Rival Owners, Sacred TextEarlier reviews etc. here and links.
The story of how the most authoritative manuscript of the Hebrew Bible, spirited to Aleppo in the 14th century, found its way to Israel.
By BENJAMIN BALINT (Wall Street Journal)
In Jerusalem, a gleaming white dome and a black basalt wall shield Israel's greatest treasures—not bejeweled crowns or scepters but unadorned texts. Visitors to the Shrine of the Book, a wing of the Israel Museum, can descend a steep flight of stairs from the main hall, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are on display, and arrive at a small chamber that houses the oldest and most authoritative copy of the Hebrew Bible.
Or so it appears. In fact, the full Aleppo Codex, as the copy is called—a bound volume of vellum pages also known as the Crown of Aleppo—is stored in a nearby vault. Only its topmost leaf, the one that viewers see, is from the codex itself. The rest is a dummy, cleverly arranged by the curators to appear real. As Matti Friedman observes in "The Aleppo Codex," a superb work of investigative journalism that reads like a detective thriller, this illusion is but the first sign that not everything about the codex is as it seems.
[...]
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Review of Friedman, The Aleppo Codex
BOOK REVIEW:
More on Origen's Psalm homilies
ALIN SUCIU: Lorenzo Perrone About Origen’s Newly Discovered Homilies on the Psalms. Excerpt:
Background here (immediately preceding post).
UPDATE: Roger Pearse: Jerome’s Letter 33, listing the works of Origen.
I worked hastily in the following weeks to go through the considerable manuscript (371 folios) and check its content. More and more, albeit still provisionally, I have come to the conclusion that we have to do with a lot of lost homilies of Origen. My conviction is supported, among other things, by the exegetical treatment presented by the homilies, the doctrinal elements they preserve, the stylistic features which are typical of the great Alexandrian. In addition, some excerpts of these homilies were already known to us under his name in some catenae fragments edited in PG 17 and the Analecta Sacra of Pitra, especially with regard to Psalm 77.This seems to be a very important discovery. More please.
Only a thorough examination of the texts transmitted by the Codex Monacensis Graecus 314 will permit to extend with reasonable certainty the attribution to Origen of all the remaining homilies or of part of them, besides the Homilies I-IV on Psalm 36.
Background here (immediately preceding post).
UPDATE: Roger Pearse: Jerome’s Letter 33, listing the works of Origen.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Homilies on the Psalms by Origen recovered
NEW DISCOVERY: The Rediscovery of Origen’s Homilies on the Psalms (Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Cod.graec. 314) (Alin Suciu). "The Bavarian State Library in Munich announces that Origen’s homilies to the Psalms have been discovered in an 11th century Greek manuscript." Alin has more information here: Guest Post: Mark Bilby on the Recent Discovery of Origen’s Homilies on the Psalms. And Roger Pearse translates the German press release here and comments:
It is not clear to me whether these homilies are entirely new or were already known from a Latin translation. But they are certainly new in the original Greek, and given that the Latin translations of Origen's works were generally pretty poor, tending toward paraphrase and bowdlerization, they are important either way. Some summary information on Origen's homilies is here. The author specifically bewails the loss of so many of the Psalms homilies.
This discovery is likely also to be important indirectly for ancient Judaism. Origen lived in Caesarea in the third century. He knew Hebrew and was in contact with the local rabbis, so his work is often influenced by contemporary Palestinian Jewish exegesis.
Bit by bit, a letter at a time, whatever it takes. Until we're done.
UPDATE (13 June): More here.
What else is out there??? What lies hidden by the wretched catalogues of most institutions, where none but the staff can browse casually?Indeed.
It is not clear to me whether these homilies are entirely new or were already known from a Latin translation. But they are certainly new in the original Greek, and given that the Latin translations of Origen's works were generally pretty poor, tending toward paraphrase and bowdlerization, they are important either way. Some summary information on Origen's homilies is here. The author specifically bewails the loss of so many of the Psalms homilies.
This discovery is likely also to be important indirectly for ancient Judaism. Origen lived in Caesarea in the third century. He knew Hebrew and was in contact with the local rabbis, so his work is often influenced by contemporary Palestinian Jewish exegesis.
Bit by bit, a letter at a time, whatever it takes. Until we're done.
UPDATE (13 June): More here.
Review of Harland (ed.), Travel and Religion in Antiquity
BOOK REVIEW at H-Judaic:
Philip A. Harland, ed. Travel and Religion in Antiquity. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2011. xii + 289 pp. $85.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-1-55458-222-8.Philip Harland runs the blog Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean. An earlier review of this book is noted here.
Reviewed by David Frankfurter (Boston University)
Published on H-Judaic (June, 2012)
Commissioned by Jason Kalman
Beyond Pilgrimage
Philip Harland has produced an exceptionally interesting and theoretically astute collection of essays, based on seminars of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies and thoroughly in dialogue with new work like Jaś Elsner and Ian Rutherford’s Seeing the Gods (although too late for some of the participants to engage Catherine Heszer’s new Jewish Travel in Antiquity).[1] In some ways the volume follows new questions in the area of New Testament studies about itinerancy and cult migration; and yet only two of the papers in the volume address New Testament materials. The collection is far more eclectic, including discussions of Mesopotamian mythology, Nabataean ritual, and Tacitus’s interpretations of barbarian gods.
[...]
Review of Boyarin, The Jewish Gospels
BOOK REVIEW: Peter Schäfer reviews Daniel Boyarin, The Jewish Gospels: The Story of the Jewish Christ (New Press, 200 pp., $21.95) in The New Republic: The Jew Who Would Be God. Excerpt:
Earlier reviews and comments on Boyarin's work are here and links. Earlier PaleoJudaica posts on the Son of Man are here and here and links. Schäfer and I are more or less in agreement on the latter subject, although I think the Danielic "one like a son of man" may have been Enoch rather than an angel. I have not yet read Boyarin's book, so I can't comment on it.
BOYARIN’S BOOK leaves the reader irritated and sad. It has very little that is new to offer—and what appears to be new is wildly speculative and highly idiosyncratic. Even judged by its commendable intentions—to win over dogmatic defenders of the perfect uniqueness of Christianity or Judaism—it is disappointing. As the younger Talmud professor in the acclaimed Israeli movie Footnote says to his hapless student, “There are many correct and new aspects in your paper—only what is new isn’t correct and what is correct isn’t new.”Via Larry Hurtado, who concurs with Schäfer's judgment.
Earlier reviews and comments on Boyarin's work are here and links. Earlier PaleoJudaica posts on the Son of Man are here and here and links. Schäfer and I are more or less in agreement on the latter subject, although I think the Danielic "one like a son of man" may have been Enoch rather than an angel. I have not yet read Boyarin's book, so I can't comment on it.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Online aliases in academic debate
ASKING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS (really this time): Are online aliases ever justified in academic debate? Sock puppets - online commenters that create a false identity - are disrupting academic freedom and scholarly debate, says Simon Tanner (The Guardian).
If it's just a matter of discussing evidence and debating rational arguments, it doesn't really matter whether one knows all the names of the debaters. And there is a long tradition of anonymous political pamphleteering that has often served a constructive purpose.
But, that said, there is rarely a compelling reason to conceal one's identity in tempest-in-a-teapot academic debates. True, sometimes it does no great harm for an anonymous blogger to tweak the nose of academia. For example, I found the N. T. Wrong blog amusing. But, human nature being what it is, Internet anonymity leads some people to do things they would never do in their own name.
Sock puppetry goes beyond presenting arguments anonymously for an unpopular position and deliberately creates the impression that more people are making the arguments than actually are. (This amounts to a twisted appeal to the authority of numbers to give the impression of a false controversy or even a false consensus.) The showpiece example of sock puppetry run amok is the Raphael Golb affair involving the Dead Sea Scrolls (more background here and links), which Tanner mentions, citing Robert Cargill. This case moved from mere nuisance trolling to an attempt actually to damage the reputation of a prominent academic, and it illustrates sock puppetry's potential for real harm.
If it's just a matter of discussing evidence and debating rational arguments, it doesn't really matter whether one knows all the names of the debaters. And there is a long tradition of anonymous political pamphleteering that has often served a constructive purpose.
But, that said, there is rarely a compelling reason to conceal one's identity in tempest-in-a-teapot academic debates. True, sometimes it does no great harm for an anonymous blogger to tweak the nose of academia. For example, I found the N. T. Wrong blog amusing. But, human nature being what it is, Internet anonymity leads some people to do things they would never do in their own name.
Sock puppetry goes beyond presenting arguments anonymously for an unpopular position and deliberately creates the impression that more people are making the arguments than actually are. (This amounts to a twisted appeal to the authority of numbers to give the impression of a false controversy or even a false consensus.) The showpiece example of sock puppetry run amok is the Raphael Golb affair involving the Dead Sea Scrolls (more background here and links), which Tanner mentions, citing Robert Cargill. This case moved from mere nuisance trolling to an attempt actually to damage the reputation of a prominent academic, and it illustrates sock puppetry's potential for real harm.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
This year's Masada opera
CARMEN is the operatic piece chosen for performance at Masada this year: Dead Sea fortress in Israel to be the set for 'Carmen' (MSNBC photoblog). Performances started on 6 June, but the desert context has not been without its challenges: Masada sandstorm gives Israeli opera star break. ‘Carmen’ star replaced by local understudy after desert climate proves too much. (Jerusalem Post).
This is the third annual opera run performed at Masada. The earlier ones were Nabucco in 2010 and Aida in 2011. Background here and links.
This is the third annual opera run performed at Masada. The earlier ones were Nabucco in 2010 and Aida in 2011. Background here and links.
Friday, June 08, 2012
Iraqi Jewish archive latest
THE IRAQI JEWISH ARCHIVE is back in the news, after nearly a year of quiet. To recap: a lot of Jewish documents in Hebrew and Aramaic (sorry, slip of the keyboard, should be Arabic) were found rotting in the flooded basement of the Iraqi Intelligence headquarters during the Iraq war in 2003. In a few weeks these were frozen to preserve them and they were later shipped to the United States for conservation, which is still ongoing. Meanwhile, Iraq has been asking for them back.
The latest coverage is in Al Arabiya News: Israel suspected of seeking to ‘steal’ ancient Iraqi manuscripts transferred to U.S., with the Times of Israel then picking up the story: Iraq to the United States: Give us back our Torahs and Talmuds. Baghdad officials claim the US took away thousands of ancient Babylonian artifacts in 2006.
The Al Arabiya article is riddled with errors:
Now there is a lot of important, interesting, and cool stuff here, but nothing copied or printed before early modernity. It is ridiculous to claim that ancient copies of the Talmud or the Hebrew Bible were included. Had this been true it would have been worked out early on, and specialists would have been all over the collection. It is true that there were early reports of a seventh-century Talmud in the collection, but these were debunked by the beginnning of 2004.
Back to the Al Arabiya article:
Now bah to Jawad Al-Tattab for writing such ignorant propaganda and to Al Arabiya for publishing it. But double bah to Elhanan Miller and The Times of Israel for falling for it and propagating it. Their research seems to have consisted of reading the Al Arabiya article, then calling some Iraqi government officials and the IAA, with this result:
I would have thought that the stuff about the Tower of Babel would have hinted to pretty much anyone that there were problems with the Al Arabiya piece. And had anyone at The Times of Israel bothered to Google "Iraqi Jewish Archive," they would have found the Iraqi Jewish Archive Preservation Report on the first results page, which would have cleared up much of the nonsense. It is disappointing that the recent example of shoe-leather reporting by their own Matti Friedman did not inspire them to do some real research.
Anyone who wants the full story of the Iraqi Jewish Archive from its discovery in 2003 to the present can follow the PaleoJudaica links here (AP link has rotted) and here all the way back to the original story.
As for who gets the archive, after its treatment of its own Jewish community in the 20th century, I think Iraq's claim is tenuous at best. But the real issue is what is best for the archive itself, as part of the historical heritage not only of Iraqi Judaism, but of humanity. I have commented on this at greater length here and here and links.
The latest coverage is in Al Arabiya News: Israel suspected of seeking to ‘steal’ ancient Iraqi manuscripts transferred to U.S., with the Times of Israel then picking up the story: Iraq to the United States: Give us back our Torahs and Talmuds. Baghdad officials claim the US took away thousands of ancient Babylonian artifacts in 2006.
The Al Arabiya article is riddled with errors:
The Iraqi minister of culture has said that the United States is delaying the return of original copies of ancient manuscripts that were illegally smuggled out of Iraq and reportedly sold to Israel.The archive was sent to the United States for conservation purposes. The manuscripts were soaked with water, infested with mold, and then frozen. The expertise and resources needed to conserve them are enormous and they were sent to the best place to get this done, and it is taking as long as it takes to do the job right.
The manuscripts are part of the Jewish archive that was found in the basement of the Iraqi intelligence building following the 2003 American invasion.
The archive was reportedly transferred to the United States for “maintenance purposes” provided that it would be returned to the Iraqi government by mid-2006. The archive, however, has not yet been transferred back to the Iraqi Archeology and Heritage Association.
Iraqi media reports suggest that Israel was behind the stalling of theAll I can say is, if only. The Iraqi Jewish Archive Preservation Report from 2003 has a description of the archive as follows:
delivery of the archives and that the Jewish state was planning to obtain the historic manuscripts from its ally the United States. Arab League Deputy Secretary General Ahmed ben Helli has confirmed attempts by Israel to steal ancient Iraqi archives.
“Iraq has been subjected to the biggest theft of its manuscripts and historic treasures,” he said. “Israel is accomplice to this.”
According to archeologists, the Iraqi Jewish archive contains almost 3,000 documents and 1,700 antiques that chronicle the eras in which Jews were enslaved in Iraq during the first and second eras of Babylonian captivity. The collection also comprises belongings of Jews who lived in Iraq.
Among the most important items in the collection are the oldest copies of the Talmud and the Old Testament. That is why, experts argue, the former Iraqi regime kept the collection guarded in the intelligence building.
Description of the Iraqi Jewish ArchiveThis was written in 2003, and there have been no updates since which give any indication of earlier material in the archive.
The Iraqi Jewish Archive contains 16th-20th century Jewish rare books, correspondence and document files, pamphlets, modern books, audio tape and parchment scrolls. Languages represented in the Archive include Hebrew, Judeo-Arabic, Arabic and English (a few items).
The following descriptive information, provided by Hebraic and Arabic area study specialists at the Library of Congress, was gleaned from the photographs taken of the frozen materials in the open trunks. Once the materials are dried and have had the mold remediated it will be possible to provide a clearer and more detailed assessment of the contents.
∑ Hebraic materials. The Hebraica includes an eclectic mix of materials, ranging from holiday and daily prayer books, Bibles and commentaries, sections from a damaged Torah scroll, books on Jewish law, as well as children's Hebrew language and Bible primers. The printed books were published in a variety of places, including Baghdad, Warsaw, Livorno, and Venice, and most are from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Rare works include:
∑ the 'Ketubim' volume of the monumental Third Rabbinic Bible that was published in Venice by Giovanni di Gara in 1568; and
∑ what appears to be Abraham Brudo's 'Birkat Avraham,' which was published in Venice in 1696.
∑ Arabic materials. The Arabic materials include both hand-written and printed items pertaining to the Jewish community of Iraq, some produced by the Jewish community and others from official governmental sources. In addition, there are items that do not appear to have any connection to the Jewish community at all. The materials include:
∑ a handwritten document, dated September 5, 1966, which appears to be a request for names for a board of directors of the Jewish community;
∑ a school roster Madrasat Furnak (second part unclear) with both male and female names, which dates primarily to August-September 1966-67;
∑ a collection that includes the law of the Jewish community #77 for 1931 and the organization of the Jewish community #36 of 1931, published by the Jewish Charitable Organization in 1932;
∑ an official Iraqi report to the Minister of Interior (and various directorates) reporting on important events, dated 16/2/2000.
Now there is a lot of important, interesting, and cool stuff here, but nothing copied or printed before early modernity. It is ridiculous to claim that ancient copies of the Talmud or the Hebrew Bible were included. Had this been true it would have been worked out early on, and specialists would have been all over the collection. It is true that there were early reports of a seventh-century Talmud in the collection, but these were debunked by the beginnning of 2004.
Back to the Al Arabiya article:
Experts add that Israel is keen on obtaining the manuscripts in order to prove their claim that the Jews had built the Tower of Babel as part of its attempt to distort the history of the Middle East for its own interests.Because the controversy over who built the Tower of Babel is central to the geopolitics of 2012.
Now bah to Jawad Al-Tattab for writing such ignorant propaganda and to Al Arabiya for publishing it. But double bah to Elhanan Miller and The Times of Israel for falling for it and propagating it. Their research seems to have consisted of reading the Al Arabiya article, then calling some Iraqi government officials and the IAA, with this result:
Saad Bashir Iskandar, director general of the books and documents department of the Iraqi ministry, said the Americans insisted on removing the artifacts from Iraq. The items were stored in no less than 48,000 boxes and containers, he said.The factual information from the Iraqi officials is of mixed quality: notably, we're talking about 27 metal trunks of manuscripts, which would not hold 48,000 boxes. (Didn't that number sound at all implausible to anyone?) As for the delay, the challenge of carrying out the massive conservation project (and raising the money for it) adequately explains the "procrastination." And I don't blame the IAA for wanting to stay out of the whole thing.
“Our ongoing negotiations with the Americans always run up against barriers of procrastination,” Taher Hamoud, director general of the Culture Ministry told Al-Arabiya. He added that the documents contained within the archive in question are 70% in Hebrew, 25% in Arabic and 5% in other languages.
A spokeswoman for Israel’s Antiquities Authority told The Times of Israel she had no information on the Iraqi allegations.
I would have thought that the stuff about the Tower of Babel would have hinted to pretty much anyone that there were problems with the Al Arabiya piece. And had anyone at The Times of Israel bothered to Google "Iraqi Jewish Archive," they would have found the Iraqi Jewish Archive Preservation Report on the first results page, which would have cleared up much of the nonsense. It is disappointing that the recent example of shoe-leather reporting by their own Matti Friedman did not inspire them to do some real research.
Anyone who wants the full story of the Iraqi Jewish Archive from its discovery in 2003 to the present can follow the PaleoJudaica links here (AP link has rotted) and here all the way back to the original story.
As for who gets the archive, after its treatment of its own Jewish community in the 20th century, I think Iraq's claim is tenuous at best. But the real issue is what is best for the archive itself, as part of the historical heritage not only of Iraqi Judaism, but of humanity. I have commented on this at greater length here and here and links.
Thursday, June 07, 2012
New book: Schnieder, The Appearance of the High Priest
NEW BOOK from Cherub Press:
The Appearance of the High Priest – Theophany, Apotheosis and Binitarian Theology: From Priestly Tradition of the Second Temple Period through Ancient Jewish Mysticism, by Michael Schneider, מראה כהן: תיאופניה, אפותיאוזה, ותיאולוגיה בינארית – בין ההגות הכהנית בתקופת הבית השני לבין המיסטיקה היהודית הקדומה (Sources and Studies in the Literature of Jewish Mysticism 30; 2012, 384 pages, ISBN 1-933379-25-1, $42, in Hebrew). This volume is the first of three volumes in a major scholarly reassessment of mystical traditions in the Second Temple period, which explores the variety of early religious traditions across diverse bodies of literature and in various languages. The symbolic, mythic and mystical features of these traditions, their transmission and migration histories and their reappearance in some medieval texts is further investigated. At the heart of this volume is the concept of the encounter and communion between the high priest and God, which implies an anthropomorphic theophany (the appearance of the God in human form) and the apotheosis (deification) of the high priest. This phenomenon is understood in the framework of a binitarian theology that distinguishes the hidden God from His visible appearance. These concepts appear as sources for many latter mystical traditions.
Treasure-hoard press release
THE IAA PRESS RELEASE about that treasure hoard from the Bar Kokhba period has been published by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 2,000 year-old gold and silver hoard uncovered. It has more photos.
Background here.
Background here.
Another decipherment of the Qeiyafa inscription
A DECIPHERMENT OF THE QEIYAFA INSCRIPTION has reportedly been published in the journal Semitica by Prof. Reinhard Achenbach of Münster University. I say reportedly because I have not seen the article itself, only the notice of it in The Local:
I hope Professors Galil and Achenbach are right. If we actually have an early Hebrew(ish) ostracon with such interesting and biblically relevant content, that would be very exciting. But let's wait and see what other interpretations are published. In the scheme of things it is much more likely to be something utterly banal, like a list of loan defalters or a tax receipt. (I'm not proposing either, thy are only examples.) But maybe we just got really lucky on this one.
Much more on the various discoveries at Khirbet Qeiyafa in recent years here and links.
German translates oldest known HebrewHere's the summary of the article:
Published: 6 Jun 12 07:44 CET
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The oldest known written ancient Hebrew other than the Bible has emerged as laws to protect slaves, widows, orphans and foreigners, according to the German theologian who translated the script.
"The language seems to be ancient Hebrew, but it is closely related to other west-semitic canaanite languages," the Old Testament expert told The Local in an email.The proposed translation is very similar to the one produced by Prof. Gershon Galil of the University of Haifa in 2010. As far as I know—and I haven't been paying close attention, so correct me if I'm wrong—this is the first decipherment of the inscription actually published in a peer-review journal. That and the fact that two specialists now read the text in the same way means that we have to take this interpretation seriously. But the real test will be the response from other scholars and the viability of this reading against any other readings that may be published in the coming years.
The tablet’s significance lay in its instructions to take care of the disadvantaged of ancient Israeli society.
This is visible in the second and third lines which read: “Give rights to slaves and to widows! Give rights to orphans and foreigners! Protect the rights of the poor and protect the rights of minors!”
These were likely to be some of the first laws implemented, he said, adding that the tablet was probably a copied version made by a royal official given the task to learn the laws.
I hope Professors Galil and Achenbach are right. If we actually have an early Hebrew(ish) ostracon with such interesting and biblically relevant content, that would be very exciting. But let's wait and see what other interpretations are published. In the scheme of things it is much more likely to be something utterly banal, like a list of loan defalters or a tax receipt. (I'm not proposing either, thy are only examples.) But maybe we just got really lucky on this one.
Much more on the various discoveries at Khirbet Qeiyafa in recent years here and links.
Betar and the security fence
THE SITE OF BETAR, the place of Bar Kokhba's last stand, is involved in a controversy over the Israeli security fence:
Beitar's Legacy
by Benny Morris Jun 5, 2012 11:45 AM EDT (The Daily Beast)
In an effort to obstruct the construction of a section of Israel’s security fence—commonly called by Israel’s detractors the "Wall" or "Apartheid Wall," though less than ten per cent is actually a reinforced concrete wall; the rest is a razor-wire fence with sensors—Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas last week petitioned UNESCO to recognize the West Bank village of Battir, and particularly its terraced agricultural plots and water channels linking them, as a world heritage site. The Palestinians hope that such recognition will prevent Israel from completing this section of the fence.
A deep irony underlies the petition. The village sits on the site of the Judean fortress town of Beitar (or Bethar), where Shimon Bar-Kochba, the leader of the second Jewish revolt against Rome (132-135 AD), made his last stand and died. In the 1980s, Israeli archeologists identified the remains of the citadel and found some Bar-Kochba coins on the hillock called by the local Arabs "Khirbet al-Yahud" (the Jewish ruins) three hundred yards west of the village center, and found the remains of the Roman siege wall and two of the besiegers’ camps. A rock next to one of Battir’s springs has an etched inscription (“Leg V Mac et XI Cl”) identifying the legions, the Fifth Macedonica and Eleventh Claudia, that took part in the siege of Beitar. Presumably Battir’s terraces and water canals were first built by the Jewish inhabitants of the land more than two millennia ago.
The issue is currently before the Israeli courts, which must rule whether the planned route of the fence, just north of the village, which lies three miles west of Bethlehem, will do irreparable harm to the ancient system of terraces and canals that irrigate the village’s olive trees and vegetable gardens on the slopes. This is one of the few places in the West Bank where the ancient terrace-canal system has survived.
[...]
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Review of Portier-Young, Apocalypse Against Empire
BOOK REVIEW: Saturday Book Review: Anathea Portier-Young, Apocalypse Against Empire: Theologies of Resistance in Early Judaism ( Drew J. Strait, Jesus Creed). Excerpt:
Apocalypse Against Empire sets a new high water mark for anti-imperial readings. Simply put: it is theoretically and historically sophisticated. John Collins goes so far as to say in the foreward that “not since the early work of Martin Hengel have we seen such a thick description of Seleucid history and politics in the context of biblical scholarship” (xii). And I agree. I found Part Two to be the most valuable part of the book. But perhaps the greatest contribution of this study is its clearly argued thesis that the terror and domination of the Seleucid empire contributed to the emergence of apocalyptic. By carefully reconstructing the political, economic and hegemonic stressors that dominated and terrorized the Judeans, Portier-Young achieves what many anti-imperial interpreters do not: namely, a reading that is not historically embellished. Still, the degree with which the apocalypses are targeting empire alone will need to be further assessed by experts in early Judaism. For example, what other stressors contributed to the emergence of apocalyptic? I am especially wondering here how intra-Jewish conflicts may have contributed to the anxiety of life in Judea. Moreover, how does Portier-Young’s thesis hold up in light of other extant apocalypses written after the Seleucid empire? This study is sure to inspire many fascinating questions for future doctoral students to pursue.
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Bar Kokhba-era treasure
MORE ANCIENT BLING AND TREASURE has been discovered in Israel: Archeologists uncover 2,000-year-old coins, jewelry. The jewelry, believed to date back to the Bar Kokhba revolts, was likely hidden by a wealthy woman during the rebellion. (Jerusalem Post).
And that looks to me like yet another gold earring.
Much more ancient bling here and links.
UPDATE (7 June): More here.
And that looks to me like yet another gold earring.
Much more ancient bling here and links.
UPDATE (7 June): More here.
Slavonic photo exhibition
SLAVONIC EXHIBITION: Slavonic compares with Greek, Latin and Jewish. A photo exhibition to mark the Day of Slavonic Letters and Culture was organised at Russian Centre of Science and Culture recently (Deccan Herald).
By "Jewish" the article seems to mean Hebrew. The Day of Slavonic Letters and Culture is 24 May. Background on the day and on ancient literature preserved in Church Slavonic is here and links.
By "Jewish" the article seems to mean Hebrew. The Day of Slavonic Letters and Culture is 24 May. Background on the day and on ancient literature preserved in Church Slavonic is here and links.
Haredi protests at a salvage excavation
PROTESTS: 25 Arrested at Archaeological Dig (Arutz Sheva.
Police arrested 25 Hareidi Jews on Monday during a protest against the disturbing of graves at a building site in Yehud. ...
Happy 20th anniversary to Kfar Kedem
KFAR KEDEM: Recreated Ancient Galilean Village Celebrates 20 Years (Arutz Sheva).
I noted this site way back in 2003. It seems still to be going strong.
I noted this site way back in 2003. It seems still to be going strong.
The fate of the James Ossuary and Jehoash inscription
A SOLOMONIC JUDGMENT on the James Ossuary and the Jehoash tablet?
I think the Jehoash/Joash inscription is a forgery, but it should be kept and at least studied to learn more about the techniques of modern forgers.
May I respectfully remind the judge that Solomon did not actually carry out that particular judgment.
Much background on the Israel forgery trial is here and links.
Judge to decide fate of ossuary, Jehoash tabletDestroying the objects would be a terrible idea and I wonder if the judge's words are being quoted accurately and, if so, whether he was speaking tongue in cheek. The James Ossuary is itself an ancient artifact, whether or not part of the inscription is forged. Would it even be legal to order it destroyed?
By MATTHEW KALMAN (Jerusalem Post)
29/05/2012
Scholars say items should be preserved; J'lem judge could order items destroy under "ruling of Solomon."
A Jerusalem judge will announce on Wednesday whether he has decided to order the destruction of a burial box that could have held the bones of the brother of Jesus and an inscribed tablet that could have come from the First Temple.
At a Jerusalem District Court hearing in April, Judge Aharon Farkash said he might exercise “the judgement of Solomon” and order both items to be destroyed.
[...]
On Wednesday, Judge Farkash will pass sentence on the defendant, Oded Golan, who was acquitted on 41 charges of forgery, fraud and other serious crimes, but found guilty of three minor misdemeanors of trading in antiquities without a license and handling goods suspected of being stolen.
At a hearing in April, the prosecution demanded a tough sentence including jail time and said that the ossuary, the tablet and many other items should be confiscated by the court, even though Golan had been acquitted of all charges related to them.
“Maybe I’ll order them to be destroyed and neither side will have them,” said Farkash in comments that were not recorded in the official court transcript.
It would be “the judgement of Solomon,” said Judge Farkash.
“Neither of you will have the ossuary or the Jehoash tablet. They broke once already; they can be broken again. Just destroy them,” he said.
The ossuary cracked into two pieces in 2002 while it was being shipped to an exhibition in Canada and was repaired by restorers at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. The Jehoash tablet broke along an existing crack in 2003 while it was being handled by investigators at the Israel Police forensic laboratory.
The judge also suggested that the items might be put on display for the public.
“Maybe they should be exhibited at the Israel Museum as items from this trial suspected of being fakes,” he said.
Experts who gave evidence for both sides last night urged Judge Farkash not to destroy the items.
[...]
I think the Jehoash/Joash inscription is a forgery, but it should be kept and at least studied to learn more about the techniques of modern forgers.
May I respectfully remind the judge that Solomon did not actually carry out that particular judgment.
Much background on the Israel forgery trial is here and links.
Monday, June 04, 2012
Classical Hebrew post at TAU
JOB IN CLASSICAL HEBREW:
From Hezy Mutzafi (yehezmu@post.tau.ac.il):From the Agade list.
====================================
Tel Aviv University
The Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities
Department of Hebrew Culture Studies
Position in Classical Hebrew Studies
The Department of Hebrew Culture Studies at Tel Aviv University invites applicants holding a PhD degree for a tenured or tenure-track position in the field of classical Hebrew, to be effective as of October 2013.
The position requires competence in using Hebrew as a language of instruction and the ability to conduct independent research and scholarly projects in classical Hebrew and its affinity to cognate Semitic languages, as well as teaching courses which are affiliated with the study programs of Hebrew Language, Semitic Linguistics, Bible, Jewish Philosophy and Talmud at the Department of Hebrew
Culture Studies.
Salary and conditions will conform to Israeli University regulations. Appointment procedures will be carried out according to the rules and regulations of Tel-Aviv University and are subject to the approval of University authorities.
Applicants should send their Curriculum Vitae, samples of publications and/or other written work. Three letters of recommendation from senior scholars should be sent independently to Prof. Moshe Florentin, the Head of the Department of Hebrew Culture Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
Applications should be received no later than July 15, 2012.
The position is open for candidates without any discrimination as to gender, nationality or ethnic origins. The appointment will be based solely on candidate qualifications and the department’s needs. The department, the faculty or Tel-Aviv University are not obligated to appoint any of the candidates who apply for the position.
KCL Biblical Studies and Jewish Studies Joint Day Conference
DAY CONFERENCE:
King's College London: Biblical Studies and Jewish Studies Joint DayFrom the BNTS list.
Conference with Professor Philip Esler, Principal of St Mary's
University College, London, June 8th
Room K0.16, King's Building
10.30 Arrivals: tea and coffee
11.00 Introduction and welcome: Revd Professor Richard Burridge
11.05 Reading Old Testament/Hebrew Bible Narrative: Why's and
Wherefore's
Professor Philip Esler
Chaired by Dr Andrea Schatz
12.30 Lunch (own arrangements)
14.00 Judean Ethnic Identity and the Origin of the Christ Movement:
The
Meaning of Matthew and Hebrews
Professor Philip Esler
Chaired by Dr Edward Adams
15.15 Formal Responses: Prof. Joan Taylor and Dr Adam Silverstein
16.00 Refreshments
No attendance charge, but please RSVP to trs@kcl.ac.uk
Dr Edward Adams
Senior Lecturer in New Testament Studies
Department of Theology and Religious Studies
King's College London
Strand, London
WC2R 2LS
Tel: 0207 848 2502
Court ruling on gold cuneiform tablet
SOME NEWS ON THAT GOLD CUNEIFORM TABLET:
Nazi Victim’s Family Told to Return ArtifactVia the Agade list. Background here.
By PATRICIA COHEN (NYT
Published: June 1, 2012
A state appellate court in Brooklyn has ordered the family of a Holocaust survivor to return an ancient gold tablet to a German museum.
[...]
Raymond J. Dowd, the lawyer who represented the museum and who has represented the families of Holocaust victims trying to recover lost art, called the decision historically significant.
“The principle that property taken unlawfully should be returned is consistent with the rights of Holocaust victims,” he said. “This precedent will help those seeking return of stolen works that are museums not only in the U.S. but throughout Europe.”
But a lawyer for the family, Seth A. Presser, said the decision had “caused a remarkably inequitable result” and that it would be appealed.
“We believe that the court has misapprehended certain facts and, as a result, misapplied New York law,” he said.
[...]
Scholarships for TAU MA program in Jewish Studies
SCHOLARSHIPS:
From Emilie Levy:From the SOTS List.
Dear All,
I would like to inform you that few scholarships are still available for the 2012-2013 MA program in Jewish Studies at Tel Aviv University.
The program is the world's only one-year intensive MA in Jewish Studies taught in English in a Hebrew speaking environment and offers a series of comprehensive encounters with the classical texts of Jewish cultures. In addition, few more spots are still open for the Summer School in Rabbinic Literature, which aims to enhance textual, linguistic and philological skills for advanced students of Jewish and Religious studies interested in acquiring reading skills in Talmud and Midrash.
Both of the programs will expose the students to relevant historical sites, current scholarship, and leading Israeli experts in the field, as a well as meeting with international students.
For more details about our programs, visit our website or download our brochure I would be very grateful if you could forward this email to any person who may be interested.
Best Regards,
Emilie Levy
Program Coordinator
International MA in Jewish Studies
Tel Aviv University
TAU International
+972(0)3 640 65 03
http://humanities.tau.ac.il/jewish_studies/
Review of Schäfer, The Origins of Jewish Mysticism
BOOK REVIEW at H-JUDAIC:
Peter Schäfer. The Origins of Jewish Mysticism. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009. xv + 398 pp. $35.00 (paper), ISBN 978-0-691-14215-9.I reviewed this book at the 2010 Society of Biblical Literature meeting. A revised version of that review has recently been published in Dead Sea Discoveries (requires paid personal or institutional subscription to access).
Reviewed by Mark Verman (Wright State University)
Published on H-Judaic (May, 2012)
Commissioned by Jason Kalman
Early Jewish Mystical Literature
Peter Schäfer’s new monograph The Origins of Jewish Mysticism (hereafter OJM) is a magisterial tour de force. Owing to the breadth of the material that is covered and Schäfer’s consistently lucid, methodical, and incisive analysis, this book is an instant classic and will become the benchmark for all subsequent discussions of the topic. Schäfer’s lengthy and productive career has revolved around his incomparable contribution to the publication and scholarly analysis of that corpus of writings known as Hekhalot (Temples/Palaces) texts. An examination of these particular works constitutes the culmination of his current book. In fact, the basic agenda of OJM is an attempt to discover to what extent the pre-Hekhalot writings, biblical and post-biblical, can be seen as anticipating the mystical experience delineated in the Hekhalot corpus.
[...]
Review of Sperber, Greek in Talmudic Palestine
BOOK REVIEW: Daniel Sperber’s Greek in Talmudic Palestine- Review by Yair Furstenberg (the Talmud Blog). Excerpt:
In his latest book, Daniel Sperber contributes to this endeavor by laying out some of the main findings of his two esteemed masters, Krauss and Lieberman, and by commenting on the challenges which, in his eyes, their works hold for future scholarship. Thus, in the first part, “Greek and Latin Words in Rabbinic Literature: Prolegomena to a New Dictionary of Classical Words in Rabbinic Literaute” (a reprint of two of his articles from the seventies), Sperber surveys the problems and methodological concerns which await the compilation of an improved dictionary, more than a century after Krauss. In the second part, “Rabbinic Knowledge of Greek in Talmudic Palestine”, he readdresses the fundamental question posed by Liebermen: “How much knowledge (and we may add, and of what nature) of the world which surrounded them did the builders of Rabbinic Judaism possess?”. To that end, he adds to Lieberman’s exposition some further examples of his own, relating to regional differences, knowledge of pagan ritual, rabbinic acquaintance with Roman legal and military terminology, and the use of Greek in magical texts.
Friday, June 01, 2012
Ancient synagogues vandalized
TWO ANCIENT SYNAGOGUES have been vandalized in recent days, one in Jericho and one in Tiberias:
Jewish worshipers: W. Bank synagogue vandalized
Police dispatch unit to area to investigate reports of Nazi swastika symbols and Arabic writing scrawled on ancient synagogue.
Vandals damage mosaic floor at ancient synagogue
Oldest known synagogue mosaic at Hamat Tiberias National Park damaged, walls spray-painted, apparently in protest of archaeological digging at Jewish grave sites.
Both articles are from the Jerusalem Post. More on the Na'aran synagogue in Jericho here and links. The Tiberias synagogue has been mentioned here and here.
Jewish worshipers: W. Bank synagogue vandalized
Police dispatch unit to area to investigate reports of Nazi swastika symbols and Arabic writing scrawled on ancient synagogue.
Vandals damage mosaic floor at ancient synagogue
Oldest known synagogue mosaic at Hamat Tiberias National Park damaged, walls spray-painted, apparently in protest of archaeological digging at Jewish grave sites.
Both articles are from the Jerusalem Post. More on the Na'aran synagogue in Jericho here and links. The Tiberias synagogue has been mentioned here and here.
Coptic biblical and apocryphal manuscripts to be auctioned
ALIN SUCIU notes an upcoming auction of Coptic manuscripts: Christie’s Auction of an Early Christian Papyrus Document. They include fragments of 1 Kingdoms/1 Samuel and of a psalmic work that may be a biblical apocryphon and which may or may not be Manichean (Manichaean). Both manuscripts have been published previously.
As always, the ideal would be for a philanthropist to buy the manuscripts and donate them to a museum. But if that is too much to hope for, I do encourage any buyer to make the manuscripts available for scholars like Alin to study.
As always, the ideal would be for a philanthropist to buy the manuscripts and donate them to a museum. But if that is too much to hope for, I do encourage any buyer to make the manuscripts available for scholars like Alin to study.
The 7 Most Terrifying Archaeological Discoveries
CRACKED.COM has produced another archaeological list: The 7 Most Terrifying Archaeological Discoveries.
Stories previously covered by PaleoJudaica include the dead babies at Ashkelon and chemical warfare at Dura-Europos. The Buckinghamshire dead-baby cache is just as horrifying as the Ashkelon one.
Stories previously covered by PaleoJudaica include the dead babies at Ashkelon and chemical warfare at Dura-Europos. The Buckinghamshire dead-baby cache is just as horrifying as the Ashkelon one.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Tony Burke awarded F. W. Beare Prize
CONGRATULATIONS TO TONY BURKE: Infancy Gospel of Thomas Edition Wins Book Prize.
Review of Bagnall (ed.) Oxford Handbook of Papyrology
THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF PAPYROLOGY, edited by Roger Bagnall, is reviewed by Edgar Ebojo at the Reviews of Biblical and Early Christian Studies website. Excerpt:
This magnificent Handbook is a very rich resource for those who are interested in the science and art of papyrology. Closer to home, this will definitely be a “textbook” for many years to come that will be constantly consulted by postgraduate researchers dealing particularly with biblical manuscripts, either in a roll or codex format, or whether written on a papyrus or parchment. This Handbook is definitely for everyone who recognizes that the past is a very certain guide for the future. Let me end this humble review with how I would like to see the future of papyrology–similar to how Peter Van Minnen (p. 659) ends this Handbook–with a high sense of optimism, “The past will continue to surprise into the distant future as far as the eye can see”.
Bird, Jewish Jesus discussion
MICHAEL BIRD responds to James Crossley: James Crossley on Mike Bird’s Jewish Jesus. Nazis are involved, or, more precisely, not involved. Alcoholic content comes up too.
A new boundary inscription at Gezer
BIBLE PLACES BLOG: New Gezer Boundary Inscription. That makes 13, plus the same expedition rediscovered the lost number 4.
Monday, May 28, 2012
One more time: PaleoJudaica miscellenea
I'M BACK IN MY OFFICE and trying to catch up with everything. Here, briefly, is what I have found from the last five days or so which seems blogworthy.
First, belated happy Shavuot to all those celebrating. It began on the evening of the 26th while I was in transit. More here.
The Steinsaltz Talmud is being translated into English: Steinsaltz Talmud available in English. The first volume of Steinsaltz’s Koren Talmud Bavli is being launched in conjunction with Shavuot (JTA/Times of Israel). Background here and links.
Canaanite bling: Archaeologists find rare trove of 3,000-year-old jewelry near the ancient city of Megiddo (AP). People sure liked gold earrings in ancient Palestine. Lots more ancient bling here and links.
A Hebrew inscription from 390 CE in Portugal: Evidence of early Jews in Portugal found. It is reportedly the earliest surviving remnant of Jewish culture in the Iberian Peninsula and the earliest Hebrew inscription from the area by two or three centuries.
An Iron Age II extrabiblical reference to Bethlehem: Ancient Bethlehem seal found; first reference to city outside Bible. Reservations about the reading were initially expressed by George Athas (et al.), but (see update to the post) he has provisionally withdrawn them and I am not currently aware of any other epigraphers who question the reading.
A project to digitize Samaritan manuscripts is covered in detail by Ofer Aderet in Haaretz: Using cutting-edge technology, researchers unearth the history of Israel’s Samaritan community. A pioneering digitizing project led by American experts will now enable members of the community – numbering just 750 – to glance at their past.
Efforts to revive spoken Aramaic in the Holy Land: Christian villages attempt to revive ancient Biblical language. In both the Galilee and the West Bank, Christian communities are putting a new focus on Aramaic, with a little help from a Swedish television channel. (AP). Somewhat related story here.
Temple Mount Watch: Netanyahu - "Fatal mistake" to concede sacred sites.
First, belated happy Shavuot to all those celebrating. It began on the evening of the 26th while I was in transit. More here.
The Steinsaltz Talmud is being translated into English: Steinsaltz Talmud available in English. The first volume of Steinsaltz’s Koren Talmud Bavli is being launched in conjunction with Shavuot (JTA/Times of Israel). Background here and links.
Canaanite bling: Archaeologists find rare trove of 3,000-year-old jewelry near the ancient city of Megiddo (AP). People sure liked gold earrings in ancient Palestine. Lots more ancient bling here and links.
A Hebrew inscription from 390 CE in Portugal: Evidence of early Jews in Portugal found. It is reportedly the earliest surviving remnant of Jewish culture in the Iberian Peninsula and the earliest Hebrew inscription from the area by two or three centuries.
An Iron Age II extrabiblical reference to Bethlehem: Ancient Bethlehem seal found; first reference to city outside Bible. Reservations about the reading were initially expressed by George Athas (et al.), but (see update to the post) he has provisionally withdrawn them and I am not currently aware of any other epigraphers who question the reading.
A project to digitize Samaritan manuscripts is covered in detail by Ofer Aderet in Haaretz: Using cutting-edge technology, researchers unearth the history of Israel’s Samaritan community. A pioneering digitizing project led by American experts will now enable members of the community – numbering just 750 – to glance at their past.
Financial problems in the small Samaritan community in Palestine in the 19th and early 20th centuries forced its members to sell their ancient texts to buyers in Europe and the United States. A pioneering digitizing project, developed by Dr. Jim Ridolfo from the University of Cincinnati, will now enable members of the community - 750 people, who live in Holon and on Mount Gerizim, near Nablus - to see what they have been missing.Cool. For many more manuscript digitization projects, see here and links.
Ridolfo is collaborating with a team of researchers from Michigan State University, as well as several other academic institutions.
The 32-year-old American scholar, who is in Israel conducting research at Tel Aviv University and visiting the Samaritan community, explained the vision behind the project, which he says goes beyond the boundaries of academia.
"Our goal is to enable the Samaritan community in Mount Gerizim and Holon to have access to ancient Samaritan manuscripts in libraries, archives and museums abroad," explains Ridolfo, an assistant professor of composition and rhetoric, who is writing a book on the project. "This project differs from similar digitization projects, in that we're primarily interested in tailoring the archival interfaces not just to scholars but also to the Samaritan community."
Efforts to revive spoken Aramaic in the Holy Land: Christian villages attempt to revive ancient Biblical language. In both the Galilee and the West Bank, Christian communities are putting a new focus on Aramaic, with a little help from a Swedish television channel. (AP). Somewhat related story here.
Temple Mount Watch: Netanyahu - "Fatal mistake" to concede sacred sites.
(Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday it would be a "fatal mistake" ever to give up control over Jerusalem's holy sites.And finally, the Daily Mail is trying to flog the story of that bogus Gospel of Barnabas manuscript back to life: Seized from smugglers, the leather-bound 'gospel' which Iran claims will bring down Christianity and shake world politics. Background here and links.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Off to Scotland
I'M OFF TO ST. ANDREWS AGAIN. I expect to be there Sunday evening and, as usual, I will check in when I'm home. But guess what? My first week back in Scotland looks to be almost as busy as my last two weeks in California. So blogging may continue to be less than consistent for a while, but I will blog as much as time permits. Meanwhile, have a good weekend.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
PaleoJudaica miscellanea
SORRY FOR THE LIGHT POSTING. Extremely busy here, and likely to stay that way the rest of the week. But here are some recent headlines, on which I don't have time for much comment.
In Jerusalem: Cabinet Advances Bible Museum (Arutz Sheva)
A harbinger of the higher education bubble in Israel? Budget-pinched women’s Talmud program to close. Program was first course to provide stipends to women scholars in order to facilitate long-term study of Talmudic texts (Jerusalem Post).
More on the Arabic Talmud, with some commentary from an Israel National Library curator: Introducing: Talmud in Arabic. Over 90 Jordanian researchers spend six years translating Babylonian Talmud into Arabic; demand across Arab world said to be strong (ynetnews.com).
Meawhile, the ADL has had a look at the introduction to the translation and what they found is not encouraging: New Arabic Translation of Talmud Promotes Anti-Semitic Narratives (via the Talmud Blog FB page).
Background on the Arabic Talmud is here and links.
In Jerusalem: Cabinet Advances Bible Museum (Arutz Sheva)
A harbinger of the higher education bubble in Israel? Budget-pinched women’s Talmud program to close. Program was first course to provide stipends to women scholars in order to facilitate long-term study of Talmudic texts (Jerusalem Post).
More on the Arabic Talmud, with some commentary from an Israel National Library curator: Introducing: Talmud in Arabic. Over 90 Jordanian researchers spend six years translating Babylonian Talmud into Arabic; demand across Arab world said to be strong (ynetnews.com).
Meawhile, the ADL has had a look at the introduction to the translation and what they found is not encouraging: New Arabic Translation of Talmud Promotes Anti-Semitic Narratives (via the Talmud Blog FB page).
Background on the Arabic Talmud is here and links.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Nehemiah scroll fragment
EXCITING NEWS FROM BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Book of Nehemiah Found Among the Scrolls. Scroll scholars find first fragment of Nehemiah.
Of course readers of PaleoJudaica have known about this for nearly four years. But it's good to hear that the official publication is coming out soon.
Of course readers of PaleoJudaica have known about this for nearly four years. But it's good to hear that the official publication is coming out soon.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Armenian manuscripts digitized in Syria
FINISHING a digitization project in Syria, and none too soon:
No word on the contents of the manuscripts, but many Old Testament pseudepigrapha circulated in Armenian translations, and translations of Philo of Alexandria's works were also transmitted in an important Armenian manuscript tradition. Perhaps some of these manuscripts preserve such material.
Lots of other digitization projects have been noted here and links.
Armenian manuscripts digitized in SyriaAdam McCollum, who is mentioned later in the article, is lead cataloger of Eastern Christian manuscripts at HMML and has a blog, hmmlorientalia, to which I have linked from time to time.
May 18, 2012 - 15:15 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Hill Museum & Manuscript Library at St. John’s University completed a manuscript preservation project in the Middle East shortly before the violence worsened in Syria, sctimes.com reports.
“This was our last current project in Syria, and we had done actually a series of projects - about six of them in Syria - in different locations,” said the Rev. Columba Stewart, executive director of the Collegeville-based library.
However, HMML-trained technicians in Aleppo, Syria, were able to complete the digitization of 225 Armenian manuscripts belonging to the Armenian Orthodox Diocese of Aleppo - one of the largest Armenian collections in Syria.
[...]
No word on the contents of the manuscripts, but many Old Testament pseudepigrapha circulated in Armenian translations, and translations of Philo of Alexandria's works were also transmitted in an important Armenian manuscript tradition. Perhaps some of these manuscripts preserve such material.
Lots of other digitization projects have been noted here and links.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
PaleoJudaica miscellanea
STILL UNBELIEVABLY BUSY, but I'm taking a few minutes to catch up with blogging. Here are some recent stories of interest:
More on that Arabic Talmud from Arutz Sheva: Talmud in Arabic Being Sold in Jordan. A group of researchers and translators in Jordan have translated the Talmud into Arabic. Translated version sold in local book fairs. A copy has been purchased by the National Library in Jerusalem.
Background here and links.
An article on IAA supervision of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Philadelphia exhibition: Dead Sea Scolls exhibit opens under careful scrutiny (AP).
Background here and links.
New archeological discovery: Ancient olive oil press unearthed in Modi’in. Archaeologists say the unusually well-preserved facility was active 1,400 years ago (Times of Israel).
Can't make it up: Jesus Christ, now they’ve made him a video-game character (Religion World blog, Orlando Sentinel).
James Charlesworth has released his much awaited report on Talpiot Tomb B and you can download it as a pdf file: What is the Message of the "Patio Tomb" in Talpiot, Jerusalem? I don't have time right now to give it the attention it deserves, but Mark Goodacre, who has been following this story much more closely than I, has some reflections: James Charlesworth on Talpiot Tomb B.
Background here and links.
More on that Arabic Talmud from Arutz Sheva: Talmud in Arabic Being Sold in Jordan. A group of researchers and translators in Jordan have translated the Talmud into Arabic. Translated version sold in local book fairs. A copy has been purchased by the National Library in Jerusalem.
Background here and links.
An article on IAA supervision of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Philadelphia exhibition: Dead Sea Scolls exhibit opens under careful scrutiny (AP).
Background here and links.
New archeological discovery: Ancient olive oil press unearthed in Modi’in. Archaeologists say the unusually well-preserved facility was active 1,400 years ago (Times of Israel).
Can't make it up: Jesus Christ, now they’ve made him a video-game character (Religion World blog, Orlando Sentinel).
James Charlesworth has released his much awaited report on Talpiot Tomb B and you can download it as a pdf file: What is the Message of the "Patio Tomb" in Talpiot, Jerusalem? I don't have time right now to give it the attention it deserves, but Mark Goodacre, who has been following this story much more closely than I, has some reflections: James Charlesworth on Talpiot Tomb B.
Background here and links.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Review of Friedman, The Aleppo Codex
MATTI FRIEDMAN'S THE ALEPPO CODEX is reviewed by Lauri Miller at Salon: “The Aleppo Codex”: The bizarre history of a precious book. A reporter traces the shadowy fate of the definitive version of the Hebrew Bible. Excerpt:
Earlier reviews etc. here and links.
The codex was the perfect version of the Bible, a sort of atomic clock of Judaism, and intended to be the model for all subsequent copies. Its early history was fraught: captured by Crusaders in the fall of Jerusalem, ransomed by the Jewish community in Cairo and consulted by the fabled sage Maimonides, it was eventually taken to the Syrian city of Aleppo. There, it resided for half a century. Although it was well-cared-for by Aleppo’s Jewish community, it had come to be revered as a relic or treasure; few were allowed to see it and no one was allowed to copy it.Blessed are the cheese merchants.
All that changed in 1947, when the establishment of the state of Israel by a United Nations resolution led to unrest in the Arab world and the harassment and persecution of Jewish communities in Muslim nations. In Aleppo, this took the form of riots and the sacking of the synagogue. The codex — commonly referred to as the Crown — was supposed to have been consumed in a fire set by the mob.
It was not, and in 1958, the Crown was smuggled into Jerusalem by a cheese merchant who was one of the few Syrian Jews to receive official permission to emigrate to Israel. Friedman became interested in this “lonely treasure and millennium-old traveler” in 2008, when he decided to write an article about it. He imagined the piece would be “an uplifting and uncomplicated account of the rescue of a cultural artifact,” but what he discovered instead was a thicket of conflicting reports, missing records, puzzling omissions, stonewalling officials and obsessed amateur sleuths.
Earlier reviews etc. here and links.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Classical Timeline
A NEW ONLINE PROJECT run by University of Aberdeen postgraduate Erlend D. MacGillivray is seeking an editor to help with the project:
An editorship supervising entries on Judaism and Christianity in Classical antiquity for www.classicaltimeline.com is currently vacant and is seeking suitably qualified candidates to apply. It is expected that the prospective editor will have an academic position, a PhD, or have published research within this field. The editor can choose to devote as much time as they wish to this role, but it is anticipated that they will spend on average 2 hours a week contributing and supervising material. While they are expected to be fastidious in ensuring the reliability of the content of the timeline, it should be noted that there will be a disclaimer on the introductory screen stating that the timeline is not intended to be a substitute for more conventional sources of information on the Classical world, and that serious inquirers should continue to direct their attention to such resources.
ClassicalTimeline has only been online for less than a week but has already several thousand views.This should be an exciting project to be involved in; particularly for those who wish to try and increase public knowledge on the history of Judaism and Christianity and for those interested in the expanding field of the digital humanities. For more information please visit http://www.classicalstudiesonline.org/get-involved/.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Charlesworth on the Talpiot Tombs controversy
JAMES CHARLESWORTH is interviewed by Ben Witherington at Professor Witherington's blog, The Bible and Culture: Dr. Jim Charlesworth on Talpiot Tomb B. These are Professor Charlesworth's views given first-hand for the first time and it is very helpful to have them. He will be posting more on his website (www.FJCO-DSS-Events.org) this week. I look forward to seeing what he has to say.
Background here and links.
Background here and links.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Phoenicia back in Gibraltar
THE GOOD SHIP PHOENICIA is back under sail and has just rescued a sailor stranded in Gibraltar. Sort of. Phoenicia cruises into Gibraltar’s Ocean Village. What's upcoming:
Speaking this week of Phoenicia’s return to the Rock, Captain Philip Beale commented, “Phoenicia is delighted to be back in Gibraltar and hosted once again by Ocean Village. We first visited Ocean Village towards the end of Phoenicia's historic circumnavigation of Africa in August 2010 and we received exemplary service and support from the team. They have also worked tirelessly for our current visit and offered vital assistance to crew member Len who has been a fortnight in Gibraltar in anticipation of our arrival. We are still urgently looking for one or two other crew members for our sail to London’s St Katharine Docks where she will be transformed into a floating museum for the summer. If you’re keen – get in touch.”Background on Phoenicia and her epic circum-African voyage is here and links.
Phoenicia will now retrace the ancient Phoenician-Cornish tin trade route and head towards Falmouth and finally London, arriving at St Katharine Docks on 2 June. “The Phoenicians: The Greatest Ancient Sailors” exhibition will run through to September and feature ancient artefacts from the Phoenician era. Visitors will be able to climb onboard Phoenicia for a tour of the vessel and learn more about Phoenician culture as well as the recent expedition that triumphed over Somali pirates, treacherous storms and mechanical problems to recreate one of mankind’s greatest journeys. Visit phoenicia.org.uk to purchase tickets or for more information. Phoenicia hopes to visit Gibraltar again later on in the year and offer tours to local schoolchildren. Meanwhile, Len’s grandchildren, all seven of them, are back in South Africa following the Ship’s Log and satellite tracker and keeping a scrapbook of their grandfather’s fantastic adventures.
Abraham Tal receives Gesenius Fellowship
CONGRATULATIONS TO ABRAHAM TAL. Jack Sasson reports on the Agade list:
From Stefan Schorch (schorch_AT@gmx.de):Earlier PaleoJudaica posts involving Professor Tal are here, here, and here.
====================================
Professor Abraham Tal is the first recipient of the newly established Gesenius-fellowship at the University of Halle-Wittenberg.
Tal is professor emeritus of Tel Aviv University, former Vice President of the Academy of the Hebrew Language in Jerusalem, and Editor-in-Chief of The Historical Dictionary of the Hebrew Language. He has published widely in the field of Hebrew and Aramaic
linguistics. Among his numerous publications are the pioneering critical edition of "The Samaritan Targum of the Pentateuch" (1980-83); "A Dictionary of Samaritan Aramaic" (2000). For more details, see his homepage at: http://humanities.tau.ac.il/segel/abraham/
Tal is the first "Wilhelm-Gesenius-Gastwissenschaftler" at the University of Halle-Wittenberg. The Gesenius fellowship and the Gesenius junior-fellowship were established by the Institute of Biblical studies at the University of Halle-Wittenberg in commemoration of Wilhelm Gesenius (1786-1842), the founder of modern Hebrew studies, who was a professor at this institute throughout his entire academic career, 1810-1842.
Go here for the homepage of the "Gesenius fellowship": http://www.theologie.uni-halle.de/at/gesenius/.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Tony Burke's NT Apocrypha course
TONY BURKE is teaching a course on the New Testament Apocrypha. And here's a report on the first week: New Testament Apocrypha Course: Week 1
An army of epigraphers?
DAVID MEADOWS is trying a experiment in epigraphic crowdsourcing over at Rogue Classicism: Crowdsourcing a Greek Inscription Reading. The inscription in question is one from one of the Talpiot Tombs (the inscription that everyone agrees is an inscription, although its readings are debated; see here and links).
(More "An Army of" posts here, here, here, and links.)
(More "An Army of" posts here, here, here, and links.)
Off to San Diego
I'M OFF TO SAN DIEGO this morning. I'm pre-posting some things for later today (and Sunday too, in case of flight delays), so do keep visiting. I expect to arrive sometime this evening and will check in once I'm in and settled. I shall be very busy on this trip, but I will try to keep the blogging up pretty much as usual.
Friday, May 11, 2012
More on Friedman on the Aleppo Codex
MATTI FRIEDMAN'S NEW BOOK on the Aleppo Codex is generating some controversy:
UPDATE: The Times of Israel also has an interview with Matti Friedman, with video: Four years on the trail of the codex: Matti Friedman, author of ‘The Aleppo Codex,’ explains how he got drawn into a search for the truth about the most revered version of the Hebrew Bible.
Revealed: The scandalous history of Judaism’s most precious bookBackground on the book, the author, and the Aleppo Codex is here with many links.
Theft, espionage, corruption and a cover-up lasting decades — a new book by a Times of Israel reporter exposes the extraordinary saga of the uniquely revered, 1,100-year-old Aleppo Codex
By Times of Israel staff May 10, 2012, 3:52 pm 4
A new book by a Times of Israel reporter reveals dramatic new information about the fate of a manuscript many consider Judaism’s most important book — the 1,100-year-old Aleppo Codex.
[...]
“I did not imagine,” author Matti Friedman writes of his first encounter with the codex at the museum, “that there could be much new to say about something so old, and it certainly did not occur to me that the true story of the manuscript had never been told at all.”
Publication of the book in Hebrew on May 1, and an extensive article on the investigation in Israel’s biggest daily, Yedioth Ahronoth, several days later, have revived interest in the codex in Israel and have drawn angry responses from some involved or implicated in the story.
[...]
According to the known story of the codex, the manuscript was damaged around the time of the fire, and it was then that the pages — including the most important part of the manuscript, the Five Books of Moses – went missing, never to be recovered. In 1957, the chief rabbis of Aleppo smuggled it to Israel and presented it to the president of the new state, Itzhak Ben-Zvi, who was also a scholar of Middle Eastern Jewish communities. The academic institution the president founded, the Ben-Zvi Institute, remains the official custodian of the codex today.
According to the new book’s findings, that version of the manuscript’s travels is mostly false, serving in large part to conceal the actions of government officials and academic scholars in Israel.
[...]
UPDATE: The Times of Israel also has an interview with Matti Friedman, with video: Four years on the trail of the codex: Matti Friedman, author of ‘The Aleppo Codex,’ explains how he got drawn into a search for the truth about the most revered version of the Hebrew Bible.
Lectures by Daniel Matt
DANIEL MATT is lecturing in Baltimore:
Reform Temples Hosting Top Kaballah [Sic! Sigh.] ScholarAn interesting inteview that, unusually, moves into devotional territory. Background on Dr. Matt's work on the Zohar is here with a great many links.
Bernie Hodkin (Baltimore Jewish Times)
In the past decade, kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, has experienced a massive surge in popularity, largely owing to an interest by mega-celebrities such as Madonna. But with such spotlights often comes a dilution of the original tradition and intent of its creators.
That’s where Dr. Daniel Matt, a famed scholar of kabbalah and translator into English of its foundational central work — the “Zohar” — comes in. He will give four lectures in the next three days at area Reform temples as the Hoffberger Foundation’s scholar-in-residence.
His passion, he tells the Baltimore Jewish Times, “is the attempt to re-imagine God. The “Zohar” really offers an alternate approach to the nature of God.”
[...]
Philadelphia DSS slide show
THE EXHIBITION STARTS TOMORROW: Dead Sea Scrolls at Franklin Institute: Slideshow.
Background here and links.
Background here and links.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Philly DSS exhibit opens Saturday
COMING SOON: Dead Sea Scrolls come to the Franklin Institute.
UPDATE: tangentially related: Gallery: Lost Treasures of the World (News24). Er, someone tell them that the Dead Sea Scrolls have been found.
Known today as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the 972 parchments and papyrus fragments in this and other nearby caves contained some of the oldest surviving examples of Jewish scripture. Likely hidden from Roman authorities by the small, pious community that lived nearby, the scrolls had survived 2,000 years in the arid desert climate to provide scholars — and the world — with an extraordinary glimpse at the Bible and Judaism around the time of Christ.Background here and links.
And now the Philadelphia area may gaze onto that world as well. On Saturday, the Franklin Institute will open the doors on a remarkable exhibition, “Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Ancient Times.”
The collection consists of more than 600 figurines, altars, coins, pottery, menorahs, bone boxes, and incense burners, and a giant stone from the Western Wall of the great temple of Jerusalem. The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Israeli Antiquities Authority, the Discovery Museum, and the Franklin Institute. It will be open seven days a week through mid-October.
UPDATE: tangentially related: Gallery: Lost Treasures of the World (News24). Er, someone tell them that the Dead Sea Scrolls have been found.
Miracle stone discovered, maybe
ANOTHER MIRACLE PROVED:
Possible site of Sixth Century church building miracle discovered in JerusalemOkay, maybe this doesn't exactly prove the miracle, but the stone still sounds kind of cool.
Israeli archeologists says site may be quarry described by Byzantine historian where 'God revealed a natural supply of stone perfectly suited to this purpose in the nearby hills.'
By Nir Hasson (Haaretz)
Tags: Jerusalem Israel archeology
An Israeli archaeologist says he has found the site of a Sixth Century miracle documented by the Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea.
In his book The Buildings of Justinian in which the historian recounts the many building projects erected during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian the Great, in the mid-Sixth Century. Describing the construction of Nea Ekklesia of the Theotokos, a church near Jerusalem, Procopius says that God miraculously provided giant red stones near the construction site.
"God revealed a natural supply of stone perfectly suited to this purpose in the nearby hills, one which had either lain there in concealment previously, or was created at that moment…So the church is supported on all sides by a number of huge columns from that place, which in color resemble flames of fire… Two of these columns stand before the door of the church, exceptionally large and probably second to no column in the whole world," He wrote.
[...]
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Jews or Judeans?
PHILIP ESLER has published an essay at Bible and Interpretation arguing that we should refer to first-century Jews as "Judeans, not "Jews": Identity Matters: Judean Ethnic Identity In The First Century CE
This is an interesting argument, which Philip and Josephus-scholar Steve Mason have been making in technical publications for some time. I have to say that so far I am not convinced. It is true that Ioudaios in the first century refers to an ethnic/geographic and religious identity, just as other names of peoples did in that area in that period. But in modern usage "Jew" and "Judaism" likewise mean both an ethnic identity and a religious one, and this identity remains tied to a particular geographic origin. Certainly there are differences between the modern words and the ancient one, but these are nuances that are best left to explanation in introductions and footnotes rather than a wholesale change in terminology.
The proposed change starts from the misapprehension that the modern terms "Jew" and "Judaism" refer only to a religious identity like "Christian" and "Buddhist." But the solution is to make clear that, unlike many other religions, Judaism also involves and always has involved an ethnic identity and even a recognition of a particular geographical origin. In other words, correct the misunderstanding of the modern terms, don't drop them because of it.
There is also the unintended consequence that calling first-century Jews "Judeans" implies a qualitative distinction between them and modern Jews, even though the close genetic and cultural continuity between them is undisputed. The opportunities this implied erroneous distinction raises for abuse in modern political discourse are obvious and disquieting.
But the political implications are a side issue. If I thought the change in terminology had a solid intellectual payoff, I would not be worried about them. But calling Jews in the Second Temple period only "Judeans" is problematic in itself. It is overkill and at best it reminds us what the traditional terminology really means, if we need reminding. As I said, I am not at all persuaded that it is helpful.
I would like to say more on this at some point, and I have some notes put aside, but I'm out of time for now. (It doesn't help that a version of this post accidentally got eaten by Blogger yesterday and was irrecoverable.) Meanwhile, my earlier comments (here and here) on Jonathan Z. Smith's "polythetic" approach applied to Judaism are relevant and may clarify my position. The links to my 2002 conference paper have rotted, but you can read it here: "Jewish Pseudepigrapha and Christian Apocrypha: (How) Can We Tell Them Apart?"
This is an interesting argument, which Philip and Josephus-scholar Steve Mason have been making in technical publications for some time. I have to say that so far I am not convinced. It is true that Ioudaios in the first century refers to an ethnic/geographic and religious identity, just as other names of peoples did in that area in that period. But in modern usage "Jew" and "Judaism" likewise mean both an ethnic identity and a religious one, and this identity remains tied to a particular geographic origin. Certainly there are differences between the modern words and the ancient one, but these are nuances that are best left to explanation in introductions and footnotes rather than a wholesale change in terminology.
The proposed change starts from the misapprehension that the modern terms "Jew" and "Judaism" refer only to a religious identity like "Christian" and "Buddhist." But the solution is to make clear that, unlike many other religions, Judaism also involves and always has involved an ethnic identity and even a recognition of a particular geographical origin. In other words, correct the misunderstanding of the modern terms, don't drop them because of it.
There is also the unintended consequence that calling first-century Jews "Judeans" implies a qualitative distinction between them and modern Jews, even though the close genetic and cultural continuity between them is undisputed. The opportunities this implied erroneous distinction raises for abuse in modern political discourse are obvious and disquieting.
But the political implications are a side issue. If I thought the change in terminology had a solid intellectual payoff, I would not be worried about them. But calling Jews in the Second Temple period only "Judeans" is problematic in itself. It is overkill and at best it reminds us what the traditional terminology really means, if we need reminding. As I said, I am not at all persuaded that it is helpful.
I would like to say more on this at some point, and I have some notes put aside, but I'm out of time for now. (It doesn't help that a version of this post accidentally got eaten by Blogger yesterday and was irrecoverable.) Meanwhile, my earlier comments (here and here) on Jonathan Z. Smith's "polythetic" approach applied to Judaism are relevant and may clarify my position. The links to my 2002 conference paper have rotted, but you can read it here: "Jewish Pseudepigrapha and Christian Apocrypha: (How) Can We Tell Them Apart?"
More on the Tel Qeiyafa shrines
MORE RESPONSES to that press release on the recent finds at Tel Qeiyafa have been coming out.
First, some pushback from other archaeologists. In The Times of Israel: 3,000-year-old artifacts fuel Biblical archaeology debate (Matti Friedman).
This story is on the borderline of my usual interests. I will keep an eye on it, but, unless more epigraphic material turns up, I will not aim for anything like exhaustive coverage.
For more on previous discoveries at Kirbet Qeiyafa and their implications, go here and follow the links.
UPDATE: James McGrath produces one of his thorough roundups in the midst of marking: Khirbet Qeiyafa’s Model Shrines and the Accuracy of the Bible
First, some pushback from other archaeologists. In The Times of Israel: 3,000-year-old artifacts fuel Biblical archaeology debate (Matti Friedman).
Other scholars have urged caution in reaching conclusions based on the findings from Qeiyafa.From Haaretz: Archaeological find stirs debate on David's kingdom (Asaf Shtull-Trauring).
Model shrines of the type presented Tuesday have been found at many other sites belonging to other local cultures, and their similarity to Temple architecture as described in the Bible has already been noted, said Aren Maeir of Bar-Ilan University, who leads a dig at the ruins of the nearby Philistine city of Gath. And the existence of lions and birds on the clay model undermine the claim that no figures of people or animals have been found at Qeiyafa, he said.
Qeiyafa indeed appears to have been inhabited by Israelites, Maeir said, but the cultural lines among the various peoples of the Land of Israel at that time, he said, were “fuzzier than the way they are often described.”
The new finds do not prove conclusively who residents were or provide dramatic new evidence for any side in the ongoing dispute among biblical archaeologists, he said.
“There’s no question that this is a very important site, but what exactly it was — there is still disagreement about that,” Maeir said.
However, Prof. Nadav Na'aman, a historian and archaeologist at Tel Aviv University, discounts Garfinkel and Ganor's conclusions. "These are beautiful finds but they are not special in that similar ones have been found in various places, and they should therefore not be connected in any way to the ark," nor to the Temple in Jerusalem, says Na'aman.Second, some commentary at the Serving the Word blog: Khirbet Qeiyafa: Possible Unintended Consequences. Notes from a conversation between Seth Sanders, Matthew Suriano and Jacqueline Vayntrub.
He says believers made models of shrines out of various materials as an act of devotion. "There was no such thing as making a model that represented a temple in another place."
He said he found the combination on one of the items of lions and doves very interesting. "The dove is connected to a fertility goddess, and this combination hints that the model belonged to a cultic site of a fertility goddess. I think Qeiyafa was a Canaanite site that had no connection to Jerusalem," he added.
In invoking Canaanites, Na'aman has touched on the heart of the scholarly debate. For Qeiyafa to play a role in disproving the claims of the minimalists about the meager nature of David's kingdom, Garfinkel has to show that it was neither a Canaanite nor Philistine site.
Garfinkel and Ganor say the shrine models they have found differ from those known so far and that their design underscores a Judean connection.
But Garfinkel says he does not need the shrines to prove that Qeiyafa was Judean - other discoveries at the site do it for him. For example, out of thousands of animal bones unearthed there, none were pig bones, and no figurines were found - two elements some see as alluding to biblical prohibitions. An inscribed potsherd was also found there whose writing some archaeologists identify as ancient Hebrew.
Na'aman has a different explanation for the lack of pig bones: "The Canaanites also did not eat pork. Only the Philistines ate a great deal of pork at this time." As for figurines, Na'aman says places elsewhere in Judea "were full of figurines."
Minimalists also discount the inscribed potsherd, saying it is impossible to differentiate its letters from other languages at that time.
This story is on the borderline of my usual interests. I will keep an eye on it, but, unless more epigraphic material turns up, I will not aim for anything like exhaustive coverage.
For more on previous discoveries at Kirbet Qeiyafa and their implications, go here and follow the links.
UPDATE: James McGrath produces one of his thorough roundups in the midst of marking: Khirbet Qeiyafa’s Model Shrines and the Accuracy of the Bible
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Cultic installations from the time of King David
TODAY IS MAY 8TH, and here is the promised announcement that reveals the mystery:
UPDATE: Some biblioblogospheric commentary already from George Athas, The Ark of God found at Khirbet Qeiyafa? (the answer is no), and Tom Verenna, The Qeiyafa Discovery and King David: The Da Vinci Connection (well, not so much, but perhaps a connection with Asherah). I agree that it seems premature to bring King David into the conversation.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEVia Joseph I. Lauer.
Hebrew University archaeologist finds the first evidence of a cult in Judah at the time of King David, with implications for Solomon’s Temple
Jerusalem, May 8, 2012—Prof. Yosef Garfinkel, the Yigal Yadin Professor of Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, announced today the discovery of objects that for the first time shed light on how a cult was organized in Judah at the time of King David. During recent archaeological excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa, a fortified city in Judah adjacent to the Valley of Elah, Garfinkel and colleagues uncovered rich assemblages of pottery, stone and metal tools, and many art and cult objects. These include three large rooms that served as cultic shrines, which in their architecture and finds correspond to the biblical description of a cult at the time of King David.
This discovery is extraordinary as it is the first time that shrines from the time of early biblical kings were uncovered. Because these shrines pre-date the construction of Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem by 30 to 40 years, they provide the first physical evidence of a cult in the time of King David, with significant implications for the fields of archaeology, history, biblical and religion studies.
The expedition to Khirbet Qeiyafa has excavated the site for six weeks each summer since 2007, with co-director Saar Ganor of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The revolutionary results of five years of work are presented today in a new book, Footsteps of King David in the Valley of Elah, published by Yedioth Ahronoth.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Prof. Yosef Garfinkel with a stone shrine model found at Khirbet Qeiyafa (Credit: Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Images of the new discoveries can be downloaded from http://bit.ly/garfinkel. Images must be credited to The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Located approximately 30 km. southwest of Jerusalem in the valley of Elah, Khirbet Qeiyafa was a border city of the Kingdom of Judah opposite the Philistine city of Gath. The city, which was dated by 10 radiometric measurements (14C) done at Oxford University on burned olive pits, existed for a short period of time between ca. 1020 to 980 BCE, and was violently destroyed.
The biblical tradition presents the people of Israel as conducting a cult different from all other nations of the ancient Near East by being monotheistic and an-iconic (banning human or animal figures). However, it is not clear when these practices were formulated, if indeed during the time of the monarchy (10-6th centuries BC), or only later, in the Persian or Hellenistic eras.
The absence of cultic images of humans or animals in the three shrines provides evidence that the inhabitants of the place practiced a different cult than that of the Canaanites or the Philistines, observing a ban on graven images.
The findings at Khirbet Qeiyafa also indicate that an elaborate architectural style had developed as early as the time of King David. Such construction is typical of royal activities, thus indicating that state formation, the establishment of an elite, social level and urbanism in the region existed in the days of the early kings of Israel. These finds strengthen the historicity of the biblical tradition and its architectural description of the Palace and Temple of Solomon.
According to Prof. Garfinkel, “This is the first time that archaeologists uncovered a fortified city in Judah from the time of King David. Even in Jerusalem we do not have a clear fortified city from his period. Thus, various suggestions that completely deny the biblical tradition regarding King David and argue that he was a mythological figure, or just a leader of a small tribe, are now shown to be wrong.” Garfinkel continued, “Over the years, thousands of animal bones were found, including sheep, goats and cattle, but no pigs. Now we uncovered three cultic rooms, with various cultic paraphernalia, but not even one human or animal figurine was found. This suggests that the population of Khirbet Qeiyafa observed two biblical bans—on pork and on graven images—and thus practiced a different cult than that of the Canaanites or the Philistines.”
Description of the findings and their significance
The three shrines are part of larger building complexes. In this respect they are different from Canaanite or Philistine cults, which were practiced in temples—separate buildings dedicated only to rituals. The biblical tradition described this phenomenon in the time of King David: “He brought the ark of God from a private house in Kyriat Yearim and put it in Jerusalem in a private house” (2 Samuel 6).
The cult objects include five standing stones (Massebot), two basalt altars, two pottery libation vessels and two portable shrines. No human or animal figurines were found, suggesting the people of Khirbet Qeiyafa observed the biblical ban on graven images.
Two portable shrines (or “shrine models”) were found, one made of pottery (ca. 20 cm high) and the other of stone (35 cm high). These are boxes in the shape of temples, and could be closed by doors.
The clay shrine is decorated with an elaborate façade, including two guardian lions, two pillars, a main door, beams of the roof, folded textile and three birds standing on the roof. Two of these elements are described in Solomon’s Temple: the two pillars (Yachin and Boaz) and the textile (Parochet).
The stone shrine is made of soft limestone and painted red. Its façade is decorated by two elements. The first are seven groups of roof-beams, three planks in each. This architectural element, the "triglyph," is known in Greek classical temples, like the Parthenon in Athens. Its appearance at Khirbet Qeiyafa is the earliest known example carved in stone, a landmark in world architecture.
The second decorative element is the recessed door. This type of doors or windows is known in the architecture of temples, palaces and royal graves in the ancient Near East. This was a typical symbol of divinity and royalty at the time.
The stone model helps us to understand obscure technical terms in the description of Solomon’s palace as described in 1 Kings 7, 1-6. The text uses the term “Slaot,” which were mistakenly understood as pillars and can now be understood as triglyphs. The text also uses the term “Sequfim”, which was usually understood as nine windows in the palace, and can now be understood as "triple recessed doorway.”
Similar triglyphs and recessed doors can be found in the description of Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 6, Verses 5, 31-33, and in the description of a temple by the prophet Ezekiel (41:6). These biblical texts are replete with obscure technical terms that have lost their original meaning over the millennia. Now, with the help of the stone model uncovered at Khirbet Qeiyafa, the biblical text is clarified. For the first time in history we have actual objects from the time of David, which can be related to monuments described in the Bible.
About the Hebrew University of Jerusalem:
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem was founded in 1918 by visionaries including Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Martin Buber and Chaim Weizmann. Opened in 1925, the Hebrew University is located on three campuses in Jerusalem and a fourth in Rehovot. One of the world’s leading academic and research institutions, the Hebrew University serves more than 23,000 students from over 65 countries, and is consistently ranked among the top academic and research institutions worldwide. Forty percent of Israel’s civilian research emerges from the Hebrew University, which has been ranked 12th worldwide in biotechnology patent filings and commercial development. Faculty and alumni of the Hebrew University have won seven Nobel Prizes in the last decade.
CONTACT:
Dov Smith, Hebrew University Foreign Press Liaison
02-5881641 / 054-8820860 (+972-54-8820860)
dovs@savion.huji.ac.il
Orit Sulitzeanu, Hebrew University Spokesperson
02-5882910 / 054-8820016
orits@savion.huji.ac.il
Online: http://www.huji.ac.il
UPDATE: Some biblioblogospheric commentary already from George Athas, The Ark of God found at Khirbet Qeiyafa? (the answer is no), and Tom Verenna, The Qeiyafa Discovery and King David: The Da Vinci Connection (well, not so much, but perhaps a connection with Asherah). I agree that it seems premature to bring King David into the conversation.
Court case over Talmudic sage in back yard
HAVING A TALMUDIC SAGE BURIED IN YOUR BACK YARD may be more trouble than its worth:
Owner of Israeli bed and breakfast under fire for damaging rabbi's burial siteArieh O’Sullivan at The Media Line also has more details on the case: Ancient Tomb Meets Modern Courtroom.
IAA sues U.S.-born resident of the Galilee for damaging antiquities in a burial cave he found in his backyard; inscription reads 'This is the burial place of Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi Hakapar.'
By Nir Hasson (Haaretz)
An American-born resident of the Galilee is on trial for damaging antiquities in a burial cave on his property, even though he says he has been working to preserve the site.
The trial of Mitch Pilcer, 54, a resident of Tzippori, opened on Sunday in Nazareth Magistrate's Court. He says he discovered the grave of Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi, an amora (rabbi quoted in the Talmud ) who lived in the early third century, while working three years ago to add a bungalow to his property, where he has been running a bed-and-breakfast since 1997.
[...]
Monday, May 07, 2012
DNA and Jewish identity
BOOK REVIEW in Haaretz:
UPDATE: Joseph Lauer e-mails to note that this article was originally published in The Forward (here). He also points to coverage in The Chronicle of Higher Education here and here. And I see in the archives that I have noted Dr. Ostrer's work earlier here and here.
DNA links prove Jews are a ‘race’, says genetics expertLong, interesting article that I don't have time to excerpt. Speaking of time, I am getting ready for an international trip this week and I have a lot of other things going on as well. Blogging may be sparse and perfunctory for a while.
Conjuring fear of Nazism and anti-Semitism, Jews recoil from the thought that Judaism might be a race, but medical geneticist Harry Ostrer insists the 'biological basis of Jewishness' cannot be ignored.
By Jon Entine
Tags: Jewish World Jewish Diaspora
In his new book, “Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People,” Harry Ostrer, a medical geneticist and professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, claims that Jews are different, and the differences are not just skin deep. Jews exhibit, he writes, a distinctive genetic signature. Considering that the Nazis tried to exterminate Jews based on their supposed racial distinctiveness, such a conclusion might be a cause for concern. But Ostrer sees it as central to Jewish identity.
“Who is a Jew?” has been a poignant question for Jews throughout our history. It evokes a complex tapestry of Jewish identity made up of different strains of religious beliefs, cultural practices and blood ties to ancient Palestine and modern Israel. But the question, with its echoes of genetic determinism, also has a dark side.
[...]
UPDATE: Joseph Lauer e-mails to note that this article was originally published in The Forward (here). He also points to coverage in The Chronicle of Higher Education here and here. And I see in the archives that I have noted Dr. Ostrer's work earlier here and here.
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