"Vanishing Jews of Antiquity" by Adele Reinhartz

In the Marginalia, Adele Reinhartz has a short article critiquing the recent growing tendency to translate Ioudaioi as "Judeans" rather than "Jews," the end of which she cites the most authoritative of sources to indicate when "Judean" (or "Judaean" for you Brits) should be retained:

Let us restore Judean to its primary geographical meaning, as pertaining to the region of Judea and its residents. Political designations such as the Judean People’s Front, the People’s Front of Judea, the Judean Popular People’s Front, or the Popular Front of Judea would also be appropriate, as per one authoritative source (see Monty Python’s Life of Brian). Let us not make the mistake of defining Jews only in religious terms. Let us rather understand the term Jew as a complex identity marker that encompasses ethnic, political, cultural, genealogical, religious and other elements in proportions that vary among eras, regions of the world, and individuals. Let us not rupture the vital connection — the persistence of identity — between ancient and modern Jews. And let those who nevertheless elect to (mis)use Judean to translate all occurrences of ioudaiosjustify their usage beyond merely footnoting others who have done so.

He's Not the Messiah; He's a Very Naughty Boy

Mark Goodacre has posted about his attendance of the conference on Monty Python's Life of Brian currently being held at King's College, London.  "Jesus and Brian: Or, What Have the Pythons Ever Done for Us?" is investigating the intersection of the film and scholarship on the historical Jesus, New Testament, Christian origins, and the history of Judaism.  The first day finished with a Q&A with Terry Jones (who directed the film) and John Cleese.  I'm jealous of everyone there.

Here is an update from day 2 of the conference.

Linguistic Pluralism in First-Century Palestine

In the wake of "what language did Jesus speak?" (Aramaic, Hebrew, with a dash of Greek?) debate, Seth Sanders offers a more complex picture of the linguistic landscape of first-century Palestine (and how searches of monolinguistic purity is a red herring and largely ideologically charged religiously and politically). 

Check out his Religion Dispatches here.