General

Abstract

General William J. Urbrock, Isaac M. Alderman, John W. Wright, George C. Heider, Christopher T. Begg, Thomas Hieke, David A. Leiter, and Fred W. Guyette 1. [Lev 19:28; Isa 44:5] Mark W. Chavalas, "Unholy Ink: What Does the Bible Say about Tattoos?" BARev 42 (6, 2016) 22, 68. C. discusses Lev 19:28 (which prohibits cutting or marking the body) and Isa 44:5 (which speaks poetically of inscribing God's name on one's arm).—W.J.U. 2. Jeffrey L. Cooley, "Astral religion in Ugarit and ancient Israel," JNES 70 (2011) 281-87. In this, the first of two articles, with the goal of examining the relationship between astral religion and celestial divination in Israel, C. asserts that astral religion was part of both state and domestic life, citing evidence from Ugarit, the southern Levant and the HB. He concludes that astral religion was an integral (not foreign) aspect of Israelite religion, particularly as it concerned the stars as the Host of Heaven.—I.M.A. 3. Collin Cornell, "What happened to Kemosh?" ZAW 128 (2016) 284-99. Kemosh and Yhwh initially were patron deities of their respective Iron Age Levantine kingdoms and shared various similarities of profile. The postnational history of Kemosh can possibly help isolate the historical and intellectual events that distinguish Yhwh from Kemosh. Both deities underwent "the Greek interpretation" by being identified with their equivalent in the Greek pantheon. Unlike Kemosh, however, Yhwh's evolution included a counterbalancing force, i.e. inscripturation. Kemosh devotees never gathered prophetic oracles and regional stories about Kemosh; their deity was simply assimilated to the Greek god Ares, without remainder. [Adapted from published abstract—J.W.W.] 4. Estée Dvorjetski, "From Ugarit to Madaba: Philological and Historical Functions of the marzēaḥ," JSS 61 (2016) 17-39. The marzēaḥ or marzēḥā has long been understood as a socio-religious association that gathered for ritual feasting and drinking. The institution is known in a number of geographical locations in areas where the various North-West Semitic languages were used. The relevant texts range from prebiblical to biblical and postbiblical and stem from Ugarit, Ebla, Phoenicia, Emar, Palmyra, the Land of Israel, Elephantine, and Nabataea. Festivals took place in honor of gods and kings and were associated with temples and banqueting sites. D.'s paper attempts to demonstrate that the marzēaḥ is most convincingly interpreted as an association for periodic religious celebrations, not only for the cult of the dead, but also in connection with special feasts, sacral sexual orgies and performances in theaters. [Adapted from published abstract—G.C.H.] 5. F. E. Freeks, "Old Testament Figures as Possible Current 'Mentors': Exploratory Pastoral-Theological Reflections," SJOT 39 (2016) 236-48. F.'s article explores the possible role of a "mentor" figure based on theoretical pointers offered by OT personages. Throughout the article, mentoring is treated according to the approach of T. van der Walt (2007). Among the OT figures considered by F. are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, David, and Solomon. They were [End Page 1] selected for treatment by F. in virtue of their status as leaders and guides. In F.'s view, the OT narratives about these figures coupled with van der Walt's mentoring theory are of potential significance for today's discussion concerning the role of a father as mentor in the home. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] 6. Michah Gottlieb, "Oral Letter and Written Trace: Samson Raphael Hirsch's Defense of the Bible and Talmud," JQR 106 (2016) 316-51. Isaac Heinemann has argued that S. R. Hirsch espoused a consistent philosophy of Judaism throughout his literary career from The Nineteen Letters of 1836 onward. G.'s essay, for its part, seeks to show rather that Heinemann's affirmation, which is shared by many Hirsch scholars, is mistaken. In The Nineteen Letters, Hirsch writes as a representative of the German Jewish majority of the time and seeks to respond to Reform challenges by justifying Orthodoxy using the Protestant/maskilic categories of letter and spirit, which leads him to portray the Bible as primary and...