection to them.

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Opening ceremony for the Tel Dan Stele exhibition

UPCOMING: Tel Dan Stele Grand Opening Ceremony. Featuring guest speaker, best-selling author and commentator Dinesh D’Souza (Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology).

The opening ceremony is on 22 September. Details at the link.

Background on the exhibition and on the Tel Dan Stele, are here and links.

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

The oldest complete Hebrew codex?

EXHIBITION: World's oldest Jewish text debuts exhibit at Museum of the Bible The exhibit, titled Sacred Words: Revealing the Earliest Hebrew Book, features the book from the 700s which was discovered in Afghanistan (Jerusalem Post).

The exhibit, Sacred Words: Revealing the Earliest Hebrew Book, showcases the book, which was discovered in Afghanistan and dates back roughly 1,300 years.

The book, referred to as the ALQ, is comprised of prayers, poems, and pages of the oldest discovered Passover Haggadah, which was mysteriously written upside down. The prayers and poetry in the book draw on texts from the Hebrew Bible.

The article correctly states that this is (arguably) the oldest surviving complete Hebrew "book," that is, codex - pages with a binding. It is by no means the oldest Jewish text. The headline writer got carried away.

You can read a bit more about the manuscript in the first part of an article in the Free Press by Matti Friedman: Is This Mysterious Text the Most Ancient Hebrew Book Ever Discovered? Found in a cave in Afghanistan, the parchment dates to between 660 and 780 CE. Soon, it will be on display at the Museum of the Bible. The rest of the article is behind a subscription wall. Aish.com also has an article on it, with more information about the whole exhibition: The Oldest Hebrew Book Ever Discovered.

It sounds as though this codex could be the same one that was in the news some years ago (first in 2013). That one was an early Hebrew codex, also owned by the Museum of the Bible, but called a Hebrew siddur or prayer book, and reportedly C-14 dated to the ninth century. Matti Friedman's comments about the one currently in the news makes them sound the same to me. But from the photos it looks like the "Hebrew prayer book" had a different layout (fewer lines) than the one on exhibit now. And the back stories sound different.

For PaleoJudica posts, see the links collected here in 2021. There I also discuss the question of the oldest Hebrew manuscript vs. book.

Rather than sitting on this story any longer, I pass it to you as is. Are they the same codex? Or does the Museum of the Bible have two early Hebrew codices from Afghanistan? If you can shed light on the question, please drop me a note.

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

Report on the Mount Zion excavation

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

The Excavations of the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology (GPIA) on Mount Zion in Jerusalem (2015 and 2023)

During our excavations, several city walls were identified on Mount Zion and their stratigraphic classification was investigated. The chronological determination was supplemented by numerous 14C and OSL analyses.

See also, Archäologie in Jerusalem: Die Ausgrabungen des Deutschen Evangelischen Instituts für Altertumswissenschaft des Heiligen Landes zwischen 2009 und 2023 (De Gruyter, 2025).

[I have corrected the link to the book, which currently leads to the article alone. - JRD]

By Dieter Vieweger
Director of the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology
Jerusalem and Amman
September 2024

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

The Megiddo Mosaic has arrived in D.C.

EXHIBITION: ‘Greatest discovery since Dead Sea Scrolls,’ Megiddo mosaic goes on view at Bible Museum in DC. “We found the name of Jesus before Christianity was part of the Roman Empire,” said Alegre Savariego of the Israel Antiquities Authority (Menachem Wecker, Israel Today).

The exibition opened on Sunday. I'm glad the mosaic has arrived safely. This article has a good review of its importance. Background here and links. The MOTB website says that it runs from 15 September 2024 to 6 July 2025, so nine months, nearly ten.

I think calling it "the most significant archaeological find since the Dead Sea Scrolls" indulges in a bit of forgiveable hyperbole. I would rank the Balaam inscription from Tel Deir ‘Alla (Deir Alla) as more significant, and the Tel Dan Stele (which mentions "the House of David" in the ninth century BCE) and the Arad Ostraca as comparably significant. But I am a philologist. And any such evaluation compares apples to oranges. Your mileage may vary.

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Review of Leppin and Luddecke, The early Christians

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: The early Christians: from the beginnings to Constantine.

Hartmut Leppin, Kathrin Luddecke, The early Christians: from the beginnings to Constantine. Classical scholarship in translation. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2023. Pp. 484. ISBN 9781316517239.

Review by
Anders Klostergaard Petersen, Aarhus University. akp@cas.au.dk

... The individual chapters present an impressive range of examples from the first three hundred years of Christ-religion demonstrating Leppin’s enormous breadth of view over the source material and an ability to present it in a thought-provoking and appealing way. His sagacity is admirable, but I also have some queries. ...

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Vermes on the origins of Christianity

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: The Origin of Christianity. The Late Geza Vermes on the transition from Jewish Christians to Gentiles (Noah Wiener).

This essay summarizes a Nov-Dec 2012 Biblical Archaeology Review article by Geza Vermes. Unusually, the article itself is also available for free online: From Jewish to Gentile. How the Jesus Movement Became Christianity.

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

Pylon - open-access journal online

THE AWOL BLOG: Open Access Journal: Pylon. Editions and Studies of Ancient Texts.

Volume 5 (2024) publishes, inter alia, an inscribed stele from Berenike, a Homeric fragment from Oxyrhynchus, a second-century CE ostracon from Elephantine, and a mathematical inscribed wax tablet in the Chester Beatty Library.

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Baden, Source Criticism (Wipf and Stock)

NEW BOOK FROM WIPF AND STOCK:

Source Criticism

by Joel S. Baden
Series: Cascade Companions

Imprint: Cascade Books
156 Pages, 5.00 x 8.00 x 0.31 in

Paperback
9781666764093
Published: May 2024
$22.00 / £18.00 / AU$34.00

eBook
9781666764116
Published: May 2024
$22.00 / £18.99 / AU$31.99

Hardcover
9781666764109
Published: May 2024
$37.00 / £30.00 / AU$56.00

DESCRIPTION

Source criticism has been at the center of biblical studies for the last two centuries. In that time, it has produced a wide range of theories and approaches, often conflicting. This book provides a concise overview of the major approaches and positions in the field, helping the reader understand where scholarship has been and where it currently stands, and situating each major development within its broader intellectual and social context.

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