Noted previously here.
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Saturday, May 16, 2020
NYU's virtual DSS conference starts tomorrow
INNOVATION: Sunday at NYU: First-Ever Virtual International Conference on the Dead Sea Scrolls (David Israel, The Jewish Press).
Noted previously here.
Noted previously here.
Secunda, The Talmud’s Red Fence
BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: Menstrual Impurity and Difference in Babylonian Judaism and its Sasanian Context. Notice of a New Book: Secunda, Samuel. 2020. The Talmud’s red fence: Menstrual impurity and difference in Babylonian Judaism and its Sasanian context. New York: Oxford University Press.
Follow the link for description and purchase information.
Follow the link for description and purchase information.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
A gold octodrachm of Ptolemy III
NUMISMATICS: Octodrachm from Ptolemaic Egypt in Heritage sale displays spending power (Jeff Starck, Coin World).
For more on the coinage of the Ptolemaic kings, and the role of some of those kings in the Bible, see here and links. As noted in that post, Ptolemy III Euergetes is the branch from the roots of the daughter of the king of the south mentioned in Daniel 11:7-9 and Ptolemy IV Philopater is the king of the south mentioned in Daniel 11:11. For more on Ptolemy III, see here. And for a detailed account of the convoluted historical background to their reigns, see here.
In Heritage Auctions’ April 24 auction, a gold mnaieion of Ptolemy III Euergetes, posthumously issued circa 219 to 217 B.C. in Alexandria for Ptolemy IV, realized $20,400, with the 20 percent buyer’s fee.There are nice photos in the article.
The coin measures 27 millimeters in diameter and weighs 27.74 grams, comparable in diameter to a Presidential dollar, but slightly heavier than a Morgan dollar.
For more on the coinage of the Ptolemaic kings, and the role of some of those kings in the Bible, see here and links. As noted in that post, Ptolemy III Euergetes is the branch from the roots of the daughter of the king of the south mentioned in Daniel 11:7-9 and Ptolemy IV Philopater is the king of the south mentioned in Daniel 11:11. For more on Ptolemy III, see here. And for a detailed account of the convoluted historical background to their reigns, see here.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
The beer hypothesis
IN HEAVEN THERE IS NO BEER: Was the First Beer Brewed for the Dead? Archaeologists disagree on whether they’ve found the world’s oldest beer, or just bread (Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine).
For past PaleoJudaica posts on ancient beer, see here and links. This story takes the history of beer back to its origins. Maybe.
For past PaleoJudaica posts on ancient beer, see here and links. This story takes the history of beer back to its origins. Maybe.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Friday, May 15, 2020
Feasting at Philoteria
CULINARY ARCHAEOLOGY: Feast of snails and pig sheds life on Hellenist life in ancient Galilee. “If we look at food remains in Jewish settlements from the same period, we see very different species,” Pines, whose expertise is in the field of zoo-archaeology, told the Post (Rossella Tercatin, Jerusalem Post).
I love trash pits.
The site is Tel Bet Yerah, ancient Philoteria.
I love trash pits.
The site is Tel Bet Yerah, ancient Philoteria.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
The psalm and the pandemic?
PROF. MATTHIAS HENZE: God Shelters the Faithful: The Prayer of Psalm 91 (TheTorah.com).
Psalm 91 has also been used similarly in Christianity. Philip Jenkins has a recent blog post on it here.
Individual readers can decide for themselves whether the psalm has any relevance for the current pandemic.
Psalm 91 expresses confidence that God will protect the righteous from plagues, demons, and wild animals, while allowing the wicked to perish. How are we to understand such language, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic?Psalm 91 is the premier psalm for the Jewish magical tradition. As Professor Henze notes, it is tied to an exorcistic tradition as far back as the Dead Sea Scrolls. And it also features often in the context of protection from demonic pestilence in subsequent Jewish magic. For some background, see here.
Psalm 91 has also been used similarly in Christianity. Philip Jenkins has a recent blog post on it here.
Individual readers can decide for themselves whether the psalm has any relevance for the current pandemic.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
The witnesses perish but persevere
READING ACTS: The Death of the Two Witnesses – Revelation 11:7-14. Phil Long continues his blog series on the seven angels of the Book of Revelation and their seven trumpets. I think we must be close to wrapping up the events of the sixth trumpet.
I have noted earlier posts in the series here and links.
I have noted earlier posts in the series here and links.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Walsh, Angels Associated with Israel in the Dead Sea Scrolls
IN THE MAIL:
For more on the book, see here.
Matthew L. Walsh, Angels Associated with Israel in the Dead Sea Scrolls:My review copy for Dead Sea Discoveries.
Angelology and Sectarian Identity at Qumran (Mohr Siebeck, 2019)
For more on the book, see here.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Thursday, May 14, 2020
Sabar on the missing-papyri scandal
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING: A Biblical Mystery at Oxford. A renowned scholar claimed that he discovered a first-century gospel fragment. Now he’s facing allegations of antiquities theft, cover-up, and fraud (Ariel Sabar, The Atlantic).
This is the definitive account of the missing-Oxyrhynchus-papyri scandal. It covers the still-inconclusive story up to the present, with detailed background. I think it has everything I already knew, plus a good bit I didn't. Background here and many links.
You should set aside some time and read the whole, long article. As before, I myself have no inside knowledge of the affair and no further comment.
Ariel Sabar is the son of UCLA Aramaist Yona Sabar. Ariel is known for his book My Father's Paradise, on his family's background in Aramaic-speaking Kurdish Iraq. See here and links. And he is still better known for his groundbreaking 2016 article on the Gospel of Jesus' Wife, also in The Atlantic. He has a book forthcoming on the latter.
This is the definitive account of the missing-Oxyrhynchus-papyri scandal. It covers the still-inconclusive story up to the present, with detailed background. I think it has everything I already knew, plus a good bit I didn't. Background here and many links.
You should set aside some time and read the whole, long article. As before, I myself have no inside knowledge of the affair and no further comment.
Ariel Sabar is the son of UCLA Aramaist Yona Sabar. Ariel is known for his book My Father's Paradise, on his family's background in Aramaic-speaking Kurdish Iraq. See here and links. And he is still better known for his groundbreaking 2016 article on the Gospel of Jesus' Wife, also in The Atlantic. He has a book forthcoming on the latter.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Thomas Oden Lambdin, 1927-2020
SAD NEWS: Reports are coming in from Jack Sasson's Agade List and elsewhere that Thomas Oden Lambdin, Professor Emeritus at the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University, has passed away at the age of 93.
Professor Lambdin was a premier — perhaps the premier — Semitist of the twentieth century. He took early retirement in 1983, the year I came to the Harvard NELC PhD program. I never took a class with him, but he came round the Semitic Museum now and then, so I did get to meet him and chat with him a bit. And I heard many stories about him from other students in the program, and from John Huehnergard, who came in the same year to take up the NELC Comparative Semitics post.
Professor Lambdin's influence on the field was incalculable, both at the elementary level and in the world of research. He published introductory grammars for Hebrew, Coptic, Ethiopic, and Gothic. All have been much used and highly influential. And his advances in Comparative Semitics and the historical grammar of Hebrew were profound.
Requeiscat in pace.
Professor Lambdin was a premier — perhaps the premier — Semitist of the twentieth century. He took early retirement in 1983, the year I came to the Harvard NELC PhD program. I never took a class with him, but he came round the Semitic Museum now and then, so I did get to meet him and chat with him a bit. And I heard many stories about him from other students in the program, and from John Huehnergard, who came in the same year to take up the NELC Comparative Semitics post.
Professor Lambdin's influence on the field was incalculable, both at the elementary level and in the world of research. He published introductory grammars for Hebrew, Coptic, Ethiopic, and Gothic. All have been much used and highly influential. And his advances in Comparative Semitics and the historical grammar of Hebrew were profound.
Requeiscat in pace.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Francis Ian Andersen, 1925-2020
SAD NEWS: Word has come in from Professor Andrei Orlov that Australian Biblical Scholar Francis (Frank) Andersen, has passed away at the age of 94.
Professor Andersen taught at a number of institutions in Australia and the United States. He was back in Australia at the end of his life. He was known especially for his work on biblical Hebrew syntax and computational linguistics, and for his translation of 2 (Slavonic) Enoch in Charlesworth's Old Testament Pseudepigrapha.
Requiescat in pace.
Professor Andersen taught at a number of institutions in Australia and the United States. He was back in Australia at the end of his life. He was known especially for his work on biblical Hebrew syntax and computational linguistics, and for his translation of 2 (Slavonic) Enoch in Charlesworth's Old Testament Pseudepigrapha.
Requiescat in pace.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Hard times for biblical archaeology
IT'S LOOKING BAD: Biblical archaeology: another casualty of the coronavirus. Archaeologists in Israel are still processing the casualties the pandemic has wrought (SHELLEY NEESE, Jerusalem Post).
For reports of looting, see here. A related story is here and here. For Tel Aroma (Tel Aruma), see here. For the closure of the SWBTS archaeology program, see here.
For reports of looting, see here. A related story is here and here. For Tel Aroma (Tel Aruma), see here. For the closure of the SWBTS archaeology program, see here.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
The prophesying witnesses
READING ACTS: Who are the Two Witnesses? Revelation 11:3-6. Phil Long continues his blog series on the seven angels of the Book of Revelation and their seven trumpets. And yes, we are still on that very eventful sixth trumpet.
I have noted earlier posts in the series here and links.
I have noted earlier posts in the series here and links.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Ghost readings in the the oldest complete Hebrew Bible
ALTERATIONS: Israeli Scholars Discover Corrections, Erasures, Revisions in Oldest Biblical Manuscript. Analysis of Leningrad Codex shows that about a millennium ago, there were several different versions of the Bible that evolved over time (Nir Hasson, Haaretz premium).
Other PaleoJudaica posts on the Leningrad Codex of the Hebrew Bible are here, here, here, here, and links.
Scholars from the Academy of the Hebrew Language who have been analyzing the codex discovered that it contains hundreds of corrections meant to bring it into line with the familiar biblical text we know today. The changes were made by erasing, altering or adding letters and vocalization marks.Or at least a long tradition of variant readings.
These changes show that back when the Leningrad Codex was written, roughly a millennium ago, the Jewish bookshelf contained several different versions of the biblical text.
Other PaleoJudaica posts on the Leningrad Codex of the Hebrew Bible are here, here, here, here, and links.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Apocalypse in the late-antique Negev?
ARCHAEOLOGY: A Perfect Storm: How Early Christian Farming in the Negev Collapsed. Israeli archaeologists date the remnants of flourishing agriculture in the desert and discover exactly when, and possibly why, it came to a bitter end (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz premium). Plague may have been a factor, which hits a bit close to home right now.
The site of Shivta has been in the news a lot in the last few years. This article is about a new study that ties much of the old information together with some new research and leads to some interesting conclusions. As for past PaleoJudaica posts, this one sets up the problem addressed in the current article. Then this one looks at the pre-disaster prosperity of the late-antique Negev. For the face of Jesus at Shivta, see here and links. And for the full trail of posts on Shivta, start here and just follow those links.
The site of Shivta has been in the news a lot in the last few years. This article is about a new study that ties much of the old information together with some new research and leads to some interesting conclusions. As for past PaleoJudaica posts, this one sets up the problem addressed in the current article. Then this one looks at the pre-disaster prosperity of the late-antique Negev. For the face of Jesus at Shivta, see here and links. And for the full trail of posts on Shivta, start here and just follow those links.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Review of Fournet, The Rise of Coptic
ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Book Note | The Rise of Coptic: Egyptian Versus Greek in Late Antiquity (Chance E. Bonar).
Jean-Luc Fournet, The Rise of Coptic: Egyptian Versus Greek in Late Antiquity. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2020.Excerpt:
Fournet’s The Rise of Coptic is a substantial and accessible contribution to the ongoing discussion of bilingualism and multilingualism in the ancient world. He incisively illuminates the chronological development of Egyptian as a legal(izing) language and Coptic as a regulated script through use of Coptic documentary papyri - sources that have been understudied by historians and classicists who have traditionally limited themselves to Greek and Latin archives for the study of the Roman Empire. Beyond the scope of sociolinguistics and papyrology, Fournet’s work challenges us not to view language use as a zero-sum game within a particular nation or culture. ...Cross-file under Coptic Watch.
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Epicurus wasn't so bad?
CLASSICAL PHILOSOPHY: Epicurus was not as bad as he is portrayed (Israel Drazin, Times of Israel Blogs). The rabbinic literature has a negative view of the "Apicorus" ("Apikoros") — a term derived from "Epicurean."
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Bar Kokhba coin found in Jerusalem
ARCHAEOLOGICAL NUMISMATICS: ‘Year 2 of freedom’: Ancient coin from Bar Kochba revolt found near Temple Mount. Israel Antiquities Authority reveals the coin, one of only four from the era to be discovered in the area, to mark Lag B’Omer holiday (Times of Israel).
This holiday is traditionally associated with the early second-century Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Yohai). He is the traditional (but pseudepigraphic) author of the Zohar. Lag B'Omer is also associated with the Bar Kokhba Revolt.
In recent years the IAA has saved up archaeological treats for Lag B'Omer: in 2017 the public opening of a complex of caves used by the Bar Kokhba rebels and in 2018 announcement of the discovery of another Bar Kokhba coin, this one recovered in a cave in Modi'in.
Another coin from year two of the Bar Kokhba revolt was found in the Lachish area in 2019.
As the article notes, very few Bar Kokhba coins have been discovered in Jerusalem. This is one of a number of reasons for concluding that the rebels never re-took the city. This Jerusalem Post article by Rossella Tercatin has additional details: Ancient coin tied to Jewish rebellion against Romans found in Jerusalem. Out of 22,000 ancient coins found in the Old City, only four can be traced back to Bar Kochba rebellion.
This holiday is traditionally associated with the early second-century Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Yohai). He is the traditional (but pseudepigraphic) author of the Zohar. Lag B'Omer is also associated with the Bar Kokhba Revolt.
In recent years the IAA has saved up archaeological treats for Lag B'Omer: in 2017 the public opening of a complex of caves used by the Bar Kokhba rebels and in 2018 announcement of the discovery of another Bar Kokhba coin, this one recovered in a cave in Modi'in.
Another coin from year two of the Bar Kokhba revolt was found in the Lachish area in 2019.
As the article notes, very few Bar Kokhba coins have been discovered in Jerusalem. This is one of a number of reasons for concluding that the rebels never re-took the city. This Jerusalem Post article by Rossella Tercatin has additional details: Ancient coin tied to Jewish rebellion against Romans found in Jerusalem. Out of 22,000 ancient coins found in the Old City, only four can be traced back to Bar Kochba rebellion.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Online Enoch Seminar on the origin of evil
RELIGION PROF: Enoch Seminar Online 2020: The Origin of Evil in Second Temple Judaism. I am pleased to hear that James McGrath is involved with this groundbreakingly fully-remote Enoch Seminar too.
You can consult the regularly updated schedule for the conference at: 2020 Enoch Seminar Online.
The conferences takes place from 29 June to 2 July. The lineup is impressive and is still developing. As you can see from the current schedule, I am a respondent in session 7: "How is the problem of evil and its origin addressed in the Parables of Enoch and the Synoptics?"
You can consult the regularly updated schedule for the conference at: 2020 Enoch Seminar Online.
The conferences takes place from 29 June to 2 July. The lineup is impressive and is still developing. As you can see from the current schedule, I am a respondent in session 7: "How is the problem of evil and its origin addressed in the Parables of Enoch and the Synoptics?"
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Geniza Fragments 79
GENIZA FRAGMENTS, the Newsletter of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit, Cambridge University Library has published its April 2020 Issue. Topics include fragments of an important Hebrew prayerbook, fragments from Maimonides and his circle, a vertical parchment scroll (rotulus) containing material from the Tosefta, and a review of Geoffrey Khan's open-access book The Tiberian Pronunciation Tradition of Biblical Hebrew (on which more here).
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
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