Right around this time of year, biblical scholars around the world start getting serious about their papers and activities for the annual Society of Biblical Literature conference held in November. I for one am certainly starting to plan things out in more detail, and (of course) getting my presentations on paper. I’ll be involved in a variety of activities in my various groups in linguistics, Septuagint, and lexicography. But I wanted to be sure to draw attention to an event that my readers might be interested in attending. (more…)
Old Testament Studies
Book Announcement: Linguistic Theory and the Biblical Text (Open Access)
It is my pleasure to announce a new book that is available as of today: Linguistic Theory and the Biblical Text, which has been published in the Cambridge Semitic Language and Cultures series with OpenBook Publishers in collaboration with the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge. It’s exciting to see this project come to fruition (more on that below), perhaps especially because we were able to arrange for open access to the volume. Yes, that means it’s free to download — that’s right, go ahead. (Or if you’d like, you can also order a hardcopy too.) (more…)
In Memoriam: James K. Aitken (1968-2023)

The world of biblical studies and Septuagint scholarship suffered a tremendous loss this past Good Friday, as we learned of the sudden passing of Dr. James K. Aitken, or — as he insisted — just Jim to those who knew him. As others have reported, Jim passed away a few days after what was his second major heart attack. Since then, tributes have already begun to pour in, as expected. Here is mine.