Two origin stories for Israel in the Pentateuch?

PENTATEUCHAL SOURCE CRITICISM: Genesis, Exodus, and the Composition of the Torah (Prof. Konrad Schmid, TheTorah.com).

The story of the ancestors in Genesis serves as a prequel to that of Moses in Exodus. Originally, however, each were self-standing accounts of Israel’s origin. They were combined for the first time by the Priestly author in the post-exilic period.

This makes some sense to me, mainly because I can see a case for distinguishing J and E in Genesis, but after that the distinction seems to evaporate. I have commented briefly on that here.

Although I think elements of traditional source criticism remain sound, I am skeptical that we are able to make real progress on the question with the information currently available. As it stands now, there are many attempts to refine the state of the question, but none command anything like a consensus.

I have posted more thoughts on Pentateuchal source criticism here and links.

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

Day 2 of the John the Baptist Enoch Seminar

RELIGION PROF: #JohnTheBaptist Enoch Seminar Nangeroni Meeting Day 2. James McGrath continues to keep us informed about the events at this conference. He also provides a link to the text of his own paper, on John the Baptist in Mandean (Mandaean) tradition.

I have linked to Professor McGrath's notes on day one here.

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Golb obituary

UCHICAGO NEWS: Norman Golb, renowned scholar of medieval Jewish history, 1928‒2020. Pioneer in study of Dead Sea Scrolls remembered for intellectual generosity (Sara Patterson).

Background here and here.

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Top-ten 2020 Bible discoveries

ANOTHER LIST: The top 10 Bible discoveries of 2020 (Roger D. Isaacs, Times of Israel Blogs).

For other top-whatever lists of 2020 discoveries, see here and links.

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Online Workshop on Hebrew Bible and Jewish Antiquity

ONLINE EVENT: Groningen-Leuven-Oxford Network Workshop on Hebrew Bible and Jewish Antiquity (Eventbrite).

About this Event

Faculty, postdoctoral fellows and postgraduates will be presenting work from the three institutions of the network.

The workshop takes place on 8-9 March 2021. It is free, but you need to book tickets in advance.

HT the Bible Places Blog.

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Nine ancient mosaics of Israel

PHOTO ESSAY: 9 magnificent ancient mosaics of Israel. In Roman times, a mosaic team manager earned 150 dinars a day, while a ship’s carpenter earned only 60. But the work was backbreaking (Naama Barak, Israel21c). The article includes a long interview with "Jacques Neguer, the head of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s art conservation department."

Cross-file under Decorative Art. PaleoJudaica has posted on many, many ancient mosaics found in Israel. I can't hope to note all of the links, but some key ones, each with more links, are here, here, here (cf. here), here, and here (cf. here).

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Enoch Seminar: John the Baptist, Day 1

RELIGION PROF: John the Baptist Enoch Seminar Nangeroni Meeting Day 1. I am not able to attend this important online conference, because I am inundated with the processing of PhD applications this time of year. But if you, like me, cannot attend, James McGrath is keeping us updated.

UPDATE: Recently I collected some PaleoJudaica posts on John the Baptist here.

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Review of Waters, Ctesias' Persica and its Near Eastern context

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Ctesias’ Persica and its Near Eastern context..

Matt Waters, Ctesias' Persica and its Near Eastern context. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2020. Pp. 184. ISBN 9780299310943 $21.95 (pb).

Review by Reinhold Bichler, University of Innsbrück. Reinhold.Bichler@uibk.ac.at

There has by no means been a lack of studies on Ctesias’ work published over the past few decades, but Matt Waters’s book is of special interest. The author, an expert on Achaemenid Persia and its historical and cultural background, here presents “a series of case studies that illustrate prominent Near Eastern traditions and motifs in the Persica” (p. 16), guided by a close reading “through a Near-Eastern lens”. However, which text is the basis for such scrutiny?

[...]

Ctesias was a physician who served (conscripted as a prisoner of war) with the Persian army in the fifth century BCE. He work, the Persica, is lost, but a good bit of it survives in quotations by later writers. The Persica is an important source for traditions of what I like to call Greek Fantasy Babylon.

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Exum, Art as Biblical Commentary (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Art as Biblical Commentary
Visual Criticism from Hagar the Wife of Abraham to Mary the Mother of Jesus

By: J. Cheryl Exum
Published: 01-28-2021
Format: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Extent: 288
ISBN: 9780567700308
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies
Illustrations: 91 colour illus
Dimensions: 6 1/8" x 9 1/4"
List price: $44.95
Online price: $40.46

About Art as Biblical Commentary

Art as Biblical Commentary is not just about biblical art but, more importantly, about biblical exegesis and the contributions visual criticism as an exegetical tool can make to biblical exegesis and commentary. Using a range of texts and numerous images, J. Cheryl Exum asks what works of art can teach us about the biblical text. 'Visual criticism' is her term for an approach that addresses this question by focusing on the narrativity of images-reading them as if, like texts, they have a story to tell-and asking what light an image's 'story' can shed on the biblical narrator's story.

In Part I, Exum elaborates on her approach and offers a personal testimony to the value of visual criticism. Part 2 examines in detail the story of Hagar in Genesis 16 and 21. Part 3 contains chapters on erotic looking and voyeuristic gazing in the stories of Bathsheba, Susanna, Joseph and Potiphar's wife and the Song of Songs; on the distribution of renown among Jael, Deborah and Barak; on the Bible's notorious women, Eve and Delilah; and on the sacrificed female body in the stories of the Levite's wife (Judges 19) and Mary the mother of Jesus.

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Feder & Henze, Textual History of the Bible Vol. 2A (deuterocanonical books) (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Textual History of the Bible Vol. 2A

Series: Textual History of the Bible, Volume: 2A

Volume Editors: Frank Feder and Matthias Henze

Volume 2 of the Textual History of the Bible is devoted to the deuterocanonical books of the Old Testament, that is, to all books outside the Hebrew Bible that were considered canonical or 'useful for reading' by a church at some point. Earlier studies of the textual histories of these books focused largely on what were considered the most important textual witnesses, mostly in Greek, Latin and possibly in Armenian and Syriac, with the goal of recovering the 'original' text of the book in question. THB 2 breaks significant new ground in this regard. Rather than focusing on a small group of languages only, the goal has been to be exhaustive and to survey all known textual witnesses of all deuterocanonical books, paying particular attention to the manuscript traditions. Rather than viewing these language traditions merely as a way of reaching back to the alleged 'original' text, THB 2 takes language traditions seriously in its own right.

This new approach to the old texts requires the detailed knowledge of many experts, scholars with intimate knowledge of the language traditions and the manuscripts.

2A covers the canonical histories and the textual histories of the deuterocanonical texts in the diverse language traditions. 2B and 2C are devoted to the deuterocanonical books themselves. The chapters on each book begin with an overview article, titled 'Textual History of ...'. This introductory overview is followed by individual entries on each of the known language traditions in which the book is attested, roughly up to the tenth centry C.E.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €175.00 / $227.00

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-35559-0
Publication Date: 21 Oct 2020

For more on the Textual History of the Bible Series, see here.

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If an Aramaic incantation bowl could speak ...

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: “Mirror, Mirror!” Speaking Objects and Speaking to Objects in the Classroom (Reyhan Durmaz). Cross-file unde Pedagogy.

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What did Cleopatra look like?

ARTISTIC REPRESENTATION: What Did Cleopatra Really Look Like? She likely wasn’t the ravishing seductress depicted by Hollywood — but that’s what Roman propagandists want you to think (Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine). Coins, Egyptian reliefs, and perhaps some unidentified marble busts, may give us some idea of what she looked like.

Cleopatra VII has been receiving much media attention since the casting of Israeli actress Gal Gadot to play her in an upcoming movie. Background here and here.

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Stavrakopoulou (ed.), Life and Death (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Life and Death

Social Perspectives on Biblical Bodies

Editor(s): Francesca Stavrakopoulou

Published: 01-28-2021
Format: EPUB/MOBI eBook (Watermarked)
Edition: 1st
Extent: 224
ISBN: 9780567699312
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: The Hebrew Bible in Social Perspective
Illustrations: 11 bw illustrations
List price: $103.50
Online price: $82.80
Save $20.70 (20%)

About Life and Death

Life and Death: Social Perspectives on Biblical Bodies explores some of the social, material, and ideological dynamics shaping life and death in both the Hebrew Bible and ancient Israel and Judah. Analysing topics ranging from the bodily realities of gestation, subsistence, and death, and embodied performances of gender, power, and status, to the imagined realities of post-mortem and divine existence, the essays in this volume offer exciting new trajectories in our understanding of the ways in which embodiment played out in the societies in which the texts of the Hebrew Bible emerged.

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Claus-Hunno Hunzinger (1929-2021)

SAD NEWS: Last member of original Dead Sea Scrolls research team dies from COVID-19. The Qumran explorer was 91 years old (Hannah Brown, Jerusalem Post).

The last living member of the Dead Sea Scrolls research team, Prof. Dr. Claus-Hunno Hunzinger, died on January 6 in Hamburg.

[...]

His German Wikipedia page is here. As of this writing, it has not been updated to indicate his passing.

Requiescat in pace.

I noted the deaths of John Strugnell in 2007 and Frank Moore Cross in 2012 (additional memories here). Cross was my doctoral supervisor at Harvard University and I also worked closely with Strugnell.

I also noted the death of J. T. Milik in 2006. I never met Milik or Hunzinger.

The original International Team are all gone now. The end of an era.

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Epiphany at mine-free Qasr al-Yahud

DE-MINED: Mine-free River Jordan shrine ends 50 year wait for Epiphany. Israeli de-mining efforts began in 2018 and included support from the Halo Trust, a Scottish-based mine clearance group (Reuters via Jerusalem Post). Qasr al-Yahud is a possible site for the baptism of Jesus.

I have been following the efforts to de-mine the area for some years. Last year those efforts were accelerated. See here (cf. here) and links.

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Reviews of Roberts, First Isaiah (Hermeneia)

THE BIBLICAL REVIEW BLOG: Review: “First Isaiah” by J. J. M. Roberts (William Brown).

J. J. M. Roberts. First Isaiah. Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. 2015.

William also links to another review of the book by Matthew Neujaur.

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Johnson, Sovereign Authority and the Elaboration of Law in the Bible and the Ancient Near East (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Dylan R. Johnson. Sovereign Authority and the Elaboration of Law in the Bible and the Ancient Near East. 2020. XVI, 367 pages. Forschungen zum Alten Testament 2. Reihe 122. 89,00 € including VAT. sewn paper ISBN 978-3-16-159509-7.

Published in English.
Five Pentateuchal texts (Lev 24:10–23; Num 9:6–14; Num 15:32–36; Num 27:1–11; Num 36:1–12) offer unique visions of the elaboration of law in Israel's formative past. In response to individual legal cases, Yahweh enacts impersonal and general statutes reminiscent of biblical and ancient Near Eastern law collections. From the perspective of comparative law, Dylan R. Johnson proposes a new understanding of these texts as biblical rescripts: a legislative technique that enabled sovereigns to enact general laws on the basis of particular legal cases. Typological parallels drawn from cuneiform and Roman law illustrate the complex ideology informing the content and the form of these five cases. The author explores how latent conceptions of law, justice, and legislative sovereignty shaped these texts, and how the Priestly vision of law interacted with and transformed earlier legal traditions.

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Zoom event: The Bible With and Without Jesus

CENTER FOR JEWISH STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA: The Bible With and Without Jesus. A conversation with Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler. A Public Webinar Discussion, Wednesday, January 27, 2021 2:00 pm EDT.

Join us for a conversation with Professors Amy-Jill Levine (Vanderbilt University) and Marc Zvi Brettler (Duke University) about their new book, The Bible With and Without Jesus. On Wed, January 27th at 2:00 pm. We will be taking audience questions.

Follow the link for more details and for registration information. Cross file under New Book

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Poirier, The Invention of the Inspired Text (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

The Invention of the Inspired Text
Philological Windows on the Theopneustia of Scripture

By: John C. Poirier

Published: 01-28-2021
Format: EPUB/MOBI eBook (Watermarked)
Edition: 1st
Extent: 272
ISBN: 9780567696762
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: The Library of New Testament Studies
List price: $103.50
Online price: $82.80
Save $20.70 (20%)

About The Invention of the Inspired Text

John C. Poirier examines the “theopneustic” nature of the Scripture, as a response to the view that “inspiration” lies at the heart of most contemporary Christian theology. In contrast to the traditional rendering of the Greek word theopneustos as “God-inspired” in 2 Tim 3:16, Poirier argues that a close look at first- and second-century uses of theopneustos reveals that the traditional inspirationist understanding of the term did not arise until the time of Origen in the early third century CE, and that in every pre-Origen use of theopneustos the word instead means “life-giving.”

Poirier thus conducts a detailed investigation of theopneustos as it appears in the fifth Sibylline Oracle, the Testament of Abraham, Vettius Valens, Pseudo-Plutarch (Placita Philosophorum), and Pseudo-Phocylides, all of whom understand the word to mean “life-giving.” He also studies the use of the cognate term theopnous in Numenius, the Corpus Hermeticum, on an inscription at the Great Sphinx of Giza, and on an inscription at a nymphaeum at Laodicea on the Lycus. Poirier argues that a rendering of “life-giving” also fits better within the context of 2 Tim 3:16, and that this meaning survived late enough to figure in a fifth-century work by Nonnus of Panopolis. He further traces the pre-Origen use of theopneustos among the Church Fathers. Poirier concludes by addressing the implication of rethinking the traditional understanding of Scripture, stressing that the lack of “God-inspired” scripture ultimately does not affect the truth status of the gospel as preached by the apostles.

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HIPHIL Novum

THE AWOL BLOG: Open Access Journal: HIPHIL Novum.

HIPHIL Novum is a peer-reviewed academic e-journal. It continues HIPHIL which was published in 2003-2010.

The journal publishes issues that promote resources for open education for all continents, races, genders, and communities, serving the next generation of biblical research and sustainable technology.

Follow the link for further details and access links.

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Mairs, The Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek world

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: The Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek World. Notice of a New Book: Mairs, Rachel (ed.). 2021. The Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek world. London & New York: Routledge.. It has chapters on the Seleucid Empire, Parthia, Alexander the Great, and other areas of interest.

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Plato’s Timaeus (symposium proceedings)

THE AWOL BLOG: Plato’s Timaeus: Proceedings of the Tenth Symposium Platonicum Pragense. An open-access book with free downloadable PDF.

Plato's Timaeus, the early chapters of Genesis, and one or two other biblical passages, were the foundational components of the creation myth for ancient Demiurgic Gnosticism.

A couple of PaleoJudaica posts involving the Timaeus are here and here.

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Eberhart et al. (eds.), Tempel, Lehrhaus, Synagoge (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Tempel, Lehrhaus, Synagoge

Orte jüdischen Gottesdienstes, Lernens und Lebens. Festschrift für Wolfgang Kraus

Editors: Christian A. Eberhart, Martin Karrer, Siegfried Kreuzer, and Martin Meiser
Contributors: Hans Ausloos, Eberhard Bons, Kristin De Troyer, Christian Eberhart, Heinz-Josef Fabry, Bonifatia Gesche OSB, Anna Grill, Robert J. V. Hiebert, Jan Joosten, Martin Karrer, Siegfried Kreuzer, William Loader, Roland Marti, Martin Meiser, Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr, Manfred Oeming, Adrian Schenker, Gert J. Steyn, Emanuel Tov, Axel Töllner, Frank Ueberschaer, Martin Vahrenhorst, Jan Willem van Henten, and Burkard M. Zapff

Durch die weite Ausbreitung und Zerstreuung des Judentums entstanden früh Orte des Lehrens und religiösen Lebens neben dem Tempel. Der Band reflektiert die Entstehung der Synagoge, die Gelehrsamkeit und jüdische Versammlung in der Diaspora von Babylonien über Alexandria bis Rom, das Lehrhaus der Weisheit am Beispiel Ben Siras und die Ausbreitung der Lehrhauskultur nach der Zerstörung des Tempels. Er geht der Bedeutung der Schrift in ihrer griechischen Übersetzung (Septuaginta) für das Nachdenken in der Diaspora nach, prüft exemplarisch Impulse und Abgrenzungen, die bei der Entstehung des Christentums durch jüdische Lehre und Schriftworte entstanden, und greift Spuren des christlich-jüdischen Miteinanders bis in jüngste Zeit auf.

[No price specified.]

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-3-657-70349-4
Publication Date: 02 Jun 2020

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-3-506-70349-1
Publication Date: 27 Mar 2020

The essays are in German and English. Follow the link for the TOC.

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Tyre's archaeology restored

PHOENICIAN WATCH: Archaeology: recovery complete at ancient city of Tyre. In Lebanon. Italian blue helmets of UNIFIL mission at work (ANSAmed).

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A brief history of the Messiah

HISTORY OF IDEAS: How Did Jews Come to Believe in a Messiah? A Brief History. Nowhere does the Torah mention a redeemer known as the Messiah who will appear at the end of history. The origin of this belief stems from somewhere else entirely (Elon Gilad, Haaretz). This is a good overview of the development of the idea of the Messiah from its origins to the present.

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The ghost archive of Maresha

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Lasting Impressions from Ancient Maresha. The Discovery of an Archive Underneath the Hellenistic City (Marek Dospěl). The papyrus or parchment documents have long since decayed away, but the clay seals (bullae) attached to them survive. A few of bullae reportedly have Greek letters and numbers on them, but otherwise the archive is lost. Too bad for us epigraphers. They do preserve lots of artistic impressions for the iconographers.

As usual, this BHD essay summarizes a BAR article (authored by Donald T. Ariel and Ian Stern) which is behind the subscription wall. PaleoJudaica posts on the Maresha bullae are here, here, and here.

The Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park has produced a number of Aramaic and Greek inscriptions, especially in the caves. See here (cf. here) and keep following the links.

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Mount Sinai, the bush, and the sandals

PROF. RACHEL ADELMAN: The Burning Bush: Why Must Moses Remove His Shoes? (TheTorah.com).

YHWH’s first revelation to Moses at a sneh סְּנֶה, “bush,” signifies that it is not a future site of worship and foreshadows the revelation at Sinai.

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Lipka & Wells (eds.), Sexuality and Law in the Torah (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Sexuality and Law in the Torah

Editor(s): Hilary Lipka, Bruce Wells

Published: 03-19-2020
Format: Hardback
Edition: 1st
Extent: 344
ISBN: 9780567681591
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies
Volume: 675
Illustrations: 8 bw illustrations
Dimensions: 6 1/8" x 9 1/4"
List price: $115.00
Online price: $103.50
Save $11.50 (10%)

About Sexuality and Law in the Torah

This book examines many of the laws in the Torah governing sexual relations and the often implicit motivations underlying them. It also considers texts beyond the laws in which legal traditions and ideas concerning sexual behavior intersect and provide insight into ancient Israel's social norms. The book includes extended treatments on the nature and function of marriage and divorce in ancient Israel, the variation in sexual rules due to status and gender, the prohibition on male-with-male sex, and the different types of sexualities that may have existed in ancient Israel.

The essays draw on a variety of methodologies and approaches, including narrative criticism, philological analysis, literary theory, feminist and gender theory, anthropological models, and comparative analysis. They cover content ranging from the narratives in Genesis, to the laws of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, to later re-interpretations of pentateuchal laws in Jeremiah and texts from the Second Temple period. Overall, the book presents a combination of theoretical discussion and close textual analysis to shed new light on the connections between law and sexuality within the Torah and beyond.

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Greek tombstone found in the Negev

GREEK EPIGRAPHY: Ancient Greek inscription found by chance in the Negev. The stone was found by a "Project 500" worker from the Parks and Nature Authority while cleaning and preparing nature paths in the Nitzana National Park (Hannah Brown, Jerusalem Post).

The inscription was deciphered by Dr. Leah Di Segni of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and it refers to “Blessed Maria, who lived an immaculate life” and died on February 9. The stone dates from the late sixth-early seventh centuries CE.

I saw the text of the inscription before I read any of the articles. I assumed the object was a talisman honoring the Virgin Mary. But it turns out to be an epitaph on a tombstone in a cemetery. Nonetheless, it sounds as though Maria's epitaph is meant to evoke her namesake.

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Nero's coins

NUMISMATICS: Ancient Roman Coins: The Many Faces of Nero (Tyler Rossi, CoinWeek).

Many of the coins have the phrase "Nero Caesar" in the inscription. For the importance of this phrase and the parallel "Neron Caesar" for the Nero Rediturus myth and the Number of the Beast in the Book of Revelation, see here and links.

For an attempt to reconstruct the appearance of Nero and other Roman emperors, see here. I think that reconstruction of Nero looks most like his Type II coins.

I also noted a recent book on Nero here.

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CFP: workshop on late-antique miracles & paradoxography and biblical reception

H-JUDAIC: Call for Papers (EABS Wuppertal, August 3-5, 2021): Miracles and Paradoxography in Late-Antique Literature of Biblical Reception. The workshop is interested in both Christian and Jewish literature.

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Moazami, [Zoroastrian] Laws of Ritual Purity (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Laws of Ritual Purity

Zand ī Fragard ī Jud-Dēw-Dād (A Commentary on the Chapters of the Widēwdād)

Series: Iran Studies, Volume: 19

Author: Mahnaz Moazami

Laws of Ritual Purity: Zand ī Fragard ī Jud-Dēw-Dād (A Commentary on the Chapters of the Widēwdād) describes the various ways in which Zoroastrian authorities in the fifth-sixth centuries CE reinterpreted the purity laws of their community. Its redactor(s), conversant with the notions and practices of purity and impurity as developed by their predecessors, attempt(s) to determine the parameters of the various categories of pollution, the minimum measures of polluted substances, and the effect of the interaction of pollution with other substances that are important to humans. It is therefore in essence a technical legal corpus designed to provide a comprehensive picture of a central aspect of Zoroastrian ritual life: the extent of one’s liability contracting pollution and how atonement/purification can be achieved.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €105.00 / $126.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-43395-3
Publication Date: 16 Nov 2020

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-43394-6
Publication Date: 19 Nov 2020

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CRINT Essay Prize 2021

H-JUDAIC: CRINT Essay Prize in Early Jewish and Christian Studies.

The Compendia Rerum Iudaicarum ad Novum Testamentum (CRINT) Foundation invites submissions for its bi-annual Essay Prize, to be awarded to the best paper on a topic related to the early history of Jews and Christians. Any essay illuminating how Jews and Christians shared and/or developed their own traditions and identities during the first six centuries CE is eligible. Rabbinic literature and culture have long been areas of special focus of CRINT and submissions that in some way engage or draw on these fields of study are therefore especially welcomed.

The amount of the prize is €1.000. (Post-)graduate students and scholars who received their PhD no earlier than 2016 are eligible to submit a paper.

Follow the link for full details. The submission deadline is 1 July 2021.

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Antiquities smuggling arrests in Israel

APPREHENDED: Israeli Authorities Take Down Gang Engaged in the Illegal Antiquities Trade (Aryeh Savir, Tazpit News Agency/Jewish Press). Allegedly this was an ambitious gang:

Thousands of ancient, spectacular and rare items, hundreds and thousands of years old, from both Israel and around the world, were seized on Monday in a major operation; items that were allegedly robbed from cemeteries throughout the Mediterranean basin, as well as from Africa and South America.

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David's disturbing deathbed directions

DR. DAVID GLATT-GILAD: King David’s Troubling Deathbed Instructions. (TheTorah.com).

Before his death, David commands Solomon to kill two men: Joab, his loyal general, and Shimei, his enemy, whom he had sworn not to kill.

The Deuteronomist didn't seem to mind this disturbing story. But it bothered later interpreters. Even the Chronicler leaves it out and gives David a far more pious ending (1 Chronicles 28-29). It seems the disquiet goes back to our earliest intepreter.

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Corrections to Charlesworth's OTP

BIBLICALIA: Charlesworth Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Corrigenda (Kevin P. Edgecomb). Along with a missing page from volume 2 (in all but the first edition).

HT The AWOL Blog.

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Salome's dance floor excavated?

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE: Dance floor where John the Baptist was condemned to death discovered, archaeologist says (Owen Jarus, Live Science).

A courtyard uncovered at Machaerus is likely the place where Salome's dance was performed and where Herod Antipas decided to have John the Baptist beheaded, wrote Győző Vörös, director of a project called Machaerus Excavations and Surveys at the Dead Sea, in the book "Holy Land Archaeology on Either Side: Archaeological Essays in Honour of Eugenio Alliata" (Fondazione Terra Santa, 2020). The courtyard, Vörös said, has an apsidal-shaped niche that is probably the remains of the throne where Herod Antipas sat.

Could be. But not all archaeologists are convinced.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on Machaerus, its excavation, and its relation to John the Baptist, see here and links. For posts on Salome, daughter of Herodias, see here and links. Josephus gives her name, but the she is unnamed in the Gospel stories about her dance for Herod.

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AJR's 2020 top 10

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Year in Review: Top Ten Articles of 2020.

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

William Ross has been reading and reading.

WILLIAM ROSS: MY 2020 READING.

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Talmud-translator Isidore Epstein (1894-1962)

TALMUD WATCH: Remembering Rabbi Dr. Isidore Epstein, Jewish philosopher and thinker. He wrote voluminously. When he retired and we wanted to honor him by means of a bibliography of his writings, he couldn’t remember all that he had written (Raymond Apple, Jerusalem Post).

Sixty years ago last week, on December 27, 1960, Marian and I stood under the huppah (wedding canopy) at the Bayswater Synagogue, London, to be married by her father, Rabbi Joseph Unterman. Her unterfirers (escorts to the huppah) were her parents; mine were Rabbi Dr. Isidore Epstein, principal of Jews’ College, and his wife.

[...]

Dr. Epstein was a diminutive man with a giant mind. Born in Hungary, he had come to England in his youth, and the rabbinic ordinations he earned included one from Rav Abraham Isaac Kook, who had been stranded in London because of World War I. Epstein (the students sometimes called him Eppie) was said to know the whole Talmud by heart. Only a man like that could have edited the 36-volume Soncino Talmud, the first full translation of the Babylonian Talmud into English.

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Biblical Studies Carnival 178

PETERGOEMAN.COM: Biblical Studies Carnival 178 (December 2020).

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

Did Esau sell his burial plot too?

DR.MALKA Z. SIMKOVICH: Jacob’s Funeral and Esau’s Last Stand. (TheTorah.com).

Esau’s attempt to block Jacob’s burial at the Cave of Machpelah ends in his gruesome death

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More on the passing of Norman Golb

H-JUDAIC: Passing of Prof. Norman Nahum Golb. The post includes a list of some of his main publications.

Background here.

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Sir Charles Warren

TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH: Archaeology news: The 'real-life Indiana Jones' who uncovered an ancient Biblical artefact. (Sebastian Kettley, The Express).

ARCHAEOLOGISTS come in all shapes and sizes but Sir Charles Warren, the 19th-century British explorer, is one of a few lucky archaeologists to have been branded a "real-life Indiana Jones." A scripture expert has explained how Sir Charles came to uncover an incredible treasure of Biblical significance.

The Express has been publishing a lot of articles lately on the Bible and archaeology. This one is a pretty good account of some of Sir Charles Warren's accomplishments. For more on him, see here.

For more on the "To the place of trumpeting..." inscription see here and links.

I'm happy to share the title "real-life Indiana Jones" with Sir Charles.

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Blackwell et al. (eds.) Reading Revelation in Context (Zondervan)

RECENT BOOK FROM ZONDERVAN:

READING REVELATION IN CONTEXT

by Ben C. Blackwell, John K. Goodrich, Jason Maston, Loren T. Stuckenbruck, Zondervan,

On Sale: 2019-09-10

Price: $21.99

Book Summary

Reading Revelation in Context brings together short, accessible essays by a team of over 20 top scholars that compare and contrast the visions and apocalyptic imagery of the book of Revelation with various texts from Second Temple Jewish literature.

About the Book

Reading Revelation in Context brings together short, accessible essays that compare and contrast the visions and apocalyptic imagery of the book of Revelation with various texts from Second Temple Jewish literature.

Going beyond an introduction that merely surveys historical events and theological themes, Reading Revelation in Context examines individual passages in Second Temple Jewish literature in order to illuminate the context of Revelation's theology and the meaning and potency of John's visions. Following the narrative progression of Revelation, each chapter (1) pairs a major unit of the Apocalypse with one or more sections of a thematically related Jewish text, (2) introduces and explores the historical and theological nuances of the comparator text, and (3) shows how the ideas in the comparator text illuminate those expressed in Revelation.

In addition to the focused comparison provided in the essays, the book contains other student-friendly features that will help them engage broader discussions, including an introductory chapter that familiarizes students with the world and texts of Second Temple Judaism, a glossary of important terms, and a brief appendix suggesting what tools students might use to undertake their own comparative studies. At the end of each chapter there a list of other thematically relevant Second Temple Jewish texts recommended for additional study and a focused bibliography pointing students to critical editions and higher-level discussions in scholarly literature.

Reading Revelation in Context brings together an international team of over 20 New Testament experts including Jamie Davies, David A. deSilva, Michael J. Gorman, Dana M. Harris, Ronald Herms, Edith M. Humphrey, Jonathan A. Moo, Elizabeth E. Shively, Cynthia Long Westfall, Archie T. Wright, and more.

Product Details

ISBN: 9780310566236
ISBN 10: 0310566231
Imprint: Zondervan Academic
On Sale: 2019-09-10
Pages: 208
List Price: $21.99
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
Publication Date: 2019-09-10
Trim Size: 152.000mm x 229.000mm x 14.000mm
Weight: 290.000gr
Category 1 : RELIGION / Biblical Studies / New Testament
Category 2 : RELIGION / Biblical Commentary / New Testament
Category 3 : RELIGION / Biblical Criticism & Interpretation / New Testament
Category 4 : RELIGION / Biblical Studies / Prophecy

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Buck, The Amorite Dynasty of Ugarit (Brill)

RECENT BOOK FROM BRILL:

The Amorite Dynasty of Ugarit

Historical Implications of Linguistic and Archaeological Parallels

Series: Studies in the Archaeology and History of the Levant, Volume: 8

Author: Mary E. Buck

In The Amorite Dynasty of Ugarit Mary Buck takes a new approach to the field of Amorite studies by considering whether the site of Ugarit shares close parallels with other sites and cultures known from the Bronze Age Levant. When viewed in conjunction, the archaeological and linguistic material uncovered in this study serves to enhance our understanding of the historical complexity and diversity of the Middle Bronze Age period of international relations at the site of Ugarit. With a deft hand, Dr. Buck pursues a nuanced view of populations in the Bronze Age Levant, with the objective of understanding the ancient polity of Ugarit as a kin-based culture that shares close ties with the Amorite populations of the Levant.

"The author covers a contentious area of scholarship with confidence and competence, and has produced a convincing case for the Amorite origins of Bronze Age Ugarit."
-Nick Wyatt, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 44.5 (2020)

The Studies in the Archaeology and History of the Levant series publishes volumes from the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East. Other series offered by Brill that publish volumes from the Museum include Harvard Semitic Studies and Harvard Semitic Monographs, https://hmane.harvard.edu/publications.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €225.00 / $270.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-41511-9
Publication Date: 16 Sep 2019

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-41510-2
Publication Date: 26 Sep 2019

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2021!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Let us keep our eyes on a better 2021.

All best wishes for a safe, healthy, and much improved new year. And do continue to make PaleoJudaica a regular part of it.

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

The comprehensive biblical archaeology 2020 roundup

THE BIBLE PLACES BLOG: Top 10 Discoveries in Biblical Archaeology in 2020 (Todd Bolen). This is the most comprehensive 2020 Roundup for Bible-related archaeology that I have found. It goes far beyond the top 10 mentioned in the title. Again, PaleoJudaica has posts on many of the stories.

I have noted earlier 2020 archaeology roundups here (with some additions by me), here, and here. Todd notes others near the end of his post above.

This is a good place to say goodbye to 2020. Enjoy your New Year's Eve festivities, such as they may be, and stay safe.

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2020's futuristic archaeology

2020 ROUNDUP: As COVID hit, archaeologists turned to futuristic labs to dig up ancient history. From dental tartar studies to the use of police forensics techniques and AI to discern which scribe wrote the Bible, cutting-edge science beat out shovels for uncovering the past (Amanda Borschel-Dan, Times of Israel). This article links back to stories in the Times of Israel. PaleoJudaica has posts on many of the same discoveries. Cross-file under Technology Watch.

Earlier 2020 roundups are noted here and link.

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4 Enoch: The Online Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism

THE 4 ENOCH ENCYCLOPEDIC WEBSITE has been receiving another round of mentions. This seems like a good time for PaleoJudaica to link to it again. It is an invaluable resource.

Welcome to 4 Enoch: The Online Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism, and Christian and Islamic Origins. Scholarship and Fiction, from the 15th century to the present. A website by Gabriele Boccaccini, PhD.

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Armstrong, Dating Acts in its Jewish and Greco-Roman Contexts (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Dating Acts in its Jewish and Greco-Roman Contexts

By: Karl Leslie Armstrong

Published: 01-14-2021
Format: EPUB/MOBI eBook (Watermarked)
Edition: 1st
Extent: 256
ISBN: 9780567696496
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: The Library of New Testament Studies
List price: $103.50
Online price: $82.80
Save $20.70 (20%)

About Dating Acts in its Jewish and Greco-Roman Contexts

There has been consistent apathy in recent years with regard to the long-standing debate surrounding the date of Acts. While the so-called majority of scholars over the past century have been lulled into thinking that Acts was written between 70 and 90 CE, the vast majority of recent scholarship is unanimously adamant that this middle-range date is a convenient, political compromise. Karl Armstrong argues that a large part of the problem relates to a remarkable neglect of historical, textual, and source-critical matters. Compounding the problem further are the methodological flaws among the approaches to the middle and late date of Acts.

Armstrong thus demonstrates that a historiographical approach to the debate offers a strong framework for evaluating primary and secondary sources relating to the book of Acts. By using a historiographical approach, along with the support of modern principles of textual criticism and linguistics, the historical context of Acts is determined to be concurrent with a date of 62–63 CE.

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Top 2020 Haaretz archaeology stories

2020 ROUNDUP: Jesus’ Crucifixion, a Cursed King and Mysterious Giant Mounds: Top Biblical Archaeology Stories of 2020. Why did the ostensibly monotheistic ancient Hebrews make statuettes of nude women? Is that the face of Yahweh? What’s the village excavating itself up to now? All this and more in Haaretz archaeology 2020 (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz premium). The PaleoJudaica archives cover many of these. Sensibly, the article does not limit itself to a top ten. I count eighteen stories from 2020. HT Joseph Lauer.

Another list of top 2020 archaeology stories, with some additions of my own, is here.

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Who is the Son of God in Psalm 2?

PROF. MARC ZVI BRETTLER, PROF. AMY-JILL LEVINE: Psalm 2: Is the Messiah the Son of God? (TheTorah.com).

YHWH declares to the Davidic king, “You are my son; today I have begotten you” (Psalm 2:7). For the New Testament, this verse is a prooftext for Jesus’s divinity, but what did it mean in its original context, and how did Jewish interpreters understand it?

This is an excellent, comprehensive review of the history of interpretation.

I have one small criticism. Isaiah 42:14 is not a good example of metaphorical imagery. The image of a woman in labor is a simile, not a metaphor. But the point is valid. A better example would be Psalm 91:4:

he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. (RSV)

The language is metaphorical. The writer was not saying that God had wings.

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Norman Golb (1928 - 2020)

SAD NEWS: Dr. Norman Golb 1928 - 2020. Professor Golb did important work on the Cairo Geniza. His hypothesis that the Dead Sea Scrolls are the remnant of literary archives from Jerusalem is probably ultimately wrong, but he had some valid points and he made colleagues think outside the box. May his memory be for a blessing.

HT the Agade List.

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Lehnardt (ed.), European Genizah (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

European Genizah

Newly Discovered Hebrew Binding Fragments in Context.
European Genizah Texts and Studies, Volume 5

Series: Studies in Jewish History and Culture, Volume: 63

Editor: Andreas Lehnardt

This volume includes contributions presented at two conferences, in Mainz and Jerusalem, and presents new discoveries of binding fragments in several European libraries and archives and abroad. It presents newly discovered texts with unknown Jewish writings from the Middle Ages and analyses fragments of well-known texts, such as textual witnesses of Midrashim. One chapter overviews recent discoveries in certain collections, some of them far beyond the geographical horizon of the original project, but certainly all of European origin. Other chapters study palaeographical and codicological issues of manuscript fragments and Ashkenazic inscriptions. A final article refers to the beginnings of scholarly interest in Hebrew binding fragments in Germany and sheds light on the part played by Christian Hebraists in its development.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €150.00 / $181.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-42792-1
Publication Date: 22 Jun 2020

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-42791-4
Publication Date: 26 Jun 2020

For more on the European Geniza, see here.

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Video: Coins of the Bible

NUMISMATICS: Talking Ancient Coins With Mike Beall and Mike Markowitz, Part II: Coins of the Bible (CoinWeek Video).

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Zoom lecture: Material Reconstruction of 4QpaleoGen-Exl (4Q11)

FROM THE ORION CENTER:

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to the upcoming Greenfield Scholars’ Seminar of the Orion Center,

Material Reconstruction of 4QpaleoGen-Ex^l (4Q11) and
Its Contribution to the Textual Classification of the Scroll

Dr. Hila Dayfani
Department of Biblical Studies, Tel Aviv University
Orion Matlow Scholar, 2020/2021

Chair: Prof. Emanuel Tov
Department of Bible, The Hebrew University

Tuesday, 12 January 2021, at 17:30 Israel time, 10:30 EST

To enter the meeting, please click here.

For instructions on joining a zoom meeting, please click here.

The lecture will be held in English.

​Please feel free to share the attached invitation with interested colleagues.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

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Zoom lecture: Why are the Dead Sea Scrolls so Sensational?

BY INSTITUTE OF JEWISH STUDIES UCL:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/why-are-the-dead-sea-scrolls-so-sensational-tickets-134122777839

Why are the Dead Sea Scrolls so Sensational?

by Institute of Jewish Studies UCL

Lecture explaining why scholars concur that the recovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls is the most sensational discovery of ancient writings

Date And Time:
Thursday, 14 January 2021, 13:00 – 14:00 EST
Thursday, 14 January 2021, 18:00 – 19:00 GMT
Location: Online Event
Free

About this Event

Since the early 1960s, Professor James Charlesworth has focused his research on the scrolls found in eleven caves on the western shores of the Dead Sea: The Dead Sea Scrolls. In this lecture, Charlesworth seeks to explain why scholars concur that the recovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls is the most sensational discovery of ancient writings. Throughout the world the perspective on Early Judaism and the Origins of Christianity have received a paradigm shift. Why? It is because of the startling and unexpected thoughts found in these scrolls that take us back to a time in the Holy Land from 200 BCE to 67 CE. How and in what ways, if at all, were John the Baptizer and Jesus from Nazareth influenced by the unique symbolic language in these scrolls?

ONLINE EVENT
You will receive the link to the event content in your order confirmation email, and in a reminder email before the event starts.

From Joseph I. Lauer.

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Ruzer, Early Jewish Messianism in the New Testament (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Early Jewish Messianism in the New Testament

Reflections in the Dim Mirror

Series: Jewish and Christian Perspectives Series, Volume: 36

Author: Serge Ruzer

In Early Jewish Messianism in the New Testament Serge Ruzer takes a new tack on the investigation of early Christian polemical strategies against the backdrop of Second Temple Judaism. Complementing traditional inquiry on the subject, Ruzer focuses on those elements of Messiah- and Christ-centered ideas that bear witness to patterns of broader circulation – namely, the Jewish messianic ideas that provided the underpinning for the identity-making moves of Jesus’ early followers. The volume suggests that such attempts can be expected to reflect eschatological ideas of the Jewish ʻOtherʼ. Exploring cases where the New Testament shows itself an early witness for belief patterns found in contemporaneous or only later rabbinic sources, this volume reveals a fuller picture of Second Temple Jewish messianism.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €127.00 / $153.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-43293-2
Publication Date: 13 Jul 2020

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-43292-5
Publication Date: 02 Apr 2020

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Hirshman & Satran with Reisler (eds.), Rabbinic Study Circles (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Rabbinic Study Circles. Aspects of Jewish Learning in its Late Antique Context. Edited by Marc Hirshman and David Satran with the assistance of Anita Reisler. 2020. V, 153 pages. Studies in Education and Religion in Ancient and Pre-Modern History in the Mediterranean and Its Environs 8. 59,00 € including VAT. hardcover ISBN 978-3-16-159454-0.

Published in English.
Taking account of a wide range of literary evidence and the most recent scholarship on the nature of education in Rabbinic Judaism of late antiquity, these studies examine new and varied aspects of the scriptural and intellectual infrastructure of the educational ethos, the tension between oral tradition and literary practice, and the central role of the rabbinic sage as pedagogical innovator and model. They also study the underlying influence of social and economic factors, the evolution of teaching techniques and frameworks, and the formative role of both midrashic mentality and mythopoetic currents. With an eye on the broader contexts of Greco-Roman culture and emergent Christianity, these essays follow the development of rabbinic ideas and institutions from the first centuries of the Common Era in Palestine through the flowering of centers of learning centuries later in Babylonia.

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Ryan, From the Passion to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

From the Passion to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Memories of Jesus in Place, Pilgrimage, and Early Holy Sites Over the First Three Centuries

By: Jordan J. Ryan

Published: 01-14-2021
Format: EPUB/MOBI eBook (Watermarked)
Edition: 1st
Extent: 272
ISBN: 9780567677488
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: The Reception of Jesus in the First Three Centuries
Illustrations: 25 bw illus
List price: $103.50
Online price: $82.80
Save $20.70 (20%) [Available for pre-order.]

About From the Passion to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Since the early 4th century, Christian pilgrims and visitors to Judea and Galilee have worshipped at and been inspired by monumental churches erected at sites traditionally connected with the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. This book examines the history and archaeology of early Christian holy sites and traditions connected with specific places in order to understand them as interpretations of Jesus and to explore them as instantiations of memories of him.

Ryan's overarching aim is to construe these places as instantiations of what historian Pierre Nora has called “lieux de mémoires,” sites where memory crystallizes and, where possible, to track the course and development of the traditions underlying them from their genesis in the Gospel narratives to their eventual solidification in the form of pilgrimage sites. So doing will bring rarely considered evidence to the study of early Christian memory, which in turn helps to illuminate the person of Jesus himself in both history and reception.

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Hartog et al. (eds.), Jerusalem and Other Holy Places as Foci of Multireligious and Ideological Confrontation (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Jerusalem and Other Holy Places as Foci of Multireligious and Ideological Confrontation

Series: Jewish and Christian Perspectives Series, Volume: 37

Volume Editors: Pieter B. Hartog, Shulamit Laderman, Vered Tohar, and Archibald L.H.M. van Wieringen

Jerusalem and Other Holy Places as Foci of Multireligious and Ideological Confrontation brings together the papers that were read at an international conference at the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem in May 2018. The contributions to this volume develop a multi-disciplinary perspective on holy places and their development, rhetorical force, and oft-contested nature. Through a particular focus on Jerusalem, this volume demonstrates the variety in the study of holy places, as well as the flexibility of geographic and historical aspects of holiness.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €138.00 / $166.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-43721-0
Publication Date: 07 Dec 2020

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-43718-0
Publication Date: 10 Dec 2020

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Pre-order: T&T Clark Handbook of Septuagint Research

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

T&T Clark Handbook of Septuagint Research

Editor(s): William A. Ross, W. Edward Glenny

Published: 01-14-2021
Format: EPUB/MOBI eBook (Watermarked)
Edition: 1st
Extent: 480
ISBN: 9780567680266
Imprint: T&T Clark
Series: T&T Clark Handbooks
List price: $157.50
Online price: $126.00
Save $31.50 (20%)

About T&T Clark Handbook of Septuagint Research

Students and scholars now widely recognize the importance of the Septuagint to the history of the Greek language, the textual development of the Bible, and to Jewish and Christian religious life in both the ancient and modern worlds. This handbook is designed for those who wish to engage the Septuagint in their research, yet have been unsure where to turn for guidance or concise, up-to-date discussion. The contributors break down the barriers involved in the technical debates and sub-specialties as far as possible, equipping readers with the tools and knowledge necessary to conduct their own research.

Each chapter is written by a leading Septuagint scholar and focuses upon a major area of research in the discipline, providing an overview of the topic, key debates and views, a survey or demonstration of the methods involved, and pointers towards ongoing research questions. By exploring origins, language, text, reception, theology, translation, and commentary, with a final summary of the literature, this handbook encourages active engagement with the most important issues in the field and provides an essential resource for specialists and non-specialists alike.

I noted the book as forthcoming here.

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Dreams and trauma in the Joseph story

PROF. MEIRA POLLIACK: Pharaoh’s Dreams and the Mirroring of Joseph’s Inner Life (TheTorah.com).

I'll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours” ― Bob Dylan

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Exotic "Egyptian" Apocryphal Acts

THE APOCRYPHICITY BLOG: The “Egyptian” Collection of Apocryphal Acts, Part 1: Coptic, Arabic, and Ge‘ez Sources (Tony Burke). Cross-file under New Testament Apocrypha Watch and Coptic Watch. Other languages are involved, but the earliest recoverable basis for the collection seems to be Coptic.

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García, On Human Nature in Early Judaism (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

On Human Nature in Early Judaism

Creation, Composition, and Condition

Series: Journal of Ancient Judaism - Supplements, Volume: 34

Author: Jeffrey P. García

This book is an analysis of early Jewish thought on human nature, specifically, the complex of characteristics that are understood to be universally innate, and/or God-given, to collective humanity and the manner which they depict human existence in relationship, or lack thereof, to God. Jewish discourse in the Greco-Roman period (4th c. BCE until 1st c. CE) on human nature was not exclusively particularistic, although the immediate concern was often communal-specific. Evidence shows that many of these discussions were also an attempt to grasp a general, or universal, human nature. The focus of this work has been narrowed to three categories that encapsulate the most prevalent themes in Second Temple Jewish texts, namely, creation, composition, and condition.

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-3-657-70486-6
Publication Date: 26 Oct 2020

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-3-506-70486-3
Publication Date: 13 Nov 2020

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On that first-century house in Nazareth

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

The Sisters of Nazareth Site

Identifying the Byzantine church at the Sisters of Nazareth site as the Church of the Nutrition, of course, raises the question of whether Structure 1 could really have been the childhood home of Jesus. Despite speculation in the international media, often misreporting my position on this subject, my view is that it is impossible to tell whether this identification was correct.

This article is based on the author’s book The Sisters of Nazareth convent. A Roman-period, Byzantine and Crusader site in central Nazareth (Routledge: London, 2020).

By Ken Dark
Professor, University of Reading
December 2020

Professor Dark clarifies his position. It is more nuanced than sometimes implied by the media. Background here and here. Cross-file under (still) 'Tis the Season.

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Our earliest Psalms fragment is a sloppy school exercise?

THE ETC BLOG: 4QPsx: A Poorly Copied Manuscript (Anthony Ferguson).

4QPsx is one manuscript, among many, that was copied poorly. Interestingly, some scholars date this manuscript, which preserves portions of Psalm 89, to 175-125 BC. If this is right, this manuscript is our earliest manuscript available that preserves a psalm; yet, it is an unreliable guide to the Psalter's state, and Psalm 89 in particular, during the second century BC. Several details about this manuscript suggest that this scribe was either an unskilled or a beginner scribe. ...

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Oqimta 7 (2021)

THE AWOL BLOG: Open Access Journal: Oqimta: Studies in Talmudic and Rabbinic Literature. I have mentioned this journal from time to time. Its Volume 7 (2021) is now out.

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The recasting of John the Baptist?

PROF. TAMÁS VISI: John the Baptist – A Jewish Preacher Recast as the Herald of Jesus (TheTorah.com).

The historical John, יוחנן, was a thoroughly Jewish religious preacher, who had little if any relation to Jesus and his movement. Here is the story of how John and his central rite, baptism, became part of Christianity.

For more on John the Baptist, see here and links and here. For many posts on Machaerus, the reputed site of John's execution, see here and links.

The Gospel of Thomas has an enigmatic mention of John the Baptist in Logion 46:

Jesus says:

(1) “From Adam to John the Baptist, among those born of women there is no one who surpasses John the Baptist so that his (i.e., John’s) eyes need not be downcast.”
(2) “But I have also said: Whoever among you becomes little will know the kingdom, and will surpass John.”

The Mandeans (Mandaeans), an ancient Mesopotamian Gnostic sect who still exist today, are followers of John the Baptist without involving Jesus.

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Christmas 2020

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all those celebrating!

For posts of Christmas past, see my 2019 Christmas post and links.

Subsequent Christmas-related posts are here (on "The Jewish Origins of the Christmas Story"), here (on the date of Jesus' birth), here (on Jesus' supposed house in Nazareth), here and here (on the Magi), here (on the date of Christmas), here, here, and here (on this year's "great conjunction" of Jupiter and Saturn), here (on the NT Nativity narratives), and here (on a late-antique Nativity pilgrimage souviner).

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Herodium

HERITAGE DAILY: Herodium – The Palace Fortress of King Herod.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on Herodium and its excavation, start here and follow the links.

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More on those reconstructed Temple courts floors

THE TEMPLE MOUNT SIFTING PROJECT BLOG: CHECK OUT OUR NEW BEAUTIFUL RECONSTRUCTION OF HEROD’S TEMPLE COURTS COLORFUL FLOORS.

I noted the Reuters article (and video) here. I correctly inferred that the Temple Mount Sifting Project's work was involved. Their blog post has more information on the reconstruction.

For many other PaleoJudaica posts on the Temple Mount Sifting Project, see here and links and here.

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What was that Christmas Star?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: We Have Seen His Star in the East: What Was the Christmas Star? (James D. Tabor). It seems that Johannes Kepler thought that the Star of Bethlehem was the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BCE.

Background here and many links. Cross-file under 'Tis the Season.

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A late-antique Nativity souvenir token

EXHIBITION: Israel Museum Reveals Ancient Artifact Depicting Nativity in Bethlehem (CBN News). With video. A "Eulogia" token from late antiquity. Cross-file under 'Tis the Season.

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

Nativity narratives: new Moses and new David

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Nativity—A Tale of Two Stories (John Drummond). Summarizes an article by Regina A. Boisclair in the current issue of BAR: “The Whole Christmas Package: Jesus’s Infancy Stories.” The full article is behind the subscription wall, but this essay is worth reading.

Cross-file under 'Tis the Season.

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

A Biblical Archaeology top 10

CHRISTIANITY TODAY: Biblical Archaeology’s Top 10 Discoveries of 2020. Archaeology has been slow in 2020, for obvious reasons. But this is a pretty good list of important sort-of-Bible-related discoveries. I would add the Jezreel Winery and the ritual bath at Gesthemane (see below) to the list.

There have been some notable archaeological discoveries pertaining to ancient Judaism which are not on the list. I link to the relevant PaleoJudaica posts, some of which have links to follow:

More on ancient Nazareth

They found a partzufa at Sepphoris!

The Usha excavation

Gaming die excavated near Beit El (also here). The discoveries at Kirbet Kfar Mor (Khirbet Kafr Murr, Khirbet Kafr Mer) include a decorated stone table and various ceramics.

More menorah graffiti in a priestly (?) cave

Hasmonean-era oil lamp found on Pilgrimage Road

Second Temple-era ritual bath discovered at Gethsemane

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

How is Joseph not like Daniel?

PROF. SAFWAT MARZOUK: Pharaoh and Joseph Speak of a Common God to Save Egypt (TheTorah.com).

Before speaking with Pharaoh, Joseph adapts to Egyptian norms by shaving and changing his clothes. When he interprets Pharaoh’s dream, he only uses the generic word for God, Elohim, making no mention of YHWH. Pharaoh, in turn, declares Joseph to be wise and a man with the spirit of God, and puts aside Joseph’s ethnic and socio-economic background, appointing him viceroy to save Egypt from the pending famine.

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

Gal Gadot defends Cleopatra casting

CINEMATIC CONTROVERSY: Gal Gadot defends Cleopatra casting after 'whitewashing' controversy (BBC). I have addressed this question at length here.

Briefly, Cleopatra descended from the inbred European (Macedonian) Ptolemaic line. But we don't have unambiguous evidence for the genetic background of her mother or her grandmother. Cleopatra may have been nearly entirely Macedonian (with a little Persian). Or she may have been as much as 75% Egyptian. We don't know.

Any cinematic interpretation that keeps within those parameters is credible.

I look forward to seeing Ms. Gadot as Cleopatra. I also hope others produce a movie that interprets Cleopatra as mostly African. We should explore all the possible pasts that history hands us.

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

Minov, Memory and Identity in the Syriac Cave of Treasures

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: Memory and Identity in the Syriac Cave of Treasures: Rewriting the Bible in Sasanian Iran. Notice of a New Book: Minov, Sergey. 2021. Memory and Identity in the Syriac Cave of Treasures: Rewriting the Bible in Sasanian Iran (Jerusalem Studies in Religion and Culture, 26). Leiden: Brill.

Some PaleoJudaica posts on the Cave of Treasures are here, here (with links to old editions and translations online), here, and here.

As noted, we published a new English translation by Alexander Toepel in Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: More Noncanonical Scriptures, Volume 1 (ed. Richard Bauckham, James R. Davila, and Alexander Panayotov; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2013).

Cross-file under Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Watch and Syriac Watch.

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

Second Temple-era ritual bath discovered at Gethsemane

ARCHAEOLOGY: Ancient ritual bath may mark first New Testament-era find at Jesus’ Gethsemane. Olive grove where Jesus spent a night of agony, accepted his betrayal, and was arrested ahead of his crucifixion has until now had no physical link to Second Temple era (Amanda Borschel-Dan, Times of Israel).

The article also notes that there is a Byzantine-era church at the site. Perhaps this post is relevant.

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

Imaging an Esther scroll

TECHNOLOGY WATCH: Researchers Deconstruct Ancient Parchment Using Multiple Techniques. Analyses of the materials in the scrolls help put the object into an historical context and guides conservators in future restoration efforts (Lab Manager).

A team of scientists from Romania's National Institute for Research and Development in Optoelectronics extracted details about the manuscript's original materials and manufacturing techniques employing various spectroscopic instruments. These specialized cameras and devices capture images that the human eye normally can't see.

[...]

The manuscript the team investigated was a poorly preserved but sacred scroll containing several chapters of the Book of Esther from the Hebrew Bible. An artifact from a private collection, little was known of the object's provenance or history.

Oddly, the article suggests no date or provenance for the scroll. The discussion in the introduction focuses on manuscripts dating from the 14th to the 19th centuries. The study applied "multi- and hyperspectral imaging, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy" to the manuscript. All are non-invasive, non-destructive technologies.

The underlying article was published in the open-access, peer-review, author-subvention journal Frontiers in Materials.

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

Punic palace imperiled at Cartagena?

PUNIC WATCH: Flats could destroy Cartagena’s legacy of Carthage (London Times). That would be a pity.

Cartagena, Spain, is very proud of its Punic heritage. It celebrates an annual Romans and Carthaginians Festival in September.

I hope the authorities can arrange a proper exploration of the site, which Mr. Negueruela believes to be the remains of Hasdrubal's palace. It would be in their interest to support what could become a major tourist attraction.

By the way, a free registration with the Times gives you access to two full articles per week.

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

The Hekhalot Zutarti in Catalan

IN THE MAIL:

Hekhalot Zutarti. Els Palaus Menors (segons el manuscrit Nova York 8128). Introducció, traducció i notes Bàrbara Virgil i Jordi Cervera. (Literatura Intertestamentària, 9) Barcelona: Ateneu Universitari Sant Pacià – Facultat de Teologia de Catalunya – Associació Bíblica de Catalunya 2020.

A translation of the Hekhalot Zutarti into Catalan with an edition of the Aramaic and Hebrew text in Manuscript New York 8128. Kindly sent to me by the authors.

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

Star of Bethlehem replay tonight?

'TIS THE SEASON, ASTRONOMICAL EDITION: Will the Biblical Star of Bethlehem appear in the sky ahead of Christmas? On December 21, our solar system's two biggest planets will come within close proximity of one another, in what is known as a great conjunction (Jerusalem Post).

I noted the story earlier here. And I see now that I should read my own posts more. I said in that post that no one was suggesting a connection between the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction and the Star of Bethlehem. In fact, just such a conjunction is one of the astronomical explanations for the star. There was even a candidate event in 7 BCE. Another possibility is a conjunction of Jupiter and Venus. One such happened in July of 2015, but it was not close enough to make them look like one star.

The Star of Bethlehem does not sound much like a planetary conjunction to me. That would look like a single star for only brief period, if at all. The account in Matthew 2:2, 9-10 describes it as a single star that the Magi followed for some time. I'm sticking with the explanation that the star is a midrashic legend.

Fortunately, last night was reasonably clear in Fife, Scotland. I got a good view of the conjunction at sundown, just before 5:00 pm local time. Jupiter was a very bright unblinking star on the horizon. Saturn was a tiny one just above it. I took photos, but none were good enough to show Saturn. If your sky is clear tonight, be sure and have a look.

Happy winter solstice to all those celebrating!

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

Temple floor tiles reconstructed

TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH: Archaeologists Recreate Tiles of Temple Where Jesus Walked (RINAT HARASH, Reuters).

There is also a Reuters video on the story: Archaeologists recreate tiles from time of Jesus. Drawing on relics and historical texts, Israeli archaeologists and masons have recreated the sacred flooring of the ancient Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Francesca Lynagh reports. The hit-and-miss subtitles for the video look to be machine generated and unedited.

The floor tiles seem to be created on the basis of the Herodian-era floor tiles discovered several years ago by the Temple Mount Sifting Project. I noted the story here when it came out. For more posts on it, start here and follow the links.

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Wassen & Hägerland, Jesus the Apocalyptic Prophet (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER:

Jesus the Apocalyptic Prophet

By: Cecilia Wassen, Tobias Hägerland Translator: Cian J. Power

Published: 01-14-2021
Format: EPUB/MOBI eBook (Watermarked)
Edition: 1st
Extent: 256
ISBN: 9780567693792
Imprint: T&T Clark
Illustrations: 30 bw illus
List price: $31.45
Online price: $25.16
Save $6.29 (20%)

About Jesus the Apocalyptic Prophet

In this new English language translation of Den okände Jesus (The Unknown Jesus), Cecilia Wassén and Tobias Hägerland consider Jesus as an apocalyptic prophetic figure within the context of first-century Judaism and reconstruct the life of Jesus from his birth to his death, with a focus on understanding him in the context of his own time and place. Engaging critically with the sources, they examine Jesus' life in order of events and draw together the threads of scholarly discussion on the history, archaeology and geography of first-century Galilee, forming a complete picture of Jesus' world suitable for non-specialists and university students.

Wassén and Hägerland provide a strictly historical reconstruction, distinguishing between the rhetorical aims of the New Testament texts and the information about the past that these texts contain. They enhance the texts surrounding Jesus in the context of first-century Galilee with historical and archaeological reflections and discussion, including penetrating insights from the Dead Sea Scrolls. Illustrated throughout with photographs taken by the authors specifically to offer insights into the world of Jesus and the New Testament writings, Jesus the Apocalyptic Prophet provides a deeply informed introduction to Jesus in his first-century context.

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How did December 25th become Christmas?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: How December 25 Became Christmas. Read Andrew McGowan’s article “How December 25 Became Christmas” as it originally appeared in Bible Review, December 2002.—Ed. Informative.

Cross-file under 'Tis the Season.

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

The British Museum’s Excavations at Nineveh, 1846–1855 (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

The British Museum’s Excavations at Nineveh, 1846–1855

Series: Culture and History of the Ancient Near East, Volume: 115

Author: Geoffrey Turner
Editor: John Malcolm Russell

Geoffrey Turner has written the definitive study of the mid-19th century excavations sponsored by the British Museum at the ancient Assyrian site of Nineveh in Iraq. Based on exhaustive analysis of unpublished archives combined with his own extensive knowledge of Assyrian architecture, Turner’s work documents the complete history of these excavations. Turner also draws on the archives and numerous additional sources to provide a detailed reconstruction of the architecture and relief sculpture in the building that was the primary focus of these excavations, the Southwest Palace of Sennacherib (ruled 705-681 BC). The result constitutes the final report both on the results of these excavations and on the original appearance of one of the ancient world’s most famous buildings.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €302.00 / $363.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-43537-7v Publication Date: 12 Oct 2020

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-43536-0v Publication Date: 27 Nov 2020

I know that final excavation reports have a reputation for tardiness, but this must be a record! Anyway, it is good that it is finally out.

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