Nehemiah's Wall Discovered?

From the Jerusalem Post:

A section of the 2,500-year-old Nehemiah wall may have been discovered in Jerusalem, just outside the Dung Gate and the Old City walls facing the Mount of Olives. The wall is dated to Nehemiah's period by pottery found during a recent dig at the site, said Hebrew University archeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar.

The archeologist, who rose to international prominence for her recent excavation that may have uncovered the biblical palace of King David, was able to date the wall to Nehemiah as a result of a dig carried out underneath a nearby tower, which has been previously dated to the Hasmonean period, (142-37 BCE) but which now emerges was built centuries earlier.

As a result of the excavation, both the 30 meter section of the wall and a six-by-three-meter part of the previously uncovered tower have now been dated to the fifth century BCE based on the rich pottery found during the dig under the tower, she said.

Scores of bullae, arrowheads and seals from that period were also discovered during the excavation."This find opens a new chapter in the history of Jerusalem," Mazar said. "Until now, we have never had such an archeological wealth of finds from Nehemiah's period."

From the AP:

A team of archaeologists discovered the wall in Jerusalem's ancient City of David during a rescue attempt on a tower that was in danger of collapse, said Eilat Mazar, head of the Institute of Archaeology at the Shalem Center, a Jerusalem-based research and educational institute, and leader of the dig.

Artifacts including pottery shards and arrowheads found under the tower suggested that both the tower and the nearby wall are from the 5th century B.C., the time of Nehemiah, Mazar said this week. Scholars previously thought the wall dated to the Hasmonean period from about 142 B.C. to 37 B.C.

Signs of the Hebrew Imperfect

My Beginning Hebrew Class is about to move on to the weak verbs, having completed the complete paradigm of the regular Hebrew verb. It's a good point in the course to review signs for recognizing the various forms of the imperfect verb in Hebrew. A former Hebrew student, Rosemary Beales composed this song to help students memorize signs of the Niphal, Piel, Hiphil, and other imperfects. It is to be sung to the tune of "Oh for a Thousand Tongues to Sing" (8.6.8.6). To hear the tune through your windows media player, click here.

Signs of the Imperfect

The Niphal has a hireq and

a dagesh in C1.

Piel and Pual have a sh'wa

and middle dot, for fun.

The Hiphil has a patah and

a hireq and a yod.

The Hophal has a qamets and

that's all you need to know.

The Hithpael is easy, it's

the one with second "T."

The Qal seems like an old

friend now---

It's easy as can be!

Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise

Smithsonian Magazine is running a fascinating and beautiful article on Ghiberti's mid-fifteenth-century gold-gilded bronze door-panels depicting scenes from the Hebrew Bible. "Combining a goldsmith's delicacy with a foundryman's bravura, sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti condensed the Old Testament into ten panels to produce one of the defining masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance," the article reminds us. The ten panels are currently being completely restored, and some of them are on tour in the US. To read more, click here. I'll copy below two of the panels:

This first depicts the creation. You can see here how the panels contain multiple scenes of action, conveying a sense of narrative. On the left bottom, God draws Adam into life. In the center, God draws Eve out of Adam's side. In the upper left, the couple consider the fruit of the forbidden tree.

Some consider this second panel one of Ghiberti's proudest achievements. It depicts the story of Jacob stealing Esau's blessing.

Christopher Horne, 1972 - 2007

From Dean Markham:

Thanksgiving Break for Virginia Theological Seminary has been very difficult this year. On Wednesday November 21, we learnt that Christopher Horne had been tragically killed. He died in an auto-accident in Mexico. His wife Mandy is out of the hospital and at home with a variety of injuries, and there is every hope she will be alright. On Thursday November 29 at 2 p.m. in the Seminary chapel, we will gather for a memorial service for Christopher Horne. Do please continue to pray for Martha and Don. And as colleagues, friends, and family gather, please hold them all in your prayers. Martha, Don and Peter Horne appreciate your prayers and concern. If you would like to contact them, please do so as follows: The Very Rev. Martha J. Horne and Dr. McDonald K. Horne III, 3809 Fort Worth Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22304. Memorial Gifts can be made to: The Summit School, 160 Frank Allen Rd., Cashiers, NC 28717; St. George's Camp, Shrine Mont, Diocese of Virginia, 110 W. Franklin St., Richmond, VA 23220 or Habitat for Humanity.

Notice on Prof. Mauch in the Cape Cod Times

You all may remember that I posted on Prof. Mauch's death this summer not too long ago (click here). Prof. Gettier has just passed along to me a link to this notice published recently on Cape Cod. It's a very nice tribute to Ted:

Published in the Cape Cod Times on 10/28/2007:

Theodor M. Mauch
ORLEANS — Dr. Theodor M. Mauch, 87, died August 18, 2007, in the Orleans Convalescent and Retirement Center. He had been a faithful, daily volunteer at the home for 20 years.The son of the Reverend Wilhelm G. Mauch and Emma M. Mauch, Ted majored in philosophy at Elmhurst College. He received a Master of Divinity degree in 1946, a Master of Sacred Theology in 1947, and a Ph.D. in Sacred Theology in 1958, from Union Theological Seminary in New York. He was a popular teacher at Wellesley College in Massachusetts and from 1957 to 1987, he was a professor of religion at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.A builder of fine stone walls and an avid gardener, he grew over 60 varieties of prize-winning irises in his East Orleans garden, as well as cherry tomatoes, rhubarb, raspberries, currants and English holly. He regularly presented gifts from the garden to visitors and friends, most often delivered in cobalt blue containers. In 1990, Ted preserved his beloved property on Old Duck Hole Road with its paths, stone walls and gardens by gifting several acres to the Orleans Conservation Trust. His beloved old ship's bell that he rang every morning to greet the day now hangs in a corner of the garden.An avid Red Sox fan, his proudest possessions were Red Sox memorabilia given to him over the years by his many friends. During his years at Trinity, he was a one man cheering squad at Trinity athletic events and during retirement enthusiastically supported the Orleans Cardinals.Dr. Mauch is survived by his nephews, Bruce J. Mauch Knopf and his wife, Kathy Moehring, of San Francisco, Vinyasi of Los Angeles; his great-nephews, Noam Knopf-Boyer and his wife, Janelle Alcantara; Ronen Knopf-Boyer, and Cody Moehring; great-niece Remi Moehring; and great-great-nephew Elijah Alcantara-Boyer, all of San Francisco, Calif. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. at the Federated Church of Orleans [see image above] on Nov. 16, 2007.

A Holiday Photo at Mount Vernon

On Thanksgiving day we made our annual pilgrimage for a holiday feast at the Mount Vernon Inn. My Dad took this shot of Catherine, Rebecca, and me standing by the Mount Vernon Christmas tree. (Click to greatly enlarge.)

Home From SBL

The flight yesterday was less of a hastle than expected. We got the Little People toys returned to our friend Lark, who was really great to us during our visit. In the morning, we had a nice breakfast at the pancake place that Catherine liked, where we ran into Prof. Julie Galambush from William & Mary and had a nice conversation (she pleased Rebecca by feeding her raisens). Then, off to the airport, where my bag was 3 lbs over the limit (we had to remove an item and carry it on). We've had this problem with SouthWest before; I must admit it's a pain. Aside from the waiting area being very crowded, the SouthWest experience from then on was great. There were 7 free seats on the plane, so Rebecca had her own seat with Catherine and me, which really was a huge relief. I really don't know how she would have managed on my lap. As it was, she spent half the flight straddling two seats and talking to the folks in the seats behind us. For about an hour, she slept with her head on my lap and her body spread out over the window seat. Anyway, Ron picked us up at BWI and we had a nice ride home and good night sleep. Thanks Ron!

Leaving San Diego Tomorrow

It will be a bit sad to leave San Diego. We had a great time. Thanks to having SBL's VIP-registration status, we had an excellent room with the sort of view pictured above here at the Marriott, pretty much right at the center of all the conference action. Next year in Boston the meeting will be very different without the AAR members present. At our regional coordinators meeting, we talked about this a little bit. We were told that the AAR may not want to keep to their idea of a separate meeting for too many years. So far, they have not fared well on their own. Apparently, their upcoming meeting in Canada will be expensive for their members, with rooms costing over $200 per night. That's a lot more than the rates we've all been used to getting at these conferences. SBL has been able to negotiate future rates just as good as in the past. Almost all the book publishers will continue to display at SBL. Apparently on a per-square-foot basis, SBL is able to offer a better financial deal than AAR will be able to. Also, the publishers believe that SBL members buy a lot more books than AAR members do! It is still unknown whether the AAR will be able to host the kind of book display that is always so amazing at the SBL meetings. It seems pretty clear to me that SBL is aggressively working to secure a guaranteed good-meeting next year in Boston. 2008 pre-registration and housing was already up and going here in San Diego. That's much, much sooner than ever in the past. It's all being done in-house now. They believe that they can save lots of money over what the third-party organization was charging them to handle conference registration. A lot of the work is done automatically by the computers now, anyway. The Call for Papers for the 2008 meeting is up already as well. Again, that's quite a bit ahead of anything that we were used to in the past. We'll see if the SBL membership likes all this moving of things forward. I felt it added several extra tasks and things to think about to a time when I was just trying to concentrate on the immediate conference at hand, not next year's conference. However, it's not that big of a deal.

A Post from San Diego at the SBL

Believe it or not, I'm just hooking up to the internet tonight, Monday evening here at the Marriott Marina Hotel, next to the convention center. Trying to spend time with Catherine and Rebecca on top of giving my two paper-presentations, and doing my meetings and committee work has left little time and energy for much else. Rebecca is sleeping next to me now in a little pack-and-play type portable crib; my major papers and work at the conference are done, so I can blog just a bit. I'm happy to report that it's been a great conference. All has gone just fine.

Here are a few photos from here that I've "borrowed" from my friend Prof. Chris Brady (i.e., Targuman):

In the shot above, I'm on the left, Chris is on the right, and Kevin Wilson is standing between us.

This second photo shows the whole group of about 20 BiblioBloggers having our luncheon yesterday around noon. It's sad it's almost all males! The restroom to the left of the photo had the funniest "graffiti" wall paper: "At last I'm someplace where I know what I'm doing." You can see me at the middle left of the table. To the front right is my friend John Hobbins.

A word or two about my talks. The first was on sacrifice and atonement in the "Reverence" strand of biblical thinking. Jim Watts attended and had some great insights during the general discussion. A highlight for my was the response to my talk from the floor by Daniel P. Bailey, whose work was very helpful to me in preparing the talk. I was very excited about how much he liked my talk, and we conversed after the session for quite a while. No doubt, we will be in further communication.

I was also pleased with the session this morning where I gave my second talk on Ezekiel's abnormal reaction at the death of his wife. My talk followed Saul Olyan's paper, and we enjoyed each other's work and sitting together on the panel. The response by John Berquist of Westminster John Knox Press was very appreciative and helpful. I was very glad that Jeremy Schipper and the rest of the steering committee invited my talk. It was also great to have several neat people in attendance, including Dr. Paul Joyce and Dr. Steven Shawn Tuell, both important Ezekiel scholars and friends of mine.

Biblio-Blogger Lunch at SBL in San Diego

Well, the whole Cook family is off the SBL later today. I should be doing a little blogging from there, so stay tuned.

There will be a Biblio-Blogger lunch on Sunday at the SBL. We are meeting at the entrance to the book exhibit at 11:30 am (or as close to that as possible) and head out for lunch. Chris has promised to scout out a good place to eat so those who need to be at 1:00 sessions can be there on time.

Now, here's a repeat post that seems appropriate for today:


The SBL Forum has a great essay just posted, "Bible Scholar on an Airplane" (click here). The author, Samuel Thomas, a biblical scholar, makes some apt observations about the perils of revealing our profession in public, especially in situations where one is somewhat trapped. Why is it that everyone seems to be an expert on religion? Why is it that people so easily assume they are on the same religous wavelength with me?? Here is a small excerpt:

I have developed over the years several different responses to questions about "what I do for a living." In the right settings — namely those in which my words are unlikely to be misunderstood or misconstrued — I am perfectly happy to discuss my livelihood and engage people on topics in which I am heavily invested, and I may even claim the Bible scholar epithet. But despite some happy occasions, my dilemma persists; whatever the actual odds of finding myself in an undesirable situation, the danger always lurks that my interlocutor will readily make assumptions about me and the real nature of my work — assumptions that may or may not correspond to my own. He may find my approach to the study of the Bible to be too liberal, overly academic, unnecessarily constraining, exceedingly parochial, heretical, anachronistic, tedious, narrow, or pluralistic. In other words, what I do can become more about who he is and what he thinks I should be doing. This is a problem that I suspect generally does not obtain in the life of the accountant and the salesman, or for that matter the chemist or the mathematician.

Warm Welcome to a New Faculty Member

Official VTS Press Release:

Alexandria, VA – The Very Rev. Ian Markham, dean and president of Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), announced today that the Board of Trustees has elected Dr. William Bradley Roberts to the faculty of the Seminary, as Associate Professor of Church Music. Roberts comes to Virginia Seminary from St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., where he currently serves as the Director of Music Ministry. Roberts will begin teaching in January of 2008.

The Search Committee consisted of Dean and President Ian Markham, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Tim Sedgwick, Associate Dean for Community Life Marge McNaughton-Ayers, emeritus faculty member Ray Glover, and faculty members Katherine Grieb and Tony Lewis. Out of 45 applicants, two finalists returned to the campus to meet with the search committee, faculty, and student body representatives. Following these visits, Ian Markham presented the name of William Roberts to the Board of Trustees and they approved his appointment.

Roberts presently teaches the required course in church music at VTS. Previously he taught at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary and Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky where he was exposed to the inner workings of seminary education. He has a wealth of experience as a conductor and program builder in various congregations. Before coming to St. John’s in 2002, Roberts served as the Director of Music at St. Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church in Tucson, Arizona, one of the largest Episcopal churches in the United States with a national reputation for its choirs and music programs.

Dr. Roberts is a composer and has contributed to hymnal and liturgical resources, including Wonder, Love and Praise, Enriching Our Music, and with the Lutheran Church A New Psalter, With One Voice, and Evangelical Lutheran Worship.

As a scholar he has published articles on topics such as women composers of church music, music in the French monastic communities of Taizé and Solesmes, and worship at “The Church of the Presidents.” Dr. Roberts has served broadly in the Episcopal Church, including serving as chair of the Standing Commission on Church Music, as chair and founding board member of the Leadership Program for Musicians, as board member of the Anglican Musicians’ Seminary Music Initiative, and as board member of the Anglican Musicians’ Mentoring Project. Roberts received a doctor of music arts (DMA) in conducting and voice from Southern Seminary in Louisville.

Virginia Theological Seminary is the largest of the 11 accredited seminaries of the Episcopal Church and was founded in 1823. The school prepares men and women, representing more than 40 different dioceses and 9 different countries, for service in the Church, both as ordained and lay ministers, and offers a number of professional degree programs and diplomas.

Ian Markham's Installation Yesterday

I enjoyed Ian Markham's installation service yesterday very much. These are joyous times at the seminary. I thought that the auditorium could have been more full, but many distinguished guests were present, several from the UK. Much work obviously went into the service's planning, so thanks are due to many, especially to my friend Dr. Tony Lewis.

Here is the official VTS Press Release:

Alexandria, VA - Virginia Theological Seminary welcomed its 14th Dean and President today at the installation of the Very Rev. Dr. Ian S. Markham. The ceremony, which was streamed live via the World Wide Web, included the Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee, bishop of Virginia, the Very Rev. Martha J. Horne, dean emerita of Virginia Seminary, and Dr. David H. Charlton, member of the Board of Trustees and chair of the Dean Search Committee. The Revd. Canon Martyn Percy, principal of Ripon College Cuddesdon and the Oxford Ministry Course, in the United Kingdom, gave the installation address.“An installation like this represents something of a marriage,” said Percy, “it gives us the opportunity to remind ourselves that in the process of formation and training, we are wedded to all kinds of otherness; and as our relationships deepen and grow, wisdom is slowly distilled within us.”“What then, of future wisdom?” continued Percy. “We live in interesting times in our shared Communion. Yet many of us believe in its possibility— its wisdom indeed—with an apparently foolish passion.” Percy concluded, “Our future hope may lie in institutions and leaders modeling new kinds of via media in the midst of our disputes and diversity. Perhaps recognizing that whilst we all know what the Bible says, we struggle to agree on what it means. Yet if we can become faithful, open, spiritual struggling communities of interpretations (just like this one), the wider Communion has a chance… seeking only the way of Jesus, that leads us into the truth, charity and wisdom that God longs for his church.” Markham, who just completed his first 100 days as Dean and President, said, “I receive the trust, which has been carefully cultivated by distinguished Deans in the past. My obligation is to deliver the mission of this Seminary - to train leaders who can transform the world. It is a trust - an obligation - that I receive with a sense of trepidation.”Dr. Markham holds a Ph.D. in Christian Ethics from the University of Exeter, an M. Litt. in Philosophy and Ethics from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor of Divinity in Theology from the University of London. He is a candidate for holy orders in the Diocese of Connecticut and is scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood on December 13, 2007. Click here for a more complete summary of Dr. Markham’s background, experiences and numerous publications. Virginia Theological Seminary is the largest of the 11 accredited seminaries of the Episcopal Church and was founded in 1823. Committed to a theology which is orthodox and open, Virginia Seminary prepares men and women for service in the Church worldwide, both as ordained and lay ministers, and offers a number of professional degree programs and diplomas. The Seminary currently represents more than 40 different dioceses and 9 different countries.

VTS Special Alert: Live Web-Cast of Dean Markham's Installation this afternoon

Today is a big day at the seminary: the installation at 4:30 pm of our new dean and president, Dr. Ian Markham. We're planning to Web-Cast the entire event, so "tune in" if you'd like.

Click here to go to the vts site, and then click on either "Installation of Dean Markham" or on "Dean's Commentary."

On Covenant, Priests, and Kevin Wilson's Post

My friend, Dr. Kevin Wilson has just written a blog-post on the longstanding question of why the P/PT source of the Pentateuch seems to lack a bi-lateral vassal covenant. Take a look, by clicking here. I'm very honored that Kevin has been spending time with my forthcoming paper. I am also extremely encouraged that he has found some of my arguments helpful. He has invited me to respond to his post if I'd like, so here are a few quick thoughts in this busy pre-SBL period.

First, I am wondering if maybe we do have some pre-Deuteronomy evidence of adherence to a bilateral covenant among writers from Judah. Amos 5:11, for example, echoes the "futility curses" found in bilateral treaties similar to Israel's covenant with God. This suggests that Amos's theology was at least partly covenantal. See Weinfeld, DTR School, pp. 122, 135, 345; Deut 1-11, p. 49.

Second, I am wondering if the PT source really is not up to more than just getting the plans for the tabernacle into Moses' hands (as Kevin's wording suggests, as he is thinking out loud). After all, the school’s texts describe God giving Israel a testimony on Mount Sinai (עדות; Exod 25:16, 21 NJB and NIV), and this testimony includes laws to be obeyed (the purity, purification, and atonement laws in the first half of Lev). To me, these PT laws have a weighty symbolism intended to help the people grow spiritually. It gives the wrong impression, I think, to say the "cultus" is PT's overarching concern, since PT presents rules of behavior to be followed in all of life outside of temple ritual.

In short, PT has rules for everyday life, just not rules to be followed out of covenantal loyalty. To be sure, PT does not have any thought of rewards for treaty loyalty.

Luther Bowl 2007, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Word has just reached me that our VTS football team, the Fighting Friars, achieved victory in one out of three games in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in our "Luther Bowl 2007." "Virginians Vanquish Union [Theological Seminary] (one third of the time) at Gettysburg!" For a short multimedia presentation, click here.

Update: Amy in my Hebrew class today reported that the play was quite physically rough up there! Ouch...

The Seal of Queen Jezebel

MSNBC is running a story (click here) stating that a stone document seal (pictured above), originally discovered in Israel in 1964 is definitively traceable to Jezebel, wife of Ahab, the infamous 9th-century BCE ruler of the Northern Kingdom. Complete results of the University of Utrecht study are published in a recent volume of the Journal for Semitics. Utrecht scholar Marjo Korpel argues in the study that an upper edge that has broken off of the seal likely contained two missing letters that would correctly spell Jezebel's name. "With her own seal, Queen Jezebel was able to exert a powerful influence upon people around her, much like the Egyptian queens," Korpel states.

Kind of Cool: Enuma Elish Tote Bag to Be Available at the SBL

Enuma Elish Tote Bag


Eisenbrauns, 2007
600-denier polycanvas, Akkadian
Cloth, 15 x 14.75 x 1
Your Price: $7.50

Where to Find Me at the SBL in San Diego

Well, the annual SBL Meeting is coming up, and I'm leaving in one-week's time. Here are the two main sessions where I'll be presenting my papers:

S18-135
Sacrifice, Cult, and Atonement Consultation Sunday, 11/18/2007 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM Room: Edward C - GH
Theme: Sacrifice and Sacrificial Imagery
William Gilders, Emory University, Presiding (5 min)

Stephen L. Cook, Virginia Theological Seminary
Interpreting Sacrifice and Atonement in the Scriptures of Reverence (25 min)
(for the abstract, click here).
Discussion (5 min)

Ayse Tuzlak, University of Calgary
The Primordial Cloth and the Civilized Ox: Sacrifice and Labour in the Pentateuch (25 min)
Discussion (5 min)

Mark F. Whitters, Eastern Michigan University
The Tearing of the Temple Curtain and Cultic Self-Sacrifice (25 min)
Discussion (5 min)

Ross E. Winkle, Pacific Union College
"You Are What You Wear": The Dress and Identity of Jesus as High Priest in John's Apocalypse (25 min)
Discussion (5 min)

Discussion (25 min)

=================================

S19-11

Disability Studies and Healthcare in the Bible and Near East Monday, 11/19/2007 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM Room: Edward A - GH

Theme: Disability in the Prophets and Early Christian Texts

Jeremy Schipper, Siena College, Presiding

Saul M. Olyan, Brown University
Disability in the Prophetic Utopian Vision (25 min)

Stephen L. Cook, Virginia Theological Seminary
Incapacity and Submergence in Ezekiel 24:15-27: The Death of Ezekiel's Wife and His Release from Speechlessness (25 min)
(for the abstract, click here)

Martin C. Albl, Presentation College
“For Whenever I am Weak then I am Strong”: Paul’s Letters and Disability Studies (25 min)

Nicole Kelley, Florida State University
Epilepsy in Late Antique Christian Writings (25 min)

Jon Berquist, Westminster John Knox Press, Respondent (25 min)

Discussion (25 min)

German Steeple Challenges Leaning Tower of Pisa

HT: Timothy Dang:

Quoted from Yahoo-News/Christian Charisius/Reuters:

A 15th century church with its tilting tower is pictured in the small northern German village of Suurhusen November 7, 2007. The Guinness Book of World Records has ruled that a church steeple in Germany, not Italy's famous leaning tower of Pisa, is the most tilted tower in the world. The 25.7-meter church tower tilts at an angle of 5.07 degrees, while the tower of Pisa tilts at just 3.97 degrees, said Olaf Kuchenbecker, head of Guinness's German edition. Although its tilt angle is greater than Pisa's, it is less than half the height of the Italian tower and has none of its ornate beauty.

Eisenbrauns Celebrates Bible Blogging

Eisenbrauns book-sellers is celebrating the Bible Blog as a public form of scholarship this month by offering some of the published works of select Bible Bloggers on sale. Thanks Eisenbrauns for including three of my books in the sale!

To access the complete sale list, click here.

Still More Baptism Photos

More Photos from the Baptism Yesterday

These next photos you can click to greatly enlarge:

Rebecca's Baptism

Our daughter Rebecca Ketziah was baptized this evening at the Seminary's All Saints Service. It was a marvelous event, very well attended, and thoroughly enjoyed by all. Warmest thanks to everyone for their love and support of Rebecca and her parents!

This Abled Body

My friend Dr. Jeremy Schipper, currently teaching at Temple University, sent along this cover-art preview of his soon to be available book on rethinking disabilities in biblical studies. (Click the image to enlarge.) The volume should be available at the upcoming SBL meetings.

Jeremy also draws our attention to a new book by Anke Dorman on disability and the Qumran scrolls that he just reviewed (very positively) for RBL (click here for the PDF file).