Busts of Sol Invictus and Constantine I | Gold solidus minted in Ticinum in 313CE to commemorate victory at the Milvian Bridge | Image source
On AJR
Ancient Medicine Forum continues: “Curiosity Cures the Reb:” Studying Talmudic Medical Discourses in Context
Lehmhaus: “Through interaction with these and neighboring disciplines, scholars of Jewish, Christian and other (late) ancient traditions will be able to explore comparatively how manifestations of knowledge (concepts, institutions, practices) impacted specific periods, and in turn were shaped by larger socio-historical, cultural and religious formations. It will require a thorough and inter-disciplinary study of many traditions (like rabbinic texts, Christian sermons, ascetic or monastic traditions) that were previously studied upon other terms (i.e. primarily as literature, philosophy, theology or religious law) in order to flesh out shared but also distinct ways of knowing.”
Book Note: Noel Lenski, Constantine and the Cities: Imperial Authority and Civic Politics. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2016.
Letteney: This is a remarkable book. It is remarkable not in its revolutionary new assessment of who Constantine was – in fact, Lenski scrupulously avoids anything that might be cast as a depiction of an essential Constantine, along with the seductive idea that if historians could just get at the core of Constantine’s being and worldview, we could use this prism to see the underlying coherence of portraits of the first Christian emperor. Lenski’s lasting contribution to Constantinian studies lies rather in his penetrating ability to define, discover, and sometimes divine readings of Constantine’s public presentation to inhabitants of the early fourth century Roman empire that resist, subvert, or negotiate Constantine’s stated or apparent intention, or the intention of his professional image makers.
Articles and News
Nicola Denzey Lewis answers questions about Roman imprisonment and Christians.
Great piece at the ASOR blog on what we can learn about Christians through the incantation amulets they used.
Katz Center calls for fellowship applications for its 2018-19 year: Jewish life in modern Islamic context
Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies CFP for a conference comparing methods of commentary.
Peter Brown reviews Sarah Ruden’s translation of Augustine’s Confessions.
Jaś Elsner on the complexities of displaying objects which intersect multiple visual traditions.
S.J. Pearce talks Jewish warrior poets in medieval Spain at the Public Medievalist.
A brief, clear outline of the source of the names Palestine, Israel, and Judea.
Doors adorned with this eve's first fruits of #PSCO to come! @andrewdberns, Spain, vineyards, & Jews - come know things with us! pic.twitter.com/eDjwXSxPNj
— Matthew Chalmers (@Matt_J_Chalmers) October 12, 2017
The #lulav & #etrog are among the symbols carved into this inscription | Vigna Randanini catacombs, #Rome https://t.co/2ONJtjHzJ1#Sukkot
— Arthur Urbano (@arturoviaggia) October 9, 2017
Published #HebrewProject Phase2 dated 1484 Add 21581 Samaritan Pentateuch https://t.co/QV0WFhltgX #medievaltwitter #Judaism #Samaritan pic.twitter.com/CwcuCDFHNs
— BL Hebrew Project (@BL_HebrewMSS) October 11, 2017