Review of Hicks-Keeton, Arguing with Aseneth

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Review: Arguing with Aseneth (Gerbern S. Oegema).

Arguing with Aseneth: Gentile Access to Israel’s Living God in Jewish Antiquity
By Jill Hicks-Keeton
(New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2018), 232 pp., $99.00 (hardcover)

For earlier reviews etc. of the book, see here and links. And for other posts on Joseph and Aseneth, see here and links.

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"Minimal damage" to (traditional) Tomb of Mordechai and Esther

UPDATE: Iranian Officials Say Minimal Damage At Ancient Jewish Site After Allegations Of Arson Attack (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty).

The cause of the incident on May 15, which U.S.-based Jewish groups have condemned as an “anti-Semitic” attack, is still not clear.

Authorities have said that the incident is being investigated.

Speaking on May 17 as he visited the site, the head of Tehran’s Jewish community Homayoun Somayeh said that the shrine of Esther and Mordechai is “completely intact,” adding that the incident has been “magnified and exaggerated” by the enemies of the Islamic republic.

Background here. And follow the links from there for more post on this shrine.

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The heavenly Temple and Ark of the Covenant

READING ACTS: God’s Temple in Heaven and the Ark of his Covenant – Revelation 11:19. Phil Long continues his blog series on the seven angels of the Book of Revelation and their seven trumpets. We are currently on the events of the seventh trumpet.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the Ark of the Covenant, start here and follow the links. But this passage in the Book of Revelation is about the archetypal Ark in the celestial (or better, macrocosmic) Temple of God.

I have noted earlier posts in Phil's current series here and links.

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Those scroll fragments weren't blank ...

TECHNOLOGY WATCH: Dead Sea Scroll fragments thought to be blank reveal text (Joe Stafford, University of Manchester via PhysOrg).

When examining the fragments for the new study, Professor [Joan] Taylor thought it possible that one of them did actually contain a letter, and therefore decided to photograph all of the existing fragments over 1 cm that appear blank to the naked eye, using multispectral imaging.

51 fragments were imaged front and back. Six were identified for further detailed investigation—of these, it was established that four have readable Hebrew/Aramaic text written in carbon-based ink. The study has also revealed ruled lines and small vestiges of letters on other fragments.

The fragments are at the Rylands Library in Manchester. They are certainly genuine. For more on Multispectral Imaging and its application to ancient epigraphy, start here and follow the links.

Now take a deep breath and repeat after me:

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

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P for popular purview?

PROF. MARTHA HIMMELFARB: Scribal Features That Helped the Priestly Text Survive (TheTorah.com).

The biblical priestly text is unique in the ancient Near East, in that it utilizes scribal features such as colophons, cross references, and casuistic laws (when... then...), aimed at making the text accessible to the public. This preserved Israelite priestly writing past the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple.

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What was Paul?

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Essay | Notes on the Historical Paul and his Intellectual Activity (Sarah Rollens).

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Bethsaida (?) flooded

HOLY LAND PHOTOS' BLOG: Bethsaida (el–Araj) Flooded. Carl Rasmussen has photos.

On the question of which site is the real Bethsaida (et-Tell or el-Araj), see here and follow the links.

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BAR 2020 Summer issue

BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY: Biblical Archaeology Review, Summer 2020. The articles look interesting, but access to the full texts require a personal or institutional subscription.

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Fire at the (traditional) Tomb of Mordechai and Esther.

UNDER INVESTIGATION: Iran officials confirm ‘minor damage’ by fire at Tomb of Mordechai and Esther. Regime-controlled website publishes — then deletes — report that a person was seen in CCTV footage trying, and failing, to torch Jewish holy site right after Israel’s anniversary (Times of Israel).

For earlier PaleoJudaica posts on this politically fraught site, see here (mention), here, here, here, here, and here.

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Bacchi, Uncovering Jewish Creativity in Book III of the Sibylline Oracles

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Uncovering Jewish Creativity in Book III of the Sibylline Oracles

Gender, Intertextuality, and Politics

Series:
Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism, Volume: 194

Author: Ashley Bacchi

In Uncovering Jewish Creativity in Book III of the Sibylline oracles, Ashley L. Bacchi reclaims the importance of the Sibyl as a female voice of prophecy and reveals new layers of intertextual references that address political, cultural, and religious dialogue in second-century Ptolemaic Egypt. This investigation stands apart from prior examinations by reorienting the discussion around the desirability of the pseudonym to an issue of gender. It questions the impact of identifying the author’s message with a female prophetic figure and challenges the previous identification of paraphrased Greek oracles and their function within the text. Verses previously seen as anomalous are transferred from the role of Greek subterfuge of Jewish identity to offering nuanced support of monotheistic themes.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €105.00 / $126.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-42607-8
Publication Date: 28 Apr 2020

Hardback
Availability: Not Yet Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-42434-0
Publication Date: 17 Jun 2020

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The seventh trumpet

READING ACTS: The Seventh Trumpet – Revelation 11:15-19. Phil Long continues his blog series on the seven angels of the Book of Revelation and their seven trumpets.

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

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NYU's virtual DSS conference starts tomorrow

INNOVATION: Sunday at NYU: First-Ever Virtual International Conference on the Dead Sea Scrolls (David Israel, The Jewish Press).

Noted previously here.

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Secunda, The Talmud’s Red Fence

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: Menstrual Impurity and Difference in Babylonian Judaism and its Sasanian Context. Notice of a New Book: Secunda, Samuel. 2020. The Talmud’s red fence: Menstrual impurity and difference in Babylonian Judaism and its Sasanian context. New York: Oxford University Press.

Follow the link for description and purchase information.

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A gold octodrachm of Ptolemy III

NUMISMATICS: Octodrachm from Ptolemaic Egypt in Heritage sale displays spending power (Jeff Starck, Coin World).

In Heritage Auctions’ April 24 auction, a gold mnaieion of Ptolemy III Euergetes, posthumously issued circa 219 to 217 B.C. in Alexandria for Ptolemy IV, realized $20,400, with the 20 percent buyer’s fee.

The coin measures 27 millimeters in diameter and weighs 27.74 grams, comparable in diameter to a Presidential dollar, but slightly heavier than a Morgan dollar.

There are nice photos in the article.

For more on the coinage of the Ptolemaic kings, and the role of some of those kings in the Bible, see here and links. As noted in that post, Ptolemy III Euergetes is the branch from the roots of the daughter of the king of the south mentioned in Daniel 11:7-9 and Ptolemy IV Philopater is the king of the south mentioned in Daniel 11:11. For more on Ptolemy III, see here. And for a detailed account of the convoluted historical background to their reigns, see here.

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The beer hypothesis

IN HEAVEN THERE IS NO BEER: Was the First Beer Brewed for the Dead? Archaeologists disagree on whether they’ve found the world’s oldest beer, or just bread (Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine).

For past PaleoJudaica posts on ancient beer, see here and links. This story takes the history of beer back to its origins. Maybe.

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Feasting at Philoteria

CULINARY ARCHAEOLOGY: Feast of snails and pig sheds life on Hellenist life in ancient Galilee. “If we look at food remains in Jewish settlements from the same period, we see very different species,” Pines, whose expertise is in the field of zoo-archaeology, told the Post (Rossella Tercatin, Jerusalem Post).

I love trash pits.

The site is Tel Bet Yerah, ancient Philoteria.

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The psalm and the pandemic?

PROF. MATTHIAS HENZE: God Shelters the Faithful: The Prayer of Psalm 91 (TheTorah.com).

Psalm 91 expresses confidence that God will protect the righteous from plagues, demons, and wild animals, while allowing the wicked to perish. How are we to understand such language, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Psalm 91 is the premier psalm for the Jewish magical tradition. As Professor Henze notes, it is tied to an exorcistic tradition as far back as the Dead Sea Scrolls. And it also features often in the context of protection from demonic pestilence in subsequent Jewish magic. For some background, see here.

Psalm 91 has also been used similarly in Christianity. Philip Jenkins has a recent blog post on it here.

Individual readers can decide for themselves whether the psalm has any relevance for the current pandemic.

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The witnesses perish but persevere

READING ACTS: The Death of the Two Witnesses – Revelation 11:7-14. Phil Long continues his blog series on the seven angels of the Book of Revelation and their seven trumpets. I think we must be close to wrapping up the events of the sixth trumpet.

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

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Walsh, Angels Associated with Israel in the Dead Sea Scrolls

IN THE MAIL:

Matthew L. Walsh, Angels Associated with Israel in the Dead Sea Scrolls:
Angelology and Sectarian Identity at Qumran (Mohr Siebeck, 2019)

My review copy for Dead Sea Discoveries.

For more on the book, see here.

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Sabar on the missing-papyri scandal

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING: A Biblical Mystery at Oxford. A renowned scholar claimed that he discovered a first-century gospel fragment. Now he’s facing allegations of antiquities theft, cover-up, and fraud (Ariel Sabar, The Atlantic).

This is the definitive account of the missing-Oxyrhynchus-papyri scandal. It covers the still-inconclusive story up to the present, with detailed background. I think it has everything I already knew, plus a good bit I didn't. Background here and many links.

You should set aside some time and read the whole, long article. As before, I myself have no inside knowledge of the affair and no further comment.

Ariel Sabar is the son of UCLA Aramaist Yona Sabar. Ariel is known for his book My Father's Paradise, on his family's background in Aramaic-speaking Kurdish Iraq. See here and links. And he is still better known for his groundbreaking 2016 article on the Gospel of Jesus' Wife, also in The Atlantic. He has a book forthcoming on the latter.

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