SBL 2024 etc.

SAFE TRAVELS to all those heading for, or already at, the Society Biblical of Literature annual meeting in San Diego and the various associated meetings there and elsewhere.

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

Alphabetic inscriptions from 2,400 BCE?

NORTHWEST SEMITIC EPIGRAPHY: Oldest known alphabet unearthed in ancient Syrian city (Johns Hopkins University via Phys.Org).

What appears to be evidence of the oldest alphabetic writing in human history is etched onto finger-length, clay cylinders excavated from a tomb in Syria by a team of Johns Hopkins University researchers.

The writing, which is dated to around 2400 BCE, precedes other known alphabetic scripts by roughly 500 years, upending what archaeologists know about where alphabets came from, how they are shared across societies, and what that could mean for early urban civilizations.

[...]

The discovery of alphabetic writing in the third millennium BCE would be a major and unanticipated development. I am very interested in what Northest Semitic epigraphers make of the objects.

The discoverer, Johns Hopkins Professor Glenn Schwartz, will be giving a paper on the objects today at the ASOR annnual meeting in Boston.

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

Review of Sanzo, Ritual boundaries

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Ritual boundaries: magic and differentiation in late antique Christianity.

Joseph E. Sanzo, Ritual boundaries: magic and differentiation in late antique Christianity. Christianity in late antiquity. Oakland: University of California Press, 2023. Pp. 188. ISBN 9780520399181.

Review by
Daniel Vaucher, University of Fribourg. daniel.vaucher@unifr.ch

Of particular interest to PaleoJudaica:

In chapter 2, Sanzo examines the language of the amulets regarding the demarcation between Jews and Christians. Again, Sanzo fights against modern terminology that likes to resort to categories such as “syncretism” or “blurred boundaries”. What do we make of Christian amulets with supposedly non-Christian elements (e.g. the terms Iao Sabaoth, Adonai, Horus etc.)? Have the manufacturers of such objects not taken care of denominational issues, or have they adopted foreign terms in order to increase ritual efficacy through foreign-sounding names?

For a related podcast by the author, see here.

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

More war in Palmyra

PALMYRA WATCH: Israeli strikes on Syria's Palmyra kill 36, state media say (David Gritten, BBC News). The number of casualties is updated at the end of the article:

The SOHR initially reported that 41 people were killed, but later said the death toll had risen to 68.

It identified them as 42 Syrian members of Iran-backed militias, and 22 foreign members, mostly from Nujaba, and four Lebanese members of Hezbollah.

The number varies in the reports. Still the fog of war.

The strikes were in the area of the modern city, not the ancient ruins. The Arab News reports this:

The director general of Antiquities and Museums in Syria, Nazir Awad, told AFP the city’s temples “did not suffer any direct damage” during the latest strikes.

“We need to conduct a survey on the ground to confirm these observations,” he added.

It is sad to see war coming to Palmyra yet again.

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

A first-century synagogue in Russia? (updated and bumped)

ARCHAEOLOGY: Archaeologists reveal what they discovered in first century Russian Jewish quarter. Researchers find the oldest synagogue outside of Israel that stood for about 500 years; The ancient neighborhood in southwest Russia includes an irrigation system and residential structures (Itamar Eichner, Ynet News).

[An ancient "table" excavated in the building] bears the ancient Greek inscription for synagogue and has been named one of the world's oldest synagogues and the oldest synagogue outside Israel by experts. ...

The archaeologists initially thought they had discovered an ancient Christian church, but as they dug deeper they discovered objects with Jewish symbols. Among other things, the remains of three remarkable marble menorahs and a stone lid of a charity box were uncovered. The building, with a total area of ​​140 square meters, included two rooms: a prayer hall, with three rows of benches, a platform, and a small room. The second room was probably used for meals and community meetings.

Next to the synagogue was a winery, where kosher wine was made, and a building where food for community meals was stored. There was also a garden behind the building which probably served as the mikveh. The archaeologists also located clay barrels for irrigation, residential buildings, and a water supply system. Copper coins were discovered in excavations on the floor of the synagogue. Some of them were placed near the platform and the benches. Additional coins were found near the lid of the charity donation box. A total of 58 copper coins were found at the site.

Regarding the inscription, The Greek Reporter has more in World’s Oldest Synagogue Outside Israel Discovered in Russia (Abdul Moeed):

One tablet features the Greek word “synagein,” which means synagogue, leading experts to recognize it as one of the oldest synagogues ever discovered and the oldest outside Israel.

The Greek word synagein (συναγειν) is an infinitive meaning "to gather together, assemble." It does not mean "synagogue." It could fit into a Jewish, Christian, or other context. That said, the material culture assemblage does sound Jewish, the menorahs especially.

What are these "tables" or "tablets?" A decorated stone table of comparable date was excavated several years ago near Beit El. But we also know of inscribed stone plaques or tablets that may have been associated with synagogues. The Samaritan decalogue is one example. There is also the Kursi inscription and an inscribed plaque excavated in Turkey. But all of these are from late antiquity, so later than this object. Either "table" or "tablet" seems possible with current information. A photo would be nice.

We look forward to hearing more about this important site in Phanagoria.

UPDATE (20 November): The above was originally posted yesterday. Now I see that I already noted this story back in August. Follow the link for lots more information about the synagogue and the excavation. Notably, the Newsweek article solves the mystery of the tables/tablets: they seem to be "fragments of marble stelae—upright stone slabs bearing inscriptions or illustrations." And the Haaretz article gives details about the quite solid epigraphic evidence for the building being a synagogue.

Also, Popular Archaeology has published a new press release on the site: World’s Oldest Synagogue Found to Be Part of Ancient Jewish Quarter (Volnoe Delo Foundation).

It reports some new details, including the following:

Several Jewish manumissions dating back to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD were also discovered in the Jewish quarter. These documents granted freedom to slaves on the condition that they continue serving at the synagogue. This missionary work allowed the Jewish community to ensure safety during times of persecution against Jews

The August Haaretz article referred briefly to one such document, but it seems there are more now. The discovery of Jewish texts of a date comparable to the Dead Sea Scrolls, if that is substantiated, is a major event. I do want to know more about them and how they have been dated. The climate of Phanagoria isn't likely to preserve leather or papyrus documents. Are these stone inscriptions displayed in the synagogue? (Sounds like it.) How are they dated? What is their stratigraphic context? And, not least, what exactly do they say?

In any case, as above, this site is a remarkable discovery.

Please excuse the earlier post slipping my mind. Increasingly I find that PaleoJudaica serves as my backup memory.

UPDATE (28 November): More here.

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

More on that Samaritan Decalogue for sale

EPIGRAPHIC AUCTION: Ten Commandments tablet, up for auction at Sotheby’s, to come with disclaimer. 1,500-year-old Samaritan version of text to be sold with notification that Israel only permitted it to be removed from country on condition it is put on public display (JTA and ToI).

We already knew about this condition for any sale. But, reportedly, the object has not been on display since the 2016 sale.

Although the Daily Mail named a current owner, this JTA/ToI article, like the others I have seen, says that the owner remains anonymous. This claim is advanced in the name of Steven Fine, so I take it quite seriously.

As I've said, the object belongs in a museum. The Sotheby's representative agrees and is trying to place it with one. I hope she succeeds.

Background here, with links to posts about the previous sale in 2016.

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

Shokri-Foumeshi, Mani’s Living Gospel and the Ewangelyōnīg Hymns (Brepols)

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: Mani’s Living Gospel and the Ewangelyōnīg Hymns.

Notice of a New Book:

Shokri-Foumeshi, Mohammad (ed.). 2025. Mani’s Living Gospel and the Ewangelyōnīg Hymns. Edition, Reconstruction and Commentary with a Codicological and Textual Approach Based on Manichaean Turfan Fragments in the Berlin Collection (Corpus Fontium Manichaeorum. Series Iranica 3). Turnhout: Brepols.

Follow the link for the TOC and a link to the Brepols page. Cross-file under Manichean (Manichaean) Watch.

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

DSS anniversary exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Library

EXHIBITION: Dead Sea Scrolls on Loan to Ronald Reagan Library (Hana Levi Julian, The Jewish Press).

For the first time in over a decade, the Dead Sea Scrolls will be on loan from Israel and on display for guests to enjoy at the Ronald Reagan Library in Los Angeles from Nov. 22, 2024 – Sept. 2, 2025. ...

The exhibit will honor the 75th anniversary of the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls, considered to be one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.

In addition to eight Dead Sea Scrolls (including the large Psalms scroll from Cave 11), the exhibition includes the Magdala Stone, the Sea of Galilee Boat or Jesus Boat, and other important artifacts.

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

Itamar Gruenwald (1937-2024)

SAD NEWS: Passing of Prof. Itamar Gruenwald (1937-2024).

H-Judaic is saddened to learn of the passing of Prof. Ithamar Gruenwald (1937-2024), emeritus professor of Jewish Philosophy and Religious Thought at Tel Aviv University.

Prof. Gruenwald, a highly influential scholar in Israel, focused on the transitions from biblical to rabbinic thought and on to ancient Jewish mysticism; more recently he studied Jewish ritual behavior. Gideon Bohak explains the significance of his scholarship in "Ithamar Gruenwald -- From Apocalypticism to Mysticism, From Jewish Studies to Religious Studies," in MYTH, RITUAL & MYSTICISM, the festschrift in Prof. Gruenwald's honor edited by Bohak along with Ron Magolin and Ishay Rosen-Zvi (2014).

[...]

My own work has been influenced a good deal by Prof. Gruenwald's work, especially on Merkavah mysticism and the Hekhalot literature.

May his memory be for a blessing.

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

The Coptic Magical Formularies Project

THE COPTIC MAGICAL PAPYRI BLOG: 2024 Review: The Beginning of the Coptic Magical Formularies Project.

Looking forward…

The Coptic Magical Papyri project ended last year, but we are happy to announce that it will continue in a new form. The Coptic Magical Formularies project has been funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for three years, from 2024 to 2027, with the research to be carried out by Korshi Dosoo, former leader of the Coptic Magical Texts project, and Markéta Preininger, formerly doctoral and then postdoctoral researcher on the same project.

This project will focus on the production of a second volume of the Papyri Copticae Magicae, the series whose first volume appeared last year. ...

We were aware that this new project has been funded. It's good to have more information in this post.

PaleoJudaica has followed the Coptic Magical Papyri Project since its inception. There are lots of posts in the archive. I look forward to following the work of the new project and to the publication of lots more Coptic magical texts.

Cross-file under (of course) Coptic Watch.

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

Oracc: The Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus

THE AWOL BLOG: Oracc: The Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus Projects List.

Oracc is a collaborative effort to develop a complete corpus of cuneiform whose rich annotation and open licensing support the next generation of scholarly research. Created by Steve Tinney, Oracc is steered by Jamie Novotny, Eleanor Robson, Tinney, and Niek Veldhuis.

My goodness! This site may not contain all the cuneiform everywhere (yet!), but if cuneiform is your thing, there's certainly enough to keep you busy for a long time.

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

Malandra, The Bundahišn

BIBLIOGRAPHIA IRANICA: The Bundahišn. Notice of a New Book:

Malandra, William W. 2024. The Bundahišn. Translated with Commentary (Monograph Series 68). Leesburg VA: The Journal of Indo-European Studies.

Several years ago I noted another BI post highlighting another English translation of the Bundahišn, by Domenico Agostini and Samuel Thrope. See that link for more information on this important compendium of ancient Zoroastrian traditions.

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

Buzi& Orlandi (eds.), The Coptic Codices of the Museo Egizio, Turin

THE AWOL BLOG: The Coptic Codices of the Museo Egizio, Turin. Open access. Edited by Paola Buzi e Tito Orlandi and published in 2023 by Studi del Museo Egizio. Follow the link for the description.

Cross-file under Coptic Watch.

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

... Essays Celebrating 50 Years of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit (Brill)

NEW BOOK FROM BRILL:

From the Battlefield of Books: Essays Celebrating 50 Years of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit

Cambridge Genizah Studies Series, Volume 16

Series: Cambridge Genizah Studies, Volume: 99/16
Études sur le judaïsme médiéval, Volume: 99/16

Volume Editors: Nick Posegay, Magdalen M. Connolly, and Ben Outhwaite

This collection of essays celebrates 50 years since the founding of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit at Cambridge University Library. Three generations of scholars contributed their research and memories from their time at the GRU, stretching back to 1974. Their work comprises 18 articles on medieval Jewish History, Hebrew and Arabic manuscripts, archival history, and the story of the Cairo Genizah collections at the University of Cambridge. Together, they demonstrate the achievements of GRU alumni in advancing the field of Genizah Studies for more than five decades.

Copyright Year: 2025

E-Book (PDF)
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-71233-1
Publication: 14 Oct 2024

Hardback
Availability: Published
ISBN: 978-90-04-71232-4
Publication: 17 Oct 2024
EUR €120.00

For another Cambridge Geniza Unit anniversary volume, see here.

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

Fifth-century Solomon amulet excavated at Hadrianopolis

APOTROPAIC ICONOGRAPHY: 1500-year-old Stunning Pendant Amulet Depicting the Prophet Solomon Spearing the Devil on Horseback Found in Türkiye (Leman Altuntaş, Arkeonews). HT Archeologica.

Çelikbaş noted that the inscription on the pendant reads “Our Lord has overcome evil” and said: “Why was this pendant, this amulet, found here? In fact, it has to do with the military character of Hadrianopolis. We have previously identified evidence of a cavalry unit here through archaeological finds. Solomon is also known as the commander of armies. We understand that he was also considered as a protective figure for the Roman and Byzantine cavalry at Hadrianopolis.”

Çelikbaş said: “The front depicts the Prophet Solomon and mentions God’s triumph over evil, while the back bears the names of our four holy angels: Azrael, Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil. This is also very significant. No similar artifact has been found in Anatolian archaeology to date. Only one comparable example in terms of depiction has been found in Jerusalem. The appearance of two similar artifacts over such great distances indicates that this area was an important religious center in antiquity. Based on the fonts of the inscriptions and stratigraphic data from our studies, we date the artifact to the fifth century A.D.”

The photos (see also the video) are not great, but it looks to me as though the translation of the front inscription is very free.

The inscription is in Greek. Starting after the hole on the left side, I see ΘΕΟΣΟΝΙΚΟΝΤΔ. There may also be a couple of letters before the hole, but I would need a better photo to be sure. I see two words with an article between, θεοϛ o νικον and then two letters (ΤΔ) that don't make sense as a word. Perhaps an abbreviation? Given the image on the front and the attempted translation in the article, I'm going to speculate that they stand for τον διαβολον. If we allow for some flexible spelling, the whole inscription would thus say "(?) God is the one conquering t(he) d(evil)." That's the best I can do with the information at hand.

Unfortunately, there is no photo of the back of the object, which bears the angel names.

The article doesn't address the question of its social provenance. Knowing nothing about fifth century Hadrianopolis, I would not rule out either a Jewish or a Christian origin. The wording sounds more Christian to me.

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

Two-year Rabbinics job at HUC-JIR

H-JUDAIC: FEATURED JOB: Two-Year Visiting Assistant Professor in Jewish Textual Tradition, Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles.

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles Campus, invites applications for a two-year non-tenure track position in Jewish Textual Traditions, to begin on July 1, 2025.

QUALIFICATIONS:

We seek candidates with a PhD in Rabbinics or a related field who can teach students how to read and explicate classical Jewish texts in their original language. The successful candidate will be able to teach courses in Talmud and medieval codes and will participate in creating and teaching a new course in Jewish Textual Interpretation. Broad knowledge of the Jewish tradition and its texts, as well as proficiency in Hebrew and rabbinic Aramaic, is essential.

We are seeking candidates who are interested in joining a diverse faculty and who possess a commitment to high-quality teaching and a drive to contribute to their academic field, HUC-JIR, and the broader Jewish world through scholarship, teaching, and service.

Follow the link for further particulars and application instructions. The application deadline is 2 January 2025.

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

Book launch for The Illustrated Cairo Genizah

THE GENIZA FRAGMENTS BLOG: Launching 'The Illustrated Cairo Genizah' in Cambridge (Melonie Schmierer-Lee).

Yesterday evening, Nick Posegay and I stood in Heffers Bookshop before a supportive crowd of family, friends, and Genizah enthusiasts to speak about and officially launch 'The Illustrated Cairo Genizah'. The book marks the Genizah Research Unit's 50th anniversary, and celebrates the increasing public interest in the Genizah collection. ...

I noted the book as forthcoming here. It's good to see that it's now out.

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

AJR is 10!

CONGRATULATIONS TO AJR: Ancient Jew Review: The First Ten Years (Andrew Jacobs).

As I look back over ten years of AJR, I marvel at the lightning that Krista, Simcha, and Nathan captured in a bottle. They succeeded in creating an intellectual commons that remains thoughtful and accessible, reliable yet innovative. That the editors have succeeded in the precarious climate of higher education in the U.S. is even more remarkable, but we should not lose sight of that precarity. Two of the founding editors are full-time faculty (Krista has recently been tenured); the third, however, has left the academy. The website continues to run on the donated labor of its editors and writers, a volunteer community of the mind.

Wow, has it really been ten years?

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

Review of Arzt-Grabner, Letters and letter writing

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Letters and letter writing.

Peter Arzt-Grabner, Letters and letter writing. Papyri and the New Testament, 2. Leiden: Brill, 2023. Pp. xxx, 455. ISBN 9783506790484.

Review by
Ezra la Roi, Ghent University. ezra.laroi@ugent.be

One of the key insights obtained by Adolf Deissmann around the turn of the twentieth century was that the papyri from Egypt show significant similarities with the New Testament, for example in representing what is usually referred to as “common Greek”[1]. In this book, Peter Arzt-Grabner shows us not only how far the similarities go between letters on Egyptian papyri and the epistles in the New Testament, but also where they differ.

[...]

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

Connected cosmologies?

DR. ANNA ANGELINI: Celestial Ties: Are Biblical, Greek, and Mesopotamian Cosmologies Connected? (TheTorah.com).

Is there a common conception behind the lights of the Priestly redactors, the flaming wheels of the Ionian philosophers, and the lamps of the Mesopotamian commentators?

Maybe. But maybe not. The Mesopotamian, Israelite, and Greek sages were very smart people. Each group may have come up with a lot of their own cosmology just by looking up at the sky and drawing inferences. Not everything is influence.

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