Review of Newsom, The Spirit within Me

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Book Note | The Spirit within Me: Self and Agency in Ancient Israel and Second Temple Judaism (Rebecca Harris).

Carol A. Newsom. The Spirit within Me: Self and Agency in Ancient Israel and Second Temple Judaism. Yale University Press, 2021.

... In this innovative and deeply engaging study, Newsom sparks new ways of thinking about models of moral agency in biblical and early Jewish literature and paves the way for a broader application of the analysis that considers Jewish literature composed in Greek or the literature of other cultures.

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

Review of Sievers (ed.), The Pharisees

THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER: Scholars outline history of the Pharisees and roots of harmful anti-Jewish stereotypes (Chris Seeman).

The Pharisees

Edited by Joseph Sievers and Amy-Jill Levine

482 pages; Eerdmans

$54.95

... The conference that produced this volume was notable for its ecumenical and interreligious inclusivity. The contributing scholars were Jews and Christians, Protestants and Catholics, women and men, priests and laity. This diversity of affiliation and expertise models the kind of collaboration needed not only to advance knowledge but also to bring that knowledge to bear on an ongoing problem: the (often unintentional) perpetuation of misinformation about Jews by Christians at the pulpit, in the classroom and in cultural discourse generally. ...

I noted the 2019 conference here. Ancient Jew Review published papers from an SBL forum on the book, noted here, here, and here.

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

New discoveries at Hippos-Sussita

DECORATIVE ART AND (BAD) GREEK EPIGRAPHY: New Inscriptions in Roman City in Israel Shed Personal Light on Early Christians. While cleaning one set of Byzantine mosaics in Hippos of the Decapolis, the archaeologists found more mosaics. An unknown bishop, a goldsmithing priest and an anxious couple have come to light (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

People of yore were deeply religious, it seems – including in Hippos (Sussita) of the Decapolis, a Greco-Roman city perched high above the Sea of Galilee.

No less than seven churches have been found in the city from the early Christian era. Now, four inscriptions newly discovered in one of its ancient churches – the Martyrion of Theodoros, or “Burnt Church” – during the summer 2022 excavation season shed rare personal light on actual people. So say excavation directors Dr. Arleta Kowalewska and Dr. Michael Eisenberg of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa, and epigraphist Prof. Gregor Staab of the Institute of Classical Studies at University of Cologne.

[...]

Just to be clear, it is the Greek that's bad, not the epigraphy.

UPDATE: I forgot add that there are many PaleoJudaica posts on the excavations at Hippos-Sussita. See here and links, plus here.

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

The Armenian Monastery Museum in Jerusalem

ARMENIAN WATCH: Visit the Old City monastery that holds Jerusalem’s 1,700-year-old Armenian history. A new museum at the Armenian Monastery offers displays of stunning mosaics and artworks, artifacts and architecture, going back to Armenia’s 4th-century roots in the Holy Land (AVIVA AND SHMUEL BAR-AM, Times of Israel).

One such exquisite [Byzantine-era] floor was discovered in 1894; a family digging foundations for a house near Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate was astounded to discover a glorious mosaic floor beneath the rubble. It turned out to be part of a fifth- or sixth-century Armenian church, and further excavations revealed that below one corner of the mosaic lay the remains of an Armenian unit attached to the Roman army (or, perhaps, martyrs who died for their faith).

[...]

This year, the mosaic was meticulously transferred into the Armenian Convent, located in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, and is now the focus of the convent’s brand-new Edward and Helen Mardigian Armenian Museum, which opened this past week. The mosaic covers almost the entire first floor of the magnificent building, constructed in 1853 as Jerusalem’s Armenian Theological Seminary. Its creator was Turkish-Armenian artist Sarkis Balyan, a member of a distinguished family of artists and architects. In fact his father, Garabet Balyan, designed the sumptuous Dolmabahçe Palace, the largest of its kind in Turkey.

For some PaleoJudaiac posts on ancient Armenian literature and archaeology see here and links, plus here, here, and here. Some ancient Jewish literature, notably some of the works of Philo of Alexandria, survive only in Armenian translation.

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Review of Ackerman, Gods, Goddesses, and the Women Who Serve Them

READING ACTS: Susan Ackerman, Gods, Goddesses, and the Women Who Serve Them (Phillip J. Long).

Ackerman, Susan. Gods, Goddesses, and the Women Who Serve Them. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2022. xiii+296 pp. Hb; $59.99

Susan Ackerman is Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Dartmouth. This new book collects ten essays Ackerman has written over the course of her career. Rather than simply reprint the essays, Ackerman has occasionally polished the writing, refined her arguments, and added some additional bibliography. In addition, for most chapters, Ackerman introduces the essay by giving a context for the article and reflecting on the article some years after it was originally published. These introductions are extremely valuable. I wish more authors would add these kinds of updates and personal recollections of the origin of previously published essays.

[...]

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Academic Genealogies of Near Eastern Scholars

THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY: Who Are You? Preliminary Results of the Academic Genealogies of Near Eastern Scholars (AGNES) Project (Rachel Hallote, Diane Harris Cline, and Eric H. Cline).

This project is inwardly facing toward the academic world, but it's fun and informative for us.

I missed this survey, so I am not on any of the charts. But if you are interested, I belong in the generation of Frank Moore Cross's students.

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The Mysterious Nabataeans

NABATEAN (NABATAEAN) WATCH: The Mysterious Nabataeans and the Greek Influence (Matthew Quest, Greek Reporter).

At its peak, Nabataean influence stretched from modern Yemen to Damascus and from western Iraq into the Sinai Desert—at least according to some historians. It is difficult to say how large the area of Nabataean influence really was, as their caravans traveled widely. It is challenging to ascertain the borders of their dominion. Written records left by the Nabataeans are rare and difficult to find, but much has been found—including links to Greco-Roman history and culture.

This is impressively comprehensive for a popular article. It surveys the whole history of the Nabatean Kingdom, as far as we know it, with special attention to connections with the Greek world. It looks substantially accurate, but I have not fact checked it comprehensively.

The Greek Reporter has been doing some good work on ancient history.

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

Eastern Mediterranean Gallery opens at Penn Museum

GALLERY EXHIBITION: New Eastern Mediterranean Gallery opens at the Penn Museum. The completely renovated gallery is the latest in the transformation and modernization of the building that dates to 1899 (Louisa Shepard, Penn Today).

hroughout the gallery are items that range in size and age and purpose, including gems, jewelry, coins, tools, ceramics, figurines of gods, as well as architectural elements such as tops of stone columns, sections of ancient doorways, and portions of a mosaic tile floor. The oldest object dates to 2100 BCE and the most recent to 1800 CE.

[Penn Museum Williams Director Christopher] Woods says that most of the artifacts in the new gallery were excavated by Penn archaeologists, many from the Beth Shean site in Israel in the 1920s and 1930s, which resulted in about 8,000 objects. The Museum has more than a million objects, with a very small percentage on display. “Whenever we can bring those objects out of the storerooms, that's always an exciting endeavor,” Woods says.

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

Mystery amulet from Amastris

NORTHWEST SEMITIC (?) EPIGRAPHY: Unique ancient Egyptian amulet seal discovered during archeological excavations in northern Turkey (ArkeoNews).

During archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Amastris in the Amasra district of northern Turkey’s Bartın, an enchanted amulet stamp seal thought to belong to the ancient Egyptians was discovered.

[...]

“We see that there is a figure depicting the god Bes, whom we know from the Egyptian religion, depicted with incised lines at the base of the work. On the upper part of the work, we see that there are letter characters and talismanic words from the ancient Egyptian religion called demotic. The letter characters on the work probably represent this meaning of protection. As a kind of talismanic object, we can define it as an object that a person wears to be protected from evil and diseases or in whatever sense he wants to be protected. We can say that it is the only example of its kind found from the Roman layer in Anatolia during excavations,” Fatma Bağdatlı Çam said.

I don't know Demotic, so take my view with caution, but the inscription sure looks like Phoenician to me. The Egyptian god Bes was widely known outside of Egypt, so his iconographic presence is not an obstacle to a Phoenician origin. The city is Roman-era and this is the sort of object that could easily travel around.

The object is broken and the inscription is incomplete, but I see גתני. (.gtny) on the front face and .מ (m.) on the left side. (The dots are unreadable bits of broken letter. The letter after the mem could be an ’aleph.) There is not enough text to make any sense of it.

I have looked briefly at Demotic scripts and this looks more like Phoenician to me. It is a formal script. It looks early, certainly long before the Common Era. Again, such objects often became heirlooms and traveled around, so it isn't surprising to have it turn up in a Roman-era stratum.

That's my preliminary assessment, but I await the judgment of specialist epigraphers and am happy to be corrected. Christopher Rollston, call your office?

Cross-file under Phoenician Watch (?).

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The Willoughby Papyrus of John is now at UT

RESCUED FROM EBAY: Rare Papyrus Fragment of the Gospel of John Now at the Harry Ransom Center (UT News).

AUSTIN, Texas — A credit-card-size fragment is all that survives of a manuscript scroll of the Gospel of John that was written in Greek circa A.D. 250-350. Once listed on eBay, it is now in the collection of the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin. It is on view to the public this fall.

Geoffrey S. Smith, an associate professor and director of UT’s Institute for the Study of Antiquity and Christian Origins in the Department of Religious Studies, first saw the eBay listing for the ancient fragment in 2015.

[...]

For background on the Willoughby Papyrus fragment of the Gospel of John, see here and here. I'm glad to hear that it is now in a museum, where it belongs. Now it needs formal publication.

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Review of Hickey & Keenan, Edgar J. Goodspeed: America's first papyrologist

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Edgar J. Goodspeed: America’s first papyrologist.

Todd M. Hickey, James G. Keenan, Edgar J. Goodspeed: America's first papyrologist. California classical studies, 8. Berkeley: California Classical Studies, 2021. Pp. 178. ISBN 9781939926142 $34.95.

Review by
Mills McArthur, Southern Adventist University. millsmcarthur@southern.edu

Edgar Johnson Goodspeed is perhaps best remembered as a pioneering Biblical scholar, a man whose “American translation” of the New Testament provoked lively controversy at the time of its 1923 release. Less widely known—but no less important when assessing his legacy—are Goodspeed’s forays into papyrology in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. ...

For the Goodspeed Manuscript Collection at the University of Chicago, see here.

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

CFP: New Directions in the Study of Rabbinic Texts (EABS)

H-JUDAIC: CFP: New Directions in the Study of Rabbinic Texts (EABS Siracusa/Sicily, July 2023, or hybrid).

Recent years have witnessed significant advances in the research of Rabbinic literature. From the preparation of new critical scientific editions and commentaries of the texts; to the incorporation of methodology from the realm of literary analysis, a greater degree of sophistication is evident in the interpretation of these texts. Significant developments include a closer commitment to exploring the contexts of the rabbinic sources, both within the rabbinic corpus and beyond, the hermeneutic structures of the various compositions; and to probing the interconnectedness between halakhic and aggadic elements in rabbinic sources. Of particular note is the close study of literary phenomena, narratology, topoi, and diverse rhetorical features. This session invites papers that offer innovative readings of rabbinic sources.

Follow the link for submission information. The deadline is 5 January 2023.

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Rabbinics job at JTS

H-JUDAIC: FEATURED JOB: Open Rank Faculty Appointment (Rabbinic Literatures and Cultures), Jewish Theological Seminary.

The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) seeks a scholar and teacher for a tenure-track, open rank faculty appointment in the department of Rabbinic Literatures and Cultures. While the area of specialization within rabbinics is open, the successful candidate will display familiarity with Midrash, Talmud, Halakhah, and Ancient Jewish History. The successful candidate will have an active research agenda and a passion for teaching the varied student body at JTS, which includes undergraduate, graduate, education, rabbinical, and cantorial students. The successful candidate will be supportive of the academic, religious, and communal mission of JTS and willing to participate in the life of the institution. JTS welcomes applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, disability, age, sex, national origin, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other factors as prohibited by law. Scholars from underrepresented populations are especially encouraged to apply as JTS strives to increase the diversity of its faculty to achieve its ethical and religious goals.

This appointment, with an initial term of three years, begins July 1, 2023. Candidates must have their PhD in hand by May 2023.

Follow the link for additional details and application information. The deadline for first consideration is 5 December.

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When Did Judaism Emerge?

HISTORY OF RELIGION: When Did Judaism Emerge? Far Later Than Assumed, New Theory Suggests. Vast review finds no evidence that the Torah laws were commonly observed before the second century B.C.E., says Prof. Yonatan Adler. Not all agree (Ariel David, Haaretz).

A broad review finds no historical or archaeological evidence that the ancient Judeans, whether in the Holy Land or in the diaspora, observed or were even aware of the laws of the Torah until the second century B.C.E., says Yonatan Adler, a professor of archaeology at Ariel University and author of the new book “The Origins of Judaism,” published Tuesday by Yale University Press.

I noted a recent essay by Professor Adler on the same topic here. And this post is also relevant (but cf. here too).

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

Watson & Curtis, Conversations on Canaanite and Biblical Themes (De Gruyter)

NEW BOOK FROM DE GRUYTER:

Conversations on Canaanite and Biblical Themes
Creation, Chaos and Monotheism
Edited by: Rebecca S. Watson and Adrian H. W. Curtis
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110606294

About this book

Arguments over the relationship between Canaanite and Israelite religion often derive from fundamental differences in presupposition, methodology and definition, yet debate typically focuses in on details and encourages polarization between opposing views, inhibiting progress. This volume seeks to initiate a cultural change in scholarly practice by setting up dialogues between pairs of experts in the field who hold contrasting views.

Each pair discusses a clearly defined issue through the lens of a particular biblical passage, responding to each other’s arguments and offering their reflections on the process. Topics range from the apparent application of ‘chaos’ and ‘divine warrior’ symbolism to Yahweh in Habakkuk 3, the evidence for ‘monotheism’ in pre-Exilic Judah in 2 Kings 22–23, and the possible presence of ‘chaos’ or creatio ex nihilo in Genesis 1 and Psalm 74. This approach encourages the recognition of points of agreement as well as differences and exposes some of the underlying issues that inhibit consensus. In doing so, it consolidates much that has been achieved in the past, offers fresh ideas and perspective and, through intense debate, subjects new ideas to thorough critique and suggests avenues for further research.

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

Was Jesus a carpenter?

THE ANXIOUS BENCH: Jesus the Carpenter, and the Search for Biblical Words.

Philip Jenkins addresses this question (the answer is probably yes) with a guided tour of the online resources you can access to explore this and related sorts of original-language questions. Many of those resources do require a knowledge of the Greek alphabet, but not much else.

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

Review of Felle & Ward-Perkins (eds.), Cultic graffiti in the late antique Mediterranean and beyond

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Cultic graffiti in the late antique Mediterranean and beyond.

Antonio E. Felle, Bryan Ward-Perkins, Cultic graffiti in the late antique Mediterranean and beyond. Contextualizing the sacred, 11. Turnhout: Brepols, 2021. Pp. xx, 190. ISBN 9782503593111 €95,00.

Review by
Peter Keegan, Macquarie University. peter.keegan@mq.edu.au

... While attention is briefly paid to Jewish and Islamic devotional texts, the volume focuses in the main on Christian graffiti practices over the period 300-1000 CE across the Mediterranean world, Arabia, and Nubia. ...

Chapter 3, by Leah Di Segni, deals with Jewish devotional graffiti in the Holy Land.

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Ecosystemic collapse at the Timna copper mines?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: How the Timna Mines Went Bust. Iron Age copper mining caused large-scale environmental collapse (Nathan Steinmeyer).

Once again, the spectacular preservation of organic remains in the Timna Valley provides archaeologists with valuable information.

For much more on the Timna Valley excavation and the possible implications of its organic remains, see here and links.

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

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

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

From the Passion to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Memories of Jesus in Place, Pilgrimage, and Early Holy Sites Over the First Three Centuries

Jordan J. Ryan (Author)

Paperback
$39.95 $35.95

Hardback
$115.00 $103.50

Ebook (PDF)
$35.95 $28.76

Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
$35.95 $28.76

Product details

Published Sep 22 2022
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 296
ISBN 9780567697745
Imprint T&T Clark
Illustrations 25 bw illus
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series The Reception of Jesus in the First Three Centuries
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

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

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

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List of best sites for Jerusalem's ancient history

TOURISM: 10 best places to experience Jerusalem’s ancient history. Jerusalem is peppered with fabulous ancient archeological sites that reveal the story and secrets of this most unique city (Marion Fischel, Israel21c).

This is a good list. You will find PaleoJudaica posts on most of the sites (see the search engine).

I didn't know about the "Finger of Og" (the giant). Cool. For posts on Og, see here and links, plus here, here, and here.

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Article: "The Past Decade in Septuagint Research (2012–2021)"

WILLIAM A. ROSS: NEW ARTICLE SURVEYING SEPTUAGINT RESEARCH. I am glad we have this survey, even if less than ideal conditions inspired it (see the post).

It appears to be open access: The Past Decade in Septuagint Research (2012–2021) (William A. Ross, Currents in Biblical Research 21 [2022]).

Abstract
This article overviews the very active past decade in the discipline of Septuagint scholarship, including publications dating from the beginning of 2012 through the end of 2021. It organizes and discusses this activity within numerous categories, beginning with a brief overview of previous disciplinary surveys before moving on to the many new publications that have appeared, including primary texts, commentaries, general introductions, handbooks and companions, and reference works. Further sections give attention to important trends and publications in the main disciplinary journal, as well as in the major conference volumes and series. The second half of the article gives attention to several important areas of development and debate in the discipline, with attention to how it has developed globally over the last ten years. In the course of this discussion, this article, while not exhaustive in scope or coverage, also contributes to the tradition within modern Septuagint scholarship of compiling a bibliography of scholarly publications in the discipline.

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Rollston on the so-called "Hezekiah" inscription

THE ROLLSTON EPIGRAPHY BLOG: Restorations are *not* a Good Foundation for Dramatic Proposals: Reflections on the New, So-called, “Hezekiah” Inscription. Christopher Rollston has a very sensible discussion of this fragment of a Hebrew lapidary (i.e. stone), and presumably monumental, inscription. Excerpt:

Of course, if the question is “could these restorations be correct?,” the answer is yes. But there is a vast difference between suggesting something is “possible” and suggesting it is “probable,” “compelling,” or “certain.” Someone might say, “well, is it plausible?” The answer to that may be yes as well. But there is also a lot of distance between something being “plausible” and something being probable, compelling, or certain.

Background here.

And while we're on the subject, Bible History Daily has republished a 2009 BAR article on the fragment by Hershel Shanks, originally published when it was first announced: Hezekiah’s Monumental Inscription? Revisiting an inscription from the pages of BAR.

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Review of Pioske, Memory in a Time of Prose

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Book Note | Memory in a Time of Prose (Jillian Stinchcomb).

Memory in a Time of Prose: Studies in Epistemology, Hebrew Scribalism, and the Biblical Past by Daniel D. Pioske. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018.

... In this tight, readable book, Pioske weaves together related but distinct studies of scribalism and memory with newly discovered material evidence to give a useful insight into the study of early biblical narratives. ...

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On the Cave of Letters

SPELUNCIC ARCHAEOLOGY: Cave of Letters: Probably the Most Important Cave In Ancient Jewish History (Molly Dowdeswell, Ancient Heritage).

The Cave of Letters is quite literally a cave of secrets. Rediscovered by archaeologists in the 1960s, its contents told of uprisings as well as everyday life in ancient Israel.

What at first appeared to be an unassuming cave located in a cliff face in the Judean desert actually turned out to be a perfectly preserved time capsule, full of letters and documents from the 1st and 2nd centuries. Archaeologists have worked hard to pick apart these letters and the other items found in the cave in order to understand who used the cave and why.

[...]

This essay ably demonstrates the importance of the Cave of Letters for ancient Jewish history. But I am still going with Qumran Cave 4 as the most important.

For PaleoJudaica posts on Richard Freund's work on the Cave of Letters, see here, here, here, and here. For some posts on the Babatha archive, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. And for more on the Cave of Letters, see here and links.

For additional posts on the Bar Kokhba Revolt and the texts and artifacts (mostly coins) associated with it, follow the links collected here, and see also here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and links.

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

Now showing: documentary on the Samaritans

SAMARITAN WATCH: Film shines a spotlight on Israel’s tiny Samaritan community fighting for its future. Trifecta of published book, film that opened Nov. 8 and ongoing exhibit examines how unique people struggle to ensure survival without compromising their unique religious practices (Renee Ghert-Zand, Times of Israel).

A new multi-faceted project by the Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies introduces the Samaritans to a wide and varied audience, and explores how they have managed to survive for millennia despite efforts by conquering powers to erase them. Crucially, the project asks how the Samaritans plan to continue to survive into the future when today they number a mere 862. ...

The Samaritans Project features a book of academic essays, a full-length documentary film, and an exhibition at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC. All three share the same title: “The Samaritans: A Biblical People.” A Samaritan cookbook and artworks created through a collaboration with the Jewish Art Salon are also part of the project.

For more on the project and its various elements, see here and links.

Cross-file under Cinema.

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A Canaanite inscription on a lice comb from Lachish

NORTHWEST SEMITIC EPIGRAPHY: Israeli Archaeologists Find First Whole Sentence Written in Canaanite. On a Lice Comb. The earliest sentence found in Israel petitions the gods, but not to rain down good fortune or extirpate the foe (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

Found in 2017 in the biblical city of Lachish, the artifact joins the pantheon of ancient combs assumed to be for lice that have been found up and down the Holy Land. But this one is different.

This one bears the earliest sentence ever found in Israel, seven words in the world’s first alphabet, archaic proto-Canaanite: “May this tusk root out the lice of the hair and the beard.”

The object was found in a scientific excavation. And epigrapher Christopher Rollston says the inscription is real. It looks like this is the real deal.

This is an important discovery. Also, Eww.

UPDATE: Amanda Borschel-Dan has a characteristically thorough article on the comb and inscription: Ivory lice comb – a dating head-scratcher – may hold earliest Canaanite sentence. With a paucity of contemporary Bronze Age examples for comparison, scholars believe relatable 7-word inscription is first recorded complete proto-Canaanite sentence in Holy Land (Times of Israel).

Among the extras in the article is the story of how "the world has a camera thief to thank for this discovery" (of the inscription).

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A tunnel to Cleopatra's tomb? Maybe.

EGYPTIAN ARCHAEOLGYArcheologists hope tunnel under Egyptian temple leads to long-lost tomb of Cleopatra. Uncovered tunnel, located more than 13 meters underground, has been described by Egyptian authorities as a ‘geometric miracle’ (Tobias Siegal, Times of Israel).

Archeologists in Egypt have uncovered a vast underground tunnel near the city of Alexandria, and hope it may lead them to the long-lost tomb of Egypt’s last pharaoh and possibly its most famous ruler, Queen Cleopatra VII.

This sounds like the logline for a new Mummy movie.

Be that as it may, I hope something interesting comes of the the discovery. Presumably the tunnel was built to lead to something.

For PaleoJudaica posts on Queen Cleopatra VII (the Cleopatra) and on the excavation at Taposiris Magna, start here and follow the links.

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

Review of Whitacre, A grammar of New Testament Greek

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: A grammar of New Testament Greek.

Rodney A. Whitacre, A grammar of New Testament Greek. Eerdmans language resources. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2021. Pp. 522. ISBN 9780802879271 $49.99.

Review by
Erich Merkel, University of Virginia. em7ec@virginia.edu

It is worth emphasizing at the beginning what this book is not. It is not, on the one hand, an exhaustive reference grammar of Koine Greek. Nor, on the other, is it an introductory textbook. It rather occupies a somewhat ambiguous middle position, that of a “pedagogical grammar” aimed at beginning and intermediate students, and intended both for “occasional reference” as well as “reading through” from cover to cover (ix). Its stated purpose is to help beginner-intermediate students to read the Greek of the New Testament (ix-x). To a lesser degree it also covers Koine Greek generally; but its aim and its focus are narrowly tailored to reading and interpreting the NT. ...

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Perrin, Horizons of Ancestral Inheritance (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Horizons of Ancestral Inheritance

Commentary on the Levi, Qahat, and Amram Qumran Aramaic Traditions

Andrew B. Perrin (Author)

Hardback
$115.00 $103.50

Ebook (PDF)
$103.50 $82.80

Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
$103.50 $82.80

Product details

Published Jul 14 2022
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 272
ISBN 9780567705433
Imprint T&T Clark
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series The Library of Second Temple Studies
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

In this study of the Aramaic materials at Qumran, Andrew B. Perrin examines the Aramaic Levi Document, Words of Qahat, and Visions of Amram, showing how they exhibit a concentration of priestly concerns/knowledge and exploring new models for evaluating their potential textual or traditional connections. The Aramaic texts among the Dead Sea Scrolls are among the most understudied items in the Qumran collection, and with open questions posed around their origins, transmission, and reception in and beyond the Second Temple period, these writings provide both new materials and fresh insight into the thought, identity, and practice of ancient Judaism.

Perrin's analysis includes a new transcription, critical notes, and translation of the Aramaic Levi, Qahat, and Amram fragments based upon the latest digital images. He pairs them with a comprehensive commentary on the conceptual elements, codicological features, and cultural contexts of the materials, and he concludes with a fresh synthesis regarding the textual formation of these Aramaic, priestly pseudepigrapha as a “constellation” of texts within a larger world or scribal-priestly activity and traditions.

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Lehman on the Temple in b. Yoma

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Author’s Musings: Bringing Down the Temple House.

Author’s Musings
Bringing Down the Temple House: Engendering Tractate Yoma (Brandeis University Press)
Marjorie Lehman
Professor and Chair of Rabbinic Literatures and Cultures
Jewish Theological Seminary of America

Cross-file under Talmud Watch.

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

Which tree did Eve and Adam eat from?

WAIT, WHAT? What Really Happened in the Garden of Eden (Jack Sasson, TheTorah.com).

The primordial man and woman may believe they ate from the Tree of Knowledge, but they actually ate from the Life-Giving Tree. This causes a chain reaction leading to the emergence of sexuality, procreation, and continuity for the human species.

Raises some interesting points that I had never thought about, notably the woman's apparent confusion over which tree was forbidden. But I think that to say that they ate from the tree of life goes against the grain of the narrative. For example, in 3:22 God expresses worry that the humans will eat "also" from the tree of life, which implies they had eaten from the other tree. That said, it is hard to make all the details in the story fit together.

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

Exhibition: "First Fragments" at the Chester Beatty

VARIANT READINGS: First Fragments at the Chester Beatty. Brent Nongbri draws our attention to a new manuscript exhibition. M

I am please to note that the Greek “Chester Beatty Biblical Papyri” include not only New Testament and Old Testament LXX manuscripts, but also Apocrypha (at least Susanna and Ecclesiasticus) and Pseudepigrapha (Epistle of Enoch and Apocryphon of Ezekiel).

For PaleoJudaica posts on the Chester Beatty (Library), start here and follow the links.

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

Review of Heger, Institutionalized Routine Prayers at Qumran

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Book Note | Institutionalized Routine Prayers at Qumran: Fact or Assumption? (Patrick Angiolillo).

Paul Heger, Institutionalized Routine Prayers at Qumran: Fact or Assumption? Posthumously edited by Bernard M. Levinson. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2019.

... In other words, perhaps the “intrinsic distinction between the various approaches to God” (p. 41) that Heger insists is necessary to understanding ancient Jewish prayer on its own terms is not so intrinsic, after all. It therefore remains to be seen whether we can produce a functional “grammar” or uncover a “native theory” of prayer in ancient Judaism, but Heger’s study, by pushing to apply strict definitions to the terms we employ in describing ancient Jewish prayer, invites us to think about what consensuses we should revisit in order to achieve such a goal, while also displaying for us the potential shortcomings in any scholarly attempt to taxonomize ancient literature.

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

Biblical Studies Carnival 200

ZWINGLIUS REDIVIVUS: The 200th Biblical Studies Carnival Extravaganza!!!!!!!!!!!!. Jim West posts an unusually comprehensive carnival, with links to other social media etc. besides blogs.

Meanwhile, Phil Long, the organizer of the carnival, laments the lack of interest in hosting it. He also comments on recent trends in social media platforms and content presentation. If you are interested in hosting a carnival, do drop Phil a note.

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

A monumental inscription of King Hezekiah?

HEBREW EPIGRAPHY: Possible Monumental Inscription with Hezekiah’s Name (Luke Chandler). HT Todd Bolen at the Bible Places Blog.

Could be. This is not an entirely new story. I noted the fragment as possibly mentioning Hezekiah's name (badly damaged, of course) back in 2009. See here and here. I don't think I knew about the other fragment, discovered by Shiloh in 1978.

The fragments are tantalizingly ambiguous and may or may not belong to the same inscription. The angel Lacunael has been at work here.

It does look plausible that we are dealing with one or two monumental lapidary inscriptions. Those were expensive to produce. It seems likely they came from some official, possibly royal, source. But it is difficult to say more unless we find more fragments.

For more on the Hezekiah bulla, see here and links. For more on the Siloam Tunnel Inscription, see here and many links.

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

Review of Noga-Banai, Sacred Stimulus: Jerusalem in the Visual Christianization of Rome

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Sacred Stimulus: Jerusalem in the Visual Christianization of Rome (Ian Kinman).

Galit Noga-Banai. Sacred Stimulus: Jerusalem in the Visual Christianization of Rome. Oxford University Press, 2018.

... Noga-Banai structures her study around repeated journeys between Jerusalem and Rome from the first through fifth centuries, tracing a period from subtle to increasingly assured visual appropriation of memories and tropes, culminating in a self-assured and assertive Rome confident in its identity as the perceived historical center of the Christian movement. ...

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

Msgr. John P. Meier, 1942-2022

SAD NEWS: New York Priest, Msgr. John Meier, Dies; Wrote ‘A Marginal Jew’ (The Tablet). Msgr. Meier passed away earlier this month.

You can also find a New York Times obituary, but it is behind a subscription wall. His Wikipedia page is here.

Requiescat in pace.

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

Column base excavated near Mount Hermon

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE: Roman-era column base discovered near Mount Hermon (i24 News).

In Roman times, columns were generally used to support buildings. However, the enormous dimensions of the one discovered at the foot of the Hermon meant that it had to serve as support for a structure much larger than a conventional building.

The fact that the remains of walls were found near the column supports this hypothesis.

Inside the walls, archaeologists found flowers, a clay candle, and ancient tools. Researchers believe it may have been a flour mill or other agricultural facility

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

Indexing MTNA3 (with a note on MOTP2)

THE APOCRYPHYCITY BLOG: On Indexing More New Testament Apocrypha vol. 3. Tony Burke reports on MNTA3 and shares his experience with indexing it.

This is my tenth go round at indexing and I have the process down to a science. It is surprisingly old-school. You would think that some electronic search and organization process would get the job done in no time, but as my publisher’s Guide to Preparing Indexes states, “There really is no substitute for rereading the whole work and preparing an index yourself.” Still, I have been able to create a few shortcuts.

We look forward to the next MTNA volume.

As an aside, many readers will be wondering what has become of More Old Testament Pseudepigrapha volume 2 (MOTP2).

The volume is well advanced. Most contributions are in. I have a semester of research leave starting in January to finish editing the book. All going well, it will be heading to the publisher by late in 2023.

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

Review of Clark, Melania the Younger

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Melania the Younger: from Rome to Jerusalem.

Elizabeth A. Clark, Melania the Younger: from Rome to Jerusalem. Women in antiquity. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2021. Pp. 304. ISBN 9780190888237 $29.95.

Review by
Joseph Reisdoerfer, Institut grand-ducal, Section de Linguistique. reisdoe@gmail.com

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

Review of Hope & Bowen, Kellis

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Kellis: a Roman-period village in Egypt’s Dakhleh Oasis

Colin A. Hope, Gillian E. Bowen, Kellis: a Roman-period village in Egypt's Dakhleh Oasis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022. Pp. 400. ISBN 9780521190329 £105,00.

Review by
Robert J. Littman, University of Hawai'i at Manoa. littman@hawaii.edu

... The neglected site of Kellis, a village in the Dakhleh Oasis in the Western Desert, dating from the first to the fourth centuries CE, has proven to be a treasure trove of data and artifacts about Roman Egypt. ...

For PaleoJudaica posts on the important site of Kellis, see here and links. Cross-file under Coptic Watch.

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

Ancient material culture for blind scholars

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Accessing the Ancient Mediterranean Studies Classroom (Daniel C. Smith).

“I don’t think material culture has anything for you,” said a senior scholar to me, a blind student in my first semester of a Master’s program. “You’d be better off sticking to texts.” The comment was offered in response to my request for a letter of recommendation for an archaeological grant regularly awarded to students at the institution and, while certainly not offered in malice, this feedback constricted my scholarly imagination—my sense of what questions and methods I could pursue—for years.

[...]

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Review of the Aleppo Synagogue exhibition

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Step into the Aleppo Synagogue. VR exhibit displays a lost wonder on the verge of its destruction (Nathan Steinmeyer).

Step into the great Aleppo Synagogue, one of the most important synagogues in the world and home to the oldest Hebrew Bible in existence, the Aleppo Codex. At least, that was how the Aleppo Synagogue would have been described before its destruction in 1947. Now an incredible virtual reality experience is bringing this lost wonder back to life.

[...]

PaleoJudaica posts on this exhibition are here and here. Follow the links from there for many posts on the Aleppo Codex of the Hebrew Bible.

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

Retellable Gilgamesh?

THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY: Prismatic Gilgamesh (Sophus Helle).

Faced with this abundance of versions, I find myself asking two questions. One: What is it about Gilgamesh’s story that renders it so endlessly retellable? And two: How might a would-be translator (or playwright or composer or painter or filmmaker) contribute to this already impressive lineage? I will argue that the answer to the first question provides us with an immediate answer to the second.

For many PaleoJudaic posts on Gilgamesh, his Epic, and his importance for the study of ancient Judaism, see here and links, here, and here and links

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

Wetzel, Violence and Divine Victory in the Book of Esther (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Thomas Wetzel. Violence and Divine Victory in the Book of Esther. 2022. IX, 198 pages. Forschungen zum Alten Testament 2. Reihe 136.74,00 € including VAT. sewn paper ISBN 978-3-16-160660-1.

Published in English.
Thomas Wetzel offers a new way to understand the violence and religious absence long emphasized in readings of the Hebrew version of the Esther story. By tracing the vestiges of Jewish liturgical activity described in the story as well as the story's reliance on the tradition of the Divine Combat myth, the author uncovers a profound, yet intentionally hidden, religious sensibility within the story's narrative world. These connections link the Esther story to the great acts of deliverance in the larger biblical tradition, but also bring into sharp focus the biblical view that Israel's survival and sometimes violent deliverance remain the definitive sign of the Lord's ongoing and active presence in creation. The author's conclusion suggests that this understanding has profound implications for Jewish-Christian dialogue and for the future existence and practice of the two communities.

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Hybrid event: Were Ezra and Nehemiah Real People?

PLANET PRINCETON: Were Ezra and Nehemiah Real People? A lecture by Dr Mark Leuchter on Monday 14 November 2022 in person and on Zoom. Follow the link for details and registration information.

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

Paleomagnetic archaeology

TECHNOLOGY WATCH: Archaeologists Reconstruct Biblical Conflicts Using Earth’s Magnetic Field. Israel is full of ancient ruins, but who destroyed what and when? Earth’s magnetic field is helping researchers identify remains of wars described in the Bible (Ariel David, Haaretz).

Questions over the dating of ancient sites in the Levant are not purely academic. They lie at the heart of the longstanding debate over fact and fiction in the Bible.

Now a new scientific technique based on information from the Earth’s ever-changing magnetic field is helping archaeologists date their finds and reconstruct biblical conflicts that occurred in the Iron Age – that is the period that goes from the 12th to the sixth century B.C.E. and spans the rise and fall of the biblical kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

For more on the the use of archaeomagnetic dating in Israel, see here.

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

The kibbutz as an unexpected influence

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Unexpected Influences with Mira Balberg.

... The first time I saw kibbutz regulations (takanonim) from the 20th century, I was astounded by their similarity to the Mishnah in terms of their ambition to cover every aspect of everyday life and every possible scenario. ...

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

The Bruriah Episode: Talmudic apocrypha? Rashi apocrypha?

TALMUD WATCH: The Mysterious Bruriah Episode (Eitam Henkin).

An excerpt from the work of Eitam Henkin, a brilliant doctoral student who was murdered by terrorists in front of his four young children

This article is a reprinted chapter of his book, Studies in Halakhah and Rabbinic History (Koren, 2022). Excerpt:

Despite our dismissal of the aforementioned claims, the reliability of the Bruriah Episode is worthy of clarification. Rashi’s source is unknown to us. The story does not appear anywhere in Talmudic literature, it is not mentioned in Ge’onic writings, nor do we find even a single mention of it in the period of the Rishonim, except for Rashi (and, in his wake, Menorat HaMa’or and Maharil, as we shall presently see). The story is singular and improbable, casting two exceptional Talmudic figures in a most problematic light.

For a review of the book see What the Straus Center Is Reading — Studies in Halakhah and Rabbinic History (Stu Halpern, YU News).

Mosaic also has a 2020 essay by David Wolpe on the Bruriah tradition: The Woman Who Earned a Place Alongside the Rabbis of the Talmud. Bruriah is the only female cited repeatedly as a religious authority, and rarely shown in the roles the Talmud generally associates with women. Who was she?

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

Arab Archaeologists in Israel

ARCHAEOLOGY AND ARCHAEOLOGISTS: The Groundbreaking Work of Arab Archeologists in Israel. Over the years, Arabs who sought to work as archaeologists were looked on with suspicion by Jews and Arabs alike. Haaretz speaks with pioneers in the field about their challenges and achievements (Nir Hasson, Haaretz).

Fortunately for the first generation of Arab archaeologists in Israel, the early ‘90s brought two developments which significantly influenced the field: In 1990, the Israel Antiquities Authority was established, replacing the Antiquities Department that had operated as a small department within the Education Ministry. This coincided with a construction boom all over the country thanks to the need to house the hundreds of thousands of immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

Archaeological remains were discovered at many construction sites, and there was great demand for archaeologists to supervise rescue excavations – digs conducted in advance of construction or development. Many of the students who completed their bachelor’s degree in archaeology at the time were hired by the Israel Antiquities Authority. Some of them advanced to senior positions.

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

Symposium in memory of Shaul Shaked

UPCOMING CONFERENCE: Yahwism under the Achaemenid Empire. Prof. Shaul Shaked in memoriam. University of Haifa @ Hadarim center | 20-22.12.2022.

This three-day international symposium—in memory of the late Prof. Shaul Shaked—is dedicated to the study of the touch-points between diverse Yahwistic communities throughout the Achaemenid empire and the Iranian attributes of the empire that ruled over them for about two centuries. This is arguably the most formative period in the development, redaction and composition of some of the most central texts within the Jewish (and, by extension, Christian) heritage. However, there has historically been too little dialogue between scholars of Achaemenid history and linguistics and those of Jewish history, Bible scholarship, archeology and Semitics.

To respond to these lacunae, the conference’s approach is fundamentally interdisciplinary. It brings together scholars of Achaemenid history, literature and religion, Iranian linguistics, historians of the Ancient Near East, archeologists, biblical scholars and Semiticists.

Follow the link for the presentation schedule and registration information. This conference appears to be on-site only.

For more on the late Professor Shaul Shaked, see here and links, plus here.

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PROVERBS, QOHELETH, AND SONG OF SONGS ACCORDING TO THE SYRIAC PESHITTA VERSION WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION (Gorgias)

NEW BOOK FROM GORGIAS PRESS:

PROVERBS, QOHELETH, AND SONG OF SONGS ACCORDING TO THE SYRIAC PESHITTA VERSION WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION
English Translation by Robert J. Owens; Text Prepared by George Anton Kiraz & Joseph Bali

This volume is part of a series of English translations of the Syriac Peshitta along with the Syriac text carried out by an international team of scholars.

Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC
Availability: In stock
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-4632-3911-4

Formats Cloth

Publication Status: In Print
Series: Surath Kthob
Publication Date: Aug 23,2022
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 7 x 10
Page Count: 368
Languages: English, Syriac
ISBN: 978-1-4632-3911-4

$150.00

OVERVIEW

This volume is part of a series of English translations of the Syriac Peshitta along with the Syriac text carried out by an international team of scholars. Owens has translated the text, while Kiraz has prepared the Syriac text in the west Syriac script, fully vocalized and pointed. The translation and the Syriac text are presented on facing pages so that both can be studied together. All readers are catered for: those wanting to read the text in English, those wanting to improve their grasp of Syriac by reading the original language along with a translation, and those wanting to focus on a fully vocalized Syriac text.

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On ancient South Arabian wooden inscriptions

THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY: Carved, Signed, Crossed Out – Documents on Wooden Sticks from Ancient South Arabia (Peter Stein).

Legal contracts carved on palm-leaf stalks, correspondence laid down on cigar-shaped sticks? The mode of writing used in Ancient South Arabia, the legendary realm of the Queen of Sheba, was especially unique. The Sabaeans and their neighbours did not write on common materials such as leather or papyrus but rather on something surprisingly simple: branches of fresh wood just cut off the tree.

[...]

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Review of Doak, Ancient Israel’s Neighbors

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Review: Ancient Israel’s Neighbors.

Ancient Israel’s Neighbors
By Brian R. Doak
(Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2020), x + 212 pp., 24 figures (maps and drawings), $99.00 (hardcover); $24.95 (paperback); $17.99 (ebook).
Reviewed by Ann E. Killebrew

During the past 30 years, several multi-author volumes have addressed peoples of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) from the broader ancient Near East.1 Brian Doak’s book is different in that it is authored by a single scholar (hence more cohesive) and focuses on Israel’s immediate neighbors. These include the Canaanites, Arameans, Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, Philistines, and Phoenicians, presented in separate chapters according to the chronological order in which they appear in the Hebrew Bible.

[...]

I noted the publication of the book here.

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

Review of Kowalewska, Bathhouses in Iudaea, Syria-Palaestina and Provincia Arabia from Herod the Great to the Umayyads

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Bathhouses in Iudaea, Syria-Palaestina and Provincia Arabia from Herod the Great to the Umayyads.

Arleta Kowalewska, Bathhouses in Iudaea, Syria-Palaestina and Provincia Arabia from Herod the Great to the Umayyads. Oxford: Oxbow, 2021. Pp. 176. ISBN 9781789256574 $60.00.

Review by
Stefanie Hoss, University of Cologne. shoss0@uni-koeln.de

... The book under review analyses the development of bathhouses in the Near East, focusing on the architectural history of the buildings (building, rebuilding or disuse of rooms), their technical installations (hypocaust, water installations) and the various embellishments (marble incrustations, mosaics, wall painting) of the architecture. ...

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Review of Robinson, A Kabbalist in Montreal

GOLEM WATCH: The Golem of Montreal (Allan Nadler, Jewish Review of Books).

A Kabbalist in Montreal: The Life and Times of Rabbi Yudel Rosenberg
Ira Robinson

Touro University Press
314 pp., $119

... The sixteenth-century “Golem of Prague,” the giant human-shaped lump of clay who was mystically activated by the Maharal every week to defend the Jews and then deactivated every Shabbat, was not really created until the early twentieth century—and even then only on paper, in a book of tales culled from imaginary manuscripts by the most prolific rabbinic plagiarizer of the modern era.

Ira Robinson’s new biography paints a rich and extensively researched portrait of Yudel Rosenberg, the deeply learned but highly eccentric chief rabbi of Montreal, who moonlighted as a faith healer, magical amulet salesman, oracle, halakhic innovator, Hasidic storyteller, and the most aggressively enterprising kosher chicken slaughterhouse supervisor in Canadian Jewish history.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the golem tradition, start here and follow the links. Despite the relatively recent origin of the Golem of Prague, the concept of the golem developed out of ideas in the Talmud.

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Review of the BL Alexander the Great Exhibition

I DON'T THINK HE LIKED IT: Alexander the Great review – cultural treasures reduced to the status of comics (Jonathan Jones, The Guardian).

British Library, London
This infuriating show shoves Scrooge McDuck next to Plutarch in a postmodern take on history which seems to forget that the Macedonian warlord was a real, live person

I noted the coming of this exhibition here. It opens tomorrow. For many PaleoJudaica posts on Alexander and his connection with ancient Jewish traditions, notably in the Alexander Romance, follow the links from there.

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

Job: History of Ancient Mediterranean World at North Carolina State

H-JUDAIC: FEATURED JOB: Assistant Professor - History of Ancient Mediterranean World, North Carolina State University.

The Department of History at North Carolina State University invites applicants for a tenure track appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor in the history of the Ancient Mediterranean World, beginning August 2023. We seek to identify a candidate who has strong promise as a scholar and teacher and whose research engages with the period from c. 1000 BCE to 600 CE.

Follow the link for further particulars. Review of applications begins on 1 November 2022.

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

Lost astronomy recovered in a Syriac palimpsest

TECHNOLOGY WATCH: First known map of night sky found hidden in Medieval parchment. Fabled star catalogue by ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus had been feared lost (Jo Marchant, Nature).

The manuscript came from the Greek Orthodox St Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, but most of its 146 leaves, or folios, are now owned by the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC. The pages contain the Codex Climaci Rescriptus, a collection of Syriac texts written in the tenth or eleventh centuries. But the codex is a palimpsest: parchment that was scraped clean of older text by the scribe so that it could be reused.

The older writing was thought to contain further Christian texts and, in 2012, biblical scholar Peter Williams at the University of Cambridge, UK, asked his students to study the pages as a summer project. One of them, Jamie Klair, unexpectedly spotted a passage in Greek often attributed to the astronomer Eratosthenes. In 2017, the pages were re-analysed using state-of-the-art multispectral imaging. Researchers at the Early Manuscripts Electronic Library in Rolling Hills Estates, California, and the University of Rochester in New York took 42 photographs of each page in varying wavelengths of light, and used computer algorithms to search for combinations of frequencies that enhanced the hidden text.

For the recovery of the Erastosthenes material in 2017, see here. For other PaleoJudaica posts on the Codex Climaci Rescriptus, see here and here and links.

Cross-file unde Syriac Watch, Palimpsests, Algorithm Watch, and Lost Books.

UPDATE: The underlying article in the Journal for the History of Astronomy is accesible for free: New evidence for Hipparchus’ Star Catalogue revealed by multispectral imaging.

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

Battle of Zama anniversary

PUNIC WATCH: Today is the (traditional, but perhaps approximate) anniversary of the Battle of Zama (202 BCE), in which the Roman general Scipio Africanus decisively defeated Hannibal Barca's army, ending the Second Punic War.

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

Ancient Judaism & RS job at USC

H-JUDAIC: FEATURED JOB: Open Rank Professor of Ancient Judaism and Religious Studies, University of Southern California.

The school of religion at the University of Southern California invites applications and nominations for a position in ancient Judaism, to begin in the fall semester of 2023. Rank is open to assistant professor, associate professor and full professor candidates. We seek candidates who can teach broadly across Jewish Studies and Religious Studies at the undergraduate and graduate levels. We conceive of ancient Judaism broadly, from the biblical through the late ancient period.

Follow the link for further particulars and application information. The deadline for first consideration of applications is 15 November 2022.

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

AI handwriting analysis of DSS and papyri

ALGORITHM WATCH: Ancient world's multicultural secrets revealed by handwriting analysis of scrolls ( Ethan Bilby, PhysOrg).

The story deals with a Dead Sea Scroll of the Book of Isaiah and with papyri from Roman-era Egypt.

For more on the AI work on the Isaiah Scroll, see here.

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

Hebrew Bible job at University of Pennsylvania

H-JUDAIC: FEATURED JOB: Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible/Ancient Israelite Culture, University of Pennsylvania.

The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC) in the School of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Hebrew Bible and ancient Israelite history and culture. We seek candidates who demonstrate a broad knowledge of relevant Near Eastern contexts of the Bible and of post-biblical interpretive traditions; proficiency in relevant research languages; and promise of excellence in research and teaching. We also seek candidates who will play an active role in the life of the department and in Penn’s Jewish Studies Program.

Follow the link for further particulars and application information. Review of applications begins on 1 November 2022.

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

When Did Jews Start Observing Torah?

PROF. YONATAN ADLER: When Did Jews Start Observing Torah? (TheTorah.com).

By the 1st century C.E., observance of Torah laws is abundantly evident in Judean society. But how far back does this widespread observance go?

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

Quick & Ramos (eds.), New Perspectives on Ritual in the Biblical World (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

New Perspectives on Ritual in the Biblical World

Laura Quick (Anthology Editor), Melissa Ramos (Anthology Editor)

Hardback $115.00 $103.50

Ebook (PDF) $103.50 $82.80

Product details

Published Jul 14 2022
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 296
ISBN 9780567693372
Imprint T&T Clark
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

This volume presents a range of methodologically innovative treatments on ritual action in the Hebrew Bible. They treat a diverse range of ritual phenomena, including space, blessings and oath-taking, from the world of ancient Israel and Judah.

The introduction engages with the dominant scholarly models drawn from ritual theory, and the volume explores their applicability to ancient textual material such as the Hebrew Bible. The chapters reflect high-level specialized engagement with specific ritual phenomena through the lens of appropriate theoretical and methodological approaches.

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Shemeni Atzeret and Simchat Torah 2022

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. Biblical etc. links are here.

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

Reading, Writing, and Bookish Circles in the Ancient Mediterranean (Bloomsbury)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY:

Reading, Writing, and Bookish Circles in the Ancient Mediterranean

Jonathan D.H. Norton (Anthology Editor), Garrick Allen (Anthology Editor), Lindsey A. Askin (Anthology Editor)

Hardback $115.00 $103.50

Ebook (PDF) $103.50 $82.80

Ebook (Epub & Mobi) $103.50 $82.80

Product details

Published Jul 28 2022
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 272
ISBN 9781350265028
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series Education, Literary Culture, and Religious Practice in the Ancient World
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

By integrating conversations across disciplines, especially focusing on classical studies and Jewish and Christian studies, this volume addresses several imbalances in scholarship on reading and textual activity in the ancient Mediterranean. Contributors intentionally place Jewish, Christian, Roman, Greek and other reading circles back into their encompassing historical context, avoiding subdivisions along modern subject lines, divisions still bearing marks of cultural and ideological interests.

In their examination, contributors avoid dwelling upon traditional methodological debates over orality vs. literacy and social classifications of literacy, instead turning their attention to the social-historical: groups of people, circles and networks, strata and class, scribal culture, material culture, epigraphic and papyrological evidence, functions and types of literacy and the social relationships that all of these entail. Overall, the volume contributes to an emerging and important interdisciplinary collaboration between specialists in ancient literacy, encouraging future discussion between two currently divided fields.

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The Oxford Oxyrhynchus papyri online

THE AWOL BLOG: The Oxyrhynchus Papyri Database.

This database presents digitised images of the published papyri belonging to the Egypt Exploration Society and housed in the Sackler Library at Oxford. The collection comprises thousands of texts on papyrus and parchment and is the largest of its kind in the world. It includes principally literary, documentary, and other texts in Greek, dating from the second century BCE to the seventh century CE; other languages represented include Latin, Demotic, and Coptic. Most of the papyri come from excavations conducted at the site of Oxyrhynchus (modern Behnesa) by Oxford classicists Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt in 1896–1907 on behalf of the Egypt Exploration Fund (now Society). Since then, scholars have worked continuously to catalogue, decipher, and publish this material.

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 and just follow those links. For the missing Oxyrhynchus papyri scandal, see here and links. Cross-file under Oxyrhynchus Watch.

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Intensive agriculture in the Byzantine-era Negev

ARCHAEOLOGY: Making the Negev Bloom: The Byzantines Did It First. Archaeological survey finds not the odd isolated farm but intense agriculture in Israel’s Negev desert in the Byzantine period, between the 2nd and 6th centuries (Nir Hasson, Haaretz).

The archaeologists behind the survey hoped for insight into two questions about the Byzantine Negev. How did the arid southern desert became so prosperous back then? And why did the good times end?

A long and informative article on the survey.

For PaleoJudaica posts on the recent archaeology of the late-antique Negev, see the links collected here, plus here and here. For a couple of important, slightly later discoveries in the region, see here.

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

Update on the Phoenicia's Atlantic voyage

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Phoenicians Sailing to the New World. Did Phoenicians beat Christopher Columbus to the Americas by thousands of years? (Jonathan Laden).

I noted this BHD essay back in October of 2019. It dealt with a new expedition of the Good Ship Phoenicia in the direction of the Americas to try to establish that such a voyage was possible in an ancient Phoenician ship.

I had not heard the result of the expedition until now. The updated essay reports:

The Phoenicia, after 39 days at sea, did in fact reach the Dominican Republic on December 31st, 2019. Even if the actual Phoenicians never reached the Americas, the journey demonstrates their impressive boat-building skills, and their capability to have done so. There is good reason they were famous mariners.

Follow the link above for background on this story, the earlier voyage of the Phoenicia around Africa, and the whole question of whether the Phoenicians reached the New World.

The short answer to the question is, their boats were physically capable of making the journey. It is possible that they did. But there is no positive evidence that they ever got that far. Supposed Phoenician (and ancient Hebrew) inscriptions in the New World have not been credibly authenticated.

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Macatangay & Ruiz-Ortiz (eds.), Ben Sira in Conversation with Traditions (De Gruyter)

NEW BOOK FROM DE GRUYTER:

Ben Sira in Conversation with Traditions
A Festschrift for Prof. Núria Calduch-Benages on the Occasion of Her 65th Birthday

Edited by: Francis M. Macatangay and Francisco-Javier Ruiz-Ortiz
Together with: Renate Egger-Wenzel

Volume 47 in the series Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature Studies
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110762181

PDF £100.00

Hardcover £100.00

eBook
Published: August 1, 2022
ISBN: 9783110762181

Hardcover
Published: August 1, 2022
ISBN: 9783110761979

About this book

This volume of essays on Ben Sira is a Festschrift on the occasion of the 65th birthday of Prof. Nuria Calduch-Benages.

The volume gathers the latest studies on Ben Sira's relationship with other Jewish traditions. With a variety of methods and approaches, the volume explores Ben Sira's interpretation of received traditions, his views on the prevailing issues of his time, and the subsequent reception of his work.

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Revival of the Coptic language?

COPTIC WATCH: Preserving the Coptic Language. Many Egyptians are trying to revive the lingual link to their past (Lydia Wilson, New Lines Magazine).

From the hieroglyphs on the walls of tombs to the Greek letters on a keyboard today, the language of Egypt has survived — just — through millennia, expressing different belief systems and cultural norms, written in many different scripts. It has mostly endured through the Coptic Church, with its services, prayers and Sunday school lessons. But there is no doubt — as seen in Maurice’s home — that it can be used for everyday life. Whether it flourishes in this living form is down to a fringe group but one that hopes to spread the word, literally.

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Frankfurter interview on ancient magic

THE COPTIC MAGIC PAPYRI BLOG: Podcast #12: Talking Ancient Magic with David Frankfurter.

In this episode, the well-known scholar of ancient Mediterranean religion David Frankfurter not only introduces the into the basic questions concerning magic in the ancient world, but also shares his memories of magic studies during their revival in the 1990’s. David Frankfurter specializes in Jewish and Christian apocalyptic literature, magical texts, popular religion, and Egypt in the Roman and late antique periods. ...

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Revival of the Hakhel ceremony?

FOR SUKKOT: The ancient Jewish practice of hakhel, an every-7-years gathering, gets a 21st-century revival (Jackie Hajdenberg).

(JTA) — Every seven years, in ancient times, Jewish men, women, and children would gather at the Temple on the first day of Sukkot to hear the king of Jerusalem read aloud from the Torah.

In 2022, there’s no king and no Temple, and more than half of all Jews live far from Jerusalem — but the ritual is still inspiring Jews around the world to gather together. In fact, the tradition, known as hakhel, appears to be seeing a resurgence of popular interest.

[...]

This article focuses on the contemporary situation and is vague about the historical background. Our information about the ancient Hakhel ("Assemble!" - imperative verb) ceremony comes from Deuteronomy 31:9-12 and Mishnah Sotah 7.8.

I noted an essay on the Hakhel ceremony by Aaron Demsky in TheTorah.com here. Another, by Marc Zvi Brettler, is here.

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Harland et al., website on Ethnic Relations and Migration in the Ancient World

PHILIP HARLAND: Ethnic Relations and Migration in the Ancient World. Another useful website/blog by Professor Philip A. Harland (and collaborators), this one drawn to my attention by David Meadows at Rogue Classicism. I have mentioned it long ago under another name. I am happy to see it is still thriving. It is now added to my blogroll.

“Ethnographic culture,” as we intend it, moves beyond the idea of “ethnography” as a Greek and Roman literary genre describing non-Greek and non-Roman peoples (“barbarians”). Instead, ethnographic culture refers to the ways in which the classification and description of “other peoples” was an active imagination that played out in large-scale and small-scale ways across societies, in local social interactions, and in connection with diasporic communities of immigrants. Judeans (Jews) and Jesus adherents (Christians) were very much a part of this larger sphere of ethnic encounters, so they have a place here too as instances of minorities (see especially categories 1 and 5).

This website then combines literary, epigraphic, and visual data in order to aid students and researchers in a fuller understanding of ethnographic culture. It also facilitates the reconstruction of minoritized ethnic groups spread across time (from the fifth century BCE to the sixth century CE) and geography (across the Mediterranean and near east).

There are many posts on matters of interest to PaleoJudaica.

Some PaleoJudacia posts on Professor Harland's books and websites are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

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

Sukkot Temple pilgrimage in antiquity

ARCHAEOLOGY: Sukkot: Uncovering the ancient pilgrimage to the Temple Mount. Pilgrimages to the Temple Mount were a central aspect of Sukkot in biblical times. Discoveries along the pilgrimage road in Jerusalem’s City of David shed light on this oft-forgotten custom (Aaron Reich, Jerusalem Post).

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Which Temple gate was "Beautiful?"

LEEN RITMEYER: The Beautiful Gate. What was so beautiful about it?

The miracle [of Acts 3:2, 10] took place at the Beautiful Gate [to the Temple], but the question is, which gate is the Scripture referring to and how can it be identified? There were at least seven gates in the outer walls of Herod’s Temple Mount, but only in one of these gates have decorations been found.

Cross-file under Temple Mount Watch.

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Sukkot 2022

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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Review of Gray, Charity in Rabbinic Judaism

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Charity in Rabbinic Judaism (Dov Kahane).

Alyssa M Gray. Charity in Rabbinic Judaism: Atonement, Rewards, and Righteousness. (Routledge, 2019. Pp. 214. ISBN 978-1-138-5996-3)

... In sum, Gray is a careful and intuitive reader and teacher of rabbinic text creating cogent and compelling arguments which support her conclusions about the interplay and shift in rabbinic values and theology on charity. ...

For more on Professor Gray's book and on books on related topics, see here.

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