Economics in the Biblical World

Call For Papers: For the 2019 SBL, we will sponsor three session. First: For an open session we invite proposals on "the reasons for peasant/villager indebtedness in early Roman Palestine." Proposals should focus especially on textual evidence, such as from Josephus' histories and the Gospels, and on memories of late second temple times adapted in rabbinic texts, and on such archaeological evidence as may be applicable. We hope to generate cooperative learning among presenters and respondent(s) in the critical framing of issues and evaluation of textual evidence. For further information contact Richard Horsley (richard.horsley@umb.edu). Second : We are also planning the first of some several sessions on key aspects of the Judean temple-state, beginning with the foundation and consolidation of the temple-state in the Persian period. We are inviting some of the key scholars who have contributed to the recent expansion of work on the Persian period to bring together analysis of issues such as the overall political-economic structure and dynamics, the struggle among priestly and other factions, the relation between the people who remained on the land and the descendants of previously deported Judeans who returned to participated in the temple-state, the importance of Persian sponsorship and governors, and how archaeological evidence may affect evaluation of limited texts from this period. Third: We are planning a joint session with another program unit on the generation of "social-economic communes" rooted in the deep Israelite tradition of the common good and collective responsibility. This session will include invited presentations on the sharing of goods indicated in key texts from Qumran, the sharing of goods recounted it the Acts narrative of the Jerusalem koinon and the mutual aid and sharing of goods indicated in the Didache.

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