Gold coins and baby sacrifices excavated at Carthage

PUNIC WATCH: Rare golden gifts — left at a sacrificial site 2,300 years ago — uncovered in Tunisia. (Aspen Pflughoeft; "Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Tunisia’s Ministry of Cultural Affairs and articles from RT and Shems FM").

Archaeologists excavating the tophet [at the site of Carthage] uncovered a collection of offerings, Tunisia’s Ministry of Cultural Affairs said in an Aug. 11 news release. They found five gold coins from 2,300 years ago, tombstones and several urns with the remains of animals, infants and premature babies.

The rare gold coins are about an inch in size and have a design showing the face of Tanit, an ancient goddess of fertility and motherhood, the Tunisian outlet Shems FM reported. Photos show a few of the still-shiny golden treasures.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on ancient Carthage, its history, and its archaeology, start here and follow the links. For a brief history, see here. Also see "Carthage" in the archive. For the gold coinage of Carthage, see here. For ancient Tunisian coinage more generally, see here and links. For the Punic (and Phoenician?) goddess Tanit (Tannit), the "Snake Lady," see here and links. For the issue of child sacrifice at Carthage, see here and links.

Cross-file unde Numismatics.

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First-century CE synagogue excavated on the Cimmerian Bosporus

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE: One of the World's Oldest Synagogues Has Just Been Discovered (Aristos Georgiou, Newsweek)

Archaeologists say they have discovered one of the world's earliest synagogues at the site of an ancient city.

A team of experts made the find during excavations at the archaeological site of Phanagoria, which is on the Taman Peninsula in southwestern Russia. The ancient settlement was founded by Greek settlers around the middle of the 6th century B.C. on the peninsula, which borders the Sea of Azov to the north and the Black Sea to the south.

[...]

Reportedly, two inscriptions identifying the building as a "house of worship" and "synagogue" date to the first century C.E.

For additional background, see Ruth Schuster's article in Haaretz: Synagogue From Late Second Temple Period Found by Black Sea in Russia. Identity of the house of worship from about 2,000 years ago confirmed by menorah engravings and inscriptions calling it a ‘synagogue’, Phanagoria excavation director Vladimir Kuznetsov explains.

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Briquel Chatonnet & Debie, The Syriac World (Yale)

NEW BOOK FROM YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS:

The Syriac World
In Search of a Forgotten Christianity

by Francoise Briquel Chatonnet and Muriel Debie
Translated by Jeffrey Haines

304 Pages, 6.12 x 9.25 in, 68 b-w illus.

Hardcover
9780300253535
Published: Tuesday, 20 Jun 2023
$35.00

Description

A comprehensive survey of Syriac Christianity over three thousand years

Syriac is often referred to as the third main language of Christianity, along with Latin and Greek, and it remains a foundational classical, literary, and religious language throughout the world. Originating in Mesopotamia along the Roman and Parthian frontiers, it was never the language of a powerful state or ethnic group, but with the coming of Christianity it developed into a rich religious and cultural tradition. At the same time that Christianity was making its way through Europe, Syriac missionaries were founding churches from the Mediterranean coast to Persia, converting the Turkic tribes of Central Asia, and building communities in India and China.

This comprehensive work tells the underexplored story of the Syriac world over three thousand years, from its pre-Christian roots in the Aramaic tribes and the ancient Near East to its vibrant expressions in modern diaspora churches. Enhanced with images, songs, poems, and important primary texts, this book shows the importance of Syriac history, theology, and literature in the twenty-first century.

This is a translation of their 2017 French book.

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The Ma'on synagogue mosaic

DECORATIVE ART: Ancient Ma'on synagogue in Israel's southern Negev features mosaic floor. Historic synagogue testifies to existence of Jewish community in the Christian town All Israel News). Nice photos.

I noted the 2009 discovery of the mosaic here. Another post on the site is here.

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More excavations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE: Round-the-clock excavations at Church of Holy Sepulchre yield historical treasures. Continued work on a two-year, $11 million cooperative restoration project reveals fascinating details from centuries of patchwork building at one of Christianity’s holiest sites (MELANIE LIDMAN, Times of Israel).

The most recent excavation revealed more information about the early Christian layout of the Edicule, parts of which date to the 4th century. Under one of the floor slabs, archaeologists discovered a coin hoard that included coins minted up until the time of Roman Emperor Valens (364-378).

Other interesting discoveries include a fragment of wall cladding, or the exterior of the wall, from the main Edicule, covered with graffiti from the 18th century in various languages, including Greek, Latin and Armenian.

For some PaleoJudaica posts on the recent renovations and excavations in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Holy Sepulcher), see here, here, here, here, here, and here. And follow the many links for much more on the Church.

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Ritual baths in the Land of Israel

PURIFICATION ARCHITECTURE: Immerse yourself in the Holy Land’s history by visiting these ancient ritual baths. Essential to Jewish religious life, mikvehs can be found throughout Israel — and some tell captivating tales of life millennia ago (AVIVA AND SHMUEL BAR-AM, Times of Israel).

Mikvehs have been discovered in the desert, in the Galilee, under new houses in Jerusalem, at construction sites, and in partially restored ancient towns. The vast majority date back to the Second Temple period, with at least 50 ritual baths found adjacent to the Temple Mount.

A Travel survey of many of the Second Temple-era mikvehs uncovered in Israel.

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Perseus publishes Philo

PERSEUS DIGITAL LIBRARY UPDATES: Philo of Alexandria, Translations, and Perseus the Next Thirty Years (Gregory Crane). HT Rogue Classicism.

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Essays on the Psalms of Solomon (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Essays on the Psalms of Solomon Its Cultural Background, Significance, and Interpretation. Edited by Kenneth Atkinson, Patrick Pouchelle, and Felix Albrecht. 2023. VII, 195 pages. Parabiblica 2. 119,00 € including VAT. cloth ISBN 978-3-16-162448-3.

Published in English.
The Psalms of Solomon, a collection of 18 Jewish psalms from the Second Temple period, have long been a fascinating topic for scholarship. In this volume, leading scholars from a range of disciplines offer new insights into the cultural background, literary form, theological themes, and reception history of the Psalms of Solomon. The essays address a range of topics, including the origin of the text in Palestinian Judaism, the temple in the Psalms of Solomon, and the question of its canonical status.

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Rogan, Purity in the Gospel of John (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

Purity in the Gospel of John

Early Jewish Tradition, Christology, and Ethics

Wil Rogan (Author)
Hardback
$115.00 $103.50

Ebook (PDF)
$103.50 $82.80

Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
$103.50 $82.80

Product details

Published Jul 13 2023
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 224
ISBN 9780567708663
Imprint T&T Clark
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series The Library of New Testament Studies
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

Wil Rogan argues that, contrary to twentieth-century interpretation, the Fourth Gospel did not replace purity with faith in Jesus. Instead, as with other early Jewish writings, its discourse about purity functions as a way to make sense of life before God in the world. He suggests that John's Gospel employs biblical and early Jewish traditions of purity associated with divine revelation and Israel's restoration to narrate how God's people are prepared for the coming of Jesus and enabled by him to have life with God characterized by love.

After evaluating different theories of purity for the interpretation of the Fourth Gospel, Rogan explores John the Baptist as an agent of ritual purification, Jesus as the agent of moral purification, and the disciples of Jesus as ones who are (or are not) made morally pure by Jesus. While purity is not one of the Fourth Gospel's primary focuses, Rogan stresses that the concept figures into some of its most significant claims about Christology, the doctrine of salvation, and ethics. Through purity, the Fourth Gospel guards continuity with the past while placing surprising conditions on participation in Israel's future.

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Henze & Lincicum (eds.), Israel's Scriptures in Early Christian Writings (Eerdmans)

NEW BOOK FROM EERDMANS:

Israel's Scriptures in Early Christian Writings
The Use of the Old Testament in the New

Matthias Henze and David Lincicum, eds.

HARDCOVER; Published: 7/20/2023
ISBN: 978-0-8028-7444-3
Price: $ 79.99
1166 Pages
Trim Size, in inches: 6.125 x 9.25

DESCRIPTION

How did New Testament authors use Israel’s Scriptures?  

Use, misuse, appropriation, citation, allusion, inspiration—how do we characterize the manifold images, paraphrases, and quotations of the Jewish Scriptures that pervade the New Testament? Over the past few decades, scholars have tackled the question with a variety of methodologies. New Testament authors were part of a broader landscape of Jewish readers interpreting Scripture. Recent studies have sought to understand the various compositional techniques of the early Christians who composed the New Testament in this context and on the authors’ own terms.

In this landmark collection of essays, Matthias Henze and David Lincicum marshal an international group of renowned scholars to analyze the New Testament, text-by-text, aiming to better understand what roles Israel’s Scriptures play therein. In addition to explicating each book, the essayists also cut across texts to chart the most important central concepts, such as the messiah, covenants, and the end times. Carefully constructed reception history of both testaments rounds out the volume.

Comprehensive and foundational, Israel’s Scriptures in Early Christian Writings will serve as an essential resource for biblical scholars for years to come.

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Ship-protection talisman found near Israeli beach

ANOTHER APOTROPAIC ARTIFACT: A rare 2,500-year-old marble disc, designed to protect ancient ships and ward off the evil eye discovered near Palmachim Beach ( Leman Altuntaş, Arkeonews).

The Israel Antiquities Authority announced from social media on July 18 that the object the lifeguard turned over was a 2,500-year-old, eye-shaped marble disc that was attached to ships to ward off the evil eye.

Experts say the relic, found during a dive by lifeguard David Shalom at the Yavne-Yam archaeological site near Palmachim Beach, dates back to the 5th to 4th centuries BC.

The Facebook announcement is here.

The object was found underwater. So much for ship protection.

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Rhetorical poetics of the Aramaic incantation bowls

THE AWOL BLOG: 'I Descended to the Depths of the Earth': A Rhetorical Poetics of the Jewish Babylonian Aramaic Incantation Bowls. A PhD dissertation by Daniel Waller at Gronigen University. Follow the link for details, description, and a link to the full text of the dissertation

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Which Ten Commandments? And whose?

PROF. J. CORNELIS DE VOS: Adapting the Decalogue to Your Religion (TheTorah.com).

Jewish Greek philosophy, the New Testament, Christian theology, Samaritan law, Rabbinic Judaism, the Church Fathers—all shaped and interpreted the Decalogue to meet the needs of their community.

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Demon-repellant magic mirror excavated at Usha?

APOTROPAIC ARTIFACT: Israeli High-schooler on Day Dig Finds Mirror Plaque Against Demons. The broken artifact found in northern Israel is missing its mirror, but it’s a type found from the Late Roman to the Islamic period (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

The mirror itself is missing, but archaeologists believe that what emerged from the Israel Antiquities Authority dig may be a 1,500-year-old “mirror plaque” demon repellent dating to the late Roman or Byzantine period (from the fourth to the sixth century), the IAA announced on Thursday.

Theoretically, it could alternatively have served in catoptromancy – the Roman art of divination using mirrors – or had some other use. But use of mirrors to ward off demonic spirits was a practice in more than one religious circle in antiquity.

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Biblical Studies Carnival 208

READING ACTS: Biblical Studies Carnival 208 for June and July 2023. Phil Long has a consolidated carnival for the two months.

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Tu B'Av 2023

THE FESTIVAL OF TU B'AV began yesterday evening at sundown. Best wishes to all those celebrating.

Tu B'Av (which just means the 15th day of the month of Av) is an ancient matchmaking festival. Its first mention is in the Mishnah (Ta’anit 4). It has been revived in recent years as a kind of Jewish Valentine's Day. For past posts on it, see here and links.

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More on the Megiddo amphitheater

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE: Archaeologists Find Roman Military Amphitheater in Israel, With Blood-red Walls. The Roman legion camp next door to Tell Megiddo was home to more than 5,000 soldiers. I'ts the only one known in the east of the Empire, and now Israeli archaeologists unveil the secrets of Legio, with the help of ground-penetrating radar (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

In a sense, Legio – home to the Ironclads in the Jezreel Valley – didn’t have one amphitheater, it had two. The archaeologists excavating amid the chickpea fields of Kibbutz Megiddo have identified two phases of this monumental structure: a smaller, earlier phase and a later, expanded one. Situated to one side of the camp, it was clearly a ludus: a training ground for soldiers and/or gladiators to practice the arts of weaponry and armor, explains excavation leader Dr. Yotam Tepper. Maybe the troops were also treated to the odd Greek tragedy but that wasn’t the purpose, and we just note that this edifice was conveniently close to the camp cemetery.

The locations of excavations at Legio this year were no coincidence. The team co-directed by Tepper and archaeologist Dr. Matthew Adams, on behalf of the JVRP and the Albright Institute in Jerusalem with the support of the Israel Antiquities Authority and funding of American Archaeology Abroad, knew where hidden sites of interest were thanks to charting part of the Legio using ground-penetrating radar, flown over from Sweden.

I noted the excavation of this amphitheater here and here, labeling it "ghost architecture," because the stones used for it seemed mostly to have been looted. But it sounds as though they are recovering some of its architecture now. For more on the Legio VI Ferrata, see here.

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Fiano, Three Powers in Heaven (Yale)

NEW BOOK FROM YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS:

Three Powers in Heaven
The Emergence of Theology and the Parting of the Ways

by Emanuel Fiano

Series: Synkrisis

440 Pages, 6.12 x 9.25 in

Hardcover
9780300263329
Published: Thursday, 1 Jun 2023
$85.00

eBook
9780300271393
Published: Tuesday, 20 Jun 2023
$85.00

Description

A fresh look at how Christianity and Judaism became two distinct religions through the parting of their intellectual traditions

How, when, and why did Christianity and Judaism diverge into separate religions? Emanuel Fiano reinterprets the parting of the ways between Jews and Christians as a split between two intellectual traditions, a split that emerged within the context of ancient debates about Jesus’s relationship to God and the world.

Fiano explores how Christianity moved away from Judaism through the development of new practices for religious inquiry. By demonstrating that the constitution of communal borders coincided with the elaboration of different methods for producing religious knowledge, the author shows that Christian theological controversies, often thought to teach us nothing beyond the history of dogma, can cast light on the broader religious landscape of late antiquity. Three Powers in Heaven thus marks not only a historical but also a methodological intervention in the study of the parting of the ways and in scholarship on ancient religion.

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Reinhartz Festschrift (T&T Clark)

NEW BOOK FROM BLOOMSBURY/T&T CLARK:

The Ties that Bind

Negotiating Relationships in Early Jewish and Christian Texts, Contexts, and Reception History

Esther Kobel (Anthology Editor), Meredith Warren (Anthology Editor), Jo-Ann A. Brant (Anthology Editor)

Hardback $115.00 $103.50

Ebook (PDF) $103.50 $82.80

Ebook (Epub & Mobi) $103.50 $82.80

Product details

Published Jul 13 2023
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 262
ISBN 9780567702586
Imprint T&T Clark
Illustrations 9 bw illus
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series The Library of New Testament Studies
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Description

Friendship and other intimate (but not always amicable) relationships have received some attention in the greater field of research on early Judaism and Christianity, though not as much as deserved. This volume celebrates and builds upon the life-long work of Adele Reinhartz, covering the various permutations of relationships that can be found in the Gospel of John, the wider corpus of early Jewish and Christian literature, and cinematic re-imaginings thereof.

While the issue of whether one can 'befriend' the Fourth Gospel in light of the book's legacy of antisemitism is central to many of the essays in this volume, others address other more or less likely friendships: Pilate, Paul, Lazarus, Judas, or Mary Magdalene. Likewise, the bonds between ancient texts and contemporary retellings of their stories feature prominently, with contributors asking what kinds of relationships filmmakers encourage their audiences to have with their subjects. This volume explores some of the rich variety of relationships in the ancient world, and unpacks the intricate and dynamic processes and interactions by which human relationships and societies are generated, maintained, and dissolved.

By the way, blogging may be light for a while. I'm fine, I'm just taking some time off. I'll try still to have something for you every day.

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Eskenazi, Ezra (AB Commentary)

NEW BOOK FROM YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS:

Ezra

A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary

by Tamara Cohn Eskenazi

Series: The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries

504 Pages, 6.12 x 9.25 in, 2 b-w illus.

Hardcover
9780300149692
Published: Tuesday, 11 Jul 2023
$85.00

eBook
9780300174625
Published: Tuesday, 11 Jul 2023
$85.00

Description

A new translation and commentary on the biblical book of Ezra by the renowned author of two award-winning biblical commentaries

The book of Ezra is a remarkable testament to a nation’s ability to survive and develop a distinctive identity under imperial rule. But Ezra is far more than a simple chronicle; it constitutes a new biblical model for political, religious, and social order in the Persian Empire.

In this new volume, Tamara Cohn Eskenazi illustrates how the book of Ezra envisions the radical transformation that followed reconstruction after the fall of Jerusalem and Judah. The extensive introduction highlights the book’s innovations, including its textualization of the tradition, as well as the unprecedented role of the people as chief protagonists. The translation and commentary incorporate evidence from ancient and contemporaneous primary sources from Egypt, Babylonia, Greece, and Persia, along with new archaeological studies of Judah. With great care and detail, Eskenazi demonstrates how the book of Ezra creates a blueprint for survival after destruction, shaping a new kind of society and forging a new communal identity.

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