Yom Kippur

YOM KIPPUR (THE DAY OF ATONEMENT) begins this evening at sundown. An easy fast to those observing it. The biblical precepts for Yom Kippur appear in Leviticus 23:26-32.

International Conference on Judaea and Rome in Coins

THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON JUDAEA AND ROME IN COINS, 65 BCE TO 135 CE, was held earlier this week in London. Nikos Kokkinos has posted abstracts of several papers on the Ioudaios-L list.

I noted the conference last year here, but mistakenly implied that it would be in 2009.

Cyrus Cylinder political fallout

CYRUS CYLINDER POLITICAL FALLOUT: The UAE National has a balanced and sensible article on the latest Iranian response to the loan of the Cyrus Cylinder by the British Museum. Excerpt:

The cylinder is now back in Iran, on loan from London for four months. This has presented the Iranian clerical regime with a dilemma. Celebrations of Iran’s pre-Islamic past have been out of fashion for 30 years as too reminiscent of the shah.

But Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has seized the opportunity to bask in the cylinder’s glow and turn it into a symbol of the Islamic Republic’s power and prestige. For years Mr Ahmadinejad has been seen as a religious zealot, impatiently awaiting the return of the messiah of Shiite Islam. Now he is emerging as an Iranian nationalist.

In a ceremony on Sunday to unveil the cylinder at the Iranian National Museum, Mr Ahmadinejad sought to link modern Iran with the old Persian empire. He decorated a man dressed as one of King Cyrus’s soldiers with a keffiyeh, which is part of the uniform of the pro-government militia, the Basij. Having described Cyrus as “King of the World”, he praised the cylinder as embodying respect for the basic rights of mankind, freedom of thought and choice, and the revolutionary ideal of fighting oppression. Folk dancers representing the various ethnic groups of Iran performed to the sound of traditional instruments.

Stepping up the rhetoric, the hard-line newspaper Keyhan said that the cylinder “belonged to Iran” and suggested it should not be returned to the “thieves” of the British Museum.

There are several problems with this Iranian nationalist discourse. First, the cylinder was discovered in Babylon, 85 kilometres south of Baghdad, so if it were to be returned, it would be to Iraq, not Iran. Second, scholars are somewhat sceptical as to the thesis of Cyrus the Great as the pioneer of human rights. The proclamation appears to be part of a tradition going back thousands of years in Mesopotamia – modern Iraq – whereby new kings would make such declarations on ascending to the throne. “The Cylinder may indeed be a document of human rights and it is clearly linked with the history of Iran, but it is in no real sense an Iranian document: it is part of a much larger history of the ancient Near East, of Mesopotamian kingship, and of the Jewish diaspora,” Neil MacGregor, the director of the British Museum, has argued. In short, the cylinder’s origins lie as much in Mesopotamian tradition as in Persian.

Academic disputes aside, what matters is the context in which Mr Ahmadinejad was speaking. It is not uncommon for a politician in a tight spot to wrap himself in the nation’s flag, and the Iranian president is certainly beset by problems. ...

I don't think the British Museum has covered itself with glory by giving Iran's batty head of state this excuse for a political platform, although he does seem to be seizing the opportunity to make a fool of himself with it. Cyrus was an ancient empire builder, not a human rights champion, but in some ways he looks pretty good next to the current Iranian Government.

That article calling for Iran to keep the Cylinder sounds ominous.

Background here.

New pagan finds at Hippos-Sussita

NEW PAGAN FINDS AT HIPPOS-SUSSITA:

Greek Gods In The Land Of Jesus

By News Staff | September 16th 2010 12:05 AM | Print | E-mail | Track Comments
(Science 2.0)

Tolerance has meant different things in different eras. For some religions in the past, there was a 'convert or die' mentality, which tended to drive out competitors but, at least when it comes to works of art, old religions have always survived.

A fresco of Tyche, the Greek goddess of fortune from the Byzantine period had been discovered at the Sussita site, on the east shore of the Sea of Galilee, and a maenad, one of the companions of the wine god Dionysus, was found also. The city of Sussita is located within the Sussita National Park under the management of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

[...]

During their excavations the researchers found a residence that appeared to belong to person of rank in the city and it contained an inner courtyard with a small fountain at its center. Near the fountain they found the fresco of Tyche, and they believe she had been deified as the city's goddess of fortune.

According to the researchers, the wall painting may be dated to the end of the Roman period or the beginning of the Byzantine period, the 3rd-4th centuries A.D.

[...]

Tyche was not the only mythological figure to be discovered in this compound. Found on a bone plate was an etched relief of a maenad, one of a group of female followers of Dionysus, the god of wine. ...

The article has photographs of both finds.

For a related discovery at Hippos-Sussita last year, go here. And for more posts on the site, go here.

Schiffman testifies in Golb trial

LAWRENCE SCHIFFMAN is testifying in the Raphael Golb identity-theft trial:

Scholar says he never ripped off Dead Sea Scrolls 'bully'

By DAVID K. LI (New York Post)

Last Updated: 4:32 PM, September 16, 2010

Posted: 4:31 PM, September 16, 2010

A leading Hebrew scholar today angrily lashed out at accusations he ripped off a rival’s work and deserved to be targeted by a relentless cyber bully.

Lawrence Schiffman -- chairman of NYU's department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies -- minced no words in defending his academic reputation against defenders of Manhattan lawyer Raphael Golb.

Golb -- the son of another noted Hebrew scholar, Norman Golb -- is on trial for creating fake Internet personas to wage cyber war against his dad’s academic rivals, who clash on theories about the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Defense lawyers claim Schiffman, who prosecutors said was Golb’s top victim, is an academic fraud and needed to be called out by any means necessary.

"I’ve never plagiarized Norman Golb!" an agitated Schiffman screamed in Manhattan Supreme Court.

The defense spent most of its cross-examination of Schiffman, trying to hammer him for a seemingly minute error he made in citing Norman Golb‘s research.

The NYU scholar once wrote Golb believed the Dead Sea Scrolls came from a single library of work in Jerusalem -- when in fact the defendant’s dad theorizes the writings came from several literary institutions.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Carol Berkman continually chastised the defense for this line of questioning and repeatedly called it "irrelevant."

"I made one error, if you call it plagiarism … forget it, no chance!" Schiffman yelled.

[...]

I doubt very much that Larry was "screaming." He does have a booming voice that carries. Incidentally, I recall making the same error about Golb's position in a post for one of my online Dead Sea Scrolls courses in 2001. One of the list members politely corrected me and no one accused me of plagiarism.

Background here.

Celebrating the King James Bible

CELEBRATING THE KING JAMES BIBLE (1611-2011) at the OUP blog:

Why all the fuss about an old translation of an ancient book? There are two reasons: first, it is the founding text of the British Empire (including breakaway colonies such as the United States), and was carried to every corner of the English-speaking world by migrants and missionaries; second, it matters now, both as a religious text and as the finest embodiment of English prose. Its history in the intervening centuries has been complex. The text has evolved over the centuries, and there are thousands of small changes in spelling, punctuation and grammar. The commissioning of a revised translation was suggested by a puritan to King James, but the KJV was subsequently repudiated by some puritans, because of its inclusion of the Apocrypha and its use of ecclesiastical terms (e.g. ‘baptize’ instead of ‘wash’, ‘church’ instead of ‘congregation’, ‘bishop’ instead of ‘elder’). In the twenty-first century its most loyal advocates are those at opposite ends of the Protestant continuum: Anglo-Catholic ritualists who revere it alongside the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and evangelicals who think that God answered the prayers of the translators by helping them to produce the most authoritative of all translations.

Is it a good translation? The answer is yes and no. On the affirmative side, it is certainly the most scrupulous of all translations, in part because the scholarly fire-power of the original translators could not be matched in our less educated age. Where could one now find fifty translators with competence in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, Samaritan, Ethiopic and Arabic (the languages of the English polyglot Bible of the period) and a command of patristic, rabbinical and Reformation commentaries? Another reason for its scholarly probity is the scrupulous process through which the KJV was produced. The time lavished on the translation by the learned translators was secured by relieving them of other duties; no modern publisher would buy out fifty scholars for several years in order that they might devote their full attention to a translation of the Bible.

That's a bit unfair. I doubt that all of the fifty translators controlled all of those languages and commentary traditions, and there are many biblical scholars today who control many of them. I myself am competent in all of them except Ethiopic and the Reformation commentaries, although I'm not equally strong in every area. I bet we could assemble a group of scholars to match the competencies of the original team without too much trouble. And, as the blog post goes on to admit, we have many more ancient manuscripts at our disposal than they did. Whether a publisher would want to pay for a new project on the same scale may well be another matter, though.

All that said, the King James translation of the Bible was a stunning work of scholarly erudition and literary sophistication and beauty for its time and on many counts it has stood the test of time until today. Its fourth centenary deserves to be thoroughly celebrated.

UPDATE (17 October): More here.

Livius.org hacked

LIVIUS.ORG was reported hacked yesterday. I noticed it was down, and then Judith Weingarten linked to Roger Pearse's notice of the attack on FB. Everything seems to be back up today and I can find nothing about the attack on the Livius website itself.

Regarding Roger's post, I really don't think this episode justifies banning all Muslims, or even all of Turkey, from the Internet, and if we were to take that rather unfocused collective approach the Chinese and the Russians would be well ahead in the queue. A more productive course would be to track down and punish the actual perpetrators, whoever they are. I trust that this is the approach that the authorities are taking.

UPDATE: Jona Lendering has an account of what happened here. I have to say I'm a little jealous. But maybe Blogger just has better hacking countermeasures.

Did the ancient Israelites drink beer?

RESEARCHING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:

Did the Ancient Israelites Drink Beer?

By Michael M. Homan (BAR)

Ancient Israelites, with the possible exception of a few teetotaling Nazirites and their moms, proudly drank beer—and lots of it. Men, women and even children of all social classes drank it. Its consumption in ancient Israel was encouraged, sanctioned and intimately linked with their religion. Even Yahweh, according to the Hebrew Bible, consumed at least half a hin of beer (approximately 2 liters, or a six-pack) per day through the cultic ritual of libation, and he drank even more on the Sabbath (Numbers 28:7–10). People who were sad were advised to drink beer to temporarily erase their troubles (Proverbs 31:6). Yet the Biblical authors also called for moderation. Several passages condemn those who consumed too much beer (Isaiah 5:11, 28:7; Proverbs 20:1, 31:4). The absence of beer defines a melancholy situation, according to Isaiah 24:9.

[...]

So what's with the translation "strong drink," which goes back at least to Tyndale? Why make beer into something stronger?

A "hastily documented" 1st century CE tomb in Jerusalem

A "HASTILY DOCUMENTED" FIRST-CENTURY CE TOMB in Jerusalem is reported by Hadashot Archeologiot. Excerpts:

The hurried process and poor lighting conditions in the cave precluded a proper examination and description of the cave’s contents. Artifacts were not removed from the cave and once its documentation was done, it was sealed and covered with soil. ...

The cave was carefully hewn with a serrated mallet that left diagonal stone dressing marks on its sides, which are mostly upright and slightly curved toward the top. ...

Seven complete ossuaries, at least eight lids and numerous ossuary fragments were discovered in the cave; no other artifacts were found. The ossuaries were concentrated on the western and eastern stone benches (Fig. 3). All the ossuaries were made of soft limestone, except for a single ossuary of hard limestone. Two of the ossuaries were closed with a lid; one of the lids was attached to the ossuary with a bronze nail. Due to the haste, only two complete ossuaries and several decorated fragments were documented (Figs. 4, 5). A two-line Hebrew inscription (length of inscription 0.37 m; Figs. 6, 7) was incised on the hard-limestone ossuary. The letters were clearly engraved, separated from each other and painted blue. The inscription reads: “Alexa bar Shalom barat Alexa/Cursed is the one who casts me from my place”. Careless engravings or traces of faded paint were noted on other ossuaries; these may also be inscriptions that require further research for decipherment. Some of the ossuary fragments were consolidated together with bone fragments in the corners of the chamber and it seems that these ossuaries had been shattered by grave robbers who damaged the cave; the robbers had apparently penetrated into the cave via the entrance, which was later blocked.

[...]

Via Todd Bolen at the Bible Places blog, who is not impressed with the haste of the documentation.

"Royal" theater box excavated at Herodium

A "ROYAL" THEATER BOX has been excavated at Herodium:

King Herod's royal theater box uncovered at Herodium

By RONEN SHNIDMAN
09/15/2010 00:05

Theater box reveals Jewish monarch's luxurious lifestyle, displays rare example of elaborate style of Roman wall painting found outside Italy.

A royal box built at the upper level of King Herod's private theater at Herodium has been fully unveiled in recent excavations at the archaeological site, providing a further indication of the luxurious lifestyle favored by the well-known Jewish monarch, the Hebrew University announced in a statement released Tuesday.

The excavations at Herodium National Park at the eastern edge of Gush Etzion region, were conducted by Prof. Ehud Netzer under the auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Institute of Archaeology.

[...]

The royal box (measuring eight by seven meters and about six meters high) is the central space among a group of rooms attached to the upper part of the theater's structure. This impressive room likely hosted the king, his close friends and family members during performances in the theater and was fully open facing the stage.

[...]

More on the excavations of Herodium (Herod's apparent tomb) here. Todd Bolen has a page on the site of Herodium at his Bible Places website.

Adolfo Roitman speaking at TWU

ADOLFO ROITMAN is speaking at Trinity Western University:

Dead Sea Scrolls guardian speaking in Langley

Published: September 14, 2010 1:00 PM
Updated: September 14, 2010 1:48 PM

The guardian of the Dead Sea Scrolls is delivering a public lecture later this month.

Dr. Adolfo Roitman will deliver his lecture, ‘From Serpent to Satan: The Story of Paradise in Scripture, Literature and Art’, at Trinity Western University’s Northwest Auditorium.

The lecture takes place on Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Roitman is curator of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the director of the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, one of the world’s leading archaelogical museums.

[...]

Golb identity-theft trial begins

THE GOLB IDENTITY-THEFT TRIAL began in New York yesterday:

Dead Sea Scrolls 'cyber bully' claims he had right to fight dirty

By DAVID K. LI (New York Post)

Last Updated: 5:35 PM, September 14, 2010

Posted: 5:34 PM, September 14, 2010

Defenders of an alleged cyber bully went on the attack today, accusing a noted Hebrew historian of plagiarism and claiming their client had every right to fight dirty in this no-holds-barred academic brawl.

Raphael Golb, 49, went on trial for allegedly engineering a wacky 2008 identity theft and "sock-puppeting" campaign against his dad’s intellectual rivals over ancient origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

During opening statements to jurors, defense lawyers didn’t back away from acts Golb is accused of committing by prosecutors -- and even glorified his actions.

"Raphael Golb is a whistle blower," defense lawyer David Breitbart told jurors in opening statements.

[...]

The story is also covered by the AP and noted by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Background here.

Syriac symposium at Duke, June 2011

CONFERENCE:

Sixth North American Syriac Symposium
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
June 26-29, 2011

The Sixth North American Syriac Symposium will be organized at Duke University on June 26-29, 2011. Held every four years since 1991, the North American Syriac Symposium brings together university professors, graduate students, and scholars from the United States and Canada (more than half of the participants) as well as from Europe, the Middle East, and India, in particular from the State of Kerala. The Symposium offers a unique opportunity for exchange and discussion on a wide variety of topics related to the language, literature, and cultural history of Syriac Christianity, from the first centuries ce to the present day.

While adopting the general template of previous symposia, the Duke Symposium will at the same time be organized in such a way that it aptly reflects current trends in Syriac studies. Additionally, it will allow Duke scholars and students to communicate to a wider audience some highlights of their research, teaching, and resources.

To serve as a general framework and organizational principle, the following theme has been chosen:


Syriac Encounters

Encounters and interactions between individuals, generations, communities,traditions, ideas, languages, and religions.

This general theme allows us to highlight various kinds of diachronic and synchronic interaction and dialogue, formation of communal identity, construction of tradition, language contact, and religious conversation both within Syriac Christianity and between Syriac Christianity and other traditions, in particular Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Islam, and various forms of Western Christianity. The overall theme is not meant, however, to exclude topics that are not directly related to it.

[...]

For more information, follow the link.

Via Stephen C. Carlson on FB.

More on the Petra cave art

MORE ON THE PETRA CAVE ART – new images from National Geographic: Before & After: Wine-Cult Cave Art Restored in Petra?

Via Archaeology News. Background here.

The futility of book-burning

SEEMS TIMELY:

The futility of book-burning

(The Republican-American)

When Florida pastor Terry Jones talked about burning copies of the Quran on Saturday to mark the Sept. 11 attacks, an aspect of the worldwide overreaction seemed based on the mistaken belief that fricasseeing copies of another faith's holy writings was something novel. It isn't. There's a venerable tradition of torching someone else's holy books.

There are also copious examples of how futile an exercise that is.

The most combusted book in history is probably the Talmud, a compilation of Jewish commentaries on and interpretations of the first five books of the Bible. Anti-Semites burned copies of the Talmud from the early Middle Ages through the massive Nazi bonfires of the 1930s, yet there are likely more copies of the Talmud extant today than at any point since the earliest rabbis began compiling it nearly 2,000 years ago.

And then there's the even more instructive case of the best-read author in English history, a man who every bit as much as William Shakespeare could be considered the grandfather of the language. Most people don't know his name, but nearly everyone who reads English knows his words.

I refer to William Tyndale, whose story exemplifies the futility of burning books. Tyndale was executed in 1536 for what at the time was considered the most heinous of crimes: daring to translate the Bible into English. The official charges, pushed by King Henry VIII, were heresy and treason.

[...]

All of which leads to an incident from Tyndale's career that illustrates the pointlessness of book-burning. At one point, the Bishop of London offered to buy up an entire printing of Tyndale's Bibles so he could burn them. Tyndale gleefully sold them to the bishop, who dutifully consigned the books to the fire. Tyndale, meanwhile, used the profits to publish an even larger run of his Bibles than the bishop had bought and burned.

Were I a publisher of Qurans, I would emulate Tyndale and offer to print copies on spectacularly pyrotechnic stock. For when the flames had died down, there would be exactly as many copies of the Quran in the possession of those who revere and cherish the book as there had been before the fire, and I'd have turned a tidy profit.

[...]

I think Mr. Goodman fails to grasp the investment that Muslims have in the sanctity of individual copies of the Qur'an. But the point remains: burning scriptures is a pathetic exercise in futility. If you strike them down, they shall only become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.

Cyrus Cylinder loaned to Iran

THE CYRUS CYLINDER has gone to Iran to go on display:

Museum loan to soothe tension with Iran

By Peter Aspden (Financial Times)

Published: September 10 2010 23:07 | Last updated: September 10 2010 23:07

In a rare act of diplomatic accord between the UK and Iran, the British Museum has sent the Cyrus Cylinder – one of its most culturally significant possessions – to Tehran where it will remain on loan and be displayed for the next four months.

The prized clay artefact, a document written by the Persian king Cyrus the Great, was flown to the Iranian capital on Thursday night and will go on display at the National Museum of Iran on Sunday.

The cylinder, written in Babylonian cuneiform after Cyrus’s conquest of Babylon in 539 BC, has been described as the first declaration of human rights. It records Cyrus’s restoration, after his conquest, of shrines dedicated to different gods, and his repatriation of deported peoples.

Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, said the loan was especially important at a time of diplomatic tension between Iran and the west.

[...]

The full statement from the British Museum is given here.

Personally, I don't think that loaning out precious pieces of humanity's heritage to totalitarian theocrats is a particularly good idea, but no one asked me. That said, the move may well backfire on the Mullahs, since it may be politically useful to the opposition in their calls for freedom.

For background on the Cyrus Cylinder go here and follow the links.

UPDATE (12 September): Todd Bolen comments on the loan at the Bible Places blog and Dorothy Lobel King comments at PhDiva. I share Dorothy's concerns about the cylinder coming back. She also reminds us that "Cyrus may have ruled over what is now Iran, but the cylinder was found in Iraq."

September 11

Phoenicia sets sail for Carthage

THE GOOD SHIP PHOENICIA has set sail from Gibraltar for Carthage:

Last stage for Phoenicia

Posted: Sep 09, 2010 02:48 pm EDT (ExplorersWeb)

The Phoenicia is surfing eastward in the Mediterranean and are close to finishing the full circle of Africa. The 21 meter replica of a 600BC Phoenician cargo ship has battled heavy shipping in the Gibraltar Strait and gale force wind in the Med the last couple of days.

Phoenicia used 27 days from the Azores to Gibraltar. After a week with some well-earned rest they started on their last leg in to the Mediterranean. The 21 meter vessel, a traditionally built replica of a 600BC Phoenician cargo ship, is on the last stage of recreating the epic first circumnavigation of Africa some 2,600 years ago.

[...]

Their next port of call is Carthage in Tunisia, and before autumn set in they are to dock in their final destination; Tartous, Syria.

Captain Philip Beale and his crew started their circumnavigation of Africa from Syria in August 2008. Next year they plan to sail to the UK.

[...]

Background here.

Michael F. Bird on ancient Jewish proselytizing

MICHAEL F. BIRD summarizes his new book on proselytizing in ancient Judaism for Bible and Intepretation:

“Gentiles for Moses”: The Debate about the Nature and Intensity of Jewish Proselytizing Efforts in Ancient Judaism

Second Temple Judaism did attract proselytes and facilitate the conversion of Gentiles that wanted to convert to Judaism, much to the ire and contempt of some Greek and Latin authors, but it was not self-conscious missionary since the role of Israel, the Torah, and the synagogue was never directed unequivocally towards Gentile recruitment.

See also: Crossing over Sea and Land: Jewish Missionary Activity in the Second Temple Period (Hendrickson Publishers, 2010).

Dr. Michael F. Bird
Crossway College, Brisbane, Australia
August2010

Tacky Temple Mount repairs

TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH: Hershel Shanks complains in BAR of tacky repairs to the wall of the Temple Mount platform:

First Person: Temple Mount Repairs Leave Eyesores

By Hershel Shanks

Two unsightly scaffolds hang from the walls of the Temple Mount, one on the southern wall and a second on the eastern wall. The question is whether they will be there forever.

[...]

The Jordanians have now completed their work and have long gone home. But they have left a scaffold hanging at the top of the southern wall and another at the eastern wall. No one knows when they will be taken down—if ever.
Picture
Both archaeologists and tourists say that the Jordanians have done a terrible job. The Jordanians may have reinforced the walls, but the unsightly appearance of the new sections of wall, where the bulges had been, is entirely out of keeping with the ancient ashlars. No effort was made to blend in the new wall sections with the old walls. The new sections bear all the marks—color, smooth surface and size—of new work. Perhaps the hanging scaffolds are justified as conforming to the ugliness of the new sections of wall. They’ve been there now for several years. How much longer

There's a picture of the repaired area and it does look ugly. I have noted the story of the bulge in the Temple Mount wall and its repair from time to time, including here, here, and here.

DSS tidbits

DEAD SEA SCROLLS TIDBITS:

Dead Sea Scrolls scholar to speak at Brodsky Library

Posted: Wednesday, September 8, 2010 11:28 am

BY SUSAN FADEM, SPECIAL TO THE [ST.LOUIS JEWISH] LIGHT | 0 comments

Of all the archaeological discoveries ever made, none surpasses in ongoing international importance the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls. So says Rabbi Shalom Paul, of Jerusalem, one of the world's leading authorities on the Bible and also chairperson of the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation.

[...]

What: To speak on "The Ever-Alive Dead Sea Scrolls and Their Significance for Understanding the Bible, Early Judaism and the Birth of Christianity," this year's annual Lazaroff Lecture, funded by the Morris and Ann Lazaroff Endowment.

When: 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 14

Where: Saul Brodsky Jewish Community Library at the Jewish Federation Kopolow Building, 12 Millstone Campus Drive [St. Louis].

How much: Free to Friends of the library, otherwise $7 per person. Reception afterward.

More info: Reservations are required and can be made at 314-432-0020. Rabbi Paul will sign his "The Jewish Bible: A Jewish Publication Society Guide," which will be for sale Sept. 14 at the Brodsky Library.

And from Biola University News:

The Great Isaiah Scroll

Penned more than 2,100 years ago, the Great Isaiah Scroll is one of only three complete scrolls from 900 documents that comprise the Dead Sea Scrolls. An exact replica of the Great Isaiah Scroll will be housed at Biola University this fall. The survival of this scroll is a celebrated story throughout the world — and now students and the Biola community will be able to celebrate it firsthand.

Owned by Legacy Church, Orange County, and on loan from the Museum of Biblical and Sacred Writings in Irvine, Calif., the facsimile sits 7,000 miles away from its original in the Shrine of the Book Museum in Jerusalem, Israel. Bedouin shepherds discovered the scrolls in caves along rocky cliffs west of the Dead Sea in 1947 near what had been the ancient community of Qumran. The original scrolls have deteriorated significantly since their removal from the dry climate of the Dead Sea region. This facsimile, however, is recreated from prized photographs taken in 1948 to preserve these ancient works.

[...]

Happy New Year 5771!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 5771! Rosh HaShanah begins this evening at sundown.

Happy Seventh Blogiversary to Rogue Classicism

HAPPY SEVENTH BLOGIVERSARY to David Meadows's Rogue Classicism blog. Again, slightly belated: its launch date was 2 September 2003.

Paul Foster on the Gospel of Peter

DR. PAUL FOSTER of Edinburgh University is interviewed on the Gospel of Peter here and here by Michael Bird at the Euangelion blog.

The Talmud Blog

THE TALMUD BLOG has lots of good stuff up. I was trying to decide on specific links, but it's better if you just go to the site and keep scrolling down and reading.

Greek text of Philo on the web

THE GREEK TEXT OF PHILO is on the web.

BNTC 2010: Q Debate

BNTC 2010: The Sheffield Biblical Studies blog reports on the Q Debate between Christopher Tuckett and (in absentia) Francis Watson. Incidentally, I voted for Q.

NT Blog blogiversary

HAPPY BELATED SEVENTH BLOGIVERSARY to Mark Goodacre's NT Blog (originally the NT Gateway Blog).

Job: Research Associate in Papyrology in Oxford

JOB: Research Associate in Papyrology in Oxford (Oxyrhynchus Papyri).

(Via James McGrath on FB.)

Major trends in Hekhalot literature research

MAJOR TRENDS IN HEKHALOT LITERATURE RESEARCH are summed up in an article by Shlomo Brody in Text and Texture:

"The Aleinu Prayer and the Pardes Story: Major Trends in Hekhalot Literature Research"

It's a good summary overall, although it leaves out some of the most recent discussion. I have noted some additional bibliography in a comment.

(HT Joseph I. Lauer.)

Tomb Planters at Eastern Wall?

TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH: Tomb Planters at the Eastern Wall?

False Arab Graves Also Found Near Eastern Old City Wall

by Elad Benari
Follow Israel news on Twitter and Facebook.

Several weeks ago, Arutz7 reported exclusively that dozens of new tombs were being added to the Mamilla Cemetery, an ancient Muslim cemetery located on the outskirts of Jerusalem's Independence Park, but no one is buried beneath them. These faked graves were in fact a Muslim project aimed at taking over land.

Following Arutz7’s report, the faked tombs were removed by the Jerusalem Municipality and the Israel Lands Authority.

Now, it appears as though the same phenomenon is occurring also in the area of the Eastern Wall in Jerusalem (adjacent to the Western Wall). The Arabs are simply ignoring a law that deems the area a national park.

Maya Shukri of the El Har HaMoriyah Institute, who documented the faked graves with her camera, told Arutz7 on Wednesday that at the present time, the graves are empty but an infrastructure is in place for future burials. Shukri, who compared older photographs to photographs taken recently, said that “there are markings [of graves] there, but underneath there is only soil. Some of them don’t have a tombstone.”

[...]

Background here.

Irish bog Psalter had Egyptian papyrus in binding

THE IRISH BOG PSALTER had Egyptian papyrus in its binding:

Manuscript dug from bog rates among our top 10 biggest finds

By JEROME REILLY (Independent.ie)

Sunday September 05 2010

The Faddan More Psalter, a remarkable 1,200-year-old manuscript found in a north Tipperary bog four years ago, has provided astonishing evidence of links between the early Christian Church in Ireland and the Middle Eastern Coptic Church.

As a painstaking conservation process came to its conclusion, tiny fragments of papyrus were discovered in the lining of the Egyptian-style leather binding of the manuscript, which was unearthed by Eddie Fogarty in a mechanical digger in the townland of Faddan More, not far from Birr, in July 2006.

The discovery of Egyptian papyrus represents the first tangible connection between early Irish Christianity and the Middle-Eastern Coptic Church and has confounded some of the accepted theories about the history of early Christianity in Ireland.

Four years ago the find was heralded by Dr Pat Wallace, director of Ireland's National Museum, as "the most important day in the history of the museum since 1868 when the Ardagh Chalice came in".

The four-year conservation process has strengthened that view.

"It was a miraculous thing that the manuscript survived at all. It was found by Mr Fogarty who was cutting turf.

"It was also remarkable that Mr Fogarty and the family he was working for, the Leonards of Riverstown, were familiar with the work of the National Museum and knew exactly what to do to protect a manuscript found in wet bog.

"They immediately covered it with wet turf and this was absolutely vital in preserving the manuscript. If they hadn't done that it would have been obliterated in a few hours in the sunshine," Dr Wallace told the Sunday Independent.

[...]

I wonder if the Egyptian connection could help explain the origins of the Irish Old Testament pseudepigrapha.

Background here and follow the links.

UPDATE (8 September): Christian Askeland comments on the story at Evangelical Textual Criticism. This is the first I've heard of linguistic connections between Celtic and Coptic. On the face of it, that sounds pretty unlikely to me. Coptic is an Afro-Asiatic language and Celtic an Indo-European one.

Classical Hebrew degree in Malta

COOL: You can now get a degree in Classical Hebrew at the University of Malta:

Classical Hebrew degree

(Times of Malta)

The course will enable the students to read ancient Jewish texts such as the Hebrew Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

A BA/BA (Hons) degree in Classical Hebrew will be offered as of next month by the University’s Department of Oriental Studies. The degree gives an overview of ancient Israelite and Jewish history and culture, covering the period ranging from the 12th century BC to the 2nd century AD, and of the development of the Hebrew language during this period.

Various language courses on Classical and post-Classical Hebrew (starting from the very basics of the language) will be on offer, which will enable the students to read ancient Jewish texts, such as the Hebrew Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls, in their original language.

[...]

Given the location, I hope they add some courses on ancient Phoenician and Punic languages and archaeology.

Back in St. Andrews

BACK IN ST. ANDREWS. Got in last night.

Half a decade of search engine referrals

SEARCH ENGINE REFERRALS: For the past five years and several months I have been saving up especially entertaining search-engine referrals that have directed readers to PaleoJudaica. It's pretty obvious that most of those readers did not find what they were looking for. Here, for your amusement, is the list of search terms. I swear I did not make any of them up.

• the pit and the pendulum prologue translation
  
• e mail contact Prophet Zainab 2005
  
• short report (Introduction, conclusion) for anythings
  
• catholic aliens dead sea scrolls controversy
  
• orgasm blog
  
• prince charles rebuild the temple in jerusalem
  
• absolutely fabulous "subtitle in english"
  
• perfume veils by sarah schwartz
  
• training course on becoming a professional assassin for the U.S government
  
• sexual lexicography
  
• credit sales in co-operative are like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
  
• 2005 free 100% dating and marriage site in fa
  
• mama's boys power and passion
  
• sabbatai SEVI AND united nations
  
• an extreme makeover for christians according to the holy bible King james version
  
• sumerian dictator - elementary level
  
• how meet christian wife OR bride OR single OR girl OR woman OR match speaking arabic OR french carrying american nationality for marriage?
  
• 'places where to have baby's first birthday in poughkeepsie' near New York
  
• Lilith fragments prehistoric hieroglyphs
  
• construction by davila
  
• dogs adoption 45005 ohio
  
• grants, new mexico brother finds gold mine on property
  
• israeli mob connection
  
• paper doll costumes of the 1500s free download
  
• jesus' hand found in the cave at jerusalem
  
• audio biblical scriptures for financial abundance
  
• change of venue form motion san diego county child custody
  
• women who want to go out tonight in san diego
  
• a list of the ten largest whiskey seller companies in the world
  
• "i like monica" free pics
  
• angelina jolie, circumcise
  
• antique velvet chairs from the catholic church
  
• you mama jokes in assyrian
  
• MacCulloch chainsaw manual
  
• Durham University and Pink Panther
  
• love phrases in sindarin
  
• haltwhistle satan
  
• persian flies
  
• pictures of the giant rock godzilla 200.com
  
• tree houses .com/links.
  
• Post- doctoral fellowship on Solar Cooker
  
• Welcome back to church sample letter
  
• how long did it take the passion of the chris actors to learn Aramaic
  
• shipping international order usps israel digital cameras
  
• Why Dubai seems like blessed by Jesus instead of Jeruselam
  
• sultry italian model
  
• watch enemas
  
• elves in the zohar
  
• haile selassie can read the dead scrolls
  
• adonay davila
  
• besort in a sentence
  
• ancient space port evidence
  
• the book of enoch and 911
  
• Highland Village adress in iran villages 2009 @hotmail.com
  
• red sea scroll conspiracy
  
• 2009 biblical archaeologists needing workers carpenters
  
• good vs evil ancient inscriptions
  
• eschatology toilet cam
  
• who was the pirate queen of sheeba?
  
• angel like you alex panayotov
  
• why do i see temples and mazar in my dreams
  
• What is 783000 Square feet
  
• What is the counter spell for Sectarianism in Happy Potter?

Coptic Unicode font now available

A COPTIC UNICODE FONT is now available.

The Flood story at Ugarit

THE FLOOD STORY AT UGARIT: It isn't terribly well known, but a version of the Mesopotamian Flood story was found among those "Canaanite" alphabetic cuneiform texts at Ugarit. This tablet, however, was written in Akkadian and tells the story in the first person with Atrahasis as the Flood hero. The name of the hero is Utnapishtim in the Gilgamesh Epic and Atrahasis in the Atrahasis epic. Duane Smith has posted an edition and translation of the Flood story from Ugarit at Abnormal Interests.

I published a discussion and partial translation of this tablet in my article "The Flood Hero as King and Priest," JNES 53 (1995): 199-214, esp. pp. 205-206. Despite its fragmentary nature, it is a very interesting text.

Bishop Tom Wright on moving to St. Andrews

BISHOP TOM WRIGHT is interviewed by the BBC on moving to St. Andrews.

Via Mark Goodacre's NT Blog.

BNTC 2010

I'M OFF to the British New Testament Conference, which is in Bangor, Wales, this year. I'm not presenting a paper this time, but I will be co-chairing the New Testament and Second Temple Judaism Seminar, as usual. The programs of all the seminars are available here.

The conference takes place today, Friday, and Saturday. I will try to keep blogging as usual, time and internet connection permitting, but I have also pre-posted a few things, so there will be something new here each day in any case.

New World Hebrew forgeries in the news

NEW WORLD HEBREW FORGERIES have been getting some unfortunate media attention lately. For some reason the Los Lunas "Mystery Stone" forgery in New Mexico is given gullible positive coverage by Digital Journal. Also, a visit to the stone is chronicled much more sensibly in Mama Dragon, in which post the burning bush is repeatedly addressed as "dude."*

Note also Glenn Beck's recent foray back into Hebrew studies with a segment on the Bat Creek Stone. The Bat Creek stone inscription was also debunked back in 1993 in the July/August issue of Biblical Archaeology Review by P. Kyle McCarter, supporting earlier conclusions by Frank Moore Cross. (Not online. Sorry.) Cross and McCarter are two of the most distinguished living Northwest Semitic epigraphers. (Full disclosure: Cross supervised my doctoral dissertation.) Both the paleography (letter shapes) of the letters that look like Hebrew and the content (the apparent geographical name Yehud) do not work for Second Temple Hebrew (or, in combination, any other kind).

Beck also mentioned the Newark Stones, which are clearly not actually Second Temple Hebrew inscriptions, although it has been argued that they are medieval Jewish relics that were salted into the digs where they were discovered. At least the residents of Newark were pleased with Beck's mention of the stones:

NEWARK -- The day after the Newark Earthworks were mentioned by television and radio host Glenn Beck on FOX News, there was an increase in visitors at the Great Circle.

"Our phones are ringing off the hook," said Susan Fryer, executive director of the Greater Licking County Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is housed at the Great Circle in Newark.

"So far we've had about 34 visitors today, and about one-third of those are here because they saw it on Glenn Beck," Fryer said mid-afternoon Thursday.

Many of the visitors, Fryer said, were from Ohio and had thought about visiting but never did until they saw the program.

[...]

*Via James McGrath on FB.

Antiquities restoration at the IAA

ANTIQUITIES RESTORATION at the IAA gets a brief look by Haaretz. Excerpt:

[Elisheva] Kamaisky is one of the Antiquities Authority's six-member restoration team who reconstruct objects and implements of the material culture in the country since human habitation began. They receive potsherds, threadbare cloths, metallic weapons, golden coins, delicate glassware and more. Unlike their colleagues in the rest of the world, Israeli law bars them from working with human remains.

[...]

In a nearby room that resembles a chemistry lab, Lena Kuperschmidt, a metallurgy expert, is hard at work. Her current project is opening rolled up lead talismans found in Caesarea. Each talisman is a flat rectangle of lead, engraved in Greek and rolled into a tight scroll. The talismans contain mostly curses against horses, and were meant to help whoever wrote or ordered them disable rival's horses in the races staged at the local hippodrome. Every talisman holds uncharitable wishes, like "may the horse go blind," "may it break its legs," "may it fail to run" and so on.

Ancient Cupid cameo from Jerusalem

AN ANCIENT CUPID CAMEO has been excavated in Jerusalem:

Israel archeologists uncover 2,000-year-old cupid in City of David dig

Israel Antiquities Authority says added inlaid semi-precious stone is of the 'Eros in mourning,' one of a group of visual motifs linked with mourning practices.

By Haaretz Service Tags: Israel news archeology Jerusalem

Israeli archeologists unveiled a 2,000 year old semi-precious cameo bearing the image of Cupid on Monday, which the Israel Antiquities Authorities (IAA) said was among several items located in the City of David archeological area in Jerusalem's Old City in the last 12 months.

The cameo, which will be displayed at the 11th Annual City of David Archaeology Conference scheduled to take place later this week, is 1 cm in length and 0.7 cm in width, and was discovered in the Givati Parking Lot Excavation, a part of the Jerusalem Walls National Park.

[...]

Click on the link for a photo and detailed description.

On the origins of the alphabet

ON THE ORIGINS OF THE ALPHABET: An interesting debate was started up in the March/April issue of BAR by Orly Goldwasser on whether the alphabet was invented in elite scribal circles or (her position) in a working-class environment. Anson Rainey and now Christopher Rollston have replied, taking the contrary view. Much of the discussion is online:

Orly Goldwasser, How the Alphabet Was Born from Hieroglyphs (mostly behind a subscription wall).

Anson Rainey, with Goldwasser's rebuttal, Who Really Invented the Alphabet—Illiterate Miners or Educated Sophisticates? (BAR website).

Christopher Rollston, FEATURED POST by Christopher Rollston: The Probable Inventors of the First Alphabet (ASOR blog).

Note also the recent discussion of The Origins of ABC in a post at John Boardley's I Love Typography blog.

More on Arsinoë II

MORE ON ARSINOË II from Judith Weingarten at the Zenobia: Empress of the East blog: The Uppity Queen Arsinoë II (Part II).

Background here.

Phoenicia closing on on Gibraltar

THE GOOD SHIP PHOENICIA is closing in on Gibraltar:

ARRIVING AT CALPE…

Over a thousand years ago they arrived, looked at the Rock and called it Calpe. Now they’re back - at Ocean Village.

After 27 consecutive days at sea, Phoenicia is expected to arrive on Sunday 29 August in the safe waters of Ocean Village marina for some well-earned R n R. The 21 metre vessel, a traditionally built replica of a 600BC Phoenician cargo ship, is currently recreating the epic first circumnavigation of Africa achieved some 2,600 years ago.

[...]

The latest entry in the Ship's Blog (Position Report 241) reports favorable weather. Background here and follow the links.

UPDATE (30 August): They arrived safely on Sunday (Position Report 243):

We successfully made landfall earlier this morning after a challenging passage along the final Straits of Gibraltar where strong headwinds and sea mist nearly prevented us from going any further. However the strong current enabled us to beat off the head winds and although this meant positioning ourselves near the centre of the Strait and facing on coming ships in the adjacent traffic lane, this strategy eventually paid dividends. Even so it was a tense night and fortunately our luck held.

In Gibraltar we are guests of the Ocean Village Marina where we plan to stay until the end of the week when we will start another leg of the expedition towards Carthage in Tunisia.

Reasons to study theology and religion

101 REASONS TO STUDY THEOLOGY AND RELIGION: The Call for Comments. Helen Ingram has an important blog post up at The Geek Muse. As you can see, I have added my two minas' worth in the comments.

More ancient bling

MORE ANCIENT BLING:

Syrian Archaeologists: Bronze Bracelets, Golden Earrings Unearthed in Sweida

By R. Raslan (Global Arab Network)
Friday, 27 August 2010 14:05

Syria (Sweida) – Syrian excavation expedition working at different archaeological sites in Sweida province (south of the country) unearthed a number of archaeological finds dating back to Hellenistic, Byzantine, Nabatean and Roman ages.

Archaeological discoveries at al-Najma Palace included pottery finds, rings, beads, lanterns, coins, jars, bronze bracelets and golden earrings, Director of Sweida Antiquities Department Wasim al-Shaarani said.

[...]

Via Joseph I. Lauer.

Is it just me, or were ancient women kind of careless with their gold earrings?

For earlier ancient bling posts, go here.

PSCO 2010-11 news

NEWS ON THE PHILADELPHIA SEMINAR ON CHRISTIAN ORIGINS 2010-11 from Annette Yoshiko Reed:

48th Philadelphia Seminar on Christian Origins, 2010-2011

"Beyond Scare Quotes: Rethinking Words and Things in the Study of Ancient 'Judaism' and 'Christianity'"

Co-chairs: Phillip Fackler and Phillip Webster (Penn) / Coordinator: Annette Yoshiko Reed (Penn)

Scare quotes are everywhere in the study of "Judaism" and "Christianity" in antiquity. The ideological import of these terms - along with other words previously thought neutral and descriptive, such as "orthodoxy" and "heresy" - has been exposed. We as scholars can no longer blithely assume a direct correspondence between the categories our sources use and social reality; the words themselves shape reality. Although this insight is not new, it has recently come to dominate discussion in the field, concurrent with the newfound interest in the construction of "Judaism" and "Christianity" as distinct, mutually exclusive "religions." Arguably, however, the time has come to theorize beyond scare quotes. If the words we use do not correspond simply or directly to things, what actually are the objects of study for students of ancient "Judaism" and "Christianity"? Could the appellations "Judaism" and "Christianity" most helpfully be thought of as referring to specific discourses? As ideologies? And what exactly would either of those options mean? Would more attention to group theory help? Identity theory? Could a re-thinking of how the relationship between words and things, and the limits of the heurism of categories and taxonomy, help to re-theorize the relationship between belief and practice? With the recent advent of a near revolution in thinking about the relationship between Jews, Christians, and others in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East, the time may be ripe for an extended discussion regarding of some of the most basic questions in the field: what exactly are the objects of our study when we say we are studying "Judaism" and "Christianity"? And how do we study them?

Schedule [unless otherwise noted, all meetings will be held at 7pm in the Second Floor Lounge of Cohen (Logan) Hall at the University of Pennsylvania]

23 September 2010 - Dale Martin (Yale), "Purity of Language"

21 October 2010 - Seth Schwartz (Columbia), "How Many Judaisms Were There? A Critique of Mason and Boyarin on Categorization"

17 November 2010 - Ra'anan S. Boustan (UCLA), topic TBA [please note that this meeting falls on a Wednesday, rather than the usual Thursday]

January 2010 - TBA

17 February 2010 - Virginia Burrus (Drew), topic TBA

30 March 2010 - Elizabeth Castelli (Barnard), topic TBA

April 2010 - Graduate Student Conference, details soon to come!


For further information about PSCO please see our website, http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/psco/

Good topic. And don't even get me started on "apocrypha" and "pseudepigrapha."

Inscriptions of Qasr ibrim

THE INSCRIPTIONS OF QASR IBRIM are being published in a new book:

Qasr Ibrim: The Greek and Coptic Inscriptions Published on Behalf of the Egypt Exploration Society

by Adam Lajtar and Jacques van der Vliet

This book contains the publication of the Greek and Coptic inscriptions that were brought to light during archaeological work on the site of Qasr Ibrim (Egyptian Nubia) carried out by the Egypt Exploration Society from 1963 onwards. 330p, c.90 figs (Journal of Juristic Papyrology 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-83-925919-2-4
ISBN-10: 83-925919-2-5
Hardback. Not yet published - advance orders taken. Price GB £75.00

Regular readers will recall that numerous manuscript fragments were also excavated at Qasr Ibrim, among them the Coptic fragments of 2 Enoch.

Jack Sasson quotes some further information on the book, which I have not been able to find on the website:

The natural citadel of Qasr Ibrim in Northern Nubia occupied for thousands of years a strategic position between Egypt and the Middle Nile region (the present-day Sudan). In Late Antiquity, it was the political centre of an independent kingdom, Nobadia. Following the Christianization of the region in the sixth century, it became the see of a bishop, for whom a magnificent stone-built cathedral was erected. Towards the year 700, Nobadia became politically integrated into the southern kingdom of Makouria, which had its capital in Old Dongola, but Qasr Ibrim remained the residence of a ‘viceroy’, the eparch of Nobadia, who played a pivotal role in the contacts between Christian Nubia and Islamic Egypt. The capture of Qasr Ibrim by Shams ad-Dawla, Saladin's brother, in 1173, was a dramatic event that inaugurated the decline of the Christian kingdoms of Nubia.

This book brings together the Greek and Coptic inscriptions found at Qasr Ibrim during the excavations of the British Egypt Exploration Society, undertaken between 1963 and 2008. It contains over 90 inscriptions from the period between the sixth and the twelfth centuries, a majority of which are stone monuments that are edited here for the first time. Each inscription is reproduced, translated and provided with a full commentary; extensive indices enhance the accessibility of the material. Most of the inscriptions are of a funerary nature (tombstones), including a series of epitaphs
commemorating bishops, whereas others include building inscriptions and apotropaic texts. Together they present a vivid picture of the mainly clerical élite of this Christian centre at a crossroads between Africa and the Mediterranean, revealing patterns of commemoration and in-group status maintenance.

A new fragment of Ezekiel's Exagoge

PSEUDEPIGRAPHA WATCH: Bob Kraft e-mails:

I just returned from the Papyrology Congress in Geneva, and you will be interested in the paper by Dirk Obbink (Oxford), "A New Fragment of Ezekiel's Exagoge from Oxyrhynchus." According to the abstract, this "newly identified papyrus ... preserves the earliest textual witness to the Hellenistic tragedy Exagoge by Ezekiel. ... The new papyrus attests the widespread circulation of this work and affords a unique opportunity to view its textual paradosis and graphic presentation in literary circles in Roman Oxyrhynchus." The handout provided a critical edition of the text and comparison with other witnesses.

This text is a retelling of the Exodus story in the form of a Greek verse drama by the Hellenistic author Ezekiel the Tragedian. (We covered this in my Old Testament Pseudepigrapha course some years ago. And for much more, see here and here.) Apart from this manuscript, it survives only in quotations (and quotations of quotations) by later writers. Assuming, that is, that this is a manuscript of the Exagoge and not one of the later embedded quotes. Still, an actual manuscript of the work of Alexander Polyhistor would be pretty cool too.

The website for the 26th International Congress of Papyrology is here.

UPDATE (6 September): Jona Lendering and Bill Thayer comment at the Lacus Curtius and Livius blog. (Via Dorothy the PhDiva).

BU's ASOR archive opened to public

THE ASOR ARCHIVE at BU is being opened to the public:

Near East Archaeological Archive Opened

American Schools of Oriental Research headquartered at BU

By Rich Barlow (BU Today)

Good news for the Indiana Jones set: since 1900, the American Schools of Oriental Research has played a pivotal role in archaeological discoveries. Now the BU-headquartered nonprofit, which is dedicated to the archaeology of the Near East, is opening its archive to the public for the first time. Included in its collections are diaries of archaeologists; rare photos of various excavations, including Qumran in the West Bank, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered; and miscellanea, like a reproduction of an 1873 sultan’s permit for a dig in Palestine.

[...]

Coptic Studies Conference

A COPTIC STUDIES CONFERENCE is being held in Alexandria on 21-23 September. Details at Howard Middleton-Jones's Coptic News and Archive blog (which is new to me) and the conference website.

Also via Abu 'l-Rayhan Al-Biruni on FB.

The Literature of Pre-Islamic Iran

NEW(ISH) BOOK:

Ronald E. Emmerich (1937-2001) and Maria Macuch (eds.), The Literature of Pre-Islamic Iran - Companion Volume I: v. 1: Companion

Hardback | In Stock | £59.50 (I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd)

Persian literature is the jewel in the crown of Persian culture. It has profoundly influenced the literatures of Ottoman Turkey, Muslim India and Turkic Central Asia and been a source of inspiration for Goethe, Emerson, Matthew Arnold and Jorge Luis Borges among others. Yet Persian literature has never received the attention it truly deserves."A History of Persian Literature" answers this need and offers a new, comprehensive and detailed history of its subject. This 18-volume, authoritative survey reflects the stature and significance of Persian literature as the single most important accomplishment of the Iranian experience.The main object of this companion volume is to provide an overview of the most important extant literary sources in Old and Middle Iranian languages - the languages of the Achaemenid, Parthian and Sasanian periods culminating in the rich resource of Pahlavi Persian which fed so directly into the language of the later great Persian poets. It will be an indispensable source for the literary traditions of pre-Islamic Iran and an invaluable guide to the subject.

Via Abu 'l-Rayhan Al-Biruni on FB.

Hannah Cotton lecturing on conception of Jesus

ISRAELI CLASSICS PROFESSOR HANNAH COTTON is giving a lecture at the University of Melbourne on "The Conception of Jesus and the Documents from the Judean Desert."

Aramaic Watch: Turkey

ARAMAIC WATCH: In Turkey, good news and bad news for the Arameans. From the Guardian:

Turkey: an ancient faith rebuilds its roots in Tur Abdin, the 'mountains of the worshippers'

Christian Syriacs who were expelled after a crackdown on the Kurds have returned from Europe to resettle their hilltop village

[...]

From Today's Zaman:

‘Back to the drawing board for the monastery’

The Syriac Universal Alliance (SUA), the recognized United Nations NGO representing Aramean (Syriac) people worldwide, reports that the Supreme Court of Appeals in Ankara handed down its long-awaited decision regarding St. Gabriel Monastery’s battle over land boundaries with the neighboring villages of Yayvantepe (Qartmin) and Eğlence (Zinol) in southeastern Turkey.

“In a shocking verdict, the Ankara court has decided against the monastery, resulting in its earlier victory on May 22, 2009 becoming null and void,” the statement from the SUA said.

[...]

Background to the latter story here and here.

Pompeii's destruction as divine retribution - again

POMPEII'S DESTRUCTION as divine retribution is explored by the Jerusalem Post. The article is mainly just a summary of Hershel Shanks's BAR piece from July. As the article notes, the disaster took place 1931 years ago today. It also interviews Shanks briefly, but, disappointingly, it does not consult any scholars to get their comments on Shanks's arguments. That would have been interesting.

Follow the second link for some background on the Pompeii disaster. The fresco depicting Solomon is noted here.

UPDATE: Joseph I. Lauer points to a blog post by David Meadows at Rogue Classicism commenting on the original article. David raises a very good point, although it is addressed in passing in the Solomon link above.

UPDATE (25 August): Ah yes, it was also the 1600th anniversary of the sack of Rome.

More protesting at Barzilai Hospital

STILL AT IT: Haredim protest construction at Barzilai Hospital.

Background here.

Herod's tomb again

HEROD'S TOMB and his building projects are discussed in an article in Jewish Ideas Daily:

Digging King Herod
By Aryeh Tepper

King Herod was a Jew of doubtful origin who ruled Israel in the years 40-4 B.C.E. During this same period, the Roman republic was being replaced by the Roman Empire with its vast expansionist aims. Relying on Roman support for his power, Herod was, in effect, Israel's little Roman emperor. And he played the part, bringing administrative order and economic prosperity to the country and creating hugely ambitious architectural projects. In the Roman way, he was also cruel, paranoid, and thorough, killing his wife, three sons, and an assortment of other relatives and confidants.

The extent of Herod's failure came to light in 2007 thanks to one of the most electrifying archeological finds in recent times: the discovery of his tomb at Herodion.

[...]

Last I'd heard, there was still uncertainty whether this tomb at Herodion was actually Herod's.

From the conclusion:

... The figure with whom today's Israeli Jews can identify is the other side of Herod: the visionary builder. While his moral life remains repulsive, not to say incomprehensible, the mini-emperor can be invoked as a standard against whom to measure the achievements of other, modern builders in the land of Israel.

Two-thousand years after his death, it appears that Herod is finally earning the acceptance he so deeply craved, finding a home in a reborn Jewish state that is working its way through the ancient question of what Rome has to do with Jerusalem.

For more some thoughts on Herod and his background, see here.

Petra cave paintings

PETRA has been in the news lately for more than Travel pieces, which is a nice development. The latest:

Discovery of ancient cave paintings in Petra stuns art scholars

Exquisite artworks hidden under 2,000 years of soot and grime in a Jordanian cave have been restored by experts from the Courtauld Institute in London

* Dalya Alberge
* The Observer, Sunday 22 August 2010

Spectacular 2,000-year-old Hellenistic-style wall paintings have been revealed at the world heritage site of Petra through the expertise of British conservation specialists. The paintings, in a cave complex, had been obscured by centuries of black soot, smoke and greasy substances, as well as graffiti.

Experts from the Courtauld Institute in London have now removed the black grime, uncovering paintings whose "exceptional" artistic quality and sheer beauty are said to be superior even to some of the better Roman paintings at Herculaneum that were inspired by Hellenistic art.

Virtually no Hellenistic paintings survive today, and fragments only hint at antiquity's lost masterpieces, while revealing little about their colours and composition, so the revelation of these wall paintings in Jordan is all the more significant. They were created by the Nabataeans, who traded extensively with the Greek, Roman and Egyptian empires and whose dominion once stretched from Damascus to the Red Sea, and from Sinai to the Arabian desert.

Such is the naturalistic intricacy of these paintings that the actual species of flowers, birds and insects bursting with life can be identified. They were probably painted in the first century, but may go back further. Professor David Park, an eminent wall paintings expert at the Courtauld, said that the paintings "should make jaws drop".

[...]

Via Dorothy King on Facebook.

Other recent news on Petra here. I've been linking to Travel stories on Petra since 2003. There's a fairly recent one here. For some other cool ancient paintings, see these recent articles on Dura Europos.

SBL Executive Director responds to Ron Hendel

JOHN F. KUTSKO, the Executive Director of the Society of Biblical Literature, has a thoughtful and constructive response to the concerns raised by Ron Hendel some time ago. Do go and read it.

More here.

Also, while I'm thinking about it, note the SBL's David Noel Freedman Award for Excellence and Creativity in Hebrew Bible Scholarship and Paul J. Achtemeier Award for New Testament Scholarship. The deadline for both isn't until March, 2011, but best get started now.

The queen, the gold coin, and everything

ARSINOË II, the queen on that newly excavated gold coin, is profiled by Judith Weingarten in a long post at her Zenobia: Empress of the East blog:

The Uppity Queen Arsinoë II

Who's the Woman Behind this Giant Coin?

The news that a rare Ptolemaic gold coin was found in Israel -- weighing just under one ounce (27.71 grams) of almost pure gold -- seems to have overshadowed the woman whose portrait is literally heads-up on it.* The coin -- more a medallion, really, than money meant to be spent -- is worth a cool $1,184 at today's price just for its gold (never mind a premium of $$$$ for antiquity and rarity). It commemorates Queen Arsinoë II -- one of the feistiest Hellenistic queens ever.

And, believe me, the competition for 'feistiest Hellenistic queen' was stiff.

In many ways, Arsinoë II was their role model.

[...]

The following episode in her life reminded me of a related story I'd been reading about for my new course on the Book of Daniel:

Arsinoë and son then sailed to Egypt where her younger brother, Ptolemy II had succeeded to the throne. Ptolemy II was married to Arsinoë I (I know this is confusing, but I can't help it), a daughter of Lysimachus -- presumably by a wife or two before he had married Arsinoë II. It didn't take long for Arsinoë II to get the better of Arsinoë I and boot her out: though the mother of his three children, Ptolemy II found her guilty of plotting against his majesty and exiled her to Coptos in Upper Egypt, where she vanishes from history.

To add insult to injury, Arsinoë I was the daughter of Arsinoë II's ex-husband Lysimachus, so Arsinoë I was dumped by her husband for her ex-stepmother who was also his own sister. That had to have hurt. One of those three children of the hapless Arsinoë I is mentioned in passing in Daniel 11:5-6:

⁵"Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he and his dominion shall be a great dominion.

⁶After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make peace; but she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his offspring shall not endure; but she shall be given up, and her attendants, her child, and he who got possession of her. (RSV)

The king of the south and the "one of his princes" in v. 5 are, respectively, the two generals of Alexander, Ptolemy I and Seleucus I, who founded large empires after Alexander's death. The king of the south in v. 6 is Ptolemy II and his daughter is one of Arsinoë I's children, Berenice. Poor Berenice shared her mother's bad luck. Perhaps she had hers coming more than her mother did, although it's not clear how much choice she had in the sad course of events summarized in this Berenice (Seleucid queen) Wikipedia entry:

Berenice, also called Berenice Syra, was the daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and his first wife Arsinoe I of Egypt.

In 261 BC she married the Seleucid monarch Antiochus II Theos, who, following an agreement with Ptolemy (249 BC), had divorced his wife Laodice I and transferred the succession to Berenice's children.

In 246 BC, when Ptolemy died, Antiochus II took up again with his first wife, Laodice. The Syrian King died shortly after, many suspect from poisoning. Queen Berenice claimed the Regency for her son, Seleucus and conquered Soloia with her army, however, she and her son were both poisoned by Laodice as well. Berenice's brother, Ptolemy III Euergetes succeeded their father and set about to avenge his sister's murder by invading Syria and having Laodice killed. This is also mentioned in the Book of Daniel 11:6.

Carly Silver on Dura Europos and her Jewish heritage

CARLY SILVER meditates in New Voices on Dura Europos and her Jewish heritage. Excerpt:

When I did research for Archaeology, a different image presented itself. The hustle and bustle of a mid-size Syrian town called Dura-Europos glimmered distantly in the heat haze of time, thousands of years removed, but still tangible through its well-preserved ruins. It contained one of the earliest synagogues ever found outside of Israel. Its paintings were largely intact, showing images that must have reminded each patron that walked through its doors of the richly decorated temple. Bright colors of the wall paintings shone softly in the dim light, the reds and golds of a biblical narrative in one shining off a young man’s close-cropped dark hair. The familiar melodies came to mind as the service began, sweetly melancholy notes floating like specks of gold dust on the air from one mouth to another.

These images are part projection of my imagination—especially the ancient ones—part second-hand remembrance from years gone by from a loved one. Both jobs mentally took me places I’d never been before—from my great-grandparents’ wedding, infused with the hope of the newlyweds to an ancient synagogue, breathing in the warm desert air while murmuring prayers taught to us by our fathers. No matter what job I take, my Jewish heritage, fictional imagery or not, will be with me.

Background here.

A new Hebrew grammar

A NEW HEBREW GRAMMAR: John A. Cook and Robert D. Holmstedt, Biblical Hebrew: An Illustrated Introduction. This is the first time I've heard the term "PHSD ('post Hebrew stress disorder')."

New twist in Jerusalem Museum of Tolerance controversy

A NEW TWIST in the controversy over the Jerusalem Museum of Tolerance and its siting at the Muslim Mamilla Cemetery:

Muslims planned Mamilla project in '45

BY ABE SELIG (Jerusalem Post)
02/17/2010 03:54

Wiesenthal Center accuses Museum of Tolerance opponents of hypocrisy.
Talkbacks (14)

The Simon Wiesenthal Center on Tuesday accused opponents of its plans to build a museum near a historic Muslim cemetery in central Jerusalem of “sheer hypocrisy” after the center obtained information showing that the Supreme Muslim Council of British Mandate Palestine had planned to build a large commercial center directly on top of the cemetery in 1945.

[...]

However, a November 22, 1945 article from The Palestine Post (the pre-state name of The Jerusalem Post), which was forwarded to the Wiesenthal Center on Monday after being posted on a blog, reports Muslim plans to build directly over the cemetery.

The report states, “An area of over 450 dunams in the heart of Jerusalem, now forming the Mamilla Cemetery, is to be converted into a business centre.

“The town-plan is being completed under the supervision of the Supreme Moslem Council in conjunction with the Government Town Planning Adviser,” the article continues.

“A six-storeyed building to house the Supreme Moslem Council and other offices, a four-storeyed hotel, a bank and other buildings suitable for it, a college, a club and a factory are to be the main structures. There will also be a park to be called the Salah ed Din Park, after the Moslem warrior of Crusader times.”

The 1945 article also describes plans by the council to transfer remains buried in the cemetery to a separate, “walled reserve” and cites rulings from prominent Muslim clerics at the time allowing for the building plans to progress.

“In an interview with Al-Wih-da, the Jerusalem weekly,” the Palestine Post article continues, “a member of the Supreme Moslem Council stated that the use of Moslem cemeteries in the public interest had many precedents both in Palestine and elsewhere.

“The member added that the Supreme Moslem Council intended to publish a statement containing dispensations by Egyptian, Hijazi and Demascene clerics sanctioning the building programme. He pointed out that the work would be carried out in stages and by public tender. Several companies had already been formed in anticipation, and funds were plentiful.”

The dean and founder of the Wiesenthal Center, Rabbi Marvin Hier, told the Post on Tuesday that the discovery of the article showed the “sheer hypocrisy” of opponents to the planned museum, which Hier stressed was “not even being built on the cemetery itself.”

[...]

There's more at the Museum of Tolerance website.

The statement that the museum is “not even being built on the cemetery itself” may be technically correct (I've lost track of the exact details) but the point seems a little disingenuous given that quite a few graves have been excavated in preparation for building it. That said, this new report and those of fake grave planting on the site are rapidly eroding the moral high ground of the opponents of the museum.

Via Joseph I. Lauer.

Armenian studies at the Hebrew University

A PROFILE OF ARMENIAN STUDIES at the Hebrew University:

ARMENIAN STUDIES, A FASCINATING FIELD

from Arthur Hagopian (PR-inside.com)

Jerusalem, Aug 18 - The language of the Armenian people and their culture, literature and history have always provided a fascinating field of study among "odar" (foreigner) scholars.

Chief among the center of such scholarship
in this part of the world stands the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with its Armenian Studies department.

Besides the ongoing course of lectures and seminars it pursues, the department also supports the publication of a wide range of books on Armeniana.
The studies program, which had been suspended for a year in the wake of the departure of Dr. Sergio La Porta, is now resuming with Prof Jasmine Dum-Tragut of Salzburg, in place.

The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem is one of the program's chief supporters and beneficiaries: it has seen several members of its priestly Brotherhood of St James, achieve distinction at the university, the latest Father Pakrad Bourjekian, who has been awarded a Masters Degree.

[...]

Angelic amulet advert banned by ASA

TRUTH IN ADVERTISING now applies to magical amulets:

Amulet advert banned over claim of 'divine protection'
An advert for an amulet which promised 'divine protection' has been banned by advertising bosses because the firm behind it could not prove that angels will protect those who wear it.

Published: 7:00AM BST 18 Aug 2010 (The Telegraph)

The magazine advert, placed by The Circle of Raphael (CoR), promised that the 'seven angels amulet' would bring its owner 'angelic blessings, guidance and peace' - and bring them luck at 'games of chance' at the casino.

The talisman - the size of a 10p piece and which features an array of mystic symbols - is available in silver for £29 or nine carat gold for £120.

The advert promises the wearer they would be 'blessed with the gift of Angelic good fortune, guidance and divine protection from all real danger, both physical and spiritual'

It continued: "This incredible Angelic item has proved it can create fantastic results for its owners instantly.

"From the moment you receive it, you will have seven Angelic friends watching over and protecting your life."

It stated that by wearing the talisman 'numerous doors to opportunities and good fortune' will be 'flung open like magic' and the holder will be given the gift of 'inner peace and happiness' by 'lucky in love', have 'financial security', be protected from 'all acts of violence' and it would bestow 'good fortune in games of chance'

One reader challenged the claims and said he wanted proof that the amulet worked.

A spokesman for the The Circle of Raphael - a 'small group adepts' who 'feel ancient wisdoms' - said the talisman was from a 'Hebrew religious viewpoint' and said they had sold thousands without ever receiving a complaint.

They claimed to have testimonies from wearers saying the amulet had 'done exactly what was claimed in the advert', but that customers could get their money back if not happy with the purchase within 60 days of buying it. But the ASA ruled that the advert should not be used again, stating that it had breached honesty, truthfulness and substantiation clauses of the advertising code.

A spokesman for the ASA said: "The ASA noted CoR did not send evidence that showed the efficacy of the talisman.

[...]

This seems a bit harsh, considering all the unverifiable promises made by mainstream religions. (Robert Heinlein once commented that the world's religions have been making promises about the afterlife for thousands of years without ever producing even one satisfied customer.) I guess the Circle of Raphael mis-stepped first by making such concrete this-worldly claims and second by charging a fee rather than asking for a "donation." Still, I would have thought the 60-day money-back guarantee would have covered them.

The amulet's claims are quite similar to some of the promises made by the Merkavah mystics for their praxes, although the texts say nothing about charging for them.

He who repeats this great mystery--his face is sallow, his stature is fine, awe of him is imposed on (all) creatures, and his good name goes into all the places of Israel. His dreams are easy to him, his Torah is preserved in him, and he does not forget the words of Torah all his days. It is good for him in this world and restful for him in the world to come. Even the iniquities of his youth are remitted him for the coming future. The evil inclination has no authority over him, and he is saved from spirits and demons and robbers and from all injurious animals and from snake and scorpion and from all harmful demons.
(Merkavah Rabba §705)

IAA Director harrassed by haredi?

MORE CONFLICT reported between the IAA and the Ultra-Orthodox:

Haredi suspected of harassing Antiquities Authority director

Published: 08.18.10, 11:07 / Israel News (Ynet News)

A 23-year-old ultra-Orthodox man from Jerusalem has been arrested on suspicion of harassing Israel Antiquities Authority Director-General Shuka Dorfman.

[...]

The issue was reportedly "'desecration' of ancient graves."

Background here.

Jerusalem Syndrome becoming less common

JERUSALEM SYNDROME is becoming less common according to Emunah Magazine:

Speaking in a recent interview with the Lutheran Press Service, Israeli psychologist Gregory Katz from the Kfar Shaul Medical Center in Jerusalem says the syndrome is becoming less common as the years go by. “The majority of patients that come into the psychiatric clinic with religious delusions were already suffering from psychological problems before they arrived in the holy city.” He says that those most susceptible these days are extremely religious persons who are ninety-eight percent Christian. They normally come from remote rural areas and in most cases and are traveling abroad for the first time in their lives.

Katz distinguishes two types of illness: One where seemingly normal people arrive in the city and undergo a sort of religious conversion, whereby they actually become a biblical figure. Most of these persons are Pentecostals from rural regions in the USA and Scandinavia. One one occasion, Katz says, he had three Virgins Mary at once sharing a single room. Then there is the more worrisome version, where genuinely disturbed persons flock to the city to act out their preexisting complexes. Even when visitors do succumb to the former phenomenon, treatment is relatively easy. A few days of sedatives and talk therapy usually do the trick. The best thing, of course, is to get the person away from the city and back to their normal environment.

The syndrome used to be as common as measles and was particularly visible during Jewish and Christian holidays. Between 1980 and 1993, the clinic treated some 1,200 patients suffering from some form of the disorder. In the mid-90s, the clinic’s director, Dr. Yair Bar El, studied the records of the 470 visitors from all over the world who ended up being hospitalized. He discovered that 66 percent were Jews, 33 percent were Christians, and one percent were without any religious affiliation.

“Today we usually only get patients with the Jerusalem Syndrome once a year,” Katz said. “Before the new millennium started, we would get two or three patients annually.” What explains this precipitous drop? Katz believes it has to do with the declining religiosity among tourists, coupled with their greater sophistication. With the spread of electronic communications technology and low-cost air travel, people are simply much better informed and better traveled than before. They also draw a clearer distinction between fantasy and reality. While society at one time saw religious visions and cases of possession as being within the bounds of “normality,” Katz says, “we have now become so rational that we regard people with religious visions as being ill.”

I'm glad to hear that fewer people are suffering from this, but I can't say that I've noticed people becoming much better at distinguishing fantasy from reality. In any case, the "reality" of a vision is frequently closely related to its social construction in a community. Maybe it's better to say that people are becoming more sophisticated in contextualizing their religious experiences outside of mainstream religious settings.

More on Jerusalem Syndrome here.

"Canaanite" bracelet modern?

OOPS!

Rare Bronze Horned-Bracelet, Not Ancient

The fact is the excavators found a modern 20th-century Bedouin bracelet and not a Canaanite bracelet

By Robert Deutsch (Bible and Interpretation)
Archaeologist
Tel Aviv
August 2010

If this is correct, it's a bit embarrassing. It will be interesting to see how other archaeologists react. It reminds me of an unfortunate practical joke involving a plastic toy dinosaur which I once witnessed at an archaeological excavation. (I was not the perpetrator.)

Background here.

Prof. Tom Wright - public lecture

PROFESSOR TOM WRIGHT will be giving a public lecture at the University of St. Andrews in September:

University of St Andrews
School of Divinity

Bible and the Contemporary World - Public Lecture

Prof. N. T. (Tom) Wright - 'Kingdom, Power and Truth: God and Caesar Then and Now'

Tuesday 14th September 2010
6.30pm
Buchanan Building, Union Street
University of St Andrews

Admission Free