The Queen of Sheba between & beyond Scriptures

SOMEONE HAD TO DO THIS: The Queen of Sheba Tumblr. And that someone is Annette Yoshiko Reed.

Background on the Queen of Sheba and the vast cycle of legends about her is here and links.

Studies in Late Antiquity

NEW JOURNAL FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS:

COMING IN 2017: STUDIES IN LATE ANTIQUITY

Studies in Late Antiquity: A Journal
eISSN: 2470-2048
Elizabeth DePalma Digeser, Editor

Studies in Late Antiquity: A Journal (SLA) is a new online quarterly journal published by the University of California Press. The journal is scheduled to launch in February, 2017.

SLA aims to publish scholarship on a wide range of topics pertaining to the world of Late Antiquity (150 – 750 CE). A defining focus of the journal is fostering multi- and interdisciplinary research that emphasizes the interconnectedness of the Mediterranean with other parts of the late ancient world. Comparative and methodologically innovative papers are especially welcome.

SLA encourages submissions from scholars working in the following regions and languages therein during the period 150-750 CE:

Africa, Anatolia, Arabia, the Baltic, the British Isles, Central and Western Asia, China, Europe, India, the Mediterranean, Persia, Scandinavia

SLA welcomes contributions that explore the following fields and topics:

Archaeology, Cultural Geography (including Cartography), Economics, History (including Cultural History), History of the Arts (including Architecture, Art, and Music), Law, Literature and Rhetoric, Material Culture (including Codicology, Epigraphy, Numismatics, and Papyrology), Historical Demography, Philology, Philosophy, Religion, Theology

Follow the link for further particulars. You can also sign up for e-mail updates.

Hjelm on ancient Israel

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

Lost and Found? A Non-Jewish Israel from the Merneptah Stele to the Byzantine Period

Article from History, Archaeology and The Bible Forty Years After "Historicity" (Routledge, 2016).

By Ingrid Hjelm
Faculty of Theology
University of Copenhagen
March 2016

Quite a bit of the article has to do with the Samaritans.

Stuckenbruck and Boccaccini (eds.), Enoch and the Synoptic Gospels

FORTHCOMING BOOK FROM EERDMANS:

Enoch and the Synoptic Gospels: Reminiscences, Allusions, Intertextuality (Early Judaism and Its Literature) Paperback – April 29, 2016
by Loren T. Stuckenbruck (Author), Gabriele Boccaccini (Author)

Essential research for students and scholars of Second Temple Judaism and the New Testament

Since Richard Laurence published the first English translation of 1 Enoch in 1821, its importance for an understanding of early Christianity has been generally recognized. The present volume is the first book of essays contributed by international specialists in Second Temple Judaism devoted to the significance of traditions found in 1 Enoch for the interpretation of the Synoptic Gospels in the New Testament. Areas covered by the contributions include demonology, Christology, angelology, cosmology, birth narratives, forgiveness of sins, veneration, wisdom, and priestly tradition.

Features:

• Multiple approaches to thinking about the relationship between 1 Enoch and the Synoptic Gospels
  
• Exploration of the common socio-cultural and religious framework within which the traditions concerning Enoch and Jesus developed
  
• Articles presented at the Seventh Enoch Seminar in 2013

More on the Seventh Enoch Seminar is here.

Oegema, Apocalyptic Interpretation of the Bible

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY:

Apocalyptic Interpretation of the Bible
Apocalypticism and Biblical Interpretation in Early Judaism, the Apostle Paul, the Historical Jesus, and their Reception History

By: Gerbern S. Oegema

Published: 06-20-2013
Format: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Extent: 208
ISBN: 9780567188755
Imprint: Bloomsbury T&T Clark
Series: Jewish and Christian Text
List price: $39.95

About Apocalyptic Interpretation of the Bible

This book presents a synthesis of Gerbern Oegema's extensive research on apocalypticism and Biblical interpretation. Oegema works with the hypothesis that apocalypticism was a major current and mindset from the beginning of the Second Temple period, through Enochic literature, the Qumran Scrolls and the New Testament into Late Antiquity, shaping many inner-Jewish traditions and those emerging from Early Judaism, namely the Early Church and Rabbinic Judaism.

The topics and texts dealt with range from prophecy and apocalypticism in Second Temple Judaism, messianic expectations in the Qumran writings, the apocalyptic interpretation of the Patriarchs in 4QPatriarchal Blessings (4Q252), the 'Coming of the Righteous One' in 1 Enoch, Qumran and the New Testament, to the historical Jesus between Early Judaism and Early Christianity.

Follow the link for TOC and ordering information. [Update: Actually this one was published a few years ago. But I didn't note it then, so here it is. Professor Oegema has co-edited another one recently, which I will post as soon as I get a chance.]

Today's Palmyra update

PALMYRA WATCH: Syria’s Palmyra scarred forever by IS jihadists. Many temples, columns and other treasures have been destroyed by group, with even partial recovery expected to take years (Sammy Ketz, AFP). The antiquities director Maamoun Abdulkarim says that the Temple of Bel can only be partially restored and that even that could take five years.

Also, the team that is reprinting the Arch of Triumph from Palmyra plans to go to the ruins themselves to aid the reconstruction: Palmyra Triumphal Arch Comes to Life in 3-D-printed Display (Aida Akl, Voice of America).

The Triumphal Arch of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra – destroyed by Islamic State (IS) militants last October – is being resurrected, thanks to digital technology and 3-D printing. The replicated structure is going on display around the world on April 19 in a fitting tribute to the city’s recent liberation from IS control.

Reconstructing the 2000-year-old Triumphal Arch to mark UNESCO’s World Heritage Day 2016, is the UK-based Institute for Digital Archeology (IDA), a joint venture between Harvard University, Oxford University, and Dubai’s Museum of the Future. The arch will be displayed in London, New York and Dubai.

IDA teams will be first on the ground in the liberated Palmyra and hope to be part of its reconstruction. “As soon as our teams are given access to the Palmyra site, our first step will be to consult with local stakeholders to learn of their priorities,” Roger Michel, IDA’s founder and Executive Director, said in an email.

The team will then build a large-scale 3-D printing grid near the site of the reconstruction.

“This will dramatically reduce cost and allow local stakeholders to participate in the building process,” he said. “After rough-printing the reconstruction, the next step is to provide surface finishes that match the appearance and texture of the original objects or architecture.”

[...]

There's a video too, of an impressive Skynet-like device rebuilding a monument.

And lest we forget that this is not just about antiquities and ruins: Palmyra mass grave: Tortured women & children among dozens of ISIS victims unearthed by Syrian army (RT.com/SANA).

And finally, some more general information about the rescue of antiquities in Syria during the war: With jihadis at the door, Syrians rush to rescue history. Undercover archaeologists and curators have been smuggling artifacts out of Islamic State territory in the hope of preserving them from looting and destruction (MAEVA BAMBUCK, AP).

Background on Palmyra is here and follow the links.

Jones on canon

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Is there a Canon in this Class? (Chris Jones).

We also can’t teach them that way. Most of us are comfortable teaching the historical-critical method, showing students how to unravel the compositional histories of biblical texts and how to read them in their ancient contexts. But when our students conceptualize the Bible as something that has always existed, or as something that was always going to exist, teaching them compositional history and contextual reading strategies is not enough.

Earlier contributions to the AJR discussion are noted here and links.

New editions of Jacob of Sarug's homilies

SYRIAC WATCH: GORGIAS PRESS has published a number of new editions of the Syriac homilies of Jacob of Sarug. These two look particularly interesting:

Jacob of Sarug’s Homilies on the Six Days of Creation: The Second Day
Edited and Translated by Edward G. Mathews Jr.
(Texts from Christian Late Antiquity 40)

Title: Jacob of Sarug’s Homilies on the Six Days of Creation: The Second Day
Series: Texts from Christian Late Antiquity 40
Availability: In Print
Publisher: Gorgias Press
Edited and Translated by Edward G. Mathews Jr.
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0553-9
Availability: In Print
Publication Date: 1/2016
Language: English and Syriac
Format: Paperback, Black, 6 x 9 in
Pages: 55

In this second part of Homily 71, On the Fashioning of Creation, Jacob treats the making of the firmament: what it was, where it was, what – as far as can be determined – was placed above it and what below it, its purpose and utility for humanity, and the importance of its place in the Genesis account of the six day progression of creation.

Recognized as a saint by both Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian Christians alike, Jacob of Sarug (d. 521) produced many narrative poems that have rarely been translated into English. Of his reported 760 metrical homilies, only about half survive. Part of a series of fascicles containing the bilingual Syriac-English editions of Saint Jacob of Sarug’s homilies, this volume contains his homilies on the Six Days of Creation. The Syriac text is fully vocalized, and the translation is annotated with a commentary and biblical references. The volume is one of the fascicles of Gorgias Press’s The Metrical Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug, which, when complete, will contain all of Jacob’s surviving sermons.

Jacob of Sarug's Homily on the Chariot that Prophet Ezekiel Saw
Fascicle 14: Translation and Introduction by Alexander Golitzin; Edited with Notes by Mary T. Hansbury
(Texts from Christian Late Antiquity 3)

Title: Jacob of Sarug's Homily on the Chariot that Prophet Ezekiel Saw
Subtitle: Metrical Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug
Series: Texts from Christian Late Antiquity 3
Availability: In Print
Publisher: Gorgias Press
Fascicle 14
Translation and Introduction by Alexander Golitzin
Edited with Notes by Mary Hansbury
ISBN: 978-1-59333-735-3
Availability: In Print
Publication Date: 2/2016
Language: English and Syriac
Format: Paperback, Black, 6 x 9 in
Pages: 169

Recognized as a saint by both Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian Christians alike, Jacob of Sarug (d. 521) produced many narrative poems that have rarely been translated into English. Of his reported 760 metrical homilies, only about half survive. Part of a series of fascicles containing the bilingual Syriac-English editions of Saint Jacob of Sarug’s homilies, this volume contains his homily on the Chariot which the Prophet Ezekiel saw. The Syriac text is fully vocalized, and the translation is annotated with a commentary and biblical references. The volume is one of the fascicles of Gorgias Press’s Complete Homilies of Saint Jacob of Sarug, which, when complete, will contain all of Jacob’s surviving sermons. In Syriac and English.

Biblical Studies Carnival CXXII

NT WRONG REDIVIVUS: Biblical Studies Carnival CXXII (March 2016).

The mysterious origins of the Nag Hammadi Library

LARRY HURTADO: Recent Questions about the Nag Hammadi Codices.

The implications are considerable. If, for example, the Nag Hammadi codices weren’t composed by and for Pachomian monks, and weren’t hidden in the 4th century from “orthodox” bishops, and don’t, thus, reflect some variant-version of early Christianity, that’s quite a lot to take on board. If, as Denzey Lewis and Blount contend, instead, these texts (at least in the 4th century) circulated among somewhat elitist individuals of esoteric tastes and rather eclectic reading habits, then these codices can’t really be used as they often have been to “re-write” 4th century history of Egyptian Christianity. So, it will now be interesting to see how the scholarly discussion moves forward. But, to my mind, these articles, particularly the Denzey Lewis and Blount study, can’t rightly be ignored.

Those are big implications.

Progress at Palmyra

PALMYRA WATCH: Russia archaeologists ‘offer to rebuild Palmyra.’ (Times of Israel Blog). I bet they did. The Russians are certainly milking the positive publicity of the retaking of Palmyra for all it's worth, but I suppose they've earned it. Now I expect them to do a superb job on the restoration.

Meanwhile, progress: Syrian sappers say 1230 mines rendered harmless in Palmyra. According to Lieutenant Qassen Shpib of the Syrian engineer troops engaged in demining efforts, it's only half of the approximate number of explosive devices in the city (Tass).

Also, a little good news: Palmyra's dynamited temple can be restored, de-miners use robots (Reuters).

Satellite pictures taken after the 2,000-year-old temple was dynamited by the jihadi group, and other images broadcast since Syrian government forces retook the city on Sunday, show almost the entire structure collapsed in a heap of rubble.

It was one of several important monuments blown up in the city last year including the temple of Baal Shamin, a victory arch and funerary towers. The city museum, home to treasured artefacts, was ransacked and statues were smashed or defaced.

Despite the extensive damage, Maamoun Abdelkarim [Syria's antiquities chief] said that the Temple of Bel had not been pulverised and its foundations were largely intact.

Consecrated to a Mesopotamian god, the Temple of Bel later served as a Christian church and a mosque. In an inner sanctuary, carvings showed seven planets surrounded by the signs of the zodiac, and a procession of camels and veiled women.

"What was said about it all being turned to dust - it's not dust," Abdelkarim told Reuters in Damascus. "There is still a lot of the structure ... that can be reused and renovated."

Background here and links.

Q document recovered!

IT'S THAT DAY AGAIN: Archaeologists Find Q (Bosco Peters, Liturgy.co.nz/HT Peter Williams, ETC).

The earliest collection of the sayings of Jesus, written down in Hebrew by Jesus’ disciple Matthew, has been found.
These sayings, older than our gospels, now leave us with unprecedented questions: if they disagree with the gospels, which do we follow? Should we add this to the Bible?

Joseph Aviram Turns 100

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Israel Exploration Society’s Joseph Aviram Turns 100 (Hershel Shanks).

Yom huledet sameach! Happy birthday, Joseph (he pronounces it Yosef). On March 16, 2016, Joseph Aviram turned 100 years old!

Happy belated birthday to Dr. Aviram! A past post about him is here.

Temple Institute trying to recruit priests

TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH? Job opening: High priests needed for ancient Temple ritual (Michele Chabin, Religion News Service). Actually, the Temple Institute seems to be looking for priests in general, although I suppose that would include a high priest. I'm not sure what the plural "high priests" in the headline is supposed to be about.

To be clear, as I have already said many times, I do not support the rebuilding of the Third Temple or any other excavation or construction on the Temple Mount. Even archaeologists should wait to study its contents until we have non-invasive and non-destructive technologies that allow us to do so without damaging the site or the buildings that are already there.

My interest in this story is purely sociological.

Past posts on the Temple Institute and its various projects are here and follow the links back.

Brent Seales lectures at Baylor

TECHNOLOGY WATCH: Professor speaks on preserving past using technology (Rachel Leland, Baylor Lariat).

Computer Science and Papyrology, the study of ancient texts written on papyrus, may not appear to intersect, but digital imaging technology offers benefits and collaboration opportunities for researchers in both fields.

Baylor University hosted researcher Dr. Brent Seales who gave a lecture called “Digital Unwrapping: Homer, Herculaneum and the Scroll from Ein Gedi.”

[...]

Past posts on Dr. Seales's work on the Herculaneum papyri are here and links (related post here). Past post on the recovery of the text from that carbonized Leviticus scroll are here, here, here, here, and here.

"Demining" Palmyra

PALMYRA WATCH: Russian Experts Arrive in Syria to Demine Recaptured Palmyra. After Palmyra was recaptured by Syrian troops and Russian airstrikes after a 10-month ISIS reign, Russia has pledged to help clear the archaeological site of mines (AP). UNESCO plans to send in a mission to tackle the restoration of the ancient monuments once this is done.

Background here and links.

Joffe on biblical archaeology

THE BIBLE AND INTERPRETATION:

How to Chase a White Whale[1]
A Response to “Biblical Archaeology: The Hydra of Palestine’s History.”

But what bothers Thompson of course is that the Bible is, for some, scripture, and Jewish scripture at that. There has always been a self-evident quality to his biblical antipathy. There is simply too much, well, Jewish stuff, in there, that connects, for better or worse, the past and present. His entire oeuvre has been a concerted effort to sever the Bible from the Jews and their Iron Age ancestors. This forces special pleading and head standing; hence such odd statements as “there is in Israel today, no political room for a post 722 BCE Israel.”

By Alex Joffe
Editor, The Ancient Near East Today
Archaeologist and Historian
March 2016

This essay is in response to Thomas Thompson's essay Biblical Archaeology: The Hydra of Palestine’s History, which was published in Bible and Interpretation in October of 2015 and which I noted here. Thomas responds to Joffe in the comments section. I am very happy for the most part to leave it to others who are better informed than I to debate the relationship of the Bible to the archaeology, epigraphic remains, and history of the Iron Age II in this region. I do step in with a comment once in a while if I think I have something useful to say.

The texts in the Bible — both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament — were not written with our archaeological and historical questions in mind and very frequently are not of much use for answering those questions. We are, of course, ever tempted to try to extract such answers from the texts, and not entirely without success. But ultimately the texts had their own concerns— ones we often do not understand very well — and were indifferent to ours, and that should make us cautious about our historical conclusions. The lack of scholarly consensus about Iron Age II Israel is, I think, symptomatic of this problem and the question of the historical Jesus runs up against it as well.

Copeland (ed.), The Oxford History of Classical Reception in English Literature 1: 800-1558

NEW BOOK FROM OUP: Penn professor edits new book on classical reception in English literature (Jacquie Posey, Penn Current).

Ancient Greek and Roman poets have inspired generations of writers who came after them. Now, a new book edited by Rita Copeland, the Sheli Z. and Burton X. Rosenberg Professor of the Humanities in the School of Arts & Sciences, offers the most comprehensive account ever written of the reception of classical writing in medieval and early Tudor English literature.

Reception history is a field of literary studies that examines how later periods respond to and assimilate products of earlier literary cultures, building on and around these earlier traditions.

“The Oxford History of Classical Reception in English Literature 1: 800-1558” (“OHCREL”) is the first volume in an Oxford University Press five-volume series devoted to the classical tradition in English literature. “OHCREL” synthesizes existing scholarship and presents new research. An international team of experts collaborated on each of the five volumes.

[...]

Ancient Judaism also figures in the book:

“OHCREL” also outlines how the history of Jewish antiquity found a place in medieval English culture through translations and adaptations of the ancient historian Josephus and his “Jewish Wars.”

Rare coin returned to Israel

NUMISMATICS: German doctor returns ancient coin he took from Israel 25 years ago.

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) A German doctor has decided to return a rare ancient coin he discovered on a visit to Jerusalem 25 years ago.

The bronze coin picked up by Dr. Tonio Sebastian Richter dates to 178-179 C.E. and is imprinted with a profile of the Roman Emperor Commodus. The name “Ashkelon” appears on the coin in Greek script.

Richter took the coin back to Berlin, cleaned it, and realized it was an ancient artifact. He tried to find information about the coin, and kept it in his possession until he heard that the Israel Museum was celebrating 50 years since its founding and decided to return the coin.

[...]

Good for him. The coin turned out to be unique, so he did the right thing. It's easy to find coins in Israel on a hike or whatever. In some places they just pop up from the ground after a rain. But if you find one you should show it to an archaeologist or numismatist to make sure it isn't something rare that belongs in a museum.

PTS appoints Mark Smith

GOOD NEWS: Princeton Theological Seminary Appoints Mark S. Smith as Professor of Old Testament (Krystal Knapp, Planet Princeton). Congratulations both to Professor Smith (and the other two appointments) and to Princeton Theological Seminary.