Guide to ethnographic passages by Diodoros of Sicily

ETHNIC RELATIONS AND MIGRATION IN THE ANCIENT WORLD: Guide to Diodoros of Sicily (Philip A. Harland).

This post provides a guide for reading sequentally through ethnographic passages from Diodoros of Sicily’s Library of History (ca. 36 BCE) on this website: ...

Diodorus (Diodoros) preserves some material from what I call the Greek Fantasy Babylon tradition. For examples from Diodorus himself, see here and (quoting Ctesias) here.

Diodorus also gives an account of the Maccabean Revolt.

And for more on him and his work, see here and links plus here.

For more on Philip Harland's blog, see here and links and here.

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Trotter on Consolatory Rhetoric in Hellenistic Judaism

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

Consolatory Rhetoric in Hellenistic Judaism

Hellenistic Jews needed to pick and choose between the various methods of consolation within their biblical heritage and their Greco-Roman culture to interpret suffering, offer comfort, and issue advice about how to behave in hardship.

See also Hellenistic Jews and Consolatory Rhetoric: 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, 1 Thessalonians, and Hebrews (Mohr Siebeck, 2023).

By Christine R. Trotter
Department of Theology and Religious Studies
Georgetown University
May 2025

I noted the publication of the book here and an essay on it by the author here.

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A Judeo-Persian Pentateuch based on Targum Onkelos

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: An Early Judeo-Persian Rabbanite Text.

Bernard, Chams Benoît. 2025. An Early Judeo-Persian Rabbanite Text: Vat. Pers. 61, Its Linguistic Variety, Its Arabic Vocabulary, and the Targum Onqelos. Journal of Jewish Languages 1–55.

Follow the link for the abstract and a link to the open-access full text of the article.

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DSS photo essay

PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY: The unbelievable revelations of the Dead Sea Scrolls (Stars Insider, MSN).

Despite the unpromising headline, this is nice collection of photos with informative captions which tell the story of discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and some of their subsequent history.

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

A new excavation at Samaria/Sebastia

ARCHAEOLOGY: Archaeologists launch new excavation in West Bank at capital of ancient Israel. Sebastia archaeological site features remains from biblical to modern times; Palestinian Authority denounces dig, accusing Israel of ‘colonial and Judaization practices’ (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

A new archaeological dig at the ancient site of Sebastia in the West Bank was inaugurated on Monday in the presence of several government officials.

Sebastia – known in Hebrew by its biblical name, “Shomron” – is thought to have been the capital of the northern Israelite kingdom in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE.

The excavations will be led by Uzi Greenfeld, an archaeologist from the Archaeology Unit of the Civil Administration.

[...]

The Jerusalem Post Staff and their AI are pleased:

Israel restarts archaeological excavations at Sebastia after 12-year hiatus. Israel's Minister of Heritage Amihai Eliyahu states, "Sebastia is one of the most important sites in our national and historical heritage."

Haaretz, not so much:

Israel Launches Excavation at Ancient Site of Sebastia in Palestinian Village in West Bank. For decades, Israel refrained from excavating the site, located north of Nablus. The decision to proceed is highly contentious, as international law prohibits such activity by Israel. 'The goal here is about settlement, not tourism,' said the Palestinian head of the local council (Hagar Shezaf)

Politics aside, I hope the new excavation finds more inscribed Samaria ostraca.

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Social inferences from the ancient Hebrew onomasticon

EPIGRAPHIC ONOMASTIC ALGORITHM WATCH: Names Reveal Unseen History of Biblical Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, Researchers Say. Using statistical methods first developed to decode Nazi messages in WWII, new study on ancient Hebrew names sheds light on society and belief in First Temple period (Ariel David, Haaretz).

Here's an "Enigma" for you: What links Alan Turing, famed cracker of Nazi codes, to rare butterflies and Hebrew names from the First Temple period?

The answer is that a team of researchers has revealed new information about the history of the biblical kingdoms of Judah and Israel by studying the Hebrew names scribbled on pottery or etched on personal seals during the First Temple period. The analysis used statistical methods first developed during World War II by Turing and colleagues to decode Germany's Enigma cipher, and which have since been applied by ecologists to study rare species.

[...]

Sounds like an interesting study, albeit one that squeezes the last bit of inference out of very limited data. The Haaretz article gives lots of helpful background. The underlying article is also covered in:

What’s in a name? Diving into the ancient names of biblical Israel. Ancient name data reveals Israel was more diverse than Judah, offering new insight into biblical-era societies through a modern statistical lens (JOANIE MARGULIES, Jerusalem Post)

Ancient Israelites were more worldly than their insular Judean cousins, study shows. Using statistical methods from field of ecological biodiversity, Israeli scholars analyze 1,000 First Temple period names and find that the northern state was likely more ‘cosmopolitan’ (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

A Hebrew University press release is published at Phys.org:

Name diversity sheds light on social patterns in ancient Hebrew kingdoms.

I cannot comment on the underlying article, because, oddly, it is no longer up at the PNAS site. The link is correct, shared by all the above articles, but it goes to a dead end. And neither the title nor the author show up in a search of the site. But you should check the link again. Perhaps it is back up when you read this.

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

On the Cairo Geniza

CAIRO GENIZA WATCH: The Cairo Geniza: How a Dusty Attic Changed Jewish History Forever. A thousand years of daily life, debate, and devotion, preserved in a forgotten storeroom in Cairo is reshaping Jewish history (Eliyahu Freedman, AISH.COM).

In 1896, in a forgotten storeroom above the ancient Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, Jewish history changed forever.

The room was dark, dry, and filled with dust—and also with nearly 400,000 fragments made of paper and parchment that had remained untouched for centuries, preserved by Egypt's arid climate. When scholars, notably Solomon Schechter of Cambridge University, first began sorting through this treasure, they unearthed something profound—a time capsule preserving nearly a thousand years of continuous Jewish life and rare texts previously thought to be extinct.

[...

It's good to re-tell this story from time to time.

Especially notable for PaleoJudaica's purposes:

What makes the Cairo Geniza genuinely unparalleled is how it preserved texts once thought lost forever. Among its most significant discoveries is the Damascus Document, an ancient Jewish sectarian manuscript previously known only through medieval copies but later found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Geniza's fragment predates the Dead Sea Scroll version by centuries.

Similarly, it contained the original Hebrew text of Ben Sira (Ecclesiasticus), a wisdom book composed around 180 BCE that had vanished from Jewish tradition for nearly a millennium.

Likewise, the most complete manuscript of the Aramaic Levi document, from the same period and with more fragmentary manuscripts also found at Qumran. And some Psalms of David, arguably from late antiquity or even older. And Sefer Ha-Razim, a Hebrew magical tracate from the Talmudic era. All three have been published in new translations, two by me, in MOTP1 and MOTP2.

For more discoveries from the Cairo Geniza, see here, here, here, here, here and many links.

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

On the Testament of Solomon

ETHNIC RELATIONS AND MIGRATION IN THE ANCIENT WORLD: Judean wisdom: Testament of Solomon on Solomon’s superiority in controlling lower spirits and in healing (first-third century CE) (Philip A. Harland).

For PaleoJudaica posts on the Testament of Solomon, see here and links and here. Perhaps also here. The Testament of Solomon is a late-antique Christian work that knows material from the New Testament, but which also is familiar with Jewish traditions. I view the Christian contribution as considerably more than "limited Christian edits."

For more on Philip Harland's blog, see here and links and here.

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

Who was the Teacher of Righteousness?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: A Dead Sea Scrolls Mystery. Who is the Teacher of Righteousness? (Nathan Steinmeyer).

... Who is the Teacher of Righteousness? This enigmatic figure appears in at least two of the major works from Qumran and has, at times, been thought to be the author of many others. Yet, as discussed by Angela Kim Harkins in her article “Are We Still Searching for the Teacher of Righteousness?” published in the Spring 2025 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, we might never know the teacher’s true identity. That is, if there ever was one. ...

The article by Harkness is behind the subscription wall, but this BHD essay goes on to summarize it.

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Gupta on the Old Testament Apocrypha

SUBSTACK SERIES: Studying Early Judaism: The OT Apocrypha (Nijay K. Gupta, Studying Early Judaism Substack).

I have noted other posts in the series here and links.

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

Rosenblum, Forbidden: A 3,000-Year History of Jews and the Pig (NYU)

NEW BOOK FROM NYU PRESS:

Forbidden
A 3,000-Year History of Jews and the Pig

by Jordan D. Rosenblum

Published by: NYU Press

Imprint: NYU Press

272 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 in, 15 b/w figures

HARDCOVER
9781479831494
PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 2024
$30.00

EBOOK
9781479831500
PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 2024
$30.00

DESCRIPTION

Winner of the 74th National Jewish Book Award: The Jane and Stu­art Weitz­man Fam­i­ly Award for Food Writ­ing and Cook­books

A surprising history of how the pig has influenced Jewish identity

Jews do not eat pig. This (not always true) observation has been made by both Jews and non-Jews for more than three thousand years and is rooted in biblical law. Though the Torah prohibits eating pig meat, it is not singled out more than other food prohibitions. Horses, rabbits, squirrels, and even vultures, while also not kosher, do not inspire the same level of revulsion for Jews as the pig. The pig has become an iconic symbol for people to signal their Jewishness, non-Jewishness, or rebellion from Judaism. There is nothing in the Bible that suggests Jews are meant to embrace this level of pig-phobia.

Starting with the Hebrew Bible, Jordan D. Rosenblum historicizes the emergence of the pig as a key symbol of Jewish identity, from the Roman persecution of ancient rabbis, to the Spanish Inquisition, when so-called Marranos (“Pigs”) converted to Catholicism, to Shakespeare’s writings, to modern memoirs of those leaving Orthodox Judaism. The pig appears in debates about Jewish emancipation in eighteenth-century England and in vaccine conspiracies; in World War II rallying cries, when many American Jewish soldiers were “eating ham for Uncle Sam;” in conversations about pig sandwiches reportedly consumed by Karl Marx; and in recent deliberations about the kosher status of Impossible Pork.

All told, there is a rich and varied story about the associations of Jews and pigs over time, both emerging from within Judaism and imposed on Jews by others. Expansive yet accessible, Forbidden offers a captivating look into Jewish history and identity through the lens of the pig.

As noted on the Agade List, the Washington Free Beacon has a review of the book:

Why Jews Don’t Eat Pork (Though Some Do). REVIEW: ‘Forbidden: A 3,000-Year History of Jews and the Pig’ by Jordan D. Rosenblum (Meir Y. Soloveichik).

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

Nir, Characterization in Midrash and Medieval Jewish Bible Commentaries (SBL)

NEW BOOK FROM SBL PRESS:

Characterization in Midrash and Medieval Jewish Bible Commentaries
Sivan Nir

ISBN 9781628376142
Volume BibRec 8
Status Available
Publication Date December 2024

Paperback $78.00
Hardback $98.00
eBook $78.00

Sivan Nir meticulously examines the reimaginings of the biblical figures Balaam, Jeremiah, and Esther in a wide range of Jewish texts from second-century rabbinic sources to medieval Jewish biblical commentaries. Nir’s unique approach analyzes the continuity, or lack thereof, that emerges when characterization is viewed in relation to and in contrast with its cross-cultural context, including the contemporary conventions found in Hellenistic rhetoric and novels, Byzantine Christian literature, Islamic adab and Mu‘tazila literature, and more. Such an approach reveals a transition from typological depictions to richer, more lifelike portrayals—a transformation shaped by rival notions of literature and history. Nir translates the sources into accessible English for students and scholars of not only Jewish exegesis but also those in Christian theology, Islamic studies, and world literature.

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A new Regius Professor of Hebrew at Cambridge

ANNOUNCEMENT: Aaron Koller joins AMES. Aaron Koller joins AMES as the new Regius Professor of Hebrew (Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Cambridge University).

Welcome to Professor Aaron Koller who will join the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the end of September 2025 as the newly appointed Regius Professor of Hebrew.

[..]

Yeshiva University also has an announcement of his departure:

Professor Koller to Depart YU, Join Cambridge as Regius Professor of Hebrew (Daniel Kohn, YU Commentator).

Professor Aaron Koller (YC ‘97, BRGS ‘09), instructor for Near Eastern Studies at Yeshiva University, will join Cambridge as Regius Professor of Hebrew next fall.

[...]

Congratulations both to Professor Koller and to Cambridge University on the new appointment.

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

Review of Llewellyn-Jones, The Cleopatras

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: The Cleopatras: the forgotten queens of Egypt.

Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, The Cleopatras: the forgotten queens of Egypt. New York: Basic Books, 2024. Pp. 384. ISBN 9781541602922.

Review by
Deirdre Klokow, University of Texas at Austin. deirdre.klokow@austin.utexas.edu

... Although a much-needed update to John Whitehorne’s 1994 The Cleopatras, Llewellyn-Jones’ chronicle of the foundations laid by the ascent to power of these often-ignored royal women is hindered by a novelistic style and less-than critical approach to the complexities of the source material. ...

For many PaleoJudaica posts on Cleopatra VII (the Cleopatra), who reportedly spoke Hebrew and Aramaic, start here (cf. here) and follow the links.

PaleoJudaica posts involving Cleopatra V Tryphaena, who likely was the mother of Cleopatra VII, are here and here. And comments on Cleopatra I Syra and Cleopatra III are here, and more on Cleopatra I is here and here. The latter two Cleos are mentioned in the Book of Daniel (I) and in 1 Maccabees (III).

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

The Text Lab

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Introducing the Text Lab: Helping Students Engage with Ancient Sources (Alexander Chantziantoniou and Isaac Soon).

This article introduces a classroom activity called a Text Lab, which helps students engage critically with ancient texts while familiarizing them with the tools and scholarship necessary to analyze these sources. While this has been applied to the specific fields of its authors (biblical studies), it is applicable to any field within the humanities involving source media (e.g., literature, classics, history, philosophy, etc.), just as its predecessor does, the “gobbet.” After introducing what a Text Lab is, we outline the details of how it works, before concluding with a brief discussion of why it works.

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On the Behistun inscription in Aramaic

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: Authority, Assimilation and Afterlife of the Epilogue of Bīsotūn (DB 4:36–92).

This post flags an important open-access article on the Behistun inscription:

"Imitatio Dei, Imitatio Darii: Authority, Assimilation and Afterlife of the Epilogue of Bīsotūn (DB 4:36–92)" by Gad Barnea in Religions 2025, 16(5), 597; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16050597.

Abstract

The Bīsotūn inscription of Darius I (DB) is a masterpiece of ancient literature containing descriptions of historical events, imperial propaganda, cultic statements, ethical instructions, wisdom insights, blessings and curses, and engagements with posterity. It was disseminated far and wide within the empire and left a lasting impression on the cultures with which it came into contact. However, a specific section of this royal inscription (DB 4:36–92), carefully crafted to address future audiences in the second person, stands out sharply from the rest of the text. This passage has made a striking, profound, and durable impression on future generations—which extended over the longue durée in both time and space. This article focuses on the decisive cultic theme undergirding DB in general and its fourth column in particular namely, the king’s profound sense of imitatio dei in the cosmic battle against “the Lie,” complemented by his appeal to an imitatio Darii by all future audiences of his words. The impact of this call can be traced in later literature: in a DB variant found at Elephantine and, most notably, a hitherto unknown exegetical legend found in Qumran, which seeks to explain this portion of DB through an Achaemenid court tale.

This inscription is of great historical and philogical interest. It was important for the decipherment of Akkadian cuneiform.. It is also of some interest as a propaganda precursor to the Aramaic Fantasy Babylon tradition. The latter is important for understanding, in particular, the biblical Book of Daniel. For relevant PaleoJudaica posts see here and here (cf. here and here).

In the Behistun inscription Darius recounts, among many other events, his putting down the revolts of two Babylonian kings, Nidintu-Bel (Nebuchadnezzar III) in 522 B.C.E. (lines 16-19), and Arakha (Nebuchadnezzar IV) in 521 B.C.E. (lines 49-51).

As this article notes, a fragmentary Aramaic translation of the inscription was recovered among the Elephanitine papyri. This demonstrates that Persian anti-Babylonian propaganda was already being translated into Aramaic in the fifth century BCE. The article also deals with an Aramaic form of the inscription that inspired a recently deciphered Jewish work (4Q550) among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

For additional PaleoJudaica posts on the Behuistun (Bistun, Bīsotūn) inscription, see here and links.

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Karatepe bilingual inscriptions added to UNESCO Memory of the World International Register

PHOENICIAN WATCH: Karatepe Aslantas inscriptions enter UNESCO Memory of World Register (Türkiye Today Newsroom).

The ancient bilingual inscriptions of Karatepe Aslantas Open-Air Museum in Osmaniye, Türkiye, have been officially inscribed into the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register.

These inscriptions, written in both Anatolian Hieroglyphic and Phoenician scripts, highlight one of the earliest known examples of bilingual writing in the ancient Near East and provide invaluable insights into the linguistic and cultural landscape of the first millennium B.C.

[...]

This is good news. The article has more information on the award, the importance of the inscriptions, and their significance for tourism and cultural heritage. All good.

But, oddly, it never gets around to telling us what the inscriptions say. I am sometimes bemused by the questions that (some, not all) journalists ask and don't ask.

Luckily for you, readers, PaleoJudaica is here for you. The lapidary biligual Karatepe Phoenician/Luvian inscriptions are also known as the Azatiwada inscriptions, after the name of the 8th century BCE Cicilian local king who erected them. They tell of his accomplishments and his service to his patron overlord. You can read more about Azatiwada and his inscription, with an English translation of the latter, at Wikipedia's Karatepe bilingual entry.

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More Philodemus from Herculaneum

TECHNOLOGY WATCH: X-ray reveals ancient Greek author of charred first century BC Vesuvius scroll. Ink traces show text is part of work by Epicurean philosopher Philodemus, burned during AD79 volcano eruption (Ian Sample, The Guardian).

A charred scroll recovered from a Roman villa that was buried under ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago has been identified as the influential work of an ancient Greek philosopher.

Researchers discovered the title and author on the Herculaneum scroll after X-raying the carbonised papyrus and virtually unwrapping it on a computer, the first time such crucial details have been gleaned from the approach.

Traces of ink lettering visible in the X-ray images revealed the text to be part of a multi-volume work, On Vices, written by the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus in the first century BC. The scroll is one of three from Herculaneum housed at the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford.

[...]

This scroll ( P.Herc. 172) was in the news earlier this year, when it was already speculated (based on several deciphered words) that it was by Philodemus. But now the researchers have found in addition the author, title, and perhaps a volume number. That confirms who wrote it, which work it was, and possibly that it was volume 1. But there's still a lot of work to do to recover any substantial part of the scroll.

Nevertheless, progress is progress and we should celebrate it. Bit by bit, a letter at a time, whatever it takes. Until we're done.

The Heculaneum library was carbonized during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE. What is left of it is gradually being recovered and deciphered with cutting-edge new technology. For much more on it and on the works by the philosopher Philodemus already recovered from Heculaneum, start here (cf. here) and follow the links.

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

On Jannes and Jambres, with an important announcement

ETHNIC RELATIONS AND MIGRATION IN THE ANCIENT WORLD: Egyptian / Persian / Judean wisdom: Judean legends of Jannes and Jambres as Magians in the Exodus account (third century CE and earlier) (Philip A. Harland).

This post is a useful introduction to the traditions about Jannes and Jambres. It includes translations of substantial fragments of the ancient book about them.

For more on this blog, see here and here and links.

With the publication of Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vol. 2, More Noncanonical Scriptures, we have considerably more information the about the Book of Jannes and Jambres, with translations of new fragments of the Greek text and of a recently discovered Ethiopic translation. An additional manuscript of a complete copy of the Ethiopic version was discovered just too late for us to include a full translation. But Ted Erho has provided an appendix with a preliminary summary of the contents of the manuscript.

I hinted at this discovery here, but was unable to say more at the time.

Bit by bit, a letter at a time, whatever it takes. Until we're done.

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Review of Lang, Handbook of the Vulgate Bible and its reception (open access)

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Handbook of the Vulgate Bible and its reception

Bernhard Lang, Handbook of the Vulgate Bible and its reception. Vulgata in dialogue. Berlin: The Vulgate Institute, 2023. Pp. 778.

Review by
Matthew Kraus, University of Cincinnati. Matthew.kraus@uc.edu

Open access

“The Handbook of the Vulgate Bible and Its Reception has no model and no predecessor, being the first work of its kind” (p.5), boldly announces Bernhard Lang in the Preface. Loosely structured as a classified and annotated bibliography and including literature reviews, a glossary of biblical Latin, a preliminary linguistic commentary on selected biblical verses, sidebars on discrete topics, and covering the history of the Vulgate from its origins to the present, the work indeed defies conventional classifications. And yet this approach from multiple, discrete angles best serves a text relevant to numerous fields. ...

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Conference: The Achaemenid Persian Empire and its Non-Western Borderlands: A Change of Paradigm (Innsbruck)

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA:The Achaemenid Persian Empire and its Non-Western Borderlands: A Change of Paradigm.

At Innsbruck University, Australia, on 20-23 November 2025, with the first and last day for arrival and departure. Follow the link for the program. Oddly, I can't find registration information anywhere, but there are a few more details here.

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Ptolemaic and Roman-era military fortifications excavated in North Sinai

ARCHAEOLOGY: Fortress discovered in Northern Sinai, including Roman-era soldiers' dwellings. Well-preserved Roman-era soldiers' dwellings were unearthed, providing a clear picture of daily life at the fortress during the reigns of emperors Diocletian and Maximian (Jerusalem Post Staff).

Excavations at the Tell Abu Seifi site in North Sinai uncovered extensive remains of ancient military fortifications, soldiers' quarters, and a trench.

The mission revealed more than 500 clay planting circles made of mudbrick on both sides of an ancient road. These circles are believed to have been used to cultivate trees that adorned the fortress's grand entrance during the Ptolemaic era, enhancing understanding of aesthetic and functional elements of military architecture in that period.

Well-preserved Roman-era soldiers' dwellings were also unearthed, offering a clear picture of daily life at the fortress during the reigns of Emperors Diocletian and Maximian. These structures provide valuable information on the living conditions and organization of Roman soldiers in Egypt's eastern frontier.

[...]

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

Masoretic Text variants in Rabbinic quotations

PROF. SIMCHA KOGUT: Variants in the Masoretic Text: From Talmud to Rashi (TheTorah.com).

Rabbinic quotations of the Bible differ in some instances from the Masoretic Text. In some cases, the rabbis were aware it was a variant; other times they were not.

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Tony Burke's Regensburg Year: April

THE APOCRYPHICITY BLOG: My Regensburg Year Part 9: April 2025.

Tony Burke is on research sabbatical for the 2024-25 academic year at the University of Regensburg in Germany.

This month's post includes a Croatian adventure and report on work on the introductory chapter of Tony's book, "telling a chronological history of the composition, transmission, and publishing of Christian apocrypha."

For earlier posts in the series and more on Tony's work, see here and links.

Cross-file under New Testament Apocrypha Watch.

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Educational excavation at Chorazin

ARCHAEOLOGY: Tourists and Child Archaeologists Break New Ground at Ancient Chorazin. Sixth-graders unearth homes near the synagogue of Chorazin where Jesus preached. Archaeologist Achia Kohn-Tavor is leading a project to involve everybody – foreign tourists, whole families, toddlers included – in revealing their heritage (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

Chorazin's excavation began in 1905, continued in the 1920s, was picked up in 1962 and again in the 1980s, and since 2009, has been pursued by foreign tourists and elementary schoolchildren.

Under the direction of the archaeologist Achia Kohn-Tavor since 2014, this is not a toy excavation. It's the real deal with little kiddies, whole families and foreign tourists paying for the experience to actually dig at a real site for an hour, or a day, or a few days, breaking unexcavated ground and making genuine discoveries.

Besides describing the creative educational approach of the excavation, this long article discusses the ancient site of Chorazin—best known for being cursed by Jesus—in much detail.

For PaleoJudaica posts on Chorazin (modern Korazim), see here and links.

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NEH funding canceled for Critical Edition of the Hebrew Psalter Project

AN UNFORTUNATE DECISION: Trump Cuts to Humanities Grants Undermine a Stated Priority: Restoring Religion (YONAT SHIMRON, RNS [reportedly - I can't find the article there] via Word&Way).

But along with nearly 1,500 other NEH grants that supported work at colleges and universities, the Psalms project was canceled earlier this month as part of the Trump administration’s purge of the independent agency that supported research and scholarship in religion as well. That purge included the elimination of 65% of NEH’s employees. ...

The project included building a computer database of hundreds of early copies of the Psalms, a set of 150 lyrical poems beloved by Jews and Christians alike. Among the oldest scrolls are 40 fragments of the Psalms discovered in caves near the Dead Sea between 1946 and 1956, as well as about 150 medieval manuscripts and many Greek scrolls and codices.

Strawn and Longacre’s project was an attempt to reconstruct the best readings of the Psalms from all the versions that have been unearthed so far. The grant covered the first 50 of the 150 Psalms. Other scholars have already been selected to complete the remaining 100 Psalms.

The archetype that Strawn and Longacre were going to create, sometimes called an “eclectic” edition, would become the foundational text for all modern translations of the Bible. Bible scholars have already completed an eclectic edition of the New Testament, but none exists for the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible books.

“With around 200 volunteers, we’re training a large proportion of America’s up-and-coming Bible scholars in how to work with manuscripts and digital text editing,” Longacre said. “With that much impact for the buck, canceling the grant makes no sense.”

The "chainsaw approach" of DOGE is clearly eliminating grants that, like this one, do further the President’s agenda and should, on the Trump administration's own terms, be preserved. But it's also true that many of DOGE's cuts have been restored upon review.

I encourage the recipients of this grant to make the case vigorously that the decision should be reversed. I'm not sure what the NEH review process is in this unprecedented situation, but, whatever it is, pursue it. And some respectful posts on X making the case on the administration's own terms, and amplified by as many people as possible, could have an effect.

The project advances a better understanding of the text of the Bible, which is in the public's interest, it coheres with the administration's priorities, and it is a good use of taxpayer funds, with well-defined and measurable outcomes. It involves the Dead Sea Scrolls, for which the public has much interest and enthusiasm.

Say that. Say it in detail, echoing the language of the NEH announcement of its new priorities.

There is a strong case to be made here, so make it. Feel free to link to this post if you think it would help.

I noted the Critical Edition of the Hebrew Psalter Project here and here.

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Teen Bible contest opens the Codex Sassoon exhibit

EXHIBITION COMPETITION: Jewish teens from around the world compete in International Bible Contest in Tel Aviv. Teens showcase biblical knowledge as contest airs live on Ynetnews, celebrating biblical heritage alongside the unveiling of the ancient Codex Sassoon (Ynetnews).

Jewish teenagers from across the globe gathered Sunday at the ANU – Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv for the International Youth Bible Contest, marking the first time the prestigious event was held at the museum. The competition, which airs live on Ynetnews, is part of a month-long celebration marking the permanent display of the Codex Sassoon, the world’s oldest and most complete Hebrew Bible.

[...]

Also on display:

As part of the celebrations, the museum opened an exhibition of the Oritā of Kes Abba Yitzhak Aysu, a rare manuscript from the Ethiopian Jewish tradition. The exhibition, curated in collaboration with Tel Aviv University, offers a glimpse into the sacred texts and oral traditions preserved by the Beta Israel community.

This is an Ethiopic Octateuch (the Pentateuch plus Joshua, Judges, and Ruth). More on it here.

Background on the sale of Codex Sassoon and its donation to ANU, the Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, is here and many links.

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

Vidas, The Rise of Talmud (OUP)

NEW BOOK FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS:

The Rise of Talmud

Moulie Vidas

The Bible and the Humanities

£119.00

Hardback
Published: 20 March 2025
368 Pages
234x156mm
ISBN: 9780198915027

Also Available As:
E-book

Description

The rabbinic sages of antiquity are known for their sophisticated and creative reading of Scripture. But beginning in the third century CE, these sages also took on extensive commentary on another kind of text: the sages' own teachings. Focusing on the first collection attesting to this branch of scholarship, the oft-neglected Talmud Yerushalmi, The Rise of Talmud argues that this new project presented a wide-ranging transformation of the sages' scholarly practice and self-perception. On the one hand, it engaged premises and methods distinct from those the sages applied to Scripture, such as textual criticism and the interpretation of texts in light of the individuals to whom they were attributed. On the other hand, this book shows, this distinct approach did not stem from preexisting differences in the conceptions of Scripture and rabbinic teachings: it reflected a broad reconceptualization of the tradition, diverging from how these teachings were construed by earlier generations. Recognizing these unique aspects of ancient Talmudic scholarship centers its development as a pivotal moment in Jewish intellectual history and offers a richer picture of rabbinic hermeneutics; it also allows us to situate it better among other scholarly traditions of the Greco-Roman world and to examine how different ideas, aims, and contexts shape textual scholarship—including our own.

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Najman, Scriptural Vitality (OUP, open access)

NEW BOOK FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS:

Scriptural Vitality

Rethinking Philology and Hermeneutics

Hindy Najman

The Bible and the Humanities

£84.00

Hardback
Published: 16 January 2025
224 Pages
234x153mm
ISBN: 9780198865711

Access for individuals in subscribing libraries/institutions
Open Access

Description

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence. It is free to read on the Oxford Academic platform and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations.

Scriptural Vitality challenges the view that the Persian and Hellenistic periods constitute a time of decay, a period of 'late Judaism', languishing between an original, vibrant Judaism and the birth of Christianity. Instead, Hindy Najman argues that the Second Temple period was one of untethered creativity and poetic imagination, of dynamism exemplified through philosophical translation, poetic composition, and a convergence of ancient Mediterranean cultures that gave birth to hermeneutic innovation. Building on Nietzsche's critique of classical philology and drawing on new ways of reading the Dead Sea Scrolls, the author carries out a radical rethinking of biblical studies. Instead of seeking to reconstruct the original text and to find its original author or at least the original context of its production, Najman celebrates textual pluriformity and transformation, tracing ways in which texts and meanings proliferated within interpretive communities through new performances and fresh articulations of the past. Engaging with thinkers such as Friedrich Schlegel and Peter Szondi, whom biblicists have rarely considered, biblical philology is reimagined as the forward-moving study of the poetic processes by which Jewish communities re-created their past and revitalized their present. The Second Temple period emerges as a golden age of creativity, whose traces may still be discerned in Judaism and Christianity today.

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Mysterious ancient lion-head bronze discs

THERIOMORPHIC ICONOGRAPHIC ARTIFACTS: Unique and Mysterious Lions-Head Bronze Discs Found in Roman Tomb in Israel (Unattributed, Ancient Origins).

In 2018, a salvage excavation at the ancient Roman-period site of Khirbat Ibreika in southern Israel resulted in the recovery of a true archaeological enigma. This was four striking bronze discs that featured reliefs of lion heads, each of which was adorned with a heavy ring. Found inside a sealed tomb—designated Tomb T6—these striking artifacts were neatly stacked together in one corner, separated from other grave goods that included twelve glass vessels and an iron nail.

The context and craftsmanship of the lion-head discs quickly attracted scholarly attention. Dating to the first or second century AD, the artifacts were considered quite puzzling: were they only decorative pieces or once-functional handles for a wooden coffin, or did they hold a deeper spiritual or symbolic meaning that made perfect sense within the cultural context of the time?

[...]

This is the first I've heard of this discovery. The underlying article is in the open-access, peer-review journal ‘Atiqot:

Haddad, Elie and Zwiebel, Elisheva (2025) "Unique Lion-Headed Handles from a Roman-Period Cist Tomb
South of Khirbat Ibreika," 'Atiqot : Vol. 117, Article 9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70967/2948-040X.2257
Available at: https://publications.iaa.org.il/atiqot/vol117/iss1/9

Unique Lion-Headed Handles from a Roman-Period
Cist Tomb South of Khirbat Ibreika

Elie Haddad (Israel Antiquities Authority) and Elisheva Zwiebel (Israel Antiquities Authority)

A salvage excavation at Khirbat Ibreika unearthed eight cist graves, one of which contained a group of four unique, bronze lion-head discs and ring-handles dated to the Roman period (first–second centuries CE). The restoration demonstrates that the ring-handles were connected to the top of the lion’s head, rather than through its mouth. This article discusses the function of the lion-headed handles, as decorative elements or as handles used for carrying a wooden coffin or lowering it into a grave. Similar lion-headed handles are presented from various contexts to reconstruct their function in funerary contexts and decipher the symbolism of the lion and its cultural affinities.

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The Codex Sassoon is going on display in Israel

EXHIBITION: Sassoon Codex, world’s oldest Hebrew Bible to date, to join ANU permanent collection. The museum will be hosting a series of events to celebrate the manuscript's new home (Jerusalem Post Staff).

The oldest and most complete Hebrew Bible in existence, the Sassoon Codex, will be on permanent display at ANU, the Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv for the first time. The holy book arrived in Israel on October 5, 2023; just two days before the war broke out.

Now that it will be on display, the museum will be hosting a series of events on the power of the Bible in uniting the masses as well as a cultural and spiritual source of inspiration for the Jewish people.

[...]

It goes on display on 4 May.

PaleoJudaica closely followed the story of its sale in 2023. See here and links.

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

PA President says the Jewish Temple was in Yemen

TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH: PA’s Abbas claims ancient Jewish temples were in Yemen, not Jerusalem. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas claimed “[Israel] is trying to change the historical and legal status of the Islamic and Christian holy places, especially the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque” (Danielle Greyman-Kennard with Yuval Barnea, Jerusalem Post).

The verbatim quotes are given in the article. The specific claim is that the Qu'ran and "other divine books" say that the Jewish Temples were in Yemen. He gives no citation. This sort of thing is not helpful, but Jewish-Temple denial has been coming in various forms from the Palestinian Authority and other pro-Palestinian sources for a long time. I noted the ridiculous claim that the Temple was located in Yemen back in 2007.

I have noted the Temple denial from the PA and others many times over the years. I discussed it in some detail here and here with links (cf. here).

As for President Abbas, he gets an F in history. But I do give him some credit for this (noted in the JP article):

Despite the historical revisionism, in his latest speech, Abbas demanded Hamas return the hostages to Israel and called them “Sons of dogs.”

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A new UFO book by David J. Halperin

NEW BOOK AND REVIEW: Chariot and Saucer (Daniel Socher, Jewish Review of Books).

In Intimate Alien: The Hidden Story of the UFO, David J. Halperin, a distinguished historian of religion who has published studies of the prophet Ezekiel, Merkavah mysticism, and other Jewish visionary experiences, seeks to explain the long-smoldering American fascination with aliens through the lenses of religious studies and Jungian psychology. In doing so, he aims to build what he calls a bridge between “reported existence and postulated cause” for a series of famous UFO cases and motifs, including Roswell.

David Halperin's work on the Hekhalot literature and Merkavah Mysticism has been inspirational and influential (e.g., here) for my own work. I am very pleased to see he has a new book out.

I noted his UFO novel here, with reviews etc. noted here and links. For his book on Shabbetai Zvi, see here.

This article by Socher amounts to a biographical review of Halperin's career and work. It is very good.

I am puzzled, though, about one point. Socher says that Halperin's book Seeking Ezekiel is a "Jungian psychbiography." No. It is definitely Freudian.

For more on Erich Von Däniken and his very early influence on me, see here and links. And yes, Mr. Von Däniken is still around, although he is reportedly "somewhat ailing." His 90th birthday was last month.

Thanks to my University of St. Andrews colleague Michael Lyons for drawing Socher's review to my attention.

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A mysterious menorah artifact

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE: Mysterious capital depicting menorahs found in 1,500-year-old Roman site in Jerusalem. Artifact, made of local limestone, was discovered in a settlement dating from a time when no Jew was allowed to live in the region (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

An impressive limestone capital decorated with menorahs (Jewish ritual candelabras) unearthed in Jerusalem and dating from a period when Jews were barred by the Romans from living in the holy city will be on display for the first time on Independence Day, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced Tuesday.

The artifact was discovered in 2020 during excavations ahead of constructions in the Motza neighborhood at the city’s entrance. It lay upside down in the room of a Byzantine structure dating to the 6th or 7th centuries CE. Experts believe the capital is more ancient and was repurposed for the building in what is known as “secondary use.”

[...]

Ruth Schuster also has good coverage at Haaretz:

'Menorah' Artifact Found in Byzantine Home by Jerusalem Baffles Archaeologists. Unique pillar top featuring what looks like a menorah where none should be triggers argument: What are we seeing, and why are we seeing it?.

Question one is – is that a menorah we see? Some think it can't be or at least, shouldn't be because it makes no sense in the context.

Maybe it's just a pretty decoration, though it could be a pretty decoration of a menorah. The stonemason had seen menorah images and possibly without even realizing they were a Jewish symbol, copied it on his lovely column, [IAA archaeologist Uzi] Ad explains that line of thinking. ...

First of all, one reason the archaeologists are so baffled is that they've never found a capital like this before. The decoration on Corinthian pillar capitals was typically floral, Ad explains to Haaretz by telephone on Tuesday. When engaging in interpretation of an artifact, comparison with parallels is helpful but in this case, there are none.

Also, if that is an eight-branched candelabra – and frankly, it looks like one – what is a structure decorated with it doing in an area that had no Jews and hadn't for quite some time? For the last five years the experts at the IAA and Hebrew University have been trying to work that out through analysis of the artifact and its context. Some information has been forthcoming, if no concrete conclusions. Here we go.

For PaleoJudaica posts on the many discoveries at the site of Tel Motza (Tel Moza, Tel Moẓa, Tel Moẓah), start here and follow the links.

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When did Jews first identify as "Israel?"

HISTORICAL RECONSTRUCTION: When Did Jews Begin Calling Themselves 'Israel'? On the evolution of Jewish self-identification from Judah to 'Israel' (Yonatan Adler, Haaretz).

As Israel celebrates 77 years of independence this week, it bears exploring how the name "Israel" itself first came to be associated with the Jewish people. "Israel" is not just the name of a modern nation-state – it is a term laden with deep historical, religious, and symbolic significance.

But when did Jews begin identifying themselves as "Israel"? The answer is more complex, and more revealing, than commonly assumed.

[...]

For another popular article on this question from a decade ago, see here. Not surprisingly, the Merneptah Stele also figures in it. For the implications of the terms Jew vs. Judean, see here and links.

Alder's reconstruction is thoughtful and takes into account the available evidence. Unfortunately, there are great gaps in that evidence, which makes any reconstruction speculative. One key question is whether there was an historical Davidic and Solomonic United Monarchy and, if so, to what degree the Deuteronomistic History describes it accurately.

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Vargas, The Oniad Sibyl (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

The Oniad Sibyl

How a Greek Prophetess Became a Revolutionary Mouthpiece for Egyptian Jews

Series:
Studia in Veteris Testamenti Pseudepigrapha, Volume: 29

Author: Miguel Vargas

The Oniad community was a mercenary and priestly Jewish settlement in Greco-Roman Egypt. This community recognized an exiled high priest of the Jerusalem Temple as its founder and met its end after a Mediterranean-wide uprising that shook the foundations of the Roman Empire. This monograph attributes a group of rather puzzling prophetic narratives—filled with coded language, reused lines from Greek and Jewish literature, and confused historical references—to the Oniads. The thesis of this study is that each prophetic treatise responds to crises experienced by the Oniad settlement and, as a result, evidences its unfolding historical consciousness and hybrid literary culture in distinct phases of its existence.

Copyright Year: 2025

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-72274-3
Publication: 10 Mar 2025
EUR €105.00

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-72266-8
Publication: 14 Mar 2025
EUR €105.00

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Clines, The Shorter Dictionary of Classical Hebrew Revised (Sheffield)

REVISED BOOK FROM SHEFFIELD ACADEMIC PRESS:

The Shorter Dictionary of Classical Hebrew Revised
By David J.A. Clines

£250.00

The Shorter Dictionary of Classical Hebrew Revised (2024) is a single volume desk dictionary abridgement of The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew Revised (DCHR) (2018–2028). The Shorter Dictionary is over 825,000 words in length, placing into a single volume 1/6th of the material of the complete DCHR (over 5 million words), and is designed to be a replacement for BDB (the standard 1906 English lexicon of Hebrew).

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Samuel vs. Chronicles: Why did Uzza die for touching the Ark?

SCRIPTURAL REWRITTEN SCRIPTURE: Uzza Touches the Ark and Dies—Why? Samuel vs. Chronicles (Dr. David A. Glatt-Gilad, TheTorah.com).

In the Book of Samuel, no clear explanation is given as to why Uzza’s offense is so grave that it warrants instant death. The author of Chronicles, finding this unsatisfactory, rewrites parts of the story and provides a concrete explanation for Uzza’s fatal punishment.

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BMCR reviews Mazza, Stolen fragments

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Stolen fragments: black markets, bad faith, and the illicit trade in ancient artefacts.

Roberta Mazza, Stolen fragments: black markets, bad faith, and the illicit trade in ancient artefacts. Stanford: Redwood Press, 2024. Pp. 272. ISBN 9781503632509.

Review by
Christos Tsirogiannis, Allard Pierson Museum, University of Amsterdam. christos.tsirogiannis@cantab.net

... Overall, this book recounts the most recent major scandal concerning illicit antiquities—one that has profoundly impacted the antiquities market, the museum world, and academia, particularly the field of papyrology. ...

I have noted other reviews of the book here and here.

Roberta Mazza's blog is Faces and Voices: People, Artefacts, Ancient History.

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Gupta on the Dead Sea Scrolls

SUBSTACK SERIES: Studying Early Judaism: The Dead Sea Scrolls. A Guide to Resources for New Testament Studies (Nijay K. Gupta, Studying Early Judaism Substack).

And a good, basic collection of DSS resources in general.

I have noted other posts in the series here and links.

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Review of Perrin, Lost Words and Forgotten Worlds (Lexham)

READING ACTS: Andrew B. Perrin, Lost Words and Forgotten Worlds: Rediscovering the Dead Sea Scrolls (Phil Long).

Perrin, Andrew B. Lost Words and Forgotten Worlds: Rediscovering the Dead Sea Scrolls. Bellingham, Wash.: Lexham Academic, 2024. xxv+322 pp.; Hb.; $25.99. Link to Lexham Press

... Conclusion: Perrin states in his introduction that he is not writing for an academic audience. This is a presentation of the Dead Sea Scrolls for a general Christian readership. The book is easy reading, filled with good humor, personal anecdotes, and pop cultural references. The endnotes point the way for readers interested in more detailed, scholarly work. The book is richly illustrated with full-color photographs to enhance the reading experience. Your parent does not shy away from controversy. Chapter 3 discusses the problem of forgeries. Whenever money is to be made, quality forgers will find willing victims. He names, names, including the Museum of the Bible, the Schøyen Collection, and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Perrin’s Lost Words and Forgotten Worlds is an excellent introduction to the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

I'm guessing that the mysterious references to a "parent" in this review are autocorrect relics.

Cross-file under New Book.

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Review of Ruzer, The Writings of the New Testament as Jewish Literature (Hebrew)

BOOK REVIEW SUMMARY: Israeli professor praises Hebrew book on New Testament, says most Israelis know almost nothing about Christianity’s shared roots with Judaism. 'The Hebrew-speaking public needs this book now more than ever' (All Israel News).

In a detailed review, Professor Ishay Rosen-Zvi of Tel Aviv University recently introduced Hebrew readers to The Writings of the New Testament as Jewish Literature, a new and exceptional book by Dr. Serge Ruzer, a leading scholar of comparative religion at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Ruzer’s work traces the profound ties between early Christian texts and Jewish tradition, shedding light on the rich presence of Hebrew and Jewish ideas within the New Testament.

According to Rosen-Zvi’s enthusiastic review, the book is not merely a valuable academic contribution but a true milestone in the field of Jewish studies. Rather than engaging in apologetics or polemics, Ruzer focuses on the theological ideas reflected in the various New Testament writings.

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Guide to ethnographic passages by Pliny the Elder

ETHNIC RELATIONS AND MIGRATION IN THE ANCIENT WORLD: Guide to Pliny the Elder (Philip A. Harland).

This post is aimed at providing a guide for reading sequentally through ethnographic passages dealing with peoples other than Greeks or Italians in Pliny the Elder’s Natural History. Books 3-6 are focussed primarily on geography and peoples, but there are other ethnographically important sections as well:

includes that famous passage on the Essenes.

For more on this blog, see here and here and links.

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Barton (ed.) Understanding the Hebrew Bible (OUP)

NEW BOOK FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS:

Understanding the Hebrew Bible

Essays by Members of the Society for Old Testament Study

Edited by John Barton

£119.00

Hardback
Published: 27 February 2025
448 Pages
234x156mm
ISBN: 9780192845788

Also Available As:
E-book

Description

This is the latest in a series of volumes, published about every twenty-five years since 1924, surveying the current state of the academic study of the Old Testament—more often called the Hebrew Bible in scholarly contexts. It is written by leading members of the Society for Old Testament Study, the professional organization for scholars in that field in the UK and Ireland, but with international members too, some of whom have contributed to the volume. It provides academics, students of the Bible, clergy and rabbis, and intelligent general readers, with a snapshot of the main approaches and issues in the study of the Hebrew Bible since (approximately) the year 2000.

There are chapters on specific biblical books in their ancient context, grouped mainly by genre, but also on methodological aspects of biblical studies today, including interdisciplinary perspectives and contemporary questions, such as the Bible in sociological, theological, historical, archaeological, literary, and linguistic perspectives, and the influence of concerns about gender, race, visual culture, and psychology. A particular recent interest is represented by a chapter on the reception history of the Hebrew Bible in the visual arts, music, and literature (including drama and film). The concern throughout, is to encapsulate contemporary currents in interpretation, rather than to put forward the contributors' personal views, but also to suggest how biblical study may or should develop next in these areas. As with previous volumes, what is provided is a view of global scholarship as seen from these islands that will be useful to serious students of the Hebrew Bible throughout the world. As well as describing their field, the contributors also provide substantial bibliographies pointing readers to other modern discussions.

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Khan Festschrift (Open Book)

CONGRATULATIONS TO GEOFFREY KHAN on the two-volume Festschrift in his honour published by Open Book Publishers.

Interconnected Traditions: Semitic Languages, Literatures, Cultures—A Festschrift for Geoffrey Khan. Volume 1: Hebrew and the Wider Semitic World (many editors, see link)

Interconnected Traditions: Semitic Languages, Literatures, Cultures—A Festschrift for Geoffrey Khan. Volume 2: The Medieval World, Judaeo-Arabic, and Neo-Aramaic (ditto).

The notice for both volumes:

Geoffrey Khan’s pioneering scholarship has transformed the study of Semitic languages, literatures, and cultures, leaving an indelible mark on fields ranging from Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic dialectology to medieval manuscript traditions and linguistic typology. This Festschrift, celebrating a distinguished career that culminated in his tenure (2012–2025) as Regius Professor of Hebrew in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge, brings together contributions from a vast and representative array of scholars—retired, established, and up and coming—whose work has been influenced by his vast intellectual legacy.

Reflecting the interconnected traditions that Khan has illuminated throughout his career, this volume presents cutting-edge research on Hebrew and Aramaic linguistics, historical syntax, manuscript studies, and the transmission of textual traditions across centuries and cultures. Contributors engage with topics central to Khan’s scholarship, including the evolution of the Biblical Hebrew verbal system, the intricacies of Masoretic notation, Geniza discoveries, Samaritan and medieval Judaeo-Arabic texts, and computational approaches to linguistic analysis.

As Khan retires from his role as Regius Professor, this collection stands as both a tribute and a continuation of his work, honouring his lifelong dedication to understanding and preserving the linguistic and literary heritage of the Semitic world.

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More on the Ostia mikveh, etc.

VARIANT READINGS: More on the mikveh at Ostia and Other Jewish Materials (Brent Nongbri).

Including information on the Jewish materials now on display in the Ostia Museum.

Background here.

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Satlow on AI and Word Similarity in the Talmud

MICHAEL L. SATLOW: Word Similarity in the Talmud. Professor Satlow has an ongoing project "to explore ways in which AI and machine learning can contribute to the academic study of early rabbinic literature."

Our first output is a tool that maps the similarity of word use in the tractates of both the Babylonian and the Palestinian Talmuds.

This is an experimental tool that uses machine learning techniques to show word similarities in the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds. It will also allow you to compare how specific tractates use a word. It works by first mapping phrases (the length of which is determined by the “Window”) into a multidimensional matrix, then computing the distance between those occurrences, and finally sorting these occurrences into clusters based on the distances. The parameters are explained further in the menu. You can hover over the points on the visualization to see more data.

Cross-file under Talmud Watch and Algorithm Watch.

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Aramaic postdoc in Madrid

ARAMAIC WATCH; REPOSTED FROM THE AGADE LIST:

From Jonathan Valk (jonathan.valk@gmail.com):
====================

The ERC-funded ARAMAIZATION project (The Aramaization of the Middle East: Revisiting the Fall and Rise of Written Traditions, 2025–2030, https://doi.org/10.3030/101163243) based in Madrid at the Spanish National Research Council’s (CSIC) Institute of Languages and Cultures of the Mediterranean and the Near East invites applications for a Postdoctoral position in Aramaic Studies. The appointment is for three years, starting in September 2025 or at a mutually agreed upon date.

Job description

The ARAMAIZATION project seeks to better understand the rise of written Aramaic across the ancient Middle East in the first half of the first millennium BCE. The successful applicant will work with Principal Investigator Jonathan Valk to collect, edit, and make available all Aramaic writing from the Assyrian world in the first half of the first millennium BCE within the broader cuneiform context in which this writing was produced. Publication of the Aramaic evidence will be both online and in print. The position comes with substantial freedom to shape the research process and with the resources required to ensure its successful implementation, including museum visits and research tools. Salary is set at the conditions for Personal contratado Doctor FC3 in the Spanish system, amounting to a total compensation package before tax and social security payments of 55,327.25 €

Eligibility

Candidates will possess expertise in Aramaic philology and a capacity to work directly with inscribed objects. Familiarity with Assyriology and broader comparative Semitics is desirable. Applicants should hold a PhD degree in a relevant discipline.

Applicants should possess an excellent command of written and spoken English, as well as excellent research and communication skills. The ability to work collaboratively with other members of the team is essential.

Application procedure

Applications should consist of the following:

· a curriculum vitae

· a cover letter explaining your motivation for applying for the position and demonstrating your capacity to fulfill the requirements successfully

· a writing sample (preferably published work)

· contact information (email) for two referees

Please merge these items into a single pdf file and submit them via email to jonathan.valk@gmail.com by 26 May 2025.

Please submit any questions about the position or the application process to the same address. Applicants will receive confirmation that their materials have been received and will be notified of any developments via email. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an online interview.

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Open-access titles from Project Muse

THE AWOL BLOG notes some open-access Brown Judaic Studies monographs, all reprinted in 2020 by Project Muse:

Ben Sira’s View of Women: A Literary Analysis (Warren C. Trenchard, 1982)

Sectarian Law in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Courts, Testimony and the Penal Code (Lawrence H. Schiffman, 1983)

Semites, Iranians, Greeks, and Romans: Studies in their Interactions (Jonathan Goldstein, 1990)

Some Jewish Women in Antiquity (Meir Bar-Ilan, 1998)

And for a bonus, here's another Project Muse reprint:

Rabbinic Judaism in the Making: The Halakhah from Ezra to Judah I (Alexander Guttmann, Wayne State University Press, 1970, rpt. 2018)

It is great to have these older volumes readily available again. But be aware that you may have to poke around a bit to find the original publication dates. They really should be listed at the top of the Project Muse page with the reprint date.

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Caviezel, Gibson, Passion of the Christ 2, and the fall of the angels?

CINEMA: Passion of the Christ 2: Jim Caviezel Explains Different Mindset for Sequel (Anthony Nash, ComingSoon.net).

Jim Caviezel is currently preparing to return to the role of Jesus Christ for the upcoming Passion of the Christ 2, and recently opened up about how he’s preparing.

I noted a year ago that Passion of the Christ 2 was in the works. It was supposed to be out by about now, but it seems it is still at a preliminary stage. You can read about Caviezel's thoughts in this article, but what caught my eye was a detail from Mel Gibson's Joe Rogan interview from January of this year.

“I’m hoping next year sometime. There’s a lot required because it’s an acid trip,” he said. “My brother and I and Randall all sort of congregated on this. So there’s some good heads put together, but there’s some crazy stuff. And I think in order to really tell the story properly you have to really start with the fall of the angels, which means you’re in another place, you’re in another realm. You need to go to hell.”

Sounds like the film will start with the fall of the angels, which may mean that Mel will be looking at legends of the fall of the watchers in 1 Enoch and related Second Temple Jewish texts. I hope he takes note of the Book of Giants as well, since it is effectively another Second Temple Enochic book and it covers that ground from its own perspective - that of the doomed giant offspring of the watchers.

All surviving translatable fragments of the Book of Giants are now available in Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, volume 2, More Noncanoncial Scriptures. I may have mentioned this already, but its formal publication date is today!

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More on the Punic lack of Levantine ancestry

PUNIC WATCH, UPDATE: Who Were the Carthaginians? Ancient DNA Study Reveals a Stunning Answer Carthage and its empire were established by Phoenicians, but new research finds that the archenemies of Rome had little genetic link to their Levantine founders (Ariel David, Haaretz).

Now, a team of researchers has extracted the DNA of scores of people buried in ancient Punic settlements across the western and central Mediterranean, including Carthage itself, and has made a startling discovery.

... Instead, it seems the Punic people were exceptionally diverse, and derived most of their ancestry from a genetic profile similar to that of ancient people from Sicily and Greece. The second major ancestry component came from local North African populations and steadily grew as Carthage's political importance rose, the researchers report.

The finding is unexpected because, throughout the centuries, the Carthaginians maintained clear cultural links to their Levantine roots, speaking a semitic language, using the Phoenician alphabet and worshipping the Canaanite gods of their founders.

I have mentioned this story already here when the underlying article was at the prepublication stafe. I comment there on why the result is not all that surprising.

Now the article has been published the journal Nature. And, as usual for the Haaretz archaeological reporters, Ariel David provides useful background and commentary. The article:

Punic people were genetically diverse with almost no Levantine ancestors

Harald Ringbauer, Ayelet Salman-Minkov, Dalit Regev, Iñigo Olalde, Tomer Peled, Luca Sineo, Gioacchino Falsone, Peter van Dommelen, Alissa Mittnik, Iosif Lazaridis, Davide Pettener, Maria Bofill, Ana Mezquida, Benjamí Costa, Helena Jiménez, Patricia Smith, Stefania Vai, Alessandra Modi, Arie Shaus, Kim Callan, Elizabeth Curtis, Aisling Kearns, Ann Marie Lawson, Matthew Mah, …David Reich

Nature (2025)

Abstract

The maritime Phoenician civilization from the Levant transformed the entire Mediterranean during the first millennium BCE1,2,3. However, the extent of human movement between the Levantine Phoenician homeland and Phoenician–Punic settlements in the central and western Mediterranean has been unclear in the absence of comprehensive ancient DNA studies. Here, we generated genome-wide data for 210 individuals, including 196 from 14 sites traditionally identified as Phoenician and Punic in the Levant, North Africa, Iberia, Sicily, Sardinia and Ibiza, and an early Iron Age individual from Algeria. Levantine Phoenicians made little genetic contribution to Punic settlements in the central and western Mediterranean between the sixth and second centuries BCE, despite abundant archaeological evidence of cultural, historical, linguistic and religious links4. Instead, these inheritors of Levantine Phoenician culture derived most of their ancestry from a genetic profile similar to that of Sicily and the Aegean. Much of the remaining ancestry originated from North Africa, reflecting the growing influence of Carthage5. However, this was a minority contributor of ancestry in all of the sampled sites, including in Carthage itself. Different Punic sites across the central and western Mediterranean show similar patterns of high genetic diversity. We also detect genetic relationships across the Mediterranean, reflecting shared demographic processes that shaped the Punic world.

The Haaretz article does flag one result that I do find surprising:

The later and secondary addition of North African ancestry likely has to do with the rise to prominence of Carthage as the capital of the Punic empire, the researchers note. But what is unusual is that this "radical mix" occurred pretty homogenously across the empire: it's not that the Phoenicians in Sicily mixed with the local Sicilians and Greeks, while the ones in Tunisia intermarried with Africans. The genetic analysis shows that this population churn was constant and spread all over the empire. This is likely connected to the great mobility of the Carthaginians who created a "Mediterranean highway" of maritime trade, Ringbauer says.

I would have expected the genetic diversity to be more tied to the local populations in the individual colonies.

At this post is a reminder why PaleoJudaica posts so frequently on Phoenician and Punic (Carthaginian) language and society.

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

Why so many churches in the late-antique Levant?

SOCIAL-ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECONSTRUCTION: Private churches and public synagogues – how devotion and ambition shaped the religious landscape of Israel in Late Antiquity (All Israel News).

Late Antiquity (4th–7th centuries A.D.), saw a surge of private church construction in the land of Israel and the broader Near East, driven by Christian patrons’ desire for prestige and devotion to local saints, according to new research by Prof. Jacob Ashkenazi of Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee.

Published in the Levant journal, Ashkenazi's findings also show a clear contrast with nearby Jewish communities, which focused their resources on single, centralized synagogues that served as village community centers.

[...]

Prof. Ashkenazi's article in the journal Levant, "Why so many? Analysing church multiplicity in Late Antique southern Levant," is behind the subscription wall, but you can read the abstract for free at the link above.

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

Hybrid Lecture: Alexander the Great in Jerusalem and the Origins of the Alexander Romance

UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL:

Alexander the Great in Jerusalem and the Origins of the Alexander Romance

The ACE [Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology] department is thrilled to announce an Ancient History Seminar titled 'Alexander the Great in Jerusalem and the Origins of the Alexander Romance' delivered by Ory Amitay, (University of Haifa) on the 6 May 2025, Rendall Building, Lecture Theatre 7.

Tuesday 6 May 5pm (UK) | Rendall, Lecture Theatre 7 or online | Open to the public, and University of Liverpool staff and students
This is a hybrid event, we encourage in-person attendance which facilitates discussion. To join on zoom please click here.

Abstract

The topics presented in this talk come from a comprehensive study of the tradition concerning the meeting between Alexander the Great and the Judeans of Jerusalem. Historically, even if Alexander did visit Jerusalem, it was essentially a non-event, nothing to write home about. The historical void provided an opportunity for consecutive Judean storytellers to fill it with political myths of their own creation.

The overall purpose of these myths—so I argue in my new book Alexander the Great in Jerusalem: Myth and History (OUP, 2025) —was on the one hand to negotiate the installation of successive forms of foreign rule over Judea, and on the other to find room for these foreign rules within Judean sacred history. The earliest of these stories, scarcely discussed in previous scholarship, is preserved in the epsilon recension of the Alexander Romance (AR).

[...]

Follow the link for more details.

The abovementioned New Book just came out:

Alexander the Great in Jerusalem

Myth and History

Ory Amitay

£84.00

Hardback
Published: 18 April 2025 (Estimated)
220 Pages
234x156mm
ISBN: 9780198929529

Also Available As:
E-book

Description

Alexander the Great in Jerusalem: Myth and History discusses four different stories told in antiquity about the meeting between Alexander the Great and the Judeans of Jerusalem. In history, this meeting passed without noticeable events. Into the historical void stepped various Judean storytellers, who wrote not what was, but what could (or even should) have been.

The tradition as a whole deals with an issue that resurfaced time and again in ancient Judean history: conquest and regime installment by new foreign rulers. It does so by using Alexander as a cipher for a current Hellenistic and Roman foreign rule. The earliest version can be traced to the context of the Seleukid monarch Antiochos III "the Great", and postulates a Judean text from that time that has been hitherto unknown, and which survived in a Byzantine recension (epsilon) of the Alexander Romance. The second and third chapters turn to rabbinic sources, and deal with the Judean approaches and attitudes towards Roman occupation and rule, first at the advent of Pompey and then at the institution of Provincia ludaea at the expense of the Herodian dynasty. The final story is the most famous, previously considered the earliest, rather than the latest; that of Josephus.

Alexander the Great in Jerusalem demonstrates how the historical tradition consistently maintained the moral and sacral superiority of the Jerusalem temple and of Judaism, making Alexander either embrace monotheism or prostrate himself before the Judean high priest. This not only bolstered Judean self-confidence under conditions of military and political inferiority, but also brought the changing foreign rulers into the fold of Judean sacred history.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on Alexander the Great and his connection with ancient Jewish traditions, notably in the Alexander Romance, see here and links. There are lots of links there too to posts on books about Alexander and the Alexander tradition published in recent years

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

MOTP2: Introduction to the Book of Giants

THE BIBLE AND INTEPRETATION:

The Descent of Heavenly Beings to Earth from the Book of Giants

The Book of Giants survives, in a highly fragmentary state, in two versions: the original, known from remnants of Dead Sea Scrolls written in Aramaic, and a later Manichean version, known from manuscript scraps found in Central Asia written in three old Iranian languages and in Old Turkic (Uigur). The Book of Giants recaps the story of the descent of the angelic watchers from heaven to mate with mortal women, who bore them giant offspring with catastrophic results (cf. 1 Enoch 1–36 and Genesis 6:1-4). The rest of the book tells the tragic story of these offspring from their own perspective.

Chapter from James R. Davila and Richard Bauckham (eds.), Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vol.2, More Noncanonical Scriptures (Eerdmans, 2025).

By James Davila
School of Divinity
Professor of Early Jewish Studies
University of St. Andrews
April 2025

As promised earlier, more on the giants! And a free chapter from MOTP2! For you, special deal!

The chapter includes a detailed summary of the reconstructed Book of Giants. But it does not include any translations of the actual surviving manuscripts. For that you need to buy the book. Official publication is tomorrow.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the Book of Giants and some, relatedly, on the Rephaim, follow the links.

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

On Dalton, How Rabbis Became Experts (Princeton)

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: From Dinner to Donor: the Social Exchanges at the Heart of Rabbinic Expertise ( Krista Dalton).

How Rabbis Became Experts: Social Circles and Donor Networks in Jewish Late Antiquity. Princeton University Press, 2025.

... In the book, I demonstrate how gifts for rabbis were situated amidst a broader landscape of Jewish piety and socialization. I examine major gift transactions alongside dinner parties, conversations between neighbors, and more in order to consider the everyday instances of mutual exchange that, I argue, lay at the heart of these gifts. ...

Cross-file under New Book.

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BIAJS 2025 Student Essay Prize

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS:

Open for 2025: BIAJS 2025 Student Essay Prize

Deadline for Submissions: 16 June 2025

We are delighted to announce the BIAJS 2025 student essay prize details, which is now open for both the undergraduate and the postgraduate categories.

On behalf of the BIAJS committee, we are pleased to announce the launch of the 2025 BIAJS student essay prize. Two prizes of £400, ordinarily for one outstanding undergraduate and one postgraduate essay by students at institutions in the UK and Ireland, are awarded annually.

[...]

Follow the link for detailed application information.

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

Antiquities seized in Dimona

APPREHENDED: Police find ancient treasures, weapons in Dimona antiquities probe. A Dimona resident was detained for questioning after the search uncovered not only the archaeological treasures but also a cache of weapons, ammunition, and currency (JOANIE MARGULIES, Jerusalem Post).

Two hundred ancient coins, arrowheads, and pottery vessels were found in the home of a Dimona resident in part of a joint operation between the police and the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), according to the agencies involved in the bust.

[...]

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