At the Origins of Monotheism: A Socio-economic Confrontation in Ancient Syro Mesoptamia
Bunche Hall 2209A 11282 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, United StatesWhat is known as monotheism may be seen, in it earliest manifestation, in the light of an epistemic confrontation of the biblical tradition with the system of knowledge that had developed in the great cities of Mesopotamia. The paper presents a view that is at variance with the communis opinio, both in terms of...
Grupo Madera: 20th Century Afro-Venezuelan Religiosity, Rhythms, and Resistance
Kaplan 365Grupo Madera (Wood Group) was founded in 1977 in San Agustín del Sur – an Afro-Venezuelan working-class barrio – by Afro-Venezuelan youth committed to Third World liberation struggles, global Pan-Africanism, and Black consciousness. As a traditional Afro-Venezuelan musical ensemble and community organization, Grupo Madera responded to the people’s calls for economic justice and political...
A Royal Osirian Funerary Rite? The Awakening of Osiris Ritual in Tutankhamun’s Tomb
Kaplan 365Over 100 years after its discovery, the tomb of Tutankhamun continues to be the focus of numerous Egyptological studies and scholarly research. Due to Howard Carter’s meticulous documentation of the tomb, it’s possible to continue to “excavate” the tomb and make new discoveries about ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, kingship ideology, and funerary practices, including...
“Abba has begun to make money from the beer business”: Beer, Business, and Halakhah in Rabbinic Literature (Bible and the Ancient World series)
314 Royce HallPresented by: Professor Jordan D. Rosenblum of the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Where Was Adam Buried? Textual Communities and the Changing Location of a Sacred Site
Online on ZoomJoin Zoom: https://ucla.zoom.us/j/95410494359 Because neither the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, nor Qur’ān specify the place of Adam’s burial, its location became an object of contention over the ages among Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The oldest Jewish traditions locate Adam’s tomb in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron, thereby associating Adam with the biblical patriarchs...
Mark of Contradictions: The Creation of Judah’s History and the Case of Samson (Bible and the Ancient World series)
314 Royce HallPresented by: Professor Mahri Leonard-Fleckman of College of the Holy Cross
History and Ideology: Is There A Second Temple Judaism?
Haines 39/ZoomPeriodization is a critical tool for historians, but it is also practice fraught with difficulty. As scholars have come to recognize, the division of historical narratives into broad analytic rubrics is anchored in the ideological commitments—often implicit and unrecognized—of their authors. A great deal of work has been devoted to examining these questions as they...
How the Forbidden Fruit Became an Apple
Haines 39/ZoomWith the exception of the cross, the apple—as the forbidden fruit—may be the most widely-recognized biblical image. Yet the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew original does not name the species of fruit that caused the Fall of Man, nor do any of its many translations. While early Christian and rabbinic commentators identify various species...
Ancient Judaism between Christian Memory and Jewish Forgetting
Royce Hall, Rm 314Drawing on her in-progress book project on Forgetting, this seminar will explore the place of memory and forgetting in the reception of Second Temple Judaism, revisiting the supposed Rabbinic retreat from "history" after the Roman destruction of the Temple in 70 CE and exploring Christian and Jewish contestation over pre-70 Jewish pasts, from antiquity...
Lost Books: The Forgetfulness of Writing and the Forgetting of Jewish Pasts
314 Royce HallIt is often noted how the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls transformed our understanding of ancient Judaism, radically expanding our evidence for Jews and Judaism prior to the rise of Christianity. Yet this material also stands as a striking reminder of how much of the literary heritage of Jewish antiquity has been lost...