Books by Shalom E. Holtz
Contributors to The Divine Courtroom in Comparative Perspective treat one of the most pervasive r... more Contributors to The Divine Courtroom in Comparative Perspective treat one of the most pervasive religious metaphors, that of the divine courtroom, in both its historical and thematic senses. In order to shed light on the various manifestations of the divine courtroom, this volume consists of essays by scholars of the ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible, Second Temple Judaism, early Christianity, Talmud, Islam, medieval Judaism, and classical Greek literature. Contributions to the volume primarily center upon three related facets of the divine courtroom: the role of the divine courtroom in the earthly legal system; the divine courtroom as the site of historical justice; and the divine courtroom as the venue in which God is called to answer for his own unjust acts.
Contributors to The Divine Courtroom in Comparative Perspective treat one of the most pervasive r... more Contributors to The Divine Courtroom in Comparative Perspective treat one of the most pervasive religious metaphors, that of the divine courtroom, in both its historical and thematic senses. In order to shed light on the various manifestations of the divine courtroom, this volume consists of essays by scholars of the ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible, Second Temple Judaism, early Christianity, Talmud, Islam, medieval Judaism, and classical Greek literature. Contributions to the volume primarily center upon three related facets of the divine courtroom: the role of the divine courtroom in the earthly legal system; the divine courtroom as the site of historical justice; and the divine courtroom as the venue in which God is called to answer for his own unjust acts.
Neo-Babylonian Court Procedure
Papers by Shalom E. Holtz
Oral and Written in Israelite Legal Life: Analogues from Mesopotamia
The Dynamics of Early Judaean Law: Studies in the Diversity of Ancient Social and Communal Legislation, ed. Sandra Jacobs, 2025
Contact author for a copy.
The Problems of Land Possession and the Meaning of Isaiah 60:21
Journal of Biblical Literature, 2024
The lived realities of Judean landholders during the exilic and postexilic periods, as these real... more The lived realities of Judean landholders during the exilic and postexilic periods, as these realities are documented in Akkadian and Aramaic extrabiblical sources, should inform the interpretation of Isa 60:21. The verse promises permanent possession of the land by assuring success against legal challenges. The Judeans’ status as tenants on land governed and held by dominant foreign powers gives this verse particular significance. Apart from allaying general concerns attendant upon landholding, the verse may allude to the problem of transgenerational land
inheritance. Most broadly, the verse offers permanent possession as a response to the reality of tenancy.
Orientalia, 2024
Judean litigants are attested in a small group of Achaemenid-era dispute records in Akkadian from... more Judean litigants are attested in a small group of Achaemenid-era dispute records in Akkadian from Mesopotamia and Aramaic from Egypt. These texts, despite their geographic and linguistic diversity, shed light on the Achaemenid Empire's administration of justice, as well as on an important aspect of the Judean experience as the Empire's subjects. Following recent scholarship on marriage, this study identifies ways in which law and ethnicity might have interacted during the adjudicatory process. Although closely associated with the foreign imperial apparatus, adjudication was fair towards Judean subjects.
A Different Kind of Horror in Jeremiah's Prophecy to the Philistines (Jeremiah 47)
Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies, 2022
Recent research has productively interpreted Jeremiah’s oracles against the nations through the ... more Recent research has productively interpreted Jeremiah’s oracles against the nations through the lens of horror theory. The prophecy against the Philistines (Jer 47) stands out because it employs horror elements as a means of evoking audience sympathy rather than sentiments of revenge. As a pronouncement in reaction to Nebuchadnezzar’s campaign in 604 BCE, the prophecy hints at Judah’s doom by lamenting the Philistines’
destruction.
Biblica, 2022
Recent re-assessment of Akkadian historiographic sources prompts re-evaluation of the nature of h... more Recent re-assessment of Akkadian historiographic sources prompts re-evaluation of the nature of historiography in Hellenistic Babylonia. Features in Daniel 3 and Daniel 5 find parallels in the historiographic writings from the recently identified circle of Hellenistic Babylonian historians. These shared features, including the narratives' overall efforts to explain the shifts in imperial power and the ways in which they construct their stories about the past, are consistent with the motives of historical writing during the Hellenistic period.
Vetus Testamentum, 2014
Comparison between Ezekiel’s visionary temple and Neo-Babylonian temples shows similar organizati... more Comparison between Ezekiel’s visionary temple and Neo-Babylonian temples shows similar organization of space and personnel. These formal similarities stem from a similar root purpose: maintaining strict standards of sanctity.
Maqlu I.73-121 and Trial Procedure
Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions, 2017
In the Akkadian anti-witchcraft ritual Maqlû, the incantation in I.73–121 exemplifies the theme o... more In the Akkadian anti-witchcraft ritual Maqlû, the incantation in I.73–121 exemplifies the theme of conducting adjudicatory proceedings against the witch in the divine courtroom. In particular, the patient’s presentation of the witch in effigy and the demand for judgment accord well with similar features attested in Neo-Babylonian trial records. Study of the incantation in light of these court records reveals the incantation’s
attention to the details of legal procedure.
Values and Voices, Letter 20
("A New Reading of Deuteronomy 17:2-7") חשיבותם המשפטית של המילים "והגד לך": קריאה חדשה בדב' יז, 7-2
Previous scholarship has correctly identified the procedural, rather than cultic, purpose of the ... more Previous scholarship has correctly identified the procedural, rather than cultic, purpose of the law in Deut 17:2-7. Internal Hebrew considerations and comparison with Akkadian legal language indicate that the series of procedures starts with "reporting," mentioned at the beginning of 17:4.
Contact the author for a .pdf.
Vetus Testamentum , 2014
Comparison between Ezekiel’s visionary temple and Neo-Babylonian temples shows similar organizati... more Comparison between Ezekiel’s visionary temple and Neo-Babylonian temples shows similar organization of space and personnel. These formal similarities stem from a similar root purpose: maintaining strict standards of sanctity.
Naboth's Trial: Biblical Law in a Kangaroo Court
Vetus Testamentum 64 (2014), 211-226.
Comparison between Ezekiel’s visionary temple and Neo-Babylonian temples shows similar organizati... more Comparison between Ezekiel’s visionary temple and Neo-Babylonian temples shows similar organization of space and personnel. These formal similarities stem from a similar root purpose: maintaining strict standards of sanctity.
"A Common Set of Trial Terms"
Zeitschrift für Altorientalische und Biblische Rechtsgeschichte, 2011
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Books by Shalom E. Holtz
Papers by Shalom E. Holtz
inheritance. Most broadly, the verse offers permanent possession as a response to the reality of tenancy.
destruction.
attention to the details of legal procedure.
Contact the author for a .pdf.
inheritance. Most broadly, the verse offers permanent possession as a response to the reality of tenancy.
destruction.
attention to the details of legal procedure.
Contact the author for a .pdf.