The Talmud on Jews and Gentiles

THIS WEEK'S DAF YOMI COLUMN BY ADAM KIRSCH IN TABLET: How Jews Should Deal With Gentiles. According to this week’s ‘Daf Yomi’ Talmud study, as little as possible.

Things were very different in the Talmudic period, in the first centuries CE, when Jews were subject to terrible persecution by the Roman authorities. As Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon is quoted as saying in Avoda Zara 18a, it was Rome that “destroyed God’s Temple, and burned His sanctuary, and killed His pious ones, and destroyed His best ones.” Yet somehow, “it still exists,” which suggested to Chanina that God must have “given reign” to Rome for inscrutable reasons of his own. This combination of resignation and resistance was dramatized this week in several stories about confrontations between Jewish sages and Roman power.

Also, there is a rare reference to Jesus of Nazareth in this week's Talmudic reading.

Earlier Daf Yomi columns are noted here and links.

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Lehmhaus on Talmudic medicine

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: PSCO 2017-18: Nurses, Midwives, Healers, and Talmudic Medical Encyclopaedism (Jillian Stinchcomb).

What did ancient Jews know? Well, they knew that according to Mishnah Avodah Zarah 2:2 “one may accept their [non-Jewish] healing related to one’s property/money, but not healing related to life/ soul.” In the third installment for PSCO 2017-8, Lennart Lehmhaus (Freie Universität Berlin) explored the category of Talmudic medicine through this passage and through rabbinic commentary on it. In the process, he invited us to take seriously the epistemological implications of discrete bits of data, especially on medicine, midwives, and healing experts, for our understanding of the context of Talmudic discourse.

A summary of the lecture follows.

Past AJR posts on the Philadelphia Seminar on Christian Origins 2017-18 are noted here and here.

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Leaked EU report objects to "touristic settlements" in East Jerusalem

POLITICS AND ARCHAEOLOGY: Israel using tourism to legitimise settlements, says EU report. Exclusive: European Union Heads of Mission warn ‘touristic settlements’ are being used as a political tool (The Guardian).

Israel is developing archaeological and tourism sites to legitimise illegal settlements in Palestinian neighbourhoods of Jerusalem, European Union diplomats in the city have warned.

A leaked report acquired by the Guardian cited projects in parts of East Jerusalem – occupied by Israel since 1967 – that are being used “as a political tool to modify the historical narrative and to support, legitimise and expand settlements”.

[...]

The full text of the report has not bee released.

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CFP: Religions and Medicine Conference in Rome

CONFERENCE:

Museo delle Religioni “Raffaele Pettazzoni”

Religions and Medicine
From Antiquity to Contemporary Age

June 5-6-7-8-9, 2018
Velletri (Rome)

Call for Papers

In the contemporary Western world, medicine constitutes a specific branch of
knowledge, with its own characteristics and methods of cure and research, and it’s
tendentially autonomous, not linked with religious or folklore beliefs, even though
there are still some contacts, reciprocal influences and conflicts. In the past, however,
these spheres were more reciprocally interconnected than it appears to us nowadays.
The conference aims to investigate this interconnection in a multi-disciplinary
perspective, as regards both medical procedures and the definition of human body. ...

Follow the link for further particulars. The deadline for paper proposals is 1 April 2018.

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On language and color perception

THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY: The Missing Shade of Blue (Shiyanthi Thavaplan).

Why did many languages only have a single word to designate both ‘green’ and ‘blue’? What does it mean when a language like Akkadian does not have an abstract word for the color ‘blue’? Could Akkadian-speakers nonetheless see and conceptualize ‘blueness’? Equally puzzling was the contrast between the ubiquitous use of colorful substances and objects and the relative dearth of terms or expressions for color. Ethnological data combined with research in cognitive sciences eventually demonstrated that color was a culturally determined and culturally constructed phenomenon. In many societies, words for things like luminosity, transparency, the contrast between wetness/desiccation, patterns and even psycho-emotional values are considered color terms. Different cultures make sense of color differently.

PaleoJudaica has noted past articles on this subject here and here. This one gives lots of illustrated examples from the ancient Akkadian language.

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Research on the Hexapla

ETC BLOG: Modern Editions of the Hexaplaric Fragments (John Meade).

Last week, I posted on a small part of Origen's Hexapla in Job 24:25, and before writing further posts on the matter, readers should be aware of the modern editions of the Hexapla. There is a lot to say about the history of the Hexapla and research into its primary sources, but the greatest benefit to the student of the Bible is access to the modern editions and collections of its fragmentary remains.

[...]

Immediate background here. Other past PaleoJudaica posts on Origen's Hexapla are here, here, here, and here.

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Would King Manasseh have liked source criticism?

Dr. HACHAM ISAAC SASSOON: Source Criticism Enhances Our Acceptance of the Torah (TheTorah.com).

Traditional commentators endued certain Torah references with midrashic or esoteric purport in an effort to counteract those who mocked them. But in so doing, they were conceding the mockers’ evaluation of these texts as being, prima facie, inconsequential. Fortunately, source criticism helps us accept these texts without discomfort, obviating the compulsion to interpret them away.

There is a fascinating history of midrashic discussion of the quotidian details in the Pentateuch.

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CFP (ISBL/EABS, Helsinki): The Biblical World and Cultural Evolution

H-JUDAIC: The Biblical World and Cultural Evolution.

Type: Call for Papers
Date: July 30, 2018 to August 3, 2018
Location: Finland
Subject Fields: Cultural History / Studies, Digital Humanities, Jewish History / Studies

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to present to you a new unit: The Biblical World and Cultural Evolution which is part of the joint conference of the Internations SBL and EABS taking place in Helsinki, Finland from July 30th until August 3rd this year

The definite deadline is Feb. 14th, so don’t hesitate...

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Who was Cain's wife?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Who Was the Wife of Cain? A closer look at one of the most enigmatic women in Genesis. This essay summarizes a BAR article by Mary Joan Winn Leith on this question that has vexed scriptural exegetes for two millennia and more. The full article ("Who Did Cain Marry?") is behind the subscription wall.

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What does "covet" mean in the Bible?

PROF. LEONARD GREENSPOON: Do Not Covet: Is It a Feelingor an Action? (TheTorah.com).

In English, to covet means to desire (someone or something) obsessively, wrongfully, and/or without due regard for the rights/feelings of others. It is a strong emotion, to be avoided. But does “covet” capture the meaning of the Hebrew verb חמד?

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Festschift for Choon Leong Seow

NEW BOOK FROM DE GRYUTER:

"When the Morning Stars Sang"
Essays in Honor of Choon Leong Seow on the Occasion of his Sixty-Fifth Birthday

Ed. by Jones, Scott C. / Yoder, Christine Roy

Series:Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 500

Aims and Scope
During a moment of exponential growth and change in the fields of biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies, it is an opportune time to take stock of the state wisdom and wisdom literature with twenty-three essays honoring the consummate Weisheitslehrer, Professor Choon Leong Seow, Vanderbilt, Buffington, Cupples Chair in Divinity and Distinguished Professor of Hebrew Bible at Vanderbilt University.

This Festschrift is tightly focused around wisdom themes, and all of the essays are written by senior scholars in the field. They represent not only the great diversity of approaches in the field of wisdom and wisdom literature, but also the remarkable range of interests and methods that have characterized Professor Seow's own work throughout the decades, including the theology of the wisdom literature, the social world of Ecclesiastes, the history of consequences of the book of Job, the poetry of the Psalms, and Northwest Semitic Inscriptions, just to name a few.

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Biblical Studies Carnival 143

DUST BLOG: The January 2018 Biblical Studies Carnival 143 (Bob MacDonald). PaleoJudaica is well represented.

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More on citrus in the the ancient Mediterranean

THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY: When Life Gives You Lemons: Tracking the Earliest Citrus in the Mediterranean (Dafna Langgut).

Citrus was first cultivated by humans at least four thousand years ago in Southeast Asia, and all cultivated species derive from a handful of wild ancestors. Several years ago I found the earliest archaeobotanical evidence of citrus within the Mediterranean in a royal Persian garden near Jerusalem dating to the fifth and fourth centuries BCE. In the course of research I traced the spread and diversification of citrus through a variety of historical information, including ancient texts, art, and artifacts such as wall paintings and coins, and by gathering all the available archaeobotanical remains: fossil pollen grains, charcoal, seeds, and other fruit remains.

Background here and links.

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Review of Gertz et al. (eds.), The Formation of the Pentateuch

THE RELIGION AND LITERATURE OF ANCIENT PALESTINE BLOG: Review of The Formation of the Pentateuch: Bridging the Academic Cultures of Europe, Israel, and North America, ed. J. Gertz, B. Levinson, D. Rom-Shiloni, K. Schmid (Mohr Siebeck, 2016) (Ryan Thomas).

The major challenge facing current research on the Pentateuch is outlined in the introduction: “In the three major centers of research on the Pentateuch-North America, Israel, and Europe-scholars tend to operate from such different premises, employ such divergent methods, and reach such inconsistent results that meaningful progress has become impossible. The models continue to proliferate but the communication seems only to diminish” (p. 3). Thus the lofty aim of the volume, “to further the international discussion about the Pentateuch in the hope that the academic cultures in Israel, Europe, and North America can move toward a set of shared assumptions and a common discourse” (p. 4).

[...]

I noted the publication of this book here.

I agree with the reviewer that this is exactly the kind of conversation we need if Pentateuchal source criticism is to make any progress beyond its current impasse. I have posted some of my own thoughts on the subject at the links given here.

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Review of Herren, The Anatomy of Myth

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Michael Herren, The Anatomy of Myth: The Art of Interpretation from the Presocratics to the Church Fathers. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017. Pp. xiiii, 231. ISBN 9780190606695. $74.00. Reviewed by Matthew Kraus, University of Cincinnati (matthew.kraus@uc.edu).

Michael Herren contends that the greatest contribution of Greek thought to Christianity was not philosophical principles but the critical reading of Scripture “as a pagan Greek might read Homer” (p. viii). Central to his thesis is the claim that the transmission of myths included strategies of how to interpret them. Approaching his subject as a history of ideas, he divides myths and their interpretations into periods corresponding to three “shifting paradigms in ancient thought and culture” (p. vii): (1) the Poets (ca. 800-600 BCE), (2) Physis (600-350 BCE) and (3) Theos (350 BCE onward). Jews and Christians adopted Greek methods of criticizing myth which ultimately benefitted the reading of religious texts. “Classical exegesis” prevented fundamentalist reading of Scriptures and protected pagan Classics from overzealous Christians. Hoping to appeal to students, Herren includes a glossary of names and terms in the back and draws connections to contemporary culture wars, maintaining that the open-minded and skeptical interpretive methods of the ancient Greeks might restrain the irrational fundamentalism that tragically colors twenty-first century discourse and ideologically driven violence. The bulk of the book, wherein lies its primary value, is dedicated to tracing the treatment of myth in antiquity. These sections, in which Herren displays his learned expertise, are especially convincing. When he casts his net beyond the traditional Classical world to Jewish and Christian literature with occasional nods to our own context, the results are less satisfying. Nonetheless, this barely detracts from the work’s core elements.

[...]

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Aramaic/Syriac manual translated from Armenian

ARAMAIC, SYRIAC, AND ARMENIAN WATCH: Manual translated from Armenian is published in US for first time.

Gorgias Press academic publisher in the United States has published the English translation of the manual, entitled Introduction to Aramean and Syriac Studies, by Yerevan State University lecturer, philologist Arman Akopian.

[...]

Cross-file under New Book.

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More on those pools at Ein Hanya

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE: Mystery as archaeologists discover 1,500-year-old pools and 'magnificent' fountain adorned with images of nymphs at ancient Christian site in Jerusalem (Annie Palmer, Daily Mail).

• Archaeologists believe the Byzantine-era pools may have been the site of a storied baptism by St. Philip the Evangelist, as described in the New Testament
  
• It remains unclear why the pool was built, but researchers believe it may have been part of a royal estate and used for irrigation, washing or landscaping
  
• Images of nymphs are inscribed on the fountain, making it the 'first of it's kind'
  
• The site was unearthed between 2012 and 2016 but is now being made public

Yesterday's article mentioned the pools as "the most significant finding," but then said very little about them. Today's Mail article gives more details. Background here.

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Caviezel on the "Passion" sequel

I GUESS HE'S IN, THEN: New 'Passion of the Christ' will be 'the biggest film in history,' Jim Caviezel promises (Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY). Yesterday, he didn't sound this committed. Mr. Caviezel clearly understands his media psychology. Make a grand claim so that people will repeat it and debate it, thus getting it stuck in their heads. Nice work.

No word yet whether the sequel will also be in Aramaic and Latin. Hold onto your hats. Here we go again!

Background here and links.

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Review of Schmidt, The Materiality of Power

RELIGION AND LITERATURE OF ANCIENT PALESTINE BLOG: Review of Brian Schmidt, The Materiality of Power: Explorations in the Social History of Early Israelite Magic (Mohr Siebeck, 2016) (Ryan Thomas).

Interest in the subject of demonology in ancient Israel-Judah/early Judaism has grown in recent years, and the present work represents the most recent monograph contribution to the conversation. In Materiality Brian Schmidt, who has already made significant forays into relevant topics such as Israelite mortuary cult and religion at Kuntillet ‘Ajrud (KA), returns to build upon and nuance his earlier work with a special focus on apotropaic magic as evidenced in archaeological, epigraphic, and biblical sources. The stated goal is ambitious, to establish based on historical and comparative analysis the “survival and viability of a previously unidentified, yet extant pandemonium in preexilic Israelite magic” (p. 13).

[...]

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Interview with Eilat Mazar

ARCHAEOLOGY: An Interview With Israeli Archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar (Stephen Flurry, The Trumpet).

Dr. Mazar is currently leading another excavation on the Ophel. As is now custom, Eilat is supported by Armstrong students and alumni: 11, to be exact. I visited Dr. Mazar and the students in Jerusalem last weekend. During the visit, we broke out the microphone and I sat down with Dr. Mazar to discuss the Ophel dig, as well as some of our fondest memories from the past 50 years.

The "Ophel" is an elevated area in Jerusalem between the City of David and the Temple Mount. The 2018 season will be fairly short and will focus on excavating a cave (date not specified), the "medallion house," and a Byzantine-era building. Dr. Mazar hopes to return to the Iron Age remains in a future season.

PaleoJudaica has noted other finds from the Ophel excavation, including a cuneiform fragment, a tenth-century BCE inscribed ostracon, and an inscribed bulla of King Hezekiah.

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