Hammer, Akiva (JPS)

RECENT-ISH BOOK FROM THE JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY:

Akiva
Life, Legend, Legacy

Reuven Hammer

272 pages
1 timeline

Hardcover
October 2015
978-0-8276-1215-0
$29.95

eBook (PDF)
(Requires Adobe Digital Editions)
October 2015
978-0-8276-1275-4
$29.95

eBook (EPUB)
(Requires Adobe Digital Editions)
October 2015
978-0-8276-1248-8
$29.95

About the Book

The legendary Akiva ben Yosef has fascinated Jews for centuries. Arguably the most important of the Tannaim, or early Jewish sages, Akiva lived during a crucial era in the development of Judaism as we know it today, and his theology played a major part in the development of Rabbinic Judaism. Reuven Hammer details Akiva’s life as it led to a martyr’s death and he delves into the rich legacy Akiva left us.

That legacy played an extraordinarily important role in helping the Jewish people survive difficult challenges to forge a vibrant religious life anew, and it continues to influence Jewish law, ethics, and theology even today. Akiva’s contribution to the development of Oral Torah cannot be overestimated, and in this first book written in English about the sage since 1936 Hammer reassesses Akiva’s role from the period before the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE until the Bar Kokhba revolt in 135 CE. He also assesses new findings about the growth of early Judaism, the reasons why Akiva was so outspoken about “Christian Jews,” the influence of Hellenism, the Septuagint, and the canonization of the Hebrew Bible. Ultimately Hammer shows that Judaism without Akiva would be a very different religion.

This book was published back in 2015, but I missed it then. It seems worth noting.

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Remembering Eilat Mazar

MEMORIAL: Remembering Eilat Mazar, the archaeologist of Jerusalem. APPRECIATION: “I work with the Bible in one hand and the tools of excavation in the other,” Mazar said. “The Bible is the most important historical source and therefore deserves special attention.” (Edgar Leftovitz, Jerusalem Post).

Background here and here.

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"Nero got a bad rap" – NYT

EXHIBITION REVIEW: Rehabilitating Nero, an Emperor With a Bad Rap. He is known as a cruel tyrant who played his lyre while Rome burned. That’s exactly what his enemies wanted you to think, the curators of a new exhibition argue (Farah Nayeri, New York Times).

Background here and links.

This review may hint at an answer to a question I raised at the above link:

Nero also had to “find culprits” for the fire, so he went after a “Jewish subgroup,” later known as Christians, Mr. Opper explained. Nero became “the anti-Christ” to followers of what would become the West’s dominant faith, Christianity.

Does this paragraph imply that the exhibition also deals with the post-mortem Nero mythology? Or is that last sentence just a comment by the reviewer? Again, drop me a note if you see the exhibition and find out.

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The Writing in the Dirt?

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Jesus’ Mysterious Message. (John Drummond).

According to the text (John 7:53–8:11), the episode takes place not in the streets of Jerusalem, but in the Temple courts—a much different setting to be sure, and one where a public execution would have been forbidden. We also know from the Temple Mount Sifting Project that the courts of the Temple were probably paved in geometric patterns of colorful marbles called opus sectile. In reality, there was probably little to no dirt at all for Jesus to stick his finger into and write mysterious messages for onlookers. As McGrath writes, “Wherever Jesus traced his finger through the dust of the Temple floor, whether tracing letters or the edges of tiles, his aim could not have been to communicate something through specific words he wrote. Nothing he wrote that way could have been legible.”

As the excerpt hints, this essay is a summary of an article by Professor James McGrath in the current issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.

I have a few comments on the proposed connection with the Sotah rite. I have not seen the full BAR article, which is behind the subscription wall. James may address these points there.

First, as everyone knows, John 7:53-8:11 is an independent passage that was secondarily added here in some manuscripts of John. Many manuscripts leave it out. In others it appears elsewhere in John or in various places in Luke. We don't know where it came from. Scholars tend to take it as a real incident in Jesus' life. Could be. It could also be entirely fictional. I don't see strong evidence either way.

Second, it's true that the episode is placed at the Temple. But how much can we infer from this? If it's a legend, we don't know if it preserves any memory of what the Temple court was like. It might assume it had a dirt floor.

Third, all that said, the connection with the Sotah rite (Numbers 5:11-31) is intriguing. Jesus writes in or on the "dirt" (Greek gēn, γην). The Septuagint uses the same (granted very common) word in Num 5:17. Professor McGrath could be right. The catchword principle is arguably in play. I can't do better.

In any case, Jesus' writing on the ground has served as a marvelous koan for two thousand years.

By the way, this is a good excuse to mention James's new book, What Jesus Learned from Women (Cascade, 2021).

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Simulated or simple divine speech?

PROF. BENJAMIN D. SOMMER: YHWH’s Simulated Speech: The Priestly Interpretation of Prophecy. (TheTorah.com).

The use of the unusual verb מִדַּבֵּר, middabber in Numbers 7:89 suggests that YHWH does not speak to Moses in the literal and simple sense.

A thought-provoking esssay. I have two thoughts on it.

First, this strange hitpa'el participle of the root dbr is only visible in the Masoretic vocalization. There is no indication of it in the consonantal Hebrew text. The ancient translations (the Greek Septuagint, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Latin Vulgate) translate it as a normal pi'el participle, "saying" or "speaking." They show no awareness of a hitpa'el vocalization. The origin of the intriguing Masoretic interpretation of the word is uncertain. I see no reason to think that it goes back to the Priestly composer of the passage.

Second, Numbers 7 has the reputation of being perhaps the most tedious chapter in the Bible. It takes 89 verses to tell us that, to celebrate the consecration of the tabernacle, each of the twelve tribes offered a large offering of precious metal vessels, oil and flour, and many different animals.

Each offering was identical. The chapter repeats every detail of each twelve times.

But hidden in the final verse is this word with a theologically deep vocalization. How's that for a bonus feature?

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Mazar memorial

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Remembering Eilat Mazar. Queen of Jerusalem Archaeology (Megan Sauter).

Background here.

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Álvarez-Pedrosa (ed.), Sources of Slavic Pre-Christian Religion

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Sources of Slavic Pre-Christian Religion

Series: Numen Book Series, Volume: 169

Texts and Sources in the History of Religions, Volume: 169

Volume Editor: Juan Antonio Álvarez-Pedrosa

In Sources of Slavic Pre-Christian Religion Juan Antonio Álvarez-Pedrosa presents the original texts as well as English translations of all known medieval sources that inform us about the religion practiced by the Slavs before their Christianization. Since the Slavs did not have a written culture before their conversion to Christianity, all the texts were authored by people who were involved in this long process or in contact with the Slavs. For this reason, the texts come from a lengthy period from the ninth to the fifteenth century. Since the texts were originally written in seven different ancient languages, the present book is the result of the work of a large team of specialists.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €164.00 / $197.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-44138-5
Publication Date: 12 Oct 2020
Copyright Date: 01 Jan 2021

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-44061-6
Publication Date: 15 Oct 2020
Copyright Date: 01 Jan 2021

Cross-file under Old Church Slavonic Watch.

Old Church Slavonic preserves any number of fascinating Old Testament pseudepigrapha and related texts. This book deals with Slavic religion before the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius and their great translation project.

I have been remiss this year in not noting two of the three saints days in honor of them, 14 February and 24 May. Happy belated celebrations of the invention of the Slavonic alphabet! There is another coming on 5 July.

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More Nero Reviews

THE BRITISH MUSEUM'S EXHIBITION ON NERO is getting a lot of attention. And it only opens today! Some recent reviews:

Bad reputation: British Museum takes new look at Rome's Nero (Jill Lawless, Phys.org)

Nero, British Museum, review: a provocative, revisionist take on Rome’s viper-in-chief (Alastair Sooke, The Telegraph, rpt. MSN).

So far I have seen no indication that the exhibition addresses the Nero rediturus myth (the rumor after his death that he was still alive and was coming back to become emperor again) or the Nero redivivus myth (the idea that he would rise from the dead at the end time to become the antichrist). Can anyone confirm or correct that?

Background here and links and here.

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Eilat Mazar 1956-2021

SAD NEWS: Dr. Eilat Mazar, Queen of Jerusalem Archaeology, Has Died. Dr. Mazar leaves behind a rich legacy of biblically significant discoveries including the discovery of King David’s Palace, Nehemiah’s Wall, the Solomonic gate of Jerusalem, as well as numerous discoveries related to biblical figures (Watch Jerusalem).

Preeminent biblical archaeologist of Jerusalem, Dr. Eilat Mazar, died today at age 64, after a three-year battle with a serious illness. Dr. Mazar leaves behind a rich legacy of biblically significant discoveries including the discovery of King David’s palace, Nehemiah’s wall, the Solomonic gate of Jerusalem, as well as numerous discoveries related to biblical figures.

[...]

I am very sad to hear of Dr. Mazar's passing, especially at such an early age.

PaleoJudaica mentioned her often. For some posts on her and her work, see here and links and here. May her memory be for a blessing.

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More on the ancient Judeans' fish diet

THE STORY ON THE NON-KOSHER FISH DIET OF ANCIENT JUDEANS has been receiving a lot of attention. A number of people had drawn my attention to the underlying article just published in the journal Tel Aviv. It is open access, so you can read it if you are interested in the details.

The Pentateuchal Dietary Proscription against Finless and Scaleless Aquatic Species in Light of Ancient Fish Remains

Yonatan Adlern & Omri Lernau
Pages 5-26 | Published online: 24 May 2021
Download citation https://doi.org/10.1080/03344355.2021.1904675

Abstract

The origins and early history of the pentateuchal prohibition against eating finless and scaleless aquatic species (Lev 11:9–12; Deut 14:9–10) has yet to merit a detailed investigation. The present study is an initiatory attempt to attend to this lacuna by analysing 56 zooarchaeological assemblages of fish remains from 30 sites throughout the southern Levant from the Late Bronze Age through to the end of the Byzantine period (ca. 1550 BCE to 640 CE). A central conclusion of the study is that consumption of scaleless fish— especially catfish—was not uncommon at Judean sites throughout the Iron Age and Persian periods. Unlike the pentateuchal prohibitions against eating pork, the ban against finless and scaleless aquatic species apparently deviated from longstanding Judean dietary habits. The pentateuchal writers appear to have legislated this dietary restriction despite the lack of an old and widespread dietary tradition at its root. This conclusion should encourage us to rethink commonly held assumptions that other pentateuchal dietary proscriptions emerged out of earlier dietary ‘taboos’.

If you want something less technical, Lina Zeldovich has published an informative article in Smithsonian Magazine: What Archaeology Tells Us About the Ancient History of Eating Kosher. A new study of fish remains deepens scholars’ understanding of how the dietary laws came to be.

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A Talmudic-era amulet

APOTROPAIC ARTIFACT: Amulet against ‘evil eye’ offers look at Jewish life in Talmudic Israel. The artifact was uncovered some 40 years ago in the village of Arbel in the Galilee by one of its first resident, late Tova Haviv (Rossella Tercatin, Jerusalem Post).

Shaped as a triangle, on one side the pendant features the figure of a rider whose head is surrounded with a halo riding a horse. The rider is depicted in the act of throwing a sphere at a female figure on the ground, surrounded by the inscription in Greek reading “The One God who Conquers Evil.” Under the horse, the Greek letters I A W Θ appear, the equivalent of Jewish divine name of Y-H-W-H. The opposite side of the object presents an eye pierced by arrows and surrounded by dangerous animals – two lions, a snake, a scorpion and a bird – as well as another Greek inscription reading “One God.”

This is a remarkable artifact. See the article for a photo.

The IAA seem fully confident of the amulet's authenticity. Like many of our ancient amulets, this one was not found in a controlled excavation. There is a family tradition of its discovery forty years ago, but few details have been released. Perhaps predictably, I would like to see more information about the discovery and the authentication.

I have not seen the original press release. The only other coverage of the story I have seen so far is by the Jewish Press: 40 Years after Discovery, IAA Receives Ancient Amulet Bearing the Sacred Tetragrammaton. It has additional details and better photographs.

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Book event essays (3): Feldman, The Story of Sacrifice

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: When Moses Goes to Ikea: the Introduction of Systematic Sacrifice (Andrew McGowan).

Another essay on Liane Feldman's recent book, The Story of Sacrifice: Ritual and Narrative in the Priestly Source (Mohr Siebeck, 2020).

I noted the first essay in this series here and the second here.

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

Did the ancient Judeans keep kosher?

CULINARY ARCHAEOLOGY: Ancient Judeans ate non-kosher catfish, sharks. The biblical prohibition against finless and scaleless sea creatures emerged in spite of this consolidated habit (Rossella Tercatin, Jerusalem Post).

[Archaeologist Dr. Yonatan] Adler and the co-author of the study, Haifa University Prof. Omri Lernau, analyzed the data from some 56 fish bones assemblages found in 30 sites throughout the region and dating between the Late Bronze Age through to the end of the Byzantine period (ca. 1550 BCE to 640 CE).

The researchers demonstrated that the consumption of non-kosher fish was very common up until and including the Persian period (586 BCE-332 BCE).

The period of time covers centuries when a great part of the biblical narrative is believed to have taken place, the time of prophets and kings.

That implies that some (not all) of the kosher laws in Leviticus were innovations.

PaleoJudaica has been following Dr. Adler's work on archaeology and ritual purity for some time. See here, here, here, here, here, and here.

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

Book event essays (2): Feldman, The Story of Sacrifice

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: Legal Discourse as World-Building (Hindy Najman).

In conclusion, I want to celebrate this book that teaches us how to love the priestly narrative. Feldman’s reading shows the whole and the parts of this narrative. For Feldman, the priestly narrative is a coherent and integrative work that is formative for ancient Judaism. ...

I noted the first essay in this series, with background information on the book, here.

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Historical background of the Gaza conflict

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: Jerusalem's sacred sites are a combustible mix of religion and politics. Disputes over the fate of Jerusalem’s Palestinian neighbourhoods triggered the most recent spate of bloodshed (Andrew Lawler). From the Damascus Gate to the tomb of Sheikh Jarrah, Saladin's physician, to the Tomb of the Kings and the grave of a Roman centurion that was traditionally assigned to Simeon the Just. A court case concerning property disputes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood led to protests there and at the Temple Mount. And the protests spread, leading to the Gaza conflict.

Let's hope the ceasefire holds.

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Review of "Nero: The Man Behind the Myth"

EXHIBITION: Nero At The British Museum: A Rome That Smacked Of Game Of Thrones. Nero, The British Museum ★★★★☆ (Tabish Khan, Londonist).

This sizeable exhibition doesn't cast judgement on Nero; it simply plies us with beautiful objects and fascinating insights, letting us come to our own conclusions on the man behind the myth.

The exhibition opens on 27 May.

Background here.

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Orion Center Colloquium on "Fallen Beings"

ZOOM EVENT:

Orion Center International Colloquium
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
18:30–20:30 Israel time; 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. EDT
"Beyond the Fall: Fallen Beings in Ancient and Medieval Literature"

Follow the link for the program and registration information.

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

The Sixth Annual Workshop on Jewish Magic and its Wider Contexts

ZOOM EVENT: The Sixth Annual Workshop on Jewish Magic and its Wider Contexts. Unfortunately I can't find a website for the event, but registration information is at the link. The event takes place on 3 and 6 June. From the flier, the program is as follows:

Thursday, 3 June (Israel time, GMT+ 3)
18:30 – 17:00
Marco Moriggi (Università di Catania):
Syriac Incantation Bowls and the Mesopotamian Context: A Glimpse into Christian-Jewish Cultural Interactions
Joseph E. Sanzo (Università Ca' Foscari Venezia):
P. Haun. III 51 (Suppl. Mag. I 23): Reflections on Materiality and Ritual Gesture in Late Antique Lived Religion
Korshi Dosoo (Universität Würzburg): Solomon in Coptic Magic

19:30 – 18:30
Break

20:30 – 19:30
Angelika Berlejung (Universität Leipzig):
Amulet or Votive? Outer Shape and inscription in Conflict in Some “Amulets" of the 1st Millennium BCE
Fritz Graf (Ohio State University): Magic and the Baths: A View from Gadara

Sunday, 6 June
18:30 – 17:00
Esther Eidinow (University of Bristol):
Some Thoughts on the Psychology of Ancient Greek Magic
Robert Daniel (Universität zu Köln): From Work on the Project Magica Levantina: New Curses from Syrian Antioch and Daphne
Richard Gordon (Universität Erfurt): Experimenting with Ambitious Formularies/Grimoires, Graeco-Egyptian and Other

19:30 – 18:30
Break

20:30 – 19:30
Gideon Bohak (Tel Aviv University) and
Rivka Elitzur-Leiman (Tel Aviv University):
Tyche and the Angels who Sit: Three Ancient Jewish Amulets.
Roy Kotansky (Independent Scholar): More Aramaic and Hebrew Words on Unpublished Greek Amulets

Organizers > Avigail Manekin-Bamberger, Gideon Bohak, Yakir Paz
Further information > Avigail Manekin-Bamberger: Avigail.Manekin@mail.huji.ac.il | Yakir Paz: yakir.paz@mail.huji.ac.il

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Damm (ed.), Religions and Education in Antiquity (Brill)

RECENT BOOK FROM BRILL:

Religions and Education in Antiquity

Studies in Honour of Michel Desjardins

Series: Numen Book Series, Volume: 160

Editor: Alex Damm

Religions and Education in Antiquity gathers ten essays on teaching and learning in the contexts of ancient Western religions, including Judaism, early Christianity and Gnostic Christian traditions. Beginning with an overview of religious education in the ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean worlds, editor Alex Damm and the contributors together demonstrate the mutual influence of religion and education on each other; the relevance of educational traditions in addressing (for instance) historical or exegetical issues; and the thoroughgoing importance of education to religious life across time and space in antiquity. Highly useful to scholars of religion, theology, classics and education, this volume affords a state of the art study on pedagogy and learning in ancient religious contexts.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €127.00 / $153.00

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-38461-3
Publication Date: 22 Oct 2018
Copyright Date: 01 Jan 2018

Hardback
Availability: Publishedv ISBN: 978-90-04-38443-9
Publication Date: 01 Nov 2018
Copyright Date: 01 Jan 2018

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BAR Summer 2021

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Biblical Archaeology Review, Summer 2021. In homes May 28th, 2021. With memorials to the late founding editor Hershel Shanks and lots of other articles.

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