Phoenician and Punic news

THE GOOD SHIP PHOENICIA has reached the Azores:

82 days at sea, and Phoenicia reaches the Azores

(dp-news-Sail-world-Arward)

It has been the longest and most challenging leg of their journey, but the Phoenicia, the replica of a 600BC Phoenician vessel which it is believed circumnavigated Africa, has reached the Azores.

The journey covered over 3500miles, with eight crew members, and proved that the sturdy vessel, faithfully recreated according to the mode of its era, could withstand the challenging conditions of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Phoenicia arrived in Flores, the most westerly island in the Azores this week, and is now anchored there.

[...]

Gibraltar is next. The ship has been sailing for nearly two years.

Further background here and follow the many links back.

More Phoenician/Punic news: a review of a book on Hannibal's tactics at the battle of Cannae during the Second Punic War:

The Ghosts of Cannae: Hannibal defeats mighty Rome

The legendary Hannibal won famously at Cannae with tactics still being discussed today — but in the end, he lost the war

Published On Sat Jul 17 2010 (Toronto Star)

On a sweltering August 2, 216 B.C., Hannibal was facing a Roman army on a plain near the Italian river Po. With the sun behind him, the legendary Carthaginian commander was in a good position. But he also had a plan.

Knowing the Romans always went for the centre, he set his troops up in a backwards C formation. When the Romans took the bait, they failed to notice that the Carthaginian centre was slowly drawing back into a proper C. The jaws of the trap closed when Hannibal’s Libyan troops swooped in on the unprotected Roman flanks.

Meanwhile, Hannibal’s brother Hasdrubal, leading the Carthaginian cavalry, took care of the inferior Roman cavalry, first on one flank, then the other. Instead of pursuing, Hasdrubal doubled back behind the Roman troops, cutting off any avenue of retreat.

The Romans lost more men on that single day, 48,000, than the U. S. did during the entire course of the Viet Nam War. Or, as Robert L. O’Connell puts it in The Ghosts of Cannae: Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic, about 6 million pounds of human meat was left to rot in the hot August sun.

This was the famous Battle of Cannae. In O’Connell’s estimation, Cannae remains a lure for the militarily ambitious as long as men dream of killing other groups of men in very large numbers.

[...]

And still more: A new computer game based on the Second Punic War:

Matrix Games Is Ready to Unleash Hannibal

Turn based strategy offering

By Andrei Dumitrescu, Games Editor (Softpedia)

Matrix Games, as the publisher, and Forced March Games, as the developer, have announced that they are collaborating on a new turn based strategy title called Hannibal: Rome and Carthage in the Second Punic War. The game is coming to the PC and does not yet have a clear launch date.

Hannibal: Rome and Carthage in the Second Punic War will allow the player to take control of the entire Carthaginian nation as they try to outfight and outsmart the Romans in a conflict which will define the way the Mediterranean basin develops over the following centuries. The sea, Spain, the North of Africa and Italy are all battlegrounds as the gamers uses their strategic and tactical skills in order to defeat the opposing forces of the Roman Republic.

[...]

Tisha B'Av and rebuilding the Temple

TISHA B'AV (the Ninth of Av) begins tonight at sundown. An easy fast to all those observing it.

This poll was clearly timed with this holiday in mind:

Half the Public Wants to See Holy Temple Rebuilt

by Hillel Fendel (Arutz Sheva)

Half the Israeli public wants the Holy Temple (Beit HaMikdash) to be rebuilt. This is the main finding of a poll commissioned by the Knesset Television Channel and carried out by the Panels Institute.

The poll was taken in advance of this Tuesday’s national day of mourning, known as Tisha B’Av, on which the two Holy Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed, 2,000 and 2,500 years ago, respectively.

Forty nine percent said they want the rebuilding of the Holy Temple, while 23% said they do not. The remainder said they were unsure.

The public is about evenly split on whether they believe it will happen, with a slight edge – 42% to 39% – to those who believe the Third Holy Temple will be rebuilt.

Should the State of Israel take active steps towards the reconstruction? Forty-eight percent said no, while 27% said yes.

[...]

I'll say it again: NO EXCAVATION on the Temple Mount unless it is scientifically controlled archaeological excavation, and even then I think we should wait for the non-intrusive and non-destructive techniques that technology should be sending our way in due course.

I'll leave it to someone else to discuss the politics that would go with any attempt in the foreseeable future to rebuild the Temple.

(Cross-file under "Temple Mount Watch.")

More on gold coin found at Bethsaida

THAT GOLD COIN recently excavated at Bethsaida gets a close look by Arutz Sheva:

2,000-Year-Old Gold Coin a Testament to Galilee Ancient History

by Hana Levi Julian

A 2,000-year-old gold coin discovered by a West Virginia University student at an archaeological site in the upper Galilee has proven to be the find of the season.

It is the first Antonius Pius coin ever found in Israel and was discovered by Alexis Whitley and her friend, on one of the hottest days of the summer. The two were clearing away dirt and rocks at the Bethsaida site when suddenly, Alex spotted the sparkle of a coin as it slipped down.

Unaware of its significance, it took a while for Whitley to understand why excavation director Dr. Rami Arav immediately had her pose with the coin as photographers raced to the site.

The coin, which Arav described as a discovery of Biblical dimensions, weights 7 grams of 24-karat gold – 97.6 percent gold, to be exact. It depicts the portrait of Antonius Pius, a Roman emperor who rules from 138-161 CE.

[...]

The article includes images of the coin with its finder; a nice one of the coin itself; and photos of a gold earring, a tetradrachm coin, and a cooking pot found at the same site.

Background here.

Jewish catacombs under Mussolini's villa

THE JEWISH CATACOMBS beneath Mussolini's villa are profiled in a Jerusalem Post Travel piece:

Jewish catacombs at Rome’s Villa Torlonia
By IRVING SPITZ
07/18/2010 03:41

A fascinating burial site may soon be opened to the general public.

ROME – Cremation represented one of the usual burial practices for pagan Romans. With the emergence of Christianity, burials began to take place in catacombs. This word is derived from the Greek meaning “within the quarries.” Catacombs are underground cemeteries consisting of intricate labyrinths or tunnels with recesses for burial chambers.

There are more than 60 sites of catacombs in Rome which date from the end of the second to the early fifth century CE.

The vast majority of catacombs represent the final resting places of Christians, but there are also several of Jewish origin. One of these is situated in the gardens of the Villa Torlonia in the northeast of Rome. This villa was built in the first half of the 19th century for the wealthy banking Torlonia family. In 1929 it was taken over by the Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. After his death in 1945, the villa and the gardens remained unused for many years, but have now been restored and are open to the public.

[...]

THE MAIN interest in these catacombs is the plethora of beautiful colored frescos on the walls and part of the vaulted ceilings. These represent characteristic iconographic Jewish symbols and many are in an excellent state of preservation. These include the seven-branched menora, shofar, ark with the law tablets, etrog, lulav, circumcision knife, cruse of oil and matzot. There are also depictions which may possibly represent the façade of the Temple destroyed in 70 CE by Titus.

Additional frescoes include geometric patterns, grapevines, birds, plants and fish. These are not specific to Jewish catacombs and are also seen in those of Christian origin. Not unexpectedly, there are no depictions of humans consistent with the Ten Commandments which prohibited displays of graven images. There are also stamped tiles with the name of the ancient Roman workshop.

Interestingly enough, the inscriptions found in these and other Jewish catacombs are in Greek and not Hebrew.

Radiocarbon testing using organic material incorporated during the construction of the catacombs was conducted by Prof. Leonard V. Rutgers. This revealed that these catacombs date from about 100 BCE (Rutgers et al., Nature, 2005). According to Rutgers, these specific catacombs came into general use in the first century and predate Christian catacombs by at least 100 years. This implies that burial of the dead in catacombs may have begun as a Jewish custom and that it was subsequently adopted by the Christians.

On the other hand, it should be noted that other archeological findings such as oil lamps found in the catacombs of Villa Torlonia date from the end of the second to the early fifth century CE. Thus the question of the precise dating of these catacombs is not definitely resolved. ...

The authorities seem to be aiming to begin the restoration of the catacombs in the coming year, with the aim of opening them to the public in due course.

Background here and follow the links.

Jerusalem Akkadian fragment update

JERUSALEM AKKADIAN FRAGMENT UPDATE: Christopher Rollston has posted philological updates by John Huehnergard and Wilfred Van Soldt on his website post Reflections on the Fragmentary Cuneiform Tablet from the Ophel.

Background here.

Hurtado assimilated to the blogosphere

ASSIMILATED TO THE BLOGOSPHERE: Larry Hurtado, Professor of New Testament at the University of Edinburgh, has a new blog. And there's also one for his Centre for the Study of Christian Origins.

(Via James McGrath.)

Francesca Stavrakopoulou on the BBC

BBC AUTUMN/WINTER PREVIEW:

In The Bible's Buried Secrets, Hebrew scholar Francesca Stavrakopoulou looks at what recent archaeological discoveries mean for the Bible and how they are forcing a re-assessment of the understanding of the legacy of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Dr. Stavrakopoulou is a Senior Lecturer in Hebrew Bible at Exeter University.

Ninth of Av thoughts on ancient conversion

MORE NINTH OF AV THOUGHTS:

How disaster made conversion harder

There is a link between Tishah b’Av — which begins on Monday night — and attitudes towards converts, writes David Aberbach

July 15, 2010 (Jewish Chronicle)

The unprecedented growth of Islam in the West, despite prejudice and hatred, contrasts with the demographic stagnation of the Jewish people - several million fewer now than in 1939. Conversion to practically every other religion remains considerably easier than conversion to Judaism. Why is traditional conversion to Judaism so hard?

There is a close link between Tishah b'Av, the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, and rabbinic discouragement of gentiles from conversion after the Roman-Jewish wars (66-70, 115-17, 132-35 CE). Roman concern with Jewish conversion began prior to the destruction of the Temple. Though not a missionary religion (early Christians such as Paul, Barnabas and Peter are the only first-century Jewish missionaries known by name), pre-70 Judaism was highly varied and expanding in the Roman empire. It attracted sympathisers and adherents among the underprivileged, powerless, persecuted classes of the empire, especially slaves and women.

[...]

What do angels look like?

WHAT DO ANGELS LOOK LIKE? - A capsule history at the OUP blog. Some unusual artistic representations are noted here, here, and here.

Biblical languages minor at ENMU

A BIBLICAL LANGUAGES MINOR has been added to the offerings of Eastern New Mexico University's Religion Department:

Students of Hebrew and Greek have a chance to enhance their college degrees as well as their minds with the institution of new minors at Eastern New Mexico University this coming fall.

In addition to the existing minor in Greek, students can now minor in Hebrew or combine the two languages for a Biblical Languages minor, all through the Department of Religion.

[...]

Mandaean Gnostic texts online

MANDAEAN GNOSTIC TEXTS ONLINE.

Rollston on the new Jerusalem cuneiform fragment

CHRISTOPHER ROLLSTON has just posted Reflections on the Fragmentary Cuneiform Tablet from the Ophel on his website. His conclusion:

I contend that (1) it could be some sort of administrative text (2nd person forms are used in memoranda sometimes, as Jack Sasson has noted); (2) it could be a legal text, as the 2nd person does occur in legal texts; (3) it could be an international letter, of course…but it might be a letter from one official in Jerusalem to another official in Jerusalem, or a letter to a neighboring “city” (e.g., Hazor) or “country” (i.e., Egypt is not the sole country to which a letter might be written); (4) it is conceivable that it is a literary text of some sort (as the 2nd person can occur in such texts). Therefore, there are a number of possible options for this tablet. And, thus, because there is such a dearth of actual preserved text on this tablet, I contend that it is best not to attempt to posit as probable this or that historical context, Sitz im Leben, or genre. Ultimately, the fact of the matter is that it could be one of various things…e.g., an epistolary text, a legal text, an administrative text, a literary text.

Read it all.

Background here.

UPDATE: Check that post again.

Grossman (ed.), Rediscovering the DSS

IN THE MAIL:

Maxine L. Grossman (ed.), Rediscovering the Dead Sea Scrolls: An Assessment of Old and New Approaches and Methods (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2010)

Already noted here. This is the first time I've looked at the other essays in the volume but, having done so, I'm sorely tempted to drop the class preparation I should be doing and just read this book.

The Amazon.com link is here, but it uses an earlier draft title (but displays the correct title on the cover image).

APU extends DSS exhibit

AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY has extended its Dead Sea Scroll exhibit through 29 August.

Background here.

The Art Newspaper on the Garima Gospels

THE ART NEWSPAPER on the Garima Gospels:

Discovery of earliest illuminated manuscript

Revised dating places Garima Gospels before 650—none from Ethiopia previously dated before 12th century By Martin Bailey

By Martin Bailey | From issue 214, June 2010
Published online 14 Jul 10 (Features)

What could be the world’s earliest illustrated Christian manuscript has been found in a remote Ethiopian monastery. The Garima Gospels were previously assumed to date from about 1100AD, but radiocarbon dating conducted in Oxford suggests they were made between 330 and 650AD.

This discovery looks set to transform our knowledge about the development of illuminated manuscripts. It also throws new light on the spread of Christianity into sub-Saharan Africa.

The Garima Gospels are preserved in an isolated monastery in the Tigray region, set among mountains at 7,000 feet. No other Ethiopian manuscripts can be dated from before the 12th century. So the Garima Gospels represent a unique survival of an early Christian text in sub-Saharan Africa—pre-dating all others by more than 500 years.

[...]

More please.

DId Jesus speak Hebrew (only) and Greek?

MORE FROM MARK D. ROBERTS on the languages Jesus may have spoken:

Examining "the Biblical Truth" That Jesus Spoke Hebrew Part I and Part II

Bottom line: sometimes in the New Testament Hebraidi [Greek word now the correct form] clearly means "in Aramaic." Usage trumps etymology.

Did Jesus Speak Greek?

The circumstantial case is good:

Though the New Testament Gospels do not tell us whether Jesus spoke Greek or not, they do describe situations in which it's likely that Greek was used. In Matthew 8:5-13, for example, Jesus entered into dialogue with a Roman centurion. The centurion almost certainly spoke in Greek. And, as Matthew tells the story, he and Jesus spoke directly, without a translator. Of course it's always possible that a translator was used and simply not mentioned by Matthew. Still, the sense of the story suggests more immediate communication, which would have been in Greek.

The same could be said about Jesus' conversation with Pontius Pilate prior to his crucifixion (Matthew 27:11-14; John 18:33-38). Once again, there is the possibility of an unmentioned translator. But the telling of the story points to a Greek-speaking Jesus. (Pilate would have used Greek, not Latin, as imagined by Mel Gibson in The Passion of the Christ. And it's unlikely that he would have known or used Aramaic. Pilate was not the sort of man who would stoop to use the language of common Jews.)

If Jesus knew enough Greek to converse with a Roman centurion and a Roman governor, where did he learn it? Some have suggested that he might have learned it during his early years in Egypt. A more likely explanation points to his location in Galilee. Though Aramaic was the first language of Nazareth, Jesus' hometown was a short walk from Sepphoris, which was a major city and one in which Greek was spoken. Jesus quite probably had clients in Sepphoris who utilized his carpentry services, and he would have spoken with them in Greek.

But given the multi-lingual context in which Jesus lived, it's not surprising that he would have been reasonably fluent in Greek and Hebrew, in addition to Aramaic. People in the United States often have a hard time understanding this. But if you've known people who have grown up in Europe, for example, they often can get by in several languages, including English, German, Spanish, and French, even if their first language is Italian.

Earlier installments here.

A scientific diagram of the ancient Hebrew cosmos

A SCIENTIFIC DIAGRAM of the ancient Hebrew cosmos.

Ninth of Av thoughts on Milgrom and Greenberg

NINTH OF AV THOUGHTS:

Remembering the Temple, Its Destruction and Its Scholars

By Jonah Lowenfeld (Jewish Journal)

This week, when Jews around the world mourn the destruction of the First and Second Temples, some may also think back on two rabbi-scholars who died this spring, both known for helping us understand the ritual practices of the First Temple, as well as Ezekiel’s prophecies about its destruction.

Rabbi Jacob Milgrom devoted the bulk of his career to studying the sections of the Torah that describe ancient Israelite practices during the First Temple period; he died in Jerusalem in early June. Rabbi Moshe Greenberg’s work on the book of Ezekiel helped contextualize the prophet’s words in the history of the ancient Near East and explain their meaning using the lens of modern biblical scholarship. He died in late May, also in Jerusalem.

[...]

Zoroaster in the Guardian

ZOROASTER, the ancient Iranian prophet, gets some press in the Guardian:

Zoroaster – forgotten prophet of the one God

The Abrahamic religions were preceded, and decisively influenced by, followers of an earlier prophet

o John Palmer
o guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 13 July 2010 15.29 BST
o Article history

The tiny world wide communities of Zoroastrians are no doubt pleased to get any mention in Cif belief – even if it is only to provide alphabetical balance to a list starting with the Bahá'ís. Even those who take a close interest in the more exotic or esoteric of religions tend to have a vague grasp on what the followers of the ancient Persian (or maybe Bactrian) prophet, Zarathustra (Zoroaster in Greek) – born around 800 BC – actually believed. This is a great pity since even a non-believer must be impressed with the evidence of how the religious ideas first expressed by Zoroaster were fundamental in shaping what emerged as Judaism after the 5th century BC and thus deeply influenced the other Abrahamic religions – Christianity and Islam.

[...]

The exact date of Zoroaster is debated by specialists, as is the degree of influence of Zoroastrianism on ancient Judaism. At the same time, it is undeniable that there was some influence. For example the word "Paradise" (originally meaning "walled garden) is a Persian word, as are a number of other words used in late texts in the Hebrew Bible (such as Daniel) and in the Dead Sea Scrolls. To what degree Zoroastrian eschatology influenced Jewish apocalyptic eschatology is a more difficult question.

It's good to see these issues being discussed in the press. (Cif belief, by the way, is the Guardian blog in which this essay appears.)

HB/Jewish Studies job at Chester University

JOB at the University of Chester:

Senior Lecturer in Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies

Job details

Applications are invited for the post of Senior Lecturer in Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies. We intend to appoint for commencement not later than 1 January 2011.

You will have a PhD in biblical studies, and experience in teaching, supervision, module development and programme leadership in higher education. You will be able to contribute academic leadership in biblical studies, and will be an active researcher with strong research-based publications. We hope you will also be able to contribute to undergraduate teaching in Jewish Studies, and will have additional expertise in a field such as: Bible and Film, Bible and Art, Bible and Culture, Bible and Popular Culture, Bible and Critical Theory.

Our Department of Theology and Religious Studies enjoys growing renown for excellence in research and teaching, with particular, but not exclusive, reference to religions in the contemporary world. Our ethos is collegiate and ambitious.

The closing date is 22 July, so don't dawdle. Follow the link to download more information.

(Via Viv Rowett on the SOTS list.)