Orlov receives research award

CONGRATULATIONS TO PROFESSOR ORLOV! Marquette theology professor honored with fellowship award. Dr. Andrei Orlov has studied Jewish apocalyptic texts, with a focus on materials preserved in Slavonic, for the past 25 years (Marquette University/Urban Milwaukee).

The Way Klingler fellowship will allow Orlov to translate an important text that has remained unreachable for international scholarship for over a century. Orlov plans to complete the three-volume edition of the Slavonic historical compendium, the Palaea Interpretata. It represents the most extensive and important collection of Jewish pseudepigraphic texts and fragments that have survived the Slavonic environment. The collection remains untranslated into any European language and is virtually unknown to contemporary biblical scholarship.

Cross-file under Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Watch.

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The Talmud on theodicy

A RECENT DAF YOMI COLUMN BY ADAM KIRSCH IN TABLET: Nesting Habits. This week’s ‘Daf Yomi’ tackles the eternal problem of theodicy: If God is both good and omnipotent, why is there evil in the world?

For some past posts on Acher (Aher, "the Other One," i.e., Elijah ben Avuyah) see here and links.

Other Daf Yomi columns are noted here and links.

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Hasmonean-era coin found at Shiloh

NUMISMATICS: ANCIENT COIN DISCOVERED DURING BRAZILIAN VISIT TO SHILOH. Elected officials from Brazil just happened to be visiting the archaeological excavation in the Benjamin Region when the coin was discovered (Jerusalem Post).

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Amy-Jill Levine lecturing in St. Andrews today

THIS AFTERNOON AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. ANDREWS:

Understanding Jesus means understanding Judaism.
1:00 pm - 4:30 pm Parliament Hall

Biblical scholar, Amy-Jill Levine, will present a paper: ‘Understanding Jesus means Understanding Judaism’. This will be moderated by Madhavi Nevader.

Following her paper there will be a tea and coffee break and a fireside chat in the same location.

If you happen to be in St. Andrews today, this is very worth attending.

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Who decided what went into the Hebrew Bible and when?

CANONICAL QUESTIONS: Who Decided What Books the Hebrew Bible Would Contain? The canonization of the Hebrew Bible into its final 24 books was a process that lasted centuries, and was only completed well after the time of Josephus (Elon Gilad, Haaretz Premium). This is basically a good article that covers the topic in detail.

One could debate this or that point in it. For example, the final break between Judaism and Samaritanism may have come considerably later than the fourth century. And Josephus and 4 Ezra may have had the same canon of literature in mind, but divided into books slightly differently, giving the respective number of 22 and 24 books for the same collection.

Also, it's worth mentioning again that arguably the written Torah of Nehemiah and Ezra contained material not found in our Pentateuch.

But overall the article is good.

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Seleucid fortress found off coast of Dor

MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGY: Ancient Fortress Discovered Off Israel's Northern Coast Solves a Seleucid Mystery. Dozens of meters wide, at least two stories high, 2,200 years after it was built, the Kingdom of Tryphon's first line of defense has been found underwater (Nir Hasson, Haaretz Premium).

Regarding the history:

Trying to follow the political and military developments in the waning days of the Hasmonean Kingdom in the second century B.C.E. is like trying to keep track of the plot of “Game of Thrones.”

Regarding the archaeology:

Until recently, scholars believed that the massive wall that surrounded Tel Dor and the city in the northern part of the bay was the line of defense for Tryphon and his troops. Arrowheads and slingshots from that battle were also discovered there. Some of the stones are etched with a lightning bolt, the symbol of Zeus, and others bear the inscription “victory over Tryphon.”

But three months ago, researchers discovered underwater, on the southern side of the port, an area where no structures from any period had been found, the remnants of a large fortification. Its similarity to another fortification on land and other artifacts led researchers to date this fortification to the Hellenistic Period. Now it appears that this fortification – situated in the sea – was likely Tryphon’s first line of defense, and the northern sea wall his second line of defense.

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Balak in the Mesha Stele?

NORTHWEST SEMITIC EPIGRAPHY: Smashed Ancient Tablet Suggests Biblical King Was Real. But Not Everyone Agrees (Laura Geggel, Live Science).

It seems that while I was away, Israel Finkelstein and colleagues have argued that the Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone) inscription mentioned the biblical king Balak. Balak appears in association with the pagan prophet Balaam in Numbers 22-24.

The argument is based on restoring a broken word that began with the letter Bet (B). It looks speculative to me. But this article tells you more and it links to the article by Finkelstein, Na’aman, and Römer. Have a look and see what you think.

For many past posts on the Mesha Stele, start here and follow the links.

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PaleoJudaica is resuming

DEAR READERS AND FRIENDS,

Thank you for your patience and your many messages of support.

I would not have wished the last six weeks on anyone, but we are through them. I'm not going into specifics. For obvious reasons, I don't want to share private matters in a public venue.

Things are going to remain very difficult for a long time, but I am trying slowly to get back to a more normal schedule. That includes blogging. From today, I will blog again as I have the time and energy. (I am well. I'm just tired.)

It will be a while, possibly a long while, before blogging is daily and at my normal volume. I have a lot of catching up to do, and of course there are always new stories. But I'm getting started.

Best wishes to you all.

Jim

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

The Ketef Hinnom Archeological Garden

RENOVATION: Where the ancients left their dead: A walk through history in downtown Jerusalem. Newly opened urban park Ketef Hinnom and its surroundings combine history, nature and stunning views in the heart of the capital (Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am, Times of Israel).

Over half a dozen rock-hewn burial caves that served Jerusalemites during the First Temple Period and for some time after the temple’s destruction in 586 BCE are located on the main road that once passed between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Today found behind the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, at the beginning of David Remez Street, the caves are the site of one of this country’s most important archeological finds: the earliest biblical text ever discovered.

For many past PaleoJudaica posts on the silver amulets excavated at Ketef Hinnom, start here (cf. here) and follow the links. It is good to hear that the site is now being well maintained as a park. It was not always so.

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

Interview with Matthias Henze

ANCIENT JUDAISM: Jesus the (Second Temple-era) Jew. “If we don’t understand the Judaism of Jesus’ time, how can we understand him and his message?” David Heim interviews Matthias Henze (The Christian Century). Excerpt:

The Jewish writings produced in the centuries just before Jesus—books like First Enoch or Jubilees—are little known by Christians. Does that matter?

If Christians want to understand Jesus and those who first wrote about him, we need to have at least a rudimentary knowledge of Jesus’ Judaism. If we don’t understand early Judaism, how can we understand Jesus and his message?

Cross-file under Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Watch.

For another interview with Professor Henze about his work on Second Temple Judaism, see here.

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The Talmud and the am haaretz

THIS WEEK'S DAF YOMI COLUMN BY ADAM KIRSCH IN TABLET: Shalom Chaver! In this week’s ‘Daf Yomi’ Talmud study, how Jewish conceptions of friendship and trust are tied up in ritual purity and levels of religious observance.

Since I began the Daf Yomi cycle, I’ve been wondering how accurately the Talmud reflects the actual practices of the Jews of its time. The rabbis in the Talmudic academies spent their lives learning the complex laws governing everything from Sabbath boundaries to ritual sacrifices, and even they often disagree on the exact scope of those laws. How could the average Jewish farmhand or wagon driver be expected to know all the details, much less to observe them? The question is especially interesting for modern American Jews, who generally don’t observe Jewish law very carefully, but still see themselves as part of a Jewish community. Was it the same for our ancestors in ancient Babylonia?

The question is impossible to answer fully, but the Talmud offers some hints. ...

Earlier Daf Yomi columns are noted here and links. An earlier column that also deals with the am haaretz (am ha-aretz), the "people of the land," was noted here

I am currently well behind on these columns. I will catch up as time permits.

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

A female Jewish convert in ancient Rome

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Women of the Ancient Near East: Beturia Paulina. A Roman convert to Judaism (Carly Silver).

Perhaps most intriguingly of all, Beturia Paulina received the title of “mater synagogarum Campi et Volumni,” or “mother of the synagogues at Campus and V/[B]olumn[i]us.” This terminology is multi-faceted. ...

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PaleoJudaica is going on hiatus

MY DEAR READERS AND FRIENDS,

Unfortunately, my family and I are coping with some very difficult personal circumstances at present. These circumstances are going to continue for some time. I don't know how long.

With much regret, I am placing PaleoJudaica on indefinite hiatus.

Have a blessed Passover and a blessed Easter. I will be back with you as soon as I can.

Jim

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

Passover 2019

HAPPY PASSOVER (PESACH) TO ALL THOSE CELEBRATING! The festival begins this evening at sundown. Last year's Passover post is here and it has many Passover links. Relevant biblical texts are collected here. One other Passover-related post for 2019 is here.

Passover-related posts for 2018 are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

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On Coptic magic, the Golden Bough, and timeless superstition

THE COPTIC MAGIC BLOG: Anthropology of Magic III: Superstitions in Antiquity and Today – Nothing Has Changed (Markéta Preininger Svobodová).

The firs post in this series was noted here. I seem to have missed the second, by the same author: Anthropology of Magic II: Frazer and the Golden Bough.

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Mark Zvi Brettler reflects on Krister Stendahl

THE HARVARD DIVINITY SCHOOL: Reflections from Krister Stendahl’s Academic Neighbor.

In November 2018, the Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature sponsored a session “Krister among the Jews and Gentiles,” to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the death of Krister Stendahl, who taught at HDS from 1954-1989, with a hiatus to serve as Bishop of Stockholm; he served as Dean of HDS from 1968-1979.

The following is a revision of comments presented by Marc Zvi Brettler, the Bernice and Morton Lerner Professor of Jewish Studies in the Department of Religious Studies at Duke University, and the Dora Golding Professor of Biblical Studies Emeritus and former chair of the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University.

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Gold coin of Theodosius II found in the Galilee

NUMISMATICS: 1,600-year-old gold coin of emperor who abolished Sanhedrin discovered by pupils. Byzantine ruler created the 438 Theodosian law code, which collected the thousands of imperial laws of the sprawling empire and officially made Jews second-class citizens (Amanda Borschel-Dan, Times of Israel).

According to the IAA, this is the first such coin discovered in Israel.

It chances that PaleoJudaica has a recent post on the Theodosian Code and Judaism here.

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

The Holy Stairs uncovered

RELICS: 'Holy Stairs' Opened for 1st Time in Nearly 300 Years. But Did Jesus Really Climb Them? (Owen Jarus, Live Science).

It seems not. Massive marble constructions were not characteristic of Jerusalem in the time of Jesus. And the actual stairs of Pilate's praetorium would have been destroyed with the rest of Jerusalem in 70 C.E., long before Queen Helena's time.

The stairs are an impressive piece of architecture, whatever their true origin. Did Queen Helena bring them from Palestine in the fourth century? Is that a legend too? What are they and when and where were they made? Does anyone know? Google is uninformative.

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Notre Dame cathedral and Jewish history

THE NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL is of some importance for medieval Jewish history in France and Europe. Here are a couple of articles on the topic.

Notre Dame’s Surprising Jewish Treasures. The destroyed cathedral still retains priceless art depicting Jewish heritage in France (Dr. Yvette Alt Miller, Aish.com).

As French officials survey the wreckage of Notre Dame, it’s becoming clear that the front facade of the cathedral is largely intact. These irreplaceable artistic treasures depicting the history of Jews in France seem to be saved. They can teach us a great deal about Jewish history and fortitude in France and beyond.

A lot of that history was terrible. But if it weren't for the cathedral's decorative art, we would know considerably less about it.

This article offers some more obscure details about the cathedral: Notre Dame Has Been Everything From a Honeybee Home to a Pagan Temple (Stephanie Eckardt, W via Yahoo News). I can't vouch for the specifics on this one, but read it and make your own judgment.

Yesterday's post on the fire is here. The latest I can find on the current state of the cathedral is here. So far, my summary in the previous post seems to be holding up.

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Another interview with Elaine Pagels

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: Pagels traverses grief, healing and the nature of belief in ‘Why Religion?’ (Jamie Saxton).

In her acclaimed 2018 book, “Why Religion? A Personal Story,” Elaine Pagels, the Harrington Spear Paine Foundation Professor of Religion, interweaves her own account of unimaginable loss with the scholarly work that she loves, examining the spiritual dimension of human experience.

The article includes an interview with Professor Pagels. Excerpt:

You call your work — teaching and research — “a kind of yoga.” How so?

Yoga is about opening the heart. It is also a practice that challenges me, that sharpens understanding, that increases flexibility. And my teaching and research does that too. It opens up the questions that I reflect on.

Yes.

Background on Why Religion is here.

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