Fossil giants?!

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: On the Shoulders of Giants. How the ancients understood prehistoric fossils (Jennifer Drummond).

In this rich world of stories and folklore, it was only natural for people to look for evidence of giants in the world around them. In their article “Encounters with Fossil Giants” in the Fall 2021 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Steven Fine and Elisha Fine discuss examples from ancient history where individuals found what they thought were the bones of giants. Locals would often discover unusually large fossils and present them to visitors as the remains of famous or mythical giants.

Most of the article is behind the subscription wall.

For a thematically related post, see here. Many years ago I commented here on Josephus' giant bones. For some modern giant-skeleton hoaxes, see here.

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First-Temple-era toilet excavated in Jerusalem

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE: Archaeologists find 2,700-year-old toilet in luxurious palace in Jerusalem. The extraordinary find sheds light on life under the kings of Judah: "Only the rich could afford toilets" (Rossella Tercatin, Jerusalem Post). For more on the excavation of the Armon Hanatziv Promenade, see here and links. Cross-file under Latrine News.

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Biblical Studies Carnival 187

THE AMATEUR EXEGETE: BIBLICAL STUDIES CARNIVAL #187 (SEPTEMBER 2021) (Ben).

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Bodor, The Theological Profile of the Peshitta of Isaiah (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

The Theological Profile of the Peshitta of Isaiah

Series: Supplements to the Textual History of the Bible, Volume: 5

Author: Attila Bodor

In The Theological Profile of the Peshitta of Isaiah, Attila Bodor explores theological elements in the book of Isaiah as represented in the Peshitta. Through a close study of its interpretative renderings, the author shows that this lesser-known ancient version is not only an important witness to textual history and a repository of early exegetical traditions but also testifies to the beliefs of the early Syriac-speaking community from which the Peshitta emerged. In the monograph, sixty-three Peshitta divergences from the Hebrew version of Isaiah are collected and analyzed in order to illustrate the theological implications and the impact of these divergent renderings on the interpretation and reception of the major Isaianic themes that treat God, the Messiah, and the people of God.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €108.00 / $130.00

Copyright Year: 2021
E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-46912-9
Publication Date: 30 Aug 2021

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-46903-7
Publication Date: 02 Sep 2021

Cross-file under Syriac Watch.

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Israel or YHWH?

DR. RABBI DAVID FRANKEL: When YHWH Went Forth: A New Reading of Psalm 114 (TheTorah.com).

What did the sea see to make it flee? Who caused the mountains to skip like rams?

The emendation of "Israel" to "YHWH" in v. 1 may sound extreme, but I think the author of the essay makes a good case for it.

Not mentioned in the essay, but arguably there is parallel scribal emendation in Deuteronomy 32:8. The Masoretic Text refers to "the sons of Israel," but the Septuagint and 4QDeut^j read "the sons of God." The latter reading is clearly more original. One can hardly imagine a scribe introducing it to replace "the sons of Israel." It also makes much better sense in context. But the mythological element of God parceling out the nations to other divine beings became an embarrassment. Some later scribe introduced the awkward reference to Israel to try to get around it.

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Who were the Levites?

PROF. ALEXANDER ROFÉ: Levites: A Transjordanian Tribe of Priests (TheTorah.com).

Pre-exilic biblical texts describe Levites as landless priests who can serve in any holy site. The origin of this status can be found in ancient times, when the tribe of Levi lost control of their territory in the Transjordan, but remained in the vicinity serving in the Nebo temple, where their ancestor Moses was buried.

This seems as plausible as the various other reconstructions of the origin and history of the Levites. Our sources are incomplete and contradictory.

Some PaleoJudaica posts on the subject are here, here, here, here, here, and here.

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Where was the "Red Sea?"

THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY: The Location of the Biblical ‘Red Sea’ (Barry J. Beitzel).

At the end of the day, one must recognize that beyond a limited and generic description found in the Bible, augmented by textual clues found in both Hebrew and Egyptian lexicography, and by considerations of geographic and terrestrial logic, no definitive evidence of any sort exists to support a precise locational tradition, aside from the demonstrable fact that the event must have occurred within relatively close proximity to the eastern frontier of Egypt’s Delta.

I have posted on the question of the crossing-place of the "Sea of Reeds" here.

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Review of Mastrocinque et al. (eds.), Ancient magic: then and now

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Ancient magic: then and now.

Attilio Mastrocinque, Joseph Sanzo, Marianna Scapini, Ancient magic: then and now. Potsdamer Altertumswissenschaftliche Beitraege, 74. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2020. Pp. 451. ISBN 9783515127967 €82,00.

Review by
Elaine Sanderson, University of Liverpool. elaine.sanderson@liverpool.ac.uk

[Authors and titles are listed at the end of the review.]

This volume is the product of the Humboldt Kolleg ‘Magic in the Ancient World – New Perspectives’ conference held in Italy in 2016. Following broad surveys of the relationships between magic and science and magic and religion in the Preface (Giacomo De Angelis) and Foreward (Hans-Christian Günther) respectively, Marianna Scapini and Joseph E. Sanzo (Introduction) outline the volume’s aim to consider ‘ancient magic’ as an ‘analytical construct and as a domain of historical inquiry and imagination’ (p. 19). ...

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Ancient Near East Monographs

THE AWOL BLOG: Open Access Monograph Series: ANCIENT NEAR EAST MONOGRAPHS / MONOGRAFIAS SOBRE EL ANTIGUO CERCANO ORIENTE. There are many volumes of interest in this series. They are all open access.

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Review of Walsh, The origins of early Christian literature

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: The origins of early Christian literature: contextualizing the New Testament within Greco-Roman literary culture.

Robyn Faith Walsh, The origins of early Christian literature: contextualizing the New Testament within Greco-Roman literary culture. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2021. Pp. 325. ISBN 9781108835305 $99.99.

Review by
Brent Nongbri, MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion, and Society. brent.nongbri@mf.no

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Brenner-Idan &. Yee (eds.), Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, Vol. 2 (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah

Volume 2

Athalya Brenner-Idan (Anthology Editor), Gale A. Yee (Anthology Editor)

Hardback
$115.00 $103.50

Ebook (PDF)
$103.50 $82.80

Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
$103.50 $82.80

Product details

Published Aug 26 2021
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 248
ISBN 9780567701152
Imprint T&T Clark
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series Texts @ Contexts
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

This volume brings together disparate views about biblical texts in the books of Samuel, Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah and examines their influence in the life of contemporary communities, demonstrating how today's environments and disorders help readers to acquire new insights into such texts.

The contributing scholars hail from different continents - from East Asia to the United States to Europe to South Africa and Israel - and count themselves as members of various Jewish and Christian traditions or secularist ways of life. But, in spite of their differences in location and community membership, and perhaps in the spirit of contemporary global discontents, they share preoccupations with questions of ethics in politics and life, 'proper' death, violence and social exclusion or inclusion. This volume offers readers a deeper understanding of how politics and faith can be melded, both in ancient and contemporary contexts, to serve the interests of certain classes and societies, often at the expense of others.

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Jerusalem's historical water supply

CISTERNS AND AQUEDUCTS: Water sustainability throughout Jerusalem's history. The now-dry Sultan's Pool, named for Sultan Suleiman I (1520-1566), was one of Jerusalem’s most important water reservoirs for hundreds of years (SUSAN DE LA FUENTE, Jerusalem Post).

Even in First Temple times approximately 3,000 years ago, water cisterns were painstakingly chiseled into the rock, then coated with sealing layers of yellow waterproofing plaster to form substantial underground reservoirs. When a cistern of this type was discovered near the Temple Mount in 2012, it proved that the Gihon Spring, though useful, was not an adequate source of water for Temple needs.

[...]

I noted the discovery of this cistern (I think) in 2012 here and of the 2005 playground cistern here (when another was found in the same area in 2019).

I also noted the discovery of the section of the Lower Aqueduct to Jerusalem in 2015 here and of the High-Level Aqueduct in 2010 here.

For more on the work of Sir Charles Warren, see here and links.

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Remembering Eilat Mazar

FROM ONE OF HER MAIN FUNDERS: ‘Let the stones speak for themselves.’ Eilat Mazar offered me a chance to help link the Bible to modern times. It was one of my best investments (Roger Hertog, Times of Israel Blogs).

Even the naysayers welcomed her contributions. As noted in a 2005 article in The New York Times, “Other scholars who have toured the site are skeptical that the foundation walls Eilat Mazar has discovered are David’s palace, but they acknowledged that what she found was rare and important — a major public building from around the 10th century B.C.E. with pottery shards that date from the time of David and Solomon…”

For more on the career of Dr. Mazar, start here and follow the links.

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How bad is death in the Hebrew Bible? Bad.

PROF. MEGHAN HENNING: No Heaven or Hell, Only Sheʾol (TheTorah.com).

Sheʾol and its synonyms, בּוֹר “pit,” שַׁחַת “chasm,” and אֲבַדּוֹן “oblivion,” was the fate of all people upon death. The wicked were sent there early, while the righteous were rewarded with a long life. During the Second Temple period, the negative attitude about death and sheʾol develops into a concept of post-mortem punishment and eventually hell. 1 Enoch’s four chambers for the dead is the first step in that direction.

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Frendo, Approaching Biblical Archaeology (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Approaching Biblical Archaeology

Anthony J. Frendo (Author)

Paperback
$29.95 $26.95

Hardback
$90.00 $81.00

Ebook (PDF)
$26.95 $21.56

Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
$26.95 $21.56

Product details

Published Sep 09 2021
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 160v ISBN 9780567677532
Imprint T&T Clark
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

Anthony J. Frendo introduces biblical students and scholars alike to the discipline of archaeology by explaining how the minds of professional archaeologists work, explaining what archaeologists seek, how they go about doing so, and how they interpret their data. Frendo shows those engaged in biblical scholarship how they can properly integrate biblical research with archaeological discoveries in a way that allows the bible and archaeology to be viewed and kept as distinct disciplines, the respective results of which, where relevant, may be integrated in productive discussion.

Frendo also examines how the archaeology of the ancient Near East (particularly that of the southern Levant) has an essential bearing on how scholars can better appreciate the text of the bible, including its religious message. Frendo examines such matters as artefacts, stratigraphy and chronology, and archaeological reasoning. He also demonstrates that, whilst generally it is archaeology that casts light on the biblical text, at points biblical interpretation can help archaeologists to understand certain data.

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CRINT Essay Prize Winner 2021

ANNOUNCEMENT: CRINT Essay Prize 2021 Winner. Congratulations to Dr. A.J. Berkovitz, who was awarded the 2021 prize for his essay Psalm 45 Between Abraham and Jesus: A Polemic and its Shelf Life. Details at the link.

For more on the CRINT Essay Prize, see here.

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Saint Jerome's feast day 2021

THE FEAST DAY OF ST. JEROME IS TODAY, 30 SEPTEMBER. Jerome was one of the few Church Fathers to learn and use Hebrew. The Latin Vulgate is his complete translation of the Hebrew Bible. I last noted his feast day in 2016. For more on him, follow the links there. More recent posts are here, here, and here.

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Theophilos, Numismatics and Greek Lexicography (T&T Clark)

RECENT BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Numismatics and Greek Lexicography

Michael P. Theophilos (Author)

Hardback
$120.00 $108.00

Ebook (PDF)
$35.95 $28.76

Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
$35.95 $28.76

Product details

Published Nov 28 2019
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 296
ISBN 9780567674364
Imprint T&T Clark
Illustrations 76 bw illus
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

Michael P. Theophilos explores the fascinating variety of numismatic contributions to Greek lexicography, pertaining to lexicographic studies of the Second Temple period in general, and the New Testament in particular.

Theophilos considers previous scholarly attempts to grapple with, and incorporate, critical numismatic material into the emerging discipline of Greek lexicography - including foundational work by F. Preisigke and E. Kiessling - before outlining his own methodological approach. Theophilos' then examines the resources available for engaging with the numismatic material, and presents a series of specific case studies throughout the New Testament material. His carefully annotated images of coins draw readers in to a greater understanding of the material culture of the Greco-Roman world, and how this impacted upon the Greek language and the New Testament.

The paperback is coming out soon.

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Diversity and Rabbinization (ed. McDowell, Naiweld & Stökl Ben Ezra; Open Edition Books)

THE AWOL BLOG: Diversity and Rabbinization: Jewish Texts and Societies between 400 and 1,000 CE.

Diversity and Rabbinization: Jewish Texts and Societies between 400 and 1,000 CE
Gavin McDowell, Ron Naiweld et Daniel Stökl Ben Ezra (dir.)
Diversity and Rabbinizationv Cambridge Semitic Languages and Cultures Series

An open-access book.

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More on Qumran as a festival-gathering site

ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE DAMASCUS DOCUMENT: Medieval Hebrew document could reveal why Dead Sea Scrolls were found in Qumran. Damascus Covenant could hold the answers (Tom Metcalfe, Live Science).

Now, research suggests Qumran was in fact the site of a huge annual ceremony of the mystical Jewish sect of the Essenes, in which its members gathered from cities and rural communities all over Israel to observe a key ritual known as the Covenant of Renewal. Qumran's peculiar construction, the researchers suggest, reflects this ceremonial function. Fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls also mention a festival that seems to be referring to the same gathering of the Essenes, the researcher said.

According to the new theory, many of the Dead Sea Scrolls themselves could have been written by Essene communities throughout the country and brought to Qumran at the time of the annual festival to study and be stored there.

I noted this story back in August, when Rossella Tercatin wrote on it in the Jerusalem Post. The Times of Israel now also has an article on it here.

The suggestion is possible, and is pretty consistent with the scenario I suggested years ago. I doubt that we have enough evidence at present to solve the matter decisively.

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Stroumsa, The Crucible of Religion in Late Antiquity (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Guy G. Stroumsa. The Crucible of Religion in Late Antiquity. Selected Essays. 2021. X, 305 pages. Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum / Studies and Texts in Antiquity and Christianity 124. 84,00 € including VAT. sewn paper ISBN 978-3-16-160691-5.

Published in English.
The religious revolution of late antiquity and its intertwined religious history are reflected in a broad array of new forms of religious belief and practice, of which Christianity is only the most perceptible one. It is represented in the passage from polytheistic systems to monotheistic and dualist ones, as well as in the move from rituals centred upon sacrifices in temples to rituals established upon scriptures, in churches, synagogues, or mosques. This double dynamism of beliefs and rituals sheds light on the transformations of religious ethos. Guy G. Stroumsa's two-part volume reflects this double argument. The essays all focus on central aspects, such as in Part I on mental aspects of religion in the Roman Empire, as expressed in early Christian texts and traditions, and in Part II on religious communication across the empire's cultures and communities.

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Bodner & Johnson (eds.), Characters and Characterization in the Book of Kings (T&T Clark)

RECENT BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Characters and Characterization in the Book of Kings

Keith Bodner (Anthology Editor), Benjamin J.M. Johnson (Anthology Editor)

Hardback
$120.00 $108.00

Ebook (PDF)
$35.95 $28.76

Product details

Published Dec 12 2019
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 320
ISBN 9780567680907
Imprint T&T Clark
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

This book is an examination of characters in the books of Kings; showing how understanding and interpretation of key characters affects readings of the story. The volume begins with more general pieces addressing how the study of characters can shed light on the composition history of Kings and on how characters and characterization can be considered with respect to ethics, particularly with respect to the moral complexity of biblical characters.

Contributors then consider key characters within the Kings narrative in depth, such as Nathan, Bathsheba, Solomon and Jezebel. The contributors use their own specific expertise to analyze these characters and more, drawing on insights from literary theory and considering such approaches as questioning our view of a particular character with based on the character within the text with whom we identify. Contributors also assess whether or not characters as portrayed in the biblical text necessarily match up to their possible counterparts in history.

The paperback is coming out soon.

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Shemeni Atzeret and Simchat Torah 2021

SHEMINI ATZERET begins tonight at sundown. In Israel, this is also the holiday of Simchat Torah (Simhat Torah). Outside of Israel, the latter holiday begins tomorrow at sundown. Best wishes to all those celebrating!

Last year's Shemini Atzeret post is here. The 2017 post has biblical etc. links.

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Edelman et al. (eds.), Deuteronomy in the Making (De Gruyter)

NEW BOOK FROM DE GRUYTER:

Deuteronomy in the Making
Studies in the Production of Debarim

Edited by: Diana Edelman, Kåre Berge, Philippe Guillaume and Benedetta Rossi

Volume 533 in the series Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110713312

eBook
Published: August 23, 2021
ISBN: 9783110713312

Hardcover
Published: August 23, 2021
ISBN: 9783110713053

About this book

A number of long-standing theories concerning the production of Deuteronomy are currently being revisited. This volume takes a fresh look at the theory that there was an independent legal collection comprising chs 12-26 that subsequently was set within one or two narrative frames to yield the book, with ongoing redactional changes. Each contributor has been asked to focus on how the “core” might have functioned as a stand-alone document or, if exploring a theme or motif, to take note of commonalities and differences within the “core” and “frames” that might shed light on the theory under review. Some of the articles also revisit the theory of a northern origin of the “core” of the book, while others challenge de Wette’s equation of Deuteronomy with the scroll found during temple repairs under Josiah. With Deuteronomic studies in a state of flux, this is a timely collection by a group of international scholars who use a range of methods and who, in varying degrees, work with or challenge older theories about the book’s origin and growth to approach the central focus from many angles. Readers will find multivalent evidence they can reflect over to decide where they stand on the issue of Deuteronomy as a framed legal “core.”

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Introduction to Numismatic Terms and Methods

THE AWOL BLOG: Introduction to Numismatic Terms and Methods. A thorough introduction to the study of coins by the American Numismatic Society. Cross-file under Numismatics.

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Beavis & Kateusz (eds.) Rediscovering the Marys (T&T Clark)

RECENT BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Rediscovering the Marys
Maria, Mariamne, Miriam

Mary Ann Beavis (Anthology Editor), Ally Kateusz (Anthology Editor)

Hardback
$115.00 $103.50

Ebook (PDF)
$35.95 $28.76

Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
$35.95 $28.76

Product details

Published Jan 23 2020
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 288
ISBN 9780567683458
Imprint T&T Clark
Illustrations 50
Dimensions 9 x 6 inchesv Series Scriptural Traces
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

This interdisciplinary volume of text and art offers new insights into various unsolved mysteries associated with Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, Mary the Mother of Jesus, and Miriam the sister of Moses. Mariamic traditions are often interconnected, as seen in the portrayal of these women as community leaders, prophets, apostles and priests. These traditions also are often inter-religious, echoing themes back to Miriam in the Hebrew Bible as well as forward to Maryam in the Qur'an. The chapters explore questions such as: which biblical Mary did the author of the Gospel of Mary intend to portray-Magdalene, Mother, or neither? Why did some writers depict Mary of Nazareth as a priest? Were extracanonical scriptures featuring Mary more influential than the canonical gospels on the depiction of Maryam in the Qur'an?

Contributors dig deep into literature, iconography, and archaeology to offer cutting edge research under three overarching topics. The first section examines the question of "which Mary?" and illustrates how some ancient authors (and contemporary scholars) may have conflated the biblical Marys. The second section focuses on Mary of Nazareth, and includes research related to the portrayal of Mary the Mother of Jesus as a Eucharistic priest. The final section, “Recovering Receptions of Mary in Art, Archeology, and Literature,” explores how artists and authors have engaged with one or more of the Marys, from the early Christian era through to medieval and modern times.

Coming out in paperback soon.

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How to end a line in Hebrew

THE ETC BLOG: Hebrew Scribes at the End of the Line (Anthony Ferguson).

Composing a text by hand demands an awareness of certain details that we can ignore when using a word processor. One of these details is if the next written word corresponds to the available space. At times, the space didn't for Hebrew scribes, and when this happened, they had several ways to navigate this situation. Let’s review some of these. ...

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Review of Mouton (ed.), Flesh and bones

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Flesh and bones: the individual and his body in the ancient Mediterranean basin.

Alice Mouton, Flesh and bones: the individual and his body in the ancient Mediterranean basin. Semitica et Classica: Supplementa (SUPSEC), 2. Turnhout: Brepols, 2020. Pp. 240. ISBN 9782503590387 €65,00.

Review by
Julianne Burnett, Asbury University. julianne.burnett@asbury.edu

The volume includes essays on ancient Egyptian, Hittite, Akkadian, biblical Hebrew, and Greco-Roman literature.

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Crouch, Israel and Judah Redefined (CUP)

NEW BOOK FROM CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS:

Israel and Judah Redefined
Migration, Trauma, and Empire in the Sixth Century BCE

Part of Society for Old Testament Study Monographs

AUTHOR: C. L. Crouch, Fuller Theological Seminary, California
DATE PUBLISHED: August 2021
AVAILABILITY: Available
FORMAT: Hardback
ISBN: 9781108473767

£ 75.00 Hardback

Description

In Israel and Judah Redefined, C. L. Crouch uses trauma studies, postcolonial theory, and social-scientific research on migration to analyse the impact of mass displacements and imperial power on Israelite and Judahite identity in the sixth century BCE. Crouch argues that the trauma of deportation affected Israelite identity differently depending on resettlement context. Deportees resettled in rural Babylonia took an isolationist approach to Israelite identity, whereas deportees resettled in urban contexts took a more integrationist approach. Crouch also emphasises the impact of mass displacement on identity concerns in the homeland, demonstrating that displacement and the experience of Babylonian imperial rule together facilitated major developments in Judahite identity. The diverse experiences of this period produced bitter conflict between Israelites and Judahites, as well as diverse attempts to resolve this conflict. Inspired by studies of forced migration and by postcolonial analyses of imperial domination, Crouch's book highlights the crucial contribution of this era to the story of Israel and Judah.

• Introduces social scientific research on diverse migration experiences to a biblical studies audience
• IIdentifies the significance of Israel and Judah to the identity debates in the sixth century BCE
• IIntegrates postcolonial theory, trauma studies, and social scientific research on migration to interpret ancient texts

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The etrog, the citron, and Sukkot

DR. DAFNA LANGGUT: The Etrog: Celebrating Sukkot With a Persian Apple (TheTorah.com).

A luxury Persian import, famous for its medicinal qualities and lovely smell, the citron became Sukkot’s פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר “fruit of a splendid tree” in the first century C.E.

PaleoJudaica posts on the etrog/citron, including ones on the Ramat Rachel garden, are collected here.

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Schröter et al. (eds.), Jews and Christians – Parting Ways in the First Two Centuries CE? (De Gruyter)

NEW BOOK FROM DE GRUYTER:

Jews and Christians – Parting Ways in the First Two Centuries CE?
Reflections on the Gains and Losses of a Model

Edited by: Jens Schröter, Benjamin A. Edsall and Joseph Verheyden

Volume 253 in the series Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110742213

eBook
Published: August 23, 2021
ISBN: 9783110742213

Hardcover
Published: August 23, 2021
ISBN: 9783110742138

About this book

The present volume is based on a conference held in October 2019 at the Faculty of Theology of Humboldt University Berlin as part of a common project of the Australian Catholic University, the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and the Humboldt University Berlin. The aim is to discuss the relationships of “Jews” and “Christians” in the first two centuries CE against the background of recent debates which have called into question the image of “parting ways” for a description of the relationships of Judaism and Christianity in antiquity. One objection raised against this metaphor is that it accentuates differences at the expense of commonalities. Another critique is that this image looks from a later perspective at historical developments which can hardly be grasped with such a metaphor. It is more likely that distinctions between Jews, Christians, Jewish Christians, Christian Jews etc. are more blurred than the image of “parting ways” allows. In light of these considerations the contributions in this volume discuss the cogency of the “parting of the ways”-model with a look at prominent early Christian writers and places and suggest more appropriate metaphors to describe the relationships of Jews and Christians in the early period.

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Zoomcast on ancient Jerusalem

ARCHAEOLOGY: What did biblical Jerusalem look like some 2,500 years ago? JPost One-on-One Zoomcast, Episode 34 - Rossella Tercatin and Prof. Yuval Gadot, archaeology and ancient near eastern cultures at Tel-Aviv University (Rossella Tercatin, Jerusalem Post).

“What we have uncovered is a level of wealth that we could not imagine before,” Prof. Yuval Gadot, the head Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel-Aviv University - and co-director of the excavations conducted by TAU and the Israeli Antiquities Authority at the City of David - said.

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Interview with Sarah Parkhouse

COPTIC APOCRYPHA WATCH: Interview with Dr Sarah Parkhouse (University of Manchester).

Dr Sarah Parkhouse has recently joined the Centre for Biblical Studies as a British Academy postdoctoral fellow. We sat down to discuss her work and the research project she will be undertaking.

I have noted books by Dr. Parkhouse here and here.

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How do we know what ancient writers actually wrote?

THE ANTIGONE BLOG: WHERE DO THE CLASSICS COME FROM? OR, THE APPARATUS CRITICUS AND YOU (Max Hardy). HT Rogue Classicism.

To read a Classical text without an apparatus has been justly compared to the experience of sitting in the back of a car while another controls the wheel. In the fullness of time, come the development of the self-driving car, this simile may eventually lose its force; but the apparatus will certainly not have lost its relevance to those who are fascinated about what ancient writers actually wrote.

A lucid introduction to the science and art of textual criticism.

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Eichler, The Ark and the Cherubim (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Raanan Eichler. The Ark and the Cherubim. 2021. XV, 391 pages. Forschungen zum Alten Testament 146. 134,00 € including VAT. cloth ISBN 978-3-16-155432-2.

Published in English.
The most important objects in the Hebrew Bible are a wooden box, styled in English »the ark« or »the ark of the covenant«, and two statues of winged creatures, »the cherubim«, that surmount it. Raanan Eichler attempts to understand these objects using the full gamut of data and tools available to the modern scholar. The study features an abundance of visual comparative material, much of it in colour, with a particularly close examination of the finds from the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. The author proposes solutions to a number of unsolved puzzles, such as the question of what cherubim looked like, and offers a new explanation of the nature of the ark and the cherubim, rejecting the prevailing scholarly view of them as having constituted an »empty throne« and footstool for the God of Israel. Rather, he argues, they constituted an empty frame, a unique cultic focus that surpassed all known systems in the ancient Near East in the extent of the efforts it represented to prevent an anthropomorphic conception of the deity in a cultic context.

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AJR on Brown-deVost, Commentary and Authority in Mesopotamia and Qumran

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Book Note | Commentary and Authority in Mesopotamia and Qumran (Emily Branton).

Bronson Brown-deVost. Commentary and Authority in Mesopotamia and Qumran. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2019.

I noted another review of the book here.

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Was Sodom destroyed by a "cosmic airburst?"

I WAS EXPECTING AN EARTH-SHATTERING KABOOM. AND I GOT ONE: Did the destruction of this Middle Bronze Age city inspire the story of Sodom? Archaeologists investigated the destruction of Tel el-Hammam and discovered an event similar to the description of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (ARIELLA MARSDEN, Jerusalem Post).

This story has been around since 2018. I noted it here. But now the technical article is published in Nature.

A Tunguska sized airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam a Middle Bronze Age city in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea

Ted E. Bunch, Malcolm A. LeCompte, A. Victor Adedeji, James H. Wittke, T. David Burleigh, Robert E. Hermes, Charles Mooney, Dale Batchelor, Wendy S. Wolbach, Joel Kathan, Gunther Kletetschka, Mark C. L. Patterson, Edward C. Swindel, Timothy Witwer, George A. Howard, Siddhartha Mitra, Christopher R. Moore, Kurt Langworthy, James P. Kennett, Allen West & Phillip J. Silvia Scientific Reports volume 11, Article number: 18632 (2021)

A Tunguska-sized airburst is a significant event: "The proposed airburst was larger than the 1908 explosion over Tunguska, Russia, where a ~ 50-m-wide bolide detonated with ~ 1000× more energy than the Hiroshima atomic bomb."

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A.-J. Levine appointed to named chair at Hartford

CONGRATULATIONS TO PROFESSOR LEVINE: Dr. Amy-Jill Levine is named Hartford Seminary’s first Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor (Stacey Dresner, CT Jewish Ledger).

HARTFORD – Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, a foremost scholar in the study of Judaism, the Tanakh (Jewish scriptures), and the New Testament has been named the Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at The Hartford Seminary. The first person to fill this post, Levine arrives from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., where she is professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies Emerita and Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies Emerita.

[...]

The article includes an interview.

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Gilgamesh dream tablet returing to Iraq

REPATRIATION IMMINENT: US to hand over 3,500-year-old 'Gilgamesh' tablet to Iraq (AFP via MSN). The tablet goes back to Iraq this week.

Background here and links.

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Sukkot 2021

THE SEVEN-DAY FESTIVAL OF SUKKOT (BOOTHS, TABERNACLES) begins tonight at sundown. Best wishes to all those observing it.

Last year's Sukkot post was here. More recent relevant posts are here and here. For the biblical background to Sukkot, see here and here.

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The archaeology of Sukkot

ARCHITECTURE AND NUMISMATICS: How did Jews celebrate Sukkot 2,000 years ago? Archaeology offers answers. While no traces survive of the ancient booths Jews built to celebrate the holiday, archaeology provides important evidence of the centrality of Sukkot (Rossella Tercatin, Jerusalem Post).

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Israeli archaeology in a plague year

PANDEMIC ARCHAEOLOGY: What were Israel's archaeological advances during COVID? A 6,000-year-old skeleton of a child, a near-3,000-year-old natural disaster and ancient churches, including advancements in the legendary Dead Sea Scrolls, are among this year's finds (Rossella Tercatin, Jerusalem Post).

PaleoJudaica has posted on most of these stories. For the new Minor Prophets scroll fragments from the Cave of Horror, see here, here, here, here, and follow the links in-between. For the fragmentary capitals found at Armon Hanatziv, see here and here. For the new evidence for Amos' earthquake, see here. For the Iron-Age temple at Tel Moza (Tel Motza, Tel Moẓa, Tel Moẓah), see here and links. For the Jerubbaal (?) jug, see here and links. Posts on ancient Caesarea are here and here. For the early church with the Pan altar in the Banyas Springs Nature Reserve, see here. For the suspended excavations at Huqoq, see here and links.

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Ancient Jewish texts on abortion

ROGER PEARSE: Ancient references to Jewish attitudes to abortion. HT Rogue Classicism.

I discuss some of this material in an old post from 2004. And for the Talmud, see here and here.

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Suh, Power and Peril: Temple Discourse in 1 Corinthians (De Gruyter)

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Publication | Power and Peril: Temple Discourse in 1 Corinthians (Michael K.W. Suh). A summary by the author.

Cross-file under New Book (De Gruyter, 2020).

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Layer-cake cities

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: How to Tell a Tell. Uncovering buried cities of the biblical world (Oded Borowski). Cross-file under Archaeology and News You Can Use.

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The Cartagena Festival 2021

PUNIC WATCH: Cartagena, Spain, is celebrating its annual Romans and Carthaginians Festival from today through 26 September.

Cartagena was a Punic town founded in the third century B.C.E. For more on its historical importance, notably in the Second Punic War, see here. Follow the links from there for more on the archaeology of the site and notices of past festivals.

The festival doesn't seem to be very visible in the current news. But the Cartagena Museum is offering free entry through 30 September. And a (pictured) ancient graffito from Cartagena figures in a story about an intriguing bit of "pop culture" Greek poetry.

Now and then I like to include this link to explain why PaleoJudaica is interested in Phoenician and Punic matters.

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

Confession of sin as preventative medicine

ONE MORE FOR YOM KIPPUR: Confessing Sins You Didn’t Commit (Dr. Yitzhaq Feder, TheTorah.com).

The few examples of confessions in the Bible use only generic language about sin. In contrast, the post-biblical Yom Kippur liturgical confessions, written as long alphabetical lists, include detailed admissions about specific sins, many of which the petitioner likely never committed. This kind of confession goes back to the second millennium B.C.E. ancient Near Eastern texts for people suffering from illness.

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Saving the Tomb of Nahum in Iraq

RESTORATION COMPLETED: Saving Iraq’s Tomb of Nahum, a secret mission resurrects Kurdistan’s Jewish past. With IS just miles away, a US army vet, 2 Israeli engineers and the head of a preservation group carried out an audacious plan to restore an ancient shrine of the biblical prophet (TAL SCHNEIDER, Times of Israel).

This is that story, told for the first time. It included sneaking Israelis into Iraq to assess the damage to the building’s roof and the best way to restore it. It also involved tapping into the deep knowledge of the Kurdish-Jewish community and its unofficial doyen Mordechai Zaken, a scholar who was instrumental in planning the restoration of the tomb and who passed away just a few months ago.

It features the people of Alqosh, who safeguarded the tomb after the area’s Jews fled the pogroms that followed the creation of the State of Israel, along with the tomb’s modern benefactors: a small group of donors, including oil and energy companies from Norway, the local Kurdish government, the US embassy in Iraq and a few private donors who raised $2 million.

Behind it all was ARCH, a nonprofit started by national security expert Cheryl Benard, an expert on national security and post-war rebuilding efforts. Benard, whose husband Zalmay Khalilzad has led US diplomatic efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, was impressed in her travels around the world by the resilience and creativity of individuals and groups trying to safeguard their national treasures, even under the most trying circumstances.

The restoration was completed in the spring of 2021.

Read the whole story.

I have been following the fate of the (traditional) Tomb of Nahum in Alqosh (al-Qosh, Al Qosh, Al-Quosh) for years. For past posts, start here and follow the links.

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Ancient Jewish Rome

Ancient Jewish Rome. An interview with Micaela Pavoncello (Brenda Lee Bohen, Wall Street International).

Entrepreneur Micaela Pavoncello is an art historian and a local licensed tour guide from Europe's oldest Jewish community in Rome.

She is a Roman Jew who can trace her heritage to the period when Titus conquered Judea and brought Jewish slaves to Rome.

Twenty years later, Pavoncello continues to take tourists on an incredible, spiritual and passionate 'storytelling' journey about her ancestors – the Jews of Rome.

In this brief interview, Micaela Pavoncello shares with me some of the most important highlights about her Ancient Jewish Rome tour.

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Yom Kippur 2021

YOM KIPPUR, the Day of Atonement, begins this evening at sundown. An easy and healthy fast to all those observing it.

Last year's post on Yom Kippur is here, with links to previous posts. See also here. More recent posts are here, here, here, and here. Biblical etc. background is here.

UPDATE (17 September): Also here.

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Does Yom Kippur atone for the sale of Joseph?

PROF. JASON RADINE: Shoeless on Yom Kippur (TheTorah.com).

The book of Jubilees claims that the brothers sold Joseph on Yom Kippur. Amos accuses the wealthy of selling the righteous for shoes. Reading this as a reference to the sale of Joseph, Eleh Ezkarah tells how Caesar fills his palace with shoes, and executes ten sages as a punishment for this crime. Is this connected to the prohibition to wear shoes on Yom Kippur?

For more on the story of the Ten Martyrs, which also appears in the Hekhalot literature and elsewhere, see here, here, and here. In the story as told in the Hekhalot Rabbati (§108), a textual variant refers to the selling of Joseph as the reason that Samma’el, the evil angelic prince of Rome, received permission to kill the ten martyrs. But there is no reference to shoes.

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Versatile Azazel

DR. ANNA ANGELINI: Is Azazel a Goat, Place, Demon, or Deity? (TheTorah.com).

Azazel plays the role of a deity in the biblical ritual of Yom Kippur, and in early interpretation, he played a central role as the initiator of sin and even the devil, or alternatively, as a protective figure. Later tradition obscured his identity, presenting Azazel as the name of a demon, as the scapegoat itself, and even as a place name.

So the answer to the question in the title seems to be "Yes." This essay gives a good summary of the ancient evidence.

For more on Azazel, see here and here.

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Ben Sira, the High Priest, and the Yom Kippur liturgy

PROF. RABBI DALIA MARX: Mareh Kohen: Ben Sira’s Description of Simon the High Priest (TheTorah.com).

Written while the Second Temple was standing, and the Yom Kippur sacrificial service still performed, Ben Sira’s poem traces the history of the world through Simon son of Johanan, the High Priest in his time, thus expressing the cosmic importance of the Temple and its priesthood. The poem appears to be the antecedent or literary inspiration of the Yom Kippur Seder Avodah’s framing liturgy.

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Forthcoming book on the Septuagint

WILLIAM ROSS: BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT: THE SEPTUAGINT (CROSSWAY 2021).

I’m excited to announce this morning my newest book that will hit shelves in early November: The Septuagint: What It Is and Why It Matters, which is being published with Crossway. It’s great to see this project come to fruition. Here are the details.

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Not as fraudulent as they thought

ARTIFACT VINDICATED? SORT OF. Tempest Over a “Cheater’s Weight” (David Hendin, Coin Week). Noted by various people over the weekend.

I noted the story of the supposed highly fraudulent First-Temple-era weight here. The claim here is that the archaeologists were reading it sideways!

All the same, the weight of the object comes somewhat under the labeled weight as revised. So it may have been fraudulent in the other direction.

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Free online course on Zoroastrianism

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: Zoroastrianism: History, Religion, and Belief. Courtesy of SOAS. For you, special deal!

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Allen, 1 & 2 Chronicles (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

1 & 2 Chronicles: An Introduction and Study Guide

A Message for Yehud

Leslie C. Allen (Author)

Paperback
$24.95 $22.45

Hardback
$75.00 $67.50

Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
$22.45< $17.96

Ebook (PDF)
$22.45 $17.96

Product details

Published Aug 12 2021
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 160
ISBN 9780567697011
Imprint T&T Clark
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series T&T Clark’s Study Guides to the Old Testament
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

Leslie C. Allen introduces students to the 1 & 2 Chronicles in the Old Testament, incorporating insights from over two decades of previous scholarship while grounding his analysis in earlier key works.

“A Message for Yehud” sums up what has been judged to be a fundamental motivation underlying the whole book, a conviction that the obligation to “seek the Lord” in the light of the Torah and prophetic texts must be laid on the hearts of the community of Yehud in the fourth century BCE. To this end, using Samuel-Kings as a basis, Chronicles reviewed pre-exilic royal history for positive and negative clues as to how the generation for which it was written might achieve this spiritual ideal. In the book, Allen shows how this program was communicated all through the book by literary and rhetorical means.

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George F. Bass (1932–2021)

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Milestones: George F. Bass (1932–2021). Pioneer of nautical archaeology (Shelley Wachsmann). Cross-file under Sad News and Maritime (Marine, Underwater) Archaeology.

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Elder, The Media Matrix of Early Jewish and Christian Narrative (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

The Media Matrix of Early Jewish and Christian Narrative

Nicholas Elder (Author)

Paperback
$39.95 $35.95

Hardback
$120.00 $108.00

Ebook (PDF)
$35.95 $28.76

Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
$35.95 $28.76

Product details

Published Jul 29 2021
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 224
ISBN 9780567701541
Imprint T&T Clark
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series The Library of New Testament Studies
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

Generically, theologically, and concerning content, Mark and Joseph and Aseneth are quite different. The former is a product of the nascent Jesus movement and influenced by the Greco-Roman Bioi (“Lives”). It details the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of a wandering Galilean. The latter is a Hellenistic Jewish narrative influenced by Greek romances and Jewish novellas. It expands the laconic account of Joseph's marriage to Aseneth in Genesis 41 into a full-fledged love and adventure story.

Despite these differences, Elder finds remarkable similarities that the texts share. Elder uses both texts to examine media and modes of composition in antiquity, arguing that they were both composed via dictation from their antecedent oral traditions. Elder's volume offers a fresh approach to the composition of both Joseph and Aseneth and Mark as well as to many of their respective interpretive debates.

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Greek influence on Petra

PHOTO ESSAY: The Stunning Greek-inspired Architecture of the Ancient City of Petra (Kerry Kolasa-Sikiaridi, Greek Reporter). Yet another travel piece on Petra, with some nice photos.

Cross-file under Nabatean (Nabataean) Watch.

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Maqdala artifacts returned to Ethiopia

ETHIOPIC WATCH: Maqdala treasures looted by British troops returned to Ethiopia in 'largest single restitution.' At the ceremony in London, the Ethiopian ambassador renewed calls for museums to return Maqdala objects (Martin Bailey, The Art Newspaper).

I noted the upcoming repatriation of the artifacts here in June. You can find further information on them and on the Maqdala treasures and their background in that post and its links.

This article has some new information about a second group of artifacts that was returned at the same time:

The second group of returned items comes from an unnamed Brussels collector and dealer. They include a processional cross, a priestly crown, a shield, a small icon of the Crucifixion and a talismanic scroll. Most are from the 18th and 19th centuries. The Brussels collection was acquired by [the writer Tahir] Shah for a few thousand pounds.

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The Fast of Gedaliah 2021

THE FAST OF GEDALIAH was yesterday. It is one of the "four minor fasts." I don't recall it receiving much media attention in past years, but this year I have come across a couple of articles on it.

Fast of Gedaliah: What you need to know about the first fast of the year. Here is a rundown for what you need to know about its history, its rules and when it ends (Aaron Reich, Jerusalem Post).

The fast is meant to commemorate the death of Gedaliah, a righteous Jew who was the governor of the land of Judah following the collapse of the First Temple at the hands of the Babylonian Empire. However, he was assassinated by his fellow Jews, specifically by Ishmael Ben Nethaniah, who descended from the Davidic line.

His death was recounted in detail by the Roman-era historian Josephus, and is also described in the book of 2 Kings chapter 25 and, in even more detail, in the Book of Jeremiah chapter 41.

Dr.Tzvi Novick, Tzom Gedaliah: Why Commemorate His Assassination? (TheTorah.com)

Gedaliah ben Ahikam, the governor of Judah after the destruction of the Temple, was assassinated by Ishmael ben Nethaniah, a scion of the Davidic family. This event has been commemorated for millennia with a yearly fast—the only fast over the death of an individual. The Talmud points to his righteousness, while Saadia Gaon emphasizes the tragic consequences to the Judahite people he governed.

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Job in Religions of Western Antiquity at Florida State

H-JUDAIC: FEATURED JOB: Assistant Professor in Religions of Western Antiquity, Florida State University. The specialization is open. The application deadline is 18 October 2021. Follow the link for further particulars.

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Lyons & Stromberg (eds.), Isaiah's Servants in Early Judaism and Christianity (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Isaiah's Servants in Early Judaism and Christianity. The Isaian Servant and the Exegetical Formation of Community Identity. Edited by Michael A. Lyons and Jacob Stromberg. 2021. XI, 413 pages. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2. Reihe 554. 99,00 € including VAT. sewn paper ISBN 978-3-16-155042-3.

Published in English.
The Book of Isaiah describes an Israelite group called the »servants,« who suffered for their righteousness and were promised vindication. This collection of essays shows how the Isaian »servants« texts were used by early Jewish and Christian readers to shape their own community identity. It includes analyses of Psalms 22, 69, and 102, Daniel, Wisdom of Solomon, Mark, Luke and Acts, Romans, 2 Corinthians, Philippians, 1 Peter, Revelation, and Targum Jonathan on Isaiah, as well as investigations into the relationship between exegesis and identity formation and into how the Isaian Servant(s) are presented within the framework of Israel's history.

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A Phoenician sundial fragment survived the Beirut explosion

PHOENICIAN WATCH: In Lebanon, Part of an Ancient Sundial Returns to View. A year after a huge explosion leveled Beirut’s port, the National Museum has reopened, and its Phoenician timepiece is on display (Melanie Abrams, NYT).

The National Museum of Beirut has only one ancient timepiece: part of a second-century-B.C. sundial. It was broken at some point in the past, but the fragment in the museum has survived even the enormous explosion that leveled the nearby Port of Beirut on Aug. 4, 2020, blowing some of the museum’s doors off their hinges and shattering windows.

[...]

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The Ezana Stone

ETHIOPIC WATCH: The “Ezana Stone” of Aksum: A trilingual monument, similar to the “Rosetta Stone.” These liturgical epigraphs were written in various ancient languages, including the Ethiopian Semitic Ge’ez, the South Arabian Sabaean & Greek (Panos, themanews.com).

For more on the Ezana stone, including a summary of its contents, see here. For more on King Ezana of fourth century Aksum, see here. And for past posts on the ancient city of Aksum (Axum), which recently has had hard times, start here and follow the links.

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Akhmim exhibition

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Egypt’s Forgotten City.

Through September 12, 2021
Berlin State Museums
Berlin, Germany
www.smb.museum

One of the most important religious centers of the ancient world, the city of Akhmim in southern Egypt is presented in the exhibit Akhmim: Egypt’s Forgotten City, currently on display in the James Simon Gallery of the Berlin State Museums.

[...]

Akmim is not forgotten by PaleoJudaica. I have noted that it was the site of the discovery of an important Greek manuscript containing material from the Book of 1 Enoch, the Gospel of Peter, and the Apocalyse of Peter. See here, here, and here. I have also noted the work of the Akhmim Mummy Studies Consortium here. For other events in the vicinity of late-antique Akhmim, see here. And for more on the alchemist Zosimus of Panopolis (another name for Akhmim), see here.

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There are Dead Sea Scrolls in New Jersey?

VARIANT READINGS: The Dead Sea Scrolls of New Jersey (Brent Nongbri).

Incidentally, I published a translation of 1Q34+1Q34^bis in chapter 1, "Festival Prayers," of my book Liturgical Works (Eerdmans Commentaries on the Dead Sea Scrolls; Eerdmans, 2000).

Also, I see that back in 2010 I noted that the West Semitic Research Project was photographing 1Q34^bis. See here and here.

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Online Event: Dr. Andrea Berlin, The Rise of the Maccabees

THE BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY: NEW! BAS Scholars Series.

Wednesday, December 1, 2021
8-9 pm Eastern

Virtual
The Rise of the Maccabees:
What Archaeology Reveals About Antiquity’s Last Independent Jewish Kingdom
- Dr. Andrea Berlin, Boston University

For description, cost, and registration informations, see the link. This lecture is part of an ongoing quarterly series.

HT Todd Bolen at the Bible Places Blog.

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Rosh HaShanah 2021

HAPPY NEW YEAR (ROSH HASHANAH - Jewish New Year 5782) to all those celebrating. The New Year begins tonight at sundown. Stay safe! Last year's Rosh HaShanah post, with links, is here. For biblical background, see here.

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Zoom Event: John Collins on the DSS

TONIGHT AND NEXT MONDAY: The Dead Sea Scrolls: The Light They Shed on Judaism and Christianity with Dr. John Collins (Yale Divinity School).

Event time:
Monday, December 6, 2021 - 8:00pm

Event description:
Zoom | December 6 & 13 | 8 pm Eastern | 2 Sessions

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls is widely regarded as the most important contribution of archeology to Biblical Studies in the twentieth century. The first lecture will ask, what are the Dead Sea Scrolls, who collected them? Are they the product of a marginal sect or representative of Judaism in the time of Jesus. The second lecture will consider some texts found in the Scrolls that are of special interest for Christianity, including one that speaks of a figure who is called Son of God.

Free pre-registration is required to attend. Details are at the link.

HT Joseph I. Lauer.

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Ancient quarry excavated in Jerusalem

ARCHAEOLOGY: Second Temple period quarry uncovered in Jerusalem. Jerusalem’s ancient quarries were the main source of building stones for monumental construction projects in the city, such as the Temple Mount. (IAA press release via IMFA).

(Communicated by the Israel Antiquities Authority Spokesperson)

Jerusalem’s well-known high-tech industrial zone is called ‘Har Hozvim’ (‘Quarrymen’s Hill’), but not everyone knows why. This week, prior to future development by the Moriah Jerusalem Development Corporation, Israel Antiquities Authority excavations provided evidence of the name’s true meaning with the discovery of a vast ancient quarry that apparently dates from the Second Temple period (some two thousand years ago).

[...]

I have noted the discovery of some other Second Temple-era quarries in the vicinity of Jerusalem here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Cross-file under Temple Mount Watch (sort of).

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On Kyrenia (Cyrene)

PHOTO ESSAY: KYRENIA: The forgotten Ancient Greek colony of Libya (Greek City Times).

Kyrenia (Ancient Greek: Κυρήνη), or more commonly known today as Cyrene, was founded as a colony of Greeks from Thira (Santorini) in 630 BC and is the birthplace of Eratosthenes, who was the first to calculate the perimeter of the earth.

A relatively little-known Jewish revolt against Rome, the "Kitos War," happened in Cyrene:

At the highest point of the city, is the temple of Zeus, which dates from the 5th century BC. century.

It was destroyed during a Jewish revolt in 115 AD, and was restored 5 years later by the Romans on the orders of Emperor Hadrian.

A Simon of Cyrene is mentioned in the Gospels in Mark 15:21 and parallels. And the source epitomized in 2 Maccabees (see 2:19-32) was written by a Jason of Cyrene.

Related PaleoJudaica posts are here, here, and here.

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

Siegal & Ben-Dov (eds.), Social History of the Jews in Antiquity (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Social History of the Jews in Antiquity. Studies in Dialogue with Albert Baumgarten. Edited by Michal Bar-Asher Siegal and Jonathan Ben-Dov. 2021. XV, 401 pages. Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism 185. 159,00 € including VAT. cloth ISBN 978-3-16-160694-6.

Published in English.
The present volume comprises articles by renowned international scholars in academic dialogue with the work of Albert Baumgarten. They contextualize ancient Jewish texts not only for their own sake, but also as a way of shedding light on antiquity in general. They address texts from the fields of Greco-Roman studies, Hellenistic Judaism, Second Temple sectarianism, rabbinic literature, and various facets of early Christianity. Additionally, there are articles discussing comparative religion, sociology of knowledge, anthropology, and economic history. Together, the articles create an in-depth analysis of the social history of Jews in antiquity.

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Inscriptions from the Tayma excavation

THE AWOL BLOG: Taymāʾ II: Catalogue of the Inscriptions Discovered in the Saudi-German Excavations at Taymāʾ 2004–2015.

For the importance of Tayma (Teima, Teiman) in the Aramaic Prayer of Nabonidus, with connections to Nebuchadnezzar's madness in Daniel chapter 4, see here and links.

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Three archaeologists discuss popular biblical archaeology

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Biblical Archaeology for the People. BAR Editor Glenn J. Corbett talks with distinguished archaeologists Eric H. Cline, Melissa Cradic, and Jodi Magness.

In April 2021, BAR Editor Glenn J. Corbett interviewed three leading scholars who share the same commitment to engaging public interest in biblical archaeology ...

In their conversation, they discuss the importance of public scholarship, new efforts to reach broader audiences, and the critical role BAR plays in bridging the gap between scholars and a public eager to know more. The responses here have been lightly edited and modified for clarity and readability.

The full interview is at the link

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Can divine revelation decide halakhah?

PROF. ANDREW D. GROSS: Does God Have Halakhic Authority? (TheTorah.com).

In the famous story of the Oven of Akhnai, Rabbi Eliezer makes recourse to divine revelation to defend his legal ruling. Rabbi Joshua responds that “the Torah is not in heaven” and God has no say. Elsewhere in the Talmud, however, heavenly voices are considered authoritative, a view which aligns with that of the Qumran sect, which believed God continues to reveal secret details of Torah laws.

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A fraudulent weight from First-Temple Jerusalem?

ARTIFACT: Rare First Temple Era Fraudulent Weight Uncovered in Ancient Jerusalem (Aryeh Savir, Tazpit News Agency/trans. The Jewish Press).

Israeli archeologists digging in the City of David in Jerusalem’s Old City came upon an extremely rare finding from the days of the First Temple – a biblical weight called a gerah that was probably used by a cheater.

Although inscribed as weighing two gerah it weighs three times as much, evidence of possible fraudulent trading dating around the time period of 589 BCE.

[...]

This is a genuine ancient artifact, but it appears to have been used for fraudulent purposes.

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More on the Church of the Glorious Martyr

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE AND EPIGRAPHY: Byzantine church dedicated to unknown martyr unearthed in Israel (Owen Jarus, Live Science).

A couple of years ago I noted the discovery of the late-antique Church of the Glorious Martyr at Beit Shemesh.

The inscription does not name the martyr or even indicate a grammatical gender. There was speculation at the time that the martyr could have been Thecla, a legendary Christian woman known from the Acts of Paul and Thecla. See also here. The current article suggests that the martyr could have been one Zechariah, known from a nearby shrine.

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Press on the Shapira affair

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: The Myth of Moses Shapira (Michael Press).

Michael Press interacts with the two recent books arguing that the Shapira scroll fragments were genuine ancient artifacts. He disagrees. For the books, see here and here (and note the links).

I have noted earlier essays by Dr. Press on the Shapira affair here and here.

For Chanan Tigay's Shapira book, see here and links. And for an article in PEQ by Shlomo Guil arguing for the authenticity of the scroll, see here.

For subsequent PaleoJudaica posts on the subject, see here (also noting work by Press) and links.

This AJR essay has some interesting details that are new to me. Did you know, for example, that Shapira's daughter published a fictionalized account of the Shapira scroll affair in a novel?

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The Library of Alexandria

THE GREEK REPORTER: Ancient Library of Alexandria One of Greatest Treasures of Mankind (Patricia Claus).

This article gives a nice summary of the history of the Library of Alexandria. For PaleoJudaica posts on the subject, see here and links.

The Library of Alexandria also figures importantly in the Letter of Aristeas, the earliest, albeit still legendary, account of the translation of the Pentateuch into Greek. The Greek Reporter also had an article on the Septuagint story which I noted yesterday.

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Biblical Studies Carnival 186

BRENT NIEDERGALL: BIBLICAL STUDIES CARNIVAL 186 FOR AUGUST 2021.

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More relics of the Carthaginian defeat at the Aegates

PUNIC WATCH: Discovery of four ancient 450lb battering rams shed new light on how Rome took command of the Mediterranean 2,000 years ago by smashing through Carthage's ships (Ian Randall, Daily Mail).

• The ancient artefacts were recovered from the waters to the east of Sicily
• The rams would have been used in the Battle of the Aegates in March 241 BC
• Roman vessels surprised and outmanoeuvred the cargo-laden Carthaginian fleet
• They sunk 50 enemy vessels and captured 70 more, ending the First Punic War
• Following this, Carthage sued for peace and surrendered Sicily to the Romans

For more on the underwater archaeology of the Battle of the Aegates, with my own commentary, see here.

Cross-file under Maritime (Marine) Archaeology.

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The Septuagint in the news

THE GREEK REPORTER: First Translation of the Bible, the Septuagint, was in Greek (Luisa Rosenstiehl).

The article is mainly a recounting of the legend of the translation of the Pentateuch into Greek in the Letter of Aristeas, plus some later legends. It is substantially accurate, except that it takes the Letter of Aristeas at face value as recounting what actually happened. All indications are that it is a later legendary account whose historical value is at best unclear. For more on that, see here and links.

Nevertheless, I am always happy to see the Septuagint and the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha receiving media attention.

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Photo essay on the Tel Motza temple

ARCHAEOLOGY: IN PHOTOS: Excavating the Great Temple at Motza Near Jerusalem (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

For more on the recently discovered Iron-Age temple at Tel Moza (Tel Motza, Tel Moẓa, Tel Moẓah), see here and here.

UPDATE: Bad link now fixed!

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Did the Golem inspire Frankenstein's monster?

GOLEM WATCH? The secret Jewish history of Frankenstein (Seth Rogovoy, The Forward).

Author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was born on this day, Aug. 30, in 1797 in London. Shelley is best known as the author of the Gothic novel “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” and as the wife of the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Mary Shelley was something of a radical in her time: a believer in free love, a proto-feminist, an atheist and a prolific female author when the prevailing notions of womanhood did not include writing novels and biographies. Among dozens of writings that challenged her father’s political theories and her husband’s notion of Romanticism, Shelley’s legacy includes the age-old question: Was the premise of her “Frankenstein” based on the Jewish folktale of the Golem?

[...]

It doesn't sound likely, but it's an intriguing question.

Last year I linked to another article that explored the same question. But it has succumbed to link rot. For many PaleoJudaica posts on the Golem tradition, start at that post and follow the links.

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New Tiqqunei Soferim (scribal corrections to the Bible) from the Cairo Geniza

GENIZA FRAGMENT OF THE MONTH (JULY 2021): New Tiqqunei Soferim: T-S A4.10 and T-S D1.37 (Joseph Ginsberg).

One of the most celebrated and infamous topics relating to the Masorah is the Tiqqunei Soferim, or “emendations of the scribes”. The Tiqqunei Soferim are a group of words that are deliberately written in the Masoretic Text differently than intended, in order to protect the honor of God. Whether these instances are indeed emendations by an early group of scribes (a term often referring to the biblical figures Ezra and Nehemia) or just euphemisms employed by the original authors of the text is a controversy that is as old as the Tiqqunei Soferim themselves, with some sources employing the term “tiqqun soferim” – “emendation of the scribes”, and others the term “kinnah hakatuv”, or “the text is euphemistic” (a less contentious interpretation, as it does not imply that the biblical text was actually tampered with).1

The number of Tiqqunei Soferim is most commonly given as 18, though there are some sources that list fewer.2

Four entirly new Tiqqunei Soferim seem like a big deal to me.

Past posts noting Cairo Geniza Fragments of the Month in the Cambridge University Library's Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit are here and links.

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Was Qumran a festival gathering site?

ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE DAMASCUS DOCUMENT: Cairo Genizah paper may hold key to secrets of Qumran, Dead Sea Scrolls. An ancient religious ceremony, described in several Dead Sea Scrolls, could explain the mysteries of the archaeological site of Qumra (Rossella Tercatin, Jerusalem Post).

Why have archaeologists only found remains of public buildings and not of private dwellings? How is it possible to explain the presence of thousands of pottery vessels in a place that had a few dozen residents at most? And why did the area feature such a multiplicity of mikvaot ritual baths, including very large ones, for such a small population?

According to [Dr. Daniel] Vainstub [of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev], Qumran was intimately connected to the Essenes, but rather than a permanent settlement of the group, it was the site where all its members and candidates would flock from communities all over the country to hold their annual celebration of the “passing of the covenant.”

Could be. I don't know the archaeology of Qumran well enough to have an opinion on this one.

You can read the full text of the underlying open-access article in the journal Religions here and make up your own mind.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the debate over the archaeology of Qumran and how the site is connected to the scrolls, see here and links, plus here.

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McGrath defends online conferencing

RELIGION PROF: Are Academics Really So Unimaginative? In Defense of Online Conferences and Networking (James McGrath).

For what it's worth, my experience of online conferencing during the pandemic has been entirely positive.

A related post is here.

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On Deuteronomy's beautiful captive woman

DR. RABBI DAVID RESNICK: The Captive Woman at the Intersection of War and Family Laws (TheTorah.com).

Deuteronomy’s law of the beautiful captive woman protects the non-Israelite woman taken in war from rape and from being re-enslaved after marriage. At the same time, it discourages the man from marrying her, in order to preserve the interests of the Israelite family.

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