Philo's apathetic theology

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

Philo of Alexandria’s Theology and Soteriology: Tensions, Ambiguities, and the Experience of God’s Goodness and Mercy

Philo of Alexandria combines Jewish scripture and Greek philosophy in a theology marked by tensions between divine transcendence and intimate human encounter. An apparently unknowable and impassible God also loves, shows mercy, and shares divine attributes with humans. These tensions suggest the importance of transformative religious experience in shaping Philo’s understanding of God.

See also Seeing God in Philo of Alexandria: Contemplative Ascent and Visionary Experience (State University of New York Press, 2026).

By Scott D. Mackie
Associate Fellow
Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge
September 2026

Cross-file under New Book.

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Nabel, "Fake Prostration in Late Antique Literature and the Ambiguities of Domination"

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: Fake Prostration in Late Antique Literature and the Ambiguities of Domination.

Notice of a New Article: Nabel, Jake. 2026. "Fake Prostration in Late Antique Literature and the Ambiguities of Domination." Studies in Late Antiquity 10 (3). 265-293.

Follow the link for the abstract and a link to the full text of the article. Yes, ancient Judaism is involved.

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A First Temple-era curse inscription

IRON AGE HEBREW EPIGRAPHY: 2,800-year-old curse reveals surprising detail about Kingdom of Judah (Assaf Golan, Israel HaYom).

Limestone tablet from the Hebron area bears a curse in ancient Hebrew and the earliest known extrabiblical reference to the title "Lord of Hosts". Find indicates the divine name and title were in use in the Kingdom of Judah during the First Temple period. The Stone is now on display in the "Six After the War" exhibition at the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem.

Not new; this inscription has been known for quite a while. Hagaf son of Hagav must have made someone really angry!

Cross-file under Exhibition.

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Patmore et al., Reading: Performance and Materiality in Hebrew and Aramaic Traditions (Open Book)

THE AWOL BLOG: Reading: Performance and Materiality in Hebrew and Aramaic Traditions.

Notice of a New Book (open access): Hector Patmore et al., Reading: Performance and Materiality in Hebrew and Aramaic Traditions. Open Book Publishers. Cambridge, UK, 2025.

Co-edited by the late Hector Patmore.

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Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty fragments recovered

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Fragment of World’s Oldest Peace Treaty Found. Bringing people—and tablet pieces—together (Lauren K. McCormick).

The Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty was recorded in more than one place. Apparently originally cast in silver, versions of the treaty survive today from both parties on tablets in Hatti and in two temple inscriptions in Thebes (modern-day Luxor).

The best kind of peace treaty is one where both sides can declare victory and go home.

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Monumental tombs on the way to the Temple

ANCIENT FUNERARY ARCHITECTURE: On the Pilgrims’ Path to the Temple: Monumental Tombs (Prof. Boaz Zissu, Dr. Omri Yitzhak Abadi, TheTorah.com).

Jerusalem’s wealthiest families in the early Roman period built monumental tombs along the roads approaching the city, placing their wealth and status on display. Yet pilgrims heading to the Temple had to avoid entering or coming into contact with these tombs, lest they become impure and be barred from the very Temple they came to visit.

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Who Conquered Samaria?

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

Who Conquered Samaria? Reconstructing the Northern Kingdom’s Final Years

The final years of the northern kingdom of Israel have long been debated, especially the date of Samaria’s fall and the identity of its conqueror. Related questions concern Shalmaneser V’s siege of Samaria, Hoshea’s imprisonment, the extent of the city’s destruction, Sargon II’s claims regarding its conquest, and the regnal synchronisms in Kings. A reevaluation of the relevant biblical and Assyrian evidence supports the argument that Shalmaneser V captured Samaria in 723 BCE after a three-year siege and that Sargon II’s later claims reflect his suppression of a renewed western revolt in 720 BCE. A concluding historical synthesis reconstructs the events leading to the fall of the northern kingdom.

See also A History of Ancient Israel (Zondervan Academic, 2026).

By Todd Bolen
Professor of Biblical Studies
The Master’s University
September 2026

Cross-file under New Book. Todd Bolen is well known to PaleoJudaica readers from his Bible Places Blog.

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

van Bladel, Ancient Persian: A Linguistic History (CUP, open access)

THE AWOL BLOG: Ancient Persian: A Linguistic History.

Notice of a new open-access book: Kevin T. van Bladel, Ancient Persian: A Linguistic History (CUP, 2026). Follow the link for description and access link.

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Fragmentary figurine found

ANCIENT ARTIFACT: Boy finds ancient Roman treasure on show-and-tell hunt in southern Israel. Dor Wolynitz, 8, was hiking with families of reservists in the Ramon Crater when he spotted an unusual stone, later identified as a fragment of a 1,700-year-old statuette (Ynet News).

The find is a small figurine fragment, measuring about 6 centimeters by 6 centimeters, depicting part of a human figure with carefully sculpted folds of fabric that create the appearance of a cloak draped around the body in soft, flowing lines. Testing conducted by geologist Dr. Nimrod Wieler in the Israel Antiquities Authority laboratories found that the figurine was carved from phosphorite, a lightweight mineral common in the Negev region.

Locally produced. Possibly a divine figure.

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Anon. (Cassels), Supernatural Religion (1874-76)

THE ANXIOUS BENCH: How An Explosive Book Rewrote The Study Of The Gospels (Philip Jenkins).

I was researching the history of the discovery and reception of “alternative” scriptures in the nineteenth century, and I kept coming across this thing called Supernatural Religion, which initially meant little to me. It soon became apparent that orthodox clergy were describing it as something like a scholarly weapon of mass destruction, and it kept on being cited with awe for several decades after its initial appearance. To oversimplify, the book made what looks like a stunningly modern claim, namely that the unofficial and heretical gospels were far more reliable authorities for the history of Jesus and the early church than were the canonical writings, and the four gospels. We suddenly seem to be dropped onto the world of Elaine Pagels, Karen King, and Bart Ehrman, but a century early.

Sounds like an interesting and highly influential book—virtually all of whose claims were wrong.

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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Kraus et al. (eds.), Das Weisheitsbuch Ben Sira / Jesus Sirach (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, open access)

THE AWOL BLOG: Das Weisheitsbuch Ben Sira / Jesus Sirach.

Notice of a New Book (open access): Das Weisheitsbuch Ben Sira / Jesus Sirach Synopse der hebräischen, griechischen, lateinischen und syrischen Texttraditionen mit deutscher Übersetzung

Wolfgang Kraus (Hg.), Heinz-Josef Fabry (Hg.), Burkard Zapff (Hg.)
Vetus Testamentum et Orbis Antiquus. Supplementa - Band 001
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2026

In German. Follow the link for description and link to publisher.

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Review of Satlow, An enchanted world

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: An enchanted world: the shared religious landscape of late antiquity.

Michael L. Satlow, An enchanted world: the shared religious landscape of late antiquity. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2026. Pp. xiii, 343. ISBN 9780691256597.

Review by
Ryan Denson, University of Silesia. ryan.denson@us.edu.pl

... Appealing to the perspective of lived religion, Satlow routinely characterizes supernatural interactions and relationships as part of everyday life, not sequestered within the walls of a temple or church. Rather than approach one or another religious tradition in isolation, he aims to tell a “story of how people thought about and interacted with the invisible world” (3). It is a story written with a popular audience in mind, but one that simultaneously offers a useful perspective for scholars of Late Antique religion. ...

I noted the publication of the book here.

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Yuval Goren (1956–2026)

SAD NEWS: Milestones: Yuval Goren (1956–2026). Archaeologist and scientist who debunked modern forgeries (Christopher A. Rollston, Bible History Daily).

Yuval Goren, a professor of archaeology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, was a pioneer in the fields of archaeometry and microarchaeological research. Born in Petah Tikvah in 1956, Goren’s life was storybook, and his interests in both archaeology and the hard sciences began at an early age.

[...]

May his memory be for a blessing.

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Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah 2026 (belatedly)

SHEMINI ATZERET began on the evening of Friday, 2 October at sundown. In Israel, this was also the holiday of Simchat Torah (Simhat Torah). Outside of Israel, the latter holiday began on 3 October at sundown. Belated best wishes to all those celebrating!

Last year's Shemini Atzeret post is here. Biblical etc. links are here.

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Essen: Ethische Perspektiven zum Speisen in Antike und Gegenwart (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK:

Essen

Ethische Perspektiven zum Speisen in Antike und Gegenwart. Kontexte und Normen neutestamentlicher Ethik XV

Edited by Dorothea Erbele-Küster, Esther Kobel, and Ulrich Volp, in collaboration with Andrew Bowden

[Food. Ethical Perspectives on Food in Antiquity and the Present.]
2026. 259 pages.
Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament (WUNT I) 549

€129.00
including VAT

cloth
available
978-3-16-164801-4

Also Available As:
eBook PDF

Summary

Ethics (also) manifest themselves at the dining table: What, how, when, and with whom we eat is not without social, ethical, and religious implications. This volume explores these aspects of food in antiquity - from the death feast in Mari and Qaṭna, eating and fasting in the Hebrew Bible and early Judaism, to food prohibitions in mystery cults and early Christian table fellowship. Contributions from archaeology, biblical studies, early ecclesiastical, religious and cultural history show how eating practices shape identity, reinforce hierarchies, regulate purity, spark ethical discourse, and facilitate contact with the transcendent. Intercultural comparisons with Jainism, Pacific Christianity, and ritual eating practices in Judaism during Covid-19 offer new perspectives on current debates in food ethics.

One article is in English. The rest are in German.

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

Mroczek, Hidden Scrolls, Buried Bible (Yale)

NEW BOOK FROM YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS:

Hidden Scrolls, Buried Bibles
How We Discover the Sacred Past

by Eva Mroczek

224 Pages, 5.50 × 8.50 in

Hardcover
9780300250213
Published: Tuesday, 25 Aug 2026
$35.00

eBook
9780300292350
Published: Tuesday, 25 Aug 2026
$35.00
Out of Stock

eBook
9780300292343
Published: Tuesday, 25 Aug 2026
$35.00
Out of Stock

Description

From the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Zohar, this is the untold story behind our enduring fascination with lost and found religious texts

The Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest biblical manuscripts ever found, were discovered in a cave by a shepherd and his goat. This story is mostly true, and it is not the first such tale about long-lost books. Legend has it that the Zohar—the foundational text of Jewish Kabbalah—was lost for centuries before being discovered in a cave by a farmer, who sold it to spice merchants as packing material. It was only when a scholar picked through a trash heap and joined the fragments together that the world recovered its mystical secrets. These are just two of many tales recounting the discovery of ancient religious manuscripts.

Tracing a time-honored pattern of storytelling about lost and recovered sacred texts, Eva Mroczek reveals a surprising feature of Jewish and Christian thought: the idea that scripture is not complete—that it is partly lost, destroyed, or hidden—is not only the stuff of fantasy novels and conspiracy theories. Mroczek shows that modern scholarly mythmaking is more tightly bound with Jewish and Christian legends than we may think. Through the lens of discovery tales, this innovative book explores how traditions live in tension with the possibility of unknown pasts and surprising discoveries.

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

Bringing back the ancient Negev's wine

ARCHAEOBOTANICAL AMBITIONS: Ancient Negev Wine Was a Global Hit. Can Israeli Winemakers - and Scientists - Bring It Back? Once shipped from the desert to markets across the Mediterranean and beyond, the Negev's wines faded into history. Now, ancient grape seeds and surviving vines are helping researchers and vintner revive a lost tradition (Guy Bar-Oz, Joshua Schmidt and Gideon Avni).

Today, the Negev's past and present are coming together in an unusual way. A modern wine industry is seeking to establish an identity for Israeli desert wine, while archaeological, historical and genetic research allows us to reconstruct the region's ancient grape-growing and winemaking heritage. This convergence does more than illuminate history. It opens the way to rethinking heritage, agriculture, regional identity and sustainable development in the Negev.

To understand the depth of this connection, we need to go back some 1,500 years. During the Byzantine period, the Negev was one of the eastern Mediterranean's most important wine-producing regions. Historical sources praise the flavor of its wine, known as "Gaza wine" after the port from which it was shipped. Traces of that industry remain in the landscape: Winepresses, stone terraces and ancient fields still line the streambeds and slopes of the Negev Highlands.

Background here and links. Cross-file under Vintage Resurrection.

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

On the Sibyls

THE KIWI HELLENIST BLOG: Sibyls and Sibylline oracles. 1. The Sibyls. HT Rogue Classicism.

The Sistine Chapel ceiling at the Vatican has paintings of seven ancient Hebrew prophets, but also of five Sibyls — non-Christian prophetic figures. How and why did pagan prophets came to have such a place of honour in the centre of western Christianity?

The full answer is surprisingly long. We have to cover genres of ancient Greek poetry; Roman myth and ritual; ancient Jewish and Christian poems about the end of the world; and also music by a 16th century Dutch composer.

[...]

This post is an excellent introduction to the ancient Roman Sybilline tradition. I look forward to the promised post on the later Sibylline Oracles.

For PaleoJudaica posts on the Sybilline Oracles and the Sibyl(s), see the links collected here and follow the trail from there.

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

Review of Stroumsa, Dynamics of monotheism in late antiquity

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Dynamics of monotheism in late antiquity.

Guy G. Stroumsa, Dynamics of monotheism in late antiquity. Oxford studies in the Abrahamic religions. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2025. Pp. 208. ISBN 9780198973386.

Review by
Matthew Kraus, University of Cincinnati. krausma@ucmail.uc.edu

... Guy Stroumsa has authored a work that will richly inform future study of Abrahamic religions in Late Antiquity.

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

Primordial mythology in the ANE and in the Bible

PROF. SHAWNA DOLANSKY: Five Ancient Near Eastern Myths Behind the Bible’s Three Creation Accounts. (TheTorah.com).

The two creation stories in Genesis (1 and 2–3), and the hidden creation account in Psalms and the Prophets, can be read without their ancient Near Eastern context. But to understand what the biblical authors are responding to, revising, and arguing against, we need to read them alongside four Mesopotamian stories—Atrahasis (ca. 1700 B.C.E.), Enuma Elish (late 2nd millennium B.C.E.), Adapa (early 2nd millennium B.C.E.), and the Epic of Gilgamesh (2nd millennium B.C.E.)—along with the Canaanite Baal Cycle (14th–13th century B.C.E.).

This is an excellent overview of the ancient Near Eastern background to the creation stories in the Hebrew Bible.

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