Morrison, Retribution in Chronicles (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK:

Neil J. Morrison

Retribution in Chronicles

Ideology and Reality

[Vergeltung im Buch der Chroniken. Ideologie und Realität.]
2025. XII, 230 pages.
Forschungen zum Alten Testament 2. Reihe (FAT II) 155
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Summary

Neil J. Morrison seeks to clarify the nature and purpose of the theme of divine retribution in Chronicles. He contends that retribution represents a malleable motif which serves the ideological purpose of fostering religious commitment and bolstering the status of the Second Temple. Nevertheless, the outworking of retribution in the narrative has been constrained by other ideological commitments and the exigencies of the contemporary world. For example, the divine provision of the temple and God's irrevocable commitment to Israel often overshadow retribution. Similarly, the uncertainties of the late-Persian or early-Hellenistic setting necessitated a more flexible approach to retribution, underscoring the importance of human activity rather than waiting upon divine intervention. This theory explains how retribution serves a didactic purpose without representing a systematic theological dogma.

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Lorber, Coins of the Ptolemaic Empire, Part I (Brepols)

NEW BOOK FROM BREPOLS:

Coins of the Ptolemaic Empire, Part I: Ptolemy I through Ptolemy IV
Volume 1: Precious Metal, Volume 2: Bronze

Catharine C. Lorber

Pages: 2 vols, xxxiv + 836 p.
Size: 210 x 297 mm
Illustrations: 37 b/w, 122 plates
Language(s): English
Publication Year: 2024

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ISBN: 978-0-89722-398-0
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SUMMARY

Coins of the Ptolemaic Empire, Part 1, Volumes 1 and 2 (Precious Metal and Bronze) by Catharine Lorber, is the massive, long-anticipated catalogue of coins struck by the first four Ptolemaic kings. It essentially rewrites the sections on these rulers in J. N. Svoronos’ classic, but now much out of date,　Ta Nomismata tou Kratous ton Ptolemaion　(1904). The body of coinage catalogued by Svoronos is enlarged by more than 300 further emissions in precious metal and more than 180 emissions in bronze, recorded from subsequent scholarship, from hoards, from commercial sources, and from private collections, and constituting about a third of the total catalogue entries. Lorber’s attributions, dates, and interpretations rest on numismatic research since Svoronos, or on the latest archaeological and hoard information. She also provides extensive historical and numismatic introductions that give the coins deeper context and meaning. The coinage of Ptolemies I through IV is supplemented by a few issues possibly attributable to Cleomenes of Naucratis, the predecessor of Ptolemy I in Egypt, as well as by coinages of Ptolemy Ceraunus, Magas, and Ptolemy of Telmessus, members of the Lagid dynasty ruling their own kingdoms outside of Egypt.

I noted a publication announcement for Part II last year, with links. But it appears that the latter is still forthcoming, slated for this year. Cross-file under Numismatics.

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The Skirball Center is celebrating Tu B'Shevat early

EVENT: Celebrate the New Year of the Trees at the Skirball Cultural Center (BEVERLY PRESS AND PARK LABREA NEWS).

This year Tu B'Shevat, the New Year for Trees, take place from sundown 12 February to sundown on the 13th. If you want to celebrate early, this sounds like a nice event.

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The Tree of Life in the ANE

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: The Tree of Life Beyond the Bible. Explore the context of a timeless biblical symbol (Nathan Steinmeyer).

A central feature in the Garden of Eden story, the Tree of Life is one of the Hebrew Bible’s more memorable symbols. But this biblical symbol connects to a much larger ancient tradition, one whose roots extend across the ancient Near East and are reflected in numerous ways throughout the Bible.

[...]

This essay summarizes an article by Christian Locatell in the current issue of BAR. The article is behind the subscription wall.

The New Year for Trees (Tu B'Shevat) is coming up in a couple of weeks, but I imagine that is coincidental.

For more on the Tree of Life, see here, here, here, here and links.

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More on that fraud-trial papyrus

UPDATE: Manuscript P.Cotton (background here) has been getting a lot of attention in the media. I have found two more articles worth flagging.

Explosive Legal Document Exposes Corruption and Conspiracy in Roman Era Judea (Ancient Origins). An English translation of the full text of the (linked) Hebrew IAA press release.

Fraud, forgery and sedition: 1,900-year-old papyrus records Roman trial against Jews. New research on the longest Greek papyrus from the Judean Desert ever discovered offers unprecedented insights into life in the Land of Israel in Bar Kochba era (ROSSELLA TERCATIN, Times of Israel). In addition to coverage of the press release, this article interviews Dr. Anna Dolganov, one of the editors of the manuscript.

UPDATE (31 January): Another:

Ancient Papyrus Found in Desert Describes Roman Case Against Jewish Crooks. Almost 2,000 years ago in Judea or maybe Arabia, two men allegedly sold a slave and didn't pay taxes to Rome. The papyrus makes the case against them (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz). Noted for its useful summary of the text.

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Comparing the Hebrew Bible with ancient Greek traditions

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

Approaching Comparisons with Ancient Greek Traditions

In the corpus of Archaic and Classical Greece written at roughly the same time as the Hebrew Bible’s various compositions, there are a number of similar kinds of stories. In many cases, in fact, they are more similar than either is to Near Eastern compositions.

See also Ancient Israel, Judah, and Greece: Laying the Foundations of a Comparative Approach. (Sheffield Phoenix, 2024).

By Andrew Tobolowsky
William & Mary
January 2025

Cross-file under New Book.

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On the Great Isaiah Scroll and manuscript groupings

THE ETC BLOG: 1QIsaa and Shifting Categories ( Anthony Ferguson).

Many of us are aware that this text’s fame has recently been revived because of Wes Huff’s thrilling and helpful interview with Joe Rogan. Unfortunately, that conversation has stirred some controversy regarding the description “word-for-word”. I aim to provide some background information on this discussion, hoping it will bring greater clarity to this important topic.

In addition to discussing the textual character of 1QIsa^a (the Great Isaiah Scroll), this post gives a helpful overview of current scholarly thinking about how to divide the surviving manuscript traditions of the Hebrew Bible into groups. The problem is complicated by an underabundance of data.

Some PaleoJudaica posts on the Great Isaiah Scroll are here, here, here, here, here, here, and links.

For that Joe Rogan episode, see here.

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A tax-fraud and forgery trial recorded in a pre-Bar Kokhba Revolt papyrus

ANCIENT GREEK EPIGRAPHY: 1,900-Year-Old Papyrus Reveals Gripping Case About Roman Tax Fraud and Forgery. A newly-studied ancient papyrus is so detailed it could be an episode of Law & Order, Roman style (Margherita Bassi, Gizmodo).

Researchers in Austria and Israel have translated the longest Greek papyrus ever found in the Judaean Desert. Previously unearthed, misidentified, and then nearly forgotten, Hannah Cotton Paltiel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem rediscovered the papyrus in 2014. Now, Paltiel and her colleagues have translated the text, revealing it to be prosecutors’ notes for an ancient Roman trial from the early second century CE. The artifact provides unique insight into a case that dealt with tax fraud, forgery, and the fraudulent sale and freeing of enslaved people during a period of tension in the Roman province of Judaea.

As the article notes, the underlying, open-access, peer-reviewed article is published in the journal Tyche:

Forgery and Fiscal Fraud in Iudaea and Arabia on the Eve of the Bar Kokhba Revolt: Memorandum and Minutes of a Trial before a Roman Official (P.Cotton) [link now corrected!]

Anna Dolganov
Fritz Mitthof
Hannah M. Cotton
Avner Ecker

DOI: https://doi.org/10.25365/tyche-2023-38-5
Schlagworte: Papyrus, Iudaea, Arabia, Hadrian, trial, slaves, fiscus

Abstract

The Greek papyrus presented here is a memorandum for a judicial hearing before a Roman official in the province of Iudaea or Arabia in the reign of Hadrian, after the emperor’s visit to the region in 129/130 CE and before the outbreak of the Bar Kokhba revolt in 132. The document also contains an informal record of the hearing in question. The trial concerns the prosecution of a number of individuals, including a certain Gadalias and Saulos, who are accused of forging documents relating to the sale and manumission of slaves in order to circumvent the imperial fiscus. The identity of the prosecutors remains unknown, but they seem likely to have been functionaries of the Roman fiscal administration. The text also mentions an informer who denounced the defendants to Roman authorities. This document offers a unique glimpse of local civic institutions and the workings of Roman provincial administration and jurisdiction in the Near East. It also sheds light on the elusive question of slave trade and ownership among Jews. At the same time, the papyrus provides insight into a cultural and intellectual environment in which Roman law, Greek rhetoric and Jewish life meet. We present an editio princeps with a translation and commentary, while acknowledging that the study of this document is far from exhausted.

The papyrus was not excavated scientifically. It sounds as though there is not a lot of information about its provenance.

UPDATE (30 January): More here.

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AJR review panel on Gross, Babylonian Jews and Sasanian Imperialism in Late Antiquity

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Panel in Celebration of Simcha Gross's Babylonian Jews and Sasanian Imperialism in Late Antiquity.

A review panel from the 2024 Association for Jewish Studies featuring scholars engaging with Simcha Gross’s award winning Babylonian Jews and Sasanian Imperialism in Late Antiquity.

One paper has been posted so far:

A Radical Revision of Knowledge About Babylonian Jewish Society (Christine Hayes)

... Gross demonstrates that the static feudal paradigm and the binaries it generates are not supported by a wide array of material and textual evidence (Jewish, Christian, Zoroastrian, and Sasanian). He proposes instead an immanent and dynamic model of Sasanian rule in which little was fixed and much was in play, setting the stage for the empire’s different inhabitants to constantly negotiate and renegotiate their position, status, and communal identities. The result is a radical revision of what we thought we knew about of Babylonian Jewish society, the place of the rabbis, and the nature of their textual tradition, as illuminated by comparison with other similarly-situated minority communities who were also navigating the realities of empire and being formed and transformed in the process. ...

I noted the publication of the book here and here.

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Late-antique European silver ring excavated at Huqoq

ANCIENT ARTIFACT: Was an ancient European ring found in Israel used as a wedding band depicting the Temple? Unearthed at Huqoq, the artifact may represent the missing link between 1,300-year-old Merovingian rings and popular medieval Jewish nuptial bands, new research shows (ROSSELLA TERCATIN, Times of Israel).

A rare silver ring unearthed in Israel might represent the missing link between the so-called Merovingian architectural rings manufactured in the 6th-8th centuries CE in Western Europe and Jewish wedding bands featuring miniature buildings, which started to be popular in the late Middle Ages, Prof. Dennis Mizzi of the University of Malta told The Times of Israel.

[...]

Sounds as though it is a well-traveled heirloom preserved in a late medieval stratum.

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Inscribed ostracon from turn of the era excavated at Sartaba-Alexandrium

NORTHWEST SEMITIC EPIGRAPHY WATCH: Archeologists decipher 2,000-year-old Aramaic inscription in Israel. Experts use new scanning methods and AI analysis to inscription found on Second Temple era pottery shard mentioning 'Eleazar bar Ger' (Ynet News).

Researchers have deciphered a 2,000-year-old Aramaic inscription on a pottery shard discovered at the Alexandrium Fortress (Sartaba) in the Jordan Valley. The text reads: “Eleazar bar Ger… from Beit Akiman.” Bar-Ilan University scholars analyzed and deciphered the inscription using advanced imaging technology developed by Jerusalem’s Azrieli College of Engineering.

[...]

Cross-file under Technology Watch.

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Palmyra after Assad

PALMYRA WATCH: Syrians return to Palmyra amid hopes ancient city can attract tourists once again. ISIS blew up parts of the historic site when they took over the area in 2015 (Lizzie Porter, The National). Video with accompanying article. Excerpt:

Mr Al Raba came back to Palmyra after Bashar Al Assad’s government fell last month and pro-regime forces fled the city. He left his home city and joined rebel groups in northern Syria following government repression of protests that began in 2011 and led to civil war.

“I prefer this place to my own house – I sleep here, I eat here, I work here,” he said with a wistful smile. “I was working here for 15 years in this place so I know everything. When ISIS destroyed it, I was so upset.”

Upon his return he found the piles of ruins, a looted museum and holes in the ground where, returning residents claim that ISIS and pro-Assad forces had removed or stolen its valuable antiquities.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the ancient metropolis of Palmyra, its history and archaeology, the Aramaic dialect once spoken there (Palmyrene), and the city's tragic reversals of fortune, now hopefully once again trending for the better, start here and follow the links.

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

Guide to ethnographic passages in the Pseudo-Clementine writings

ETHNIC RELATIONS AND MIGRATION IN THE ANCIENT WORLD: Guide to the Pseudo-Clementine writings (Philip Harland).

This post provides a guide for reading through ethnographic passages in the Pseudo-Clementine Recognitions, a novelistic story about the figure of Clement (second-fifth centuries CE): ...

Includes a passage on Jewish wisdom from a late-antique Jewish-Christian perspective.

For more on this blog, see here and here and links.

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More on that newly published boundary stone

ARCHAEOLOGY: Roman-era boundary stone hints at a political tiff described in the Jerusalem Talmud. Unearthed in Upper Galilee, 3rd century CE artifact might prove rumored tensions between Emperor Diocletian and local population; also mentions two hitherto unknown Golan villages (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

I have mentioned this story already here, but this article contains additional details and a link to the underlying technical article in PEQ. The latter is Open Access:

PALESTINE EXPLORATION QUARTERLY https://doi.org/10.1080/00310328.2024.2435218

Diocletian oppressed the inhabitants of Paneas’ (ySheb. 9:2): A New Tetrarchic boundary stone from Abel Beth Maacah

Avner Ecker and Uzi Leibner

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

ABSTRACT
Excavators of tell Abel Beth Maacah in northern Israel uncovered a Tetrarchic boundary stone reused as a cover for a Mamluk-period grave. The inscription mentions a hitherto unknown imperial surveyor (censitor). It is suggested that this individual may have been a colleague of Aelius Statutus, the censitor recorded on the boundary stones of the province of Syria Phoenice. Additionally, the inscription reveals two new toponyms: ‘Tirthas’ and ‘Golgol’, which may correspond to preserved toponyms Kh. Turritha and Tell ʿAjul, respectively. These locations were last recorded by the Survey of Western Palestine (SWP). The paper places this discovery in the context of other boundary stones in the Paneas/Caesarea-Phillipi territory and attempts to explain their extraordinary concentration in light of Diocletianic tax reforms and rabbinic sources. The authors suggest that the territory was probably filled with fields and farms owned by small landholders who paid their taxes independently of the city, providing insight into the complex relationship between taxation, land ownership, and settlement history.

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"The Pleasures of Pseudepigraphy" Conference, March 30–31, Loyola University Chicago.

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT:

The Pleasures of Pseudepigraphy: Authorship and Imagination in Ancient Epistolary Fictions

March 30–31, 2025
Loyola University Chicago | Lake Shore Campus

How should we understand fakes and forgeries, and what happens when they find their way into scriptural collections? This conference will examine the ancient and widespread practice of writing letters in the names of others (i.e., epistolary pseudepigraphy). Beginning with a graduate student symposium, the conference will welcome scholars of Greek, Roman, Jewish, and Christian literatures to analyze fictional letters. This conference is sponsored by the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, the Department of Classical Studies, and the Theology Department at Loyola University Chicago.

All are especially welcome for the plenary lecture on Sunday, March 30, at 4:00pm. Patricia Rosenmeyer, George L. Paddison Professor of Classics, UNC Chapel Hill, will give a lecture entitled, "Ancient Pilgrim or Armchair Traveler: the Curious Case of P. Lond. III 854."

Registration is free, and all are welcome!

For more information, see the link above. HT Dr. Mark Lester.

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Windle's 2024 biblical archaeology top 10

BRYAN WILDLE: Top 10 Biblical Archaeology Discoveries of 2024: Digging for Truth Episode 250. HT the Bible Places Blog.

Bryan Windle joins Henry Smith to count down the top ten biblical discoveries of the year. Bryan sifts through over 200 news reports per year for ABR's weekly Breaking News updates. This results in close to 50 updates each year, from which ten are selected as the most significant.

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Basham, Paul, the Temple, and Building a Metaphor (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Paul, the Temple, and Building a Metaphor

David Anthony Basham (Author)

Hardback
$115.00 $103.50

Ebook (PDF)
$103.50 $82.80

Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
$103.50 $82.80

Product details

Published Dec 12 2024
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 184
ISBN 9780567718327
Imprint T&T Clark
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series The Library of New Testament Studies
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

David Anthony Basham argues that Paul and the Corinthians share a “system of associated commonplaces” about the Jerusalem temple. Basham proposes that when Paul applies temple language to the Corinthians by calling them naos theou (“God's temple”), he sparks a creative process of interaction between the temple and the Corinthian assembly - a process of selecting, emphasizing, and organizing information from the source domain (temple) to see the target domain (the Corinthians) in a new light.

Basham suggests that, in understanding Paul's fraught relationship with certain institutions of Second Temple Judaism and his conception of gentile inclusion, we can appreciate the creative ways in which he employs cultic imagery to describe his ministry and the ritual life of early gentile believers. By exploring the construction of metaphor, the depiction of the Jerusalem temple in Paul's letters, and Judaean religion among gentiles, Basham demonstrates that Paul's temple metaphor speaks to a new cultic reality for gentiles-in-Christ that is linked to Israel's worship, though detached from its actual expression in Jerusalem.

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