Evan Vossman

Does anyone know European scholars of ancient Judaism (preferably in Germany) who are open to taking postdocs focusing on slavery?

Anyone have thoughts/resources on the presence of enslaved people at Qumran? Philo and Josephus describe Essene rejection of slavery, but many tasks at Qumran would normally have been reserved for the enslaved. And if some priests lived there, they certainly had the means to utilize slave labor.

Joe, thank you for posting this. My first undergrad teaching gig starts in about two weeks, and I’m adding parts of this to my syllabus (with attribution, of course).

to shape how members of the rabbinic guild—the only people who had access to or could read these texts—should regulate their slaves during erev Shabbat?

perform these tasks: door-keeping, cooking, baking bread, washing clothes, and wool-working. Others might be artisans or clerks. This information might illuminate how one reads the labors described in m. Shabbat 1: 2-11. Are the rabbis "thinking with" *enslaved labor,* attempting

One idea I've been considering: the classic mishnaic passage m. Shabbat 1 regulates specific labors on erev Shabbat (Friday evening near Sabbath). According to Catherine Hezser and other scholars of slavery in antiquity, enslaved persons working in households might typically

Yes, I’m familiar! Thanks for the rec Andrew. @chancebonar.bsky.social, I actually sent you an email about this earlier today!

I’ll definitely add these to the list!

Following up the end of my comps with another mini-comp reading list! Working through these resources to find a dissertation topic related to the intersections of economics, slavery, and writing in the ancient world.

Planning your #SBLAAR24 schedule? Come to the Synoptic Gospel section on Saturday evening! I’ll argue the temple’s ritual purity procedures make Jerusalem an apotropaic zone in the Synoptic Gospels, as evidenced by no demonic (or “unclean spirit”) encounters there

Finally home after first #AARSBL23! Got to spend time with friends, make new ones, meet my favorite scholars, and of course, buy books. I attended every PwJ session, which got me so excited about what this field has accomplished and where it’s headed.

David, I’m going to do my best to attend your presentation! Would love to see how you integrate all this material.

Heading to San Antonio early Saturday morning for my first time at SBL! If you could go back and speak to yourself as a first-timer, what would you say?

Thanks, Parker! This is helpful, and I’m going to use pieces of this in an upcoming interaction with a writer who I’m doing editing work for. She uses the approach I described.

Isaac, just wanted to applaud this and highlight your kindness. For the record, I’ll be there as a student and I’m currently doing okay financially. But I know this is certainly not the case for many people.

Link: t.co/jWo8cEd2sa

Thank you! Much appreciated.

Same! It’s been a long time coming.

Friends interested in Mishnah/early rabbinic Judaism, the Oxford Annotated Mishnah is now available in paperback for under $100!

Thank you!

Thanks for posting this! I’ve been looking for resources on magic in early Judaism and Christianity, and this is perfect. Happy to connect with a scholar who specializes in these areas.

Any followers have good book recommendations on magic in early Judaism?

Ordering!!! Can’t wait to read this, Andrew.

Hi! I’m a PhD student interested in cognitive and linguistic approaches for studying early rabbinic literature. Currently curious about text world theory, and what it can reveal about the “world” the rabbinic guild constructed within a corpus like the Mishnah.

Definitely worth the purchase!

I’ve been reading Tuvia Ruebner’s poetry for modern Hebrew practice lately (along with Rachel Tzvia Back’s EXCELLENT translation for help). This particular poem caught my attention tonight. Language learning is truly a labor of love.