Biblical Archaeology Review

Biblical Archaeology Review is the flagship publication of the Biblical Archaeology Society. For more than 40 years it has been making the world of archaeology in the lands of the Bible come alive for the interested layperson. Full of vivid images and articles written by leading scholars, this is a must read for anyone interested in the archaeology of the ancient Near East.

Endnote 4 - “Secret Mark”: Restoring a Dead Scholar’s Reputation

The Talmud (b. Avodah, Zarah 39b) asks what is “sal-conditum”? The answer is that it comes in black and white forms and Roman guests partake of it. In the course of the discussion, the Talmud explains why Jews may not partake of it: because sometimes “unclean [that is, unkosher, that is, fish without scales—see Leviticus 11:9–12 and Deuteronomy 14:9–10] black fish are mixed with them” (emphasis supplied).

Endnote 3 - “Secret Mark”: Restoring a Dead Scholar’s Reputation

The word used in the Mishnah is “salt [melach] sal-conditum.” For some inexplicable reason, the word melach is omitted from both the Danby and Neusner translations of the Mishnah. Jacob Neusner, The Mishnah, Avodah Zara 2, 6 (New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 1988), p. 664. It is there in the Hebrew text, however, not only here, but elsewhere when this kind of salt or salt similar to it is referred to.

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