PEF funding 2022

THE PALESTINE EXPLORATION FUND: Annual Research Grants 2022. HT Rogue Classicism>

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

More on those apprehended Bar Kokhba-era artifacts

DOUBLY LOOTED? Stopping a suspect car, police find ancient items Bar Kochba rebels took from Romans. Detectives searching a vehicle in Jerusalem find box with rare bronze antiquities believed seized by Jewish rebels 2,000 years ago as spoils of war (Luke Tress, Times of Israel).

Israeli archaeologists believe ancient artifacts recently seized by police were spoils of war taken by Jewish rebels from their Roman enemies nearly 2,000 years ago.

Israel’s Antiquities Authority said Wednesday that the artifacts, including ornamental incense burners and a wine jug, may be battle loot dating back to the Bar Kochba revolt in 132-136 CE.

[...]

I noted the report of the apprehension last week here. Information in the current article seems to indicate that there is a good case for the artifacts being genuinely ancient.

The site has been under recent surveillance after authorities found unauthorized excavations at the site, and launched an operation to capture suspects, but “unfortunately the robbers managed to escape,” said Amir Ganor, director of the Robbery Prevention Unit.

“When they fled, they left behind ancient finds that are similar to those now recovered in the suspects’ possession. We believe that the finds that were recently recovered in Jerusalem were taken from this site,” he said.

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

Egyptian ostraca galore!

EGYTPTIAN EPIGRAPHY: Cache of 13,000 ostraca unearthed in Upper Egypt's Sohag (Nevine El-Aref, Ahram).

A German-Egyptian mission at Al-Sheikh Hamad archaeological site in Tel Atribis in Sohag has unearthed a collection of 13,000 ostraca (clay vessel fragments) which bear engraved text in demotic, hieratic, Coptic, Greek and Arabic, the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism said on Wednesday.

Further:

Christian Latis, head of the German mission ... suggests that the text written on the ostraca indicates that the area may have housed a school for teaching demotic, hieratic, hieroglyphic and Greek writing.

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

New English translation of the Talmud Yerushalmi online

(JERUSALEM) TALMUD WATCH: Intimidated by the Jerusalem Talmud? This publisher is offering a more ‘accessible’ translation (Rudy Malcom, The Forward).

Most people who study Talmud go with the Babylonian one, and pay scant attention to its older, more difficult cousin — the Jerusalem Talmud.

But the nonprofit publisher Sefaria released a new, online English translation of it this week in hopes that more people will delve into the challenging compendium of Jewish law.

[...]

For more on the Sefaria website and its Talmud-related publication see here and links.

Some PaleoJudaica posts on the Talmud Yerushalmi (Palestinian Talmud) are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

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

Brock, The Bible in the Syriac Tradition (3rd ed.) (Gorgias)

NEW BOOK (3RD ED.) FROM GORGIAS PRESS:

THE BIBLE IN THE SYRIAC TRADITION (THIRD EDITION)
By Sebastian P. Brock

This is a basic introduction to the various Syriac translations of the Bible and the ways in which they were used in the Syriac tradition. After an initial discussion of the general problems of biblical translation, the different surviving Syriac translations are outlined, as well as biblical manuscripts, lectionaires, printed editions, and translations. A reception history of the Syriac Bible covers the ways in which it has been interpreted, the commentary tradition, its use in preaching, in liturgy, and in spirituality. An appendix offers some comparative samples (in translation) to illustrate some of the differences between the different Syriac translations.

Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-4632-4233-6

Formats Paperback

Publication Status: In Print
Series: Gorgias Handbooks 52
Publication Date: Jan 27,2021
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Page Count: 199
Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-4632-4233-6

Price: $53.00
Your price: $31.80

Cross-file under Syriac Watch.

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Tenth of Tevet 2021

THE TENTH OF TEVET (today) is a fast day commemorating the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25:1; Ezekiel 241:1-2). It is also mentioned in Zechariah 8:19.

The fast also commemorates the death of biblical Ezra the Scribe, traditionally on the 9th of Tevet, and (cf. b. Megillah 9a-b) the Septuagint translation of the Torah into Greek.

Previous PaleoJudaica posts on the Tenth of Tevet are here and here. For still more, see the Chabad article here and the one by Aish.com here.

The fast runs today from dawn to sundown. A safe and healthy one to all those observing.

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

Cirafesi, John within Judaism (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

John within Judaism

Religion, Ethnicity, and the Shaping of Jesus-Oriented Jewishness in the Fourth Gospel

Series: Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity, Volume: 112

Author: Wally V. Cirafesi

In John within Judaism, Wally V. Cirafesi offers a reading of the Gospel of John as an expression of the fluid and flexible nature of Jewish identity in Greco-Roman antiquity. While many have noted John’s general Jewishness, few have given it a seat at the ideologically congested table of ancient Jewish practice and belief. By interrogating the concept of “Judaism” in relation to the complex categories of “religion” and “ethnicity,” Cirafesi argues that John negotiates Jewishness using strategies of ethnic identity formation paralleled in other Jewish sources from the Second Temple and early rabbinic periods. In this process of negotiation, including its use of “high christology” and critique of Ioudaioi, John coalesces with other expressions of ancient Jewish identity and, thus, can be read “within Judaism.”

Copyright Year: 2022

Prices from (excl. VAT): €116.00 / $140.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-46294-6
Publication Date: 11 Oct 2021

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-46293-9
Publication Date: 14 Oct 2021

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

Kiperwasser, Going West (Rabbinic Culture) (SBL Press)

NEW BOOK FROM SBL PRESS:

Going West : Migrating Personae and Construction of the Self in Rabbinic Culture

Reuven Kiperwasser

Volume BJS 369
Status Available

Publication Date November 2021

Paperback $29.00
Hardback $82.00
eBook $23.00

This new book by Reuven Kiperwasser examines the social, cultural, and religious aspects of third- to sixth-century narratives involving rabbinic figures migrating between Babylonia and Palestine. Kiperwasser draws on migration and mobility studies, comparative literature, humor and satire studies, as well as social history to reveal how border-crossing rabbis were seen as exporting features of their previous eastern context into their new western homes and vice versa. Through their writing, rabbinic authors articulated the nature and legitimacy of their own scholastic practices, knowledge, and authority in relationship to their internal others.

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

A second synagogue in Magdala

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE: 2nd-Temple-period synagogue found where Gospel’s Mary Magdalene was born. The building is the second synagogue from the time uncovered in Migdal, a prominent Jewish settlement that was also the main base of Flavius Josephus, historian and anti-Roman rebel commander (Rossella Tercatin, Jerusalem Post).

“The fact that we have found two synagogues shows that the Jews of the Second Temple period were looking for a place for religious, and perhaps also social, gatherings,” said Zinman Institute head Prof. Adi Erlich. “The stone bearing a relief of the Menorah from the other synagogue at Migdal, suggests that the local Jews saw Jerusalem as their religious center, and their local activities took place under this centrality.”

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the ancient city of Magdala (Migdal today), the other first-century synagogue excavated there, and the Magdala Stone found in the latter synagogue, see here and links, plus here.

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

Aramaic at Adıyaman

MODERN ARAMAIC WATCH: Aramaic as a spoken language! (Mendy Chitrik, Times of Israel Blogs).

During my trips across Turkey, I usually shared a day post, but meeting with Metropolitan Gregorios Melki ÜREK of Adıyaman and conversing with him in Aramaic, deserves a special post.

[...]

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

Ancient Judaism job at Oxford

OXFORD UNIVERSITY:

Job Details

Associate Professor, Jewish History
Clarendon Institute, Walton Street, Oxford

Grade 36S: £48,835 - £65,574 p.a.

The Faculty of Oriental Studies and Wolfson College are recruiting an Associate Professor of Jewish History in the Second Temple and Late Antiquity periods from 1 October 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter. The post provides vital teaching for undergraduate and graduate degrees in Hebrew and Jewish Studies in the Faculty of Oriental Studies, and will be attached to Wolfson College. Primarily based in the Faculty of Oriental Studies and Wolfson College, the post offers the potential for teaching and research links with the Faculty of Theology & Religion and the Faculty of Classics (Ancient History). The research focus of the post is the historical study of Jews in Palestine and the Diaspora in the Second Temple and Late Antiquity periods, with a strong focus on textual sources in the original languages.

Follow the link for further particulars and application information. The application deadline is 12 noon on 28 January 2022.

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Review of Wiśniewski, Christian divination in late antiquity

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Christian divination in late antiquity.

Robert Wiśniewski, Christian divination in late antiquity. Social worlds of late antiquity and the early middle ages. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2020. Pp. 288. ISBN 9789462988705 €105,00.

Review by
Michael Hanaghan, Australian Catholic University. michael.hanaghan@acu.edu.au

The volume also gives some attention to ancient polytheistic and Jewish divination.

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

Which one is Bethsaida?

THE DEBATE CONTINUES: Is this really the biblical city where Jesus walked on water? Archaeologists debate over the location of the biblical city of Bethsaida (Owen Jarus, Live Science). HT Rogue Classicism.

This is a good summary of the current state of the debate on whether et-Tell or El-Araj is the site of the city of Bethsaida in the time of Jesus. For many PaleoJudaica posts on the subject, start here and follow the links.

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

Jigoulov, The Phoenicians (Reaktion)

NEW BOOK FROM REAKTION BOOKS:

The Phoenicians
Lost Civilizations
Vadim S. Jigoulov

The Phoenicians is a fascinating exploration of this much-mythologized people: their history, artistic heritage and the scope of their maritime and colonizing activities in the Mediterranean.

Vadim S. Jigoulov describes and analyses various artefacts (epigraphic, numismatic and material remains) and considers how historians have derived information about a people with little surviving literature. This includes a critical look at classical, Near Eastern and biblical primary texts, the relationship between the Phoenician and Punic worlds, Phoenician interactions with the Greeks and others, and the repurposing of Phoenician heritage in modernity. Detailed and engrossing, The Phoenicians casts new light on this most enigmatic of civilizations.

25 × 145 × 20 mm
248 pages
Hardback
9781789144789
60 illustrations, 35 in colour
01 Nov 2021
Lost Civilizations

£15.00

Cross-file under Phoenician Watch.

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

On Pentateuchal Targumic poetry

THE GENIZA FRAGMENTS BLOG: Throwback Thursday: Targumic poems of the Pentateuch (reprint of a 1986 article by Michael Klein). Cross-file under Aramaic Watch and Cairo Geniza.

For more on late-antique Jewish Aramaic poetry, see here, here, here, here, and here.

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

On Joseph and Asenath (Aseneth)

PROF. PATRICIA D. AHEARNE-KROLL: Joseph and Asenath (TheTorah.com).

A text from Hellenistic Egypt (ca. 100 B.C.E. to 100 C.E.) tells a romantic story of Joseph and Asenath’s courtship. Initially, Asenath rejects Joseph, but then falls in love with him, only to have Joseph reject her because she is the daughter of an Egyptian priest. It’s only after she repents and changes her allegiance to Israel’s God that Joseph marries her.

I noted the author's book here.

I have commented on the question of the authorship of Joseph and Aseneth here.

For other posts on Joseph and Aseneth, see here and links, plus here and here.

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

Reburbishment of the Carthage National Museum

PUNIC WATCH: Tunisia: Focus On Carthage Museum and Its Surroundings Refurbishment Project in Partnership With EU in Tunisia (Tunis Afrique Presse (Tunis) via AllAfrica.com).

Tunis/Tunisia — The Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the European Union (EU) Delegation to Tunisia announced in detail the broad outlines of the refurbishment project of the Carthage National Museum and its surroundings, under the program "Tounes Wijhetouna, notably 3,000 Heritage and Culture Territory," which allocated an estimated funding of €10 million for studies and works in this regard.

During a press conference organised on Monday at the Cathedral of Saint Louis by the ministry and the EU delegation in Tunisia, the project and the restricted competition for the award of the contract for the refurbishment project were announced.

The of Carthage National Museum is one of the main Tunisian museums along with the Bardo Museum. It hosts the most important collection of archaeological objects from the site of Carthage since the Phoenician period and offering a synthesis of the prestigious history of Carthage (over 100,000 items). Since the end of the first quarter of 2018, the Carthage National Museum has been closed to visitors. Only the nearby archaeological remains can be visited.

I have mentioned the Carthage National Museum here.

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

Does Josephus matter? How much?

THE MARGINALIA REVIEW OF BOOKS: Why Josephus Matters. Steve Mason on Flavius Josephus. Again, HT Rogue Classicism.

If we leave biblical and New Testament authors out of the frame, Flavius Josephus (37–100+ CE) was the most consequential ancient writer in the West. This claim is not provable by statistics, but a process of elimination supports it. Plato was big, Aristotle too. Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, and Polybius had their admirers, and every literate Roman knew Cicero and Livy. But Christian Crusaders did not take Plato into battle in the Holy Land. Thucydides was not rewritten in Latin and Hebrew versions, as Josephus was, amplifying his already huge impact. From the first to the twenty-first centuries, Josephus’ work has mattered to more people and more consistently than any other non-biblical text.

Does that mean that he should matter now? Nothing simply matters. Classical music, stock prices, and American politics matter to some but not others. Things that mattered to us when we were twenty might not at forty or sixty. To ask why Josephus matters is to ask, first, why he has mattered, and second, why he might matter from now on, which is not the same thing.

[...]

It is fair to say that Steve Mason owns Josephus studies. It is great to have an overview essay from him on the topic.

There are many, many PaleoJudaica posts on Flavius Josephus. For some of them, see here and follow the links. For many others, run the search term "Josephus" through the blog search engine.

For more on the siege of Jopata (Yodaft) and that rather complicated mass suicide pact, see my posts on The Josephus Problem. For pseudo-Hegisippus and other Latin translations of Josephus, see here and links. For the medieval compilation Sefer Yossipon (Jossipon), see here and links.

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

Restoration of the St. Hilarion Monastery in Gaza

ARCHAEOLOGY: Ancient Gaza monastery restored by unemployed young Palestinians. For the third year in a row, a Palestinian team under French supervision works on the restoration of St. Hilarion Monastery in Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp (Mervat Ouf, Al-Monitor). HT Rogue Classicism.

For more on the St. Hilarion Monastery in Gaza, see here.

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

More on the Cambridgeshire crucifixion

UPDATE: Free Access to Crucifixion in the Fens: Life and Death in Roman Fenstanton.

Exclusively for British Archaeology Magazine, David Ingham & Corinne Duhig report on the excavations, and what they believe to be rare evidence for ancient crucifixion - and the first from northern Europe.

HT Richard Bauckham.

This is the underlying article behind the many media stories, including the Guardian article to which I linked yesterday. Go there for background and more links.

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

Crucified man excavated in Cambridgeshire

OSTEOLOGY: Best physical evidence of Roman crucifixion found in Cambridgeshire Near 1,900-year-old skeleton discovered with nail through heel bone during excavation in Fenstanton (Jamie Grierson, The Guardian). HT Dr. Michael Lyons.

The skeleton of Yehohanan ben Hagko also had a crucifixion nail driven through the heel bone. Another skeleton excavated in Jerusalem in 1970 has been flagged as possibly crucified, but the most recent analysis I know of indicates not. Another apparently crucified skeleton was excavated in Italy. For more on all three, plus additional posts on crucifixion, see here and follow the links.

In addition, there are two ancient nails that may have been used in crucifixions.

UPDATE (10 December): More here.

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

BAR debates the Shapira scroll affair

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: The Shapira Scrolls—Authentic or Forged? Scholars debate the scrolls’ authenticity in Biblical Archaeology Review.

As usual, the BAR articles are behind a subscription wall. But, also as usual, the BHD essay gives you the background story and some highlights from the articles.

PaleoJudaica has followed this year's renewed debate on the Shapira Scroll fragments, notably here and here, but also start here and follow the links back.

The big problem is that the scroll fragments are now lost, and presumed destroyed, and we have no usable photos of them. All we have are bad drawings and entirely illegible photos. I have suggested a possible way forward here. No one has taken me up on it yet. I remain interested in whether the idea has any merit.

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

Another looting arrest

APPREHENDED: Dozens of artifacts, some from Bar Kochba era, found by police, 3 arrested. While on duty, a team of detectives from the Lev HaBira police station noticed three people in a car who drew their suspicion, so they searched the vehicle (Jerusalem Post).

This article has a photo of one of the recovered objects. It looks like it might be a decorated metal lamp.

Cue the usual cautions about unprovenanced artifacts. The more interesting they are, the more we should keep in mind the possibility of a forgery and look for credible authenication.

UPDATE (16 December): More here.

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

How Joseph Met Mary

SENTENTIAE ANTIQUAE: How Joseph Met Mary In the [Apocryphal] Gospel of James. HT Rogue Classicism.

Christmas is coming, which means it's time to dust off those infancy narratives in the apocryphal gospels. The Protevangelium of James is a favorite. Earlier posts on it are here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Cross-file under 'Tis the Season and New Testament Apocrypha.

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

Christmas tidings of ... the Toledot Yeshu?

ZOOM (AND IN-PERSON) EVENT: A Very Jewish Christmas: Toledot Yeshu, A Jewish Anti-Gospel (CT Jewish Ledger).

(New York, NY) – For the fourth year in a row, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research will delve into how Jewish culture developed around Christmas.

On Wednesday, Dec. 22, at 7 p.m., both in person and on Zoom, YIVO will present “A Very Jewish Christmas: Toledot Yeshu, A Jewish Anti-Gospel,” a talk by Azzan Yadin-Israel on the history of this ancient book followed by an English-Yiddish bilingual reading of it by Shane Baker and Eleanor Reissa.

[...]

The Zoom event is free. Follow the link for registration information.

For PaleoJudaica posts on the Toledot Yeshu, start here and follow the links. Cross-file under 'Tis the Season?

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

Gilgamesh Dream Tablet on display in Iraq

REPATRIATED: Iraq puts on display ancient artifacts returned by U.S. (Reuters).

The Gilgamesh Dream Tablet was returned to Iraq yesterday. Background here and links.

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

More golden tongues, but still no Cleopatra's tomb

EGYTPIAN ARCHAEOLGY: Meet the lawyer-turned-archaeologist leading the search for Cleopatra's tomb. Kathleen Martinez has risked everything in her quest to find Egyptian queen's resting place, she tells 'The National' (Hamza Hendawi, The National).

This article gives a good brief account of Ms. Martinez's background and her archaeological work at Taposiris Magna. But one has to read far along to learn that the only new announcement is that there might be a new announcement soon:

But now, the end may be in sight.

“Sometimes I feel like I would like to update the people on what I am doing,” she said, explaining that only Egyptian authorities, not the relevant archaeologists, announce new discoveries.

“They may announce by the end of this year, that I am now closer to my objective,” she said cryptically.

“It is very improbable that I won’t discover the tomb,” she said, striking a confident note as she sipped a glass of lemonade at the lounge of a Nile-side Cairo hotel.

I hope she's right.

For more on Cleopatra VII (THE Cleopatra) see here and links. Plutarch reports that she knew Hebrew and Aramaic.

For the excavation at Taposiris Magna and the hope that it will lead to the tomb of Cleopatra, start here and follow the links. That link is about the discovery of two mummies there which were equipped with golden tongues. That leads to the other part of my header above. Two more golden tongued mummies have just been discovered, this time at at Oxyrhynchus:

Golden tongues found in mouths of ancient Egyptian couple. Tombs of man and woman dating back 2,500 years found at Oxyrhynchus; male mummy’s sarcophagus still sealed with hundreds of funerary items inside (Times of Israel).

The article also reports that three more golden tongues were recovered "outside the tombs," whatever that means.

The site of the ancient city of Oxyrhynchus is best known for its trove of many thousands of ancient papyri found in a trash dump. For many posts on it and them, start here (plus here) and just keep following those links. For the missing Oxyrhynchus papyri scandal, see here and links. Cross-file under Oxyrhynchus Watch.

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

Online lecture on Jewish-Latin Texts from pre-rabbinic times (in German)

H-JUDAIC: EVENT: Online Lecture "Patrologia Judaica? Jewish-Latin Texts from pre-rabbinic times in the Western Diaspora (ca. 400-800 CE)" / Jüdisch-Lateinische Texte der westlichen Diaspora in vorrabbinischer Zeit (ca. 400-800 u.Z.) (December 9, 2021). The lecture, by Prof. Johannes Heil (Heidelberg), will be in German. The event appears to be free, but requires advance registration.

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

R.I.P. Father William J. Fulco, S.J.

SAD NEWS: LMU Jesuit archaeologist remembered as a beloved mentor, brilliant scholar (Angelus News).

Generations of Loyola Marymount University alumni are mourning the loss of a Jesuit who could do it all.

Father William J. Fulco, S.J. died Nov. 29 at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos from pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 85.

[...]

Off campus, he was a world-renowned archaeologist and polyglot (fluent in nine languages) whose rare expertise in Aramaic was employed to shape the dialogues of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” and several other films throughout the years.

The article reports that he also did consulting work for Mel Gibson's promised sequel to The Passion of the Christ. He was reportedly also a consult on the Punic language for Vin Diesel's long announced but still awaited Hannibal movie. For PaleoJudaica posts on Fr. Fulco and his work, see here and links. Requiescat in pace.

Cross-file under Aramaic Watch and Punic Watch.

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

Schiffman on the Lachish Forest fortress

PROFESSOR LAWRENCE H. SCHIFFMAN: A FORTRESS UNEARTHED.

This is an article by Professor Schiffman on the Hellenistic-era fortress excavated in the Lachish Forest. It was published in Ami Magazine. The fortess protected the city of Maresha. The story was prominent during Hanukkah because the fortress was probably destroyed by the Hasmonean John Hyrcanus. Background here.

With today's four post you now have everything I have found Hanukkah newsworthy this year. There may be another story or two, but I think that's about everything. I will collect links to all the posts at my Hanukkah 2021 post.

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

Hasmonean influence on everyday life?

NEW BOOK IN HEBREW: Did events that inspired Hanukkah create Jewish culture as we know it? In a new book, veteran archaeologist Professor Ronny Rich explores what archaeological evidence says about how the Maccabees' victory influenced the daily lives of the Jews living in the Land of Israel (Moshe Weisstuch, Israel HaYom). HT Joseph Lauer.

"I'm not a historian or a researcher of Jewish history. I examine [archaeological] finds and in this case, Jewish culture according to archaeological discoveries," says Professor Ronny Reich, a former lecturer at the University of Haifa and author of the new book Everyday Life: The daily life of the Jewish community in the Eretz Israel in the Late Second Temple Period in Light of Archaeological Finds (published by Pardes, Hebrew only).

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

The Hasmonean Heritage Center

NEW MUSEUM IN ISRAEL: "HASMONEAN HERITAGE CENTER SHARES HISTORY OF HANUKKAH" (i24News):

I found this i24News clip in this article on the recent antiquities apprehension in East Jerusalem. But I can't find anything more about the new Center.

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

Hanukkah antiquities apprehension

APPREHENDED: Ancient Hasmonean artifacts found in east Jerusalem at end of Hanukkah. The items were examined by officials of the Israel Antiquities Authority, and the suspect was arrested and taken in for questioning (Jerusalem Post Blogs).

Among the artifacts were a coin dated back to the time of Antigonus II Mattathias, the last Hasmonean king, as well as a Hasmonean-era oil candle and a biblical-era seal ring with ancient Hebrew inscriptions.

The inscribed seal ring (seal?) sounds like the most interesting of the objects recovered. Oddly, there is no photograph of it.

The "oil candle" appears to be a ceramic oil lamp. I suspect "candle" is a mistranslation from a Hebrew article or press release.

The objects are unprovenanced. If there are a lot of coins, most of them are likely genuine. Coins are not valuable enough to forge unless they are rare. The valuable coin, the pictured ceramic fragment inscribed with a menorah, and the unpictured "seal ring" are a more complicated matter. I will keep an open mind about whether they are genuine until I hear more about their authentication.

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

News on the Sardis synagogue

THE HOLY LAND PHOTOS' BLOG: Changes at Sardis — One of the 7 Churches of Revelation (Carl Rasmussen).

The changes include new conservation measures for the late antique synagogue at Sardis.

For more on the ancient Jewish community at Sardis and their synagogue, see here, here, and here.

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

Review of Bradshaw & McGowan, Egeria, journey to the Holy Land

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Egeria, journey to the Holy Land.

Paul F. Bradshaw, Anne McGowan, Egeria, journey to the Holy Land. Brepols Library of Christian Sources (BLCS), 1. Turnhout: Brepols, 2020. Pp. 124. ISBN 9782503592817 €45,00.

Review by
Dennis Trout, University of Missouri. troutd@missouri.edu

... For these reasons alone, the Itinerarium is at home in a wide variety of classroom settings and scholarly enterprises. It is an engaging text at several levels and deserves its wide readership. But will this volume help spread the word?...

For more on Egeria and her pilgrimage account, see here.

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Marcus, THE MASORAH OF THE FORMER PROPHETS IN THE LENINGRAD CODEX (1 KINGS) (Gorgias)

NEW BOOK FROM GORGIAS PRESS:

THE MASORAH OF THE FORMER PROPHETS IN THE LENINGRAD CODEX (1 KINGS)
Vol. 5: 1 Kings

By David Marcus

This work represents the first time that a major part of the masorah of the great Leningrad Codex, that of the Former Prophets, is being published with an English translation and commentary. Almost nine-thousand notes are transcribed and annotated with biblical references.

Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC
Availability: In stock
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-4632-0603-1

Formats Hardback

Publication Status: In Print
Series: Texts and Studies (Third Series) 14
Publication Date: Sep 24,2021
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 7 x 10
Page Count: 464
Languages: English, Hebrew
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0603-1

Price: $182.00
Your price: $109.20

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Did David and Solomon rule a "State?"

THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY: David and Solomon’s Kingdom as a State: An Archaeo-Historical Anachronism (Zachary Thomas).

So whatever your view of the historicity of the biblical account may be, it is anachronistic to understand kingdoms like the United Monarchy as states. Is this just a matter of terminology and theory? What does this have to do with the archaeological record of Israel in the 10th century BCE? Quite a lot, because if we uncritically assume that the United Monarchy was a ‘state’ then we are only going to look for elements of a state in our archaeological evidence. This in turn directly affects how assess that archaeological evidence against the biblical text.

For more on this perspective, see here and here.

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Forthcoming book on the Faddan More Psalter

CONSERVATION AND PUBLICATION: ‘It was terrifying’: ancient book’s journey from Irish bog to museum treasure. A new book tells the story of the painstaking process to preserve the 1,200-year-old Faddan More Psalter (Lisa O'Carroll, The Guardian). HT Brent Nongbri at the Variant Readings Blog.

Oddly, nobody links to a page on the book itself. You can find it here on Amazon.

John Gillis, The Faddan More Psalter: The Discovery and Conservation of a Medieval Treaure. Wordwell Books (March 1, 2022).

I have corrected the misspelling of the name in the Amazon entry. Unfortunately, Amazon appears to have indexed the book with the incorrect spelling "Fadden." Needs to be fixed. Hopefully it will be by the time you see this.

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

Redding, BIOGRAPHY OF A DREAM (Gorgias)

NEW BOOK FROM GORGIAS PRESS:

BIOGRAPHY OF A DREAM
A Reception-Historical Study of the Fourth Beast in Daniel 7

By Jonathan David Redding

The biblical apocalyptic books of Daniel and Revelation are, for better or worse, polarizing. Interpreters have long read and searched these books for clues about how their worlds will “end,” which each new interpreter promising to have “unlocked” how Daniel and Revelation work together to uncover a divine plan for prophetic fulfillment. Redding uses the Vision of the Fourth Beast from Daniel 7 as a case study to consider how interpretations of texts take on lives of their own, eventually wedding interpretation with text and prompting the question: what even is a text? Is it what is on the page, something interpreters put there, or a combination of both? Starting with the literature of the Levant, this work traces the use of motifs, images, and themes through Daniel, Revelation, and into pre-Enlightenment Christian thinkers to consider hermeneutical trajectories that shaped (and continue to shape) how modern readers engage biblical apocalyptic literature.

Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC
Availability: In stock
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-4632-4243-5

Formats Hardback

Publication Status: In Print
Series: Perspectives on Hebrew Scriptures and its Contexts 34
Publication Date: Jul 28,2021
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Page Count: 283
Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-4632-4243-5

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Review of Feldman, The Story of Sacrifice

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Book Note | The Story of Sacrifice (Ethan Schwartz).

Liane M. Feldman. The Story of Sacrifice: Ritual and Narrative in the Priestly Source. FAT 141. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2020.

... Feldman’s new reading of P boldly takes on two of the most entrenched dichotomies in biblical studies: (1) ritual vs. narrative, and (2) literature vs. history. While I do not think that she has fully overcome these dichotomies, she has raised crucial questions about them. ...

The author of the book has published her own summary of the PhD thesis version at AJR, which I noted here. And AJR also published a series of essays on the published book. See here and links.

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Zoom event: Hempel on the DSS and Palestinian Judaism

H-JUDAIC: EVENT: Lecture "The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Contours and Texture of Palestinian Judaism" by Professor Charlotte Hempel (December 14, 2021).

Sponsored by the Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations (University of Southampton), this event is free but requires pre-registration. Details are at the link.

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

News on Hobby Lobby and Obbink

VARIANT READINGS: Update on Hobby Lobby vs. Obbink Case (Brent Nongbri).

I am surprised by this outcome. It sounds as though we won't be learning more from the court case after all. We'll see.

For more on Hobby Lobby's lawsuit against Dirk Obbink, accusing him of selling them stolen artifacts, see here and here. Follow the links in the first of those posts for more on the Oxford missing-papyri scandal and its alleged connections with Obbink and Hobby Lobby.

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

Hanukkah and Daniel 11

FOR HANUKKAH: The Lead up to Chanukah in the Book of Daniel (Prof. Lawrence M. Wills, TheTorah.com).

An ancient pious scribe describes in apocalyptic visions, the history of the conflict between Judea and Antiochus Epiphanes, but fails to dream that the Maccabees, a political group of guerrilla fighters, will win.

This doesn't seem to be a new essay, but I haven't linked to it before.

For more on Daniel chapter 11, see the posts here and here, which link to Phil Longs posts at Reading Acts, along with my commentary and links.

For more on the Seleucid dynasty, with special attention to their coins and with many cross-references to Daniel 11, see here and here and links. For the Ptolemaic dynasty likewise, see here and links.

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

Fake "Archaic Mark"

THE ETC BLOG: SBL Presentation on "Archaic Mark" (GA 2427) (Tommy Wasserman).

For more on the fake Archaic Mark manuscript, see Stephen Carlson's important 2006 essay, which I noted here.

Although there were doubts early on, it took almost 70 years to establish decisively that the manuscript was a forgery. Forgers have continued to improve their products. Who knows how many forgeries are being treated as geniune ancient manuscripts and inscriptions today? I suspect there are some.

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

Ahiqar in Syriac and Arabic

THE AWOL BLOG: Ahiqar - The Story of Ahiqar in its Syriac and Arabic Tradition. Looks like a useful online edition.

For more on the story of Ahiqar (Ahikar), see here, here, and here and links.

Cross-file under Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Watch,

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Biblical Studies Carnival 189

THE DUST BLOG: Biblical Studies Carnival number 189 (Bob MacDonald). A thorough carnival. And I don't just say that because it links to PaleoJudaica so many times. Although that doesn't hurt!

UPDATE (2 December): Bad link now fixed.

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

Zoom event: Dr. Sarah Sallon on reviving ancient date palms

H-JUDAIC: EVENT: "Reviving The Ancient Judean Date Palm" with Dr. Sarah Sallon (December 7, 2021) (Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies). Follow the link for details. The event is free but requires preregistration.

For PaleoJudaica posts on the work of Dr. Sallon and her colleagues on resurrecting the ancient Judean date palm, start here and follow the links.

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

Zillionth Hellenistic-era oil lamp excavated in Israel!

HANUKKAH ARCHAEOLOGY: 2,000-year-old oil lamp comes to light in City of David. While such lamps are common finds in excavations, it is "truly exciting" to dig up a Hasmonean-era artifact just before Hanukkah, archaeologists say (Yori Yalon, Israel HaYom). HT Rogue Classicism.

Nice lamp.

If this is now the Hanukkah archaeology news, I suspect that we have seen all the big announcements for this season.

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

Zoom event on Fraade's new Oxford Commentary on the Damascus Document

THE CSCO BLOG: Book Launch Event: The Oxford Commentary on the Dead Sea Scrolls: The Damascus Document by Steven Fraade.

The event takes place on 16 December. It is free, but requires preregistration.

The commentary came out earlier this month. Cross-file under New Book.

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

The rediscovery of lost works of Philo and Eusebius in Armenian

ROGER PEARSE: The rediscovery of Philo, Eusebius’ Chronicon in Armenian.

The initial publication of the texts in the early nineteenth century involved some retrospectively entertaining scholarly rivalry.

For more on Armenian Philo, see here, here, and here. The last link collects earlier post on the ancient Armenian literary tradition more generally. Cross-file under Armenian Watch.

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Oesterreich, Kognitionswissenschaftliche Perspektiven auf biblische Visionserzählungen (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Kognitionswissenschaftliche Perspektiven auf biblische Visionserzählungen

Kognitionswissenschaftliche Perspektiven auf biblische Visionserzählungen

Am Beispiel der Verklärung (Mk 9,2–9)

Series: Biblical Interpretation Series, Volume: 196

Author: Nicole Oesterreich

Das vorliegende Buch bietet einen umfassenden Beitrag zum Bestreben neuro- und kognitionswissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse in die neutestamentliche Exegese zu integrieren. Für dieses Vorhaben eignen sich veränderte Bewusstseinszustände insbesondere, da sie auf allgemein menschlichen Strukturen des Gehirns beruhen und in sehr vielen Kulturen Teil der religiösen Praxis waren und sind. Anklänge daran finden sich auch in biblischen Visionserzählungen. Die Untersuchung bietet neben einer Einführung in die Philosophie des Geistes und notwendigen naturwissenschaftlichen Grundlagen sowie einer hermeneutischen Reflexion eine breit angelegte Darstellung der antiken Erfahrungen mit veränderten Bewusstseinszuständen anhand ihrer Induktionsrituale. Die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse werden dann auf die Verklärungserzählung angewendet.

____________________________________

This book is a comprehensive contribution to the ongoing effort to integrate findings in cognitive science into New Testament studies. Altered states of consciousness are particularly suitable for this attempt as they are a common human property and a widespread religious practice. This study contains an introduction to the basics of philosophy of mind and cognitive studies as well as a hermeneutical reflection. The wide portrayal of ASCs in ancient religious contexts according to the type of induction rituals provides the historic context for the cognitive analysis of the Transfiguration narrative.

Copyright Year: 2022

Prices from (excl. VAT): €139.00 / $167.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-49981-2
Publication Date: 25 Oct 2021

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-49975-1
Publication Date: 21 Oct 2021

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Slingstone bearing name of Hasmonean-era baddie

HANUKKAH ARCHAEOLOGY: Sling stone from Hasmonean period found in southern Hebron Hills. The carved piece of ammunition bears the name of Seleucid leader Diodotus Tryphon and an emblem of the Greek god Zeus; find announced on 1st night of Hannukah (Times of Israel).

A lead sling stone bearing the name of a Seleucid leader who fought against the Hasmoneans was recently found in the southern Hebron Hills in the West Bank by the military’s Civil Administration’s Archaeology Unit.

While it was unclear when the item was found, the Civil Administration released it to the media on Sunday, the first day of the Hanukkah festival, which celebrates the Jewish victory over the Seleucid Empire during the Hasmonean period.

The ammunition had the name of Diodotus Tryphon — who reigned over the Seleucid Empire between 142 and 138 BC — inscribed on it in Greek.

[...]

The IAA seems to have been saving up Hasmonean-era discoveries to announce during Hanukkah. It will be interesting to see what else comes out this week.

For the rise and fall of Diodotus Tryphon ("Trypho"), see 1 Maccabees 11-15. Josephus also tell his story interspersed through Antiquities 13.131-224. Once again, it is left to a blogger to find some of the primary-source references for you. For a brief timeline of Tryphon's life, see here.

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

Hasmonean-era farm excavated in Tel Aviv

HANUKKAH ARCHAEOLOGY: Israel discovers 2,150-year-old Hellenistic farm in central Tel Aviv (Global Times).

Israeli archaeologists have unearthed the relics of a Hellenistic farm in the heart of the coastal city of Tel Aviv, dated to about 2,150 years ago, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said on Sunday.

[...]

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

Sanhedrin-era discoveries at Yavneh

STARTED AS SALVAGE ARCHAEOLOGY: First-Ever Remains of Sanhedrin Era Building Uncovered in Coastal City of Yavneh (TPS / Tazpit News Agency via the Jewish Press).

Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) excavations being carried out on a massive scale in the city of Yavne have uncovered the first evidence there of a building from the time of the Sanhedrin – the supreme legislative Jewish assembly that went into exile to Yavne after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, some 2,000 years ago.

The building contained fragments of chalkstone vessels, clear evidence that its occupants were observing Jewish laws of ritual purity. The excavation also discovered an impressive cemetery dating from the time of the Sanhedrin.

[...]

Note also the YouTube video to which the article links.

This excavation also found more than 150 glass vials in the cemetery, placed above some of the tombs. The excavation area is near the site of the Byzantine-era wine press excavated at Yavneh (Yavne), on which more here and here.

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

Hanukkah 2021

HAPPY HANUKKAH (CHANUKKAH, CHANUKAH) to all those celebrating! The eight-day festival begins tonight at sundown.

Last year's Hanukkah post is here. It links to past Hanukkah posts with additional historical background. For PaleoJudaica posts in the last year that relate to Hanukkah, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

UPDATE (6 December): additional Hanukkah-related 2021 posts are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

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

How was Herod's Temple built?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: The Stones of Herod’s Temple Reveal Temple Mount History Ancient construction techniques evident in the Herodian Temple. Includes the full text of an old, but still informative, BAR article on the construction of Herod's Temple by Leen Ritmeyer.

Cross-file under Temple Mount Watch.

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Review of Honigman et al. (eds.), Times of transition: Judea in the early Hellenistic period

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Times of transition: Judea in the early Hellenistic period.

Sylvie Honigman, Christophe Nihan, Oded Lipschitz, Times of transition: Judea in the early Hellenistic period. Mosaics: studies on ancient Israel, 1. University Park, PA: Eisenbrauns, 2021. Pp. 416. ISBN 9781646021147 $129.95.

Review by
Francesca Calabi, University of Pavia. calabi@unipv.it

Conclusion:

The book is very rich and complex. The breadth of its perspectives allows readers to have a look at many aspects of the topic. This is helpful, but at the same time the breadth of perspective and vastness of topics mean that the various articles are not always in dialogue with each other and a certain vagueness results. I found particularly interesting the theses on the functions and aims of the Greek Pentateuch by Martin Rösel, the chapter on retelling stories about Alexander by Konrad Schmid and Sylvie Honigman’s presentation of the emergence of apocalypses as a hermeneutical schift. But I believe all are useful for anyone who wishes to study these topics.

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

Susa, the winter royal residence of the Persian Empire

TRAVEL: Susa: a gateway to must-see destinations (Tehran Times).

TEHRAN – In southwest Iran is situated Susa, a captivating UNESCO-listed archaeological site occupying the whole southern flank of modern Shush. Originally similar in scale to the UNESCO-designated Persepolis, the city saw countless invasions and sackings during its history which spans almost 6000 years.

Furthermore, Susa was once the winter residence of Persian kings after having been captured by Cyrus the Great. Susa became part of the Persian Empire under Cyrus II, the Great in 538 or 539 BC.

Various archaeological seasons in Susa have yielded ample relics including pottery, arms, ornamental objects, metalwork, bronze articles, as well as clay tablets. ...

HT Todd Bolen at the Bible Places Blog.

This article has good coverage of the history, biblical connections, and archaeology of Susa.

I was surprised to see how many PaleoJudaica posts there are on Susa. See here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

While we are on Iranian archaeology, for more on the Persian ceremonial capital Persepolis, see here and many links. For more on the Median capital Ecbatana, which also served as the Persian summer royal residence and archive, see here.

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

The archive of Zenon

MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPTS BLOG: The archive of Zenon. HT the AWOL Blog.

This post seems out of place in a blog on medieval manuscripts, but it's good to have it anyway. Zenon lived in Egypt and Palestine in the the third century BCE. For more on his vast archive, see here (but the links have rotted) and here.

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

Buntu, ... Divinity and Deification in Early Judaism (Gorgias)

NEW BOOK FROM GORGIAS PRESS:

THE LORD GOD OF GODS
Divinity and Deification in Early Judaism

By Silviu Nicolae Bunta

The investigation of this book into early Jewish experiences of God begins with calls to discard any categorical and definitional approaches to the literature of early Judaism, and several enduring preconceptions about its mysticism and theology (particularly the relegation of its mysticism to particular texts and themes, and the molding of its theology in the image of medieval and post-medieval Jewish and Christian monotheisms). With this abandonment, the symbolic language of early Jewish texts gives sharper contours to a pre-formal theology, a theology in which God and divinity are more subjects of experience and recognition than of propositions. This clarity leads the investigation to the conclusion that early Judaism is thoroughly mystical and experiences a theology which is neither polytheistic, nor monotheistic, but deificational: there is only one divine selfhood, the divinity of “God,” but he shares his selfhood with “gods,” to varying degrees and always at his discretion. With some important differentiations which are also introduced here, this theology undergirds almost the entirety of early Judaism—the Bible, post-biblical texts, and even classical rabbinic literature. The greatest development over time is only that the boundaries between God and gods become at once clearer and less rigid.

Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC
Availability: In stock
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-4632-4333-3

Formats Hardback

Publication Status: In Print
Series: Perspectives on Hebrew Scriptures and its Contexts 35
Publication Date: Aug 24,2021
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Page Count: 357
Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-4632-4333-3

Price: $114.95
Your price: $68.97

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

The ideologies of 1 and 2 Maccabees?

HANUKKAH IS COMING: Judea versus Judaism: Between 1 and 2 Maccabees (Prof. Daniel R. Schwartz, TheTorah.com).

Ancient tensions between Judaism and the Jewish state can be seen by comparing 1 Maccabees, a book that serves the interest of the Hasmonean dynasty, and 2 Maccabees, a work of the diaspora whose focus is on Judaism.

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

Hanukkah archaeology

HANUKKAH IS COMING SOON. Here are a couple of articles on recent and less recent archaeological discoveries pertaining to it (at least in a general way).

What does archaeology in Israel tell us about Hanukkah? JPost One-on-One Zoomcast , Episode 43 - Rossella Tercatin and Dr. Barak Monnickendam-Givon: Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist explains what archaeology can teach us about Hanukkah (Rossella Tercatin)

6 ancient findings in the footsteps of the Maccabees. Look what Israeli archeologists have dug up from the Hasmonean dynasty that ruled the land following the Maccabees’ Hanukkah triumph (Abigail Klein Leichman, Israel21c).

For more on that Hellenistic fortress in Lachish Forest, which archaeologists infer was destroyed by John Hyrcanus, see here.

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

Online lectures on Agrippa II and on the Ark of the Covenant

H-JUDAIC announces two upcoming online lectures. They are free, but require advance registration. See the links for details.

EVENT: The Mysteries of the Ark of the Covenant (Institute of Jewish Studies UCL)

Type: Lecture
Date: November 30, 2021
Subject Fields: Jewish History / Studies, Religious Studies and Theology

The lecture will focus on the importance of the Ark (of God, of Yhwh, of the Covenant) in the Hebrew Bible and more specifically on the so-called Ark narrative in the books of Samuel. What was the purpose of the Ark, what did it originally contain? If the original Ark narrative ended with the transfer of the Ark to Kiriath Jearim in 1 Sam 7:1 as will be argued, what is the importance of this site? The lecture will then bring into conversation exegetical observations and the results of the excavations at Kiriath Jearim from 2017 and 2019, organized by the University of Tel Aviv and the Collège de France. The lecture will conclude with the question of the fate of the Ark after the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in 587 BCE.

Professor Thomas Christian Römer is professor and chair of the Collège de France and currently its President ...

EVENT: Agrippa II, the Last of the Herods (American Israel Numismatic Association and Institute of Jewish Studies UCL)

Type: Lecture
Date: December 16, 2021
Subject Fields: Archaeology, Ancient History, European History / Studies, Humanities, Jewish History / Studies

Agrippa II, the last king of the Herodian dynasty, was prolific in minting coins, particularly after the Judaean-Roman War. In this online lecture, David Jacobson will discuss Agrippa’s coinage as well as the writings of Josephus and epigraphic evidence for his reign. Topics considered will include the chronology of his reign, the role of his sister, Berenice, as his de-facto consort, his attitude towards the Jews and Judaism, particularly after the quelling of the First Jewish Revolt, and determining the date of his death.

Professor David Jacobson has pursued careers in both materials science and classical archaeology. ...

For a great many PaleoJudaica posts on the Ark of the Covenant, start here and just keep following those links. For posts on Herod Agrippa II, see here and links.

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

An ancient Roman gaming board in Jerusalem

LUDIC ARCHAEOLOGY: Ancestor of Checkers Found in Old City of Jerusalem. Carved into the city square by bored Roman soldiers, the identity of the strange game had been a mystery until an expert got involved (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

Actually all we have is the gaming board scratched into stone, presumably by idle Roman soldiers. But there has been lots of fun from efforts to identify the game.

UPDATE: Also, happy Thanksgiving to my American readers and those celebrating with them!

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

A shamanic life-setting for the Ascension of Isaiah?

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: The Ascension of Isaiah: Some Thoughts ( David Frankfurter). Two excerpts:

Leaving behind the old redactional-stages approach (that has tempted many scholars through today), we are really forced to think about what “Jewish” and “Christian” should mean as identity or boundary-categories in the world of this text.

And:

So to me, the really valuable features of this text are its docetic christology and its Jewish apocalyptic form and details; also, its evidence of a prophetic—or, better, shamanic—milieu; and in all these features its religious sympathies with the Book of Revelation.

This is fifth essay in a BRANE Forum series on the Ascension of Isaiah. For notice of the first three, see here and links.

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BAS 2021 Publication Awards

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Biblical Archaeology Society 2021 Publication Awards Winners. These prestigious awards have been made possible by grants from: Samuel D. Turner and Elizabeth Goss. These look like great books. Congratulations to all the winners!

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

Prof. Mika Ahuvia on angels in ancient Judaism

INTERVIEW: Angels in antiquity: Judaism’s long relationship with heaven’s haloed helpers. While many Jews relegate the supernatural beings to the Christian realm, Prof. Mika Ahuvia reveals a deep cultural and religious connection in a new book (Rich Tenorio, Times of Israel).

When then-Princeton graduate student Mika Ahuvia was taking a class in Roman religion, she became intrigued by ancient religious stories from the Middle East.

“I learned about stories of ancient Romans stumbling into gods and goddesses in sacred groves and stories of Christian stylite saints speaking with angels from the top of columns,” Ahuvia said. “That made me wonder how and where exactly Jews interacted with angels.”

As it turns out, angels played a significant, underappreciated role in the lives of Jews in late antiquity — which Ahuvia, now a professor of classical Judaism at the University of Washington, reveals in a new book, “On My Right Michael, On My Left Gabriel: Angels in Ancient Jewish Culture.”

[...]

I linked to an AJR preview of the book by the author here.

One correction to the TOI article above. A couple of times it mentions the Nephilim and refers to them as "fallen angels." No. They are (according to the Enochic Book of the Watchers 7:2; cf Jubilees 7:22) the offspring of giants who in turn were the offspring of the fallen angels (the "Watchers") and mortal women. They also appear in the Aramaic Book of Giants from Qumran alongside the giants.

The Nephilim are also in the Bible. Genesis 6:4 calls them warriors (גבורים) and "men of name," i.e., famous. It says they lived at the same time as the offspring of the sons of God (the angels) and the daughters of men. It does not specify that they were those offspring, although that inference may have been intended. Numbers 13:32-33 says that the men spying out the Promised Land encountered Nephilim there and describes them as giants.

For PaleoJudaica posts on the Nephilim, see here and links. There are many, many posts on angels. Just run the term through the blog search engine.

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

Priestly coin from the Great Revolt

NUMISMATICS: Rare silver ‘rebel coin,’ maybe minted at Temple 2,000 years ago, found in Jerusalem. Experts suggest shekel coin may have been made by priests assisting Great Revolt against Romans, using precious metal from holy site’s plentiful reserves (Times of Israel).

A rare 2,000-year-old silver shekel coin, thought to have been minted on the Temple Mount plaza from the plentiful silver reserves held there at the time, has been uncovered in Jerusalem.

If it were indeed minted there, it would make the coin one of the very few items uncovered that were manufactured at the holy site.

The coin, found by an 11-year-old girl, Liel Krutokop, during a sifting project for dirt removed from an archaeological dig at the City of David National Park, was engraved with “second year,” i.e., the second year of the Great Jewish Revolt against the Romans (67-68 CE).

[...]

On his e-mail list, Joseph Lauer has corrected an error that has crept into the English version of the press release and from there into some English articles, including the one above:

Beware, though, of item 5, described in the English release as “The silver coin with the headquarters of the High Priest and the inscription ‘Holy Jerusalem.’” In this case it is a mistranslation of “מטה” (here meaning “staff” or “rod” not “headquarters”) in the Hebrew release’s “מטבע הכסף ועליו מטה הכהן הגדול והכיתוב ירושלים הקדושה.” Thus, the description should read “The silver coin with the staff of the High Priest and the inscription ‘Holy Jerusalem.” Some (but not all) of the media articles have the same error, following the language of the English release, “On the other side of the coin is an inscription identified by scholars as the headquarters of the High Priest, and next to it appears in ancient Hebrew script the words: ‘Holy Jerusalem.’”

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

Keiter, ... The Scriptural Solomon in Jewish Tradition (Gorgias)

NEW BOOK FROM GORGIAS PRESS:

PERILS OF WISDOM
The Scriptural Solomon in Jewish Tradition

By Sheila Tuller Keiter

Perils of Wisdom engages the biblical Solomon narrative that appears in the Book of Kings and its reception by Jewish texts from scriptural sources through the traditional commentaries of the Middle Ages. By systematically following the thread of exegesis through biblical, rabbinic, targumic, and medieval Jewish texts, and by examining their interplay with other ancient, Christian, and Islamic treatments of Solomon, Keiter traces the emergence and ascendance of an apologetic image of Solomon that has colored Jewish perceptions of the biblical king ever since.

Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC
Availability: In stock
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-4632-4378-4

Formats: Hardback

Publication Status: In Print
Series: Judaism in Context 28
Publication Date: Sep 24,2021
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Page Count: 404
Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-4632-4378-4

Price: $140.00
Your price: $84.00

Some PaleoJudaica posts on the Solomonic tradition are here and here and links.

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

Interview with co-director of Megiddo excavation

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Twenty Years at Megiddo. Archaeologist Matthew Adams discusses his journey from volunteer to project co-director (Nathan Steinmeyer).

Matthew Adams, who heads the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, began digging at the famous archaeological site of Megiddo in 1998 while he was a sophomore at the University of Southern California (USC). Although he began his career as a volunteer, today Adams is co-director of the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition with Israel Finkelstein and Mario Martin. He also co-directs the Jezreel Valley Regional Project excavations at the nearby Roman military base of Legio with Yotam Tepper and Susan Cohen.

In September 2021, Biblical Archaeology Review contributing editor Nathan Steinmeyer met with Adams to discuss his journey from volunteer to dig director. In their conversation, they discussed Adams’s early start at Megiddo, how he rose through the ranks, and the ways that archaeology has changed over the past 20 years. The conversation has been edited and modified for clarity and readability. All images are courtesy of Matthew Adams unless otherwise noted.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the Megiddo excavation and related matters, see here, here, here, here and links (cf. here and links). As at Timna, impressive and suggestive early organic remains have been recovered at Megiddo.

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On the Timna Valley excavation

ORGANIC ARCHAEOLOGY: An Archaeological Dig Reignites the Debate Over the Old Testament’s Historical Accuracy. Beneath a desert in Israel, a scholar and his team are unearthing astonishing new evidence of an advanced society in the time of the biblical Solomon (Matti Friedman, Smithsonian Magazine).

What [excavation director Erez] Ben-Yosef has produced isn’t an argument for or against the historical accuracy of the Bible but a critique of his own profession. Archaeology, he argues, has overstated its authority. Entire kingdoms could exist under our noses, and archaeologists would never find a trace. Timna is an anomaly that throws into relief the limits of what we can know. The treasure of the ancient mines, it turns out, is humility.

I have been following reports on the Timna Valley excavation for some time, with particular interest in the remarkable organic remains recovered there. For past posts, see here, where I note the recent article Professor by Ben-Yosef on David's and Solomon's supposed empire and the archaeology of the tenth century BCE. It is also mentioned in the Smithsonian article. Follow the links from there for much more on Timna.

For more on the tenth-century BCE, see here and links.

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Khirbet Qeiyafa and the 10th century BCE

HIERARCHICAL ARCHITECTURE: Can royal architecture prove biblical Judah was a kingdom? Features such as recessed doors, rectangular roof beams and volute capitals were common in palaces around the region, supporting the notion that Judah was a kingdom since the 10th century BCE. Rossella Tercatin, Jerusalem Post).

“A kingdom is not something abstract; a kingdom is based on elements like borders, a center and a periphery, roads, a network for tax collection and so on,” [excavator Yosef] Garfinkel said. “However, another characteristic of a kingdom is its social hierarchy as demonstrated by the presence of palaces and temples.

“Throughout history and to this day, people have used architecture to emphasize power,” he further remarked. “Based on the findings in Khirbet Qeiyafa, we can see urbanism and the construction of fortified cities in Judah already in the 10th century BC.”

This century has been receiving a good deal of attention recently. See here and links.

For many posts on the archaeology of Khirbet Qeiyafa, with lots also on the tenth century BCE, see here and links, here, here, and here.

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Review of Powell, Bar Kokhba

THE FOLLOWING HADRIAN BLOG: “Bar Kokhba: The Jew Who Defied Hadrian and Challenged the Might of Rome” by Lindsay Powell.

Carole Raddato reviews this New Book published by Pen & Sword Press. The publisher's page on the book is here.

HT Rogue Classicism.

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Gallagher, Translation of the Seventy (Abilene Christian University Press)

THE ETC BLOG: New Book by Ed Gallagher on the Septuagint’s Place in History and Theology (Peter Gurry).

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Ecbatana excavation

ARCHAEOLOGY: Another archaeological season begins at Hegmataneh (Tehran Times).

The Hegmataneh Hill, also called Tepe Hegmataneh (thought to correspond to the ancient citadel of Ecbatana), has a circumference of 1.4 kilometers with an area of about 40 hectares.

The ruined Hegmataneh (Ecbatana) which is partly beneath the modern city of Hamedan (the capital city), is widely believed to be once a mysterious capital of Medes. According to ancient Greek writers, the city was founded in about 678 BC by Deioces, who was the first king of the Medes.

The Persian Empire continued to use Ecbatana as a summer residence after the conquest of the Medes. It is mentioned in Ezra 6:2 as having a royal archive.

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Review of Eisenberg & Khamisy (eds.), The art of siege warfare ...

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: The art of siege warfare and military architecture from the classical world to the middle ages.

Michael Eisenberg, Rabei Khamisy, The art of siege warfare and military architecture from the classical world to the middle ages. Oxford; Havertown: Oxbow, 2021. Pp. 288. ISBN 9781789254068 $70.00.

Review by
Thierry Lucas, École française d’Athènes. thierry.lucas@efa.gr

The following essays in the volume look to be of interest:

12. The Starting Point of the Imperial Roads in Aelia Capitolina (Shlomit Weksler-Bdolah and Danit Levi)
13. Regional Fortifications in the Chora of Hippos (Sussita) (Adam Pažout)
14. The Extraordinary Roman Military Presence in Judaea from AD 70 until the 3rd Century (Werner Eck)
17. Caesarea Maritima: Fortifications and City Expansion from the Time of Herod the Great to Late Antiquity (Peter Gendelman)

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Review of new English translation of Strack-Billerbeck

THE READING ACTS BLOG: A New English Translation of Strack and Billerbeck, Commentary on the Talmud, ed. Jacob N. Cerone, trans. Joseph Longarino. Cross-file under New Book.

Phil Long gives a balanced review of this new English translation of Strack-Billerbeck.

Conclusion: Is this new English translation of Strack and Billerbeck worth the investment? This is not a reference work for the casual reader, it is a major tool intended for the serious Bible student and scholar. For many, an English translation of Strack and Billerbeck opens up a new world of Rabbinic literature for the first time. But with great power comes great responsibility. Using Strack and Billerbeck can enhance one’s understanding of the Jewish background to Jesus, Paul, and the rest of the New Testament. But it is a tool which may lead to unintentional consequences and misreading the Rabbinic literature.

Indeed. My own view is that people who are not specialists in rabbinic literature (including nearly all New Testament scholars and also me) should stay away from Strack-Billerbeck. It collects a great deal of potentially useful information, but to use it responsibly you have to be able to filter that information to decide credibly what is an early tradition and what isn't.

Crucially, the attribution of a saying to a named rabbi doesn't date the saying. Late traditions were sometimes, perhaps often, attributed to earlier tradents. The saying has to be dated on other grounds, if that is possible at all.

I try not to use rabbinic material in my work on Second Temple Judaism. If I have to, I try to limit my use to material isolated as first-century in Neusner's stratigraphic analysis.

Sometimes a late or undateable rabbinic text has interesting parallels with an earlier text. Such cases are worth noting and discussing, but only when making clear that the rabbinic text has not in itself been demonstrated to be early.

A related post from many years ago is here. I haven't published those notes, but I have continued to refine them and use them in my classes.

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