CONFERENCES AND LECTURES 2023-2024

In addition to Orion Center Activities, the following events have come to our attention.
We want to provide a complete list of all significant happenings related to the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Please send information on upcoming events to us at: orioncenter@mail.huji.ac.il or fax +972-2-588-3584.

March

CONFERENCES: Dead Sea Scrolls colloquium ( Penn State, March 15)

Conference Date: Friday March 15, 1:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Location: 102 Weaver Building and Foster Auditorium and online via Zoom
Zoom registration: https://psu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gI-OAvxYTRS4ArNK7PhnrQ
For more information please contact Daniel Falk (dkf16@psu.edu) or Rob Jones (rej5233@psu.edu).
Penn State University is hosting a hybrid, full-day colloquium on the Dead Sea Scrolls featuring Molly Zahn, Daniel Machiela, and Sidnie White Crawford.
Featuring:
Molly Zahn (Yale Divinity School), "Reconsidering the 'City of the Sanctuary' in the Temple Scroll."
Daniel Machiela (University of Notre Dame), "Jews at the Persian Court (4Q550), the Aramaic Scrolls, and their Cultural Milieu."
Sidnie White Crawford (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), "The Qumran Collection as an Ancient Library"
Schedule:
1:00 to 2:30 PM, Molly Zahn (Weaver Building 102 and online on Zoom)
3:00 to 4:30 PM, Daniel Machiela (Weaver Building 102 and online on Zoom)
5:30 to 7:00 PM, Sidnie White Crawford (Foster Auditorium and online on Zoom)
Co-sponsors: Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Jewish Studies Program, Chaiken Family Chair

January

Scrolls and Scribes: How well has the Bible survived?
Richard D. Barnett Memorial Lecture
Prof Hugh Williamson (University of Oxford)

Conference Date: Tuesday 23 January 2024 at 5.00pm (GMT) with zoom access from 4.45pm (GMT), followed by Q&A
Location: ZOOM
To register for this lecture please click on the link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/prof-hugh-williamson-scrolls-and-scribes-how-well-has-the-bible-survived-tickets-765158207797
The copies of the Hebrew Bible which we use today come from just after 1000 CE at the earliest. As this is more than a thousand years after the time of original composition, the question is often raised whether the scribes copied it accurately during all the intervening centuries. In addition, we know that those responsible, the Masoretes, added features such as the vowel points; again, how far does all that reflect ancient tradition? The Dead Sea Scrolls have added vital new data to what we already had available, such as ancient translations of the Bible into Greek, Latin, Syriac, and Aramaic, so that we are in a better position to answer these questions now than before. All this will be explored in an accessible manner in the lecture (knowledge of Hebrew is not required!) in the attempt to reach some kind of balanced conclusions.
Hugh Williamson was the Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford until his retirement in 2014. He joined the committee of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society while Richard Barnett was still the chairman and he later chaired the Society himself for nearly twenty years.

Past Activities 2023

November

Book Panel: The Secret of Time: Reconfiguring Wisdom in the Dead Sea Scrolls (Brill, 2023)

Conference Date: November 2, 2023
Location: The meeting will be hybrid.
For questions, please write to:ocsb@oriel.ox.ac.uk
Registration : https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrf-CqqD4jHNOVeXhwQKrhaB_kMwPo1Sn_#/registration
For the poster please click here: http://orion.mscc.huji.ac.il/resources/doc/Patterson.pdf

MAY

The annual Meghillot Workshop

Workshop Date: May 04, 2023.
Location: Haifa University - Israel
The Workshop a will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Israel time. The workshop will be in person and in Hebrew. A more detailed program will be sent out next week. Please Click here for the program.

Second Baron Award Ceremony

Conference Date: May 31st, 2023 at 7.00 p.m. Vienna summer Time.
Location: ZOOM
Website: https://baronawards.univie.ac.at/

Prof. Emanuel Tov will be presented with the second Salo W. and Jeanette Baron Award for Scholarly Excellence in Research of the Jewish Experience.

Founded in 2020 by the Salo W. and Jeanette M. Baron Founda!on / The Knapp Family Founda!on and the University of Vienna, the Baron Award is presented biannually to a recognised scholar for a body of work. Awards will also be presented to two postgraduate students for an individual work represening the highest scholarly achievement.

July

JerusalemFrom the Umbilicus Mundi to the Four Corners of the Earth and Back
International Conference on the Study of Jerusalem

Conference Date: July 11–14, 2023
Location: Ben-Zvi institute in Jerusalem.
Website:https://www.ybz.org.il/?CategoryID=563&ArticleID=8471#.ZAeJ2nZByUk
Registration : niko@ybz.org.il

"Experiencing the Jewish Bible: Spotlights on History and Tradition Salo W. and Jeannette M. Baron Young Scholars Awards Workshop"

Conference Date: Thursday, June 1, 2023 4.00 – 8.15 p.m. CEST (Vienna time)
Location: ZOOM
ZOOM Access Link: https://univienna.zoom.us/j/65759601350? Meeting ID: 657 5960 1350 - Code: 644438

MARCH

an Evening Program in Memory of Prof. Bilhah

Conference Date: March 14, 2023.
Location: Tel Aviv University - Israel
For more information please click here:https://humanities.tau.ac.il/sites/humanities.tau.ac.il/files/Prof.%20Bilha%20Nitzan%2014.3.2023.pdf

Ancient Synagogues: An Introduction (Schweich Lectures on Biblical Archaeology)

Conference Date: Mon 5 Dec 2022, 18:30 - 19:45
Location: The British Academy- 10-11 Carlton House Terrace - London SW1Y 5AH - United Kingdom
Website: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/lectures/ancient-synagogues-an-introduction/

Delivered by the most outstanding academics in the UK and beyond, the British Academy’s flagship lecture programme showcases the very best scholarship in the humanities and social sciences.

In this lecture, Professor Jodi Magness discusses the origins of ancient synagogues in Palestine (modern Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Territories) and traces their development until the Muslim conquest in the early seventh century C.E. The lecture will examine different types of synagogue buildings (e.g., Masada; Capernaum; Hammath Tiberias; Beth Alpha), and devote special attention to the figured decoration and pagan motifs such as Helios and the zodiac cycle that decorate the mosaic floors of some of these synagogues.

This lecture is the first of the 2022 Schweich Lectures series:
Lecture one: 'Ancient Synagogues: An Introduction' (5 December)
Lecture two: 'The History of Ancient Synagogue Studies and the Dating of Galilean-Type Synagogues' (6 December)
Lecture three: 'More than Just Mosaics: The Ancient Synagogue at Huqoq in Israel's Galilee'. (8 December)
Speaker: Professor Jodi Magness, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Spirit of Scholarship

Conference Date: Dec. 12–14, 2022
Location: University of Notre Dame Jerusalem Global Gateway | Tantur Ecumenical Institute
Website and Registration : https://theology.nd.edu/news-events/conferences-seminars/spirit-of-scholarship/#Schedule
The conference investigates the groundbreaking scholarship by Catholic priests in the burgeoning disciplines of ancient Near Eastern studies from the late-19th to the mid-20th centuries and also considers where these efforts have led to today.

November

WEBINARS: Advances in DNA technology & archaeology in Israel

Conference Date: Tuesday 22nd November at 5.00 pm (UK)
Location: ZOOM
Website:https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/9316655829920/WN_RMhjVhPHR9CPznND2ERLxw
Please note that queries should be emailed to: friends@bfhu.org

Join us for a webinar jointly sponsored by The Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society and British Friends of The Hebrew University. Recent advances in DNA technology and their contribution to archaeology in Israel DNA evidence over the past 30 years has helped us to change ancient history by helping us to address questions in archaeology in relation to demography, peoples’ movements, and the interactions between migrant and resident populations. This has been particularly important in Israel where these questions are notably complex as part of a bridge between the continents of the Old World.

In the last few years, new technology, using automated equipment to rapidly test millions of samples for biological activity, has yielded complete genomes of human and animal finds and has revolutionised our understanding of many major prehistoric and historic events. DNA results from this new technology, which can be combined with more than a century of archaeological research, are now helping us better understand how to address age-old questions. But these powerful new tools pose their own important questions. How critical is DNA in defining who ancient peoples were? When did DNA matter in shaping the course of historical events?

This webinar brings together three leading scholars from the worlds of genetics and archaeology to address these issues, first through some short presentations and then in general discussion.


The Dead Sea Scrolls: Past, Present, and Future
75 Years Since the Discovery of the Scrolls

Conference Date: 29-30 November, 2022
Location: Ben-Zvi institute and The Hebrew University

We are pleased to invite you to a conference (in Hebrew) marking 75th anniversary of the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls.
The Dead Sea Scrolls: Past, Present, and Future
75 Years Since the Discovery of the Scrolls
Tuesday, November 29, 2022 at Ben-Zvi institute
, Wednesday November 30, 2022 at Dan Wassong Auditorium, Yitzhak Rabin Building, 4th floor, Mount Scopus Campus, The Hebrew University.
Click here for the detailed invitation.
The conference will be held in person.
Looking forward to seeing you there.


September

Flavians in Galilee (67 CE): Their Aims and Activities - Prof Steve Mason - (University of Groningen)

Conference Date: Thursday 15 September 2022
Location: virtual lecture
Registration : secretary@aias.org.uk

October

Song, Prayer, Scripture: Aspects of the Use of the Book of Psalms from the Hebrew Bible to the 20th Century

Conference Date: October 13–15 2022
Location: Örebro, Sweden
Registration : https://songprayerscripture.wixsite.com/home

January

Enoch Seminar: Studies in Second Temple Judaism: A Global Enterprise

Conference Date: January 10-13, 2022
Location: Online
See the conference webpage for more information, including a list of participants and a provisional schedule: :http://enochseminar.org/second-temple-judaism-conference-jan-2022
Registration : https://umich.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_epVR_vb4TVCV3USpnxjMTg
Chairs: Kelley Coblentz Bautch, Rodney Caruthers, and Shayna Sheinfeld
The study of Second Temple Jewish history, practice and belief is a global enterprise. The Frankel Institute for Advanced Studies and the Enoch Seminar have invited 44 scholars from across the globe to present their work and engage in a conversation about the present status and the future prospects of the field. Specialists and students in Biblical Studies, Judaic Studies, Classics, and Christian Origins are invited to attend.



Three Decades of Excavations at Bethsaida

Conference Date: January 20, 2022 at 5.00pm (GMT)
Location: Virtual Lecture
Registration : secretary@aias.org.uk
The Anglo Israel Archaeological Society will be holding their first virtual lecture of the year on Zoom on Thursday 20th January 2022 at 5.00pm (GMT), when Professor Rami Arav will be speaking about ‘Three Decades of Excavations at Bethsaida’ followed by a Q&A session . Zoom access will be available from 4.45pm (GMT). Please write to secretary@aias.org.uk to register your interest and the Zoom link will be sent to you approximately 48 hours prior to the lecture. If you haven’t received it by the morning of the lecture please check your junk/spam box.

Bethsaida on the northern Sea of Galilee is frequently mentioned in the Gospels by Josephus and in Rabbinic literature. The city was settled on and off between the 10th century BCE, when it served as the capital of the Aramean kingdom of Geshur, and the 4th century CE. Excavations revealed a stunning succession of city gates, high places with pagan stele representing the moon god of Haran, a granary and a Neo-Hittite style palace. Fifty years after its destruction in 920 BCE, Bethsaida’s size peaked, boasting the largest biblical era city gate found in Israel. The Assyrian conquest of King Tiglath Pileser III in 732 BCE brought life to an end. Phoenician settlement continued a few centuries later. Around 100 BCE, the Hasmoneans conquered the site. In 60 CE Herod the Great’s son, Philip, granted the newly named Julias the status of a Greek city and built a temple and new walls.

Rami Arav, born and raised in the Galilee, is a professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Since 1987 he has directed the excavations of biblical Bethsaida and is the co-author of the four-volume book, Bethsaida, a City by the Northern Shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Jewish Papyri from the Ptolemaic Period

Conference Date: Thursday, January 27, 2022, 19:00-21:00 Israel time
Location: ONLINE
For the poster click here: https://scholion.huji.ac.il/sites/default/files/scholion/files/corpus_papyrorum_judaicarum.pdf
Registration : To register, please click here: RSVP for Zoom event: Jewish Papyri from the Ptolemaic Period (google.com).

February

International conference Marking the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Professor Edward Yechezkel Kutscher
"Mishnaic Hebrew, Aramaic, & the Languages of the DSS"

Conference Date: 6–8 February 2023
Location: Department of Hebrew and Semitic Languages, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan
For more information: kutscher.con@gmail.com

May

The Haifa Workshop for the Dead Sea Scrolls

Conference Date: May 22, 2022
Location: Haifa University
Website:https://www.facebook.com/Heb.Lan.BGU/photos/a.356362511143478/4964488136997536/

The Transmission of the Hebrew Bible from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages

Online Conference Date: May 24, 2022 at 5:15 pm
Location: Mary Ogilvie Theatre, St Anne’s College.
Website:
Link : https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86377140627?pwd=a3FFcUpaS0dvTzlrR1Z1dmNEY0lUUT09

Meeting ID: 863 7714 0627, Passcode: 339078

July

International Organization for Targumic Studies

Conference Date: SBL conference on 17-21 July 2022
Location: Salzburg

It is a pleasure for the executive committee of the International Organization for Targumic Studies (IOTS) to invite you to the IOTS conference, connected to the international SBL conference on 17-21 July 2022 in Salzburg.
The conference will cover at least the topics:
Targums of the Tora
Targum and Peshitta
Targum and Qumran

August

Colloquium Biblicum Lovaniense 2022 - Qumran and the New Testament

Conference Date: August 1-3, 2022
Location: Zurich
Website: https://theo.kuleuven.be/en/research/centres/centr_collbibl
E-mail Submission: joerg.frey@theol.uzh.ch