Bodor, The Theological Profile of the Peshitta of Isaiah (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

The Theological Profile of the Peshitta of Isaiah

Series: Supplements to the Textual History of the Bible, Volume: 5

Author: Attila Bodor

In The Theological Profile of the Peshitta of Isaiah, Attila Bodor explores theological elements in the book of Isaiah as represented in the Peshitta. Through a close study of its interpretative renderings, the author shows that this lesser-known ancient version is not only an important witness to textual history and a repository of early exegetical traditions but also testifies to the beliefs of the early Syriac-speaking community from which the Peshitta emerged. In the monograph, sixty-three Peshitta divergences from the Hebrew version of Isaiah are collected and analyzed in order to illustrate the theological implications and the impact of these divergent renderings on the interpretation and reception of the major Isaianic themes that treat God, the Messiah, and the people of God.

Prices from (excl. VAT): €108.00 / $130.00

Copyright Year: 2021
E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-46912-9
Publication Date: 30 Aug 2021

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-46903-7
Publication Date: 02 Sep 2021

Cross-file under Syriac Watch.

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Israel or YHWH?

DR. RABBI DAVID FRANKEL: When YHWH Went Forth: A New Reading of Psalm 114 (TheTorah.com).

What did the sea see to make it flee? Who caused the mountains to skip like rams?

The emendation of "Israel" to "YHWH" in v. 1 may sound extreme, but I think the author of the essay makes a good case for it.

Not mentioned in the essay, but arguably there is parallel scribal emendation in Deuteronomy 32:8. The Masoretic Text refers to "the sons of Israel," but the Septuagint and 4QDeut^j read "the sons of God." The latter reading is clearly more original. One can hardly imagine a scribe introducing it to replace "the sons of Israel." It also makes much better sense in context. But the mythological element of God parceling out the nations to other divine beings became an embarrassment. Some later scribe introduced the awkward reference to Israel to try to get around it.

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Who were the Levites?

PROF. ALEXANDER ROFÉ: Levites: A Transjordanian Tribe of Priests (TheTorah.com).

Pre-exilic biblical texts describe Levites as landless priests who can serve in any holy site. The origin of this status can be found in ancient times, when the tribe of Levi lost control of their territory in the Transjordan, but remained in the vicinity serving in the Nebo temple, where their ancestor Moses was buried.

This seems as plausible as the various other reconstructions of the origin and history of the Levites. Our sources are incomplete and contradictory.

Some PaleoJudaica posts on the subject are here, here, here, here, here, and here.

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Where was the "Red Sea?"

THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY: The Location of the Biblical ‘Red Sea’ (Barry J. Beitzel).

At the end of the day, one must recognize that beyond a limited and generic description found in the Bible, augmented by textual clues found in both Hebrew and Egyptian lexicography, and by considerations of geographic and terrestrial logic, no definitive evidence of any sort exists to support a precise locational tradition, aside from the demonstrable fact that the event must have occurred within relatively close proximity to the eastern frontier of Egypt’s Delta.

I have posted on the question of the crossing-place of the "Sea of Reeds" here.

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Review of Mastrocinque et al. (eds.), Ancient magic: then and now

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Ancient magic: then and now.

Attilio Mastrocinque, Joseph Sanzo, Marianna Scapini, Ancient magic: then and now. Potsdamer Altertumswissenschaftliche Beitraege, 74. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2020. Pp. 451. ISBN 9783515127967 €82,00.

Review by
Elaine Sanderson, University of Liverpool. elaine.sanderson@liverpool.ac.uk

[Authors and titles are listed at the end of the review.]

This volume is the product of the Humboldt Kolleg ‘Magic in the Ancient World – New Perspectives’ conference held in Italy in 2016. Following broad surveys of the relationships between magic and science and magic and religion in the Preface (Giacomo De Angelis) and Foreward (Hans-Christian Günther) respectively, Marianna Scapini and Joseph E. Sanzo (Introduction) outline the volume’s aim to consider ‘ancient magic’ as an ‘analytical construct and as a domain of historical inquiry and imagination’ (p. 19). ...

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Ancient Near East Monographs

THE AWOL BLOG: Open Access Monograph Series: ANCIENT NEAR EAST MONOGRAPHS / MONOGRAFIAS SOBRE EL ANTIGUO CERCANO ORIENTE. There are many volumes of interest in this series. They are all open access.

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Review of Walsh, The origins of early Christian literature

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: The origins of early Christian literature: contextualizing the New Testament within Greco-Roman literary culture.

Robyn Faith Walsh, The origins of early Christian literature: contextualizing the New Testament within Greco-Roman literary culture. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2021. Pp. 325. ISBN 9781108835305 $99.99.

Review by
Brent Nongbri, MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion, and Society. brent.nongbri@mf.no

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Brenner-Idan &. Yee (eds.), Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, Vol. 2 (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah

Volume 2

Athalya Brenner-Idan (Anthology Editor), Gale A. Yee (Anthology Editor)

Hardback
$115.00 $103.50

Ebook (PDF)
$103.50 $82.80

Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
$103.50 $82.80

Product details

Published Aug 26 2021
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 248
ISBN 9780567701152
Imprint T&T Clark
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series Texts @ Contexts
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

This volume brings together disparate views about biblical texts in the books of Samuel, Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah and examines their influence in the life of contemporary communities, demonstrating how today's environments and disorders help readers to acquire new insights into such texts.

The contributing scholars hail from different continents - from East Asia to the United States to Europe to South Africa and Israel - and count themselves as members of various Jewish and Christian traditions or secularist ways of life. But, in spite of their differences in location and community membership, and perhaps in the spirit of contemporary global discontents, they share preoccupations with questions of ethics in politics and life, 'proper' death, violence and social exclusion or inclusion. This volume offers readers a deeper understanding of how politics and faith can be melded, both in ancient and contemporary contexts, to serve the interests of certain classes and societies, often at the expense of others.

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Jerusalem's historical water supply

CISTERNS AND AQUEDUCTS: Water sustainability throughout Jerusalem's history. The now-dry Sultan's Pool, named for Sultan Suleiman I (1520-1566), was one of Jerusalem’s most important water reservoirs for hundreds of years (SUSAN DE LA FUENTE, Jerusalem Post).

Even in First Temple times approximately 3,000 years ago, water cisterns were painstakingly chiseled into the rock, then coated with sealing layers of yellow waterproofing plaster to form substantial underground reservoirs. When a cistern of this type was discovered near the Temple Mount in 2012, it proved that the Gihon Spring, though useful, was not an adequate source of water for Temple needs.

[...]

I noted the discovery of this cistern (I think) in 2012 here and of the 2005 playground cistern here (when another was found in the same area in 2019).

I also noted the discovery of the section of the Lower Aqueduct to Jerusalem in 2015 here and of the High-Level Aqueduct in 2010 here.

For more on the work of Sir Charles Warren, see here and links.

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Remembering Eilat Mazar

FROM ONE OF HER MAIN FUNDERS: ‘Let the stones speak for themselves.’ Eilat Mazar offered me a chance to help link the Bible to modern times. It was one of my best investments (Roger Hertog, Times of Israel Blogs).

Even the naysayers welcomed her contributions. As noted in a 2005 article in The New York Times, “Other scholars who have toured the site are skeptical that the foundation walls Eilat Mazar has discovered are David’s palace, but they acknowledged that what she found was rare and important — a major public building from around the 10th century B.C.E. with pottery shards that date from the time of David and Solomon…”

For more on the career of Dr. Mazar, start here and follow the links.

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How bad is death in the Hebrew Bible? Bad.

PROF. MEGHAN HENNING: No Heaven or Hell, Only Sheʾol (TheTorah.com).

Sheʾol and its synonyms, בּוֹר “pit,” שַׁחַת “chasm,” and אֲבַדּוֹן “oblivion,” was the fate of all people upon death. The wicked were sent there early, while the righteous were rewarded with a long life. During the Second Temple period, the negative attitude about death and sheʾol develops into a concept of post-mortem punishment and eventually hell. 1 Enoch’s four chambers for the dead is the first step in that direction.

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Frendo, Approaching Biblical Archaeology (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Approaching Biblical Archaeology

Anthony J. Frendo (Author)

Paperback
$29.95 $26.95

Hardback
$90.00 $81.00

Ebook (PDF)
$26.95 $21.56

Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
$26.95 $21.56

Product details

Published Sep 09 2021
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 160v ISBN 9780567677532
Imprint T&T Clark
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

Anthony J. Frendo introduces biblical students and scholars alike to the discipline of archaeology by explaining how the minds of professional archaeologists work, explaining what archaeologists seek, how they go about doing so, and how they interpret their data. Frendo shows those engaged in biblical scholarship how they can properly integrate biblical research with archaeological discoveries in a way that allows the bible and archaeology to be viewed and kept as distinct disciplines, the respective results of which, where relevant, may be integrated in productive discussion.

Frendo also examines how the archaeology of the ancient Near East (particularly that of the southern Levant) has an essential bearing on how scholars can better appreciate the text of the bible, including its religious message. Frendo examines such matters as artefacts, stratigraphy and chronology, and archaeological reasoning. He also demonstrates that, whilst generally it is archaeology that casts light on the biblical text, at points biblical interpretation can help archaeologists to understand certain data.

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CRINT Essay Prize Winner 2021

ANNOUNCEMENT: CRINT Essay Prize 2021 Winner. Congratulations to Dr. A.J. Berkovitz, who was awarded the 2021 prize for his essay Psalm 45 Between Abraham and Jesus: A Polemic and its Shelf Life. Details at the link.

For more on the CRINT Essay Prize, see here.

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Saint Jerome's feast day 2021

THE FEAST DAY OF ST. JEROME IS TODAY, 30 SEPTEMBER. Jerome was one of the few Church Fathers to learn and use Hebrew. The Latin Vulgate is his complete translation of the Hebrew Bible. I last noted his feast day in 2016. For more on him, follow the links there. More recent posts are here, here, and here.

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Theophilos, Numismatics and Greek Lexicography (T&T Clark)

RECENT BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Numismatics and Greek Lexicography

Michael P. Theophilos (Author)

Hardback
$120.00 $108.00

Ebook (PDF)
$35.95 $28.76

Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
$35.95 $28.76

Product details

Published Nov 28 2019
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 296
ISBN 9780567674364
Imprint T&T Clark
Illustrations 76 bw illus
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

Michael P. Theophilos explores the fascinating variety of numismatic contributions to Greek lexicography, pertaining to lexicographic studies of the Second Temple period in general, and the New Testament in particular.

Theophilos considers previous scholarly attempts to grapple with, and incorporate, critical numismatic material into the emerging discipline of Greek lexicography - including foundational work by F. Preisigke and E. Kiessling - before outlining his own methodological approach. Theophilos' then examines the resources available for engaging with the numismatic material, and presents a series of specific case studies throughout the New Testament material. His carefully annotated images of coins draw readers in to a greater understanding of the material culture of the Greco-Roman world, and how this impacted upon the Greek language and the New Testament.

The paperback is coming out soon.

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Diversity and Rabbinization (ed. McDowell, Naiweld & Stökl Ben Ezra; Open Edition Books)

THE AWOL BLOG: Diversity and Rabbinization: Jewish Texts and Societies between 400 and 1,000 CE.

Diversity and Rabbinization: Jewish Texts and Societies between 400 and 1,000 CE
Gavin McDowell, Ron Naiweld et Daniel Stökl Ben Ezra (dir.)
Diversity and Rabbinizationv Cambridge Semitic Languages and Cultures Series

An open-access book.

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More on Qumran as a festival-gathering site

ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE DAMASCUS DOCUMENT: Medieval Hebrew document could reveal why Dead Sea Scrolls were found in Qumran. Damascus Covenant could hold the answers (Tom Metcalfe, Live Science).

Now, research suggests Qumran was in fact the site of a huge annual ceremony of the mystical Jewish sect of the Essenes, in which its members gathered from cities and rural communities all over Israel to observe a key ritual known as the Covenant of Renewal. Qumran's peculiar construction, the researchers suggest, reflects this ceremonial function. Fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls also mention a festival that seems to be referring to the same gathering of the Essenes, the researcher said.

According to the new theory, many of the Dead Sea Scrolls themselves could have been written by Essene communities throughout the country and brought to Qumran at the time of the annual festival to study and be stored there.

I noted this story back in August, when Rossella Tercatin wrote on it in the Jerusalem Post. The Times of Israel now also has an article on it here.

The suggestion is possible, and is pretty consistent with the scenario I suggested years ago. I doubt that we have enough evidence at present to solve the matter decisively.

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Stroumsa, The Crucible of Religion in Late Antiquity (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Guy G. Stroumsa. The Crucible of Religion in Late Antiquity. Selected Essays. 2021. X, 305 pages. Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum / Studies and Texts in Antiquity and Christianity 124. 84,00 € including VAT. sewn paper ISBN 978-3-16-160691-5.

Published in English.
The religious revolution of late antiquity and its intertwined religious history are reflected in a broad array of new forms of religious belief and practice, of which Christianity is only the most perceptible one. It is represented in the passage from polytheistic systems to monotheistic and dualist ones, as well as in the move from rituals centred upon sacrifices in temples to rituals established upon scriptures, in churches, synagogues, or mosques. This double dynamism of beliefs and rituals sheds light on the transformations of religious ethos. Guy G. Stroumsa's two-part volume reflects this double argument. The essays all focus on central aspects, such as in Part I on mental aspects of religion in the Roman Empire, as expressed in early Christian texts and traditions, and in Part II on religious communication across the empire's cultures and communities.

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Bodner & Johnson (eds.), Characters and Characterization in the Book of Kings (T&T Clark)

RECENT BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Characters and Characterization in the Book of Kings

Keith Bodner (Anthology Editor), Benjamin J.M. Johnson (Anthology Editor)

Hardback
$120.00 $108.00

Ebook (PDF)
$35.95 $28.76

Product details

Published Dec 12 2019
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 320
ISBN 9780567680907
Imprint T&T Clark
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

This book is an examination of characters in the books of Kings; showing how understanding and interpretation of key characters affects readings of the story. The volume begins with more general pieces addressing how the study of characters can shed light on the composition history of Kings and on how characters and characterization can be considered with respect to ethics, particularly with respect to the moral complexity of biblical characters.

Contributors then consider key characters within the Kings narrative in depth, such as Nathan, Bathsheba, Solomon and Jezebel. The contributors use their own specific expertise to analyze these characters and more, drawing on insights from literary theory and considering such approaches as questioning our view of a particular character with based on the character within the text with whom we identify. Contributors also assess whether or not characters as portrayed in the biblical text necessarily match up to their possible counterparts in history.

The paperback is coming out soon.

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Shemeni Atzeret and Simchat Torah 2021

SHEMINI ATZERET begins tonight at sundown. In Israel, this is also the holiday of Simchat Torah (Simhat Torah). Outside of Israel, the latter holiday begins tomorrow at sundown. Best wishes to all those celebrating!

Last year's Shemini Atzeret post is here. The 2017 post has biblical etc. links.

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