Koch & Sergi (eds.), Studies in the History and Archaeology of Ancient Israel and Judah (Mohr Siebeck)

NEW BOOK FROM MOHR SIEBECK: Studies in the History and Archaeology of Ancient Israel and Judah. Edited by Ido Koch and Omer Sergi. 2023. VI, 247 pages. Archaeology and Bible 7. 99,00 € including VAT. sewn paper ISBN 978-3-16-162383-7.

Published in English.
The archaeological and historical study of the southern Levant during the first millennium BCE – the Iron Age kingdoms and their societies as well as their successors during the Persian and Hellenistic periods -has dramatically developed in recent decades. This is the result of two common and overlapping trends: the vast archaeological exploration of the southern Levant and the shift in the studies of biblical literature. The ten contributions in this volume demonstrate the range of questions, methods, and theoretical frameworks employed in the current study of Judah and neighbouring regions during the first millennium BCE and beyond.

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Happy 2024

HAPPY NEW YEAR from PaleoJudaica!

Best wishes and prayers for goodness and peace this year. And do continue to make PaleoJudaica a regular part of your year.

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PaleoJudaica's top ten for 2023

ONE LAST 2023 TOP TEN LIST

I used to give an annual list of top PaleoJudaica stories in my anniversary posts, but in recent years I have been too busy in March to get around to it. So ...

Below is my own list of PaleoJudaica's top ten stories/posts for 2023. My criterion is stories that I found most interesting. They are in no particular order.

• The Mount Ebal tablet was in the news a lot, either as an important inscription or a comparatively insignificant fishing weight. I am not persuaded that there is any writing on it. Start at Latest on the Mount Ebal curse tablet / fishing weight and follow the links back.

• The "Vesuvius Challenge" competition (for deciphering a carbonized Herculaneum scroll) has produced an early winner. Start at Profile of the Vesuvius Challenge prizewinner and follow the links.

• The Egyptian Book of the Dead was also in the news, not least with reports of two new manuscripts discovered at Saqqara. Follow the links from The Egyptian Book of the Dead at the Getty Museum. An ancient mummification workshop was also excavated in Saqqara this year. See the links.

• The Codex Sassoon, roughly the oldest nearly complete Hebrew Bible, was auctioned by Sotheby's in May: Oldest Hebrew Bible up for auction. I suggested that the owner should donate it to a museum in Israel. The new owner, former US Ambassador to Romania Alfred H. Moses, dutifully did so: Codex Sassoon sold for $38.1M, is going to Israel. Well done. For all the 2023 posts on the Codex, start at Codex Sassoon is in Israel and work back through the links.

• A tomb was excavated in Israel which may have been of a courtesan around the time of Alexander the Great. The headlines kept getting better and more unlikely: The courtesan story has jumped the shark.

• A very important announcement: News about the More Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Project. Cf here and here. Look for MOTP volume 2 by early in 2025. Watch here for updates in the meantime.

• My post about The Coronation of King Charles III is among the (all time) top five most-read PaleoJudaica posts. See also here.

• The initial authentication of the fake showpiece Darius ostracon was and remains a serious challenge to the credibility of lab tests for authenticating unprovenanced ancient artifacts. See Lessons from the fake Darius ostracon and follow the links.

• Yonatan Adler's book, The Origins of Judaism, with its late dating of those origins, received a good bit of attention this year. I have interacted with it and Adler's work in a few posts. See Adler on the origins of Judaism and Passover, Review of Adler, The Origins of Judaism and When did the Qumran sectarians observe the Day of Atonement?

• The report of the discovery of what appears to be an Old Bablyonian-era Amorite-Akkadian glossary made a splash early this year: An Amorite glossary from the time of Hammurapi? But the tablets are unprovenanced, which raises some concerns which I touched on in my post. See also here. As I noted in another 2023 post, we are seeing an increasing debate over how, if at all, scholars should deal with unprovenanced artifacts.

Bonus stories:

• Late-antique underworld portal excavated near Jerusalem? and More on that "underworld portal" cave.

• Tony Burke's SBL paper gave us The latest on Christian Apocrypha studies.

Have a good and safe New Year's Eve 2023!

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Roundup of top ten lists for 2023

ANNUAL ARCHAEOLOGY LISTS have abounded for 2023. Below are the ones that PaleoJudaica has noted.

• The best of the lot: Bible Places annual archaeology list

• BHD top ten for 2023

• (ASOR's) Ten big ANE discoveries in 2023

• Haaretz's top 2023 archaeology stories

• 2023: A big year for Egyptian archaeology (ahramonline)

• Sword discovery is National Geographic's best of the year

• 2023 BAS Publication Awards

Not strictly archaeology-related, but still important:

• AJR top ten for 2023

UPDATE: One more, also very important: PaleoJudaica's top ten for 2023.

UPDATE (3 January): I have noted two more archaeology lists:

Top 2023 Greek Archaeological Discoveries

Armstrong Institute's top ten 2023 archaeological discoveries

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BHD top ten for 2023

ANNUAL ARCHAEOLOGY LIST WATCH: Top Ten Biblical Archaeology Stories of 2023. Bible History Daily’s Year in Review (Nathan Steinmeyer).

What were the top ten biblical archaeology stories of 2023? As the year winds down, we look back at some of the most popular news stories published on Bible History Daily in 2023. From uncovering Jerusalem’s ancient architecture to an early papyrus of Jesus’s sayings to the discovery of several ancient languages, this year provided some incredible archaeological news. The articles below are not listed or ranked in any particular order, though readers are welcome to share their top picks in the comments section below.

[...]

PaleoJudaica noted almost all of these stories when they came out.

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AJR top ten for 2023

ANCIENT JEW REVIEW: 2023 AJR Year in Review.

Ancient Jew Review is thankful for our community of contributors and readers invested in learning about Jews and their neighbors in the ancient world. For the year of 2023, these are our ten most-read pieces published this year ...

There is also a bonus list of the top three all-time AJR articles.

PaleoJudaica linked to most of these when they came out, sometimes with comments.

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Bible Places annual archaeology list

ANNUAL ARCHAEOLOGY LIST WATCH: Top 10 Discoveries of 2023 (Todd Bolen, Bible Places Blog).

The following is a “roundup of roundups.” Surveying more than 100 roundup posts written over the year, I have created a series of lists for what I consider to be most significant, beginning with the Top 10 Discoveries related to biblical archaeology. Our survey also recalls the most controversial stories of the year and other noteworthy reports from Jerusalem, Israel, and the broader biblical world. We have a section of top stories related to tourism, and for the first time, I am including a section of stories related to the antiquities trade and vandalism. As usual, we round up the best print and digital resources noted here over the year, as well as the deaths of influential figures. At the end, you can find links to other top 10 lists.

By far the best and most comprehensive annual archaeology list of 2023. PaleoJudaica has also covered most of these stories over the course of the year.

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Ten big ANE discoveries in 2023

ANNUAL ARCHAEOLOGY LIST WATCH: Ten Exciting Discoveries in Near Eastern Archaeology in 2023 (Jessica Nitschke, The Ancient Near East Today).

In 2023 archaeologists and researchers continued to push the limits of the discipline and provide new insights into the ancient world. Here we include some of the highlights of those efforts: ten compelling discoveries and breakthroughs either made, announced, and/or published in 2023 (in no particular order).

[...]

It's a good list. PaleoJudaica has posted on the tenth-century BCE Jerusalem inscription that may be in Old South Arabian here and here; on the possibly oldest known codex (book) here and here; on the Roman-era swords found in the Judean Desert here and here; on the Berenike Buddha here and here; and on the unprovenanced Old Babylonian-era Amorite glossary here.

To make it twelve, I would add the discovery of new Book of the Dead manuscripts and of embalming workshops, both in Saqqara, Egypt. See here and links.

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

Nabateans from nomadism to Petra

NABATEAN (NABATAEAN) WATCH: Nabataean transition: From Nomadism to Sedentarism, rise of Petra as political, religious centre (Saeb Rawashdeh, Jordan Times).

The sedentarisation of the Nabataeans or at least of parts of the Nabataean society is understood as a longer process which started when Petra was chosen to become the seat of the tribe that is the residency of the royal family and the nobility of the tribe.

This article look to be connected to an earlier one by the same author noted here.

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A fragmentary Aramaic Hanukkah poem

GENIZA FRAGMENT OF THE MONTH (DECEMBER 2023): An Aramaic Antiochus Chanukah poem: T-S A45.14 (Marc Michaels).

The poem is loosely based on the late-antique/early medieval Aramiac prose work Megillat Antiochus, a legendary account of the Maccabean Revolt.

From the odd ordering of the poem, the focus on Nikanor, the mention of banning the Torah instead of the new moon, and the teeth enabled circumcision, one wonders whether the poem was fully based on the megillah at all, or whether it had more of an independent life and some elements were selected or reworked and re-ordered as they had a more contemporary relevance, or just added for ‘shock value’.41

Either way, it is another celebration of the Chanukah miracle that at least two of the scribes in the Genizah, (one, our FOTM, written by a man of some considerable standing in the community), felt worthy to bring to our attention.

Belatedly for Hanukkah.

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Dates on ancient coins

NUMISMATICS: Dates on Ancient Coins (Mike Markowitz, Coin Week).

DATES[1] ARE SO universal on modern coins that it may come as a shock to learn that most ancient coins provide no indication of when they were minted. The “Common Era” (or “AD”, Anno Domini) dating system used in our world to designate years did not come into general use on European coins until the 16th century[2]. A wide variety of dating systems were used by different cultures in the ancient world to keep track of years, and in some cases, these appear on coins.

[...]

Examples follow, including coins of Cleopatra, Tyre, and Pontinus Pilate.

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Israeli troops find Byzantine-era oil lamp

CERAMICS: Troops mustering near Gaza border turn up tiny Byzantine-era lamp. Two members of the 282nd Artillery Regiment receive good citizenship award from the Israel Antiquities Authority for turning their discovery over to experts (GAVRIEL FISKE, Times of Israel).

Small ceramic lamps of this type, also called “sandal candles,” were filled with oil and used for indoor lighting in the region since “ancient times,” [IAA archaeologist Sarah] Tal said. This particular candle was identified as being from the Byzantine period and likely from the 5th or 6th century CE.

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

Eight facts about the Book(s) of Enoch

ENOCHIANA: 8 Facts about The Book of Enoch and its Content. The Book of Enoch has a remarkable impact on how individuals interpret the Bible, yet many people have never heard of it (Eben De Jager, The Collector).

The Book of Enoch makes for interesting reading. This pseudepigraphal work was widely read and accepted by the early church fathers, and once it went missing, the interpretation of key Biblical texts changed. Today, we distinguish between three works known as the Book of Enoch. So, what are these fascinating works all about?

[...]

There are a few little errors in this piece, but it is otherwise substantially accurate and informative.

There are many, many PaleoJudaica posts on the books of 1-3 Enoch. For some on 1 Enoch, see here and here and links. On 2 Enoch, see here and links. On 3 Enoch, see here and here and links.

A translation of the fourth "Book of Enoch" — the Book of Giants — is coming out in MOTP2 in 2025. This will be the first complete English translation of all surviving fragments. The volume will also reprint an English translation of the surviving Coptic fragments of 2 Enoch. Watch this space for updates.

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The Mandeans

MANDEAN (MANDAEAN) WATCH: The mystery of the Mandaeans, the gnostic sect that worships John the Baptist (James McGrath, The Spectator).

The Religion Prof has a brief open-access introduction to the Mandeans in the Spectator. The Mandeans follow John the Baptist and aren't very keen on Jesus.

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Blumhofer, The Gospel of John and the Future of Israel (CUP)

NEW BOOK FROM CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS:

The Gospel of John and the Future of Israel

Part of Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series

AUTHOR: Christopher M. Blumhofer, Duke University, North Carolina
DATE PUBLISHED: November 2023
AVAILABILITY: Available
FORMAT: Paperback
ISBN: 9781108737432

£ 22.99
Paperback

Description

The Gospel of John is renowned for the challenges it presents to interpreters: its historical complexity, theological and literary unity, and its consistently critical stance toward characters known as 'the Jews'. There is abundant scholarly literature on each of these challenges, and yet there are very few studies that consider the Gospel as a whole in light of these pressing issues. Mark Blumhofer offers a fresh approach to understanding the Fourth Gospel, one that draws together the insights of scholarship in all of these areas. He shows that a historically sensitive, ethically attuned, and theologically and literarily compelling reading of the Fourth Gospel lies before us in the synthesis of the approaches that have long been separated. Unlike studies that consider only a narrow portion of the Gospel, Blumhofer's unique approach draws on most of it and shows how common themes and interests run throughout the narrative of John.

• Shows the reader what it would look like to read almost the whole of the Gospel of John in a fresh way
• Combines literary, historical, and theological insights into a synthetic reading of the Gospel of John
• Focuses on the text of the Gospel rather than long discussions of secondary literature, thus revealing common themes and interests throughout the text

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Christmas 2023

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all those celebrating!

For posts of Christmases past, see my 2022 Christmas post and links.

More recent Christmas-related posts are here, here, here, here, here, and here.

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

More on the (real? fake?) Jeroboam II bulla

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Bulla of Servant of Jeroboam Redeemed? Scholars say artifact is real after all (Nathan Steinmeyer).

I see that Northwest Semitic epigrapher Christopher Rollston shares my reservations about the authenticity of the object. Background here.

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

Tensions over the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo

CAIRO GENIZA WATCH: Historic synagogue creates tension between Egypt’s government and few remaining Jews. The antiquities ministry has exerted control over the 1,200-year-old house of prayer it paid to renovate. Now the tiny community fears it doesn’t respect their ownership of the site (DAVID I. KLEIN, Times of Israel).

For the restoration and reopening of the Ben Ezra synagogue (source of the Cairo Geniza), see here and links. Follow the links from there for many more posts on the Geniza.

For more on the recently-discovered other Cairo Geniza, see here and links.

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

Staples, Paul and the Resurrection of Israel (CUP)

NEW BOOK FROM CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS:

Paul and the Resurrection of Israel
Jews, Former Gentiles, Israelites

AUTHOR: Jason A. Staples, North Carolina State University
DATE PUBLISHED: November 2023
AVAILABILITY: In stock
FORMAT: Hardback
ISBN: 9781009376761

£ 30.00
Hardback

Description

The gospel promoted by Paul has for many generations stirred passionate debate. That gospel proclaimed equal salvific access to Jews and gentiles alike. But on what basis? In making sense of such a remarkable step forward in religious history, Jason Staples reexamines texts that have proven thoroughly resistant to easy comprehension. He traces Paul's inclusive theology to a hidden strand of thinking in the earlier story of Israel. Postexilic southern Judah, he argues, did not simply appropriate the identity of the fallen northern kingdom of Israel. Instead, Judah maintained a notion of 'Israel' as referring both to the north and the ongoing reality of a broad, pan-Israelite sensibility to which the descendants of both ancient kingdoms belonged. Paul's concomitant belief was that northern Israel's exile meant assimilation among the nations – effectively a people's death – and that its restoration paradoxically required gentile inclusion to resurrect a greater 'Israel' from the dead.

• What motivated St Paul's great leap forward, as regards his gospel of Gentile inclusion? This important book provides imaginative, persuasive and comprehensive answers to questions that have tantalised scholars for many years
• Represents a brilliant new take on the rise of Christianity and its divergence from the Jewish religion as well as an exemplary articulation of the emerging field of 'Second Temple studies'
• Mandatory reading for scholars of early Christianity and of Paul, as well as Second Temple Judaism: will engage students of the Hebrew Bible/OT as much as those of the NT
• Jason Staples is one of the most exciting younger biblical scholars whose earlier CUP book received much attention and praise

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Journal: Phoenix (vol. 76)

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: Phoenix (vol. 76).

The volume 76 (2022) of the journal Phoenix is out. It contains several papers about numismatics especially within the economy of Achaemenid empire.

Also, notable for PaleoJudaica:

Haim Gitler, Oren Tal: Indigenous Coinages in Palestine: Towards an Understanding of the Persian-Hellenistic Transitional Monetary Phase

Cross-file under Numismatics.

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