tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:44:48 +0000Ancient IsraelAncient Judaism; Early ChristianityDavila 666ScriptureTenured professor Hebrew Bibleias<p><big><b>Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.</b></big> <p> E-mail: paleojudaica-at-talktalk-dot-net ("-at-" = "@", "-dot-" = ".")</p></p>http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)Blogger24347125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-2184837163283840814Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:19:32 +00002026-08-06T12:19:32.354+01:00POLITICS AND ARCHAEOLOGY: Holy Land battle: Solomon's Pools become flashpoint in fight over Israel's biblical heritage. The ancient reservoirs between Efrat and Bethlehem supplied Jerusalem with water for 2,000 years along Route 60 (Amelie Botbol F, Fox News).Under the agreements, the West Bank was divided into Areas A, B and C. Solomon's Pools are located in Area A, which falls under Palestinianhttp://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/08/the-mis-mapping-of-solomons-pools.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-5043315643906307260Thu, 06 Aug 2026 09:44:47 +00002026-08-06T10:44:48.085+01:00NEW BOOK FROM SUNY PRESS:Broken Vessels Theogonies of the Divine Light in Judaism and Christianity By Andrei A. Orlov Subjects: Kabbalah, Jewish Mysticism, Christianity, Jewish Studies, Jewish Religious Studies, Bible Studies, Theology Hardcover : 9798855808735, 314 pages, August 2026 Paperback : 9798855808742, 314 pages, February 2027 Hardcover $135.00 Pre-Order Now Paperback $39.95 http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/08/orlov-broken-vessels-suny.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-6374066301289946559Thu, 06 Aug 2026 09:20:58 +00002026-08-06T10:20:59.028+01:00THE OTTC BLOG: How Close is the Great Isaiah Scroll to the Medieval Masoretic Manuscripts? (Drew Longacre). I have addressed this question and noted some meaningful variants from the MT in this scroll here and links. Dr Longacre notes some of those and others I did not mention. For many other posts on the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa), which is currently on exhibit in the Israel Museum, http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/08/variants-from-mt-in-great-isaiah-scroll.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-4393066756964747980Wed, 05 Aug 2026 09:39:00 +00002026-08-05T10:39:00.121+01:00BILBIOTHECAL ARCHAEOLOGY: Oldest Known Roman Library in Spain Identified at Ancient Villa (Nisha Zahid, Greek Reporter).Archaeologists have identified the oldest known library on the Iberian Peninsula inside a Roman villa in southern Spain, overturning decades of belief that the room was a sanctuary dedicated to the Roman god Mithras. The discovery was made at the Roman villa of Fuente Álamo in http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/08/a-mithraeum-in-spain-was-really-roman.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-262588664963025818Wed, 05 Aug 2026 09:24:00 +00002026-08-05T13:59:38.076+01:00CAIRO GENIZA WATCH: Eve Krakowski and Marina Rustow awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (Rebekah Schroeder, Princeton University).Princeton professors Eve Krakowski and Marina Rustow have received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for projects connected with Princeton’s Geniza Lab, which studies a cache of more than 400,000 ancient paper and http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/08/neh-awards-to-princeton-profs-on-cairo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-6208993273619438519Tue, 04 Aug 2026 10:24:00 +00002026-08-04T11:24:00.108+01:00ARCHAEOBOTANY: Long-lost Byzantine-era vines are again cultivated on ancient Negev terraces. Discovery of 7th-century grape seeds at Avdat National Park in southern Israel inspires Nature and Parks Authority archaeologist to recreate wine valued across the ancient empire (Sue Surkes, Times of Israel).The project was sparked by the discovery of well-preserved carbonized grape seeds during an http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/08/update-on-avdats-vintage-resurrection.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-7489800243093865284Tue, 04 Aug 2026 10:13:40 +00002026-08-04T11:13:40.408+01:00VARIANT READINGS: A Cambridge Papyrus of the Odyssey and the Nash Papyrus (Brent Nongbri).This is Cambridge University Library Add MS 4074 (TM 61188), containing some fragmentary lines of Book 12. What caught my eye about the post was the note on the tape that seals the glass frame: “Presented by F.C. Burkitt, M.A., 1903.” There are many sub-collections of papyri kept at Cambridge, but I was not http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/08/the-nash-papyrus-and-odyssey.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-5513893149024977091Tue, 04 Aug 2026 09:57:11 +00002026-08-04T10:57:12.052+01:00THE ANXIOUS BENCH: The Gospel That Broke The Fourth Wall (Philip Jenkins).Briefly, Barnabas presents itself as the one authentic gospel, which tells the real story of Jesus before St Paul made up all his foolish nonsense about Resurrections, the Trinity and so on. As it stands, it offers a Jesus who in many ways is very close to the canonical figure, except that he repeatedly declares the future http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/08/the-gospel-of-barnabas-nicodemites-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-9114572208460492660Mon, 03 Aug 2026 11:07:06 +00002026-08-03T12:07:06.684+01:00CAMBRIDGE CORE ELEMENT: Magic in the Ancient Near East and the Hebrew Bible (Ilan Peled).Summary This Element introduces the reader to the fascinating world of magical rituals performed in the ancient Near East and ancient Israel. It is designed for a diverse audience of professionals, students, and general readers. It surveys the definitions and history of research on magic in the ancient worldhttp://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/08/time-sensitive-magic-in-ancient-near.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-7150553166254687144Mon, 03 Aug 2026 10:57:39 +00002026-08-03T11:57:39.258+01:00HISTORY (AND TOURISM): The Ancient Synagogue of Barcelona: 2,000 Years of History in One Place (Jay Abramson, Times of Israel Blogs).The Ancient Synagogue of Barcelona contains architectural and archaeological elements spanning several historical periods. Its foundations and walls include remains dating to the 3rd century from the Roman era, while the building was significantly renovated and http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/08/barcelonas-ancient-synagogue.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-7093842452667446647Mon, 03 Aug 2026 10:31:07 +00002026-08-03T11:31:07.058+01:00POLITICS AND ARCHAEOLOGY: Kotel Rabbi Demands Return Of Second Beis Hamikdash Trumpeting Stone (Chaim Racer, Belaaz.com).Kotel Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch has demanded that the Israel Museum transfer a rare Second Beis Hamikdash-era stone bearing the inscription “To the Place of Trumpeting” to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. Its return would complete a wider campaign to bring four original http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/08/a-call-to-move-trumpeting-stone-from.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-8680590053925196468Mon, 03 Aug 2026 10:16:56 +00002026-08-03T11:16:57.044+01:00ALGORITHM WATCH: Was Josephus a reliable historian? AI offers a surprising answer. Israeli researchers used computational analysis of ancient Greek to identify Josephus’ sources, finding that when he named an author, he generally quoted that source faithfully (Shilo Freid, Ynet News).Now, using advanced artificial intelligence tools and stylistic analysis of ancient Greek, researchers have http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/08/can-ai-identify-when-josephus-was-using.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-3001345074203534759Sun, 02 Aug 2026 09:59:00 +00002026-08-02T10:59:00.122+01:00NEW BOOK FROM CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS:St. Ephrem the Syrian on Beatitude and the Afterlife Series: Elements in Early Christian Literature Author: Andrew J. Hayes, The University of St. Thomas Published: June 2026 Availability: Available Format: Hardback ISBN: 9781009515382 £55.00 GBP Hardback £18.00 GBP Paperback $25.00 USD eBook Description The poetry of Ephrem the Syrian abounds http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/08/hayes-st-ephrem-syrian-on-beatitude-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-3205519280140191556Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:36:00 +00002026-08-01T10:36:00.209+01:00NEW BOOK FROM OXFORD UNVERSITY PRESS: The Thanksgiving Scroll Carol A. Newsom and Eileen M. Schuller Oxford Commentary on the Dead Sea Scrolls £104.00 Hardback Published: 02 July 2026 368 Pages 234x156mm ISBN: 9780198727842 Also Available As: E-book The first commentary on the Thanksgiving Scroll since the 1960s Provides detailed analysis of editorial structures within the Scroll http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/08/newsom-schuller-thanksgiving-scroll-oup.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-6013656353213843401Fri, 31 Jul 2026 10:08:55 +00002026-07-31T11:08:55.095+01:00THE BIBLE AND INTEPRETATION:New Perspectives on Court Tales in the Hebrew Bible and Early Jewish Literature Evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls substantially expands the extant corpus of early Jewish court tales and provides an opportunity for a major reassessment of this important literary form. Incorporating these newly available texts alongside the traditional biblical and related corpora http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/07/on-ancient-jewish-court-tales.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-8896349502776300082Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:40:15 +00002026-07-31T11:34:51.760+01:00PUNIC WATCH: The Face of Tanit, the Goddess of Life and Death, Returns to Alicante After 2,200 Years. The incense burner found intact in the Iberian necropolis, linked to a warrior elite, in La Albufereta embodies the great Punic protector of fields, stars, navigation, and the beyond (Adrián Mazón, TodoAlicante).For over 2,200 years, she remained surrounded by the weapons of warriors. Falcatas, http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/07/tanit-faced-incense-burned-excavated-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-5485955825525683255Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:27:24 +00002026-07-31T10:27:24.555+01:00THE FESTIVAL OF TU B'AV was on the 28th-29th of July this year. Best wishes to all those who celebrated. 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. Pardon my tardiness again this http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/07/tu-bav-2026-belatedly.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-2819738491941943764Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:48:00 +00002026-07-29T10:48:00.119+01:00CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION OF NEW ENGLAND BLOG: Dura Europos and Esther (Ruth Breindel). HT Rogue Classicism.To conclude: the story of Esther was well known and quite loved by Jews. It has prominence in the synagogue perhaps as a tale of valor, or maybe as a story of great victory. As an adventure story, it appealed to all ages and groups. The combination of Roman, Hellenistic and Persian dress and http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/07/esther-in-dura-europos-synagogue-murals.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-1309682631456480312Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:35:00 +00002026-07-29T10:35:00.116+01:00WAIT, WHAT? Tesla Solar Account Glitch: The Book of Enoch, Explained in 5 Points (BASENOR Editorial Desk).A Tesla solar lease customer logging into their account to review their contract got something considerably more ancient: The Book of Enoch, a roughly 2,000-year-old Hebrew religious text that didn't make it into most Bibles. Tesla confirmed the mix-up, apologized, and sent the correct http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/07/tesla-sent-1-enoch-to-customer-instead.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-1948233840488899962Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:18:00 +00002026-07-29T10:18:00.108+01:00APPREHENDED NUMISMATICS: Thousands of ancient artifacts recovered in Judea and Samaria looting case. The suspect was found carrying metal detectors, excavation tools and archaeological finds (JNS).(July 28, 2026 / Pesach Benson/TPS-IL) Thousands of archaeological items, including coins and artifacts from the Persian (539–332 BCE), Hellenistic (332–140 BCE) and Hasmonean (140–37 BCE) periods in http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/07/west-bank-looting-arrest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-6034226923841869146Tue, 28 Jul 2026 09:17:03 +00002026-07-28T10:17:03.934+01:00THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY: The House of Aršāma, Persian Satrap in Egypt (Rhyne King).Aršāma’s was in many ways an exemplary satrapal house. Like many satraps, Aršāma had a direct connection to the king, and he controlled property both within and beyond his satrapal jurisdiction. To maintain both his house and imperial control, Aršāma relied on trusted subordinates, while unfree workers of http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/07/arshama-and-satrapal-houses.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-4635336510805838506Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:59:38 +00002026-07-28T09:59:38.654+01:00ANTHROPOMORPHIC CAST-ART UPDATE: The story has been getting some attention, with two new articles worth noting: First Temple-era mold offers clues to mystery of ‘pagan’ female figurines in Holy City. First mold discovery in Jerusalem provides evidence that enigmatic clay artifacts — possibly linked to the goddess Asherah— were manufactured in biblical capital (Zev Stub, Times of Israel). This http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/07/more-on-that-female-figurine-face-mold.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-7133193789670838515Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:34:03 +00002026-07-28T09:34:03.558+01:00ASSYRIOLOGY: Watch the Throne: Uncovering three new kings of Assyria. A new study co-written by Yale’s Eckart Frahm provides evidence that the ancient kingdom of Assyria had three more kings than previously thought (Lisa Prevost, YaleNews).The discovery of what look to be three additional kings during the last stage of Assyrian history, known as the Neo-Assyrian period, “came as a surprise — no http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/07/three-lost-neo-assyrian-kings-discovered.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-1447909510224053922Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:14:50 +00002026-07-27T12:14:50.279+01:00NUMISMATICS: 'Debased' Cypriot Coin From 2,500 Years Ago Found on Israeli Beach Generally, the siglos was made of silver, but this one has a base metal inside, suggesting a king under stress – or ancient skullduggery (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).But wait. Sigli were made of pure silver, he notes. This one was not. The metal at its base remains to be analyzed; maybe lead. And as lipstick on a pig dothhttp://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/07/evidence-of-ancient-cypriot-coin.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5184112.post-1684229231655158158Mon, 27 Jul 2026 10:56:02 +00002026-07-27T11:56:02.508+01:00ANTHROPOMORPHIC CAST-ART: Rare First Temple mold discovered beneath Tower of David. (Israel National News).Debbi Ben-Ami, Curator of the Iron Age at the Israel Antiquities Authority, added, "The meaning and function of these figurines are still not fully understood. The fact that they have been found in almost every household, as well as in streets and tombs, indicates that they were objects of http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2026/07/first-temple-era-female-figurine-mold.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Davila)