Neoplatonism and Abrahamic Traditions - Academic year 2019/2020

Seeds of Western Culture, 2023

The book discusses two of the main seeds of Western Culture – the Exodus and the Odyssey, which are entwined within the book by both a common link with Egypt and a review of ancient chronology. They were both antecedents to the rise of Christianity, which is at the heart of Western Culture. It was inspired by a desire to understand the spiritual message of the Odyssey, which required both geographical and spiritual interpretations of the poem. Linked to this was a desire to understand the political context of the Trojan story, which required resolving the false hiatus in the archaeology of Troy. This resulted in a new paradigm for understanding ancient chronology, which revealed the stories behind the Exodus and the location of the Garden of Eden. Writing the book has been a long and eventful journey, longer than Odysseus’ 19 years away from home. The book is written in five parts: • Low Chronology – Based on the identification of Menophres with Thutmose III and of the Bubastite Portal’s reference to Shoshenq’s participation in the Battle of Qarqar, the Egyptian Third Intermediate Period is shortened by 120 years, with a pharaoh ruling from Tanis and subordinate kings at Bubastis and Thebes. • The Exodus – Using the Low Chronology and genealogical information and dates provided by the Bible, it is demonstrated that the story of the Exodus is a combination of two events, being the exodus of the Hyksos led by Abraham in 1406 BC following the eruption of Thera, and the exodus of the Atenist (Levite) priests led by Moses in about the first year of Tutankhamun - 1204 BC. The story of Abraham also reveals the location of the Garden of Eden in the heartland of the Levant. • Radiocarbon Dating – The process that created the dendrochronology-based radiocarbon calibration curve is demonstrated to be a flawed non-scientific process that relied upon circular arguments. • The Odyssey – By comparing the life and work of Archilochus to both the Odyssey and the Iliad, it is shown that Archilochus must have been the author of the Odyssey. The allegory within the Odyssey is also discussed to provide both geographical and spiritual interpretations of the poem. • Western Culture – The two main streams of Western Culture (Ancient Greece and Christianity) are shown to have had their foundations in the stories surrounding the Trojan War, the spiritual message of the Odyssey and the influences of Egypt on Greece and Judaism. It is shown how Greek and Jewish religions were fused to create the Gospels and contributed towards modern astrology.

Conference Theme: Opening the Ancient World: Representations of the Past in Ancient & Modern Times This interdisciplinary conference examines exploration, representation, and reception of pasts in the broadest cross-cultural, global, and atemporal world context. This conference employs the framework of interdisciplinary “Ancient Studies,” the study of the deep past of all societies, exploring the reception and representation of the past in present and ancient societies. Removing the privileging of our contemporary temporal position by intertwining current and past explorations of pasts treats this issue as a human cultural construction in all societies. This free, public conference will be held on Sunday and Monday, July 21st to 22nd, 2024, and will be livestreamed on SASA’s website, social media channels, and on our partners’ platforms. For the first time, we are proud to announce that the Opening the Ancient World Virtual Conference will support live interpretation for Spanish and Arabic thanks to a grant from the Wenner-Gren Foundation!

by Cristina D'Ancona, in Studia graeco-arabica 5 / 2015, pp. 399-407

Review of Biblical Literature

This is a book on the formation of Abrahamic religions, in a series named Studies in the Abrahamic Religions, written by the former Professor of the Study of Abrahamic Religions at Oxford. I detect a theme.

This article appears in a volume entitled Religious Competition in the Greco-Roman World, edited by Nathaniel P. DesRosiers and Lily C. Vuong. It was published in 2016 by SBL Press. Authors were warned that our essays are not to be put online for others to access. I find this approach counter productive to our shared scholarship so, now, after nearly a year, I am uploading it. I highly recommend the volume with sections on Material Culture, Neoplatonism, Popular Religion, and Relics. This is a hot topic and these scholars know what's up, so I recommend the book for your library or for you.

Routledge eBooks, 2016

2012

BMes Bibliotheca mesopotamica BSac Bibliotheca sacra BSC Bible Student's Commentary BT The Bible Translator BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin BZAW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft Abbreviations v CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly CDME A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian. Edited by R. O. Faulkner. Oxford, 1962. COS The Context of Scripture. Edited by W. W. Hallo. 3 vols. Leiden, 1997-. DDD Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. Edited by K. van der Toorn, B. Becking, and P. W. van der Horst. Leiden, 1995. DJD Discoveries in the Judaean Desert EBib Etudes bibliques EDNT Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament. Edited by H. Balz, G. Schneider. Grand Rapids, 1990-93. EgT Eglise et théologie ExpTim Expository Times HBC Harper's Biblical Commentary. Edited by J. L. Mays et al. San Francisco, 1988. HTR Harvard Theological Review HTS Harvard Theological Studies IB Interpreter's Bible. Edited by G. A. Buttrick et al. 12 vols. New York, 1951-57.

Introduction, pp. 9-19

Ancient Cultures at Monash University (ACMU) 2013 is the inaugural conference hosted by the Centre for Archaeology and Ancient History at Monash University. In 2014, Monash will introduce a new Bachelor of Arts major in Ancient Cultures and the conference will help celebrate this event. The purpose of the conference is to showcase the work of current and recently-completed postgraduate students of Monash University, whose research focuses upon any aspect of ‘ancient cultures’, and to open a dialogue between students of different departments. In light of this, the 2013 conference will feature students from the Centre for Archaeology and Ancient History, as well as students from the Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology and the Department of Philosophy, all located within the School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies, students from the Departments of Italian and Chinese Studies, located within the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, and a past student of Monash who is now studying at the University of Sydney. The diversity of the papers presented here illustrates the important role that the study of ancient cultures plays within the Monash University research environment and emphasises the need for ongoing collaboration across departments into the future. We are also pleased to welcome two guest speakers for ACMU 2013: Dr Yann Tristant is a lecturer in the Department of Ancient History at Macquarie University in Sydney, and is the Director for the Macquarie University/ Institut français d’archéologie orientale (IFAO) excavations at both Abu Rawash and Wâdî 'Araba, Egypt. He is also the Deputy Director for the University of Vienna/ Macquarie University excavations at Helwan, Egypt. Dr Tristant has kindly agreed to present the keynote address, and we thank him for his contribution. Dr Nicola Aravecchia is a Research Affiliate at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University, and is the Archaeological Field Director for the New York University excavations at Ain el-Gedida in Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt. Dr Aravecchia will present the closing address and we would also like to thank him for his contribution. The ACMU 2013 Conference Committee