If you have any interest in the modern study of the Bible, stop what you are doing and read this interview with David M. Carr at the Book of Doctrines and Opinions. It is enlightening and intellectually challenging. I think that it also shows how non-specialists, and probably some specialists, myself included, are often near [...]
Photos: IAA Shlomo Naeh has a new interpretation of what was thought to be a seal certifying purity that was used in the Temple. According to Naeh, it is actually a token for a sacrifice. Thus, the object was used in Temple worship, but not how Reich and Shukron believe it was, says Naeh. To [...]
Prof. Israel Knohl was interviewed by Dov Elbaum on his program Sod ha-Luaḥ ha-Ivri. The entire program can be found here. The interview is in Hebrew, but here is a summary of Knohl’s ideas. Knohl tries to minimize the importance of miracles in Judaism and the Bible, intentionally using the post-Biblical phrase “עולם כמנהגו נוהג”, [...]
The Judaic Studies department at Brown University will be hosting a workshop on Ancient Religion and Modern Technology that will take place on February 13-14. The schedule and information can be found here.
November 17 is the birthday of Flavius Claudius Julianus, a.k.a. Julian the Apostate. (hat tip) Julian is important for Jewish history because in 363 CE he initiated work on the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. Julian thought to rebuild at an extravagant expense the proud Temple once at Jerusalem, and committed this task to [...]
Nel Marius reviews Hindy Najman’s Past Renewals: Interpretative Authority, Renewed Revelation and the Quest for Perfection in Jewish Antiquity. Info about the book: How did ancient Jewish authors claim authority for their interpretations? How, after the “end of prophecy”, could they claim the authority of revelation? Whom did one have to be, or aspire to [...]
Lawrence Schiffman has published a new book, Qumran and Jerusalem: Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the History of Judaism. Major changes are occurring in our understanding of the fascinating texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls and their significance for the study of the history of Judaism and Christianity. One of the most significant [...]
Lee I. Levine is giving a series of lectures at JTS during July. Lee is a fantastic speaker and if you have any remote interest in the topic I highly recommend attending the lectures. More information as well as how to RSVP can be found here.
Rebecca Lesses has posted some nice pictures of her recent trip to the Galilee on her blog Mystical Politics. They include good ones of Beit Shearim and Sepphoris (Tzippori).
Rabbi Akiva is one of the most well-known rabbis of the Tannaitic period. He was the subject of the well-known book by Louis Finkelstein, Akiba: Scholar, Saint, and Martyr, a good example of a genre of writing about rabbis that is not practiced anymore by most scholars. See this article for a discussion of rabbinic [...]
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