Ben Sira, from the Fugger Honorary | Illustration from the workshop of Jörg Breu, c.1545-49 | Image Source
On AJR
Digital Festshrift extravaganza! Nine scholars, led by Francis Borchardt and Eva Mroczek, tackle the work, legacy, and mentorship of Ben Wright III
Borchardt and Mroczek: “This forum celebrates a distinguished scholar’s career the way a traditional Festschrift might, but we mean it to be a different kind of tribute. The Festschrift genre is well-worn: a thick volume or two, published by a European press, with long essays (of sometimes stale scholarship) by everyone who has ever known the honoree. Contributions from senior scholars give such volumes authority, but they rarely become widely read, partly because their prohibitive cost usually makes them affordable only to libraries. Our alternative Festschrift takes the opposite approach. It deliberately highlights the work of junior scholars, from graduate students to those who have earned their PhDs in the last 5-7 years. It contains only short essays, not full-length technical articles. And it is free and accessible online to anyone. We are particularly proud that it has found a home on Ancient Jew Review, a website started and run by graduate students who have fostered unexpected collaborations, amplified new voices, and breathed life into our field. These features of our “alternative Festschrift” align exactly with the things we appreciate about Ben as a scholar.”
Articles and News
Theodor Dunkelgrün discusses the legacy of Solomon Schechter at the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies blog.
Intriguing video explores how to study Bible in an ancient near eastern context.
Ayelet Wenger at Lehrhaus on gatekeeping Torah learning and finding Torah in unexpected places.
Fascinating piece on the translation of real Roman ruins to British garden design.
Important essays in AJS Perspectives on pedagogy in Jewish Studies and migration.
Revealing review by Joseph Lowry of Lena Salaymeh’s Beginnings of Islamic Law.
Another great review, this time of the fabulous work of David Biale et al. on Hasidism.
Reflections from Tony Burke on teaching New Testament Apocrypha, canon lists, and Bauer.
M Tong gives a supremely smart review of David Wheeler-Reed’s Regulating Sex.
Baptism font from an #EarlyChristian basilica on the acropolis at Cumae. The basilica was built into a temple of Jupiter in the 5th c. The font was located in the cella.https://t.co/6CtmluWjwc#archaeology #LateAntiquity #Italy
— Arthur Urbano (@arturoviaggia) 16 January 2018
What's everyone's favourite chapter/article problematizing the concept of religion in antiquity?
— Dr Meredith "Ban Nazis" Warren (@DrMJCWarren) 16 January 2018
I'm teaching a class that's basically postcolonial perspectives on Judaism under Greek and Roman imperialisms. I'd love anybody's suggestions for non-male authored article or books on the topic. (So far heavy on S. Cohen, S. Schwartz, and A. Jacobs @drewjakeprof) Thanks!
— Phillip Webster (@PhillipJWebster) 12 January 2018