Why does Esau in Jewish tradition come to be known as עשו הרשע “Esau the Wicked”? The answer has to do with the history of Judea’s relationship with Esau’s eponymous descendants, the Edomites, and the connection Jews made between them, Rome, and Christianity. The negative view of Esau is expressed nowhere more forcefully than in Rashi’s commentary.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Why Read the Bible in the Original Languages?AUTHOR:
Muraoka T.YEAR: 2020
ISBN: 9789042942004
E-ISBN: 9789042942011
PAGES: 111 p.
PRICE: 19 euroSUMMARY:
A comparison of multiple translations of the Bible in any language shows that they differ at hundreds of places, pointing to the continuing disagreement among Bible scholars and translators in their analysis and understanding of those places. To learn Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, the original languages of the Bible, is admittedly not everybody’s cup of tea. Knowledge of them does not necessarily provide a solution to these difficulties. However, there are not a few things in the biblical text which can be missed out if it is read only in translation. A range of linguistic issues touching on the three original languages are discussed in the light of actual examples. Matters of culture and rhetoric are also taken up. A special chapter is devoted to the Septuagint as a bridge between the two Testaments. The book is written in a non-technical style, hence easily readable by non-specialists, but specialists may also find things of interest. No Hebrew or Greek alphabet is used.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
For the desecration toilet at Lachish, see here. The article missed the ancient toilet near Qumran.
For other PaleoJudaica posts on ancient latrines, see here and here. And I wrote about a Roman-era latrine at Hadrian's wall here.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Religious Innovation and Sacred Scriptures in 4 Ezra and 2 BaruchCross-file under New Book.How did ancient Judaism resolve the conflict between the notion of divinely authored scriptures that are fixed in writing, on the one hand, and the inevitable need to adapt to new circumstances of the community, on the other? A good case study of religious revision in ancient Israel is afforded by the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 CE. Both 4 Ezra and 2 Baruch were written as the Jewish response to a national and religious crisis. Using pseudonyms of Israel’s past heroes from the destruction of the First Temple, both authors promulgated an eschatological vision as the solution, yet called for a return to the Mosaic Torah. In both apocalypses, religious innovation is carried out covertly rather than explicitly. The “new” is presented as a discovery of and return to the “old.”. There are, however, also differences: whereas in 2 Baruch innovation is through eschatological exegesis of the Deuteronomic tradition, in 4 Ezra it has to be through an expansion of divinely revealed scriptures.
See also: When Judaism Lost the Temple: Crisis and Response in 4 Ezra and 2 Baruch. Studia Antiqua Australiensia 10 (Turnhout: Brepols, 2020).
By Lydia Gore-Jones
St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College
Sydney College of Divinity, Australia
November 2020
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
A Syntax of Qumran HebrewAUTHOR:
Muraoka T.YEAR: 2020
ISBN: 9789042940253
E-ISBN: 9789042940260
PAGES: LX-387 p.
PRICE: 95 euroSUMMARY:
This is the first, comprehensive description of the syntax of Qumran Hebrew, a language in which the Hebrew documents discovered in the eleven Qumran caves and at some sites in the Judaean desert are written. Features described include, for instance, the values and functions of the status constructus, tense, aspect and mood of the verb, the word order, the grammatical agreement or lack of it in gender and number, the concord or concatenation, the government of the verb. Comparison is constantly made with Biblical Hebrew and Mishnaic - Rabbinic Hebrew. This is important to see the position of Qumran Hebrew in the history of Hebrew. Copiously cited original texts are provided with an English translation by the author. That knowledge of the syntax of this Hebrew is important and has implications for textual criticism of these texts and other compartments such as orthography, phonology, morphology, lexicography, and stylistics is shown with concrete examples.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Matthew’s Non-Messianic Mapping of Messianic TextsEvidences of a Broadly Eschatological Hermeneutic
Series: Biblical Interpretation Series, Volume: 188
Author: Bruce Henning
Scholars often explain Matthew’s practice of applying non-messianic texts to the messiah by postulating a Christological hermeneutic. In Matthew’s Non-Messianic Mapping of Messianic texts, Bruce Henning raises the question of how Matthew applies messianic texts to non-messianic figures. This neglected category challenges the popular view by stretching Matthew’s paradigm to a broadly eschatological one in which disciples share in the mission of Jesus so as to fulfill Scriptural hopes. Using Cognitive Linguistics, this volume explores four case studies to demonstrate Matthew’s non-messianic mapping scheme: the eschatological shepherd, the vineyard care-giver, temple construction imagery, and the Isaian herald. These reveal how Matthew’s theology of discipleship as participating in Jesus’ own vocation extends even to his hermeneutical paradigm of fulfillment.
Prices from (excl. VAT): €99.00 / $119.00
E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-44418-8
Publication Date: 16 Nov 2020Hardback
Availability: Not Yet Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-44416-4
Publication Date: 19 Nov 2020
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Graded HolinessA Key to the Priestly Conception of the World
By: Philip Peter Jenson
Published: 10-29-2020
Format: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Extent: 290
ISBN: 9780567697547
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies
Dimensions: 6 1/8" x 9 1/4"
List price: $39.95
Online price: $27.96
Save $11.98 (30%)About Graded Holiness
This wide-ranging investigation of the priestly cultic texts from Exodus 25 onwards explores the coherence and theology of the priestly writing, utilizing insights from anthropology and recent biblical scholarship. Through a carefully worked out set of laws and institutions, the priestly authors sought to order Israel's life before God in a sustainable and satisfying way. This is a valuable contribution to the growing number of studies concerned to understand and recover this neglected part of the Bible.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
The Cambridge Companion to Apocalyptic LiteraturePart of Cambridge Companions to Religion
EDITOR: Colin McAllister, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
DATE PUBLISHED: April 2020
AVAILABILITY: In stock
FORMAT: Paperbakc
ISBN: 9781108436892$ 29.99 (P)
PaperbackDescription
Jewish and Christian apocalypses have captivated theologians, writers, artists, and the general public for centuries, and have had a profound influence on world history from their initial production by persecuted Jews during the second century BCE, to the birth of Christianity - through the demise of the Western Roman Empire and the medieval period, and continuing into modernity. Far from being an outlier concern, or an academic one that may be relegated to the dustbin of history, apocalyptic thinking is ubiquitous and continues to inform nearly all aspects of modern-day life. It addresses universal human concerns: the search for identity and belonging, speculation about the future, and (for some) a blueprint that provides meaning and structure to a seemingly chaotic world. The Cambridge Companion to Apocalyptic Literature brings together a field of leading experts to provide a comprehensive overview of the subject.
- Brings together an international collective of leading experts who have written on various aspects of apocalyptic literature
- Covers apocalyptic literature from the second century BCE to the present, and includes discussions of the apocalypses themselves, reception history, politics, contemporary Islam, and how apocalypticism functions in contemporary society
- Incorporates issues much larger than just apocalytic literature, including the concept of time, music, visual art, geopolitics and popular culture
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
For many PaleoJudaica posts on Matthew's magi and related matters, see here and links.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Gelübde im antiken Judentum und frühesten ChristentumSeries: Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity, Volume: 111
Author: Daniel Schumann
In Gelübde im antiken Judentum und frühesten Christentum Daniel Schumann aims to trace the earliest discourses on vows, as they are recorded in ancient Jewish and early Christian sources from the time of the Second Temple. He also shows how Judaism and Christianity have participated in ancient forms of vow-making since late antiquity and how they also have developed these discourses further. By presenting these discourses on the basis of a broad range of sources, he reveals how in Jewish as well as in Christian perception, voices of esteem but also of reservation have been raised throughout the centuries. After all, vows are a cult-practical exercise in which well-being and disaster are in closer proximity than in most other acts of devotion.
Prices from (excl. VAT): €132.00 / $159.00
E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-44183-5
Publication Date: 04 Nov 2020Hardback
Availability: Not Yet Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-44184-2
Publication Date: 12 Nov 2020
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Philo of Alexandria: On the Contemplative LifeIntroduction, Translation and Commentary
Series: Philo of Alexandria Commentary Series, Volume: 7
Authors: Joan E. Taylor and David M. Hay
On the Contemplative Life is known for its depiction of a philosophical group of Jewish men and women known as the ‘Therapeutae’. Yet the reasons for their depiction have been little understood. In the first commentary on the treatise in English for over 100 years, the social, cultural and political background of the times in which Philo lived are shown to be crucial in understanding Philo’s purposes. As Alexandrian Jews were vilified and attacked, Philo went to Rome to present the case for his community, faced with intense opposition. Side-stepping direct confrontation, Philo here cleverly presents the Therapeutae as the pinnacle of excellence, most especially in their communal meal, while ridiculing his accusers in a stinging parody of a festive banquet.
Prices from (excl. VAT): €155.00 / $187.00
E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-43923-8
Publication Date: 09 Nov 2020Hardback
Availability: Not Yet Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-43814-9
Publication Date: 19 Nov 2020
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Encounters in the Dark: Identity Formation in the Jacob Story
Noel Forlini Burt$23.10 – $37.10
Series: Semeia Studies
Volume: 96Publisher: SBL Press
Publication Date: 2020
ISBN: 9781628372847
Description Encounters in the Dark: Identity Formation in the Jacob Story traces the many moments of darkness in the life of Jacob from the darkness of his mother’s womb to the triumphant scene of wrestling God by the Jabbok River. Through an exploration of key moments in Jacob’s story, Noel Forlini Burt follows his journey from home, to exile, and back home again. Jacob’s story symbolizes the larger story of the Israel’s own wrestling with God in the darkness of exile and return.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
A number of the articles involve or are of interest for ancient Judaism.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Sigd, the holiday that Ethiopian Jews brought to Israel that marks a renewal of the covenant with God and has become a force that unites these immigrants with other Israelis, is being observed in a scaled-down fashion this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.For more on Sigd, see here.The holiday, which started at sundown on Sunday and ends Monday evening, became an official part of the Israeli calendar in 2008 and is observed 50 days after Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
[...]
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
I noted the recent discovery of numerous mummies at Saqqara here. This BHD essay outlines the importance of the 26th Egyptian dynasty for biblical studies.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
The Future of Rome
Roman, Greek, Jewish and Christian VisionsEDITORS:
Jonathan J. Price, Tel-Aviv University
Katell Berthelot, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), ParisDATE PUBLISHED: October 2020
AVAILABILITY: Available
FORMAT: Hardback
ISBN: 9781108494816$ 99.99 (C)
HardbackDescription
How was the future of Rome, both near and distant in time, imagined by different populations living under the Roman Empire? It emerges from this collection of essays by a distinguished international team of scholars that Romans, Greeks, Jews and Christians had strikingly different answers to that question, revealing profound differences in their conceptions of history and historical time, the purpose of history, the meaning of written words and oral traditions. It is also argued that practically no one living under Rome's rule, including the Romans themselves, did not think about the question in one form or another.
- A cutting-edge volume on a topic never before systematically explored
- Reveals profound differences between the views of the different peoples living under the Roman Empire on the same fundamental question
- Explores concepts of historical time and other modes of time
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Sacrifice in Pagan and Christian Antiquity
By: Robert J. DalyPublished: 08-22-2019
Format: Hardback
Edition: 1st
Extent: 168
ISBN: 9780567687050
Imprint: T&T Clark
Dimensions: 6 1/8" x 9 1/4"
List price: $115.00
Online price: $80.50
Save $34.50 (30%)About Sacrifice in Pagan and Christian Antiquity
Robert J. Daly S.J. examines the concept of sacrifice in the ancient Mediterranean world, and discusses how the rise of bloodless Christian sacrifice, and the use of sacrificial language in reference to highly spiritualized Christian lives, would have seemed unsettling and radically challenging to the pagan mind.
Acknowledging the difficulties posed by an overwhelmingly Christian scholarly narrative around the topic of sacrifice, Daly specifically sets out to tell the non-Christian side of this story. He first outlines the pagan trajectory, and then the Jewish-Christian trajectory, before concluding with a representative series of comparisons and contrasts. Covering the concept of sacrifice in relation to prayer, ethics and morality, the rhetoric and economics of sacrificial ceremonies, and heroes and saints, Daly finishes with an estimation of how this study might inform further study of sacrifice.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Commentary – Why We Need It and the Price We Pay for Having ItIf Moses interceded for any of the commandments, did he act as a secretary taking dictation or did he introduce a human dimension into the divinely revealed content? The traditional answer is that he served as a secretary, copying every word exactly as God spoke it. This suggests that revelation was an auditory phenomenon and thus implies an anthropomorphic interpretation of “God spoke.”
By Kenneth Seeskin
Department of Philosophy and Department of Religious Studies
Northwestern University
November 2020
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Royal Illness and Kingship Ideology in the Hebrew BiblePart of Society for Old Testament Study Monographs
AUTHOR: Isabel Cranz, University of Pennsylvania
DATE PUBLISHED: October 2020
AVAILABILITY: Available
FORMAT: Hardback
ISBN: 9781108830492$ 99.99 (C)
HardbackDescription
In this book, Isabel Cranz offers the first systematic study of royal illness in the Books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles. Applying a diachronic approach, she compares and contrasts how the different views concerning kingship and illness are developed in the larger trajectory of the Hebrew Bible. As such, she demonstrates how a framework of meaning is constructed around the motif of illness, which is expanded in several redactional steps. This development takes different forms and relates to issues such as problems with kingship, the cultic, and moral conduct of individual kings, or the evaluation of dynasties. Significantly, Cranz shows how the scribes living in post-monarchic Judah expanded the interpretive framework of royal illness until it included a message of destruction and a critique of kingship. The physical and mental integrity of the king, therefore, becomes closely tied to his nation and the political system he represents.
- Presents a comprehensive study of royal illness in the Books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles
- Applies a diachronic approach in combination with medical humanities and disability studies
- Demonstrates how the motif of the sick king functions both symbolically and pragmatically, while being adapted to different ideological frameworks
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
“Wordplay” in Ancient Near Eastern Texts
Scott B. Noegel$44.80 – $58.80
Series: Ancient Near East Monographs
Volume: 26
Publisher: SBL Press
Publication Date: 2020
ISBN: 9781628372939Description
This book from Scott B. Noegel offers a comparative, in-depth study of “wordplay” in ancient Near Eastern texts. Noegel establishes comprehensive taxonomies for the many kinds of devices that scholars label as wordplay and for their proposed functions. The consistent terminology proposed offers students and scholars of Sumerian, Akkadian, Egyptian, Ugaritic, Hebrew, and Aramaic a useful template for documenting and understanding the devices they discover and for comparing them across languages for a rich interdisciplinary dialogue.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
The Writings of Luke and the Jewish Roots of the Christian Way An Examination of the Aims of the First Christian Historian in the Light of Ancient Politics, Ethnography, and Historiography
By: J. Andrew CowanPublished: 08-20-2020
Format: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Extent: 232
ISBN: 9780567696144
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: The Library of New Testament Studies
Dimensions: 6 1/8" x 9 1/4"
List price: $39.95
Online price: $27.96
Save $11.98 (30%)About The Writings of Luke and the Jewish Roots of the Christian Way
J. Andrew Cowan challenges the popular theory that Luke sought to boost the cultural status of the early Christian movement by emphasising its Jewish roots – associating the new church with an ancient and therefore respected heritage. Cowan instead argues that Luke draws upon the traditions of the Old Testament and its supporting texts as a reassurance to Christians, promising that Jesus' life, his works and the church that follow legitimately provide fulfilment of God's salvific plan.
Cowan's argument compares Luke's writings to two near-contemporaries, Dionysius of Halicarnassus and T. Flavius Josephus, both of whom emphasized the ancient heritage of a people with cultural or political aims in view, exploring how the writings of Luke do not reflect the same cultural values or pursue the same ends. Challenging assumptions on Luke's supposed attempts to assuage political concerns, capitalize on antiquity, and present Christianity as an inner-Jewish sect, Cowan counters with arguments for Luke being critical of over-valuing tradition and defining the Jewish people as resistant to God and His messages. Cowan concludes with the argument that the apostle does not strive for legitimisation of the new church by previous cultural standards, but instead provides theological reassurance to Christians that God's plan has been fulfilled, with implications for broader debate.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
The indisputable presence of information from the Apocryphal Acts of Thomas in the Synaxarion of the Thomas-Feast (concerning especially the beginning of the Thomasine mission in India and his martyrdom there) proves the liturgical functionality of the reception of this apocryphal text. At the same time, it reveals the fact that this complex process (which is to be understood also as retelling stories) continued not only beyond the canon of New Testament writings, but also beyond the canon of what we typically think of as apocryphal literature.Is that meta-apocrypha then?
Cross-file under New Testament Apocrypha Watch.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Interactions in InterpretationThe Pilgrimage of Meaning through Biblical Texts and Contexts
Series: Biblical Interpretation Series, Volume: 185
Volume Editors: Jan Roskovec and Vít Hušek
The concept of intertextuality was originally coined as an instrument in answering the question of how meaning is communicated through texts. The Interactions in Interpretation discusses various aspects of how the world of the Bible (seen as a world of a certain language: a complex of ideas, notions, images, idioms, stories, that are shared and referred to) communicates with other worlds in both directions. The collection of studies follows three types of interactions with marked bearing on understanding: (1) interactions with a particular motif of dream, (2) interactions with a particular text of Isa 6:9–10, (3) intertextuality in changing contexts.
Prices from (excl. VAT): €105.00 / $126.00
E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-43982-5
Publication Date: 04 Nov 2020Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-42963-5
Publication Date: 05 Nov 2020
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Bathsheba first appears as the object of David’s lust, then as the mother of Solomon, who pleads with the king to make her son his heir. And yet, a close look at her actions shows her to be someone with agency, able to manipulate her husband and even her son to ensure Solomon’s safety and rule.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Machaerus Through the Ages. Timeline of Events at Machaerus.
For many PaleoJudaica posts on Machaerus and its excavation, start here (cf. here) and follow the links.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Conquered Conquerors: Love and War in the Song of Songs
Danilo Verde$28.00 – $42.00
Series: Ancient Israel and Its Literature
Volume: 41Publisher: SBL Press
Publication Date: 2020
ISBN: 9781628372892
Description Danilo Verde explores the Song of Songs’ use of military language to describe both love and lovers from the perspective of cognitive metaphor theory. love is war is one of the main recurring themes of the Song, and the poem’s representations of love/rs using military imagery thematically connects the poem, providing the reader with a coherent and conceptually unified understanding of the Song. Additionally, this book investigates how the Song conceptualizes the female and the male, revealing their tight interconnection in the poem. By exploring one of the Song’s most overlooked images, Conquered Conquerors provides fresh insights into the Song’s figurative language and the conceptualization of gender in biblical literature.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
PaleoJudaica was among the social media that followed the story of the Mar Benham manuscripts as it was happening. See here and links. Cross-file under Syriac Watch.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Abraham banishes Ishmael as a lad, and the break between them seems final. To reconcile father and son, Jewish and Islamic traditions tell a story about Abraham going to visit Ishmael and meet his wives. Despite being similar, the two stories are used for different purposes.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
(Story first brought to my attention by reader David Schottenfels.)
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Scribes and Scribalism
Editor(s): Mark LeuchterPublished: 11-12-2020
Format: Hardback
Edition: 1st
Extent: 200
ISBN: 9780567659743
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: The Hebrew Bible in Social Perspective
Illustrations: 1 B&W illus
Dimensions: 6 5/8" x 9 5/8"
List price: $115.00
Online price: $103.50
Save $11.50 (10%)About Scribes and Scribalism
This volume is a concentrated examination of the varied roles of scribes and scribal practices in ancient Israel and Judah, shedding light on the social world of the Hebrew Bible. Divided into discussion of three key aspects, the book begins by assessing praxis and materiality, looking at the tools and materials used by scribes, where they came from and how they worked in specific contexts. The contributors then move to observe the power and status of scribal cultures, and how scribes functioned within their broader social world. Finally, the volume offers perspectives that examine ideological issues at play in both antiquity and the modern context(s) of biblical scholarship. Taken together, these essays demonstrate that no text is produced in a void, and no writer functions without a network of resources.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Sounding Sensory Profiles in The Ancient Near East
Annette Schellenberg (Editor), Thomas Kruger (Editor)ISBN 9781628372410
Status Available
Price: $59.95
Binding Paperback
Publication Date July 2019An interdisciplinary essay collection from an international group of experts
For several decades sociologists and cultural anthropologists have intensively researched the role of the senses in a variety of cultures, and their studies show how diverse cultures understand and evaluate the five or more senses differently. In this collection of eighteen essays, biblical and ancient Near Eastern scholars, as well as cultural anthropologists, apply the questions and methods from anthropological and sociological studies to Israel, Mesopotamia, and Egypt. Experts offer insights into the meaning of the senses in the ancient world, examining the classical senses (seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting) as well as other senses (such as kinesthesis and the sense of balance) and sense-related issues (such as disgust, sensory imagination, and disabilities). This collection provides a stimulus and a basis for students and scholars to explore the senses in the ancient Near East.
Features
- Exploration of the relationship between sensory experience and reasoning
- Assessments of how theory and practice of the senses relate to each other
- Essays examining connections between emotions and senses
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
A Penis Bone in Genesis 2:21? Retrodiagnosis as a Methodological Problem in Scriptural StudiesPaleoJudaica posts on Professor Zevit's hypothesis about Adam's penis-bone are here and here.Ziony Zevit is the Distinguished Professor in Bible and Northwest Semitic Languages in the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University. He has done widely respected work on the religion of ancient Israel. However, Zevit makes a claim that is difficult to accept or understand linguistically, exegetically, and medically. In so doing, he is engaging in “retrodiagnosis.” Typically, such approaches seek to diagnose a condition mentioned in the Bible in precise modern medical terms.
Zevit specifically asserts that the Hebrew word sela (צֵלָע) in Genesis 2:21 refers to a penis bone (os baculum), not a rib, in speaking of the creation of Eve. This essay will show that none of the arguments adduced by Zevit, including those drawn from Alan Dundes’ research on the practice known as couvade, will yield the results he asserts for Genesis 2:21.
By Hector Avalos
Professor of Religious Studies,
Iowa State University
November 2020
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Legal Exegesis of Scripture in the Works of Josephus
By: Michael AviozPublished: 11-12-2020
Format: Hardback
Edition: 1st
Extent: 192
ISBN: 9780567681157
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: The Library of Second Temple Studies
Volume: 97
Dimensions: 6 1/8" x 9 1/4"
List price: $115.00
Online price: $103.50
Save $11.50 (10%)About Legal Exegesis of Scripture in the Works of Josephus
Michael Avioz builds upon his earlier work on Josephus as an exegete, providing a comprehensive study of Josephus' contribution to the crystallization of the Halakha which focuses on the similarities (and dissimilarities) between his work and the tannaitic sources, as well as contemporary Second Temple sources.
Avioz begins by providing a clear definition of Halakha, and offering an explanation of methodology and sources. He then examines the structure and contents of the Pentateuch in Josephus' writing, before moving on to more specific coverage of the Decalogue in the work of Josephus and its relation to other laws in the Pentateuch. Further analysis is applied to the laws in the books of Leviticus-Deuteronomy and on laws that appear outside the Pentateuch. Throughout, Avioz makes close comparisons between biblical laws and Josephus' rewriting of them, in order to consider the reasons behind this rewriting and the origins of the texts that Josephus may have had access to in his exegetical work. Avioz is consequently able to draw clear conclusions about the interpretative traditions that Josephus had access to and worked within, and about how he used them in his writing.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
AbstractStegemann's method of scroll reconstruction has been influential and widely used, notably for the Dead Sea Scrolls. If it is less reliable than we thought, that could indeed have substantial implications. Let's keep an eye on how this article is received.Scholars have used mathematical models to estimate the missing length of deteriorated scrolls from ancient Egypt, Qumran, Herculaneum, and elsewhere. Based on such estimations, the content of ancient literature as well as the process of its composition is deduced. Though theoretically reasonable, many practical problems interfere with the method. In the current study, the empirical validity of these mathematical models is examined, showing that highly significant errors are quite frequent. When applied to comparatively intact scrolls, the largest contribution to errors is the subjectivity inherent in measuring patterns of damaged areas. In less well preserved scrolls, deterioration and deformation are more central causes of errors. Another factor is the quality of imaging. Hence, even after maximal reduction of interfering factors, one should only use these estimation methods in conjunction with other supporting considerations. Accordingly, past uses of this approach should be reevaluated, which may have substantial implications for the study of antiquity.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
In anticipation of the upcoming annual meeting of #sblaar20, Ancient Jew Review will host a series of articles from a panel organized by Janet Spittler and Lily Vuong, chairs of the Christian Apocrypha Section. For the next two weeks, we will publish essays from a session celebrating the work of Tobias Nicklas and the "Beyond Canon: Heterotopias of Religious Authority in Ancient Christianity” project of the Universität Regensburg.From Dr. Allen's essay:
What I want to do in this discussion is more specific: to gesture toward the importance of manuscripts, even manuscripts that preserve “biblical” works, as vectors for researching beyond the canon. The manuscript evidence demonstrates that there is often no hard and fast bibliographic distinction between canonical and non-canonical material and that, in certain circumstances, it is the very presence of non-canonical material that defines the canonical as such. ...
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Christopher Stray, Michael Clarke, Joshua Timothy Katz, Liddell and Scott: the history, methodology, and languages of the world's leading lexicon of Ancient Greek. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2019. Pp. xviii, 453. ISBN 9780198810803 $115.00.... Liddell and Scott, edited by Christopher Stray, a sociologist, Michael Clarke, a literary critic, and Joshua Katz, an expert in linguistics, aims to look at the LSJ as cultural and intellectual product—with Stray leading on the history of the book; Clarke, the methodology and literary implications; and Katz, the philology and linguistics. It is a book that is fascinating—full of detailed and intelligent appraisal and analysis—and frustrating, for the questions not broached and the avenues not pursued. ...
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
One seemingly intractable mystery that Sampson has (to my mind, anyway) solved involves one of the first provenance stories associated with the Sappho papyrus. Early on, it was claimed that the papyrus had originated in mummy cartonnage that had once been owned by “a high-ranking German officer.” This provenance story quickly evaporated and was never explained. A little background will help to illuminate Sampson’s discovery.For more on C. Michael Sampson's recent article on the provenance of the Sappho Papyrus, see here. And follow the links from there for many past posts with background on and ramifications of the Sappho papyrus and, more broadly, the missing papyri scandal.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
The Use and Function of Scripture in 1 Maccabees
By: Dongbin ChoiPublished: 10-15-2020
Format: Hardback
Edition: 1st
Extent: 288
ISBN: 9780567695420
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: The Library of Second Temple Studies
Volume: 98v Dimensions: 6 1/8" x 9 1/4"
List price: $120.00
Online price: $84.00
Save $36.00 (30%)About The Use and Function of Scripture in 1 Maccabees
Dongbin Choi offers a philological and thematic analysis on the scriptural language in the book of 1 Maccabees, a text that is written with a linguistic technique that utilizes earlier Jewish texts in order to promote the religiopolitical agendas of its author. Choi engages in the dialogue between the traditional view that treats 1 Maccabees as a religious writing, and the radical view that considers it as political propaganda.
Choi suggests that the author of 1 Maccabees deploys scriptural language in such a nuanced way that he both promotes the legitimacy of the Hasmonean rule in Judea under John Hyrcanus I, and shows his appreciation of conservative Jewish sensitivity toward their traditions relating to Deuteronomic covenant, biblical judges, and Jewish messianism. By discussing past scholarly literature on the use and function of Scripture in 1 Maccabees, analyzing various literary, political, and cultural aspects that influenced the creation of the text, and finally exploring philological and conceptual parallels between Scripture and 1 Maccabees and the use of Scripture in the eulogies of the Hasmoneans, Choi has created a singular reinterpretation of both text and author.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Despite the obvious investment taking place to document and preserve it, Khirbet Kafr Murr is not a classically “important” site: The archaeological surveys and excavations point to a small agricultural settlement spanning from the 8th century BCE to 749 CE. At its peak during the Jewish Revolt against the Romans, some 100 Jews would have taken a final stand here. Today, just one of the many towering apartment buildings encroaching upon the excavation site holds many more.A long, informative article on an impressive off-the-main-road site.As with every salvage excavation, the question looms over how much will be done to preserve and present the findings for the public. And while concrete plans are discussed in the local regional council and COGAT to establish a modest archaeological park in the heart of the new neighborhood, other sections have already been documented, carefully covered, and are now buried under the cement foundations of the new apartment towers.
I noted the discovery of Second Temple-era remains at Khirbet Kafr Murr (Khirbet Kafr Mer) back in 2006. For recent notice of that pottery found there in a cistern, see here.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Understanding texts written using an unknown system in a tongue that’s been dead for thousands of years is quite the challenge. Reconstructing missing bits of the ancient text is even harder – though admittedly, if one gets it wrong, who’s to know?Ms. Schuster links to the underlying article in PNAS: Restoration of fragmentary Babylonian texts using recurrent neural networks (Ethan Fetaya, Yonatan Lifshitz, Elad Aaron, and Shai Gordin). The article is behind a subscription wall, but you can read the abstract.Filling in missing text starts with being able to read and understand the original text. That requires much donkey work. Now an Israeli team led by Shai Gordin at Ariel University in the West Bank has reinvented the donkey in digital form, harnessing artificial intelligence to help complete fragmented Akkadian cuneiform tablets.
[...]
The algorithm looks like a useful tool, but it still (for now!) requires a good bit of human intervention to operate. For other posts on algorithms being applied to cuneiform studies, archaeology, paleography, and epigraphy, see here and links, here, here, and here.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
For many PaleoJudaica posts on tattoos involving ancient languages, start here and follow the links. Some are disasters, most are amusing.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Caring for the Dead in Ancient Israel
Kerry M. SoniaISBN 9781628372854
Status Available
Price: $38.00
Binding Paperback
Publication Date November 2020A new reconstruction of cultic practices surrounding death in ancient Israel
In Caring for the Dead in Ancient Israel, Kerry M. Sonia examines the commemoration and care for the dead in ancient Israel against the broader cultural backdrop of West Asia. This cult of dead kin, often referred to as ancestor cult, comprised a range of ritual practices in which the living provided food and drink offerings, constructed commemorative monuments, invoked the names of the dead, and protected their remains. This ritual care negotiated the ongoing relationships between the living and the dead and, in so doing, helped construct social, political, and religious landscapes in relationship to the past. Sonia explores the nature of this cult of dead kin in ancient Israel, focusing on its role within the family and household as well as its relationship to Israel’s national deity and the Jerusalem temple.
Features:
- A reevaluation of whether burial and necromantic rituals were part of the cult of dead kin
- A portrait of the various roles Israelite women played in the cult of dead kin
- A reassessment of biblical writers’ attitudes toward the cult of dead kin
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
May hs memory be for a blessing.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Published in German.
In her analysis of the »Song of Moses« (Deut. 32:1–43), Petra Schmidtkunz combines classical exegesis with an enquiry into the textual pragmatics of the composition. As a result, the Song can be characterised as a religious exhortation, addressing the community of YHWH's followers in Persian-period Yehud (fifth century BC).
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
The oasis of Palmyra is in northwest Syria. The city stood at the meeting point of several routes across the desert steppe. It came to prominence in Roman times and was later closely associated with Queen Zenobia.It has an excellent collection of photos and commentary on every aspect of the history and architecture of Palmyra. The link is to the English version of the website.
For many PaleoJudaica posts on Palmyra, its history, the ancient Aramaic dialect spoken there (Palmyrene), and the city's tragic reversals of fortune, which more recently seem to have been trending for the better, start here and follow the links.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Why does the binding of Isaac story use the unique term ע.ק.ד (ʿ.q.d)?Could be. But chiasm is a flexible tool. You can get pretty much what you want out of it. And the alliteration is not very close. Still, it's an interesting analysis.
For PaleoJudaica posts on the Aqedah (the Binding of Isaac in Genesis 22) see here and links. As noted there, I have published strong evidence that Genesis 22:14 originally named the place as "Elohim Yir'eh," not "YHWH Yir'eh." Cf. Prof. Rendsburg's point 8.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
The seventh-century Staffordshire hoard (see here and here) included a gold strip bearing a biblical quotation from the Latin Vulgate.
To be clear, I will happily take a hoard of manuscripts. Precious metals, gems, coins. etc. are welcome, but optional.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Peras Gorgias – פרס גורגיאסThe deadline for the current cycle is 31 December 2020.Gorgias Press launched Peras Gorgias – פרס גורגיאס in 2018-2019. Peras Gorgias facilitates the publication in English of exceptional monographs by Hebrew-speaking author sin order to expand their readership. Based on the decision of an internationally renowned panel of judges, every two years, Peras Gorgias will recognize three exceptional contributions to the fields of Bible, Ancient Near East, and Jewish Studies by Hebrew-speaking scholars who face barriers to publishing their work in English and who are in the early stages of their career.
Applications for the 2020-2021 cycle of Peras Gorgias are now open. Hebrew-speaking emerging scholars are invited to apply for this prize. Winners will receive a book contract and academic editing of their unedited, English-language book draft.
We strongly encourage applications from scholars from underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds.
[...]
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
The IAA collection spans from the beginning of coinage at the end of the 7th century BCE until today — with some registered coins dating to the 1970s and 1980s. The bulk of the coins date to the Hellenistic-Seleucid-Hasmonean period of the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE, and there’s a second peak in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, the early Byzantine period, says Ariel.The video is behind the ToI subscription wall, but this well-illustrated article gives lots of highlights from it.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Position ID: Brandeis-NEJS-ASST [#17461]Follow the link for further particulars.
Position Title: Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible
Position Type: Tenured/Tenure-track faculty
Position Location: Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, United States [map]
Subject Area: Hebrew Bible
Appl Deadline: 2020/12/11 11:59PMhelp popup (posted 2020/11/04, listed until 2021/05/04)
Position Description:
Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible The Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible in the historical and textual context of the ancient Near East. A candidate will have command of relevant philological and critical approaches to the text as well as of pertinent languages and literatures of the ancient Near East used in biblical study. Knowledge of post-biblical exegetical literature and theoretical approaches used in the Humanities as well as an ability to build connections with other areas of the department are also desirable. The Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies offers a variety of courses in the religion, literature, history, and culture of the ancient Near East, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The candidate will be expected to teach undergraduate and graduate courses, including biblical Hebrew text courses, and to supervise MA and PhD students. Only applicants with the Ph.D., or who expect to have the Ph.D. by August 2021, will be considered. Pending budgetary approval, employment will begin July 1, 2021.
[...]
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Backgrouund here and links. Cross-file under Talmud Watch.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
PEACE ProjectWhat is PEACE?
PEACE stands for Portal of Epigraphy, Archaeology, Conservation and Education on Jewish Funerary Culture.
When studying the history of a people one may learn a myriad of details from the ways in which they chose to remember—and consequently immortalize—their dead. These details, best summarized by the term “funerary culture”, are found at the heart of this project. The PEACE portal explores Jewish funerary culture through the ages. In this initial phase, it focuses on epigraphical aspects: the inscriptions recorded on stone, plaster, or gold-glass. The other aspects, namely archaeology, conservation, and education, will be added to the portal in the coming years.
[...]
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Ishay Rosen-Zvi, Between Mishna and Midrash: The Birth of Rabbinic Literature
(The Open University of Israel, 2020). (in Hebrew)... The book faithfully represents the current scholarly developments, supplies every student and interested reader with the relevant tools to navigate the texts, to ask the right questions, and to answer them properly. But it also represents an innovative voice of an original scholar, that couldn’t be voiced by anyone else. ...
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
The 2020 Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, which runs from November 29 to December 10, will take place online. The form of delivery may be entirely new but take comfort, because Apocryphicity continues its tradition of aiding readers plan their SBL schedules by compiling a list of all the sessions and individual presentations that focus on Christian Apocrypha. See you on Zoom. [...]Tony has collated an impressive collection of papers. Cross-file under New Testament Apocrypha Watch.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Like the Stars Forever
Narrative and Theology in the Book of Daniel
Tim MeadowcroftThis anthology of Meadowcroft’s essays (all but one previously published) coheres around three claims he makes about the book of Daniel. The first is that Daniel should be understood primarily as a wisdom figure, and that the first chapter of the book of Daniel is programmatic in that regard. The second is that the vision of the one like a son of man represents a theological hinge that guides an understanding of both the tales and the visions as expressions of participation in the divine life on the part of the wise Daniel and his people. The third claim is that the final chapter of Daniel, as the capstone of the wisdom story of Daniel, shows the aim of wise participation in the divine life as an enduring legacy of righteousness in those who encounter this wisdom.
These claims are supported by a close reading of aspects of the narrative art on display in the book of Daniel; an exegetical appreciation of the interpretative impact of understanding the faithful wise as expressive of the hopes placed in the temple by the ancient people; and a theological and contextual reading of the experiences of Daniel and his friends—in the daily routines of life in the Babylonian and Persian courts, and in those strange apocalyptic encounters of the later chapters. From such reading there emerges the paradoxical nature of faith as certain hope and ethical clarity alongside mystery and uncertainty and the call to patient endurance. This delicate dance between certainty and patience, clarity and mystery was a feature of the experience of Daniel and his people in their time of exile, of later readers suffering under the heel of Antiochus Epiphanes, of those resisting the claims to lordship on the part of Rome, and still today of readers of the book of Daniel wherever empire is encountered and resisted.
Tim Meadowcroft is Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies and Head of School: Theology, Mission and Ministry, Laidlaw College, Auckland, New Zealand.
Series: Hebrew Bible Monographs, 90
978-1-910928-80-6 hardback
Publication October 2020£32.50 / $42.50 / €35
Scholar's Price£65 / $85 / €70
List Price
Hardback
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Please vote. It's important.
I did. I am in Scotland. You can do it too.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
“I Shall be Reckoned with the Gods”The article is behind the subscription wall.
On Redescribing Jesus as a First-Century Jewish Mystic
In: Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus
Author: Simon J. Joseph
Online Publication Date: 03 Sep 2020
In: Volume 18: Issue 3
Article Type: Research Article
Page Count: 220–243
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/17455197-01803001
Abstract/Excerpt
The categorical identification of the historical Jesus continues to be a central challenge in Jesus Research yet the identification of the historical Jesus as a first-century Jewish mystic has long been a popular topic among Western esotericists, Christian mystics, contemporary New Age authors, and some biblical scholars. Taking a critical look at the category and study of mysticism in Jesus Research in light of the ancient etymological origins of modern mysticism, the concept of ‘religious experience,’ and the epistemological problems associated with perennialism as a religionist discourse, this article argues that the comparative study of mysticism still proves to be an explanatorily powerful analytical, theoretical, and interpretative lens in Jesus Research.
James R. Davila, Descenders to the Chariot: The People Behind the Hekhalot Literature (JSJSup 70; Brill, 2001).
For a summary of my argument see my article "The Hekhalot Literature and Shamanism."
Rebecca Macy Lesses, Ritual Practices to Gain Power: Angels, Incantations, and Revelation in Early Jewish Mysticism (Trinity Press International, 1998).
Related thoughts here. Rebecca's Academia.edu page is here.
Pieter F. Craffert, The Life of a Galilean Shaman: Jesus of Nazareth in Anthropological-Historical Perspective (Cascade Books, 2008).
Related thoughts here. Pieter's Academia.edu page is here.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
The Armenian king Aristobulus IV (a great-grandson of Herod the Great) struck one of the most fascinating portrait coins from Biblical times in 66/67 CE. His portrait appears on the obverse while his wife, the infamous Salome, who danced for the head of John the Baptist some 30 years earlier–as told in Matthew 14:6-11 and Mark 6:14-29–appears on the reverse. This until recently extremely rare bronze coin is a two-for-one in that it features both a portrait of a member of the Herodian dynasty and one of the most storied women in Biblical history.It looks like Salome's hair is braided. Otherwise, the likeness on both coins looks worn and perhaps not very skillfully executed.
I don't know the specifics of regulations for the transport and sale of rare ancient coins. But I was surprised at the origin the article assumes for coins that have recently come up for auction:
In tandem with the Salome coin, Aristobulus With Inscription coins are also appearing in auctions with greater regularity. Has a hoard been discovered? My sources believe not; it is more likely an area has been located that is currently being combed with metal detectors. However, a large find remains a possibility.If anyone can enlighten me about the situation, please drop me a note.
As always, I hope that collectors will make rare objects like these available for scholars to study.
Past PaleoJudaica posts on Salome are here, here, and here and links.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Tessema Mulugeta, president of Bikila, called it “a pivotal moment in our history here in Toronto” while recently presenting The Weeknd’s cheque together with board member Behailu Atnafu and The Weeknd’s parents, Samrawit Hailu and Walelegne Teshome, to Woodin on a fall day at the Faculty Arts & Science.Congratulations to the University of Toronto and their Ethiopic program.“U of T’s Ethiopic studies will illuminate to the world the hidden, untouched millennial scripts in Ge’ez and uncover rich texts of philosophy, grammar, mathematics, astronomy, history, medicine and law,” said Mulugeta. “During this modern age, current and future generations of U of T students can continue to access Ethiopia’s past and unlock tantalizing deposits of wisdom from distant eras of human history.”
Ge'ez (ancient Ethiopic) is of interest for ancient Jewish studies because the texts of 1 Enoch (originally in Aramaic and perhaps Hebrew) and Jubilees (composed originally in Hebrew) are preserved complete only in Ge'ez translation. Fragments of the original of both survive among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The Weekend's recent donation was for $30,000. He also donated, $50,000 in 2016. For more recent news about the U of T's Ethiopic program, see here and links.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Aramaic Ezra and DanielA Handbook on the Aramaic Text
Baylor Handbook on the Hebrew Bible
by John A. Cook
360 pages, 5.25 x 8.00 in
PAPERBACK
9781481305549
PUBLISHED: MARCH 2019
$39.95DESCRIPTION
In this volume, John Cook provides a foundational analysis of the Aramaic text of Ezra and Daniel. The analysis is distinguished by the detailed yet comprehensive attention paid to the text. Cook’s analysis is a convenient pedagogical and reference tool that explains the form and syntax of the biblical text, offers guidance for deciding between competing semantic analyses, engages important text-critical debates, and addresses questions relating to the Aramaic text that are frequently overlooked or ignored by standard commentaries. Beyond serving as a succinct and accessible analytic key, Aramaic Ezra and Daniel also reflects the most up-to-date advances in scholarship on grammar and linguistics. This handbook proves itself an indispensable tool for anyone committed to a deep reading of the biblical text.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
For more on Shenoute and the White Monastery, of crucial importance for the transmission of ancient manuscripts in Egypt, see here and links.
Cross-file under Coptic Watch.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
The researchers report that they has located two ancient nails that had been excavated and then thought lost. It turns out that the nails have fragments of bone and wood embedded in them. If this is correct, it is evidence that they were used to crucify someone.
The material in the nails also has many similarities to material found in ossuaries discovered in the "Caiaphas family tomb," which may (or may not) have included the remains of the High Priest Caiaphas. The researchers think the nails came from the cave. They make no further inferences.
Are the nails those used to crucify Jesus? You can't prove a negative. But the case for that idea rests on an abundance of imagination.
I have not blogged on this story before, because I have only just found (linked in the above article) the scholarly study underlying all the media reports:
Petrochemistry of Sediment and Organic Materials Sampled from Ossuaries and Two Nails from the Tomb of the Family of the High Priest Caiaphas, Jerusalem (Archaeological Discovery > Vol.8 No.3, July 2020)It looks as though the article is open access, so you can read it yourself. This research is outside my areas of expertise. I have no opinion on its claims. The Haaretz article gives some responses by experts in material culture.Aryeh E. Shimron1, Yoetz Deutsch1, Werner H. Schoch2, Vitaly Gutkin3
Abstract
We have studied the petrochemistry of degraded bones and sediment from the interior of four ossuaries (burial boxes) discovered in what is (arguably) believed to be the 1st century CE family tomb of the high priest Caiaphas (herewith Cft) in Jerusalem. During the course of the 1990 excavation, among other artifacts (e.g., a coin found in a skull) two iron nails were discovered. One of the nails was inside an ossuary, the other on the floor of one of the nearby “kokhim” (burial niches) which contained Ossuaries 5 and 6. According to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) everything in the burial cave can be accounted for today except the iron nails “which have been misplaced”, this without being properly recorded or photographed. Investigative journalist Simcha Jacobovici believes that he has located the nails in the artifacts collection of the Anthropology laboratory at Tel Aviv University. The IAA, however, has stated that the lost nails from the Cft have nothing to do with the nails found at the university and the latter nails must have a different provenance. Wherever lies the truth, the presence of two nails in the Cft is of profound interest because in the New Testament the high priest Caiaphas was responsible for passing Jesus to the Romans who then sent him to the cross. The possibility that the nails were used in a crucifixion on the one hand and can be connected to Caiaphas the high priest on the other is, to say the least, interesting and potentially monumental. Aware of the controversy but also of the importance of the two unprovenanced nails we have investigated the materials which have invaded the interiors of the Cft ossuaries and in a similar manner materials that have adhered to the two unprovenanced nails. Employing geochemical and petrochemical Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and δ18O and δ13C isotope analyses we have found that the organic and inorganic materials flushed into the interior of the Cft but also those that have adhered to the two unprovenanced nails possess and display many identical, and what can also be termed unique chemical and physical characteristics. Based on the collective evidence we conclude, with considerable confidence, that the unprovenanced nails are the lost nails excavated from the Caiaphas family tomb in 1990 and furthermore that these nails were used in a crucifixion.
As far as I know the only surviving skeleton from antiquity that was undisputably crucified is that of Yehohanan ben Hagkol. There is also another skeleton excavated in Italy that may have been crucified. Background here and links.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Background on the missing papyri scandal, the provenance of the Sappho papyrus, etc. is here and follow the links.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
2 Maccabees 1-7 A Handbook on the Greek TextBaylor Handbook on the Septuagint
by Seth M. Ehorn
357 pages, 5.25 x 8.00 in
PAPERBACK
9781481313827
PUBLISHED: NOVEMBER 2020
$44.95DESCRIPTION
In 2 Maccabees 1–7, Seth Ehorn provides a foundational analysis of the Greek text of 2 Maccabees. The analysis is distinguished by the detailed yet comprehensive attention paid to the text. Ehorn’s analysis is a convenient pedagogical and reference tool that explains the form and syntax of the biblical text, offers guidance for deciding between competing semantic analyses, engages important text-critical debates, and addresses questions relating to the Greek text that are frequently overlooked by standard commentaries. Beyond serving as a succinct and accessible analytic key, 2 Maccabees 1–7 also reflects recent advances in scholarship on Greek grammar and linguistics and is informed by current discussions within Septuagint studies. These handbooks prove themselves indispensable tools for anyone committed to a deep reading of the Greek text of the Septuagint.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Volume 2 Confronting Antisemitism from the Perspectives of Christianity, Islam, and Judaismin An End to Antisemitism!
Edited by: Armin Lange, Kerstin Mayerhofer, Dina Porat, and Lawrence H. Schiffman
De Gruyter | 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110671773OVERVIEW
Open Access This volume engages with antisemitic stereotypes as religious symbols that express and transmit a belief system of Jew-hatred. These religious symbols are stored in Christian, Muslim and even today’s secular cultural and religious memories. This volume explores how antisemitic religious symbol systems can play a key role in the construction of group identities.
OPEN ACCESS
£62.50 HardcoverFORMATS
Hardcover
ISBN: 978-3-11-058242-0
Published: 26 Oct 2020
PDF ISBN: 978-3-11-067177-3
Published: 26 Oct 2020
EPUB ISBN: 978-3-11-067188-9
Published: 26 Oct 2020
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Mystery Cults in Visual Representation in Graeco-Roman AntiquitySeries: Religions in the Graeco-Roman World, Volume: 194
Volume Editors: Nicole Belayche and Francesco MassaMystery Cults in Visual Representation in Graeco-Roman Antiquity aims to fill a gap in the study of mystery cults in Graeco-Roman Antiquity by focusing on images for investigating their ritual praxis. Nicole Belayche and Francesco Massa have gathered experts on visual language in order to illuminate cultic rituals renowned for both their “mysteries” and their images. This book tackles three interrelated questions. Focusing on the cult of Dionysus, it analyses whether, and how, images are used to depict mystery cults. The relationship between historiography and images of mystery cults is considered with a focus on the Mithraic and Isiac cults. Finally, turning to the cults of Dionysus and the Mother of the Gods, this work shows how depictions of specific cultic objects succeed in expressing mystery cults.
Prices from (excl. VAT): €93.00 / $112.00
E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-44014-2
Publication Date: 26 Oct 2020Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-43932-0
Publication Date: 22 Oct 2020
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Jonathan Cahana-Blum, Karmen MacKendrick, We and they: decolonizing Graeco-Roman and Biblical antiquities. Aarhus: Aarhus University Press, 2019. Pp. 151. ISBN 9788771844436 €35,75.Review by
Kevin B. Solez, Memorial University of Newfoundland. ksolez@mun.ca
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
For many PaleoJudaica posts on ancient and modern traditions about Lilith, start here and follow the links.
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.
Petitioners, Penitents, and Poets
On Prayer and Praying in Second Temple JudaismSeries: Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, 524
Edited by: Timothy J. Sandoval and Ariel Feldman
De Gruyter | 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110624526OVERVIEW
This volume contributes to the growing interest in understanding the phenomenon of prayer and praying in the Hebrew Bible, Early Judaism, and nascent Christianity. Papers by the leading scholars in these fields revisit long-standing questions and chart new paths of inquiry into the nature, form, and practice of addressing the divine in the ancient world.
The essays in this volume deal with particular texts of and about prayer, practices of prayer, as well as figures and locations (historical and literary) that are associated with prayer and praying. These studies apply a range of methods and theoretical approaches to prayer and the language of prayer in literatures of Early Judaism and Christianity. Some studies apply the classical methods of biblical studies to Second Temple texts of prayer, including form critical and text critical approaches; others engage in literary and narrative analysis of ancient works that recount discourse directed to the divine. Still other studies draw on anthropological and sociological analyses of prayer or marshal particular theories of discourse, ethics, and moral agency to offer fresh interpretations of address to God in the literature of Second Temple Judaism and earliest Christianity.
FORMATS
Hardcover
ISBN: 978-3-11-062040-5
Published: 26 Oct 2020
ISBN: 978-3-11-062452-6
Published: 26 Oct 2020EPUB
ISBN: 978-3-11-062134-1
Published: 26 Oct 2020
Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.