8 Feb 20265 Feb 2026The Amateur Exegete4 Comments

The Roundup – 2.8.26

Heather Thiessen has the latest Biblical Studies Carnival. Lots of interesting stuff there!
Over at The Conversation, Christy Cobb writes about Thecla, a purportedly early follower of the apostle Paul, at least as we read about it The Acts of Paul and Thecla.
Arguing that the Matthean story of Herod’s slaughters of the innocents didn’t happen (and that had it did Josephus surely would have included it), David Allen looks at what’s behind the story.
Looking for a veritable index of all the women named in the New Testament? Marg Mowczko has you covered in a series of posts that began with women in the Gospels and (at least at time I’ve been writing this entry) is still ongoing.
Dan McClellan talks about a contradiction between the book of Acts and the Torah concerning the burial of Jacob.

Maia Kotrosits announced on Blue Sky that she is taking over the job of editor-in-chief for Biblical Interpretation. Congrats, Dr. Kotrosits!
Tova Ganzel has an interesting piece on Ezra-Nehemiah and the sabbath, including the appearance of sabbath based names (e.g., Shabbethai), over at thetorah.com.
The reading continues!

4 thoughts on “The Roundup – 2.8.26”

Lex Lata 8 Feb 2026 — 1:50 pm
1. Good stuff, Ben! Thanks, as always.
2. Over at ANE Today, T.M. Lemos just published a stimulating analysis of the concepts of חרם and genocide, in the context of both the Hebrew Bible and subsequent history.
3. Last week you described James McGrath’s humane and thoughtful take on ICE/CBP excesses and MAGA hypocrisy as refreshing, and this week I’m compelled to applaud Catholic leadership for similar reasons. Credit where it’s due. Bishops, cardinals, and even Pope Leo have grown increasingly, boldly critical of an immigration enforcement campaign that is indiscriminately pummeling the peaceful, the poor, and the meek–not only the “worst of the worst,” as originally advertised–to meet Team Trump’s aggressive deportation goals.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reply
1. (Post author)
  
  The Amateur Exegete 8 Feb 2026 — 5:28 pm
  
  I’ve added that piece by Lemos to the reading list! Looks promising.
  
  I figure in this rather depressing and dire time in US history, we all need to come together and resist this authoritarian regime. I’ll hold hands with a Catholic if need be!
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply
J Source 8 Feb 2026 — 8:18 pm

Thanks for the latest Roundup!

(I just ordered a personal copy of Dan McClellan’s book after borrowing one. Really enjoyed his insights on many questions of biblical interpretation.)

As kind of a side-question: Do you know if something happened to the “A Bible Darkly” website?

I enjoy reading Mark’s pieces there and often check the website for new articles, but got an error message when I tried to access it today.

Thanks,

J Source

LikeLiked by 1 person

Reply
1. (Post author)
  
  The Amateur Exegete 9 Feb 2026 — 9:27 am
  
  I’m not sure what happened to Mark’s site. I’ll text message him and see what’s going on.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply