Journal of Hebrew Scriptures (JHS)
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“The Tallest Man Cannot Reach Heaven; the Broadest Man Cannot Cover Earth” – Reconsidering the Proverb and its Biblical Parallels
Get PDFAn ancient Mesopotamian proverb states: "even the tallest man cannot reach heaven; even the broadest man cannot cover earth". This proverb, occurring in different contexts, periods and versions, expresses the limitedness of the human ability, physically as well as mentally. The proverb seems to stand at the background of several biblical passages, especially Deut 30:11–13; Amos 9:2–3; Job 11:8–9; Job 28:12–22; and Ps 139:8–10. This article seeks to re-examine the different manifestations of the proverb, and to trace the development of the topoi reflected in it, with a focus on their adaptation in the Hebrew Bible
Archaeology as a High Court in Ancient Israelite History: A Reply to Nadav Na’aman
Get PDFThis is a rejoinder to N. Na\u27aman, "Does Archaeology Really Deserve the Status of A ‘High Court’ in Biblical and Historical Research?," B. Becking and L.L. Grabbe (eds.) Between Evidence and Ideology (OtSt, 59; Leiden: Brill, 165–183) that claims that although archaeological evidence can be fragmentary and may be misinterpreted, when solid data from well-excavated sites is compared to assumptions regarding the nature of biblical texts and their date of compilation, the former should prevail, at least until tested by new archaeological evidence or extra-biblical texts
The Book of The Watchers (1 Enoch 1–36): An Anti-Mosaic, Non-Mosaic, or Even Pro-Mosaic Writing?
Get PDFThe Book of the Watchers (BW) is generally considered a non-Mosaic if not an anti-Mosaic writing. In more recent research, discussions on the meaning of such labels are ever so prevalent. Nevertheless, the positions do not move far beyond the common patterns of interpretation. The present paper explores the different presuppositions and arguments supporting the assumption of the non- or even anti-Mosaic character of the BW and proposes a reading beyond the antagonism “Enochic” versus “Mosaic.
Review of Webster, Brian L., The Cambridge Introduction to Biblical Hebrew with CD-ROM (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009).
No full textReview of Allen, Leslie C., Jeremiah: A Commentary (OTL; Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox, 2008).
No full textReview of Corley, Jeremy and Vincent Skemp (eds.), Studies in the Greek Bible: Essays in Honor of Francis T. Gignac, S.J. (CBQMS, 44; Washington, DC: The Catholic Biblical Association of America, 2008).
No full textReview of Knoppers, Gary N., and Kenneth A. Ristau, eds., Community Identity in Judean Historiography: Biblical and Comparative Perspectives (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2009).
No full textIn Conversation With Joshua A. Berman, Created Equal: How the Bible Broke With Ancient Political Thought (Oxford University Press, 2008).
No full textThis contribution emerges out of a session devoted to a critical assessment of the book that took place at the 2009 SBL Annual Meeting. It includes Joshua Berman, “Created Equal: Main Claims and Methodological Assumptions,” Susan Ackerman, “Only Men are Created Equal, ”Norman Gottwald, “Between Diachronic and Synchronic Approaches,” Saul M. Olyan, “Equality and Inequality in the Socio-Political Visions of the Pentateuch’s Sources,” and Joshua Berman, “A Response: Three Points of Methodology
Nehemiah 5: A Response to Philippe Guillaume
Get PDFThis a response to Philippe Guillaume’s recent article (“Nehemiah 5: No Economic Crisis,” Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 10 [2010], article 8). With Guillaume, I hold the position that the crisis was episodic rather than structural, temporary rather than systemic. We differ, however, on which sociological model best illuminates the text and therefore, we reach different conclusions about the socio-economic circumstances of the time
Comparison With David as a Means of Evaluating Character in the Book of Kings
Get PDFComparison with David is a literary device employed throughout the book of Kings as a way to assess the kings whose deeds are recounted in the book (both kings of Judah and at least Jehu of Israel). Explicit comparisons to David are linked to literary allusions to him and understood as a single basic phenomenon. The comparisons also include a sophisticated system of inverted analogies (among David, Solomon and Jeroboam)