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Jamey Walters

@jedwardwalters.bsky.social
2.7K followers 1.4K following 914 posts

History professor. Former manuscript cataloger. Research: Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Syriac manuscripts, Syriac Literature. He/him.

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Jamey Walters @jedwardwalters.bsky.social · 7h
This is an incredible political ad.
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Truthout @truthout.org · 9h
Rep. Delia C. Ramirez has introduced a bill that would abolish not just ICE, but the DHS altogether, repealing the 2002 law establishing the agency and replacing it with one focused on protecting civil and human rights.
truthout.org
Rep. Delia Ramirez Introduces Landmark Bill to Abolish DHS, ICE, and CBP
The Department of Homeland Security was established in 2002 as part of the Bush administration’s war on terror.
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Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 22h
One of the key messages I carry is that we don't have to accept any of this. Sometimes I see opposition in the form of "Get in loser, you'll be left behind" and other times it's in the form of "It's all over the place, what do you mean you think you can opt out?" >>
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Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 18h
We dramatically underestimate the degree to which real estate is a conduit for white collar crime and outright bribery
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Roger Pearse @rogerpearse.bsky.social · 17h
An English translation of the Syriac Life of Mar Zaya is forthcoming from Gorgias Press. www.roger-pearse.com/weblog/2026/...
roger-pearse.com
An English translation of Mar Zay‘a: The Saint of Jilu, out soon from Gorgias Press
An email from David Wilmshurst, who has continued his work on texts relating to the Church of the East.  He’s got another book coming out, around the end of October, through Gorgias Press.  T…
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Matthew J Kuiper @matthewjkuiper.bsky.social · 17h
I know we’re all getting immune to the shocking (which is part of the point of course), but it’s worth saying a/g that using the DoJ to raid elected members of the opposition party on flimsy/nonexistent evidence, and openly betraying allies like Ukraine should trigger instant impeachment. 
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Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 19h
"We should be asking ourselves: When is civility useful and when is it a canard for oppression? When is anger a detriment and when is it a righteous tool?" www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
insidehighered.com
What’s Wrong With Civility?
Civility can be a tool of engagement. But history has shown it can also be used to oppress the powerless.
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Anise K. Strong @anisekstrong.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
In Wonder Woman (2017), Diana waltzes in & to the shock of the UK WWI intelligence senior staff, identifies a message as "Ottoman & Sumerian." Otttoman's not a language - & Steve Trevor just spent years in Turkey - & the writing is actually Neo-Assyrian cuneiform with some Arabic & Greek letters.
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Sarah E. Bond @sarahebond.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
The splendid Sarah Derbew has a new article in AJP on "From Aksum to Athens." It explores literary understanding of Aksum (modern Ethiopia) via Greek & Ge'ez (ግእዝ, aka Classical Ethiopic): She "examine[s] various descriptions of the 6th-century ce Aksumite ruler Kaleb." muse.jhu.edu/article/1002...
Museum number
1910,1207.1
Description
Gold coin. (whole)
Half-length bust of Kaleb right, crowned, holding stick, flanked by two wheat-stalks, in beaded inner circle.
Half-length bust of Kaleb right, wearing headcloth, holding stick, flanked by two wheat-stalks, in beaded inner circle.
State
Associated with: Aksumite Kingdom Africa: Aksumite Kingdom
Authority
Ruler: Kaleb
Cultures/periods
Aksumite
Production date
500-525 (circa)
Production place
Minted in: Aksum (town)
Africa: sub-Saharan Africa: Ethiopia: Tigray: Aksum (town)
Materials
gold
Dimensions
Die-axis: 12 o'clock
Weight: 1.60 grammes
Inscriptions
Inscription type: inscription
Inscription position: obverse
Inscription language: Greek
Inscription script: Greek
Inscription translation: King Khaleb
Inscription type: inscription
Inscription position: reverse
Inscription language: Greek
Inscription script: Greek
Inscription translation: Son of Thezenas
Bibliographic references
BMCAK / Catalogue of the Aksumite Coins in the British Museum (409, p.40)
Anzani 1926 / Numismatica Axumita (142)
Akbarnia et al 2018 / The Islamic World: a History in Objects (p.21, fig.3)
Location
Not on display
Subjects
royal/imperial
plant
Associated names
Named in inscription & portrayed: Kaleb
Named in inscription: Tazena
Ruler: Kaleb
Acquisition name
Purchased from: Messrs W S Lincoln & Son
Acquisition date
1910
Department
Money and Medals
Registration number
1910,1207.1
C&M catalogue number
BMCAK (BMC Aksumite)(40)(409)(40) now at the British Museum
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Erin L. Thompson @artcrimeprof.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Top-tier weird little guy on an incantation bowl from Nippur, Iraq, c 500 BCE, in the Penn Museum.
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Annette Yoshiko Reed @annetteyreed.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Preorder link www.ucpress.edu/books/forget...
ucpress.edu
Forgetting Ancient Judaism by Annette Reed - Paper
Scholarship is a powerful tool for changing how people think, plan, and govern. By giving voice to bright minds and bold ideas, we seek to foster understanding and drive progressive change.
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Rebecca Harris @rlharris.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
We are hiring a full-time, tenure track faculty member in biblical studies! careers.messiah.edu/postings/30818
careers.messiah.edu
Full-time Faculty in Biblical Studies
The Department of Biblical, Religious, & Philosophical Studies in the School of Arts, Culture, & Society at Messiah University invites applications for a faculty position in Biblical Studies beginning...
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Jamey Walters @jedwardwalters.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
static.klipy.com
Dan Levy Clapping Proudly
ALT: Dan Levy Clapping Proudly
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Sam Ottewill-Soulsby @samottewillsoulsby.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
If you want to know why I’m so obsessed with medieval camels, you can read all about it in my article on ‘The Camels of Charles the Bald’ in which I talk about the time the ruler of Muslim Spain sent Charlemagne’s grandson some camels (dm me for a PDF). brill.com/view/journal...
brill.com
The Camels of Charles the Bald
Abstract This article investigates a previously neglected aspect of diplomatic relations between the Carolingians and the Umayyads of al-Andalus, the camels sent by Emir Muḥammad I to Charles the Bald...
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Professionally Nosy @professionallynosy.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
My inbox tells me it is a day for my archives memes
Simpsons Don’t Make Me Tap the Sign Meme “archives can’t preserve or provide access to materials they never got.”
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Mara Wilson @marawilson.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I don’t think I’m ever going to get the appeal of pivoting to video for podcasts. I’ve been listening to podcasts for 20 years, and never once have I thought, my God, I need to SEE these people! I’m on a walk or doing the dishes, I don’t need video. 
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Dustin A. Chacón @lingdustin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I've heard people make claims that AI would lead to a new Renaissance, but I didn't imagine it'd happen like this:
Screenshot of a Tweet from Pope Leo XIV. It reads: 

"In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgen to distinguish human art from what machines produce. There is an ontological difference, even before an aesthetic one, between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the Church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity."
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
some descriptive statistics here on the civility industrial complex on college campuses that I haven’t seen analyzed before www.uncivilcollective.org/resources
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Matt Thiessen @mattthiessen.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
your daily reminder that the field of religious studies remains relevant. In fact, it is increasingly relevant.
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John Ma 🇺🇦 @nakhthor.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I see discussions of using AI to restore inscriptions or papyri, presumably by using brute force to assemble parallels. I assume this could also work for classical art history, i.e. dating vases by style (vibes or Morellian). But can AI do good philology ? I.e. offer brilliant emendations to ms ? 1/
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Jeff VanderMeer @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
They quoted me in this New Yorker piece about AI today. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
“Let’s say there’s a world or time line I exist in where A.I. has been subject to regulation. It is ethical. It has no footprint environmentally,” the novelist Jeff VanderMeer, a prominent critic of A.I., told me over the phone. “With those guardrails in place, would I read an A.I. book? All I can say is no. And the reason is, in part, because I want to read something coming from a particular mind.” Using A.I., he said, “feels like a betrayal of the whole point of why you’re a writer.”
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Stone Cold Jane Austen @abbyhiggs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
me, rewatching the GOP’s “gotcha moment” backfire magnificently during the Jack Smith hearings
Don Draper from Mad Men at the movies
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Candida Moss @candidamoss.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
New Stones and Bones is out on Polar Bears and new Odyssey fragments. Featuring Michael Kulikowski, @sarahebond.bsky.social, Christopher Epplett, Nandini Pandey, and @sentantiq.bsky.social www.nationalgeographic.com/newsletters/...
nationalgeographic.com
Polar Bears in the Roman Colosseum?
It isn't as far-fetched as it sounds.
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rax ‘levon honkers’ king @raxkingisdead.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
'this AI agent can do all your tasks for you' so now i gotta sit here and write a list of all my tasks for a robot to fuck up. why. why wouldn't i just keep to the current system where i fuck up my own tasks
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Dr. Chance Bonar @chancebonar.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I think about this a lot in terms of languages. Some depts expect/are expected to train students in the requisite math, coding, and technical knowledge to understand the material in more depth Most humanities courses don’t expect/aren’t allowed to require students to know requisite languages
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Jamey Walters @jedwardwalters.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I’ve seen similar scales and tiers suggested, and every time it makes me cringe.
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Jamey Walters @jedwardwalters.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
We—and I cannot emphasize this enough—do not have to normalize the use of this technology. I know it’s already here and students are using it: that’s the point. They don’t need me to teach them how to use it the right way; it’s my job to teach them they don’t need it.
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Jamey Walters @jedwardwalters.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Also, I’m sorry, but your little disclosure statement that you used ChatGPT to make your slides but “not any of the content” for your presentation doesn’t make me judge you any less.
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Jamey Walters @jedwardwalters.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I genuinely feel like I’m losing my mind when I’m around other educators who are talking about teaching students “responsible uses of AI”.
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I can’t say strongly enough that these are not realistic scenarios for the people I observed and, based on data about family lives, almost anyone else we might consider normal and/or not rich.
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Technology enthusiasts severely overestimate the average person’s desire or willingness or capacity to build and use AI agents. I understand some work roles that could mandate or encourage it but that is no way a tech revolution. Agents are best for structured, clearly delineated tasks.
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Amanda Litman @amandalitman.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I love the optimism about Dems winning in November - I share it! And: I'm a tiny bit nervous that winning will free folks of the urgency to fix deeper structural problems in our party that will fuck us in the long-haul if we don't grapple with them.
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Ellen Muehlberger @emuehlbe.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
One option for humanities classes going forward: don't schedule the class, schedule the work
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Brandon W. Hawk @brandonwhawk.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Join us for a great time talking about #apocrypha! I’m really looking forward to presenting this project—it’s a fresh work in progress & it’s always fun to cross between medieval & apocrypha studies. #MedievalSky
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Timothy Harvie @timothyharvie.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
A helpful clarification on what’s happening in Edinburgh. divinity.ed.ac.uk/understandin...
divinity.ed.ac.uk
Understanding our programme changes | School of Divinity | School of Divinity
Building for the future strength of theology and religion at the University of Edinburgh
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Gwen C. Katz @gwenckatz.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Fuck ChatGPT flyers. The future is broadsheets.
A crowded broadsheet with way too many fonts. It says:
Forget ChatGPT Flyers
Say it with 
Broadsheets
Unlimited fonts
Stretch them
Or cram a really long sentence into one line for no good reason
No whitespace
Mix capital and lowercase
Pointing hands
(They're called manicules!)
Don't be left behind
Broadsheets are the future
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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
JUST IN: A federal judge (Trump-appointed Stephanie Gallagher) has held the Trump administration in contempt for deporting a man to El Salvador in violation of three court orders. She's ordering the government to return him. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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Jamey Walters @jedwardwalters.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This week I started experimenting with creating bingo cards to go along with my lectures and handing out small prizes (candy) to the first three people to get bingo, and I think it’s maybe the best pedagogical idea I’ve ever had.
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Matt Bell @mdbell79.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Every time I read the word “efficiency” (or worse, hear it in a meeting), I think of Wendell Berry: “The standard of the exploiter is efficiency; the standard of the nurturer is care.”
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David Hulloween 胡大衛 @hushuo.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
JEDI for Jedi: How Diversity Training Brings a More Sustainable Balance to the Force.
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Caroline (Carrie) T. Schroeder @ctschroeder.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Maybe? This seems to fall inline with SCOTUS view of executive power. Plus there are more and more incompetent lower level judges confirmed every month. Finally even if gorsuch/roberts/c-b stop it, immense damage will have happened
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Sophia Dege-Müller @sophiademue.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I am excited to share my new publication "The Life of Susanna in the Light of Beta Israel Manuscript Tradition" which just appeared in this cool new book! www.mohrsiebeck.com/en/book/inte...
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Adam Bremer-McCollum @acbm.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Some details and sources on the Syriac texts here:
gedsh.bethmardutho.org
Alexander Cycle
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Yale Classics Library @yaleclassicslib.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Brent Nongbri on Manuscripts of the Alexander Romance | Variant Readings brentnongbri.com/2026/09/20/m...
brentnongbri.com
Manuscripts of the Alexander Romance
The Alexander Romance (or The Life of Alexander of Macedon or the Life and Acts of Alexander, or The History of Alexander the Great, King of the Macedonians…) survives in hundreds of manuscri…
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elia ayoub @ayoub.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Friend shared this video of a man unveiling the library he hid when he fled Damascus in 2011. It’s incredible
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Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
It’s not just an arch, it’s a murder arch.
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Museum of Twitter @museum-of-twitter.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
@RossWBermanIV

I’m a REAL MAN:

I’m SCARED OF CITIES

I’m MAD at the LITTLE MERMAID

My truck is TALL and I have to crawl into it like a BABY

Do not get me STARTED on women’s sports
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Jamey Walters @jedwardwalters.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Highly recommend this new article by David Taylor about Jessie Payne Smith (Margoliouth) and her work as both a Syriac scholar and a suffragist: www.new.ox.ac.uk/mrs-margolio...
new.ox.ac.uk
Mrs Margoliouth: Jessie Payne Smith, Syriac Scholar and Suffragist | New College
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 18/09/2026
This is why I hate "just a tool" so so so much. You can make a calculator without access to every calculation. You can make photoshop without access to all photos. Someone show me a genai tool that didn't require all of our labour in its production. It's plagiarism software.
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