Nam, The Theology of the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah (CUP)

NEW BOOK FROM CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS:

The Theology of the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah

Part of Old Testament Theology

AUTHOR: Roger S. Nam, Emory University, Atlanta
DATE PUBLISHED: November 2024
AVAILABILITY: Available
FORMAT: Hardback
ISBN: 9781108423625

£ 70.00
Hardback

Other available formats:
Paperback

Description

In the opening verses of the Book of Ezra-Nehemiah, King Cyrus exhorts the exiled Judeans to return to Jerusalem to restore worship in Jerusalem. It then narrates this restoration through the construction of the temple, the repair of the city walls, and the commitment to the written Torah. In this volume, Roger Nam offers a new and compelling argument regarding the theology of Ezra-Nehemiah: that the Judeans' return migration, which extended over several generations, had a totalizing effect on the people. Repatriation was not a single event, but rather a multi-generational process that oscillated between assimilation and preservation of culture. Consequently, Ezra-Nehemiah presents a unique theological perspective. Nam explores the book's prominent theological themes, including trauma, power, identity, community, worship, divine presence, justice, hope, and others – all of which take on a nuanced expression in diaspora. He also shows how and why Ezra-Nehemiah naturally found a rich reception among emerging early Christian and Jewish interpretive communities.

• Highlights Ezra-Nehemiah as migration literature and thus presents the repatriation as having a totalizing impact on the return Judeans
• Presents the God of Ezra-Nehemiah as distant and absent
• Follows the reception of Ezra-Nehemiah in later Christian and Judaic diasporic settings

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What's left of Jewish material history in Syria?

SEEKING A RECKONING: What happened to relics of Syria’s Jewish history? Assad’s collapse spurs efforts to assess the damage. Bombardment, looting and disuse have wreaked an uncertain toll on the country’s former synagogues and Jewish sites (Shira Li Bartov).

(JTA) — The fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has opened up a sea of uncertainty about Syria’s future — and about the treasures of its past, including the remnants of its Jewish history. ...

Scholars also worry about the ruins of Roman-era synagogues in Syria’s ancient cities, such as Apamea and Dura-Europos. Satellite imaging has shown that Dura-Europos was heavily looted while being held by Islamic State forces, according to Adam Blitz, a fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute.

Remnants from the synagogue of Dura-Europos are treasured by museums, including the Yale University Art Gallery, which displays 40 tiles from the synagogue’s ceiling. But Blitz said other artifacts from the site are feared to have been pilfered by combatants.

“There has been tremendous fear about mosaics being looted,” he said. ...

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the Jobar Synagogue in Damascus, which was destroyed in 2014, start here and follow the links. For more on Apamea, see here. And for a great many posts on Dura-Europos, start here and follow the links.

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Interview: Drew Longacre and the Genizah Psalms

THE GENIZA FRAGMENTS BLOG: Q&A Wednesday: Drew Longacre and the Genizah Psalms.

Author:
Drew Longacre and Melonie Schmierer-Lee

Wed 11 Dec 2024

Drew, you visited Cambridge this summer to look at Genizah Psalms fragments – tell us about your project.

I came to examine a dissertation here, and then stayed for an extra week to work on Psalms manuscripts for a critical edition of the Hebrew text of the Psalms for the HBCE (Hebrew Bible: a Critical Edition) series. Brent Strawn and I have funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities for a three-year project to produce the printed edition, and it will be accompanied by a digital edition too.

[...]

For more on the Critical Edition of the Hebrew Psalter Project, see here.

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Social Biographies of the Ancient World 12.2

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: Social Biographies of the Ancient World.

The latest issue of Journal of Ancient History (volume 12, issue 2) is a special issue: Social Biographies of the Ancient World with Jason M. Silverman as guest editor. Below is the list of articles: ...

The issue has some articles on PaleoJudaic topics. It is behind the De Gruyter paywall.

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A Hellenistic-era fortress at Ashdod-Yam

ARCHAEOLOGY: TAU researchers discover second-century BCE fortress at Ashdod-Yam. Excavations at Ashdod-Yam reveal a second-century BCE fortress destroyed in conflict, the Institute of Archeology at Tel Aviv University reported (Raquel G. Frohlich, Jerusalem).

A second-century BCE military stronghold was established at Ashdod-Yam, according to excavations and interim results reported by the Institute of Archeology at Tel Aviv University (TAU).

The research, published November 20, focused on the site’s Hellenistic period and used numismatic and ceramic evidence. Ashdod-Yam contains remains of occupations from the Late Bronze Age to the early Islamic period, according to the TAU Institute of Archeology.

[...]

The underlying article is available with open access in the journal Tel Aviv:

Hellenistic Ashdod-Yam in Light of Recent Archaeological Investigations
Alexander Fantalkin, Matasha Mazis, Yaniv Schauer, Donald T. Ariel, Shahar Krispin, Orit Tsuf, Tzilla Eshel & Eli Itkin

Pages 238-278 | Published online: 20 Nov 2024
Cite this article https://doi.org/10.1080/03344355.2024.2385149

Abstract

Ashdod-Yam is an important archaeological site with a history spanning the Late Bronze Age to the early Islamic period. The Hellenistic period marked an important phase for the site, when its acropolis served as a military base. This report presents the interim results of recent excavations that focused on the Hellenistic period at Ashdod-Yam. Based on the numismatic and ceramic evidence, the stronghold was established in the first half of the 2nd century BCE and should be considered within the framework of Seleucid military activity. Although it is difficult to determine under which Seleucid king this military stronghold was initially commissioned, it was most probably reinforced in the days of Antiochus VII Sidetes by his general Cendebaeus and then destroyed by John Hyrcanus I towards the end of his reign. The precision in dating the Hellenistic occupation at Ashdod-Yam offers a rare window into the life of a 2nd-century BCE coastal military settlement, enriching our knowledge of the site and contributing new insights into the region’s historical and cultural developments.

For a Byzantine-era discovery at Ashdod-Yam some years ago, see here.

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A Cleopatra bust from Taposiris Magna?

ICONIC ICONOGRAPY? Possible bust of Cleopatra VII found at ancient Egyptian temple. A small statue of a woman wearing a royal crown may depict Cleopatra VII, an archaeologist claims. Other archaeologists think it is likely someone else. (Owen Jarus, Live Science).

If only the ancients had labeled things more diligently. Why couldn't they have put ΚΛΕΟΠΑΤΡΑ on the base of the bust and made it easy for us?

For many PaleoJudaica posts on Cleopatra VII (the Cleopatra), who reportedly spoke Hebrew and Aramaic, start here (cf. here) and follow the links.

For more on the site of Taposiris Magna, and the so-far unsuccessful search for Cleopatra's tomb there, see the links collected here, plus here. A recent article in the Jerusalem Post surveys the current situation: Are we getting closer to the elusive tomb of Cleopatra? New discoveries at the Taposiris Magna temple complex west of Alexandria reignited hopes of locating the tomb.

Even though no Cleopatra has turned up so far, the site keeps producing interesting artifacts and architecture.

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

Has Santa's coffin been found?

'TIS THE SEASON: Just in time for Christmas? Sarcophagus possibly belonging to Saint Nicholas discovered in Turkey. Archaeologists assume the sarcophagus was covered by a layer of gravel and sand brought by a flood or tsunami (Jerusalem Post). HT Rogue Classicism.

Archaeologists in Turkey uncovered a limestone sarcophagus in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Demre, Antalya, which they believe could be linked to Saint Nicholas himself, known worldwide as Santa Claus.

[...]

If it is the sarcophagus of the historical Saint Nicholas, it will presumably be empty. Most of St. Nick's bones were nicked (or preemptively saved from the Seljuks, depending on your perspective) in 1087 and are now in the Basilica di San Nicola in Bari, Italy. The rest were reportedly taken by the Venetians in 1100 and are now in the Monastery of San Nicolò al Lido.

Saint Nicholas Day was 6 December. For more on the historical man, a late-antique bishop in Anatolia, start with the links collected here and keep following them back.

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Rabbinics & Hebrew Bible jobs at the University of Postdam

H-JUDAIC has post two job advertisements at the University of Potsdam in Germany:

FEATURED JOB: Full Professorship (W 3) for Rabbinic Literature and Halacha, Universität Potsdam

The School of Jewish Theology, created in 2013 as part of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Potsdam, invites applications for the following position to be filled by October 1, 2025:

Full Professorship (W 3) for Rabbinic Literature and Halacha

The successful candidate will represent the field of Rabbinics and have specific expertise in the domain of Halacha, employing both traditional and innovative methodologies. The candidate will demonstrate ability to connect the Talmud and Rabbinics with broader Jewish intellectual history and contribute to the interdisciplinary scholarship.

[...]

Also at the School of Jewish Theology:

FEATURED JOB: Professorship (W 2) for Hebrew Bible and its Exegesis, Universität Potsdam

Professorship (W 2) for Hebrew Bible and its Exegesis

The successful candidate will represent the entire field of the Hebrew Bible and its exegesis in both teaching and research. They will place the Bible in the context of its historical, social, religious, and cultural origins, critically engaging with the text while also addressing traditional Jewish reception and interpretation

[...]

Both jobs include the following requirements:

Applicants must be members of a Jewish congregation. Non-native speakers are expected to acquire sufficient skills to function in the German academic environment over a transition period of two years.

For full particulars and application information, follow the links for both. The deadline for email submission of application materials is 9 January 2025.

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

Review of Mokhtarian, Medicine in the Talmud

H-JUDAIC: Marcus on Mokhtarian, 'Medicine in the Talmud: Natural and Supernatural Therapies between Magic and Science'.

Mokhtarian, Jason Sion. Medicine in the Talmud: Natural and Supernatural Therapies between Magic and Science. Oakland: University of California Press, 2022. xix + 236 pp. $95.00 (cloth), ISBN 9780520389410.

Reviewed by Alexander Warren Marcus (Franklin and Marshall College)
Published on H-Judaic (December, 2024)
Commissioned by Jessica Carr (Lafayette College)

Excerpt:

Mokhtarian’s monograph is an important corrective to earlier apologetic scholarship by non-Talmudists, as well as to more recent studies that emphasize only the supernatural components of Talmudic remedies. He does an excellent job of synthesizing recent contextual scholarship on Babylonian rabbinic healing therapies, pointing to the importance to local contextualization and complicating simplistic distinctions between a supposedly rational West and superstitious East. In situating both “medicine” and “magic” under the umbrella of healing, he successfully recovers the understudied empirical dimensions of Babylonian rabbinic therapeutics.

I noted the publication of the book here, with more on the author's work there and here.

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

Review of Davies, Representing the dynasty in Flavian Rome

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Representing the dynasty in Flavian Rome: the case of Josephus’ Jewish War.

Jonathan Davies, Representing the dynasty in Flavian Rome: the case of Josephus' Jewish War. Oxford classical monographs. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2023. Pp. 256. ISBN 9780198882992.

Review by
Jan Willem van Henten, Universiteit van Amsterdam. j.w.vanhenten@uva.nl

This book offers an excellent, detailed analysis of all the references to the three Flavian emperors in Josephus’s Jewish War. Davies consistently pays attention to Roman and Jewish perspectives and reads Josephus in line with postcolonial theory as a historian who is in between two worlds. His conclusions are well-argued and careful. He rejects the binary oppositions that in his view underly previous scholarship and lead to a one-dimensional interpretation of Josephus’s role as a historian. ...

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

Potsherd-core "cave pearls" in a Jerusalem tunnel

SPELUNKIC ARCHAEOLOGY: Study finds first cave pearls containing archaeological artifacts in ancient Jerusalem tunnel (Sandee Oster, Phys.org). HT Rogue Classicism.

A study conducted by Dr. Azriel Yechezkel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his colleagues from the Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University, published in the journal Archaeometry, discovered the largest known cave pearl deposit in the southern Levant. What makes these 50 cave pearls so unique is that some of them contain archaeological artifacts, making them the first in the world to contain man-made objects.

Cave pearls are a type of speleothem found in caves. They are round, pearl-like formations usually between 0.1 mm and 30cm long. They form around central nuclei, such as sand grains covered in layer upon layer of mineral deposits.

[...]

Cave pearls? Well that's something different. The pottery cores over which they accumulated seem to date mostly from the late-Persian to Hellenistic and the Byzantine eras.

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Orville S. Wintermute (1927-2024)

SAD NEWS: Official Obituary of Orval Wintermute November 20, 1927 - November 25, 2024.

Noted by the Agade List and Explorator.

Professor Wintermute is known particulary (at least by me) for his translations of the Apocalypse of Zephaniah and the Book of Jubilees in Charlesworth's two-volume collection, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha.

Requiescat in pace.

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Review of Briquel Chatonnet & Debie, The Syriac World

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Review: The Syriac World: In Search of a Forgotten Christianity.

The Syriac World: In Search of a Forgotten Christianity
By Françoise Briquel Chatonnet and Muriel Debié, trans. by Jeffrey Haines
(New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 2023), 304 pp., 68 b/w figs., 11 maps; $35 (hardcover and eBook)

Reviewed by Jeanne-Nicole Mellon Saint-Laurent

... The Syriac tradition, whose literary heritage is almost exclusively Christian, has gained more attention in the Anglophone world in the past three decades due to increased scholarly focus. Despite this growing recognition of the Syriac tradition in academic circles, a comprehensive book was missing—until now.

I noted the publication of the French original here and the English translation here. Cross-file under Syriac Watch.

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

The Sifting Project needs help to continue

THE TEMPLE MOUNT SIFTING BLOG: FORCED TO PAUSE: THE SIFTING SITE FACES CLOSURE AFTER HANUKKAH.

Now, more than a year since the war began, and in light of the IDF’s remarkable achievements, it seems that the existential threat to the State of Israel is behind us. In contrast, the Temple Mount Sifting Project now faces an existential threat of its own. Donations to the project have dropped by approximately 70%, and government funding processes have been frozen. These challenges, combined with a significant decline in visitors to the sifting site, force us to dramatically scale back our activities. Consequently, starting next month (after Hanukkah), we are regrettably compelled to suspend operations at the sifting site until appropriate funding is secured.

If you are feeling generous this holiday season, they could really use a contribution.

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

Review of Hopkins & McGill (eds.), Forgery beyond deceit

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Forgery beyond deceit: fabrication, value, and the desire for ancient Rome.

John North Hopkins, Scott McGill, Forgery beyond deceit: fabrication, value, and the desire for ancient Rome. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2023. Pp. 464. ISBN 9780192869586.

Review by
Rebecca Menmuir, Lincoln College, Oxford. rebecca.menmuir@lincoln.ox.ac.uk

Forgery Beyond Deceit is an excellent volume, immediately securing a place as required reading for anyone interested in fakes and forgeries across disciplines and chronological boundaries. At its heart is an insistence that forgeries are valuable objects which are worthy of study in and of themselves; no longer should the forgery be consigned to Philology’s growing pile of discarded works, deemed inauthentic and therefore worthless. In this way the volume represents a fundamental shift in authenticity studies of the late-twentieth and twenty-first century, and holding this belief as the book’s core allows contributors to explore avenues beyond deceit, as the title has it. ...

Follow the link for a preview and list of authors and titles.

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

Apocryphal Christmas again

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Christmas Stories in Christian Apocrypha. The birth of Jesus in the apocryphal gospels (Tony Burke).

Yep, time to note this one again. For more on the Protevangelium of James, see here, here, here, and links.

And here's something new. James McGrath argues that the whole of the Protevangelium of James is a reworked John the Baptist source. (Scroll down a bit to find the discussion.)

Cross-file under 'Tis the Season.

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Langton, The Womb and the Simile of the Woman in Labor in the Hebrew Bible (Routledge)

NEW BOOK FROM ROUTLEDGE:

The Womb and the Simile of the Woman in Labor in the Hebrew Bible
Embodying Relationship with YHWH

By Karen Langton
Copyright 2025

Hardback
£101.25

eBook
£29.99

ISBN 9781032834474
178 Pages
Published October 30, 2024 by Routledge

Original Price£135.00
Sale Price GBP £101.25

Description

This book explores figurative images of the womb and the simile of a woman in labor from the Hebrew Bible, problematizing previous interpretations that present these as disparate images and showing how their interconnectivity embodies relationship with YHWH.

In the Hebrew Bible, images of the womb and the pregnant body in labor do not co-occur despite being grounded in an image of a whole pregnant female body; the pregnant body is instead fragmented into these two constituent parts, and scholars have continued to interpret these images separately with no discussion of their interconnectivity. In this book, Langton explores the relationship between these images, inviting readers into a wider conversation on how the pregnant body functions as a means to an end, a place to access and seek a relationship with YHWH. Readers are challenged and asked to rethink how these images have been interpreted within feminist scholarship, with womb imagery depicting YHWH’s care for creation or performing the acts of a midwife, and the pregnant body in labor as a depiction of crisis. Langton explores select texts depicting these images, focusing on the corporeal experience and discussing direct references and allusions to the physicality of a pregnant body within these texts. This approach uncovers ancient and current androcentric ideology which dictates that conception, gestation, and birth must be controlled not by the female body, but by YHWH.

The Womb and the Simile of the Woman in Labor in the Hebrew Bible is of interest to students and scholars working on the Hebrew Bible, gender in the Bible and the Near East more broadly, and feminist biblical criticism.

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