Tanach Thoughts

The IAA (Israel Antiquities Authority) publicized today a cool seal from the time of the First Temple recently found near Wilson's Arch in Yerushalayim. The seal features an Assyrian-style winged figure and the name of one Yehoezer ben Hoshayahu. (the newly-discovered seal; image taken from here ) The figure on the seal is usually interpreted as a "daemon" or "genius", a kind of mythological guardian figure from Assyria. This is far from the first time mythological figures and creatures have been found on Israelite and Judahite seals and bullae. In fact, even King Chizkiyahu (Hezekiah)'s bullae feature a variety of Egyptian mythological entities, including a scarab, a winged sun disk, and an Egyptian-style winged figure. (Chizkiyahu bulla w/ winged sun disk and ankhs from Elat Mazar's Ophel Excavations) (Chizkiyahu bulla w/ scarab from private collection) (Chizkiyahu bulla w/ winged figure and ankh symbol from private collection) I'm sure that some p...

One of my interests is researching idolatrous practices mentioned in Tanach and later Jewish sources. For the last three years or so, I've been conducting an on-and-off search for the possible identity of a deity hinted at in this section of the Talmud, tractate  Bava Metzia 86b : "The Gemara continues its analysis of the verse: “Let now a little water be fetched and wash your feet” ( Genesis 18:4 ). Rabbi Yannai, son of Rabbi Yishmael, said that the guests said to Abraham: Are you suspicious that we are  Arabs who bow to the dust of their feet ?" It is reasonable to conclude that the sages were aware of an Arabian pagan cult that practiced some form of dust worship. Last year I discovered that one of my professors shares this interest in researching idolatry and even wrote his doctorate on idol worship mentioned in Talmudic literature, although he was focused on particular pagan religions (Greece, Rome, and a couple of others) and didn't analyze this quote. But I did...