Day in honor of Larry Hurtado

A DAY IN HONOR OF PROFESSOR LARRY HURTADO is being planned by Dr. Helen Bond, the new director of the Centre for the Study of Christian Origins at the University of Edinburgh:

We have a few ideas for the coming year, but I’d like to announce only one at the moment – a day in honour of Prof Larry W. Hurtado on 7th October 2011, 10am – 4 pm. We’ve invited a distinguished list of speakers – Profs Richard Bauckham, Tommy Wasserman and Thomas Kraus – all of whom will engage with Larry’s work in the areas of early high Christology, text criticism and early Christian manuscripts. Its likely to be a lively and engaging discussion, and we might even let Larry offer some kind of a response . . . As always, all are welcome. More details to follow.

An excellent idea! I hope I can make it to this.

(HT Tommy Wasserman at the Evangelical Textual Criticism Blog.)

Dan McClellan on translating the metal codices

FAKE METAL CODICES WATCH: Daniel O. McClellan: A Preliminary Translation of the Jordan Codices is Offered. The main point being that so far there isn't much to translate.

HT Tom Verenna.

Biblical Studies Carnival September 2011 Episode II

BIBLICAL STUDIES CARNIVAL SEPTEMBER 2011: EPISODE II has been posted by James McGrath. Part two of a trilogy, no less.

Carol & Eric Meyers: Online ‘Office Hours’ on Archaeology

CAROL AND ERIC MEYERS will be answering viewer questions about archaeology at their Online ‘Office Hours’ on Archaeology in the Holy Land Sept. 1.

Davies on the metal codices in PEQ

FAKE METAL CODICES WATCH: At the Evangelical Textual Criticism blog, Dirk Jongkind reports that Philip Davies has published an article on the metal codies in PEQ. I have not yet seen the article, so at the moment I am relying entirely on the blog post. Apparently Davies agrees that the copper codices (including the one shown to Thonemann) are modern fakes, and he allows that the balance of probability is that the lead ones are modern fakes as well, but he does not entirely rule out the possibility that they are ancient.

I will have to look at the article. What we know so far is that (1) one of the codices, a copper one, is an obvious and crude fake; (2) the supposedly ancient lead codices share so-far indistinguishable iconography with the fake copper one; (3) there are concerns about this iconography in itself; (4) at least some of the lead codices (at least one?) seems to be made of ancient lead (but such lead would not be hard to obtain for such purposes); (5) the source who gave us the codices in the first place admits also to manufacturing hundreds of similar fakes, and thus apparently to having the skills and resources to have faked them all; and (6) that the behavior of the anonymous "team" of supposed researchers has been bizarre and suspicious. (I am not referring to Barker or Davies, who have been appropriately cautious.)

The indications are pretty compelling that the whole thing is a hoax and that is clearly the way to bet at present. I agree with Davies that the story is intrinsically interesting and worth (someone else's time) trying to unravel. I agree also that it is worthwhile to have experts examine the actual supposedly genuine codices, if nothing else to study the manufacturing techniques of the forgery. In fact, if I were the one who had access to them (i.e., Elkington), I would be making in my highest priority to make that happen. Funny that doesn't seem to be happening here ...

Again, here are the conditions that need to be fulfilled if anyone expects the scholarly community to start taking this seriously.

Much additional background here.

UPDATE: The article is available in electronic format: EDITORIAL: MYSTERIOUS BOOKS FROM JORDAN (PEQ 142, 2 [2011], 79-86), but it is behind a subscription wall. Having now read it, I stand by the comments above and have only the following to add. Davies writes:

It seemed a further oddity of this affair that Elkington was anxious to consult as widely as he could from among scholarly experts, while insisting on confidentiality. This pattern did not seem to fit a publicity-seeking fraudster.

I have not accused Elkington of being the forger and I don't think it is likely that he is. At the same time (as Davies acknowledges in n. 4), Elkington failed to make Thonemann's debunking of the copper codex public, so Elkington's motivations and actions are hardly above reproach.

Also, Davies's effort in n. 4 to leave open the slight possibility that the codex shown to Thonemann is actually ancient is desperate. The Greek phrase in question makes sense in its context on the tombstone but is grammatically and contextually incoherent on the copper plate. It is a single line copied from the tombstone inscription and put on the copper plate by someone who was too lazy even to pay attention to what they were copying.

UPDATE: You can read the editorial for free here (HT Daniel McClellan.)

A new Director for the NY Jewish Museum

A NEW DIRECTOR has been appointed for the Jewish Museum in New York:

The Jewish Museum Appoints Claudia Gould As Director

Wednesday, August 24, 2011; Posted: 12:08 PM - by BWW News Desk

The Board of Trustees of The Jewish Museum today announced that Claudia Gould has been named the institution's new Helen Goldsmith Menschel Director.

Ms. Gould is currently Daniel W. Dietrich, II Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She will assume her post at The Jewish Museum in fall 2011, succeeding Joan Rosenbaum. As previously announced, Ms. Rosenbaum will retire from The Jewish Museum at the end of August 2011 upon concluding a 30-year tenure during which she transformed the institution into an international arts destination and positioned it for future growth and success.

For more than a century, The Jewish Museum has illuminated the Jewish experience and demonstrated the power of art and Jewish culture through critically acclaimed exhibitions, related education programs, and a renowned collection of 26,000 objects that is among the three largest of its kind in the world and distinguished by its breadth and quality. Inspiring people of all religious and cultural backgrounds, the Museum is poised to enter a new phase and reach an ever broader and more diverse audience.

[...]

Congratulations to Ms. Gould and the Jewish Museum.

Past posts about the Jewish Museum in New York are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Ancient Judaism and related matters around the blogosphere

ANCIENT JUDAISM and related matters around the blogosphere:

New dissertations in the field of Talmudic studies are listed by Shai Secunda at the Talmud Blog. Shai also has an interesting post on The Talmud in Arabic and More Epigraphical Rabbis.

Dorothy King's PhDiva blog has posts on Romulus: What Would Jews Say?; Early Images of the Crucifixion; and Every Tourist Goes to Masada -- Even 110 Years Ago.

AWOL: Open Access Library: Trismegistos:

Its core component is Trismegistos Texts, which includes papyrological and epigraphic texts, not only in Greek, Latin, and Egyptian in its various scripts (Demotic, hieroglyphic, hieratic and Coptic), but also in Meroitic, Aramaic, Arabic, Nabataean, Carian, and other languages (currently 121779 records). Most of the metadata are provided by partner projects, normally limited to texts in a certain language, on a type of writing surface (e.g. papyrus) or of a certain type (e.g. literary vs. documentary).

Larry Hurtado: Nomina Sacra in Early Graffiti (and a Mosaic).

Tony Burke has a post on Secret Mark and Hebrew Matthew at the Apocryphicity blog.

UPDATE: N.S. Gill: On This Day in Ancient History - A Sacking and an Eruption. I have more on the eruption of Vesuvius here and a view-from-my-window photo (just of Vesuvius, not the eruption) here. Plus photos of Pompeii here.

More from Dorothy King: Make Your Own Fake Lead Codex. It's what all the cool kids are doing.

Fake fake metal codices vs. real fake metal codices?

FAKE FAKE METAL CODICES VS. REAL FAKE METAL CODICES? The Jordan Codices Facebook page now has an anonymous post up claiming that (1) the person who produced the codices in the first place now says that he has flooded the market with fake metal codices, but that (2) these are forgeries of the real metal codices for which he is also the source. Got that?

Approximately two months ago, Hassan Saida, the Israeli Bedouin who smuggled the Jordan Codices into Israel, telephoned to inform the team that he and his cohorts had made 500 forgeries of various of the codices and put them into the Jerusalem market. We didn't think too much of it as he tells lots of tales; however, one of team members was sent these two photographs by someone who purchased them in Israel. To those who have seen the real McCoy, these were obvious forgeries. However, even comparing them to the posted photographs, the difference is all too apparent. Below are some observations made by one of the metal experts assisting the team. We expect more will materialise in due course.

Details of the supposed differences between the forged metal codices and the real ones follow, reportedly by this anonymous expert.

Isn't it interesting that "the team" was told by the source of their own metal codices two months ago that he had produced a lot of fakes, but they only thought it was worth mentioning now?

I have never ruled out the possibility that some of the inscribed material on some of the metal codices could be genuine ancient markings. But I have yet to see any evidence at all that this is the case and I have kept a careful eye out for it. Again (and again and again), I have summed up the evidence that they are fakes here and here.

It looks to me as though someone is realizing that the gig is up and is trying to prolong the news cycle on these items. Could it be that the next step will be for David Elkington to announce that oops he accidentally gave Peter Thonemann one of the fake codices but the rest in his possession are genuine? Meanwhile, we have an admission that the source of the codices "tells lots of tales" and that he has the resources to produce fake metal codices.

Thanks to Joel Watts who seems to have been the first to notice the latest Facebook post, and to Tom Verenna, who brought it to my attention by e-mail and to whom I owe the last point in the preceding paragraph.

I think the evidence presented so far is adequately explained by positing that someone in modern times made the fake metal codices, apparently using ancient metal, at least for some of them. If anyone wants to demonstrate that among the now admitted sea of fakes is a genuine ancient inscription, I refer them to my list of conditions that need to be fulfilled here. Take your time, but don't expect me to hold my breath.

Background here with endless links.

UPDATE: Tom Verenna comments on the latest here with links.

UPDATE: Why am I not surprised by this? Jordan Lead Codices: DELETE! DELETE!

UPDATE: One laughs. Or weeps. Or both. David Elkington’s Take on Paleo-Hebrew

Hermeneia Commentary on 1 Enoch, volume 2

VOLUME TWO OF THE HERMENEIA COMMENTARY ON 1 ENOCH is coming out in October and is available for pre-order from Fortress Press:

1 Enoch 2: A Critical Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch, Chapters 37-82

by George W. E. Nickelsburg (Author); James VanderKam (Author)

Via the Agade list.

Renewed Israel Museum welcomes one millonth visitor

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE "RENEWED" ISRAEL MUSEUM:

Israel Museum welcomes one millionth visitor since inauguration of renewed campus

(Art Daily)

JERUSALEM.- In an unprecedented achievement for an Israeli cultural institution, the Israel Museum is proud to announce that it has welcomed one million people to its renewed campus since its inauguration one year ago. During this time, visitors have enjoyed the Museum’s renewed galleries, new architecture and rich program of exhibitions, events and activities.

[...]

Background here.

Travel piece on Masada

TRAVEL COLUMN: Masada National Park: A World Heritage Site (Arutz Sheva). Looks pretty good.

Jerusalem LRT opens after antiquities delay

THE LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT in Jerusalem has now been opened. The project was delayed in 2009 due to the discovery of a Byzantine-era bathhouse. This article also mentions a sixth-century monastery at the site, but I can find no previous reference to it.

Review of Miles, "Carthage Must Be Destroyed"

REVIEW OF MILES, CARTHAGE MUST BE DESTROYED in the Californian Literary Review:

Book Review: Carthage Must Be Destroyed by Richard Miles

by Ed Voves
August 19th, 2011 at 11:01 am

Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization
by Richard Miles
Viking Adult, 544 pp.
CLR Rating: ★★★★★


Woe to the Vanquished

When you visit museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York or the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the shared legacy of ancient Greece and Rome is readily apparent. These museums are noted for their collections of Greek and Roman antiquities. Study these ancient treasures and you will witness the remarkable story of how artistic expression united the diverse peoples of the Mediterranean world — the Greeks, the Etruscans and the Romans — across space and time.

But something is missing from this story — and from these museum collections.

An entire civilization, which played a crucial role in the growth of trade, the founding of cities and the spread of literacy throughout the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea, has been effaced from the records of world culture. In an important new book, historian Richard Miles has uncovered the story of ancient Carthage, the Semitic civilization which flourished in its North African home city and in colonies all over the western Mediterranean until it was conquered by the Romans in 146 B.C.

Carthage, however, was not merely conquered by Rome. As the title of Miles’ book asserts, Carthage was destroyed. In three brutal wars, Carthage’s military power was annihilated by the legions of the Roman Republic. The city was ransacked and burned, down to its foundations. The people of Carthage were massacred or enslaved. The literature of the city was put to the torch. Not a stone was left upon a stone.

Why this special degree of vengeance by the Romans? Even for a people not known for compassion, the Romans waged a ruthless campaign of “fire and sword” against the Carthaginians far in excess of their customary brutality. The reason was simple. Carthage, a resourceful and resilient commercial power, was a threat to Rome like no other kingdom or city state in the Mediterranean.

[...]

This long review includes a nice capsule summary of the Punic Wars.

The fake metal codices have a Facebook page

FAKE METAL CODICES WATCH: The metal codices now have a Facebook page, as noted by Joel L. Watts at Unsettled Christianity. I've been getting a spike of Jordan lead codices searches lately, and this explains why.

The only thing of interest on the page is a copy of what is claimed to be Peter Northover's report on the composition of the lead, which you can read here. And another report (which does not try to date the lead) attributed to one Peter Korgul, is here. Note that the first report says that "a Mediterranean origin is certainly feasible," which is not the same thing as saying that the lead is of Mediterranean origin. It sounds as though comparative data are lacking.

To keep repeating, the lead may be ancient, but all current evidence points to the writing and iconography of these codices being modern fakes. I have summed up the evidence here and here.

Another recent summary of the current situation is here. Although it inadvertently commented on an article from April, the commentary and links are still relevant. And it leads to many, many earlier posts on the subject.

Reflections on Secret Mark by Craig Evans

REFLECTIONS ON SECRET MARK by Craig Evans at Bible and Interpretation:

Doubting Morton Smith and Secret Mark

Although a number of scholars were willing to accept the find as authentic, or at least were willing to accept Smith’s account, a number of other scholars suspected the find was a hoax and that perhaps Smith himself was the hoaxer. The matter continues to be debated.

By Craig A. Evans
Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament
Acadia Divinity College and Acadia University
Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P 2R6 Canada
August 2011

Professor Evans is suspicious because central themes in Secret Mark show up in Morton Smith's work before the supposed discovery of the manuscript. This essay is related to the symposium on Secret Mark held by Tony Burke in April. Background here.

Review of Boustan et al., "Jewish Studies at the Crossroads of Anthropology and History"

H-JUDAIC REVIEW:

Raʻanan S. Boustan, Oren Kosansky, Marina Rustow, eds. Jewish Studies at the Crossroads of Anthropology and History: Authority, Diaspora, Tradition. Jewish Culture and Contexts Series. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011. 424 pp. $69.95 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-8122-4303-1.

Reviewed by Kimberly Arkin (Boston University)
Published on H-Judaic (August, 2011)
Commissioned by Jason Kalman

Deconstruction without Destruction: Reimagining Jewish Studies at the Crossroads of Anthropology and History

Jewish Studies at the Crossroads of Anthropology and History is an ambitious edited volume that includes a number of rich and important essays. I call it ambitious because--as outlined in the extensive introduction--it seeks to address and overcome a number of the theoretical problems that have long dogged Jewish studies as a discipline. These include homogenizing and essentializing the “Jewish” object and subject of Jewish studies; the reification and simplification of insider-outsider divides and relationships; the focus on text and textual analysis over a more embedded approach that examines the lived experiences that enable textual production, circulation, and interpretation; and approaches to diaspora that project certain kinds of contemporary Israeli concerns (center versus periphery, homeland versus exile, civilized Westerners versus primitive orientals) onto very differently organized worlds. These are important critiques of contemporary Jewish studies that deserve considerable attention and reflection. Ra’anan S. Boustan, Oren Kosansky, and Marina Rustow seek to overcome these limitations by combining textual and cultural, synchronic and diachronic, and top-down and bottom-up analyses that represent the best possible fusion of contemporary historical and anthropological approaches. The volume is thus organized around three large themes--“Authority,” “Diaspora,” and “Tradition”--rather than by historical period, geographical region, research question, or disciplinary approach.

[...]

New Old Daily Mail article on the fake metal codices

FAKE METAL CODICES WATCH: [UPDATE: Oops. I got this from the Agade list and didn't note the dateline, which puts it in April. Sorry about that. I'll leave the post up, though, since it recaps some of the major issues. And the good news is that, since this is actually an old story, even the Daily Mail is currently leaving it alone. Thanks to Jim West for pointing out the date.]

The Daily Mail has a long article on the codices which sums up most of the information and, especially, misinformation published thus far about them. With the exception, of course, of Peter Thonemann's demonstration that the Greek on one of the codices is an obvious and crude forgery. Somehow they missed that one.

Is this the first ever portrait of Jesus? The incredible story of 70 ancient books hidden in a cave for nearly 2,000 years

By Nick Pryer

Last updated at 3:02 PM on 4th April 2011

The image is eerily familiar: a bearded young man with flowing curly hair. After lying for nearly 2,000 years hidden in a cave in the Holy Land, the fine detail is difficult to determine. But in a certain light it is not difficult to interpret the marks around the figure’s brow as a crown of thorns.

The extraordinary picture of one of the recently discovered hoard of up to 70 lead codices – booklets – found in a cave in the hills overlooking the Sea of Galilee is one reason Bible historians are clamouring to get their hands on the ancient artefacts.

If genuine, this could be the first-ever portrait of Jesus Christ, possibly even created in the lifetime of those who knew him.

The image in question looks very much like an attempt at a reproduction of ancient Helios imagery. As Bill Hamblin comments, "This is kind of like seeing a portrait of Jesus on a pancake."

Most of the rest of the article contains material I have already commented on at length in earlier posts, so I will focus on a few specifics.

Astonishingly, one of the booklets appears to bear the words ‘Saviour of Israel’ – one of the few phrases so far translated.

I certainly haven't seen that. Photo please. In any case, "Savior of Israel" is a perfectly good title for God (cf. Isaiah 43:3, 45:15) and need not have anything to do with Jesus.

A sealed book containing sacred information was mentioned in the biblical Book of Revelations.

Revelation, dammit, Revelation!

This interpretation of the books as proto-Christian artefacts is supported by Margaret Barker, former president of the Society for Old Testament Study and one of Britain’s leading experts on early Christianity.

As I noted back in late April, Margaret Barker has not made a public comment on the plates since Thonemann' debunked the one conclusively.

If genuine, it seems clear that these books were, in fact, created by an early Messianic Jewish sect, perhaps closely allied to the early Christian church and that these images represent Christ himself. However another theory, put forward by Robert Feather – an authority on The Dead Sea Scrolls and author of The Mystery Of The Copper Scroll Of Qumran – is that these books are connected to the Bar Kokhba Revolt of 132-136AD, the third major rebellion by the Jews of Judea Province and the last of the Jewish-Roman Wars.

Robert Feather is a metallurgist who has written a highly speculative book on the Dead Sea Scrolls. He is not an "authority" on the Scrolls.

The spiritual leader of the [Bar Kokhba] revolt was Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who laid the foundations for a mystical form of Judaism known today as Kabbalah, which is followed by Madonna, Britney Spears and others. Yochai hid in a cave for 13 years and wrote a secret commentary on the Bible, the Zohar, which evolved into the teaching of Kabbalah. Feather is convinced that some of the text on the codices carry the name of Rabbi Bar Yochai.

Again, where is the photo? But it would be interesting if this turned out to be correct. I suspect that the codices were originally concocted to appear to be ancient Jewish texts and then somewhere along the way someone (Elkington?) got hold of them and then torturously tried to map early Christianity onto them as something that would sell better. And so it has.

Oh, and the Zohar is a medieval pseudepigraphon.

Saida, who is in his mid-30s and married with five or six children, claims he inherited the booklets from his grandfather.

I like this one. What, did he lose count? Or, more likely, does this indicate that the Daily Mail has not actually interviewed him, at least lately, and so could not clarify this point? Indeed, if you look at the article carefully, it never says that any of the people mentioned in it were interviewed for it.

The artefacts have been seen by multi-millionaire collectors of antiquities in both Israel and Europe – and Saida has been offered tens of millions of pounds for just a few of them, but has declined to sell any.

You believe that, do you?

The samples were then sent to the Swiss National Materials Laboratory at Dubendorf, Switzerland. The results show they were consistent with ancient (Roman) period lead production and that the metal was smelted from ore that originated in the Mediterranean. Dr Northover also said that corrosion on the books was unlikely to be modern.

If the lead is Mediterranean, that would be interesting. But unless and until the report is made public, I am disinclined to take much stock in rumors about what it says.

The director of Jordan’s Department of Antiquities, Ziad al-Saad, has few doubts. He believes they may indeed have been made by followers of Jesus in the few decades immediately following his crucifixion.

I have commented on Ziad al-Saad's perspective here and here.

To recap: All indicators are that these metal codices are modern fakes. They may be written on ancient lead, which can be obtained without too much difficulty, but I have seen no evidence that the writing and iconography on any of them are genuine, but rather considerable evidence that they are fake. I have summed up the case against their authenticity here and here. It is perhaps encouraging that some of the more reputable mainstream media have begun shying away from accepting the codices as genuine, and it is left to the Daily Mail (and other still more goofball sources to which I am not going to link) to carry on the charade.

For more background, go to the last link above and follow its "background here" link for many, many more posts on the subject.

Early reviews of "El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron"

ARCHANGEL METATRON WATCH: The new game El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron came out in North American yesterday and the reviews are already appearing. I don't intend to link to every review that comes out, but here is the first wave according to Google:

Louie Villalobos at the Arizona Republic:

El Shaddai is a brilliantly designed visual experience that leaves a wonderful story up for interpretation. It's unlike any game I've ever played in terms of the artistic vision and execution. The game is worth a play off that alone.

But the nuts and bolts of this combat game leaves something to be desired. All the artistic achievement in the world doesn't cover up what is a really simple slashing game. So go play this game, but expect the same dodging, block, and slicing you get from far less creative titles.

Gieson Cacho at the Contra Costa Times:

If Ignition Entertainment had a more balanced approach, "El Shaddai" could have been a transformative game. It relies too much on visual fireworks and forgets about building a solid structure to support. The gameplay unfolds unconventionally and avoids the linear video game tropes, but the plot isn't explained well.

Despite its flaws, "El Shaddai" is a worthwhile experience. Just don't expect anything well-rounded or polished. For a game dealing with angels, it falls short of being heavenly.

Billy O'Keefe at the Bellingham Herald:

he visual variety makes an unpredictable game that much more surprising, but it's the insane skill with which "Metatron" brings them to life that makes it impossible for even screenshots to do the whole thing justice. Whether altering character states, swapping dimensions or continuously redrawing entire horizons as you race through them, "Metatron's" animation drops jaws with a relentless brilliance that has very few peers.

Jason Cipriano at the MTV Multiplayer blog:

Some people might play through "El Shaddai" and think it's all over the place due to the variety in levels and gameplay, but it's the variety that makes this game so enjoyable. "Ascension of the Metatron" feels like it's an indie game that was made with a major budget. Making use of topics that generally don't used for games, art styles that you'd never see in the same game (if at all), and gameplay that doesn't get old quickly, "El Shaddai" keeps you playing because you don’t know what to expect next, and that's what great games should do.

Heidi Kemps at Game Pro:

A game like El Shaddai is something that comes along only a few times in each console generation. The beautiful visuals, fantastic environments, solid (though slightly flawed) gameplay, and rich mythology combine to make a game quite unlike anything you've ever played. It has its occasional frustrations, but when the overall experience is this fantastic, you will be more than willing to put up with a few little annoyances. Above all, El Shaddai is a gaming experience you won't soon forget, and one that's worth every penny of its price of admission.

JC Fletcher at joystiq:

The occasional irritation from getting knocked off a giant clock face by an intentionally low-poly arm, or of not being able to see my shadow in a shifting miasma that's supposed to be a rock, fades away. The experience of a game so elegantly, artfully designed in both mechanics and visuals is something that will stay with me, even if the plot wasn't totally coherent.

Background here and many links.

Review of Miles, "Carthage Must Be Destroyed"

REVIEW OF MILES, CARTHAGE MUST BE DESTROYED:

Carthage Must Be Destroyed: And an End to Roman Exceptionalism

Jim Cullen August 16th 2011
History News Network

Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization. Richard Miles. Viking. 2011. 544 pages.

England and France. Greece and Persia. Hapsburgs and Ottomans. Imperial rivalry is as old as history itself, but some rivalries can truly be said to have changed the world. The great contest between the Mediterranean city-states of Rome and Carthage falls into that category. At the end of three Punic Wars stretching over a century (264-146 BC), Carthage was literally wiped off the face of the earth. But in this fascinating new history, University of Sydney historian Richard Miles reconstructs a civilization whose memory continues to stir imaginations -- particularly among those who suspect that their own is not immortal.

[...]

Earlier reviews here and here and links.

Forthcoming book on Enochian magic

FORTHCOMING BOOK announced at the Heterodoxology blog by Egil Asprem:

Arguing with Angels – another book you should get next year

A bit of shameless self-promotion: A pre-production description has recently been released by State University of New York Press, announcing the publication of my first book, Arguing with Angels: Enochian Magic and Modern Occulture. It is due in May 2012. As SUNY’s summary states, the book is an exploration of the Elizabethan philosopher John Dee’s system of angel magic, but in particular its reception history and various reinterpretations in modern times. It follows the creation of what is usually known as “Enochian magic”. Since 19th century occultism, and continuing in 20th century and contemporary occulture, this system has been understood in a variety of ways as it has become embedded in a number of different occult currents and practices.

[...]

I am currently working on (back-burner) a paper on phenomenological parallels between John Dee's Enochian revelations and the visions in 4 Ezra, and I look forward to seeing this book when it comes out.

(HT reader Roberto Labanti.)