Stefanut, The Therapeutae as the Best Paradigm for the Contemplative Life (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK:

Romulus D. Stefanut

The Therapeutae as the Best Paradigm for the Contemplative Life

A Contextual Reading of Philo of Alexandria's De Vita Contemplativa

2026. 235 pages.
Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2. Reihe (WUNT II) 659

€79.00
including VAT

sewn paper
available
978-3-16-157048-3

Also Available As: eBook PDF

Summary

In this study, Romulus D. Stefanut offers a contextual reading of Philo's De vita contemplativa, exploring its background, genre, composition, and function beyond the so-called »apologetic and historical works« of Philo. Often, scholars have lost the hermeneutical focus of the treatise itself and have concentrated their attention solely on the historical existence of the Mareotic community described in the treatise, advancing arguments related to its historicity or lack thereof. The author therefore suggests that the purpose of De vita contemplativa is meant to offer the best Jewish Alexandrine expression of a way of life, well-known from ancient Greek philosophy as the theoretical or contemplative life. It is composed in relation rather than opposition to the lost first half of the treatise, dedicated to the practical life of the Essenes. Simultaneously, there might be a friendly polemic between Philo's description of the Therapeutae versus the Essenes.

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Does the "Pilate" ring mention Pilate after all?

PESKY PONTIUS PILATE RING PHILOLOGY: What’s in an ‘O’? New UCLA research may unlock mystery of ring tied to Pontius Pilate. Drawing clues from the ring’s inscription, UCLA professor Catherine Bonesho rebuts previous scholarship about the 2,000-year-old relic (Sean Brenner, UCLA Newsroom).

Key takeaways

• One letter changes the story. UCLA professor Catherine Bonesho, in studying an ancient ring thought to be tied to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who figures prominently in the story of Jesus, has proposed a new theory about the ring’s inscription.
• Who was the owner? Bonesho’s research suggests the ring was likely worn by a lower-status Judean worker carrying out administrative business connected to Pilate.
• A window into ancient Judea. The findings offers new clues about who actually performed the everyday work of Roman rule in Judea.

I don't know if she's right, but her interpretation is plausible.

The underlying technical PEQ article is open access. But the press release also covers her argument in informative detail.

The Pilate Ring: A Reconsideration

Catherine E. Bonesho
Published online: 30 Jul 2026
Cite this article https://doi.org/10.1080/00310328.2026.2695544

ABSTRACT

A copper alloy ring from Herodium was published by Amorai-Stark et al. (Citation2018), who read the ring’s inscription of ‘ΠΙΛΑΤΟ’ as a possible reference to Pontius Pilate. The ring’s low quality, imagery and the spelling of the inscription have raised many questions: does ‘ΠΙΛΑΤΟ’ actually refer to Pilate himself (Eck and Ecker Citation2023), who wore the ring (Graves Citation2019) and where was it made. Building on evidence of language learning in the Roman provinces, I argue that ‘ΠΙΛΑΤΟ’ with its omicron spelling is best understood as the Latin dative form ‘PILATO’ transliterated into Greek, meaning ‘for / belonging to Pilate’. Informed by the roles of local elites and enslaved workers in Roman Judea, this study posits that local elite(s) commissioned the ring for an enslaved worker to use at Herodium for various tasks related to Pilate’s administration. This reconstruction plausibly accounts for the ring’s features and has the potential to illuminate the quotidian administration of Roman Judea.

PaleoJudica posts on the "Pilate" Ring are here, here, here, and here. We last saw it argued in 2023 that its inscription should be read as bearing two names, not one, but without any confidence about which two names.

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Hopkins &. Fassberg (eds.), A Handbook of Neo-Aramaic (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

A Handbook of Neo-Aramaic

Series: Brill's Handbooks in Linguistics, Volume: 6

Editors: Simon Hopkins and Steven E. Fassberg

The Handbook of Neo-Aramaic aims to provide an introduction to, and details of the complex world of Neo-Aramaic. This large family of endangered Neo-Semitic languages is (or until recently was spoken by Jewish, Christian and Mandaean minorities in parts of the Middle East. Most members of these communities now live in various diasporas.
Following a series of general chapters dealing with historical background, classification, salient linguistic features, Neo-Semitic context, contact languages (Kurdish, etc.), manuscripts and printed texts, Neo-Aramaic in the media etc., the book presents grammatical sketches of 15 different Neo-Aramaic dialects (some never described before), followed by a series of maps, illustrations, and a bibliography.
The book hopes to provide material of interest both to the beginner and the more advanced specialist.

Contributors are: Werner Arnold, Roberta Borghero, Michael L. Chyet, Eleanor Coghill, Alinda Damsma, Steven E. Fassberg, Samuel Ethan Fox, Charles G. Häberl, Simon Hopkins, Otto Jastrow, Olga Kapeliuk, Geoffrey Khan, Nineb Lamassu, Alexey Lyavdansky, Alessandro Mengozzi, Matthew Morgenstern, Hezy Mutzafi, Yona Sabar, Shabo Talay, Aziz Tezel, and Michael Waltisberg.

Copyright Year: 2026

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-72512-6
Publication: 20 Jul 2026
EUR €269.00

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-72511-9
Publication: 06 Aug 2026
EUR €269.00

HT Drew Longacre at the OTTC Blog.

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Review of Redfield, Plato's Seventh Letter

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Plato’s Seventh Letter.

James M. Redfield, Plato's Seventh Letter. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2026. Pp. 128. ISBN 9781647922566.

Review by
Colin C. Smith, Creighton University. colinsmith2@creighton.edu

... The Seventh Letter is the longest and most significant of the 13 letters attributed to Plato in Thrasyllus’ canon. In it, an author writing in Plato’s voice tells the tale of his (?) ill-fated trips to Syracuse in Sicily during the rulerships of Dionysius the Elder and Younger in cooperation with the politician Dion, indirectly leading to Dion’s execution. Spanning just under 30 Stephanus pages, the dense narrative touches on key themes like Plato’s biography, connections between philosophy and political rule, the problem of faction, some complexities of moral psychology, the nature of the virtuous life, and technical ways in which a philosophical education grants non-propositional insight into truth that seem crucial for understanding the esoteric aspects of Platonic philosophy. ...

Not PaleoJudaica's usual fare, but of background interest for the recently recovered biography of Plato at Herculaneum, which I noted here (cf. here, here, and here).

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How did Prof. Emanuel Tov change his mind?

SYMPOSIUM: I CHANGED MY MIND: Revised Editions: What Right Do I Have to Try and Convince You Again? (Prof. Emanuel Tov, TheTorah.com).

On a more emotional level, I was also apprehensive about having misled a generation of readers with views that I expressed authoritatively but no longer subscribe to. With every publication of a revised edition of my work, I sensed a feeling of satisfaction. But this was mixed with some feelings of guilt that I had provided readers of previous editions with incorrect or incomplete data, or tried to convince them of perspectives that I had now abandoned.

For more on the series, see here.

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Journal of Greco-Roman Judaism and Christianity (JGRChJ).

THE AWOL BLOG: Open Access Journal: Journal of Greco-Roman Judaism and Christianity (JGRChJ).

I'm glad to see that JGRChJ is still active. Mentioned previously here and here.

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Kanarek on Beyond Brutality

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Reclaiming Female Presence in Bavli Sotah (Jane Kanarek).

It may seem paradoxical to talk about noticing female presence in a tractate titled after a category of woman: the sotah, a woman accused of having sex with a man other than her husband. Yet this theoretical assumption of women's presence, combined with my decision to study the entire tractate rather than only the sections concerning the sotah ritual, proved surprisingly productive. It enabled me to notice and theorize female presence and absence; to see how the sotah and the sotah ritual help conceptualize Bavli Sotah as a literary whole; and to acknowledge the brutality and care that pervade the tractate.

I noted the publication of Beyond Brutality here.

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The Yeshua Scroll in the Green Jar??

MODERN CHRISTIAN APOCRYPHA WATCH: A new modern apocryphon – Scott Wolter and the “Yeshua Scroll in the Green Jar” (Roger Pearse).

Sounds fake to me. People never get tired of finding new biblical apocrypha. Of course Roger and I can be corrected any time if an actual ancient Yeshua Scroll in the Green Jar is produced and authenticated by specialist experts in the ancient languages etc.

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How did Prof. Tammi J. Schneider change her mind?

SYMPOSIUM: I CHANGED MY MIND: Does the Bible Have Meaning Out of Context? (Prof. Tammi J. Schneider, TheTorah.com).

A colleague of mine, a scholar of English literature who excavated with me for a decade, started applying the phrase “an object out of context has no meaning” to words, texts, and historical moments. For a long time I agreed, but in recent years I have changed my mind, and now prefer a modified form of the dictum: “an object out of context has a different meaning.” This modification may be subtle, but it is actually quite substantial.

For more on the series, see here.

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Using Viscous Remnant Magnetization to detect forged ceramics

TECHNOLOGY WATCH: Earth's Magnetic Field Can Help Archaeologists Sniff Out Forged Antiquities (Ariel David, Haaretz).

This Viscous Remnant Magnetization, or VRM, is a bit of a nuisance in most paleomagnetic experiments. Researchers treat it as noise and remove it by heating their sample in order to focus on the main magnetic signature, such as the TRM, Vaknin says. The VRM has been known since the late 19th century and researchers have already tried over the last decades to use it to date geological events, but because the signal is so weak the results are not particularly precise. Still, it is enough to help determine if an artifact is authentic.

"The resolution we require is not very high; we just want to know if an object is ancient or modern," Vaknin says.

So the technology is a blunt instrument. But sometimes you need a hammer, not tweezers.

The UC San Diego press release: Researchers develop method to tell authentic artifacts from fakes. Magnetic method reveals distinct time stamp of clay baking process.

Oddly, the DOI of the underlying article, given in both the press release and the Haaretz article, leads to a dead end. And I can find no sign of the article on the PNAS website. I hope it turns up again.

Meanwhile, this seems like a good time to link to this old post again.

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How did Dr. Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson change his mind?

SYMPOSIUM: I CHANGED MY MIND: When I Stopped Seeing the Bible Only as Good, It Got Better (Dr. Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, TheTorah.com).

At around the middle of rabbinical school, as I dove deeper into Tanakh and rabbinic law, and I had access both to modern academia and to traditional parshanut, I kept finding passages impossible to domesticate. At this point, my original strategy started to fail me and I could no longer ignore those passages, as their flaws and their human cost across the ages became clear to me.

For more on this series, see here.

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Virtus et Humanitas (Waxmann)

THE AWOL BLOG: Virtus et Humanitas: Bridging Virtues and Values of Greco-Roman, Jewish, and Christian Paideia.

Notice of a New Book published by Waxman Publishers:

Gabriella Gelardini, Kåre S. Fuglseth, Per Jarle Bekken (Hrsg.)

Virtus et Humanitas: Bridging Virtues and Values of Greco-Roman, Jewish, and Christian Paideia

2026, Religious Diversity and Education in Europe, Band 48, 958 Seiten, broschiert, 99,00 €, ISBN 978-3-8188-0089-5

.doi: https://doi.org/10.31244/9783818850890

Some of the chapters are open access.

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A.-J. Levine elected president of the Catholic Biblical Association

APPOINTMENT: Jewish woman elected president of Catholic Biblical Association of America - interview. She is also the first Jewish scholar to teach the New Testament at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome in 2019 (Mathilda Heller, Jerusalem Post).

Prof. Amy-Jill Levine, who was elected at the 88th annual meeting and will serve as CBA president for the 2026-2027 year, told The Jerusalem Post that she is “honored by the election, gratified that the work that [she has done for the association has been recognized, and grateful to the members of the association for their welcome and their trust.”

Congratulations to Professor Levine and to the CBA.

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Hendel on cultural memory

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

On Cultural Memory

Cultural memory offers an approach to the Hebrew Bible that examines how representations of the past are shaped, transmitted, and transformed in relation to the communities that remember them. Important antecedents in the work of Wellhausen, Halbwachs, Alt, von Rad, and Childs illustrate how cultural memory can connect literary, historical, socio-political, and religious dimensions of biblical interpretation.

See also Cultural Memory in the Hebrew Bible: Genesis to Kings (Cambridge, 2026).

By Ronald Hendel University of California, Berkeley August 2026

Cross-file under New Book. I'm usually more on top of new books, but the CUP website has been dodgy for a while.

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How did Prof. Sidnie White Crawford change her mind?

SYMPOSIUM: I CHANGED MY MIND: There Were Three Torah Texts—Until We Found the Dead Sea Scrolls (Prof. Sidnie White Crawford, TheTorah.com).

What I found when I looked at the manuscripts from this new perspective was a complex web of relationships, with many streams of textual tradition. Jewish scribes in the Greco-Roman period were not mere copyists, but textual scholars, with the responsibility of passing down the cultural and religious inheritance of ancient Israel as a living tradition, relevant to their contemporary audience.

For more on the series, see here.

Sidnie and I were in the same doctoral program, both working with Frank Moore Cross. We started working on the biblical Scrolls (she, Deuteronomy; I, Genesis and Exodus) at the same time. I had a similar epiphany due to my research.

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Launderville, Ezekiel 1–24 (SBL)

NEW BOOK FROM SBL PRESS:

Ezekiel 1–24: Introduction and Commentary

Dale F. Launderville

ISBN 9781628378672
Status Available
Publication Date July 2026

Hardback $100.00
Paperback $80.00
eBook $80.00

In volume 1 of his cutting-edge two-volume commentary, Dale F. Launderville relies on the Hebrew, Old Greek, Aramaic, Syriac, and Latin texts of Ezekiel to produce a fresh translation of the first twenty-four chapters. Each passage is followed by interpretive sections that emphasize the history of reception, explaining how the text of Ezekiel has sparked the imagination of subsequent thinkers, writers, and artists. Each chapter concludes with a section of commentary dedicated to a historical-critical examination of the canonical text. Readers will become more equipped to interpret Ezekiel and more confident in their understanding of Old Testament prophecy and its relevance to contemporary issues in church and society. This is an essential resource for ministers, seminary students, and teachers of biblical studies courses.

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Kanarek, ... Reclaiming Female Presence in Bavli Sotah

RECENT BOOK FROM BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY PRESS:

Beyond Brutality

Reclaiming Female Presence in Bavli Sotah

Jane Kanarek

Beyond Brutality draws on feminist analysis and gender studies to examine tractate Sotah of the Babylonian Talmud as a literary unit. By interrogating how, why, and where women are invisible within Bavli Sotah, Jane Kanarek brings to light a ubiquitous female presence throughout the text. Despite the brutality of the sotah ritual—in which the woman accused of adultery is put through a divine ordeal intended to reveal her innocence or her guilt—this book demonstrates that Bavli Sotah is not primarily concerned with describing the sotah ritual or establishing male control over women. Instead, Bavli Sotah becomes a pedagogical text in which the sotah is secondary to moral and sinning men. As the sotah herself fades into the background, the sotah ritual nevertheless overflows its boundaries and weaves its way through a range of other topics within the tractate. In the process, Bavli Sotah teaches its audience who transmits and how one transmits rabbinic culture.

Series: HBI Series on Jewish Women
Paper: $45 | Cloth: $130 | E-book: $44.95
ISBN-13: 9781684582990
Pages: 300 | Size: 6 in. x 9 in.
Date Published: December 22, 2025
Imprint: Brandeis University Press
Jewish Studies | Literature | Religion | Women's Studies

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The evidence for the Diaspora Revolt of 115-117 CE

THE WORLD IS FULL OF HISTORY: The Forgotten Jewish Revolt That Erased a Civilization. Between the First and Second known revolts against Rome was another, by Jews outside Israel. Few sources survive but those that do describe the horror, on the Roman side (Elon Gilad, Haaretz).

Two Jewish revolts against Rome have a firm place in Jewish memory. The first is the Great Revolt of 66 C.E., which ended with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and was written up, at great length and not always modestly, by the Jewish-cum-Roman historian Josephus. The second is the Bar Kokhba revolt of 132 C.E., which left behind caves full of letters as well as coins minted by the Jewish leaders, Roman siege works, and rabbinic memories.

But between them was another revolt. It was large, bloody and disastrous, but few have heard of it, mostly because almost no one wrote down what happened.

[...]

PaleoJudaica's regular readers are, of course, among those who have heard of this revolt, which is also known as the Kitos War. I have posted on it a number times. See here and links. This Haaretz article gives the most detailed short-form account of the evidence for the revolt that I have yet encountered. Mr. Gilad is drawing on a 2005 book by Miriam Pucci Ben Zeev, on which more below. William Horbury also published a book in 2014 with CUP on this revolt and the Bar Kokhba revolt. Details and a review noted here.

The 2005 book is: Miriam Pucci Ben Zeev, Diaspora Judaism in Turmoil, 116/117 CE: Ancient Sources and Modern Insights (Interdisciplinary Studies in Ancient Culture and Religion; Peeters, 2005).

Between the two wars fought in Judaea against the Roman government - the 'Great War' and that of Bar Kochba - the uprisings of Diaspora Jews toward the end of Trajan's reign constitute a unique event in the history of the Second Jewish Commonwealth. It marks the first and only episode of Jewish violence on a grand scale to take place outside Judaea, and at the same time the only instance of simultaneous outbursts in different geographical places - Libya, Egypt, Cyprus and Mesopotamia, and apparently Judaea as well. What happened exactly? Where did the Jews get their arms from and for how long did they succeed in resisting the impact of the Roman legions? Generations of scholars accepted the statement of Eusebius that the uprisings started in 115 CE, but the possibility has been recently put forward that the revolt broke out, instead, only in 116. Moreover, what was the order in which the upheavals took place: the traditional one - Libya, Egypt, Cyprus and Mesopotamia - as most scholars believe following the testimony of Eusebius, or, rather, is the correct order the opposite? If, in fact, the Jews of Mesopotamia were the first to take up arms, the events that took place in the East would have been determinant in fomenting the uprisings in the western Mediterranean region. An assessment of the new theories is a must and involves a reconsideration both of the literary accounts and their own sources and of other kinds of information available, including the ostraca found in Egypt and a number of papyri either recently discovered or only now ascribed to the events of these upheavals. The first part of this work presents here, for the first time, a full collection of the epigraphical, papyrological, and historical sources of pagan, Christian and Jewish origin dealing with these events, in their original language and in English translation. In the second part, a fresh reading, both of the sources and of scholarly views, leads Miriam Pucci Ben Zeev to new interpretations of events in Egypt, Mesopotamia and Judaea and to a new chronology, which enables her to reach surprising conclusions concerning a possible interrelationship between the upheavals in the different countries.

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Review of MacDonald, Carthage: A New History

PUNIC WATCH: Book Review: Carthage, A New History (Mike Markowitz, Strategy Page).

by Eve MacDonald

New York: W. W. Norton, 2025. Pp. vi, 363+. Illus, maps, diagr., notes, biblio., index. $39.99. ISBN: 1324123273

... Carthage: A New History will be read with enjoyment by students of ancient history. Although this is not a specifically military history, it firmly grounds the many wars and battles it covers in their varied geographic, social, economic and cultural context.

I noted another review of the book here.

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How did Prof. Marc Zvi Brettler change his mind?

SYMPOSIUM: I CHANGED MY MIND: How to Read “The” Bible? (Prof. Marc Zvi Brettler, TheTorah.com).

In 2005, I published How to Read the Bible, where I made the sustained argument for the historical-critical method is the way to understand the Hebrew Bible. Soon after it came out, an acquaintance of mine said to me: “I enjoyed your book, but its title shows real chutzpah, even arrogance. It is claiming that your way, following a specific set of academic ‘rules,’ is the way, the only way to read the Bible.”

I still think about this comment from twenty years ago. And in these two intervening decades I have changed my mind, even on the level of title.

[...]

For more on the series, see here.

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The Chymical Wedding as a metafictional apocryphon

THE ANXIOUX BENCH: Forging The Chymical Wedding (Philip Jenkins).

I have been posting about the mind-stretching Renaissance works in which enterprising scholars discovered, created, or forged scriptures to justify their religious and spiritual agendas: the Gospel of Barnabas is one prime example, the Rosicrucian Manifestos are another. One amazing feature of such products is just how very modern, and indeed post-modern, such writings are, in their willingness to break the fourth wall, to implicate the reader in the process of discovery and deceit – to write what we now call metafictional works. To that extent, the avant garde literary scene around 1610 looks an awful lot like that of 2010, or 2026.

[...]

Crowley's edition of The Chemical Wedding is new to me (and I love that the editor's name is Crowley). I will have to have a look.

If you are interesting in reading all three foundational Rosicrucian manifestos, there is a good recent English translation by Joscelyn Godwin et al.: Rosicrucian Trilogy: Modern Translations of the Three Founding Documents: Fama Fraternitatis, 1644; Confessio Fraternitatis, 1615; The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz, 1616 (Weiser Books, 2016).

This Anxious Bench post is a continuation of Professor Jenkins's Lost and Found Scriptures series. For earlier posts, see here and links.

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Violence and a newly discovered burial cave in East Jerusalem

DISCOVERY: Border Police discover Second Temple-period burial cave during operations in eastern Jerusalem. The discovery came as part of police’s ongoing investigations into the violent clash between two feuding families in Silwan that occurred over the weekend and led to the deaths of three people (Miriam Sela-Eitam, Jerusalem Post).

THe discovery sounds important, but the context is tragic.

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Simeon the Stylite's pillar has been returned?

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE: St. Simeon the Stylite’s pillar returned to historic monastery in Holeb (Aleppo) (Syriac Press).

HOLEB, Syria — The pillar of St. Simeon the Stylite was returned to its original location at the Monastery of St. Simeon on Mount Simeon, northwest of Holeb (Aleppo), Syria, on Tuesday, 16 centuries after it was erected. The restoration followed acts of vandalism at the site, as well as damage caused by the earthquake.

[...]

I had no idea Simeon's pillar (or at least its base) was still around. It's been through a lot: tourists chipping off souviners, that earthquake, and even some bombing. But it's still there and now refurbished at its original site.

Cross-file under Syriac Watch (my excuse for posting on it, plus it's cool), because the longest biography of Simeon within living memory of him was written in Syriac. That said, Christian mystical stylite saints who talked to angels have come up before at PaleoJudaica.

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Dusek, Old Aramaic Inscriptions and their Contexts (Peeters)

NEW BOOK FROM PEETERS PUBLISHERS:

Old Aramaic Inscriptions and their Contexts
An Epigraphic, Archaeological, and Historical Synthesis

Series:
Ancient Near Eastern Studies Supplement Series, 63

Author:
Dusek J.

Price: 390 euro
Year: 2026
ISBN: 9789042949027
Pages: XXXII-738 p. (2 vol.)

Summary:

The work presents a new and comprehensive edition of the core of the Old Aramaic textual corpus, dated from the ninth to the early seventh century BCE. The edition of the inscriptions, based on the collation of the epigraphic material, contains philological and literary analyses, as well as analyses of the archaeological and historical contexts, accompanied by numerous photographs and illustrations. The work consists of two volumes. The first volume presents most of the Old Aramaic inscriptions in an approximate chronological order (Tell Fekheriye; the small inscriptions of Haza’el; Tel Dan; the stela of Zakkur; Tell Afis; the inscription of Bar-Hadad for Melqart; the inscriptions of Bar-Rakib from Zincirli; Qalaichi [Bukan]; Nerab; Nimrud). The second volume contains a new edition of the Aramaic inscriptions from Sefire along with the presentation of their probable archaeological context, and it also includes the analytical tools used for the inscriptions edited in both volumes (palaeography, glossary, indices).

Cross-file under Aramaic Watch and Northwest Semitic Epigraphy.

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What were Luke's sources for his account of Paul?

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

Luke Used Sources for His Story of Paul, but Not the Ones You Think

Luke’s account of Paul in Acts is best understood as drawing on multiple eyewitness sources within the Pauline circle rather than on Paul’s letters or Luke’s constant companionship with Paul. Barnabas, Silas, and possibly Timothy supplied information about different stages of Paul’s ministry, while Luke himself became an eyewitness only during Paul’s later years.

See also The Puzzle of Paul in Acts: A Historical and Linguistic Interpretation (Routledge, 2026).

By Nathan Nadeau
Toronto Baptist Seminary
Professor of Hellenistic Greek and New Testament
McMaster Divinity College
Research Fellow
August 2026

I'm going with "too many 'may haves,'" as the author puts it. But I agree that the other solutions are not short of them. I don't think we have enough information to solve the question of Luke's sources, let alone the relationship of Luke's Paul to an historical Paul.

Cross-file under New Book.

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Gold rings for young girls?

ANCIENT RITUAL BLING? Hellenistic Gold Rings Found in Jerusalem Point to Ancient Greek ‘Coming-of-Age’ Ritual (Abdul Moeed, Greek Reporter).

Archaeologists digging beneath a Jerusalem courtyard have uncovered a set of tiny Hellenistic gold rings that date back more than 2,000 years. Researchers believe the rings were deliberately buried beneath the floors of an ancient building as part of a ‘coming-of-age’ ritual performed by young girls.

The rings were found with two other gold ornaments and three bronze earrings at the Givʽati Parking Lot excavation site in Jerusalem’s City of David. The pieces were buried beneath the floors of a large structure called Building 110, which dates to the late third and early second centuries BC.

[...]

The underlying article in ‘Atiqot is open access:

‘Atiqot 121 (2026), pp. 1–22
Submitted: Dec 2, 2025 | Revised: Jan 25, 2026
Accepted: Mar 29, 2026 | Published: Aug 5, 2026
© 2026, the author(s) and the Israel Antiquities Authority
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC 4.0 license

Gold Rings for Young Girls: Ritual Deposition of Children’s Jewelry in a Domestic Context in Hellenistic-Period Jerusalem

Marion Sindel, Efrat Bocher, Rikki Zalut Har-Tuv, Yuval Gadot and Yiftah Shalev

This article examines four gold ornaments and three bronze earrings dated to the late third–early second centuries BCE, retrieved from Building 110 in the Givʽati Parking Lot (GPL) excavations in Jerusalem. Based on their intact state, intrinsic value and similar contexts, we propose that the artifacts were intentionally deposited in or below the building’s floors on different occasions. Technological and stylistic analyses connect the jewelry to broader Hellenistic polychrome traditions, and the exceptionally small rings suggest that they belonged to young children, most likely girls. Based on Greek epigraphic and literary evidence for female rites of passage, specifically premarital dedication of childhood objects, we propose that the jewelry deposits reflect a local domestic adaptation of Hellenistic coming-of-age rituals. This study demonstrates how careful reading of small finds in specific household contexts can shed light on elusive ritual behavior and on cultural interaction in Hellenistic Judea.

I noted the discovery of the first ring in 2024 here.

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On the Gezer Calendar

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: The Gezer Calendar. An Israelite almanac or a writing exercise? (Marek Dospěl).

The so-called Gezer Calendar is a small limestone slab inscribed with a list of agricultural activities covering one full year. Thought to date from the tenth century BCE, it is one of the earliest known Canaanite inscriptions from Judah. Some would claim it is the earliest known inscription in Old Hebrew. ...

An excellent introduction to this fascinating little text, covering its discovery and the debates about its interpretation.

For PaleoJudaica posts on the Gezer Calendar, start here and follow the links. Cross-file under Northwest Semitic Epigraphy.

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Review of Lorber, Coins of the Ptolemaic empire, part 2

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW:

Coins of the Ptolemaic empire, part 2: Ptolemy V through Cleopatra VII

Catharine C. Lorber, Coins of the Ptolemaic empire, part 2: Ptolemy V through Cleopatra VII. Numismatic studies, 46. New York: American Numismatic Society, 2025. 3 vols. Pp. 946. ISBN 9780897224024.

Review by
Robyn L. Le Blanc, UNC Greensboro. rlleblan@uncg.edu ... In summary, Catharine Lorber’s completion of the Coins of the Ptolemaic Empire series is essential reading for any scholar interested in numismatics, the Hellenistic economy, and the Ptolemies in general. One hopes that, in addition, the production, clarity, and robustness of the material included in the analysis and syntheses of these coins, including explicit discussion of hoards, provenanced examples, and workshop processes, will be a model for future publications of this kind.

I noted the imminent publication of this volume, with links, here, and the publication of the Part 1 volume here. Cross-file under Numismatics.

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More on Huqoq at the Yigal Allon Center Museum

EXHIBITION: A 1,600-year-old Village, a Dazzling Mosaic and a New Story of Ancient Judaism. An exhibition near the Sea of Galilee offers a glimpse of Huqoq, the ancient village uncovered in 2011 that has archaeology enthusiasts enthralled. What does its spectacular mosaic reveal about Galilean Judaism – and when will the public finally get to see it? (Moshe Gilad, Haaretz).

An overview of the exhibit, good background on the excavation, and a substantial interview with the chief excavator, Jody Magness. Very informative.

Background on the exhibtion and on the remarkable discoveries at the site of Huqoq here and links.

By the way, don't worry about me, I'm fine. I just got distracted with other things for a few days.

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Review of Collins, Apocalypticism as a Worldview in Ancient Judaism

WORD&WAY: Review: Apocalypticism as a Worldview in Ancient Judaism (Robert D. Cornwall).

Because people, religious and nonreligious, use apocalyptic imagery and language to describe contemporary realities, it is helpful to understand the origins of this language and the ideas associated with it. While the focus is on ancient Judaism, understanding this material can help us better understand the ministry and message of Jesus and other early Christians, including Paul. By studying apocalyptic ideas, we gain more insight into the traditions that developed after apocalyptic ideas began to permeate religious society. In his book, Apocalypticism as a Worldview in Ancient Judaism, Collins does an excellent job of helping us understand the apocalyptic worldview, including its secular forms.

I noted the publication of the book here.

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The MOTB DSS exhibit - final rotation

EXHIBITION UPDATE: The Oldest Biblical Fragments On Earth Leave Washington In Two Weeks — Then Return To The Dark. In a closing exhibition, the oldest surviving copies of Scripture offer a rare window into Second Temple Judaism and the roots of two faiths (Leona Salinas, Daily Wire).

The oldest surviving copies of biblical texts are on view for a final few weeks at the Museum of the Bible in Washington. Dead Sea Scrolls: The Exhibition, now in its last rotation on the museum’s fifth floor, closes September 7. The fragments recovered from the caves near Qumran remain among the most important archaeological finds of the twentieth century, offering a direct window into the Hebrew Scriptures and the Jewish world of the Second Temple period.

[...]

I think I would nuance the comments about the enthusiam of the Qumran community for the Messiah. The concept does appear, sometime doubled, but it's not all that prominent.

Anyway, it's good to see that the IAA is taking steps to preserve the Dead Sea Scrolls for another 2,000 years.

Previous posts on the exhibition are here and links.

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Sader, Ancient Tyre between Myth and History (SBL)

NEW BOOK FROM SBL PRESS:

Ancient Tyre between Myth and History

Hélène Sader

ISBN 9781628378290
Volume ABS 36
Status Available
Publication Date August 2026

Hardback $70.00
Paperback $50.00
eBook $50.00

Hélène Sader gathers and synthesizes the archaeological and textual evidence from excavations conducted during the past fifty years at Tyre and its far-flung settlements. By incorporating the results obtained from western Tyrian sites rich in metals, Sader confirms that Tyre and its colonies, which stretched to the Atlantic coast of Spain, held incredible wealth. In addition to her analysis of the material remains, soundings, and surveys, Sader includes a thorough discussion of the main Tyrian gods and the practice of cremation introduced at the beginning of the Iron Age. More than seventy-five images and maps illuminate the development of Tyre and its cultural heritage. The result is a more complex picture of the history of Tyre than that known from its description in the Hebrew Bible, ancient Near Eastern sources, and classical histories. Tyre emerges from the shadows of myth as the main protagonist of the Phoenician maritime expansion.

Cross-file under Phoenician Watch. And for more on Tyre, see here and links.

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Deuteronomy and secular slaughter as an innovation

PROF. BERNARD M. LEVINSON: It’s Tradition! How Deuteronomy’s Reform Permits Non-Sacrificial Slaughter (TheTorah.com).

To consume meat, Exodus (20:24) requires that the animal be sacrificed at a local altar, i.e., in any place where YHWH proclaims His name. When Deuteronomy centralized the cult to “the place,” it had to permit secular slaughter for those who lived far away, and it did so by presenting this innovation as an interpretation of the older law.

The Priestly writer dispensed with this innovation.

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Eisenstock, TALMUD CHRONICLES (Urim)

NEW BOOK FROM URIM PUBLICATIONS:

TALMUD CHRONICLES: Bringing Talmudic Events to Life

by Zalman Eisenstock

Price: $34.95 $31.00

Hardcover, 112 pages, includes b/w images and illustrations throughout
Urim Publications, 2026
ISBN: 978-965-524-389-5

From Rabban Gamliel’s fight with Rabbi Yehoshua in 100 CE through significant events over the next century, experience the story of the Talmud set against the background of the ancient world, and uniquely retold in the form of a modern daily newspaper. The engaging format of News from the Past brings this transformative period to life and makes it accessible to readers of all ages. Experience the resilience of the Jewish people as they faced two major revolts — the Parthian Revolt (115–117 C.E.) and the tragic Bar Kochba rebellion (132–135 C.E.). Despite these challenges, visionary leaders emerged to reinforce the Torah, culminating in the creation of the Mishnah — the foundational compilation of the Oral Law.

Well that's different. Cross-file under Talmud Watch.

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Intertextuality as Reinterpreting Texts (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Intertextuality as Reinterpreting Texts

Papers Read at the 19th Joint Meeting of the Society for Old Testament Study and the Oudtestamentisch Werkgezelschap in Nederland en België, ’s-Hertogenbosch, 2024

Series:
Oudtestamentische Studiën, Old Testament Studies, Volume: 86

Volume Editors: Archibald L.H.M. van Wieringen, Katharine J. Dell, and Arie Versluis

Intertextuality is a multifaceted and complex phenomenon, that can be studied form various perspectives, both diachronically and synchronically. An intertextual relationship is essentially about reinterpreting texts for creating new texts. This volume aims to highlight various approaches by exploring both the methodological dimensions of intertextual research and the ways in which such research may be concretized with regard to specific Old Testament texts.

Copyright Year: 2026

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-76621-1
Publication: 29 Jul 2026
EUR €128.00

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-76618-1
Publication: 27 Aug 2026
EUR €128.00

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The Michigan papyrus collection

WORKSHOP REPORT: Unveiling history: University of Michigan home to America’s largest collection of ancient papyrus (Matt Jaworowski, WoodTV.com).

Earlier this month, researchers from across the world made the trek to Ann Arbor to check out the collection and to learn more about proper preservation techniques. Some of the highlights include a 2,200-year-old portion of “The Iliad,” some of the “lost works” of Greek philosopher Epicurus and a portion of the oldest-known copy of the Epistles of St. Paul.

The collection, the largest in North America, holds more than 7,000 ancient manuscripts and approximately 17,000 individual fragments from between 1,000 B.C. and 1,000 A.D.

It also includes ancient magical papyri and Coptic texts. Some PaleoJudaica posts on it are here, here, and here. For more information on the workshop, and on the collection generally, make sure to follow the links in the article.

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The Temple of Ištar-of-Akkad in Babylon

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: The Temple of Ištar-of-Akkad in Babylon from the Neo-Assyrian until the Persian Period.

Notice of a New Book: Boivin, Odette. 2026. The Temple of Ištar-of-Akkad in Babylon from the Neo-Assyrian until the Persian Period. The Archival Texts (Abhandlungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft 33). Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. Follow the link for description and a link to the publisher's page.

I like to keep track of what was happening in Babylon in the Second Temple period, both in reality, as here, and in Greek and Aramaic fantasy.

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Talmudic legends about the Roman emperors

TALMUD WATCH: Rome says Nero died. The Talmud gives him a very different ending. Jewish legends recast Rome’s emperors in extraordinary ways, from Nero converting and becoming Rabbi Meir’s ancestor to Titus tormented by a gnat, Hadrian outwitted by rabbis and Antoninus drawn toward Judaism after Rome destroyed Jerusalem (Liran Friedmann, YNetNews).

On June 9, 68 CE, Emperor Nero died outside Rome after being declared a public enemy and abandoned by much of the political establishment. Or did he? Roman historians say yes. Jewish tradition has another version entirely. According to the Babylonian Talmud, Nero did not simply disappear from history. He fled a Roman campaign against Jerusalem, converted to Judaism and eventually became an ancestor of Rabbi Meir, one of the greatest rabbis of the Mishnah.

[...]

The Talmudic story about Nero has come up before, but it's fun to revisit. It is not remotely credible, but the Roman account of his death isn't credible either. For commentary, see here and links.

The stories about the other emperors are similarly not credible but entertaining. For another legend about Yohanan ben Zakkai and Vespasian, see here. For a bit more on the legends about "Antoninus," see here.

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On Hermes Trismegistos and the Sibyls

ETHNIC RELATIONS AND MIGRATION IN THE ANCIENT WORLD: Egyptian and Babylonian wisdom: Lactantius on the authority of Hermes Trismegistos and the Sibyls (early fourth century CE) (Philip A. Harland).

The Sybilline Oracles and the Sibyl(s) have come up now and then on PaleoJudaica. Some posts are here and links, and here, here, here, and here. And recently (and occasionally earlier) on the ancient Hermetic literature here (cf. here) and Renaissance Hemeticism here.

The late-antique Christian writer Lactantius collected some fascinating ancient traditions about both.

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Papyrus rolls in stone?

VARIANT READINGS: Realistic Renderings of Papyrus Rolls in Stone (Brent Nongbri).

I checked Theodor Birt’s classic book on the depiction of papyrus rolls in art, and he of course also took note of the fine carving of these papyrus rolls:

“The large sarcophagus in the Athens Museum (inv. 1497) is like a marble illustration of Pliny’s account of the manufacture of papyrus: On its lid, a reclining male figure leans with his shoulder against a massive bundle of papyrus rolls, the outer edge of which alone contains no fewer than 18 rolls. These rolls depict the composition of the papyrus in horizontal and vertical strips, rendered with great care. On the rolls located on the back side of the lid, only the vertical strips are visible; on those on the front, both are visible. It was not possible to take a photograph due to the lighting in the room.”1

But the rendering may be even more clever than Birt describes. ...

Indeed. Cross-file under Sculpture.

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The Book of Joshua (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

The Book of Joshua

Composition, Reception, and Interpretation

Series: Formation and Interpretation of Old Testament Literature, Volume: 203/11
Vetus Testamentum, Supplements, Volume: 203/11

Volume Editors: Lissa M. Wray Beal, Craig A. Evans, and D. Allen Hutchison

The Book of Joshua presents many interpretive challenges. These include its depiction of warfare violence, its engagement with modern archaeological enterprise, its use in colonial expansion, and its insistence on the sole worship of Yahweh in pluralistic religious contexts. The expert contributors to this volume examine such questions and also ground the reader in ongoing scholarly discussion of key issues of composition, genre, theology, and Nachleben. This book serves as a valuable resource for graduate students and scholars alike, presenting a snapshot of the state of Joshua scholarship while opening new avenues for scholarly consideration.

Copyright Year: 2026

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-75746-2
Publication: 08 Jun 2026
EUR €140.00

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-52985-4
Publication: 09 Jul 2026
EUR €140.00

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Collins, Apocalypticism as a Worldview in Ancient Judaism (Eerdmans)

NEW BOOK FROM EERDMANS:

Apocalypticism as a Worldview in Ancient Judaism
by John J. Collins

Imprint: Eerdmans

192 Pages, 6.00 × 9.00 in

PAPERBACK
9780802885005
Publication Date: June 25, 2026
$27.99
£20.99

EBOOK
9781467469432
Publication Date: June 25, 2026
$27.99
£20.99

DESCRIPTION

How did apocalyptic concerns shape ancient Jewish life and literature?

In this compelling study, renowned scholar John J. Collins examines the apocalyptic worldview that emerged in Jewish thought during the Hellenistic and Greco-Roman periods. He reconstructs this perspective through carefully contextualized readings of ancient Jewish apocalyptic literature.

According to Collins, defining features of the apocalyptic worldview include the desire to grasp history in its entirety; the expectation that history as we know it will come to an end; the use of patterns and images drawn from ancient myths to frame history as something beyond human control; increased interest in the heavens and otherworldly regions; and hope that humans may enjoy eternal life in heaven. As Collins systematically outlines ancient Jewish understandings of time and space, he situates them within broader intellectual currents. Ultimately, he shows that apocalyptic concerns extend beyond specific historical crises to fundamental questions of human mortality and limitation. Addressing the challenge that many Jewish apocalyptic texts survive only in Christian translations, Collins argues persuasively for identifying authentic Jewish layers in this literature, recovering voices that would otherwise remain lost.

This comprehensive study offers fresh perspectives on Jewish apocalyptic literature—and in so doing, reestablishes apocalypticism as a category worthy of sustained scholarly attention. Essential reading for scholars and students in biblical studies.

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The Rosicrucian inflection

THE ANXIOUS BENCH: The Rosicrucians: A 400-Year-Old Hoax That Worked (Philip Jenkins).

To return to the theme of this blog series, the Rosicrucian texts were composed as an authoritative text with scriptural authority. We may not like the word “forged” because that words implies people were meant to take them as literal and factual, and there was never much doubt that readers were assumed to be using the lens of the allegorical and symbolic.

But whatever we think of that distinction, this is undoubtedly an account of the finding of a sacred text concealed in a tomb. And explicitly, we are told that it was placed there to await the days when it could safely be revived, or better, resurrected. In those last times, that scripture would become the charter of a purified mystical Christianity. This is exactly the topos that we have encountered with the other texts that appeared in this brief and incredibly creative period at the start of the seventeenth century.

And does that not also sound precisely like much of the literature that greeted the finding of the Gospel of Thomas in the twentieth century?

In many ways the three foundational Rosicrucian documents represent peak Renaissance techno-Hermeticism. They present apocryphal, deeply symbolic, Vitruvian architecture and venerable, if similarly apocryphal, Hermetic magic, astrology, and elevated alchemy. And, as Prof. Jenkins notes, more than one authoritative apocryphal book.

All this was a novel, and strangely successful way to start a secret society. Annouce that you are in charge of a venerable clandestine fraternity. Invite people to publish applications for admission. And never reply to any of them.

I would post some bibliography, but it looks like Prof. Jenkins will have more to say on the subject. Maybe after that.

This Anxious Bench post is a continuation of Professor Jenkins's Lost and Found Scriptures series. For earlier posts, see here and links.

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Non-Semitic Loanwords in the Hebrew Bible

PHILOLOGY: Speaking of Eisenbrauns, at the JewishLink, Mitchell First has a two-part profile of selected words covered in Non-Semitic Loanwords in the Hebrew Bible: A Lexicon of Language Contact, by Benjamin Noonan (Eisenbrauns, 2019).

Non-Semitic Loanwords in Tanach

In Noonan’s view, there are over 200 non-Semitic loanwords in Tanach and he discusses each one. You will be very surprised at some of the words he includes. In this column, I am limiting myself to discussing words he included that begin with א (and I have only discussed a small portion of them). About 20% of his entries begin with א.

Non-Semitic Loanwords in Tanach. Part II

In Noonan’s view, there are over 200 non-Semitic loanwords in Tanach and he discusses each one. Last week, I limited myself to discussing words he included that begin with א (and I only discussed a small portion of them). This week, I am surveying ב through ח, and only including a portion of his entries. Note also that most loanwords are nouns.

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New editors for the Eisenbrauns HACL series

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL INVOLVED: Penn State University Press appoints new editors for Eisenbrauns series.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State University Press has announced the appointment of two new series editors for its "History, Archaeology, and Culture of the Levant" series, published under its Eisenbrauns imprint. Deirdre Fulton and Kristine Garroway will serve as the series editors, replacing original and longtime series editors Jeff Blakely and Lawson Younger.

[...]

The press release gives background on the new editors, as well as background on the Eisenbrauns imprint, one of the major publishers for biblical studies and the Ancient Near East.

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Trump wears an Aramaic Zohar treatise for protection?

APOTROPAIC ARAMAIC: Marla Maples: Trump carries the Zohar over his heart “for protection and healing.” (Tamar Stein, Israel365News).

Marla Maples, Donald Trump’s second wife, revealed in a new interview that the president carries an Aramaic copy of the Zohar’s Book of Pinchas inside his clothing, pressed against his heart. Speaking with Channel 12’s Jonathan Rieger, Maples said the mystical text serves a specific purpose in Trump’s life: “protection and healing.”

[...]

There is a pocket edition of Zohar treatise Pinchas in the original Aramaic, sold for just this purpose.

Cross-file under Aramaic Watch, Zohar Watch, and Politics.

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Gemstones are divine

PROF. ILONA N. RASHKOW: Gemstones of the Gods: The Symbolism of the High Priest’s Breastpiece (TheTorah.com).

Ezekiel pictures Eden as a garden filled with precious stones—the same stones that adorn the high priest’s breastpiece. Across the ancient Near East, gods inhabit a world of jewel-bearing trees, gemstone mountains, and temples of lapis and gold. By wearing these stones when he enters YHWH’s sanctuary, the high priest dresses for the divine realm.

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Antiquities looting charges in Hadera Court

APRREHENDED AND INDICTED: IAA files indictment against two Fureidis residents caught carrying illegally excavated artifacts. Distelfeld and the other officials found a total of 13 ancient bronze coins, three ancient bronze items, two ancient lead items, and another 14 unidentified metal objects in the suspects' possession (Yoav Etiel, Jerusalem Post).

The two were in the midst of an illegal excavation of the site when they were discovered by the IAA, an INPA inspector, and a local security guard. Several pieces of ancient pottery had been shattered, and layers of earth had been disturbed during the suspects’ excavation.

While transporting the suspects to the police station, a rocket siren sounded, forcing the police officers and IAA inspectors to stop and take shelter with the apprehended suspects, as well as other civilians, until the Home Front Command issued an all-clear alert.

I remember this incident from last March, but it looks like I didn't report on it. There are so many antiquities looting arrests it is difficult to keep track of them.

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Are Jeremiah's false prophet opponents imaginary?

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

Who Are the “False Prophets” in the Book of Jeremiah?

The book of Jeremiah brims with scathing denunciations of what it casts as “false prophecy.” Scholars have long sought to reconstruct the historical realities presumed to stand behind Jeremianic discourse about prophetic conflict. The study of inner-biblical interpretation provides a productive new lens through which to reassess the problem. The “false prophets” are best understood as Jeremiah’s imagined exegetical opponents—exegetical inventions and products of scribal inner-biblical interpretation. This new approach throws into sharper relief the richness and sophistication of the exegetical imagination in ancient Israel.

See also Prophetic Conflict and Scribal Culture: Ancient Exegetical Imagination in the Book of Jeremiah (De Gruyter, 2026).

By Olga Fabrikant-Burke
University of Cambridge
Ridley Hall, Cambridge
Tutor in Old Testament
August 2026

This is a very interesting argument and it may be right. But I can think of some other possible explanations for the overlaps and interactions between Jeremiah's and Hananiah's oracles. Hananiah may indeed have been interacting with Jeremiah's orally-presented oracles. Or, vice-versa, Jeremiah with Hananiah's. They could be going back and forth. Or both could be drawing on current prophetic rhetorical conventions and using them in different ways. Or some combination of the above. Or some combination of the above with subsequent scribal touching up.

Perhaps the author addresses some of these points in her book, which I have not read. (Cross-file under New Book.)

Her argument underlines a point we should always keep in mind. None of our manuscripts of the books of the Hebrew Bible are at all close to any putative autograph text.* And there is a lot of evidence for active scribal tampering in the manuscripts we have. Any attempt to reconstruct an historical Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or original text of other books, need to keep this point firmly in mind.

*Yes, I know the Book of Daniel is an exception. Arguably our earliest (fragmentary Qumran) manuscripts were written withing living memory of the original circulation of the book, perhaps even soon after. But the Old Greek version gives us good reason to think that what we have in the Masoretic Text has already been subject to considerable scribal intervention.

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Most of Egypt's antiquities remain to be uncovered?

EGYPTIAN ARCHAEOLOGY: Only 30% of Egypt's antiquities uncovered, more discoveries await-official (Egyptian State Information Service).

Egypt has uncovered only about 30% of its archaeological heritage, with vast historic treasures from successive civilizations still buried beneath its soil, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Hisham El-Leithy said on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.

[...]

I would have thought that Egypt was among the most archaeological explored places in the world. Perhaps even the very most. Yet 70% of its antiquities remain to be discovered? The claim is surprising, but the discovery pace in the last few years offers it some support. Examples noted here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

The other extremely thoroughly archaeologically explored region that comes immediately to mind is, of course, the Land of Israel. How many of its antiquities remain to be discovered? Many, I hope.

For related reflections see here and here and links.

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Review of Gradel & Pedersen ,The Lost Novel of King Solomon and the Demons

THE APOCRYPHICITY BLOG: Book Review: The Lost Novel of King Solomon and the Demons (Tony Burke).

Gradel and Pedersen have made an important contribution to the study of TSol. While The Lost Novel has a few idiosyncrasies (most notably the juxtaposition of the literary qualities of Proto-TSol and TSol), it is carefully argued and clearly written. I think the arguments for an early novelistic account of Solomon and the demons could be made without appeal to the rings, but they are a fascinating example of the interplay between apocryphal texts and material culture.

I noted the publication of the book here, with a bit of commentary and a link to previous posts on the Testament of Solomon. I could have flagged posts on Solomonic artifacts here and here. If I had looked more closely I would have seen that the already-published rings are discussed in chapter 8 in the latter volume.

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The ABCs of West Bank areas

POLITICS AND ARCHAEOLOGY: Explaining the West Bank Map: What Are Areas A, B and C? (Linda Dayan, Haaretz).

The fragmented areas were created by the Oslo Accords in 1993 as a temporary measure to divide control between Israel and the Palestinians. More than 30 years later, the system remains in place

The alphabet areas are about governance in general, not just archaeology. But they come up all the time in stories about West Bank archaeology. It's good to have this overview of what they mean.

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Anything left to say about the Shroud of Turin?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: The Shroud of Turin: Anything Left to Say? The history of Christianity’s most controversial relic (Andrea Nicolotti).

Understandably, the authenticity discussion has almost completely stalled out. With no new data to consider and the two camps entrenched in their positions, is there anything left to say about the Shroud? If we do not want to engage in the fight over its authenticity, is the Shroud still an object deserving of further study?

This BHD essay is concerned with the reception history of the Shroud and does not take a position on its authenticity.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the Shroud of Turin, some of which note arguments in favor of or against its authenticity, start here and follow the links. The vast majority of scholarship views it as a medieval forgery.

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

Daniel Sivan (1949-2026)

SAD NEWS: Daniel Sivan, Leading Scholar of Ancient Hebrew and Semitic Languages, Dies at 76 (מילה, That Eric Alper).

Daniel Sivan, an Israeli Emeritus professor whose decades of scholarship reshaped the study of ancient Hebrew and Northwest Semitic languages, died on August 6, 2026, in Lehavim, Israel, at the age of 76. ...

Sivan’s research centered on ancient Hebrew and Northwest Semitic languages, including Ugaritic, Phoenician, and Punic, and he became known for demonstrating that Ugaritic constituted an independent language within the Northwest Semitic family rather than a Canaanite dialect, challenging assumptions held by earlier scholars. He also produced significant work on medieval Jewish grammarians, including an annotated critical edition of the grammatical writings of Rabbi Yehuda Hayyuj, published in 2012. Alongside Professor Maya Fruchtman, he edited the comprehensive Ariel dictionary, and co-authored the Ariel Aramaic-Hebrew Dictionary with Dr. Haim Dihi. His final book, ‘Sfat Kna’an,’ co-written with Shmuel Ahituv, was published by the Bialik Institute in 2026.

He also published on the Canaanite (Northwest Semitic) elements in the Akkadian of the Amarna letters and related texts. He studied with Anson Rainey, a previous-generation expert on that area and on Northwest Semitics more generally.

May his memory be for a blessing.

Cross-file under Northwest Semitic Epigraphy.

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Daniel's dream portrayed on an ancient Turkish liturgical vessel

CERAMIC ICONOGRAPHY: Unique 1,500-year-old liturgical vessel depicting Daniel's vision found in Türkiye (Türkiye Today Newsroom).

Archaeologists working at the ancient city of Antioch of Pisidia in Isparta, southwestern Türkiye, have uncovered an approximately 1,500-year-old liturgical vessel that researchers say has no known parallel in Christian art history.

Dating to the sixth century A.D., the two-handled vessel brings together the Prophet Daniel, the four beasts from his prophetic vision and a lion within the same composition, according to excavation director Professor Mehmet Ozhanli of Suleyman Demirel University's Department of Archaeology.

[...]

It is difficult to make out anything from the photos, but scroll down for a helpful drawing depicting the scene on the vessel.

For PaleoJudaica posts on the dream of the four beasts in Daniel 7 and it reception, see the links collected here. A late-antique mosaic depicting the dream was excavated at the Huqoq synagogue.

There were many Antiochs in antiquity. Two of the best know are Antioch on the Orontes in Syria, where Jesus followers were reportedly first called "Christians" (Acts 11:26). The other one, where this jar was found, was Antioch of Pisidia (Pisidian Antioch) in Turkey, also mentioned in Acts 13:13-52.

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No Aramaic in Gibsons "Resurrection of the Christ"

CINEMA: Mel Gibson Says ‘Resurrection of the Christ’ Not in Aramaic Because the Story Is Too “Complex” for Subtitles (Jordan Ruimy, World of Reel).

That’s a significant departure from “The Passion of the Christ,” where the use of Aramaic and Latin was central to the experience. Audiences were unbothered by the experience as, at the time, it was the most profitable R-rated movie in history, grossing $612M worldwide, which today would amount to $1.1 billion.

Gibson has been working on this film for a long time. Reportedly, it includes the fall of the angels and the descensus ad infernos, so, yes, there could be a lot of mythology and theology to work through. Pity about the Aramaic, though.

Follow the link in the previous paragraph for more posts on the forthcoming two-part film. Cross-file under Aramaic Watch (Not).

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Carbajosa, A Step Back to the Original Old Testament Peshitta (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

A Step Back to the Original Old Testament Peshitta

Textual Development of the Syriac Version in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy

Series: Monographs of the Peshitta Institute, Volume: 23

Author: Ignacio Carbajosa

For many years, textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible relied on low-quality editions of the Syriac version (Peshitta). The Leiden critical edition was an improvement, but it still depended on a manuscript (7a1) with many secondary readings. This thorough study of the textual development of Syriac versions in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, creates the first genealogical tree of the manuscripts, thereby recovering the most original text of the Peshitta. This research sheds light on the origins of the translation and paves the way for a future, eclectic edition of the Syriac version.

Copyright Year: 2026

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-76305-0
Publication: 01 Jun 2026
EUR €159.00

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-76302-9
Publication: 02 Jul 2026
EUR €159.00

Cross-file under Syriac Watch.

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Scarlata, Wine, Soil, and Salvation in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament (CUP)

NEW BOOK FROM CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS:

Wine, Soil, and Salvation in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament

Author: Mark Scarlata, St Mellitus College, London
Published: July 2026
Availability: Available
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781009551106

£24.99 GBP
Paperback

£90.00 GBP
Hardback

$120.00 USD
eBook

Description

Biblical authors used wine as a potent symbol and metaphor of material blessing and salvation, as well as a sign of judgement. In this volume, Mark Scarlata provides a biblical theology of wine through exploration of texts in the Hebrew Bible, later Jewish writings, and the New Testament. He shows how, from the beginnings of creation and the story of Noah, wine is intimately connected to soil, humanity, and harmony between humans and the natural world. In the Prophets, wine functions both as a symbol of blessing and judgement through the metaphor of the cup of salvation and the cup of wrath. In other scriptures, wine is associated with wisdom, joy, love, celebration, and the expectations of the coming Messiah. In the New Testament wine becomes a critical sign for the presence of God's kingdom on earth and a symbol of Christian unity and life through the eucharistic cup. Scarlata's study also explores the connections between the biblical and modern worlds regarding ecology and technology, and why wine remains an important sign of salvation for humanity today.

• Organizes the biblical data on wine into logical categories that provide an overarching framework for how wine connects as a sign of salvation and/or judgment in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament
• Addresses environmental, technological and agricultural questions that emerge from the biblical text and offers modern parallels that relate to how we might address the challenges facing humanity today
• Makes a biblical theology of wine accessible to readers without specialised training in biblical studies or languages while still offering a critical and scholarly treatment of the subject

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On John Dee's Enochian writings

THE ANXIOUS BENCH: The Wizard, The Thief, Their Angels, And The Lost Language (Philip Jenkins).

Which takes us back to the question of forgery. The Enochic texts are mysterious in many ways, not least because they do appear to be in some form of language: you can even find a whole Enochian dictionary. Where was all this coming from? Assuming they were not angelic in origin, was Dee composing the whole thing? Was Kelley? Kelley was a much sketchier character, with a reputed background in counterfeiting: hence the “thief” of my title here. Was it a kind of folie a deux? I don’t know for sure, but I am quite prepared to believe that Dee was uttering sayings and writings that he sincerely believed to be supernatural in origin. Did he really believe that angels were delivering these great secrets to him? Who can say? Did Joseph Smith?

Ah, Professor Jenkins has come to Dr. John Dee and his mysterious Enochian revelations in the lost Enochian language, mediated by his sketchy scryer and surprisingly successful alchemist, Mr. Edward Kelley. I have been interested Dr. Dee's Enochiana for a long time. For many posts, start here and follow the links.

Prof. Jenkins gives a good overview of Dee's life and accomplishments, with some attention to the afterlife of his work. I published an article in the Boccaccini Festschrift which indirectly address some of the questions he raises in the quotation above:

J Harold Ellens (et al.), Wisdom Poured Out Like Water: Studies on Jewish and Christian Antiquity in Honor of Gabriele Boccaccini (Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature Studies 38; de Gruyter, 2018).

James R. Davila, "The 94 Books of Ezra and the Angelic Revelations of John Dee," pp. 32-44. Full text at the link.

John Dee's 500th birthday is next July 13th. I imagine there will be an event somewhere in the UK to commemorate it. I expect you will see me there.

This Anxious Bench post is a continuation of Professor Jenkins's Lost and Found Scriptures series. For earlier posts, see here and links.

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Video reconstructions of Herod's Temple courts

THE TEMPLE MOUNT SIFTING PROJECT: VISUALIZING THE SPLENDOR: NEW 3D RECONSTRUCTIONS OF THE TEMPLE MOUNT COURTS.

Frankie [Snyder] conducted the most comprehensive research ever done in Israel on the subject. Thanks to the extensive knowledge she acquired, her mathematical skills, and her photographic memory, she managed to restore quite a few tiles and reconstruct seven paving patterns used in the Herodian Temple Mount.

We assume that these patterns were used in roofed areas – both because of the size of the stones and their aesthetics, and because of the absence of plaster marks on their edges (a prominent feature of an Opus Sectile floor, which does not allow for flexible paving exposed to the elements). However, it is important to note that we do have quite a few tiles that can indeed be reconstructed as having been set in an open plaza, and as mentioned, we are still waiting for additional data on the matter. ...

Recently, two new videos were published online showcasing a reconstruction of the Temple Mount during the Second Temple period, incorporating the floor patterns we published. The videos were produced by Daniel Smith, Director of Messages of Christ at Scripture Central. Smith is a biblical history enthusiast whose lifelong dream is to visually make the scriptures and the Holy Land accessible, teaching others in a way that has never been done before.

In our judgment, it is safe to say that Smith’s reconstructions are the best and most up-to-date digital reconstructions made so far in relation to the research literature on the subject. ...

Follow the link for links to the two videos.

I noted the 2016 announcement of Ms. Snyder's reconstruction of the Temple courtyard floor tiles here. The first I heard of the tile fragments was in 2010. For subsequent posts, start here and follow the links back.

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When did Nash buy the papyrus?

VARIANT READINGS: The Purchase of the Nash Papyrus, Again (Brent Nongbri).

I continue to be puzzled by the problem of the purchase of the Nash Papyrus. In an earlier post, I noted that one finds two different dates in the literature, 1898 and 1902. I cited Emanuel Tov among those who have given the 1902 date. But I now see that in a more recent volume (2020) Tov has also noticed the problem already: ...

And the problem remains unsolved, because the people who gave the dates gave no supporting information.

We think we can reconstruct the history of the Qumran community, but we can't even figure out what year the Nash Papyrus was purchased.

Background here and links.

UPDATE: I wrote the above yesterday, but didn't get around to posting it. Meanwhile Dr. Nongbri has a new post on the subject:

Early Publications on the Nash Papyrus

The weight of evidence is now in favor of the 1902 date, but the matter remains complicated.

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The mis-mapping of Solomon's Pools?

POLITICS AND ARCHAEOLOGY: Holy Land battle: Solomon's Pools become flashpoint in fight over Israel's biblical heritage. The ancient reservoirs between Efrat and Bethlehem supplied Jerusalem with water for 2,000 years along Route 60 (Amelie Botbol F, Fox News).

Under the agreements, the West Bank was divided into Areas A, B and C. Solomon's Pools are located in Area A, which falls under Palestinian civil and security control.

Yonatan Marcus, chief of staff of the Efrat Municipality, told Fox News Digital that during the negotiations, then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin maintained that the pools would remain under Israeli control, alongside other archaeological sites of major Judeo-Christian significance such as Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem.

However, during the mapping process, he said, the words "Solomon's Pools" remained within Area C on zoomed-out maps, while the reservoirs themselves ultimately mistakenly fell inside Area A.

The Solomon's Pools situation has been going on for a while. Have a look. Make of it what you will.

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Orlov, Broken Vessels (SUNY)

NEW BOOK FROM SUNY PRESS:

Broken Vessels
Theogonies of the Divine Light in Judaism and Christianity

By Andrei A. Orlov

Subjects: Kabbalah, Jewish Mysticism, Christianity, Jewish Studies, Jewish Religious Studies, Bible Studies, Theology

Hardcover : 9798855808735, 314 pages, August 2026
Paperback : 9798855808742, 314 pages, February 2027
Hardcover $135.00

Pre-Order Now
Paperback $39.95

Description

Undertakes a thorough investigation of early Jewish theogonic and cosmogonic traditions found in the Enochic writings and their formative influence on subsequent Gnostic, Manichaean, and Kabbalistic developments.

In Broken Vessels, Andrei A. Orlov offers a comprehensive examination of early Jewish theogonic symbolism as reflected in early Enochic texts and its subsequent influence on Gnostic, Manichaean, and later Kabbalistic traditions. Introducing a new methodological approach to understanding the conceptual foundations of theogonic imagery in Lurianic Kabbalah, Orlov argues that this symbolism was neither a later invention of Jewish mystics nor merely a remnant of Manichaean and Gnostic motifs. Rather, these mystical traditions drew upon authentic Jewish theogonic currents that originated during the Second Temple period. The book further demonstrates that the distinctive theogonic and eschatological concepts preserved in early Jewish writings—most notably in 2 Enoch—offer valuable insights into the evolution of the Enochic tradition during the first centuries of the Common Era. This era witnessed significant reinterpretations of the biblical creation narrative by diverse Jewish and Christian groups. Within these developments, the notion of a "time before creation" emerged as a pivotal theme in debates concerning the completeness and authority of divine revelation.

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Variants from the MT in the Great Isaiah Scroll?

THE OTTC BLOG: How Close is the Great Isaiah Scroll to the Medieval Masoretic Manuscripts? (Drew Longacre).

I have addressed this question and noted some meaningful variants from the MT in this scroll here and links. Dr Longacre notes some of those and others I did not mention.

For many other posts on the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa^a), which is currently on exhibit in the Israel Museum, start here and follow the links.

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A Mithraeum in Spain was really a Roman library?

BILBIOTHECAL ARCHAEOLOGY: Oldest Known Roman Library in Spain Identified at Ancient Villa (Nisha Zahid, Greek Reporter).

Archaeologists have identified the oldest known library on the Iberian Peninsula inside a Roman villa in southern Spain, overturning decades of belief that the room was a sanctuary dedicated to the Roman god Mithras.

The discovery was made at the Roman villa of Fuente Álamo in Puente Genil, in Spain’s Córdoba province. Researchers concluded the room served as a space for reading, study, and preserving written works, making it the westernmost known library in the Roman Empire and one of its best-preserved private examples.

[...]

PaleoJudaica is all about ancient libraries, so this is newsworthy in itself. But over at Variant Readings, Brent Nongbri has a post that brings out an additional point of interest:

A Roman Library in Spain and the “declamatio sarcophagus.”

The sarcophagus is in the vicinity of the ancient villa, is possibly connected to its owner, and it is engraved with a man holding up a scroll, but perhaps not a codex in addition. Have a look and see what you think.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on ancient libraries, see here, here and links, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. It's always good to find another one, even if, sadly, the books are gone.

Incidentally, another Mithraeum was excavated in Spain a few years ago. But that one was in Córdoba in Andalusia. The site now interpreted as a library is in Fuente Álamo in Murcia.

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