BARlines

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New Edition of Religious Books and Periodicals Reference

The second edition of Religious Books and Serials in Print 1980–1981 is now available from the publisher, R. R. Bowker Company. 47,788 book titles from 2,160 U. S. publishers and 3,453 international serial titles are arranged separately in this compendium of religious publications.

The new edition of Religious Books and Serial in Print features two unique sections: A Sacred Works Index and a Subject Area Directory. The Sacred Works Index encompasses the major texts of all the world’s religions. Nearly 56 versions of the Bible are listed, as are 18 other scriptural works.

The Subject Area Dictionary classifies 4,500 subjects according to 48 topics or areas. All aspects of religion including books which discuss religious implications of social issues are treated.

Religious Books and Serials in Print 1980–1981 may be ordered from R. R. Bowker Co; 1180 Avenue of the Americas; New York, NY 10036. The price is $42.00 plus shipping and handling.

“Daily Life in Ancient Israel” Exhibit at Museum

A life-size, walk-in Iron Age house complete with hand-crafted period furniture, and a living garden of Biblical plants, are highlights of “Daily Life in Ancient Israel,” at Yeshiva University Museum in New York City. Visitors to the museum may walk through both the house and garden. The exhibit also displays one hundred objects ranging from jewelry to weapons, from household utensils to craftsmen’s tools used by the ancient Israelites. These artifacts from Megiddo, Gibeon, Beth Shemesh and Tel Yin’am were lent by the Oriental Institute of Chicago, the University Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Texas Memorial Museum in Austin, and the Israel Department of Antiquities.

Throughout the exhibit, the artifacts are linked to Old Testament episodes by Biblical quotations in Hebrew and English. Two slide presentations are also offered: The first portrays everyday life in the contemporary Arab villages where inhabitants still perform household tasks and crafts using implements similar to those in the museum’s archaeological exhibit. The second slide show illustrates the actual 1979 session excavations at Tel Yin’am. The exhibition was assembled by Dr. Harold Liebowitz of the University of Texas at Austin, who directs continuing excavations in Israel at Tel Yin’am.

Guided tours for groups of 10–30 visitors are available as are specially tailored educational tours for those who make previous arrangements. For more information write The Yeshiva University Museum; 2520 Amsterdam Avenue; New York, NY 10033 or phone 212-960-5425 or 212-960-5390.

Computer Conference Includes Bible Studies

The fifth International Conference on Computers and the Humanities will be held at the University of Michigan on May 17–20, 1981. Contributors who present the results of computer-assisted research and creation in the arts are invited to participate in the conference. Biblical and ancient studies will be presented in special sessions.

For registration and housing information write to: Ida Sanburn; Conference Coordinator, Institute for Social Research; University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106.

More Dig Information for Summer 1981

The Yoqne’am Regional Project

Tel Yoqne’am and Tel Qashish, both part of the Yoqne’am Regional Project sponsored by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Israel Exploration Society, will be excavated again in the summer of 1981. The fourth excavation season at Tel Yoqne’am and the third season at neighboring Tel Qashish will extend from July 5 to August 7.

An Iron and Bronze Age site similar in size and importance to Megiddo, Tel Yoqne’am is located about ten miles east of Haifa. Persian and Iron Age occupation levels inside the city’s fortifications will be excavated at Tel Yoqne’am while at Qashish early Iron Age and perhaps Late Bronze levels in the domestic quarter located on the highest part of the tel will be explored.

Participants arrange for their own transportation but the Project will provide information on charter flights. Housing will be available in a dormitory at the Hadassim School immediately adjacent to the dig at Tel Yoqne’am.

Lectures, workshops, and field trips will he offered to provide training in field archaeology and the interpretation of finds. Three hours of credit at the undergraduate or graduate level are also available through the Hebrew University, Jerusalem or the University of Maryland Summer School. Cost of participation is $600 not including transportation or optional tuition.

New Excavation Begins in Jerusalem’s Citadel

On June 1, 1981 the Institute of Archaeology of Hebrew University will begin a new excavation at the ancient Citadel near Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City. The massive towers and walls of the Citadel protected the vulnerable western approach to Jerusalem during the Hasmonean and Herodian periods.

The excavation work will be done by local workers together with volunteers from Israel and abroad. Volunteers must arrange their own accommodations in Jerusalem. Those interested in volunteering for short periods should write to Hillel Geva, Institute of Archaeology; Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus; Jerusalem, Israel.

Dig List Ready

The Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums has prepared its annual list of summer excavation projects in Israel which accept volunteers. Eligible volunteers must be at least 18 years old and must be available to work for at least one or, on some digs, two weeks. To receive the complete list of archaeological expeditions write to Martha Rettig, Assistant to the Director; Department of Antiquities and Museums; POB 586; Jerusalem 91000 Israel.

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Masada on Television

On April 5, 6, 7 and 8, ABC will televise “Masada,” a four-part drama based on Ernest Gann’s successful 1970 novel, The Antagonists.

The series portrays the heroic defense of the desert fortress by a handful of Jews against 5000 Roman Legionnaires fresh from their destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. As the first century Jewish historian Josephus recounted, the Jews held out for three years and then committed mass suicide rather than surrender to the Roman conquerors.

For all the fascination of the Zealots’ tragic heroism, “Masada” falls short of its inspiration. The made-for-television account of the defense of Masada weakens the further it strays from Josephus’ account. It should not be mistaken for accurate historical reporting. “Masada” is the tale of a heroic episode in ancient history embellished with fictional love stories, invented personality conflicts and modern concepts of heroism.

An uneven script partially explains the disparity between Peter O’Toole’s brilliant Flavius Silva and Peter Strauss’ uninspiring Eleazar ben Yair, leader of the Jewish zealots. O’Toole, the Roman general weary of killing Jews, has a bold and complicated character. Strauss, the brazen leader of the Jews, is dogmatic, his speeches are hackneyed, and the range of his role is limited.

The film shows little subtlety in its portrayal of almost all the Jews. They are either fighting rebels (whom Silva calls bandits and thieves) or passive women, children, and old men dedicated to the study of “The Law.” The Roman characters, more developed and diverse, include spies, aristocrats, proletarian soldiers, and duplicitous politicians. Silva, of course, falls in love with a beautiful Jewess (Barbara Carrera)—a far more engaging relationship than that between Eleazar and his wife Miriam (Giulia Pagano). Miriam is particularly exasperating because the viewer can often anticipate her lines.

The greatest successes of the film are O’Toole’s flawless performance as Flavius Silva, the Roman general, and the breathtaking photography of the archaeological remains of Masada, uncovered by Israeli archaeologist Yigael Yadin. Despite the film’s imperfections, BAR readers will certainly be rewarded by the on-location photography, and, if they arm themselves with a recent reading of Josephus’ account in Book VII of The Jewish War of the last days of the zealots, they should be able to distinguish Josephus’ history from that according to ABC.

Four Chapters of First Century B.C. Ecclesiasticus Scroll Displayed in Jerusalem

A first century B.C. fragment of the Book of Ecclesiasticus, which was discovered at Masada in 1964, is on display through March at the Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book. Ecclesiasticus, also called The Wisdom of Ben Sira, after its supposed author Jesus (son of) Sira, was written in about 170 B.C. It is a collection of maxims, didactic poems and pious psalms, each introduced by a poem in praise of wisdom or of the wise man. The purpose of the work seems to be moral, religious and practical instruction.

The Shrine of the Book, the museum of the Dead Sea Scrolls, will mount a new exhibition of ancient scroll fragments every 3 months. The Ecclesiasticus fragments from Masada are the second in the series of displays.

New Edition of Religious Books and Periodicals Reference

The second edition of Religious Books and Serials in Print 1980–1981 is now available from the publisher, R. R. Bowker Company. 47,788 book titles from 2,160 U. S. publishers and 3,453 international serial titles are arranged separately in this compendium of religious publications.