Ancient Hebrew Poetry

A Plea for a Broad Definition of Ancient Hebrew

Ancient Hebrew (עברית עתיקה Ivrít atiqá) is a conventional designation for the language in which the Hebrew Bible is composed. To be clear, not all of התנ״ך ha-Tanakh – an acronym composed of the first letter of the titles of its successive parts: תורה Torá, נביאים Neviím, andכתובים  Ketuvím – is written in Hebrew. Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26, Dan 2:4b-7:28, Jer 10:11, and a phrase in Gen 31:47 are written in ancient Aramaic (ארמית עתיקה Aramít atiqá), the lingua franca of a cross-section of the ancient Near East in the neo-Assyrian, neo-Babylonian, and Persian periods.

Why educational blogging has a huge price tag

I know there are people who like free online resources and blogging because they’re free. But that way of thinking depends on a number of false assumptions. It is as wrong-headed and short-sighted as the mantra that education, including a college education, should be free for everyone (including those who can afford to pay for some or all of the real costs: go here for the terms of the debate). The fact is, education is not free. The only questions are: how much, and who pays for what.

A Thanksgiving Psalm

Praise of God’s providence soaks the lines of Psalm 65, a paeon of thanksgiving in a time of abundance. Despite the difficulties of the hour, we live in a time of great prosperity. According to the psalm, were it not for divine atonement, the fallout of our misdeeds would overwhelm us. Below the jump, text and translation.

Cooking the data: why the name of climate science is damaged

Climate science continues to gather an ever-increasing amount of data and to analyze that data in increasingly refined ways. But are climatologists capable of making reliable long-term predictions? Claims to the contrary notwithstanding, there is no good evidence that they are.

Back from SBL-New Orleans

I had a great time at SBL-New Orleans. I drove back and forth from Wisconsin, a 16-hour drive one way. It gave me the time I wanted to chat with my 15 year old daughter Betta who came along on the trip. The bad thing about having a car in New Orleans is that parking is a mess downtown. I got towed once and thereby made a $150 contribution to the “Indigent Legal Defense Fund.” Can I write that off on my taxes? I think I will.

Why pastors do not visit enough

The most common complaint pastors hear is that they do not visit enough. If a pastor (priest, rabbi) is responsible for 6000 souls, the whole idea of being on a first-name basis with the membership, of visiting in good times and bad, is out of the question. But if a pastor is responsible for a membership of 500, as I am, the old parish model of a minister who actually ministers to a flock is not out of the question. On the other hand, there are sociological obstacles to overcome. Below the jump, an article I wrote for my church’s newsletter on the topic. I hereby grant permission to any and all pastors, priests, and rabbis to cut-and-paste as needed.

Ancient Hebrew Poetry: Understanding Compositional Technique is Important

The objection will be raised: is it really possible to get students interested in the nuts and bolts of ancient Hebrew poetry? Who cares enough about the contours and craft of that poetry to want to come to a clear understanding of its ground rules? Poetry, yes, everyone likes how it sounds. Poetry theory, that’s for the birds.

Teaching Ancient Hebrew Poetry: Key Definitions

In the context of teaching the poetic texts of the Hebrew Bible, it helps to work with transparent definitions of poetry and features thereof. Furthermore, it is worth expounding and illustrating a working hypothesis relative to regularities in ancient Hebrew verse, even when scholars endlessly argue, as biblical scholars do, about the exact conventions the corpus of poetry under study conforms to. The endless arguments should not be allowed to obscure a firm datum: Hebraists are in general agreement about the basic conventions that regulate ancient Hebrew poetry, an evident fact once it is observed that the identification of and scansion of biblical Hebrew poetry offered in recent translations such as NJPSV, NRSV, REB, NAB, NJB, and ESV overlap to a very large degree.

Places to eat in New Orleans for SBL attendees

Life is short, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. With that in mind, if in New Orleans, it makes sense to savor the local cuisine. Here is my recommendation.

The Very Best Online Resources for Students of Biblical Hebrew

Five resources are particularly useful.