You Win, Nick Norelli! (For Now, Anyway)

Well, after hearing blogger after blogger sing the praises of WordPress (I'm pretty sure Nick Norelli's working on commission, and Brian Fulthorp's also been poking me from time to time), I've decided to give it a shot. I've spent a couple days choosing a template and fixing it up just right, and I think it looks pretty good! All of my previous content is now available here; please adjust your bookmarks and other links accordingly. While I may post on both blogs for a couple weeks, I will most likely transition to WordPress alone by the end of July.

See you at the new blog!

New from SBL: Hittites and Greeks

A recent announcement from the SBL:

Letters from the Hittite Kingdom
Harry A. Hoffner Jr.

This is the first book-length collection in English of letters from the ancient kingdom of the Hittites. All known well-preserved examples, including the important corpus of letters from the provincial capital of Tapikka, are reproduced here in romanized transcription and English translation, accompanied by introductory essays, explanatory notes on the text and its translation, and a complete description of the rules of Hittite correspondence compared with that of other ancient Middle Eastern states. Letters containing correspondence between kings and their foreign peers, between kings and their officials in the provinces, and between these officials themselves reveal rich details of provincial administration, the relationships and duties of the officials, and tantalizing glimpses of their private lives. Matters discussed include oversight of agriculture, tax liabilities, litigation, inheritance rights, defense against hostile groups on the kingdom’s periphery, and consulting the gods by means of oracular procedures.

Paper $45.95 • 468 pages • ISBN 9781589832121 • Writings from the Ancient World 15 • Hardback edition www.brill.nl

Sources for the Study of Greek Religion, Corrected Edition
David G. Rice and John E. Stambaugh

Since its initial publication in 1979, Sources for the Study of Greek Religion has become an essential classroom resource in the field of classical studies. The Society of Biblical Literature is pleased to present a corrected edition—in a new, attractive, and electronic-friendly format—with hopes that it will inspire a new generation of classicists and religious historians. This volume includes primary texts and documents in translation, illustrating the range of Greek religious beliefs and practices from Homer to Alexander the Great with the addition of relevant post-classical material. The sources are arranged in chapters devoted to the Olympian gods, heroes, public religion (including rural cults), private religion, mystery cults, and death and afterlife. Introductory notes place the selections in their context in Greek history and provide basic bibliography. The volume includes a glossary of technical terms, a general index, and an index of ancient sources cited. Beyond the correction of minor errors and use of footnotes rather than endnotes, the reader will find that the present volume remains true to the original.

Paper $24.95 • 230 pages • ISBN 9780891303473 • Resources for Biblical Study 14

Another OUP/Dove Sale

Selected Hebrew Bible and New Testament titles from Oxford University Press are on sale through June 30 at Dove Booksellers. Check them out here.

RBL Highlights: 6/26/09

Selections from the most recent edition of the Review of Biblical Literature:

Stephen C. Barton, ed.
Idolatry: False Worship in the Bible, Early Judaism and Christianity
Reviewed by Markus Bockmuehl

Andrew Bernhard
Other Early Christian Gospels: A Critical Edition of the Surviving Greek Manuscripts
Reviewed by Stephen J. Patterson

Walter Brueggemann
A Pathway of Interpretation: The Old Testament for Pastors and Students
Reviewed by Danny Mathews

Warren Carter
The Roman Empire and the New Testament: An Essential Guide
Reviewed by Pieter J. J. Botha

J. Harold Ellens
Sex in the Bible: A New Consideration
Reviewed by William R. G. Loader

Jonathan Gan
The Metaphor of Shepherd in the Hebrew Bible: A Historical-Literary Reading
Reviewed by Claudia D. Bergmann

Jeffrey P. Greenman, Timothy Larsen, and Stephen R. Spencer, eds.
The Sermon on the Mount through the Centuries: From the Early Church to John Paul II
Reviewed by Charles H. Talbert

Philip A. Noss, ed.
A History of Bible Translation
Reviewed by Francis Dalrymple-Hamilton

Martin A. Shields
The End of Wisdom: A Reappraisal of the Historical and Canonical Function of Ecclesiastes
Reviewed by Harold C. Washington

H. G. M. Williamson
A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Isaiah 1-27: Volume 1: Commentary on Isaiah 1-5
Reviewed by Francis Landy