Carol L. Meyers

Haggai ; Zechariah 1-8 : a new translation with introduction and commentary

Haggai and Zechariah 1-8 - Volume 25B in the acclaimed Anchor Yale Bible part of the Scripture known as the Minor Prophets - were written during a critical period in Israels history, the momentous return of the Jews from Babylonian exile. Following the conquest of Babylon by the Persian Empire, the Israelites sought to reestablish their ethnic and religious legacy in Judah. This was a time of profound turmoil and uncertainty, and Haggai and Zechariah provided a crucial measure of support and inspiration. They rallied Israels energies and exhorted their fellow countrymen to heed the word of God. under their guidance the Jews restored the Temple at Jerusalem, which had been destroyed by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar. Together the two prophets guided Israel through an important transitional epoch and reconciled the influences of Persias dominion with the sacred traditions of the Hebrew people. In this illuminating new translation and commentary, Carol and Eric Meyers consider the Book of Haggai and the first eight chapters of the Book of Zechariah in a linguistic, social, and historical context. They underscore the literary artistry, the political acumen, and the prophetic authority of these fascination volumes that proved so vital to the survival of Israel and the preservation of the Jewish faith.

Of Drums and Damsels: Women's Performance in Ancient Israel

The mention of drummers today usually conjures up images of male musicians. Certainly female percussionists exist, but whether for rock combos or symphony orchestras, we tend to think of men, not women, with drum-sticks in hand. Has it always been this way? Is it that way in other cultures?

The Elusive Temple

The constant refashioning of ancient Israels shrine has obscured the permanent symbols and images in sacred architecture.

Was Ancient Israel a Patriarchal Society

The term “patriarchy” denotes the social-science concept of male dominance. This concept was formulated by nineteenth-century anthropologists using classical literature, especially legal texts, in their attempts to understand the history of the family. Biblical scholars interested in Israelite family structures soon took up the term. By the early twentieth century, sociologists (notably Weber) extended the concept of patriarchy to include society-wide male domination. This too entered scholarship on the Hebrew Bible and ancient Israel. However, the validity and appropriateness of this concept to designate both families and society have recently been challenged in several disciplines: in classical scholarship, by using sources other than legal texts; in research on the Hebrew Bible and ancient Israel, also by using multiple sources; and in the work of third-wave feminists, both social theorists and feminist archaeologists. Taken together, these challenges provide compelling reasons for abandoning the patriarchy model as an adequate or accurate descriptor of ancient Israel.

Sepphoris: "Ornament of All Galilee"

The modern visitor to ancient Sepphoris sees a large irregular hill rising from the lowlands of Galilee. On its southern and eastern sides a forest of spindly pine trees stretches along the slopes. On the northwestern edge a cluster of buildings, including an orphanage run by Italian nuns and the towering unroofed walls of a never-completed Crusader church, huddles against the scarp. The steep northern slope has discouraged both natural and man-made cover, but the massive remains of an ancient building can be seen where the embankment has eroded away. Only the top of the hill remains barren, with the exception of the ever-present ground cover of thorns and thistles and a towering square citadel. The citadel, which dates in its present form to the end of the nineteenth century, rests on foundations laid during the Byzantine period and possibly renovated in the Crusader period around 1200 C.E. (Strange and Longstaff 1984: 51). It incorporates large ashlar blocks, including several sarcophagi from the Roman period, in its lower courses. The fortress is both a landmark and a lookout point. The roof of this three-story building (10.50 meters high, or more than 30 feet above ground level) offers a commanding view of the great Sepphoris plain known as Sahl el-Battuaf. From nearby Nazareth (four miles to the east) the Sepphoris hill, which rises 115 meters from the surrounding plain, is unmistakable with its citaby

From Household to House of Yahweh: Women's Religious Culture in Ancient Israel

The study of women and religion in the biblical world has taken several dramatic turns over the last century or more. In order to study womens religious culture in ancient Israel and to avoid adopting the perspective of the texts themselves or of the male-dominated Judeo-Christian interpretive tradition, an anthropological approach is adopted. The formation of ritual behaviors in relation to reproduction is a function of the critical place of birth processes in the life cycle and of the life-death risks involved at each stage. The virtual silence of the biblical record about the religious culture of Israelite women with respect to reproduction renders that culture similarly ahistoric and calls for similar investigative strategies. Those strategies involve the use of three kinds of data-archaeological, ethnohistorical, and ethnographic. The archaeological remains that can be most directly associated with the rituals of female reproduction are iconographic. Keywords: biblical world; Israelite women; religious culture

Artistry in Stone: The Mosaics of Ancient Sepphoris

During the 1987 excavation season at this site in Galilee, a startling discovery was made: a beautifully preserved mosaic floor dating to around the third century C.E. The excavators introduce us to what has been hailed as the finest example of mosaic art from ancient Palestine.

The Ark of Nabratein: a First Glance

Current excavations of Galilean synagogues have led to the important discovery of an architectural fragment of a Torah Shrine, the successor to the ancient Ark of the Covenant in late Jewish tradition.

Contributing to Continuity: Women and Sacrifice in Ancient Israel

In this first chapter Carol Meyers examines carefully the archaeological and textual evidence, as well as ethnographic data, for women’s participation in ancient Israel’s rituals. She explores the different religious activities, e.g., temple sacrifices, funerary rituals, and household offerings, that ensured the sustenance, prosperity, and continuity of the Israelites. In so doing Meyers presents new insights into women’s roles in this period.

Law, Power, and Justice in Ancient Israel by Douglas A. Knight

as generaL edItor of the LIbrary of Ancient Israel series, Douglas Knight has facilitated the publication of a distinguished group of books dealing with the world of ancient Israel. Now he has added his own noteworthy book to this series. Like most of the works in this collection, Law, Power, and Justice in Ancient Israel engages multiple disciplines in order to recover Israelite social realities and dynamics in relation to biblical materials—in this case the extensive legal stipulations of the Pentateuch—in order to gain a deeper and more accurate understanding of both ancient Israel and the Hebrew Bible that is its literary legacy.