Priests and Priesthood in the Near East

September 12, 2018September 12, 2018 Deane Ancient Israel and Judea, Ancient Mesopotamian texts, Ancient Near East, Archaeology, Biblical Studies Topics, Hellenistic and Roman Judea, Historical and Literary Contexts, Jewish and Israelite Cult (worship), Liturgy, Priesthood, Video Aren Maeir, Dominique Charpin, Julietta Steinhauer, Louise Quillien, Piotr Steinkeller, Priests and Priesthood in the Near East, Tel Aviv University, Walther Sallaberger, Yonatan Adler

From March 19-21, 2018, the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University hosted the “Priests and Priesthood in the Near East: Social, Intellectual and Economic Aspects” conference. The papers from March 19 are available on TAU’s YouTube channel:

Dominique Charpin (Collège de France), Opening Address: Recent Discoveries from Ur / Tell Muqayyar, Priests of Ur in the Old Babylonian Period: A Reappraisal in the Light of the Discoveries at Ur / Tell Muqayyar in 2017
Walther Sallaberger (LMU, Munich), Keynote Session I: Origins of Near Eastern Priesthood, Close to the Ruler and to the Gods: The Cultic Duties of the Cupbearer and the Role of Priestesses and Priests in Early Dynastic Mesopotamia
Piotr Steinkeller (Harvard University), Babylonian Priesthood during the Third Millennium BCE: Between Sacred
and Profane
Louise Quillien (EPHE, Paris), Identity Through Appearance: Babylonian Priestly Clothing
Aren Maeir (Bar Ilan University), “The priests, the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel” (Deut 18:1): Is There Archaeological Evidence of Priests and Priesthood in Iron Age Israel and Judah?
Yonatan Adler (Ariel University), “Is there a Priest in the House?”: Identifying Jewish Priests (Kohanim) in the Archaeology of Roman Judaea/Palaestina
Julietta Steinhauer (University College London), Near Eastern Priests: A Graeco-Roman perspective

Thomas Römer on the Ark of the Covenant

May 6, 2018May 7, 2018 Deane Jewish and Israelite Cult (worship), Temple, Video

Romer - Ark of the Covenant Professor Thomas Römer (Collège de France) delivered the second Lagrange Lecture on April 25, 2018, at the École biblique et archéologique française in Jerusalem, entitled “Biblical Traditions about the Ark of the Covenant”.

The lecture begins at 3:15.

With careful attention to various diachronic puzzles posed by the often-confusing and incomplete biblical reports, Römer proposed the tentative outlines of a revisionist history of this fascinating cult object. From its mysterious origins in Shiloh to its temporary sojourn at Kiriath Yearim—for a much longer period than the biblical account would admit—the Ark belongs within a decentralized picture of Israelite worship in Römer’s view. Along these lines, Römer raised the possibility that the chest may have originally contained twinned cult stones, perhaps of YHWH and Asherah. The Ark’s ultimate, ceremonial transfer into Jerusalem should perhaps be dated to the time of Josiah and the politics of centralization, he suggests, while the account of its migrations through the Philistine cities may reflect earlier political tensions from the time of Hezekiah.

David Penchansky on Sacred Spaces in the Hebrew Bible and modern Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

February 6, 2018 Deane Biblical Studies Topics, Jewish and Israelite Cult (worship), Law/Torah, Temple, Video David Penchansky, sacred spaces, Sacred Spaces in Judaism Christianity and Islam

Professor David Penchansky (University of St. Thomas) spoke on “Sacred Spaces in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam” at Hudson United Methodist Church, Wisconsin, on 7 November 2017.

George W. E. Nickelsburg: “The Temple According to 1 Enoch”

January 18, 2016 Deane 1 Enoch, Biblical Literature, Biblical Studies Topics, Jewish and Israelite Cult (worship), Secondary, Temple, Video George W. E. Nickelsburg, Temple, The Temple According to 1 Enoch, Utah State University

Professor Emeritus George W. E. Nickelsburg (University of Iowa) delivered a lecture on “The Temple According to 1 Enoch” on February 19, 2013, at Utah State University.

The paper was later published as “The Temple According to 1 Enoch“, BYU Studies Quarterly 53.1 (2014): 7-24.

During the Second Temple period (516 BCE to 70 CE), most Jews in Jerusalem worshipped at the Jerusalem temple. But a separate community at Qumran decried the lack of ritual purity in the activity at the Second Temple and saw their community as an ersatz for the temple. Literature at Qumran included 1 Enoch, a collection of five tractates composed in the Aramaic language between the fourth century BCE and the turn of the era and ascribed to the ancient patriarch Enoch, the head of the seventh generation after creation (Gen. 5:18–24). Some of the tractates are concerned about a dysfunctional Jerusalem cult and resolve the problem of how to worship by looking forward to the approaching eschaton. Other sections of 1 Enoch tell that the real action is already taking place in the true temple, which is the heavenly temple. There, variously, God is enthroned, and the Son of Man is being prepared to enact divine judgment so that God’s will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. Here Enoch remains until the end-time, witnessing the interaction between God and the archangels. This vision refers to three Israelite sanctuaries—the tabernacle, the First Temple, and the Second Temple—and to the establishment of a new Jerusalem, in which there is no temple, because the city itself serves as a temple.

Daniel K. Falk on Prayer in the Dead Sea Scrolls

January 13, 2016 Deane Audio, Biblical Literature, Dead Sea Scrolls Liturgical texts, Jewish and Israelite Cult (worship), Liturgical and Poetic books, Secondary

Professor Daniel K. Falk (University of Oregon) delivered the 2013 Peter Craigie Memorial Lecture, “Singing With Angels: Prayer in the Dead Sea Scrolls” at the University of Calgary on October 17, 2013.

Why did Jews begin to pray together daily? Prayer as regularized service of the community is one of the profound contributions of Judaism to western civilization, but the origins of Jewish liturgy remain obscure. The most important evidence is to be found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, which include the earliest known collections of Jewish liturgical prayers. Falk explores the significance of these prayers for understanding the distinctive religious life of these particular sectarians, who joined the angels in worship of God and warfare against dark forces, and in their prayer sought to harmonize with God’s created order and rectify disorder. Falk also reflects on what these texts reveal of trends in early Jewish prayer and piety more broadly.

Audio of the lecture is available here, beginning at 20:00.

Michael Satlow – From Israelite to Jew

January 16, 2014 Deane 1 Enoch, Ancient Israel and Judea, Ancient Syria-Palestine, Audio, Babylonian Exile, Chronicles, Damascus Document, Dead Sea Scrolls, Dead Sea Scrolls Apocalyptic texts, Dead Sea Scrolls Legal texts, Ezra-Nehemiah, Greek and Roman, Hellenistic and Roman Judea, Historical and Literary Contexts, History and Stories, Israel and Judah, Jewish and Israelite Cult (worship), Josephus, Jubilees, Maccabees, Online Courses, Online courses - Early Judaism / Old Testament - Hebrew Bible, Persian Yehud, Philo, Return from exile, Rule of the Community, Secondary, Syro-Palestinian texts, Temple Scroll, Torah, Wisdom Early Judaism, From Israelite to Jew, Michael Satlow

Professor Michael Satlow, of Brown University, offers a complete set of lectures on early Judaism (recorded 2011), available for free download on iTunes. The course, “From Israelite to Jew” covers the exile, return from exile, Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman periods, including Philo, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the destruction of the Temple.

Name Description Released Price

Episode 1 – Between Faith and Reason–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 2 – The Religion of Israel–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 3 – Exile–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 4 – Return–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 5 – Ezra–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

The Hedgehog, the Fox, and the Talmud–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 6 – The Torah–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 7 – Nehemiah–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 8 – Jews of the Persian Empire–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 9 – Hellenism Arrives–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 10 – Jubilees and 1 Enoch–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 11 – The Revolt of the Maccabees–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 12 – The Hasmonean Kings–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 13 – Origins of Jewish Sectarianism–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 14 – Hellenistic Judaism–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 15 – Herod the Great–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 16 – Philo–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 17 – The Dead Sea Scrolls–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 18 – Jesus and Other Strange Jews–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 19 – Josephus–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 20 – The First Century–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 21 – Destruction–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Episode 22 – After the Destruction: A Beginning or an End?–1/4/11 Free View In iTunes

Professor Michael L. Satlow specializes in Early Judaism and has written extensively on issues of gender, sexuality, and marriage among Jews in antiquity, as well as on the Dead Sea scrolls, Jewish theology, methodology in Religious Studies, and the social history of Jews during the rabbinic period. His latest book is entitled Creating Judaism.

James McGrath on Apocalyptic Literature and Early Judaism

January 13, 2014 James Ancient Israel and Judea, Audio, Babylonian Exile, Biblical Literature, Daniel, Dead Sea Scrolls Apocalyptic texts, Dead Sea Scrolls Wisdom texts, Ezra-Nehemiah, Historical and Literary Contexts, Israel and Judah, Jewish and Israelite Cult (worship), Josephus, Law/Torah, Persian Yehud, Return from exile, Secondary, Video Essenes, James McGrath, Pharisees, Sadducees

James McGrath has a number of YouTube videos on biblical studies and related areas. These include:

1. ‘Apocalyptic and Early Judaism’

A class taught by Dr. James F. McGrath at Butler University. The first part focuses on apocalyptic literature and the Book of Daniel as an example of this genre. The second part focuses on Judaism in the time of Jesus and the three major groups that existed in that time: Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes.

2. ‘After the Exile: The Transition from Pre-Exilic Judah and Israel to Post-Exilic Judaism’

A class by Dr. James F. McGrath at Butler University on the impact of the experience of the exile on the characteristics and institutions of the Jewish religion and its Scriptures

Why Study? University of Nottingham Video Series

January 12, 2014January 29, 2014 James Atonement, Biblical Literature, Church Fathers, Death, Resurrection, Ascension, Development of Christology, Disciples, Apostles, Early Christian writings, Early Jewish writings, Early Rabbinic writings, Ecclesiology (Christian Church), Form, Oral, and Tradition Criticism, Gospels, Hellenistic and Roman Judea, Historical and Literary Contexts, Historical Jesus, History and Stories, Institutions, Israel and Judah, James, Jesus, Jewish and Israelite Cult (worship), Life Teachings Acts, Methods and Approaches in Biblical Studies, Paul, Pauline, Prophecy and Prophets, Rabbinic writings, Reception History, Romans, Secondary, Soteriology (salvation), Temple, Theology, Universities / Academia, Video Carly Crouch, Henri Gagey, Holger Zellentin, Margaret Barker, Peter Watts, Richard Bell, Roland Deines, Tom O'Loughlin, University of Nottingham

The Why Study Theology and Religious Studies? series from the University of Nottingham contains various contributions from biblical studies. These include:

Why Study the Didache? with Tom O’Loughlin