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Author Archives: Brent Nongbri
Qumran Cave 1 Questions, Part 6: 1QSa and 1QSb
As I continue to work through the Cave 1 scrolls to try to sort out the purchases from the excavated materials, I spent some time today with the lists of photographs in Tov and Pfann, Companion Volume to the Dead … Continue reading
Posted in Antiquities Market, Dead Sea Scrolls, Khalil Eskander Shahin (Kando)
Tagged Dead Sea Scrolls
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The Capitoline Sappho
In the wake of the controversy over the “Newest Sappho” papyrus in the last few years , I’ve read more about the Greek poetess Sappho than I ever thought I would. In doing so, I realized that I have a … Continue reading
Qumran Cave 1 Questions, Part 5: The Strange Case of 1Q5 Fragment 13
1Q5 is a collection of dozens of fragments reassembled into 20 or so more substantial fragments representing one of two copies of the book of Deuteronomy associated with Cave 1 (1QDeutb). The fragments of 1Q5 were edited in DJD 1 … Continue reading
Qumran Cave 1 Questions, Part 4: Sukenik’s Isaiah Scroll
Before diving in to this post, a quick note: The conference that was the proximate cause for me trying to organize my thoughts on the topic of the Dead Sea Scrolls said to come from Cave 1 took place a … Continue reading
Posted in Antiquities Market, Dead Sea Scrolls
Tagged Dead Sea Scrolls, qumran, Qumran Cave 1Q
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A Question About the “Initial Text” of New Testament Documents
This past semester, for the first time in a long while, I taught a few sessions on New Testament textual criticism. I tried to refresh myself on some of the changes in the field in the last couple decades. I’m … Continue reading
Posted in Textual criticism
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Forgeries, Inks, and Writing Surfaces
When I was writing God’s Library, I was constantly confronted with how little I knew about several domains of knowledge that are important for the study of ancient manuscripts. One of these areas is the more technical chemical make-up of … Continue reading
Posted in Dead Sea Scrolls, Fakes and Forgeries, Green Collection, Ink
13 Comments
The Antiquities Trade in Michigan
In an earlier post working through some of the details in Ariel Sabar’s piece in The Atlantic, I noted that it was news to me that Professor Dirk Obbink had incorporated his antiquities trading company (“Oxford Ancient”) in Michigan in … Continue reading
The Atlantic Article and Green Collection Cartonnage
I continue to unpack various parts of Ariel Sabar’s informative article in The Atlantic. One of the things that originally piqued the curiosity of many of us about the Green Collection was their seemingly endless supply of “cartonnage,” a term … Continue reading
Some Additional Thoughts on Sabar’s Atlantic Article
There really is quite a bit to digest in Ariel Sabar’s long piece on Professor Dirk Obbink in The Atlantic. Here are a couple additional interesting selections: “Though it wasn’t publicly known, Obbink served as more than just an academic … Continue reading
New Article on Dirk Obbink in The Atlantic
Ariel Sabar has published a fascinating account of the saga of Professor Dirk Obbink and the Green Collection in The Atlantic. I encourage everyone to check out the whole story here. For me, the most interesting new details have to … Continue reading
Variant Readings 