April 2011 Archives
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April 30, 2011
Claude Mariottini on Norman Gottwald
Claude Mariottini has a nice post on Norman Gottwald and his impact on the study of the Hebrew Bible. While less personal than Claude, I too have a warm place in my heart for Gottwald. His book, A Light to...Read all of "Claude Mariottini on Norman Gottwald"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:59 PM
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April 28, 2011
And Now For Something Completely Different
Well, perhaps not completely different because it touches on the nature of "intertextuality" in some large sense and therefore touches on my abnormal interest in literary echoes between various ancient texts. I have a couple of questions about word painting...Read all of "And Now For Something Completely Different"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:26 AM
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April 27, 2011
Finkelstein On The Politics Archaeology Of Jerusalem
Israel Finkelstein writes, “In the Eye of Jerusalem’s Archaeological Storm: The City of David, Beyond the Politics and Propaganda” for The Forward, Archaeological activity in Jerusalem has been sucked into a whirlwind of conflicting political agendas, and the site commonly...
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Posted by Duane Smith at 3:13 PM
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April 26, 2011
My Thoughts On The Upcoming Royal Wedding
Thanks for asking....Read all of "My Thoughts On The Upcoming Royal Wedding"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:57 AM
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April 24, 2011
Too Much Of A Good Thing
The important message from this latest study is interesting because, while saying that swearing as a response to pain might be beneficial, there is evidence that if you swear too often in everyday situations the power of swearing won't be...Read all of "Too Much Of A Good Thing"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:37 AM
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April 22, 2011
Divining Balaam: A Problem With Omens
In which, hoping to avoid confusion, I trot out a confusing array of Greek, Latin, and English technical terms. In the study of divination, it is common to differentiate between solicited and unsolicited omens, omina impetrativa and omina oblativa. For...Read all of "Divining Balaam: A Problem With Omens"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:36 PM
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April 21, 2011
The Bible On Net Neutrality
According to David Burton, But we talk about it today because it is a principle of free market. That’s a Biblical principle, that’s a historical principle, we have all these quotes from Ben Franklin, and Jefferson and Washington and others...Read all of "The Bible On Net Neutrality"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:21 AM
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April 19, 2011
An Uneventful Day
Today is one of those days in life that seems like it should be a milestone day but isn’t. I just send sent off (actually uploaded) my essay on the Mesopotamian origin of Homeric augury to a journal for peer...Read all of "An Uneventful Day"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:13 PM
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April 18, 2011
Hector Avalos On Biblical Ethics and Slavery (Soon)
Sheffield Scholarly Press has just announced Hector Avalos’ forthcoming book, Slavery, Abolitionism, and the Ethics of Biblical Scholarship. The announcement blurb alone will stir the pot. Here’s the last paragraph from the blurb. Avalos’s close readings of the writings of...Read all of "Hector Avalos On Biblical Ethics and Slavery (Soon)"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:40 PM
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April 17, 2011
Divining Birds Or Snakes In Deuteronomy 18:10-11
Deuteronomy 18:10-11 provides the most complete condemnation of divination of any passage in the Hebrew Bible. But exactly what is condemned? The Hebrew reads, לֹֽא־יִמָּצֵ֣א בְךָ֔ מַעֲבִ֥יר בְּנֹֽו־וּבִתֹּ֖ו בָּאֵ֑שׁ קֹסֵ֣ם קְסָמִ֔ים מְעֹונֵ֥ן וּמְנַחֵ֖שׁ וּמְכַשֵּֽׁף׃ וְחֹבֵ֖ר חָ֑בֶר וְשֹׁאֵ֥ל אֹוב֙ וְיִדְּעֹנִ֔י וְדֹרֵ֖שׁ...Read all of "Divining Birds Or Snakes In Deuteronomy 18:10-11"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:40 PM
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April 15, 2011
Lewis Binford (November 21, 1930 – April 11, 2011)
Lewis Binford died on Monday of this week. Here’s part of what the Southern Methodist University had to say about Lewis Binford. Lewis R. Binford, SMU Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, died April 11 in Kirksville, Mo. During his 40-year career...Read all of "Lewis Binford (November 21, 1930 – April 11, 2011)"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:24 PM
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April 14, 2011
Should We Have A Bake Sale?
According to today’s print edition of the Los Angeles Times, the CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation “received slightly lower compensation last year.” At a measly $21.4 million, a 1% decrease from the year before, and with gas prices on the...Read all of "Should We Have A Bake Sale?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:35 AM
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April 13, 2011
CAD U/W Is Available
The final volume, U/W, of the Chicago Assyrian Dictionary is now available. And it’s free online. This is really great news. There are few tools like CAD and its completion marks a major milestone in the study of Akkadian texts....Read all of "CAD U/W Is Available"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:12 PM
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Now That’s Long Term Planning
I am was happy to see that Chris Heard’s Genesis 1–21 through the Centuries will be out in the fall. But I was a little surprised at his schedule for his second Genesis volume, Genesis 22–50 through the Centuries. According...Read all of "Now That’s Long Term Planning"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:24 AM
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April 11, 2011
Did They Actually Believe This?
I’ve always wondered the extent to which religious beliefs are, well, believed. Mark Twain famously observed in his Notebook of 1879, “Religion consists in a set of things which the average man thinks he believes, and wishes he was certain.”...Read all of "Did They Actually Believe This?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:40 PM
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April 10, 2011
A Whole New Way To Waste My Time (And Yours)
I’m getting an essay ready to submit to a journal and since all my references are in a database I thought I’d take a look at their chronological distribution. First, I was more than a little shocked that I had...Read all of "A Whole New Way To Waste My Time (And Yours)"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:53 PM
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April 9, 2011
Quotation Of The Day
Fake metal codices department (and just about any other sensationalized story department): Trust me, the mainstream media have been informed about the true status of the fake codices. The lack of coverage is not due to ignorance, it's due to...Read all of "Quotation Of The Day"
Posted by Duane Smith at 3:15 PM
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April 8, 2011
On Noble Splendor
I’ve been reading Betz’ collection of translations from the Greek Magical Papyri. As part of his discussion of the scholarly climate at the very beginning of the 20th century, Betz quotes Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff as saying “I once heard a...Read all of "On Noble Splendor"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:23 AM
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April 6, 2011
Theodor Gaster Beat Me To It
Over the last couple of month’s I’ve been mulling over the role of not looking back in various ritual contexts with an eye on the divine prohibition against looking back for which Lot’s wife got herself salted. I’ve written a...Read all of "Theodor Gaster Beat Me To It"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:16 AM
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April 5, 2011
Dealing With Error In Someone Else’s Work
Over at Savage Minds, Adam Fish discusses how to deal with colleagues who are wrong. I think Adam is correct so I see no need to collaborate with him when he says, We’ve all been there. You’ve read a book...Read all of "Dealing With Error In Someone Else’s Work"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:10 PM
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April 4, 2011
The Viola As Fine Wine
Over the weekend, Shirley and I attended a concert by violinist and violist Andrew McIntosh. For three of the four pieces, McIntosh was accompanying by Gayle Blankenburg on the piano. The unaccompanied piece was “Sonata for solo viola (1991-1994)” by...Read all of "The Viola As Fine Wine"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:27 AM
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April 2, 2011
Which Way Are They Facing?
Take a look at these sections from two different Akkadian ritual texts. He says (it) [an incantation] seven times and while he places the heart [of a bird] in a hole on the east (side), she [a women past childbearing...Read all of "Which Way Are They Facing?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:34 PM
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April 1, 2011
The March Madness Edition Of The Biblical Studies Carnival Is Up
Darrell Pursiful, Dr. Platypus, scored a triple double with this month’s Biblical Studies Carnival. Be sure to give it a look....Read all of "The March Madness Edition Of The Biblical Studies Carnival Is Up"
Posted by Duane Smith at 9:51 AM
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This Is Not An April Fools Joke
I have two grandchildren — Maggie is 11, Robert is 9. I am convinced that if we do not decisively win the struggle over the nature of America, by the time they're my age they will be in a secular...Read all of "This Is Not An April Fools Joke"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:00 AM
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