Neat Link: The West Semitic Research Project

The West Semitic Research Project is an academic project affiliated with the University of Southern California School of Religion and directed by Dr. Bruce Zuckerman. For the past 28 years WSRP has used advanced photographic and computer imaging techniques to document objects and texts from the ancient world. In doing this, they have built a vast collection of images that they are now making available to scholars, students, educators, and the general public through a variety of ways. Their website has educational materials, including puzzles and games, and a scholarly section that lists images that may be ordered from the project for study purposes. To access the site, click here.

Dramatic Reading of the Tale of Sinuhe (in Egyptian)

Here's a chance to hear ancient Egyptian read aloud: The Tale of Sinuhe read dramatically by Orlando Mezzabotta. Click here.

The Tale of Sinuhe, one of the finest literary works of ancient Egypt, has often been of interest to biblical scholars because of parallel themes with biblical texts and because of descriptions of Canaan in the tale. It is set in the aftermath of the death of Pharaho Amenemhat I in the early 20th century BCE. The tale may have been composed only shortly after the time of this narrative setting, althought the earliest manuscript of the tale that we have is from ca. 1800 BCE. To download an English translation, click here (PDF).

New Interpreter's One Volume Commentary

Coming this summer (around July 2010): The New Interpreter's One Volume Commentary. Some basic information is available on the volume's Amazon page: click here. I contributed three commentaries in the volume: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

Now in Print: NOAB Fully Revised Fourth Edition

The greatly expanded, fully revised fourth edition of The New Oxford Annotated Bible, to which I contributed a section, is now in print and on sale! There is 50% brand new material over against the last edition---this study Bible is completely reworked, and well worth the upgrade. Please spread the word!

Student Photos of Mount Nebo / Mount Pisgah in Jordan

In my Deuteronomy seminar, K. Guy shared these photos of Mount Nebo from her recent trip there. This is the traditional site where Moses viewed the Promised Land, and where he is believed to have died and been buried. In these shots, we are looking west, over the Jordan River, toward Bethlehem and Jericho (both names noted on the map-marker stone).





For this location on Google-Maps, click here.

"Mount Nebo (Hebrew: הַר נְבוֹ, Har Nevo, Arabic: جبل نيبو, Jabal Nibu) is an elevated ridge that is approximately 817 meters (2680 feet) above sea level, in what is now western Jordan. The view from the summit provides a panorama of the Holy Land and, to the north, a more limited one of the valley of the River Jordan. The West Bank city of Jericho is usually visible from the summit" (Wikipedia).

Amaryllis (Hippeastrum Bulb)

This post is for fun, not particularly biblically related. We got this amaryllis as a winter present, and enjoyed watching it bloom:

A Celtic Cross at Lent

Here's a Celtic cross that my daughter Rebecca colored yesterday at church.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

John Yieh, Inaugural Lecture as Full Professor

Hearty congratulations to my New Testament colleague across the hall, John Yieh, for his promotion to full professor and for his inaugural lecture last evening here at the seminary.



Here is our Dean's commentary from his daily blog:

Thursday, March 4, 2010
Last night, an attentive audience gathered in the back of the Lettie Pate Evans Auditorium to listen to a riveting lecture from the Rev. Dr. John Yieh. This was his Inaugural Lecture, delivered as required on being elected by the Board of Trustees as a full professor. It was a tour de force. With PowerPoint slides, Dr. Yieh set out his cross-cultural approach to the Bible - an approach that takes seriously the hermeneutical task in front of the text, avoids relativism, and recognizes the importance of the conversation with other cultures. It was a call for an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Scripture. Dr. Yieh ranged widely: he touched on Augustine of Hippo, the history of interpretation, and Chinese Christianity. Dr. Yieh provided a helpful map of the territory and set out a substantial and impressive project.

Brown Symposium, Day 3

We had a great symposium here in Rhode Island. I'm now at the airport waiting for my plane.




Here's the official title and list of presentations. All were great!

"Social Theoiy and the Study of Israelite Religion: Retrospect and Prospect"

The Ruth and Joseph Moskow Symposium; Program in Judaic Studies, Brown University
With additional support and co-sponsorship from Egyptology and Ancient West Asian Studies, Ancient Studies, and Religious Studies

Coordinator: Saul M. Olyan


Sessions:
(1) Perspectives on Past Work

Robert Wilson, "How has the Use of Social Theory by Scholars of Israelite Religion changed or not changed in the past 35 Years?"

David Wright (Brandeis University), "Robust Theory versus Scant Data: Using Anthropological and Sociological Perspectives in the Study of Biblical Ritual Texts."

William Gilders (Emory University), "Ritual, Ritual Texts, and Social Relations: How My Mind Has Changed."

(2) Contemporary Perspectives

Saul Olyan, "Theorizing Violence in Biblical Ritual Contexts: The Case of Mourning Rites"

Stephen Cook, "The Levites, their Social Organization, and the Nature of their Social Contexts"

Nathaniel Levtow, "Textual Production and Textual Destruction in Ancient Israel: Ritual and Political Dimensions"

Carol Meyers, "The Function of Festivals: Socio-Political Aspects of Religious Events"

Susan Ackerman, "Cult Centralization, the Erosian of Kin-Based Communities, and the Implications for Women's Religious Practices"

Ronald Hendel, "Prophetic Views of Israelite Ritual in the Light of Mary Douglas's Theories"

Tracy Lemos, "Cut Up and Put Out, Judean Diaspora and Postcolonial Theories of Gender and Migration"

Ruediger Schmitt, "Theories Regarding Witchcraft Accusations and the Hebrew Bible"

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Airport Connector Rd,Warwick,United States