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.

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

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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