Revelation. The driving force behind amillennialism, its strong affirmation of the vic- tory of right over wrong in world history, is commendable. But it is difficult to apply Rev 20 – the binding of Satan – to the Christian era. The plain reading of the text, the escalating nature of the warfare between Christ and Satan, the successive annihi- lations of the enemies of God in chapters 17–20, the progressive nature of the tri- umphs of Christ and his saints, as well as the strong structural evidences for the unity of the millennial vision – all seem to favour the sequential reading of Rev 19–20. Therefore, Neall proposes that Rev 20 be seen as consummated rather than inaugu- rated eschatology. AUSS 43/1 (2005) 185–210

EXTRABIBLICAL SOURCES

Inscriptions

General 1121 Giovanni Garbini, Introduzione all’epigrafia semitica This handbook surveys the history of Semitic epigraphic studies (with its golden age of discoveries, 1850–1915), the origins of the alphabet, and the various writing systems (to the exclusion of Akkadian cuneiform writing). Ancient Hebrew inscriptions are dealt with on pp. 120–128. Other inscriptions of biblical interest, mentioned or discussed, include the Mesha stela (pp. 107–108), the Deir Alla text (pp. 119–120), and the calendar (p. 98). Many illustrations document the variety of letters and scribal traditions. Studi sul Vicino Oriente antico 4; Paideia Editrice, Brescia (2006) 1–417 (BL)

1122 Bernd Janowski et al. (eds.), Staatsverträge, Herrscherinschriften und andere Dokumente zur politischen Geschichte This volume shows two things: the astonishing vitality of German scholarship on Egypt and the , and the continuing “Old Testament umbrella” used for printing and marketing collections of annotated translations of ancient source materi- als. A wide range of ancient sources – Hittite, Egyptian, Ugaritic, Akkadian, Sabean, etc. – are included in the attractive volume. Here is a list of those texts that are of particular interest to biblical scholarship: the Egyptian stela of Beth-shean (dating from the 13th century BCE, still on display in the 10th century BCE; pp. 221ff.); the report on Sennacherib’s Palestinian campaign of 701 BCE (the Rassam cylinder, p. 67ff.); the Ammonite Amminadab inscription (the so-called bottle inscription of ca. 600 BCE; p. 314); Jewish inscriptions on coins (pp. 321–330, translated and annotated by I. Kottsieper). Most welcome are the maps inserted as the well-produced volume’s end- papers. One would hope that a later volume in the series offers an index (which is lacking in the present volume) and a drawing of better quality than the one repro- duced on p. 250. May many users explore the wealth of this very rich collection! Texte aus der Umwelt des Alten Testaments. Neue Folge 2; Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh (2005) XVIII/1–406 (BL)

264 Hebrew ★ Moabite – Edomite 1123 Shmuel Ahituv, Ha-Ketav we-ha Miktav à HaKetav VeHaMiktav: Handbook of Ancient Inscriptions from the Land of Israel and the Kingdoms beyond the from the Period of the First Commonwealth Ahituv offers a generous selection of ancient Hebrew inscriptional material from the period of the monarchy, including the Lachish ostraca, the Gezer calendar, the Bileam inscription, and so on, plus all the inscriptions of Moabite origin (the stela of Mesha, etc.). Each item is documented by a photo, a line drawing, a transcription, and a com- mentary in modern Hebrew. All the inscriptions are also given with Masoretic vowels. In the preface, Ahituv comments on recent debates about forged inscriptions. As a result, he has omitted all the inscriptions from the Mousaieff collection. Several indexes and a glossary provide excellent guidance. All scholars working on inscriptions should have this important resource. The Biblical Encyclopedia Library 21; Mosad Bialiq, (2005) XIV/1–465 (BL)

1124 Avi Shveka, Arad Ostracon No. 7: In Search of the True Solution to the Riddle As commonly interpreted, ostracon 7 from orders Elyashib – the comman- der of the Judean fortress of Arad – to issue supplies for a troop of soldiers who were supposed to pass through Arad at the first day of the tenth month, and to record that event at the second of the month. This one-day delay has been a riddle for research. The common interpretation of the letter explains it by the assumption that it reflects the custom to rest from work on the first of the month. This paper suggests a new understanding of the ostracon, according to which Elyashib was not ordered to delay the recording of the issue, but rather to falsify it; he was to write down that the issue took place in the second of the month, while it was actually done in the first. The reason for that was obviously the will to prevent a clash with people who would not have seen the desecration of the holy in a good light – probably the priests who served in the Arad temple. HebStud 46 (2005) 49–70

1125 Yuval Goren et al., Authenticity Examination of Two Iron Age Ostraca from the Moussaieff Collection Beide Inschriften – erstmals publiziert in Semitica 46, 1996, 49–76 – sind moderne Fälschungen. IEJ 55/1 (2005) 21–34 (WZ)

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1126 Aaron Schade, New Photographs Supporting the Reading ryt in Line 12 of the Mesha Inscription In Zeile 12 muss nach einer Autopsie aller Wahrscheinlichkeit nach ryt statt hyt (Vorschlag Lemaire) gelesen werden. IEJ 55/2 (2005) 205–208 (WZ)

1127 Bruce Routledge, Mesha and the Naming of Names The image of Moab portrayed in the Mesha inscription is multicentric in that it rec- ognizes political identities below that of the state, and seems to incorporate them into the concept of Moab, rather than replace them with this concept. In this way, Moab in the Mesha inscription differs from the classic model of the nation-state as a unified

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