How many Egyptian words in Hebrew and where did they come from?

PHILOLOGOS: How Many Egyptian Words Made It into Biblical Hebrew? And does their presence illuminate the book of Exodus—or is it simply a sign that ancient Egypt was a powerful nation? (Mosaic Magazine).

Not surprisingly, the answer is "It depends."

One point not raised in the essay is that even if the Israelites spent some generations as slaves in Egypt in the late second millennium BCE, the biblical texts were not written until late in Iron Age II, more than half a millennium later. They had lived in a context of neighbors who spoke Northwest Semitic dialects cognate with, and probably mutually intelligible with, Hebrew. That's a long time to readjust the language away from any Egyptian influence from that sojourn.

Cross-file under Passover.

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IAA exhibits ancient gold jewelry forgotten in a drawer

ANCIENT APOTROPAIC FUNERARY BLING: Spectacular Gold Jewels Worn Against Evil Eye in Roman Jerusalem Go on Exhibit, Finally. Found over 50 years ago and forgotten in a box at the Israel Antiquities Authority, the gold ‘moon’ pendant was probably worn by a girl as an amulet, archaeologists say (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

For the first time, gorgeous gold jewels discovered in forgotten drawers at the Israel Antiquities Authority will be going on display. The items, dating to the Late Roman period about 1,800 years ago, will be exhibited at a conference of the IAA, the Israel Exploration Society and the Israel Archaeological Association, the authority announced on Monday.

The newly unearthed treasures include gold earrings, a hairpin, beads made of gold, carnelian stone and glass - and a gold pendant called a lunula that is shaped like the crescent moon and named after the Roman moon goddess Luna.

[...]

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Biblical Studies Carnival 205

TOM WRONG IS BACK, with Biblical Studies Carnival 205 for March 2023.

My thanks to Tom, Phil Long, and Todd Bolen, for their congratulations on PaleoJudaica's twentieth anniversary.

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April 1st, belatedly

ON APRIL FIRST, I was busy and just pre-posted. But Todd Bolin was blogging away, noting many day-appropriate posts.

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Mohrmann, Deuteronomion: A Commentary ... (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

Deuteronomion

A Commentary Based on the Text of Codex Alexandrinus

Series: Septuagint Commentary Series

Author: Douglas C. Mohrmann

This commentary on Deuteronomion is based on Codex Alexandrinus, the single best complete witness to the Old Greek. It features a new transcription of the manuscript with a fresh translation that treats Deuteronomion as a sacred text that would have been read, studied, and cherished in a worshipping community. Notations of important variants with the other key manuscripts, such as p848, p963, and B (Vaticanus), appear regularly. This commentary represents an interpretative adventure, intentionally giving room for varied ancient reader-responses, and accordingly it functions within several literary spaces. First, it recognizes the substantial intratextual features between the book’s narrative framing and its legal materials. Deuteronomion is also read in its hypotextual relation with the Pentateuch’s other narratives and legal materials, chiefly within Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Sensitivity to the Greek linguistic climate, the so-called koine Greek, is another space. Finally, and most distinctively, this commentary adds to its reading the many voices who read and used Deuteronomy, in either Hebrew or Greek forms, from the late Second Temple Period.

Prices from (excl. shipping): €199.00

Copyright Year: 2023

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-53661-6
Publication date: 17 Feb 2023

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-53653-1
Publication date: 24 Feb 2023

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Miglio, The Gilgamesh Epic in Genesis 1-11 (Routledge)

NEW BOOK FROM ROUTLEDGE:

The Gilgamesh Epic in Genesis 1-11
Peering into the Deep

By Adam E. Miglio

Copyright Year 2023

Paperback
£34.99

Hardback
£120.00

eBook
£26.24

ISBN 9781032020129
Published February 10, 2023 by Routledge
190 Pages 3 B/W Illustrations

Book Description

This book provides a substantive, reliable, and accessible comparison of the Gilgamesh Epic and Genesis 1–11, investigating their presentation of humanistic themes such as wisdom, power, and the ‘good life.’

While the Gilgamesh Epic and Genesis 1–11 are characterized by historical and cultural features that may seem unusual or challenging to modern readers, such as the intervention of gods and goddesses and talking animals, these ancient literary masterpieces are nonetheless familiar and relatable stories through their humanistic composition. This volume explores the presentation of humanistic themes and motifs throughout both stories. Significant passages and narratives, such as stories from the Garden of Eden and the Flood, are translated into English and accompanied by comprehensive discussions that compare and contrast shared ideas in both compositions. Written in a lucid and concise fashion, this book offers new insights into the Gilgamesh Epic and Genesis 1–11 in an accessible way.

The Gilgamesh Epic in Genesis 1–11: Peering into the Deep is suitable for students and scholars of ancient Near Eastern literature, with broad appeal across religious studies, ancient history, and world literature.

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Is the Angel of the Lord an interpolation?

DR. DANIEL O. MCCLELLAN: The Angel of YHWH.

Abraham, Hagar, Moses, and Gideon all encounter the angel of YHWH. What is this divine being and how are we to understand its relationship to YHWH?

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Machiela, A Handbook of the Aramaic Scrolls from the Qumran Caves (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

A Handbook of the Aramaic Scrolls from the Qumran Caves

Manuscripts, Language, and Scribal Practices

Series: Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah, Volume: 140

Author: Daniel Machiela

This book provides the first comprehensive treatment of the Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls from the caves of Qumran. These nearly one hundred scrolls open a window onto a vibrant period of Jewish history for which we previously had few historical sources. Scholars and advanced students will find a general introduction to the corpus, detailed, richly-illustrated profiles of individual scrolls, and up-to-date studies of their Aramaic language and scribal practices. The goal of the book is to foster and support further study of these scrolls against the historical backdrop of early Judaism and ancient Mediterranean scribal cultures.

Prices from (excl. shipping):€160.00 Hardback

Copyright Year: 2022

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-51381-5
Publication date: 05 Dec 2022

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-51378-5
Publication date: 09 Jan 2023

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The Talmudic egg - smaller than we thought?

EGGY ARCHAEOLOGY: Bar Ilan Professor Solves Age Old Issue: How Big Was the Talmudic Egg? (David Israel, Jewish Press).

It sounds as though Prof. Zohar Amar now thinks that ancient eggs were smaller that his research several years ago indicated. As the article notes, this development could have halakhic implications.

Background here.

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Chrestus or Christus? Yes.

KIWI HELLENIST: Chrest or Christ. HT Rogue Classicism.

They come out to the same thing, but the Hellenist uses the spelling varition to do some source criticism on Tacitus and Suetonius. Nicely argued and reasonably convincing.

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Rabbinics resources

THE ANXIOUS BENCH: Reading the Rabbis. Philip Jenkins has collected some useful resources and some interesting material on the use of Psalm 91 in the rabbinic literature.

I am more skeptical than he seems to be about how much the Talmud, or for that matter the Mishnah, preserve memories of Temple services in the first century.

Some relevant PaleoJudaica posts are here, here, here, here, and links.

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New national park at Hippos-Sussita

OPENED YESTERDAY: Israel opens new Sussita National Park (Times of Israel).

For PaleoJudaica posts on the many archaeological discoveries at Hippos-Sussita, see here and links.

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Should the Codex Sassoon stay in Israel?

FOR SALE: Should the World's Oldest Hebrew Bible Remain in Israel? An Auction Awaits. The Codex Sassoon, more than a millennium old and valued at up to $50 million, is on display in Tel Aviv before the sale. Some say it's imperative the state buy it (Moshe Gilad, Haaretz). This article is behind the subscription wall, but you can read it with a free registration with Haaretz.

My own view is that whoever buys this manuscript should donate it to a museum in Israel.

Background here and links.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the comparably ancient but less well-preserved Aleppo Codex of the Hebrew Bible, see here and links. For the slightly later, but complete, Leningrad Codex, see here and links.

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Free online course on Zoroastrianism

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: Zoroastrianism: History, Religion and Belief. A free online course by Dr Sarah Stewart and Dr Céline Redard at SOAS, University of London. For you, special deal!

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Bauckham, "Son of Man", vol. 1 (Eerdmans, forthcoming)

FORTHCOMING BOOK FROM EERDMANS:

"Son of Man", vol. 1

Early Jewish Literature
Richard Bauckham

HARDCOVER; Coming Soon: 7/25/2023
ISBN: 978-0-8028-8326-1
Price: $ 44.99
447 Pages
Trim Size, in inches: 6 x 9

DESCRIPTION

The Son of Man is not Jesus Christ.  

In fact, the Son of Man isn’t anyone, or anything—it’s just a man. It’s not a title, and it’s certainly not an indication of divinity. Yet the term has held considerable interest among scholars of Christology for its use in describing Jesus in the gospels. And among those studying messianism in Second Temple Judaism, consensus about the valences of “Son of Man” in Scripture remains elusive.

In the first volume of this landmark study, Richard Bauckham pushes the conversation forward, explicating the phrase “Son of Man” as it appears in Jewish interpretations of the book of Daniel and in the apocryphal book of 1 Enoch. With philological precision and sensitivity to his sources, Bauckham attunes us to the realities of early Jewish eschatology.

Thorough and comprehensive, “Son of Man,” vol. 1, offers scholars a solid basis for understanding the context of the messiah in the centuries leading up to Jesus. Along with the forthcoming second volume, which parses the meaning of “Son of Man” in the Gospels, Bauckham’s work is essential for understanding one of the most widely used yet misunderstood phrases in the Bible.

Looks like it can be pre-ordered now.

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Caesarea receives archaeological and cultural award

TOURISM: Caesarea named best cultural and archaeological tourist site. These organizations worked in concert with Israel's Nature and Parks Authority and the Israel Antiquities authority to restore the city's historic site (Jerusalem Post).

Caesarea was given awarded the ACTA Archeological and Cultural Award for the best foreign archeological site by GIST, Italy's foremost tourism press agency.

The city, located in the north of Israel, was chosen based on the merits of its coastal harbor, underwater sites and various scientific and archeological studies taking place there.

[...]

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Geniza fragment of Christian Palestinian Aramaic palimpsest of Joshua

GENIZA FRAGMENT OF THE MONTH (MARCH 2023): The Book of Joshua in a Christian Palestinian Aramaic Palimpsest Fragment (T-S 12.758) (Christa Müller-Kessler).

For over 120 years, the verses of chapter 7:2c–4a; 9b–11a of the book of Joshua in the translation of Christian Palestinian Aramaic, a Western Aramaic dialect, remained unrecognized under the Palestinian Talmud tractate Sanhedrin 19a (40)–19b (37). It is a rather small parchment fragment (ca. 8 x 7 cm) with another even smaller fragment merged onto it on the right-hand side. This biblical text is a welcome addition to the transmission of the Bible in Christian Palestinian Aramaic, of which only scanty text remnants have survived. The only other witness of the book of Joshua is found on parchment, but not as a palimpsest: it comes from the Kastellion at Khirbet Mird (ca. 8th/9th century CE), a site nine kilometres northeast of Jerusalem, and is housed today in the Rockefeller Museum, Jerusalem.

[...]

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MacGrath's books on the Baptist

JAMES MCGRATH is publishing two new books on John the Baptist with Eerdmans.

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The Dead Sea Scrolls in Ancient Media Culture (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

The Dead Sea Scrolls in Ancient Media Culture

Series: Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah, Volume: 144

Volume Editors: Travis B. Williams , Chris Keith , and Loren Stuckenbruck

Media studies is an emerging discipline that is quickly making an impact within the wider field of biblical scholarship. This volume is designed to evaluate the status quaestionis of the Dead Sea Scrolls as products of an ancient media culture, with leading scholars in the Dead Sea Scrolls and related disciplines reviewing how scholarship has addressed issues of ancient media in the past, assessing the use of media criticism in current research, and outlining potential directions for future discussions.

Prices from (excl. shipping): €160.00

Copyright Year: 2023
E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-53780-4
Publication date: 13 Feb 2023

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-52972-4
Publication date: 09 Feb 2023

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Smith, Religion and Apuleius' Golden Ass (Routledge)

NEW BOOK FROM ROUTLEDGE:

Religion and Apuleius' Golden Ass
The Sacred Ass

By Warren S. Smith

Copyright Year 2023

Hardback
£120.00

eBook
£33.29

ISBN 9781032192802
Published December 30, 2022 by Routledge
208 Pages 12 B/W Illustrations

Book Description

This volume examines Apuleius’ comic donkey novel, The Golden Ass, within the context of the popular beliefs and Jewish and Christian writings that were part of the intellectual culture of his own day in 2nd century C.E. North Africa, a culture which can also be glimpsed in some early Arabic writings.

The novel was written against a cultural and religious background in which the donkey had various connotations, both positive and negative, but tended to be admired in Jewish, Christian, and later, in Muslim writings. Smith explores the influence of such popular opinions on The Golden Ass and how Apuleius presented Isis and Osiris as desirable alternatives to the claims of both Christianity and magic, offering hope of spiritual renewal partly modelled on contemporary religious apocalyptic literature. Complemented by images of contemporary art, including amulets and terra cotta figures, this volume gives readers a better understanding of how Apuleius, ostensibly a Platonist and member of the Roman establishment, could maintain an intellectual independence in a North African milieu while still drawing on hope in the salvation of the gods.

Religion and Apuleius’ Golden Ass provides a fascinating new approach to this much disputed novel, of interest not only to students and scholars of Apuleius and Roman literature, but also scholars interested in Christian and Jewish literature and beliefs of the early centuries of the first millennium C.E.

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