Einstein Study on Genetics of North African Jews
The L.A. Times has reported on a study carried out by Dr. Harry Ostrer, a medical geneticist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. The results of the study show that “North African Jews are more closely related to Jews from other parts of the world than they are to most of their non-Jewish neighbors in North Africa.”
I am quoted in the article, commenting on the connection between the study of history and the science of genetics: “It’s exciting to see that what we know from the history books is turning out to be real in the genetics.”
Laws in the Bible by Samuel Greengus
Laws in the Bible, Samuel Greengus
This is the text from a paper I gave at the International SBL in Amsterdam:
I take it as my responsibility to deal specifically today with what might be termed the Judaic aspects of Samuel Greengus’ new volume, Laws in the Bible and in Early Rabbinic Collections. First, I will seek to place this volume in the context of modern Jewish biblical studies and then I will discuss specifically its approach to second Temple and rabbinic texts.
From the point of view of modern biblical studies, it has long been recognized that there exists a trend within the field that is generally termed “Jewish biblical studies.” What typifies this approach is that it for the most part was developed at Israeli universities and American Jewish rabbinical schools; it greatly emphasizes comparative ancient Near Eastern data; it minimizes attention to issues of higher biblical criticism; and it makes use of traditional Jewish resources, rabbinic and medieval, which are often woven integrally into an exposition that synthesizes the various materials. The classic examples of this approach may be found in the Jewish Publication Society Bible Commentary series. But to tell the truth, it seems… Continue reading
Sukenik and the Dead Sea Scrolls, Part I
Virtually every book on the Dead Sea Scrolls recounts the story of Eleazar Lipa Sukenik’s role in the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Indeed, Sukenik’s contribution is usually discussed as threefold: 1. He was the first to recognize the antiquity of the scrolls, 2. he managed to purchase some of the first scrolls for the state of Israel, and 3. he was the first to identify the scrolls sect with the Essenes. Often, the latter contribution is not even mentioned. Virtually no recent studies have delved into the contribution of this leading scholar of Jewish archaeology – indeed, the founder of the Jewish archaeology of the Land of Israel – to the publication, interpretation and historical conceptualization of the scrolls.
Sukenik and the Biblical Scrolls
Sukenik quickly observed that these texts illuminated the manifold Talmudic discussions of the correct manner of preparing scrolls. He showed this by quoting the specific scribal halakhot as he described the manuscripts. In addition he also discussed parallel practices known from Greek papyri. He described the loose practices of the scrolls regarding paragraph spaces, indeed a contrast with later Torah scrolls and medieval Biblical manuscripts in codex form.… Continue reading
