More on the Great Isaiah Scroll display in the Israel Museum

EXHIBITION: Ancient words unrolled: Israel Museum displays Great Isaiah Scroll. Rare four-month exhibition offers the first full public viewing since 1968 (Sharon Altshul).

This is a good review of the display, with a few new details. Regarding this paragraph:

Textual comparison shows the scroll is approximately 95–98% identical to the Masoretic Text in modern Hebrew Bibles. Differences are largely spelling variations or minor grammatical shifts. There are no significant theological additions or deletions.

That final sentence needs some clarification. I prefer to think in terms of "variations" rather than additions or deletions, so as not to pre-judge which readings are original and which secondary. Off the top of my head I can think of two variations in the Fourth Servant Song (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) which could count as theologically significant.

The first is in 52:14, where the Masoretic Text says of the servant, "Thus his appearance was marred (משחת) more than a man." 1QIsa^a can be understood as saying, "Thus I (the speaker is God) have anointed (משחתי) his appearance more than a man." This could represent the first attested theological reading of the Fourth Servant Song as royal/messianic. I'm inclined to take it as a secondary exegetical variant, but I can't prove that.

The second is in Isaiah 53:11, the same Servant Song. The Masoretic Text reads "He (the servant) shall see (the result?) of the toil of his soul." The object of the verb is unexpressed. But 1QIsa^a includes a direct object: "He shall see light (אור) from the toil of his soul." One could make a case either way about the originality of the reading. Some English Bible translations accept it.

I'm not sure that the latter variant is theological exactly, but it does add vividness to the phrase. And arguably it may have influenced the light-darkness imagery of the New Testament Johannine literature.

I was about to press publish when I noticed this PaleoJudaica post from 2016. The fifth paragraph of my posted response to Catrin Williams's paper notes these two variants and more, all potentially messianic and therefore theological. And this post is also relevant.

For more on this Israel Museum exhibition and on the Great Isaiah Scroll, start here and follow the links.

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Half-shekel coin recovered in the Judean Desert

NUMISMATICS: Rare half-shekel coin used in biblical census count discovered by archaeologists in Judean Desert. The survey is an ongoing project by the IAA meant to protect archaeological sites in the Judean Desert from looting and unauthorized excavations (Miriam Sela-Eitam, Jerusalem Post).

According to the IAA, the coin is approximately 2,000 years old and may have fallen from the pocket of a rebel fleeing into the desert during the Great Jewish Revolt against Rome, approximately between 66 and 74 CE.

“The coin bears the Hebrew inscription 'Half Shekel' alongside a chalice motif, a characteristic symbol found on Jewish coins from the late Second Temple period,” IAA researcher Yaniv David Levy said. “Above it appears the letter Aleph, denoting the first year of the outbreak of the revolt.”

The article also refers to the recent apprehension of real and forged ancient coins in East Jerusalem, already noted here. But I see no new details.

For more on half-shekel coins and their use for the annual Temple tax, see the links collected here, plus here. Also, according to Matthew 17:24-27, Jesus once manifested a shekel coin to pay his and Peter's half-shekel temple tax.

By the way, I commend the Post for going back to having humans write its archaeology articles instead of AI.

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Rasmussen lecture on "The Early Church and the Imperial Cult"

THE HOLY LAND PHOTOS BLOG: The Early Church and the Imperial Cult — A Visual Exploration (Carl Rasmussen).

When Jerusalem University College asked me to deliver an online lecture, I wanted to choose a topic that would both engage viewers and draw on what I’ve learned over the years while leading and teaching groups in the lands of the Bible. Many scholars have written about the Imperial Cult and its overtones in the New Testament. But as I reflected on the subject, it became clear that there was something I could contribute that is rarely done: to show it visually.

The Imperial Cult was not an abstraction. It was embedded in cities, temples, inscriptions, and public spaces—places most people never get to see. My aim in this lecture was to bring those locations together and let the stones speak.

An indexed link to the lecture video follows.

For my notes on a thematically related University of St Andrews Symposium, see:

Report on the St. Andrews Symposium on Divine Sonship (6-8 June 2016)

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Preview of “Listen to the Sibyl”

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: “Publication Preview | “Listen to the Sibyl”: The History, Poetics, and Reception of Sibylline Oracles (Olivia Stewart Lester, Max Leventhal, Hindy Najman, Joshua Scott, and Elizabeth Stell).

Listen to the Sibyl”: The History, Poetics, and Reception of Sibylline Oracles. Brill, February 2026.

For almost 1,000 years, Jewish and Christian writers crafted Greek poetic oracles and attributed them to an ancient prophet, a sibyl. From the second century BCE to the seventh century CE, Sibylline Oracles became a space in which these writers interpreted their scriptures, commented on contemporary political and economic events, worked out their theologies, claimed their place within Homeric and Hesiodic literary traditions, transformed Greek mythology, composed hymns, and reflected on the nature of time itself. And all of this was conveyed through the powerful, long-lasting voice of a woman.

[...]

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Did Philo Allude to Sadducees and Pharisees?

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

Did Philo Allude to Sadducees and Pharisees?

Although Philo never names Pharisees or Sadducees, his brief post-Essenes contrast in Every Good Man Is Free 88–91 (brutal “beastlike” rulers vs. smooth-talking hypocritical advisors) may be an implicit pre-terminological allusion to Hasmonean-era sectarian alignments later described explicitly by Flavius Josephus. If so, Philo’s diaspora lens could provide an additional early witness to how these movements were already being stereotyped and contested before their names appear in his works.

By Stephen Goranson
Independent Researcher
February 2026

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Upgrading the Aramaic Language Heritage Museum in Jabadeen, Syria

ARAMAIC WATCH: Aramaic museum in Jabadeen officially licensed, marking new chapter for Syria’s endangered heritage (Syriac Press).

For residents of Jabadeen, one of the last places in the world where Western Neo-Aramaic is still spoken, the decision carries symbolic weight far beyond administrative paperwork. It marks a renewed effort to preserve a language whose roots stretch deep into the civilizations of Beth Nahrin (Mesopotamia) and which once served as a lingua franca of empires.

Local organizers described the move as the culmination of sustained efforts to formalize and broaden a project that had previously existed on a smaller scale. “There was a museum before, but now we have received the official order from the ministry to reopen it and expand it as well,” sources from Jabadeen told SyriacPress.

The museum, formally known as the Aramaic Language Heritage Museum, aims to safeguard the tangible and intangible heritage of the region, manuscripts, traditional clothing, liturgical artifacts, tools of village life, and audio documentation of spoken Aramaic. Sources say the expanded institution will function not only as a repository of objects, but as a living center for linguistic and cultural transmission.

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More on the Qumran Cryptic B decipherment

"IM NOT EVEN AN OFFICIAL RESEARCHER": DEAD SEA SCROLLS BREAKTHROUGH: Cracking an ancient code (Christien Boomsma, UKRANT.NL).

UG lecturer of Hebrew Emmanuel Oliveiro was the first person in the world who managed to decipher Cryptic B, a secret code in two of the Dead Sea Scrolls that was considered to be indecipherable. ‘I figured someone had to do it.’

I noted this story and the underlying DSD article back in December. This article give additional background, especially about the decipherer.

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New and forthcoming LXX publications

WILLIAM A. ROSS: NEW LXX PUBLICATIONS OF NOTE.

Over the last few months I’ve highlighted a number of my own publications, so I thought it would make sense to point out others’ work as well.

I just noted one of these books. The Italian one is new to me, but looks interesting. There is a lot going on with LXX Daniel 1-6. And the third one is forthcoming.

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Stadel, Hebraismen in den aramäischen Texten vom Toten Meer (Heidelberg)

THE AWOL BLOG: Hebraismen in den aramäischen Texten vom Toten Meer,

Notice of a 2008 open-access book by Christian Stadel (University of Heidelberg).

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Now open: “A Voice from the Desert - The Great Isaiah Scroll” (Israel Museum)

EXHIBITION: Great Isaiah Scroll, oldest near-complete biblical book ever found, on show in entirety for 1st time since 1968. The 2,100-year-old artifact, seven meters long, can be viewed at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem; only 25 people at a time allowed into climate-controlled room (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

The Great Isaiah Scroll, the oldest nearly complete book from the Hebrew Bible ever found, is on display in its full length for the first time since 1968.

The scroll features over seven meters (23 feet) of ancient text that, for more than 2,000 years, has influenced the spiritual lives of millions of people.

The special exhibition was inaugurated at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem on Monday in the presence of President Isaac Herzog.

[...]

I've already noted the exhibit as forthcoming, but now it's open and Ms. Tercatin has gone through it. This article answers my question whether the whole scroll was ever fully on display in person before. It was for a while in the 1960s. 1965-1968?

The announcement in early November gave the opening date as 12 December, but it appears that it was delayed until Monday of this week, with its conclusion moved forward from 12 April to 6 June.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa^a), see the links collected at the link above.

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In defense of Biblical Archaeology

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Why Biblical Archaeology Still Matters. Aaron A. Burke on its challenges and promise (Lauren K. McCormick).

The question today is no longer whether archaeology should be driven by the Bible in a dogmatic sense. Few serious scholars would argue that it should. The era of excavating primarily to “prove” scripture has passed. Yet the pendulum can swing too far. If biblical archaeology dissolves entirely into generic Levantine archaeology—if the Bible is bracketed off—does something essential get lost?

Burke argues that it does. ...

Burke's 2025 BAR essay is behind the subscription wall, but this BHD essay gives a summary of it.

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Egyptian Book of the Dead on display at the Brooklyn Museum

EXHIBITION: ‘People are in awe’: exhibition unveils ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead. A rare gilded and complete Book of the Dead, used by ancient Egyptians to help them to the afterlife, is now on display in Brooklyn (Veronica Esposito, The Guardian).

No wonder that the Egyptians evolved a collection of about 160 incantations meant to help the dead make it to paradise. Known today as the Book of the Dead – a coinage of the 19th-century German professor named Dr Karl Richard Lepsius, which admittedly is catchier than the literal translation of the Egyptian, “the Book of Going Forth by Day” – a 2,000-year-old copy of the text is now on display at the Brooklyn Museum in a remarkable full, gilded version.

“This particular book of the dead is gilded and complete, both of those are incredibly rare,” said Egyptologist Yekaterina Barbash, who, before working on this exhibition, had never seen a gilded papyrus in all her decades of researching ancient Egypt. One of only about 10 Egyptian gilded papyri known to exist, this one is particularly special, as the blank sheets bookending the start and finish of the scroll indicate that it’s a complete book.

The exhibition website: Unrolling Eternity: The Brooklyn Books of the Dead.

I have not previously encountered this Egyptian Book of the Dead belonging to Ankhmerwer son of Taneferher, but it looks impressive. If you are in the vicinity, don't miss this exhibit.

The Brooklyn Museum also has at least one other manuscript of the Book of the Dead, The Papyrus of Sobekmose the Goldworker. Ironically, given its owner's profession, it is not gilded. Looks as though it is also on display. There is an excellent illustrated translation of it by Paul F. O'Rourke, which I have mentioned here. That post also has some introductory matter on the Book of the Dead.

Quite a few new manuscripts of the Book of the Dead have been discovered in recent years, in Egypt and elsewhere. Start here (cf. here) and follow the links for details. And an edition and translation of a British Museum manuscript was published in 2023.

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Guided tours at Jerusalem's Rockefeller Museum

REOPENING: A Jerusalem gem: Rediscovering the Rockefeller Museum’s treasures in Israel's capital. New tours of the Rockefeller Museum showcase artifacts ranging from First Temple-period jewelry to Egyptian pharaohs (BEN BRESKY, Jerusalem Post).

The Rockefeller Archaeological Museum in Jerusalem is a singular historic gem that more people are getting the opportunity to visit thanks to the guided tours, which began this year. ...

Among the treasures in the museum is a life-size statue of Pharaoh Ramesses III found in Beit She’an dating back to the 11th century BCE. Next to it is a large stone stela with Egyptian hieroglyphics telling of the defeat of the Canaanites by the Egyptians at the battle of Megiddo.

Finds from Jewish history include a large mosaic from the synagogue at Yafia, near Nazareth, from the 4th century, and a stone lintel with a seven-branched menorah from the Eshtemoa synagogue near Hebron from the 3rd century, with a representation of the Temple Mount.

And lots more. The Dead Sea Scrolls have moved, however.

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Revitalizing the Phoenician language?

PHOENICIAN WATCH: Why a group of digital linguists are trying to revive the long-extinct Phoenician language. Academics are sceptical about whether the ancient Semitic language can ever be accurately revived but a group of budding linguists on Discord have taken up the challenge (Tarek Yousef Tahan, Middle East Eye).

One other popular outlet is the Phoenicia server on Discord, a messaging server initially used by video gamers but now also by hobby groups separated geographically but brought together online.

The server is run by two Lebanese users, named Loun and Aamunir (spelt 3amunir), whose interests are in Levantine culture.

They say their server is non-political, educational and dedicated to revitalising Phoenician, and that anyone is welcome to join.

To say the group is trying to "revive" Phoenician may lead to a misunderstanding. No one is trying to make it a spoken language in Lebanon or anywhere. Their efforts to "revitalize" it are more realistic, if still ambitious.

"We teach the language, help with reading and understanding sentences, and with how words are spoken within certain stages of the language," Loun says, adding they mostly rely on surviving inscriptions, academic papers, and “adaptive reasoning”.

There are also YouTube channels that focus on the reconstruction of the Phoenician language. One even puts "Phoenician poetry" to music.

This sounds like a fun, niche hobby. The article interviews various specialists and goes over the challenges of Phoenician studies.

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On oxen and cattle

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: An Ode to Oxen. Archaeological study illuminates the biblical importance of cattle (Lauren K. McCormick).

The Gordion study shows that these biblical concerns were not abstract theology. They emerged from the lived realities of ancient agricultural systems. In both archaeology and the Bible, cattle are shown to generate wealth and demand restraint. They also risk exploitation, provoking ethical reflection. Oxen did an immense amount of physical labor in ancient Israel—pulling plows and threshing grain—but they also did a lot of conceptual work, shaping how power, blessing, and communal responsibility were understood.

Cross-file under Faunal Archaeology.

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Die Septuaginta – Prophetische Worte, Textwelten und Versionen (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK:

Die Septuaginta – Prophetische Worte, Textwelten und Versionen

Edited by Martin Meiser, Heinz-Josef Fabry, Michaela Geiger, Frank Ueberschaer and Martin Vahrenhorst

[The Septuagint. Prophetic Words, Text Worlds, and Versions.]
2026. 524 pages.
Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament (WUNT I) 554

€164.00
including VAT cloth
available
978-3-16-164799-4

Also Available As:
eBook PDF
€164.00

Summary

Prophecy's claim to authority must be justified and can be challenged. In terms of textual history and theology, prophetic texts of the Old Testament pose special challenges for ancient translators and modern interpreters alike. Ancient Greek translations are caught in the tension between fidelity to the texts considered sacred and the need to update these texts in the light of new theological developments, e.g., an increasingly transcendent image of God and Torah-oriented ethics. This collected volume brings together studies on the development of textual traditions, translation techniques, and the contemporary and literary reception of prophetic texts.

The essays are in English and German.

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