The Aleppo Codex is the earliest, and some say best, copy of the Hebrew Bible. Unfortunately it has survived in only fragmentary form. This Associated Press article describes the codex and the efforts to assemble as much of it as possible.
Archive for September, 2008
The Hunt for Pages of the Aleppo Codex
Sunday, September 28th, 2008Shibboleths and Traitors, or, Death and Expulsion as Categories of Historical Phonetics
Sunday, September 28th, 2008Reflections from and Oxford Etymologist on phonetics as a discriminator of ethnicity and geography, using the Jephthah story of shibboleth as an illustrative example.
Database of archaeological sites in Turkey
Sunday, September 28th, 2008Turkey, Anatolia, Asia Minor — this is the location of many sites of significance to biblical and ancient middle eastern history, including the Hittites and many early Christian churches. This Turkish Daily News newspaper article describes the effort and this is a link to the archaeological database itself, which includes an English language option.
Effectiveness of hybrid and distance courses
Wednesday, September 17th, 2008Research continues to be done to gauge the pedagogical effectives of distance learning and hybrid courses, that is, courses that combine online and in-class teaching. The September 16, 2008 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education has a short piece “Study Finds Hybrid Courses Just as Effective as Traditional Ones” that adds to research indicating that while hybrid courses are different from traditional teaching, they are no less effective in achieving educational objectives. One of the comments to this article makes note of the “No Significant Difference” website that catalogs the myriad studies since 1928 that “document no significant differences (NSD) in student outcomes between alternate modes of education delivery.”
Learned a new word: mondegreen
Tuesday, September 9th, 2008I learned a new word today while cruising Wikipedia on Armageddon — the word “mondegreen“. It refers to a misheard and then often repeated word or phrase from a poem or song. The Wikipedia entry gives some examples, to which I would add “round John virgin, mother and child” from the Silent Night (we all know the associated joke) and “low in the gravy lay” from the Easter hymn. Check out more misheard lyrics here.
Adam’s apple, and other biblical fruits
Sunday, September 7th, 2008The Christian Science Monitor has a review of a couple books on plants in the Bible. The site also has some interesting discussion regarding whether Adam and Eve actually ate an apple….
Obelisk returned to Queen of Sheba’s home
Sunday, September 7th, 2008ANSA reports that an obelisk, looted by Italian troops during World War II, was returned to Aksum amid great celebration. Aksum is the reputed home of the Queen of Sheba, cited in the Hebrew Bible as traveling to Jerusalem to honor the wisdom of Solomon.
Second Temple period wall of Jerusalem exposed
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008Archaeologists have excavated a portion of the wall around Jerusalem at the time of the Second Temple. Check out the pictures of this dig and artifacts associated with it.
How the Hebrew Bible honors Labor Day
Monday, September 1st, 2008A Chicago Tribune article Sermons to tackle labor issues: Activist says Moses was original worker advocate describes a movement in churches, temples, and mosques to connect the Hebrew Bible to the labor movement and workers’ rights.