Papers of the Jewish Theological Seminary and Scientific Institute

Digital image

Singen; Jewish Community Collection 1990

Article about fate of Jews from Singen during Third Reich (by Reinhild Kappes); book review about Jews in Singen during Third Reich (in Suedkurier, August 1990).

The Reception of the Maccabean Martyrs : Their Historiographical and Paradigmatic Functions in Antique and Late-antique Jewish and Christian Sources

The study attempts a reception-historical analysis of the Maccabean martyrs. The concept of reception has fundamentally to do with the re-use and interpretation of a text within new texts. In a religious tradition, certain elements become re-circulated and thus their reception may reflect the development of that particular tradition. The Maccabean martyrs first appear in 2 Maccabees. In my study, it is the Maccabean martyr figures who count as the received text; the focus is shifted from the interrelations between texts onto how the figures have been exploited in early Christian and Rabbinic sources. I have divided my sources into two categories and my analysis is in two parts. First, I analyze the reception of the Maccabean martyrs within Jewish and Christian historiographical sources, focusing on the role given to them in the depictions of the Maccabean Revolt (Chapter 3). I conclude that, within Jewish historiography, the martyrs are given roles, which vary between ultimate efficacy and marginal position with regard to making a historical difference. In Christian historiographical sources, the martyrs role grows in importance by time: however, it is not before a Christian cult of the Maccabean martyrs has been established, that the Christian historiographies consider them historically effective. After the first part, I move on to analyze the reception in sources, which make use of the Maccabean martyrs as paradigmatic figures (Chapter 4). I have suggested that the martyrs are paradigmatic in the context of martyrdom, persecution and destruction, on one hand, and in a homiletic context, inspiring religious celebration, on the other. I conclude that, as the figures are considered pre-Christian and biblical martyrs, they function well in terms of Christian martyrdom and have contributed to the development of its ideals. Furthermore, the presentation of the martyr figures in Rabbinic sources demonstrates how the notion of Jewish martyrdom arises from experiences of destruction and despair, not so much from heroic confession of faith in the face of persecution. Before the emergence of a Christian cult of the Maccabean martyrs, their identity is derived namely from their biblical position. Later on, in the homiletic context, their Jewish identity is debated and sometimes reconstructed as fundamentally Christian , despite of their Jewish origins. Similar debate about their identity is not found in the Rabbinic versions of their martyrdom and nothing there indicates a mutual debate between early Christians and Jews. A thematic comparison shows that the Rabbinic and Christian cases of reception are non-reliant on each other but also that they link to one another. Especially the scriptural connections, often made to the Maccabean mother, reveal the similarities. The results of the analyses confirm that the early history of Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism share, at least partly, the same religious environment and intertwining traditions, not only during the first century or two but until Late Antiquity and beyond. More likely, the reception of the Maccabean martyrs demonstrates that these religious traditions never ceased to influence one another.

Timna revisited : egyptian chronology and the copper mines of the southern Arabah

This article studies the chronology of the New Kingdom Egyptian copper mining in the southern Arabah valley, and particularly Timna, traditionally dated in the 13th– 12th centuries BCE. a reassessment is made of the local archaeological evidence and especially of the findings of the Hejazi Qurayya pottery in archaeological assemblages of the southern Levant. It is argued that the chronology of the New Kingdom activities at Timna needs a revision towards lower dates.

Peftjauawybast, king of Nen-nesut : genealogy, art history, and the chronology of late libyan Egypt

This paper argues in detail for the identification of Peftjauawybast, King of Nen-nesut (fl. 728/720 BC ), with Peftjauawybast, High Priest of Ptah in Memphis (fl. c. 790–780 BC2), known from the Apis stela of year 28 of Shoshenq III. This identification ties in with a significant lowering of the accepted dates for the kings from Shoshenq III, Osorkon III and Takeloth III to Shoshenq V, and the material culture associated with them. Such a shift seems to be supported by stylistic and genealogical evidence. As a consequence, it is further suggested that the Master of Shipping at Nen-nesut, Pediese i, was perhaps related by descent and marriage to the family of the High Priests of Memphis and King Peftjauawybast.

The history of contamination in sediments from the Mersey Estuary. Development of a chronology for the contamination of the Mersey Estuary by heavy metals and organochlorines

This is the history of contamination in sediments from the Mersey Estuary: Development of a chronology for the contamination of the Mersey Estuary by heavy metals and organochlorines Report produced by the Environment Agency in 1998. This report looks at the history of industrial contamination of the Mersey and Ribble Estuaries back to the early part of the last century, many decades before the start of monitoring programmes providing a remarkably detailed picture of very complex changes. There is a clear record in the sediment of the contamination by each heavy metal (including: Cu, Cr, Hg, Pb, Zn) and organochlorine chemical (including DDT isomers and PCB congeners) studied. The results of the study clearly show the increases in levels of contamination as industry expanded early last century followed by various improvements as this century progressed. Each pollutant has its own idiosyncratic pattern of change with some improvements predating modern environmental concerns whilst other changes seem to relate directly to recent improvements in legislative control. Overall, for the pollutants studied, the results clearly demonstrate the magnitude of improvement that has been achieved in what was a very polluted area. The only major reservation to this story is that despite the wide range of substances covered, many other potentially important pollutants remain to be studied in a similar manner.

Stratigraphy and chronology of Holocene marine sedment core from the California continental borderland and their paleoceanographic/paleoclimatic significance [abstract]

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): Paleomagnetic secular variation (PSV) records have been recovered from three marine sediment cores from Santa Catalina basin, California continental borderland, in order to more accurately date these late Quaternary sediments. ... The sedimentation rates derived from the time/depth curves suggest a constant rate of 20-25 cm/ky for the last 6700 years throughout Santa Catalina basin, and more variable rates (but constant within each core) of 13-86 cm/ky prior to 6700 ybp. The sedimentation rates prior to 6700 ybp are lowest in the southcentral portion of the basin and systematically increase toward the north end of the basin. These results suggest that 6700±300 ybp marks a major change in paleoceanographic processes within Santa Catalina basin.

A pollen/dinoflagellate chronology for DSDP Site 480, Gulf of California

DSDP Site 480 in the Gulf of California represents a paleoclimatic record of great potential significance. Much of the 152-meter section is varved, which means that proxy records of climatic change can be analyzed with unusual precision on a variety of time scales. In this paper we present pollen and dinoflagellate evidence that suggests that the base of the section is much older than was previously thought. We propose a basal date of between 300,000 and 350,000 YBP.

Diel feeding chronology of six fish species in Anchuthengu backwater, Kerala

The study examined diel feeding chronology of six fish species in Anchuthengu backwater, Kerala. Over the 24h period, more or less same items contributed to the diet of Arius arius. Mugil cephalus exhibited substantial diel variation in diet composition, with algae forming the main dietary component in the diurnal diet, and prawns in the crepuscular and nocturnal diets. Algae and rotifers formed the main food items throughout the 24h feeding period in Hyporhamphus xanthopterus. No change was noticed in the diel diet composition in Ambassis commersonii. While Caranx ignobilis showed no diel variation, Gerrus lucidus that feeds on a variety of prey items seemed to exhibit some diel variation in feeding. All the fish examined had diurnal feeding peaks. The results indicate that because of diel variation in diet composition and feeding periodicity for these six species, dietary analysis conducted at only one interval would not provide an accurate representation of the diet of these species.

A new OSL chronology for dust accumulation in the last 130,000 yr for the Chinese Loess Plateau

IEECAS SKLLQG