Mosaic inscription from Rehov Synagogue | Beth Shean Valley, C6-C7CE | Image Source
On AJR
Museum of the Bible Panel: “The Creationist MOTB: Judaism and Judaica at the Answers in Genesis Creationist Facilities”
Linville: “Creation museums are significant resources for the young Earth creationist community that sees itself threatened by compromise with the larger society and secularism. A number of excellent dissertations have been completed over the past few years that examine how creationists appropriate the genre of natural history museum to generate scientific authority. The MOTB’s presence in such places surely contributes to the confidence many patrons have that the creationist reading of Scripture is true and that its portrayal of history—including that of ancient Israel and Judaism—is accurate.”
Museum of the Bible Panel: “Incompatible Sites: The Land of Israel and the Ambulant Body in the Museum of the Bible”
Porter: “Why does it matter that the Museum of the Bible labors feverishly to consolidate space and time into one edifice in order to develop an intimacy between Christians – particularly American evangelical Christians, and particularly legislators – and the Land of Israel, construed here as a timeless, eternally ancient font from which all Christendom – and implicitly America itself – flows? The work of this museum to open and construct other places and other times is thus fraught; it is circuitry for power.”
Articles and News
Excellent piece on the magical and transformative power of the written word in Jewish antiquity.
More magic from Biblical Archaeology Review, on Iron Age rolled amulets and hidden apotropaic writing.
Sarah Bond on teaching epigraphy using digital technology rather than clumsy squeezes.
Revisit Ancient Jew Review’s video interviews with John Ma on the Maccabees.
Vaia Touna muses on J.Z. Smith, categorization, and classification in the study of ancient religion.
Over at Eidolon, discussion of how often the relevance of “Classics” relies on the fetishization of the field.
Huge list of over 1900 pre-1600 manuscripts digitized and collated by the British Library.
Terrific Jewish history podcast with Steve Weitzman on Jewish origins and Jewish history.
If you missed the #familygospels Q&A w @CFrilingos, I have attempted to Moment-ify it! @CALMSU @PennPress @MSURELStudies #sblaar18 #RIPStorifyhttps://t.co/lBQwVdijjn
— ((Andrew Jacobs)) (@drewjakeprof) 29 January 2018
This week its Beshalach. This image of the division of the Red Sea from Maimonides' Moreh Nevukhim (Harley MS 14763) shows the interpretation that the Sea split into 12 lanes, one for each tribe #parshapictures #HebrewProject pic.twitter.com/oqxMahvby9
— BL Hebrew Project (@BL_HebrewMSS) 26 January 2018
For today's class, my students read Eusebius's description of the Holy Sepulchre in @19Averil's brilliant translation of the Vita Constantini, alongside @NatGeo's recent hypothetical reconstructions of the site: https://t.co/S3v76RKTv7 pic.twitter.com/7LkcWYdZgR
— Brad Hostetler (@bradhostetler) 31 January 2018