Manfred Oeming and Ramat Rachel

Via Antonio, word of this little video with Manfred Oeming discussing finds at Ramat Rachel.

Taking Chris’s Thought For the Month, And Correcting It…

The Englishman (who knew!!!) Chris Tilling posts

Better not to be a minimalist or a maximalist because the variety of literature in the biblical canon(s) tends to resists being explained in terms of only one or the other.

Which naturally needs to be corrected to Better to be a minimalist precisely because the variety of literature in the biblical canon(s) tend to resist being explained in terms of historicity.

This is, of course, a more accurate way of putting it than Chris has done (and he’s English! Who knew!)

If It’s True, It’s The Biggest News in Biblical Studies Since Paul Wrote Galatians

[Originally posted August 18]  What’s the big story?  The impending (supposed) appearance (in April 2009) of the overly long awaited fourth volume of John Meier’s Marginal Jew!  With thanks to David for mentioning it in comments earlier.  Curiously the Amazon.uk site has it but not the Amazon.com site.  The Yale site doesn’t mention it either.

When I last enquired of the volume, John said that it had been sitting on Freedman’s desk for over a year and nothing had been done with it.  And the Yale ‘Anchor Bible Reference Library‘ page still lists Freedman as the Editor in Chief, which bodes quite ill, frankly, since he passed away a pretty good bit ago now.  I.e., if the website is that out of date, how out of date is their production schedule?

I’ll ask again and if I hear anything about a positive publication schedule I’ll pass it along.  Till then, color me skeptical (but still hopeful).

UPDATE:  David has the Amazon link in comments below.  And John writes

Dear Jim:
After endless delays, Yale U. P. told me at the CBA meeting that vol. 4 would be out May 2009.  We shall see.
Best,
(Prof.) John P. Meier

So I am now very hopeful. Ok 51% hopeful and 49% skeptical.

UPDATE II:  Brant Pitre writes on the Biblical Studies List:

As a former student of Father Meier’s, I just wanted everyone to know that last I spoke with him (July 2007), the Fourth Volume will not–alas!–be the last volume. It’s focus will be entirely on the enigma of Jesus and the Law. The other “enigmas” with which Meier will complete the series–the enigma of Jesus’ self-understanding and the enigma of his death–will have to wait to Volume 5. Sorry to disappoint anyone, but what he has done promises to be far and away the most extensive and authoritative study of Jesus and the Jewish Law.

Brant Pitre

Well, I’ve asked John. We’ll have to see if there’s more to come once 4 comes out.

UPDATE III: To my question- will there indeed be 5 volumes, John writes

Dear Jim,
Yes, that is the case.
Best,
(Prof.) John P. Meier

So there you have it.  The authoritative authorly last word on the subject.  Like Joseph, I too think the 3 volumes so far available brilliant and peerless.  Doubtless the last two will be as well.

‘Pazzia Divina’ Indeed!

Antonio has noted this really dreadful story of religious malpractice and ‘divine stupidity’.

After denying Javon Thompson food and water for two days because he wouldn’t say “Amen” after meals, the 1-year-old’s caretakers waited for a divine sign that their message had been heard: a resurrection. For more than a week, police say in charging documents describing the scene, the child’s lifeless body lay in the back room of an apartment. Queen Antoinette, the 40-year-old leader of a group that called itself 1 Mind Ministries, brought in her followers and told them to pray. God, she said, would raise Javon from the dead. Instead, Javon’s body began to decompose.

Depraved idiots. Trust me, gentle reader, this cult has nothing to do with sanity, Christianity, faith, righteousness, or anything else sensible. Instead, it is evidently a group the sort which would make Todd Bentley blush with jealousy. And that says a lot.

Conference Announcement

D.A. Carson will be the featured speaker at Union University’s ‘Ryan Center for Biblical Studies‘ annual conference.

Carson will be the keynote speaker for the two day conference which will be held on Union’s campus April 24-25, 2009. The conference will also include many other scholars and speakers from a variety of fields and vocations. Registration for the conference will begin in the fall. For more information visit uu.edu/ centers/biblical or contact Brian Denker at bdenker@uu.edu.

I’ve been before and it really is a good conference, with excellent facilities, good book exhibits (!), and a very, very accommodating host.

SOTS on Facebook

With the explosion of social networking sites and the participation of academics on those sites, I thought various readers might be interested in hearing of the existence of a Facebook ‘group’ devoted to the Society for Old Testament Study.  Or, as the group blurb maintains-

A Facebook group for members of the Society for Old Testament Study in particular and persons interested in the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible in general.

If that describes you or your interests, we’d love to have you join in the fun.

And Still Another Book To Watch For…

And now word that Maurice Casey has a volume in the works titled ‘The Life of the Historical Jesus‘.  This one’s so new there’s no further info.  Yet.  It’s a virtual book bonanza these days in terms of Historical Jesus research.  And Strauss thought everything had already been said when he finished his volumes…  Little did he know.

The Gedaliah Seal, Again

I’m not sure why the Jerusalem Post is just getting around to the story.  But here it is.

According to Dr. Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University who is leading the dig, this is the first time in the annals of Israeli archeology that two clay bullae with two Biblical names that appear in the same verse in the Bible have been unearthed in the same location.  “It is not very often that such a discovery happens in which real figures of the past shake off the dust of history and so vividly revive the stories of the Bible,” Mazar noted. The first bulla was uncovered inside an impressive stone structure, which Mazar believes to be the Palace of David, while the second bulla was found at the foot of the external wall of the same structure, under a tower that was built in the days of Nehemiah. Both bullae, clearly preserved, measuring 1 cm. in diameter each and lettered in ancient Hebrew, were found among the debris of the destruction of the First Temple period (8th to 6th centuries BCE).

If you’ve not been keeping up with the story, this is your chance.

I’m Ticked At James Crossley

Why, ask you? After all, we’re great friends and we both belong to the ‘Jim Mutual Admiration Society’ (JIMAS). Well I’m ticked that I have to read about his forthcoming Bird smackdown on Nick Norelli’s blog and didn’t get word directly. Oh the lament; oh the horror; oh the dismay. I feel like I’ve been rolled over by a giant Tilling.

How Did Christianity Begin? by Hendrickson is due out in December. It’s subtitle is a bit confusing to me, though, ‘A Believer and a Non-Believer Examine the Evidence.’ I didn’t know Mike was an unbeliever! Color me shocked.

The objective of How Did Christianity Begin? is to present two contrasting perspectives on the history of early Christianity. The contrast is evidently sharp as one co-author comes from a conservative Christian background (Michael Bird), while the other co-author (James Crossley) approaches the matter from a secular standpoint. The volume works sequentially through Christian origins and addresses various topics including the historical Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, the Apostle Paul, the Gospels, and the early church. Each author in turn examines these subjects and lays out his historical arguments concerning their origin and meaning. The volume also includes short responses from two other scholars (Maurice Casey and Scot McKnight) to the arguments of Bird and Crossley so as to give an even handed and broad evaluation of the arguments and debates that unfold.

Sounds fun!