Michael DeVries

So the drug companies would pay you?!? What an imbecile.

Indeed. Saddened not to see friends from Europe at SBL this fall. They’ve decided not to make the trip.

Been asking the same questions. Not sure what teaching in higher ed will look like in the future. (Not even sure what higher ed will look like!)

Say what, now? That’s crazy!

"The implications of this for the study of overimitation are profound–the copying of causally opaque behaviour is not simply a speedy way of transmitting technical skills, it lies at the root of human custom, tradition, and group identity." (Whitehouse, The Ritual Animal, 34)

Important insight on ritualized behavior and social cohesion: "These findings further support the view that ritualistic behaviour and conformism more generally is motivated by the desire to affiliate with groups...."

I made an open access, archived version here: archive.ph/2025.08.03-1...

“Tariffs are a substantial new tax.” There, fixed it.

Sadly nothing but old leather-bound books available. (If only there were a place…)

Much of the settlement has nothing to do with antisemitism. As @mbkplus.bsky.social and I discussed on the pod, how can a university cede authority over admissions, hiring, and even locker rooms and still profess a commitment to "core values?"

livefromwatthall.transistor.fm/episodes/col...

the USA built a system of higher education so good that smart/rich people from across the world came here, spending billions to learn here, subsidizing education for Americans while spending money to live in our cities and towns. our government arbitrarily decided we should stop doing that

So excited that my book has a cover. Michigan's design people have outdone themselves in their styling of Mr. Murder Mittens (a massive Roman temple key from Switzerland). Full details here (the e-version will be open access come the publication date): press.umich.edu/Books/S/Stea...

Associate/Full Professor, Endowed Chair in the Hebrew Bible in Ancient Times and Contemporary Media University of California, San Diego is hiring. Apply now!

Job posting: Associate/Full Professor, Endowed Chair in the Hebrew Bible in Ancient Times and Contemporary Media at University of California, San Diego.

apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/JPF04338

Hundreds of medieval medical manuscripts now accessible Over the course of the last three years, the Curious Cures in Cambridge Libraries project has been enhancing the discoverability of medieval medical recipes in historic library collections across the ...

Over 7000 pages of medieval medical recipes are now freely accessible online at the end of the Curious Cures in Cambridge Libraries project.
👉 Discover more about this ambitious project and its achievements: loom.ly/XFJt-Tg

Photo of the cover of The Ritual Animal: Imitation and Cohesion in the Evolution of Social Complexity by Harvey Whitehouse.

Sunday afternoon reading.

Horrible human beings, I tell you. Endnotes should be outlawed.

Our *Ezra-Nehemiah and the Dead Sea Scrolls* manuscript is back for another rounds of edits. “Mostly small things” we are told. Here’s to hoping so!

Yeah, thinking that’s probably not the best defense.

New Report Calls for Faculty Control in AI Decisions Today, the AAUP released a new report, Artificial Intelligence and the Academic Professions, sharing survey findings and calling for the establishment of policies in colleges and universities that pri...

Today, the AAUP released a new report, "Artificial Intelligence & Academic Professions." The report calls for policies that prioritize economic security, faculty working & student learning conditions as AI tech accelerates.

www.aaup.org/news/new-rep...
🧵1/9

Thrilled! So looking forward to reading it when it arrives!

Why Does Elon Musk Have Such a Straight View of Antiquity? Musk and other conservatives often omit the role of queer soldiers in ancient military successes when extolling the virtues of Greek warriors.

My latest for @hyperallergic.com is on Elon Musk’s reference to Epaminondas—and what he missed about the Battle of Leuctra. Mainly? Look to the Sacred Band of Thebes for an argument for the strength of LGTBQ soldiers. Thanks to James Romm for speaking to me and @valentinadl.bsky.social for her edits

Lawyers for Harvard and Trump square off in court in Boston With more than $2 billion in federal research grants at stake, the two sides argued before a federal judge about the legality of the White House's cancellation of those funds to Harvard.

UPDATE: With more than $2 billion in federal research grants at stake, the two sides argued before a federal judge about the legality of the White House’s cancellation of those funds to Harvard.

What did Jesus wear—and why does it matter? Join @katieturnerphd.com for a deep dive into 2nd Temple period Jewish clothing and how dress shaped identity, power, and piety in Jesus’s world.
Live online talk. Register here: www.religiondepartment.com/jesus-wear

Nun’s skeleton reveals that some ancient women were extreme hermits Self-tormenting practices were all the rage in ancient Byzantium, from wearing chains to living on top of small pillars—and women were just as hardcore as the men.

My latest for National Geographic about Byzantine female asceticism featuring the work of @ctschroeder.bsky.social, Christine Luckritz Marquis, and Caroline Walker Bynum.

www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...

I’ve been an adjunct since 2013 (a whole other story) and absolutely concur.

I've been teaching at Princeton over the same period and the drop-off in reading stamina has been staggering.

I'm not sure of the cause -- some blame K-12 shifts to "chunk reading" while others pin it on COVID -- but it's undeniable.

Galilean Spaces of Identity "Galilean Spaces of Identity" published on 12 Feb 2024 by Brill.

Delighted to have my first book review from George Brooke in the SOTS book list for my Galilean Spaces of Identity brill.com/display/titl...

“It is a major achievement in updating the discourse about the diverse character of Jewish ways of living in Galilee in the three centuries before… 70 CE.”

Indeed. More important than all the work that needs to be done! That can wait a day or two…

Finding out just how difficult it is to get any work done with your granddaughter in town. Too many books to be read, rocks to find, and snuggles.

Was Caligula a madman? Maybe. But he also knew his medicine, scholars find The Roman Emperor Caligula, notorious for his blood lust, may have had a strong general knowledge of medicine, according to a new study.

Was Caligula a madman? Maybe. But he also knew his medicine, scholars find | Yale News news.yale.edu/2025/07/09/w... @tluke.bsky.social @ajkoh.bsky.social