Author Archives: Tyler F. Williams

Parallel Hebrew Bible with Paleo-Hebrew

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I have been meaning to put together a page for my Biblical Hebrew Resources pages collecting the various resources available online, so I have been collecting a fairly impressive list of sites. The Parallel Hebrew Old Testament just came to my attention the other day and it has a pretty neat feature: not only can you have the Hebrew Bible with the Latin Vulgate as well as a whole variety of English translations, you can also have it in paleo-Hebrew characters!

This is kind of neat, though practically the only use I can think of it is for text critics to be able to see how a passage would have looked in a paleo-Hebrew script. (You can also purchase the software for your own computer for a mere $5)
(HT Jim West)


The Latest in Vetus Testamentum

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Volume 56 of Vetus Testamentum — one of the major academic journals on the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible — has hit the shelves, and it contains a number of interesting articles, including one on the first chapter of Chronicles as well as a brief one on abecedaries.

Here is the table of contents:

  • Assis, Elie. “From Adam to Esau and Israel: an anti-edomite ideology in 1Chronicles 1,” Vetus Testamentum 56 (2006), 287-302.
  • Auffret, Pierre. “Dans les assemblées je bénirai YHWH: nouvelle étude structurelle du Psaume xxvi,” Vetus Testamentum 56 (2006), 303-12.
  • Berman, Joshua. “The narratorial voice of the scribes of samaria: Ezra iv 8-vi 18 Reconsidered,” Vetus Testamentum 56 (2006), 313-26.
  • Forti, Tova. “Bee’s honey-from realia to metaphor in biblical wisdom literature,” Vetus Testamentum 56 (2006), 327-41.
  • Hess, Richard S. “Writing about writing: abecedaries and evidence for literacy in Ancient Israel,” Vetus Testamentum 56 (2006), 342-46.
  • Kreuzer, Siegfried. “Zebaoth – der Thronende,” Vetus Testamentum 56 (2006), 347-62.
  • Norin, Stig. “Was ist ein gillajon?,” Vetus Testamentum 56 (2006), 363-69.
  • Seebass, Horst. “Versuch zu Josua xviii 1-10,” Vetus Testamentum 56 (2006), 370-85.
  • Shnider, Steven. “Psalm xviii: theophany, epiphany empowerment,” Vetus Testamentum 56 (2006), 386-98.
  • Wong, Gregory T.K. “Ehud and Joab: separated at birth?,” Vetus Testamentum 56 (2006), 399-412.
  • DiTommaso, Lorenzo. “History and apocalyptic eschatology: a reply to J.Y. Jindo,” Vetus Testamentum 56 (2006), 413-18.

The Exodus Decoded: An Appraisal (By Chris Heard)

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Perhaps one of the most lavish documentaries produced on the Hebrew Bible in recent years is Simcha Jacobovici’s The Exodus Decoded. This two-hour documentary purports to “analyze the latest archaeological findings and scientific papers;… explore the dusty back rooms of out-of-the-way libraries and museums around the world; and… track down dozens of forgotten relics and ancient documents” with an aim to “tell the true story of the Exodus.” This is an impressive claim — and the documentary’s slick production values will undoubtedly convince many casual viewers. This is not Jacobovici’s first foray into sensational biblical archaeology. He also produced a documentary series called the “Naked Archaeologistâ€? for VisionTV up here in Canada (You may want to read my review of the episode on “Who Invented the Alphabet?” here).
I will not offer my own critique of the Exodus Decoded. Instead, what I will do is point you to the excellent and thorough review of the documentary by Chris Heard over at Higgion. He has written a six-part extended review that is second to none:

  • Part 1 (A critique of parallel between the Tempest [Ahmose] Stela and the biblical story of the ten plagues)
  • Part 2 with addendum (Problems with the identification of Ahmose as the Pharaoh of the exodus and Jacobovici’s 1500 BCE date fro the exodus)
  • Part 3 (A rebuttal of Jacobovici’s identification of the merchants in the Beni Hasan wall paintings with Jacob’s migration into Egypt, among other things)
  • Part 4 (A critique of the connection made between the “Jacob-harâ€? seals discovered at Avaris and the biblical Joseph, son of Jacob)
  • Part 5 (Questioning the Israelite identity for the Serabit el-Khadim slaves)
  • Part 6 (A dismantling of the connection of the ten plagues and the Tempest Stela catastrophe to a Bronze Age eruption of the Santorini volcano)

All in all Chris does an excellent job picking apart Jacobovici’s falicious arguments — and there is more to come! He is only half way through the documentary! I am looking forward to reading the rest of Chris’s installments. Good work, Chris!

This documentary underscores to me the need of scholars to popularize our research. Reporters often misrepresent or misunderstand their sources, documentaries often pander to sensational theories, and the public appears to lap it all up. I don’t think that we as academics can do much to prevent how our views are presented. What we need to do, IMHO, is learn how to “spin� our research and bridge the gap between the academy and the everyday world ourselves. We need to team up with popular writers, directors, marketers, etc., and tell our perspectives in a way that is compelling and interesting. And we need to take the time to do this important task.