Review of John Day (ed.), Prophecy and Prophets in Ancient Israel

Just out in CBQ: My review of John Day (ed.), Prophecy and Prophets in Ancient Israel: Proceedings of the Oxford Old Testament Seminar (LHBOTS 531; London/New York: Clark, 2010), in CBQ 73 (2011) 643-45.

Neat Link: Manifold Greatness

A friend of our family’s has been centrally involved in the creation of a very helpful website on the creation and afterlife of the King James Bible. To visit the site, called “Manifold Greatness,” click here. The site, of course, was created to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the 1611 KJV. It is jointly produced by the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC, and the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, with assistance from the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. The title Manifold Greatness, referring to the multi-faceted or “manifold” influence of the KJV, is taken from the version’s dedication to King James, which begins, “Great and manifold were the blessings” when God made James the king of England.

Rare Ancient Gold Bell Discovered

A rare gold bell from the late Second Temple era has been discovered in Jerusalem. The bell has a loop on top for tying on a garment, and some have suggested it may be one of the golden bells that high priests used to hang on the edges of their coats. Be this as it may, the bell likely did fall off the outfit of some eminent person walking the streets of Jerusalem in the area of Robinson’s Arch, making its way into the drain beneath the street. The bell was found in a main drainage channel of Jerusalem in the era in question.

A YouTube video is available that actually has the sound of the bell:

Khirbet Qeiyafa and the Kingdom of David

Khirbet Qeiyafa in the Elah Valley, Israel, is turning out to be quite an important site in current discussions of the nature of Judah in the early monarchic period. For some of my earlier blog posts on the site, click here and here. CNN now has a short video on the site, with interviews with Yosef Garfinkel, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (click here). "What people try to do is say that the Kingdom of Judah didn't exist," he said. "What I am saying is that it existed."

Disability and Isaiah's Suffering Servant

Now in Print and Recommended: Dr. Jeremy Schipper's new book with OUP entitled Disability and Isaiah's Suffering Servant (Oxford/New York:Oxford University Press, 2011). To check out the details on Oxford's WebSite, click here.

Free Online: The Liddell-Scott Jones Lexicon

There is now a new online version of Liddell-Scott-Jones (LSJ), the premier lexicon for classical Greek. The TLG version represents five years of intensive work to produce a fully edited and searchable version of LSJ with links to the TLG corpus. This is excellent news. To use the LSJ, click here.

New Entries in Feasting on the Word

I noticed today that three more of my contributions to the Feasting on the Word volumes were now in print:



• “Isaiah 51:1–6, Exegetical Perspective,” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year A, Volume 3 (ed. Barbara Brown Taylor and David L. Bartlett; Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2011) 362-67

• “Jeremiah 15:15–21, Exegetical Perspective,” and “Ezekiel 33:7–11, Exegetical Perspective,” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year A, Volume 4 (ed. Barbara Brown Taylor and David L. Bartlett; Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2011) 2–7, 26–31

Sidon

 

A British Museum team in Lebanon is reporting new findings in Sidon, including the above head of a Phoenician figurine. The Frères’ archaeological site in the old city of Sidon contains burials, temples, and large buildings for feasts and ceremonies.

Video: The Hurrian Hymn from Ugarit

Michael Levy playing "Hurrian Hymn # 6," the oldest written melody in history, from his CD "An Ancient Lyre." To check the entire album out on iTunes, click here.

THE OLDEST WRITTEN MELODY IN HISTORY c.1400 BC!!!
- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Functional Noah's Ark Replica

Johan, the head of a construction company in the western Netherlands has constructed this 100-yard long, four-story tall ship: