Michael Langlois

After a year-long gestation, the new series I submitted to Éditions du Cerf is ready to be born!

Sous la plume de biblistes, philologues, épigraphistes et historiens des religions, cette collection nous invite à un voyage au Proche-Orient antique, à cette époque énigmatique et fascinante où le scribe est aussi rédacteur, où le texte est encore fluide, et le canon, indéterminé.

Siècles après siècles, les traditions du judaïsme ancien et du christianisme naissant sont partagées et enrichies. Leurs textes évoluent au gré du temps, transmis en d’anciennes langues sur des manuscrits évanescents. Leur autorité varie selon les communautés : certaines les qualifieront de bibliques, d’autres, d’apocryphes.

Ils s’offrent à nous aujourd’hui : voici « L’écriture de la Bible ».

Stay tuned for the announcement of the first volume…

L’écriture de la Bible (PDF)

Update: The first volume is out!

• Mystères et connaissances cachées à Qumrân (Valérie Triplet-Hitoto, édité par Michael Langlois)

I am going on an epigraphic mission in Switzerland during the second half of July to study a collection of Hebrew ostraca with André Lemaire.

An “ostracon” (plural: ostraca) is a pottery sherd reused (one could say “recycled”) as a cheap writing support (compared to papyrus or leather, for instance). It is a common support in Antiquity, notably for accounting or economical documents.
The study of these Hebrew ostraca will thus expand our knowledge of the life in Ancient Israel—a real treasure!

After Israel, let’s go to Jordan, with another group of students and my colleague Regine Hunziker-Rodewald who prepared a great program from July 12-23, 2010.

Among the many archaeological sites that we will visit are: Amman, Madaba, Dhiban, Petra, Busayra, Deir-Alla, Jerash… The adventure continues!

I’m taking a group of students on a tour (July 1-11, 2010) to study the topography and archaeology of the Holy Land.

Our program: Jerusalem, the Negev, Arad, the Dead Sea, Masada, Ein-Gedi, Qumran, Jericho, the Jordan River, Beth-Shean / Scythopolis, Tiberias, Capernaum, the Galilee, Caesarea… Enjoy the trip!

For the first time in its history, the National Library of France will host an exhibition on the Dead Sea Scrolls! This unprecedented event will take place on April 13 – July 11, 2010, and has been entitled Qumran: Uncovering the Dead Sea Scrolls. Hang on!

The National Library asked me to serve as their Scientific Advisor for this exhibition, which I accepted with great pleasure. Moreover, I will share with Laurent Héricher (oriental manuscripts curator) the Direction of Publication related to this exhibition. More on that later…

Please visit the National Library’s website for more information (such as opening hours, price, access…).