Resenhas na RBL: 25.05.2012

As seguintes resenhas foram recentemente publicadas pela Review of Biblical Literature:

Mary Dove, ed.
The Earliest Advocates of the English Bible: The Texts of the Medieval Debate
Reviewed by David G. Burke

Yitzhaq Feder
Blood Expiation in Hittite and Biblical Ritual: Origins, Context, and Meaning
Reviewed by Pekka Pitkänen

David Frankel
The Land of Canaan and the Destiny of Israel: Theologies of Territory in the Hebrew Bible
Reviewed by Phillip Sherman

Lisbeth S. Fried, ed.
Was 1 Esdras First? An Investigation into the Priority and Nature of 1 Esdras
Reviewed by Erik Eynikel

Dennis J. Horton
Death and Resurrection: The Shape and Function of a Literary Motif in the Book of Acts
Reviewed by Arie W. Zwiep

Elizabeth A. McCabe, ed.
Women in the Biblical World: A Survey of Old and New Testament Perspectives
Reviewed by Joseph Oryshak

Joshua N. Moon
Jeremiah’s New Covenant: An Augustinian Reading
Reviewed by Bob Becking

Luis Sánchez Navarro
Testimonios del Reino: Evangelios Sinópticos y Hechos los Apóstoles
Reviewed by David E. C. Ford

Antoinette Clark Wire
The Case for Mark Composed in Performance
Reviewed by Larry W. Hurtado

Ben Witherington III
What’s in the Word: Rethinking the Socio-rhetorical Character of the New Testament
Reviewed by Richard L. Rohrbaugh

>> Visite: Review of Biblical Literature Blog

Gilmar Mendes x Lula

Conduta de Gilmar Mendes provoca críticas e representações – Najla Passos e Vinicius Mansur: Carta Maior 31/05/2012

As recentes declarações do ministro do Supremo Tribunal Federal, Gilmar Mendes, de que o ex-presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva teria tentado chantageá-lo para que adiasse o julgamento do “mensalão”, provocaram vários questionamentos sobre a conduta do ministro, classificada por alguns como “polêmica”, “questionável” e mesmo “destemperada”.

Trechos do artigo:

:: O PSOL – que havia se unido ao PSDB, DEM e PPS para solicitar à investigação da conduta de Lula – protocolou ontem, na Procuradoria Geral da República, representação em que questiona a conduta do Mendes, classificada pela sigla como “bastante questionável”.

:: O servidor público Cícero Batista Araújo Rôla protocolou, nesta quarta (30), na presidência do Senado, o pedido de impeachment do ministro do STF, Gilmar Mendes. Cícero, (…)é secretário-geral da CUT-DF.

:: O ex-presidente Lula, em palestra proferida (…) em Brasília, na noite de quarta (30), afirmou que precisa ter cuidado com uma minoria que não gosta dele. “Você sabe que tem muita gente que gosta de mim, mas tem algumas que não gostam. Eu tenho que tomar cuidado contra essas. São minoria, mas estão aí, no pedaço”, afirmou.

:: Mais cedo, a presidenta Dilma Rousseff, durante cerimônia de entrega do Prêmio Objetivos do Milênio Brasil, já havia feito uma homenagem ao ex-presidente. “As pessoas nos lugares certos e na hora certa mudam processos e transformam a realidade”, afirmou a presidenta, propondo a homenagem.

:: Na terça (29), a Secretaria de Comunicação da Presidência da República divulgou nota desmentindo a matéria “Para Dilma, há risco de crise institucional”, na qual o jornal O Estado de São Paulo diz que a presidenta, em reunião com o presidente do STF, Ayres Britto, teria dito o episódio envolvendo Mendes e Lula colocava em risco as relações entre Executivo e Judiciário. A nota afirma que o jornal contrariou “a prática do jornalismo” e que “os comentários atribuídos à presidenta da República citados na reportagem são inteiramente falsos”, diz a nota.

:: O STF, que em nota também negou o teor da reportagem, preferiu não emitir opinião sobre as desavenças entre seu ministro e o ex-presidente. De acordo com a Folha de S.Paulo, o presidente da Corte, Ayres Britto, após consulta aos ministros, teria concluído o encontro entre Lula e Gilmar não foi um episódio institucional, mas pessoal.

:: A Embaixada da Venezuela no Brasil divulgou nota oficial repudiando as declarações do ministro, ao jornal O Globo, de que “o Brasil não é a Venezuela de Chávez, onde o mandatário, quando contrariado, mandou até prender juiz”.

:: O deputado Protógenes Queiroz (PCdoB-SP), também atacado por Mendes, atribuiu as declarações do ministro a uma tentativa de inviabilizar os trabalhos da CPMI do Cachoeira.

:: O ex-delegado da Agência Brasileira de Inteligência (Abin), Paulo Lacerda, acusado por Gilmar Mendes de “grampear” o STF, em 2008, rebateu as declarações recentes do ministro de que ele continuaria abastecendo Lula com informações sobre a atividade do magistrado.

Transcrição do Codex Sinaiticus disponível para download

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Testemunhos sobre o teólogo J. B. Libânio

J. B. Libânio. A trajetória de um teólogo brasileiro. Testemunhos

No ano do cinquentenário do início do Concílio Vaticano II e dos 40 anos do lançamento do livro Teologia da Libertação de Gustavo Gutierrez que abriu um novo e inédito panorama teológico na América Latina e no mundo, celebramos os 80 anos de vida de um teólogo brasileiro, João Batista Libânio. Os testemunhos publicados nesta edição da IHU On-Line descrevem esta trajetória. Contribuem para o debate Leonardo Boff, José Oscar Beozzo, Faustino Teixeira, Carlos Roberto Drawin, Pedro Rubens, Luiz Carlos Susin, Maria Teresa Bustamante Teixeira, Geraldo De Mori e J. B. Libânio.

Fonte: IHU On-Line 394 – Ano XII – 28.05.2012

Selo de argila do século VII a.C. menciona Belém

Toda descoberta arqueológica em Jerusalém gera controvérsias. Esta também.

:: Earliest Archaeological Evidence of the Existence of the City of Bethlehem already in the First Temple Period (May 2012) – IAA

The first ancient artifact constituting tangible evidence of the existence of the city of Bethlehem, which is mentioned in the Bible, was recently discovered in Jerusalem.

A bulla measuring c. 1.5 cm was found during the sifting of soil removed from archaeological excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is carrying out in the City of David. The sifting is underwritten by the ‘Ir David Foundation’ in a project being conducted in the Emek Tzurim National Park.

A bulla is a piece of clay that was used for sealing a document or object. The bulla was impressed with the seal of the person who sent the document or object, and its integrity was evidence the document or object was not opened by anyone unauthorized to do so.

Three lines of ancient Hebrew script appear on the bulla:
בשבעת Bishv’at
בת לחם Bat Lechem
[למל]ך [Lemel]ekh

According to Eli Shukron, director of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “it seems that in the seventh year of the reign of a king (it is unclear if the king referred to here is Hezekiah, Manasseh or Josiah), a shipment was dispatched from Bethlehem to the king in Jerusalem. The bulla we found belongs to the group of “fiscal” bullae – administrative bullae used to seal tax shipments remitted to the taxation system of the Kingdom of Judah in the late eighth and seventh centuries BCE. The tax could have been paid in the form of silver or agricultural produce such as wine or wheat”. Shukron emphasizes,” this is the first time the name Bethlehem appears outside the Bible, in an inscription from the First Temple period, which proves that Bethlehem was indeed a city in the Kingdom of Judah, and possibly also in earlier periods”.

In the Bible Bethlehem is first mentioned in the verse “in Ephrath, which is Bethlehem”, and it was on the way there that Rachel died and it is where she was buried (Genesis 35:19; 48:7). The descendants of Judah settled there, among them the family of Boaz (Book of Ruth).

 

More on the so-called ‘Bethlehem’ Bulla – George Athas: 25/05/2012

Since the original announcement by the Israel Antiquities Authority, there has been a flurry of discussion about the new bulla which, it is claimed, refers to Bethlehem. In my previous blog article, I mentioned that the photograph accompanying the announcement didn’t seem to allow for a reference to Bethlehem. At the same time, however, I mentioned that photographs of inscriptions like these can distort critical features. Hence, I called for some extra eyes to take a look at the bulla and let us know what they see.

Today comes news (via an email from Joseph Lauer) that Shmuel Ahituv (Ben Gurion University) inspected the bulla and in the second register he reads the following letters:

[…]יתלח[…]

According to Ahituv, the first fragmentary letter is not a ב (b), as originally reported by Eli Shukron, but a י (y). Furthermore, he claims that though they are slight there are traces of a left vertical stroke on the final extant letter, yielded a ח (ḥ) rather than ה (h). Accordingly, he concludes that the second register does indeed refer to Bethlehem (ביתלחם).

Ahituv is a trusty epigrapher. He’s the author of the Carta Handbook, Echoes from the Past: Hebrew and Cognate Inscriptions from the Biblical Period, and he knows his stuff. It’s good to see that we have an actual epigrapher looking at the bulla. One wonders why his opinion was not included prominently in the IAA’s original announcement. I’m more than happy to retract my preliminary conclusion on the bulla, but before doing so, I’d like to hear from one or two other epigraphers who can inspect the bulla itself. Chris Rollston, you’re up!

This raises the issue of the way epigraphic finds are announced. It would seem sound practice to employ two independent epigraphers and have their opinions accompany any such announcement. This is especially vital when the published photograph seems to speak against the announcement.

 

Drawing of the ‘Bethlehem’ Bulla – George Athas: 29/05/2012

There is a facsimile drawing of the so-called ‘Bethlehem’ bulla now available. It has been produced by Pnina Arad.

According to the drawing, the first register contains a triangular-shaped ʿayin (ע) and the lower fragment of a taw (ת), yielding the word בשבעת (bšbʿt), meaning ‘in the seventh (year)’. The second register has the leftmost portions of a yodh (י) as the first extant letter. The fourth visible letter has been drawn as a ḥeth (ח), though apparently the vertical stroke in the top left has been broken off. The proposed reading is ביתלחם (bytlḥm), referring to the toponym Bethlehem. The third register has only one extant letter, but on the basis of other fiscal bullae, has been reconstructed as למלך (lmlk), meaning ‘for the king’.

So it looks like the bulla probably does refer to Bethlehem after all. Nevertheless, a personal inspection by another epigrapher (in addition to Shmuel Ahituv) would still be good to double-check.

Uma hipótese neodocumentária do Pentateuco?

Um professor de Antigo Testamento da Yale Divinity School, USA, Joel S. Baden, acaba de publicar um livro sobre o Pentateuco com um título que chama a atenção: A composição do Pentateuco: renovando a hipótese documentária.

BADEN, J. S. The Composition of the Pentateuch: Renewing the Documentary Hypothesis. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012, 392 p. – ISBN 9780300152630

Em artigo na revista online The Bible and InterpretationThe Re-Emergence of Source Criticism: The Neo-Documentary Hypothesis – ele argumenta que a HipóteseBADEN, J. S. The Composition of the Pentateuch: Renewing the Documentary Hypothesis. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012, 392 p. Documentária, abandonada por boa parte da pesquisa nos últimos 40 anos, está ressurgindo em nova e mais fundamentada forma. Ela está novamente ocupando o seu lugar como uma importante teoria sobre a composição do Pentateuco.

Entretanto, lendo o artigo, fiquei decepcionado. O que começo a notar é que a proposta hipótese neodocumentária “foge da briga” para manter viva a hipótese documentária. Por um lado, várias perguntas fundamentais da hipótese documentária são consideradas inúteis e ultrapassadas. Isto aparece nos sete argumentos colocados pelo autor. E, por outro lado, termino a leitura sem saber muito bem o que propõe a “hipótese neodocumentária”. Só se isto estiver claro no livro. Quem sabe?

Ao ler o artigo de Joel S. Baden, não deixe de conferir os comentários de  Niels Peter Lemche, Philip Davies, Matt Lynch, Martin Shields.

 

Trechos do artigo que chamaram minha atenção? Por exemplo:

:: In short, the Documentary Hypothesis is regaining its place as a viable, productive, and current approach to the Pentateuch.

:: This is not to say, however, that the Documentary Hypothesis of the early twentieth century is simply being restated. On the contrary: one of the main contributions of more recent source-critical work has been the identification and correction of the methodological problems that plagued earlier scholarship—the very problems which, it is fair to say, contributed significantly if not primarily to the move away from the Documentary Hypothesis in Europe in recent generations. Two of these methodological problems are worthy of particular attention: the question of stylistic differences as a means of distinguishing among the sources, and the question of similarity of content among the various sources.

:: Thus the very correct criticisms of anti-documentary scholars from the earliest days of the theory until our own time are not necessarily grounds for dismissing the whole hypothesis; they are, rather, a call to refine and revise the methods employed by scholars when describing and applying the hypothesis. When such refinements and revisions are undertaken, as they have been recently, the Documentary Hypothesis regains its place as the most economical, comprehensive explanation for the literary phenomena of the canonical Pentateuch.

:: David Wright has termed the recent source-critical approach the “Neo-Documentary Hypothesis,” a label which is gaining some use among its adherents and others. What, then, is the shape of the Neo-Documentary Hypothesis? How does it differ from its earlier incarnation; how does it take into account the methodological problems of classical documentary scholarship; how does it help us to better understand the composition of the Pentateuch?

:: Why the Pentateuch is incoherent: that is the driving question of all critical enquiries into the composition of the text, and the Neo-Documentary Hypothesis is the most comprehensive and economical answer to that question.

Um aclamado comentário ao Evangelho de Marcos

Um aclamado comentário ao Evangelho de Marcos, publicado em 2002, está agora disponível em paperback.

MOLONEY, F. J. The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012, xviii + 398 p. – ISBN 9780801048418.

Este é um comentário bem documentado, com extensas notas de rodapé e duas dezenas de páginas de bibliografia. Quem desejar uma abordagem mais simplificada ao Evangelho de Marcos, pode consultar, do mesmo autor,  Mark: Storyteller, Interpreter, Evangelist, de 2004. Também muito elogiado.

Diz a editora:

“The Gospel of Mark, addressed to an early Christian community perplexed by failure and suffering, presents Jesus as suffering Messiah and Son of God. Recognizing that failure and suffering continue to perplex Christians today, world-renowned New Testament scholar and theologian Francis Moloney marries the rich contributions of traditional historical scholarship with the contemporary approach to the Gospels as narrative. Now in paperback [Hardcover: 2002 – Reviewed by Heike Omerzu – RBL: 07/01/2006], this commentary combines the highest-level scholarship with pastoral sensitivity. It offers an accessible and thoughtful reading of Mark’s narrative to bring the Gospel’s story to life for contemporary readers. Francis J. Moloney is the author of many books, including Mark: Storyteller, Interpreter, Evangelist. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 2004,  xiv + 224 p. – ISBN 1565635132 [Reviewed by Heike Omerzu – RBL: 06/17/2006, and by William Sanger Campbell – RBL: 04/01/2006]”.

Leia Mais:
Mês da Bíblia 2012: O Evangelho de Marcos – bibliografia sobre Marcos

Importante comentário à Dei Verbum é reeditado

SCHÖKEL, L. A. (ed.) Comentarios a la constitución “Dei Verbum” sobre la divina revelación. Madrid: BAC, 2012, 826 p. – ISBN 9788422001966.

 

Explica a editora:

“Colaboradores: L. Alonso Schökel, A. Antón, A. Mª Artola, J. F. Ashton, R. Boada, J. Cárdenas, J. Colomer, F. García Martínez, P. Heitmann, R. Jacob, P. Lengsfeld, J. Mouroux, F. Pastor, J. P. Richard, G. Ruiz, J. R. Scheifler, C. Soltero, J. A. Ubieta.

Dirigido por el recordado profesor y escritor Luis Alonso Schökel, la seriedad científica, profundidad teológica, precisión terminológica, estilo y unción de las colaboraciones que reúne este volumen sobre los comentarios a la constitución conciliar Dei Verbum hacen que continúe siendo actual y que su lectura nos resulte todavía interesante y sugeridora. Además, estos estudios que ahora vuelve a ofrecer la BAC pueden ayudarnos a comprender mejor el alcance y la oportunidad de la más reciente exhortación apostólica de Benedicto XVI Verbum Domini, en la que actualiza y desarrolla el contenido de aquella.

1.ª ed. en rústica de la misma obra publicada en en esta colección en tela (enero de 1969)”.

Agradeço ao Cássio Murilo Dias da Silva pela dica.

Resenhas na RBL: 17.05.2012

As seguintes resenhas foram recentemente publicadas pela Review of Biblical Literature:

Philip F. Esler
Sex, Wives, and Warriors: Reading Biblical Narrative with Its Ancient Audience
Reviewed by Brian Peterson

John Paul Heil
Hebrews: Chiastic Structures and Audience Response
Reviewed by Philip Church

Richard A. Horsley
Jesus and the Powers: Conflict, Covenant, and the Hope of the Poor
Reviewed by Kevin B. McCruden

Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan and Tina Pippin, eds.
Mother Goose, Mother Jones, Mommie Dearest: Biblical Mothers and Their Children
Reviewed by Melanie Howard

Thomas E. Phillips
Acts within Diverse Frames of Reference
Reviewed by Arie W. Zwiep

Tammi J. Schneider
An Introduction to Ancient Mesopotamian Religion
Reviewed by Andrew Riley

Hershel Shanks
Freeing the Dead Sea Scrolls: And Other Adventures of an Archaeology Outsider
Reviewed by Matthew A. Collins

Andrew E. Steinmann
Ezra and Nehemiah
Reviewed by Antje Labahn

Michael E. Stone
Ancient Judaism: New Visions and Views
Reviewed by Joseph Angel

James Riley Strange
The Moral World of James: Setting the Epistle in Its Greco-Roman and Judaic Environments
Reviewed by John S. Kloppenborg

>> Visite: Review of Biblical Literature Blog

Joias de 1100 a.C. encontradas em Meguido

Israelenses descobrem joias de 3.000 anos escondidas em cerâmica

Por volta do ano 1100 a.C., a dona de uma requintada coleção de joias resolveu escondê-las numa vasilha de cerâmica, enrolando brincos e anéis de ouro em pedaços de tecido. Não se sabe por que ela fez isso, mas arqueólogos israelenses acabam de trazer esse tesouro à tona. O achado ocorreu em Megido, antiga cidade do norte de Israel que é uma das mais estudadas recentemente. Segundo os especialistas da Universidade de Tel Aviv, liderados por Israel Finkelstein e David Ussishkin, tanto a abundância de ouro quanto a presença de certas pedras semipreciosas entre os artefatos sugerem influência cultural e econômica do Egito sobre os moradores da cidade. Faz sentido quando se considera o período em que se encaixam os achados. Trata-se de uma época nebulosa, o início da Idade do Ferro, quando as tribos que passariam a ser conhecidas como israelitas (ancestrais dos atuais judeus) ainda não tinham grandes assentamentos. Por outro lado, algumas antigas cidades-Estado, como a própria Megido, ainda resistiam, mantendo seus elos com os egípcios, antigos senhores da Palestina que, no século anterior, tinham perdido seu domínio por causa de invasores bárbaros. Não se sabe exatamente quando, mas Megido acabou sendo incorporada ao reino de Israel. A cidade era importante por estar localizada numa rota-chave entre a Síria e o Egito, o que explica a riqueza dos achados. Esse papel estratégico também fomentou batalhas, como a que levou à morte do rei israelita Josias em 609 a.C. Em comunicado, Finkelstein e seus colegas afirmam que seu próximo passo é analisar quimicamente as joias, o que trará dados mais claros sobre o seu local de origem.

Fonte: Reinaldo José Lopes: Folha.com 23/05/2012

 

A Unique Hoard Was Found At Tel Megiddo

The Megiddo Expedition have recently discovered a collection of gold, silver and bronze jewelry, wrapped in fabric, hidden in a vessel at Tel Megiddo. The vessel was found in a domestic context that was dated to the Iron Age I (around 1100 B.C.). This vessel was actually excavated during the 2010 season, but remained uncleaned while awaiting for a molecular analysis of it’s content (soil). When it was finally emptied during the summer of 2011, the pieces of jewelry appeared. Both the textile and the jewelry itself were sent to analysis that should tell us more about the origins of this exceptional collection.

Veja fotos no site The Megiddo Expedition.

Archeologists at Megiddo unearth valuable jewels

The newly discovered jewels date to the dawn of the Iron Age, when a Canaanite city occupied the site just before it was subsumed into the Kingdom of Israel. The dig, in progress for nearly two decades, is co-directed by Tel Aviv University’s David Ussishkin and Israel Finkelstein, with George Washington University’s Eric H. Cline of George as associate director. The clay vessel in which the jewels were found was excavated in 2010. In July the vessel was emptied, and experts were stunned to find what they described as some of the most valuable jewels ever unearthed from the biblical period. A Tel Aviv University spokesman said the find was announced only this week because it took the experts months to analyze and date the jewels. The Megiddo cache is notable for its abundance of gold jewels, including nine large earrings and a ring seal. It also includes more than a thousand small beads of gold, silver and carnelian – a semiprecious stone of orange-to-amber hue. All of the artifacts are in good condition.

Leia a notícia completa em The Jerusalem Post: 21/05/2012

Leia Mais:
Gold Jewelry Discovered at Megiddo – Todd Bolen: BiblePlaces Blog – May 22, 2012