iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Michael DeVries

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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Ancient Jew Review @ancientjewreview.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Today on AJR, Eva Mroczek describes the power of mythwashing in manuscript discovery as part of a preview of her new book, (Hidden Scrolls, Buried Bibles: How We Discover the Sacred Past. Yale University Press, 2026). www.ancientjewreview.com/read/2026/9/...

ancientjewreview.com

Mythwashing and the Two Meanings of Mystery in Manuscript Discovery Stories — ANCIENT JEW REVIEW

“When manuscript loss and discovery is framed this way--when we tell the stories of modern discovery the same way we recite religious texts—our reverence and desire distracts us from the material…

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Mythwashing and the Two Meanings of Mystery in Manuscript Discovery Stories ancientjewreview.substack.com/p/mythwashin...

ancientjewreview.substack.com

Mythwashing and the Two Meanings of Mystery in Manuscript Discovery Stories

by Eva Mroczek

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Reposted by Michael DeVries

McMaster Religious Studies @mcmasterreligion.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Online Book Launch of Eileen Schuller and Carol Newsom's The Thanksgiving Scroll, the newest volume of The Oxford Commentary on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Register for the 1-hour event, which will take place over Zoom on 13 October, 2026, 11am EDT/4pm BST/6pm IDT. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

That and even some crazier! Do people think these kinds of emails are actually persuasive?!?

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I know we all get these periodically but the past week or so it's been a special kind of CRAZY!

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Been getting the most unhinged "Dear Professor" emails sent to my university email lately. Anyone else getting these?

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Does he own a home in California too?!?

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Thrilled to be presenting at the Enoch Seminar 2027 Nangeroni Meeting in Lugano, Switzerland. Consider attending as we discuss sacrifice and atonement in Second Temple and Late Antique Judaism! June 6-9, 2027. enochseminar.org/18-lugano-20...

Electronic flyer for the Enoch Seminar 2027 Nangeroni Meeting: "The conference aims to reassess sacrifice and atonement across Second Temple and Late Antique Judaism by bringing together biblical, non-canonical, rabbinic, material, and related Christian and Islamic evidence, while challenging conventional canonical and chronological boundaries. It seeks to illuminate the diversity and continuity of ancient Jewish understandings and practices of sacrifice and atonement, including their transformation before and after the destruction of the Second Temple and their influence on early Christianity, Rabbinic Judaism and Islam."

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Isaac Oliver (né de Oliveira) @isaacwoliver.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

There will be an Enoch Seminar conference on Sacrifice & Atonement within Second Temple & Late Antique Judaism, chaired by Angela Kim Harkins, Shlomo Zuckier, and me, in Lugano, Switzerland, from June 6 to 9, 2027. More information can be found here: enochseminar.org/18-lugano-20...

enochseminar.org

18. Lugano 2027

Sacrifice and Atonement within Second Temple and Late Antique Judaism June 6-9, 2027 Lugano, Switzerland Chairs: Angela Kim Harkins, Isaac W. Oliver, and Shlomo Zuckier Conference Details The…

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Reposted by Michael DeVries

Yale Classics Library @yaleclassicslib.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

October 8 2026 4:30PM BST = 11:30 AM EDT Online @ics.bsky.social Jessica L. Lamont @yale.edu Magic in Roman and Late Antique Corinth ics.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...

ics.sas.ac.uk

Magic in Roman and Late Antique Corinth

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Oh, so NOW you need the EU. Got it.

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Reposted by Michael DeVries

Joe Scales @josephscales.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Available now. Many thanks to @mohrsiebeck.bsky.social, the libraries of @unibergen.bsky.social and the University of Agder, and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. I’m open to doing interviews or taking questions about the book #openaccess

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Sarah E. Bond @sarahebond.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

My latest for National Geographic is on a stunning new ‘Fulgur Conditum’ inscription from Hadrian’s Villa that tells us a lot about how Romans reacted to lightning ⚡️ striking objects & the creation of sacred space. Thx 🙏 to Elizabeth Meyer & Alberto Samonà. www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...

nationalgeographic.com

The Ancient Romans Had a Strange Ritual After Thunderstorms

Archaeologists excavating at Hadrian’s Villa outside of Rome have unearthed a marble slab dedicated to Summanus, the god of nocturnal lightning.

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Alexiana Fry @alexianafry.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Calling all scholars of religion who are attending the upcoming #aarsbl26 meeting in Denver! I need your help, as I am using the current fun trend exemplified by "Subway Takes" to introduce the public to the world of (and the necessity of) religious studies - broadly speaking.

a gradient background with orange, teal, and magenta is the background. In a cream text, there are the words one line at a time "HOLY HOT TAKES." The first H has wings on it, the first O has a halo on it. The second o in the second line has flames on top of it, and the t has a "devils tail."

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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 27/09/2026

Trump is banning students majoring in degrees that don’t make enough money from taking out college loans. Degrees for social work, art, religious studies, teaching aides, and music will be hit the hardest. trib.al/kQdKbY1

trib.al

Trump Moves to Cut Off Student Loans for Tons of Degrees

Under a new rule, if your degree doesn’t make enough money, you won’t be able to get a student loan.

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Felt like I was the only one in the meeting asking the question why we were doing this. Thought I would lose my mind.

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Our university has a five-tier model for AI use. Level 4 is "Collaborative GenAI Use" where you use AI "as a thought partner" and Level 5 is "encouraged throughout." SMH.

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

1,000% agree with this! Engaging primary sources in the requisite languages? YES!!!

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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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Reposted by Michael DeVries

Sarah E. Bond @sarahebond.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

αἰαῖ! The latest Pasts Imperfect is out. @sentantiq.bsky.social discusses new work on Homer & a book on the Iliad's gendered voices. Then, Jefferson's children with Sally Hemings, mapping coin circulation in the Roman Empire, new ancient world journals via @yaleclassicslib.bsky.social & more. ἄγετε!

pasts-imperfect.ghost.io

Pasts Imperfect (9.24.26)

This week, noted ailurophile and Homerist Joel Christensen sings to us about new scholarship helping us to make sense of Homer and highlights a new book on lamentation and glory in the Iliad. Then, re...

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Seriously. That speech was a dumpster fire.

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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 21/09/2026

New: The White House is reportedly preparing an executive order to take control of NIH grants — an attempted workaround as President Trump seeks to cut research funding to Harvard amid an ongoing legal battle. chroni.cl/4iFS6uP

chroni.cl

Spurned By Harvard, White House Reportedly Moves to Take Control of NIH Grants

A forthcoming executive order is an attempted workaround for President Trump, who is anxious to cut research funding to Harvard amid his continuing legal battle with the institution.

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The proposed rule would “establish new requirements that expand the federal role in accreditation, constrain accreditor independence, [and] limit the flexibility necessary to evaluate diverse institutions and programs based on institutional mission,” CHEA wrote.

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Joshua Matson reviews Torleif Elgvin's *Warrior, King, Servant, Savior* for RBL. @eerdmansbooks.bsky.social @sblpress.bsky.social www.sblcentral.org/home/bookDet...

Cover image of Torleif Elgvin's *Warrior, King, Servant, Savior* (Eerdmans, 2022)

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Candida Moss @candidamoss.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

It lives. I was honored to deliver the Hans Lietzmann lecture in Berlin and Jena a few years ago. And I am excited to see the results in print!

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Actually, Obama. But Biden will do just fine!

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Yep. And you saw how good that worked out with banks in 2008.

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Sarah E. Bond @sarahebond.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

My 1st article for National Geographic is out now. It is on Cleopatra’s & Antony’s surviving children after their parents’ deaths—especially Cleopatra Selene. Thanks to Jane Draycott (and her book, Cleopatra’s Daughter) & @candidamoss.bsky.social for their help. And @bresnick.bsky.social for edits.

nationalgeographic.com

What Happened to Cleopatra’s Children With Marc Antony?

Her twins Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene were made prisoners. But they still had a big role to play in Roman history.

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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 11/09/2026

With a bit of creativity, your books can become a design element in your home, bringing warmth, color, and texture, whether you live in a small apartment or a sprawling house. nyti.ms/4xkJayl

nyti.ms

11 Creative Ways to Store Your Books

We spoke to design experts and Wirecutter staffers for tips on how to stylishly store books at home when space is tight.

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Joe Scales @josephscales.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

This was a very fun one to write. Rule of open questions in headlines applies. Many thanks to the various institutional policies which allow image publication rights in scientific publications and the DAI which offered high quality photographs for a low fee

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Katie Turner @katieturnerphd.com · 10/09/2026

Publication day is one of my favourite days! Even better when its shared with a friend (@josephscales.bsky.social) Hot off the presses: "Did the Romans Think Jews Wore Trousers?" brill.com/view/journal...

Abstract
It is well established that Jews in the ancient Mediterranean were indistinguishable from their neighbours in terms of their dress behaviours. As Greco-Roman clothing (of the Second Temple era) did not include trousers, one should not expect to see representations of Jewish bodies in artwork of the period where they are depicted as wearing trousers. Yet, there are three such representations of Jewish trouser-wearers claimed in scholarship. The first is found on the enigmatic Bacchius Iudaeus issue, the second on a Titus capta issue, while the third is found on a Flavian period cuirass. This article will examine whether any of these images can credibly be claimed to be depictions of captured or submissive Jews, which would imply that Roman and particularly Flavian authorities intended to use the image of the trousers to associate the Jews with “barbarians,” most particularly in their defeat.

Keywords: Judaea Capta; Bacchius Iudaeus; clothing; dress; propaganda; Flavians; iconography

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Just not understanding the Maye hype. Played the softest schedule since 1999 last year. When playing good defenses, it shows.

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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Since becoming president again, Trump has promised: -$5000 stimulus checks via "DOGE dividend" -$2000 stimulus checks via "tariff dividend" -$1000+ checks via "savings" from expiring ACA subsidies -$5000 "dividend" if Rs win midterms No checks have been issued www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-magi...

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The article I co-wrote with Charlotte Hempel ("Rules and Rule Texts in the Dead Sea Scrolls") for the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion went live this week! If you would like a PDF version, let me know. academic.oup.com/edited-volum...

academic.oup.com

Rules and Rule Texts in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Abstract. The language of rules and rule texts is used with reference to the Dead Sea Scrolls found in eleven scroll caves near the site of Qumran based on

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