Suspicious fires at holy sites in Iran

COINCIDENCE? String of fires at Christian, Hindu, Jewish holy sites in Iran ‘deliberate’: Expert (Emily Judd and Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya).

The fires may well be coincidental, but the optics are not good. The Iranian authorities need to make this stop.

Background on the fire at the site of the (traditional) Tomb of Mordechai and Esther is here and here.

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Temple Mount archaeology

TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH: The Temple Revealed: Jerusalem Day 2020 (Tuvia Book, Times of Israel Blogs).

For more on the "To the place of trumpeting..." inscription, see here and links.

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Hobby Lobby sues Christie's over Gilgamesh tablet

CANDIDA MOSS IS UNSYMPATHETIC: Hobby Lobby Sues Christie’s, Wants Us to Feel Sorry for Them (The Daily Beast).

For background on the Gilgamesh dream tablet, see here and links.

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Prayer outside the al-Aqsa mosque is resuming

TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH: Prayers at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque compound to resume next week: statement (Reuters).

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The missing-papyri scandal: Nongbri on Sabar

OVER AT VARIANT READINGS, Brent Nongbri has several posts with detailed commentary on Ariel Sabar's recent Atlantic article on the scandal of the missing Oxyrhynchus Papyri:

New Article on Dirk Obbink in The Atlantic

Some Additional Thoughts on Sabar’s Atlantic Article

The Atlantic Article and Green Collection Cartonnage

The Antiquities Trade in Michigan

For the Atlantic article, with links to past PaleoJudaica posts on this convoluted story, see here and links.

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Temple Mount Sifting Project online symposium

THE TEMPLE MOUNT SIFTING PROJECT BLOG: TEMPLE MOUNT SIFTING PROJECT SYMPOSIUM.

In celebration of Jerusalem Day, the Temple Mount Sifting Project will conduct an on-line study session (via Zoom), with a series of lectures on the archaeology of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, presented by the Sifting Project research team.

The symposium takes place on 24 May.

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And I saw ...

READING ACTS: The War of the Dragon – Revelation 12-15. Phil Long continues his blog series on the Book of Revelation with attention to the seven sights of chapters 12-15.

I have noted earlier posts in his Revelation series here and links.

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Underground complex found near Western Wall

TEMPLE MOUNT WATCH: Archaeologists discover 2000-year-old unique complex by the Western Wall. The structure was sealed later in the Byzantine period under the floors of a large building about 1,400 years ago and was left untouched for centuries (Rossella Tercatin, Jerusalem Post).

“This is a unique finding,” said Dr. Barak Monnickendam-Givon and Tehila Sadiel, directors of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, according to a press release. “This is the first time a subterranean system has been uncovered adjacent to the Western Wall. You must understand that 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem, like today, it was customary to build out of stone. The question is, why were such efforts and resources invested in hewing rooms underground in the hard bedrock?”

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Kurt Rudolph, 1929-2020

SAD NEWS: IN MEMORIAM: KURT RUDOLPH (1929-2020) (The NSEA Blog).

My first introduction to Gnosticism was reading Professor Rudolph's excellent book, Gnosis: The Nature and History of Gnosticism. I see that he received an honorary doctorate from the University of St. Andrews in 1983 (before my time).

Requiescat in pace.

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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.

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