Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D.
@blindscholar.bsky.social
1.4K followers 430 following 530 posts
PhD in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East from Brandeis, postdoc at Stanford. Interests in disability, myth, economics, and materiality. More at www.blindscholar.com.
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Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D. @blindscholar.bsky.social · 1d
So I think we need a process of relentless reduction in the use of punitive and carceral practices. But a lot of this will be experimental and fragile at first, and the carceral instinct will be strong for a long time.
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Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D. @blindscholar.bsky.social · 1d
I think dismantling incarceration needs to happen from the bottom up—from those who have been oppressed by criminalization to those who have ouse criminalization to oppress. I think this because we will need new cultural means to inhibit crimes of power, and disruption of existing entrenched powers.
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Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D. @blindscholar.bsky.social · 1d
Here's how I square this in my own head:
1. Abolition is a horizon. It can't happen all at once because we who are socialized in this world can neither institute nor handle it.
2. There is a real distinction between crimes of powerlessness and crimes of power.
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Reposted by Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D.
sarahebond.bsky.social
Sarah E. Bond @sarahebond.bsky.social · 5d
The famed limestone ostracon listing workers and their reasons for missing work is from the reign of Ramses II, circa 1250 BCE. Making beer (for the Gods) and taking care of one’s mother and fetching stone for a scribe are indeed valid excuses for missing work. www.britishmuseum.org/collection/o...
Photo: © The Trustees of the British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
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Reposted by Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D.
nameshiv.bsky.social
Shiv Ramdas Mens Rice Activist @nameshiv.bsky.social · 5d
PSA: if you ever need a meal and can't afford one and don't want to jump through these hoops, fund a gurdwara. They are obligated to feed you for free with no strings attached
bumbledan.bsky.social
Bob @bumbledan.bsky.social · 6d
They're all charlatans. On one occasion I visited a soup kitchen in Albuquerque mini years ago because I was in need. The requirement to enter the food line was to get knee bound and accept Jesus into your heart. I very politely refused to do so, and they told me I should find someplace else to eat.
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Reposted by Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D.
vox-magica.bsky.social
Shaily Patel @vox-magica.bsky.social · 7d
my book_smoke & mirrors_ is out on oxford scholarship online. i have many feelings, mostly good! this was a difficult write for many reasons.

so i hope you find something useful in it if you read it.
Smoke & Mirrors: Discourses of Magic in Early Petrine Traditions
Abstract. Smoke & Mirrors: Discourses of Magic in Early Petrine Traditions is a book about how magic disappears from early Christian texts that feature
academic.oup.com
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Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D. @blindscholar.bsky.social · 6d
Voila! Just prompt ChatGPT to add the epigraph to the beginning of your book and it's not a copyright violation anymore!
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Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D. @blindscholar.bsky.social · 6d
That would have been perfect!
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Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D. @blindscholar.bsky.social · 6d
Boo!
The first line of my book is going to be: "The following is not an epigraph transposed into the body text to skirt the absurd overextension of inteleectual property law."
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Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D. @blindscholar.bsky.social · 6d
On the other hand, it's real touching to see copyright law used in exactly the ways it was intended: preventing short quotes from being used with attribution in the front matter of books 🥹
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Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D. @blindscholar.bsky.social · 6d
Wait, epigraphs don't count under fair use? That would have been such a good one!
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Reposted by Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D.
rincewind.run
Micah @rincewind.run · 6d
an extraordinary person with an extraordinary legacy who nevertheless didn’t take herself too seriously

when Gary Larson published this cartoon, she was in Africa and her institute was horribly offended and drafted a complaint

the whole thing was defused when she returned - she found it funny
Far Side cartoon with a female chimpanzee grooming a male chimpanzee “Well, well - another blond hair. … Conducting a little more ‘research’ with that Jane Goodall tramp?”
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Reposted by Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D.
sethcotlar.bsky.social
Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 9d
Samuel Adams, 1768.
"It is a very improbable supposition, that any people can long remain free, with a strong military power in the very heart of their country: Unless that military power is under the direction of the people, and even then it is dangerous.-- History, both ancient and modern, affords many instances of the overthrow of states and kingdoms by the power of soldiers, who were raised and maintained at first under the plausible pretense of defending those very liberties which they afterwards destroyed."
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Reposted by Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D.
debscavator.bsky.social
Debby Sneed @debscavator.bsky.social · 12d
My colleagues @horusofnekhen.bsky.social, @tibg1312.bsky.social, and I wrote a state-of-the-field-type article about disability in antiquity that was recently published and is open access. This article just gives a brief history of the subfield, with a discussion of future directions.
DISABILITY IN ANTIQUITY | The Classical Review | Cambridge Core
DISABILITY IN ANTIQUITY
resolve.cambridge.org
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Reposted by Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D.
sarahebond.bsky.social
Sarah E. Bond @sarahebond.bsky.social · 14d
Expert here: We were not, in fact, ever puzzled. It has been and always will be a writing tablet. www.indy100.com/news/ancient...
'Laptop' spotted in Ancient Greek statue leaving experts puzzled
An ancient Greek statue of a woman seemingly using a laptop has sparked time travel theories online. "Grave Naiskos of an Enthroned Woman with an Attendant" is a 37-inch marble statue created around 1...
www.indy100.com
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Reposted by Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D.
annetteyreed.bsky.social
Annette Yoshiko Reed @annetteyreed.bsky.social · 16d
I’ve been getting some PhD inquiry emails that struck me as v odd so I asked ChatGPT to list my books. It came up w/four—all COMPLETELY made up, including on topics I’ve never written on. And these are the only ones listed! Lesson = please don’t use AI/LLMs when writing grad apps and inquiries &c
ChatGPT hallucination, pt 1: Annette Yoshiko Reed is a scholar known for her work on early Christianity, religious history, and ancient Judaism. Here are some notable books authored by her: 1. The Birth of the Church: The Acts of the Apostles as the Earliest History of Christianity (2014) * This book examines the Acts of the Apostles as a foundational text for understanding the early history and development of Christianity, focusing on how the book reflects the formation of Christian identity. 2. The Gospel of Thomas and Christian Origins: A Study of the Saying Source (The "Thomasine Tradition")(2000) * A scholarly study of the Gospel of Thomas, exploring its potential role in early Christian history and its connections to the so-called "Thomasine tradition." ChatGPT hallucination, pt 2: 3. Theories of the Body in the Ancient World (2017) (Co-edited with others) * This volume brings together contributions from various scholars exploring how the body was understood in ancient religious and philosophical contexts, including early Christianity. 4. Jewish-Christian Dialogue: A Jewish Perspective (2014) * Though not directly authored by her, Annette Yoshiko Reed contributes to the ongoing discourse on Jewish-Christian relations, specifically focusing on the intersections of religious thought in antiquity.
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Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D. @blindscholar.bsky.social · 16d
"Free speech is when the Left shuts up" is the most succinct formulation of how this discourse actually functions that I've ever seen.
fakegreekgrill.bsky.social
Mom for Gliberty @fakegreekgrill.bsky.social · 17d
The failure to reckon with this balance is a big part of what led to our current predicament. "Free speech is when the left shuts up" is a core tenet of public discourse.
maiamindel.bsky.social
Maia @maiamindel.bsky.social · 17d
The problem is that there's content-neutral, value-neutral way to balance Christine Lagarde's right to give a speech at a college and college student's right to protest her speech as loudly as they can, at least not without the premise that some people's speech is more valuable
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Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D. @blindscholar.bsky.social · 16d
This used to be my go-to MLK Day joke, but now it's too depressing to even say in jest.
"Today we celebrate MLK Jr., a man who had a profound impact on the world despite only ever saying one thing in his entire life."
jamellebouie.net
jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 16d
the funny thing about the constant misappropriation of MLK is that the guy left a massive body of writing specifically aimed at explaining his views of those of the movement he represented to the broad public. it is extremely easy to know what the guy thought on a variety of subjects and yet
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Reposted by Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D.
carlosfnorena.bsky.social
Carlos Noreña @carlosfnorena.bsky.social · 18d
6th annual Erich S. Gruen Prize for best graduate student paper on multiculturalism in the ancient Mediterranean world.

Deadline for submissions: September 30.

Spread the word! Or, better: throw your hat in the ring!
The Erich S. Gruen Prize | Society for Classical Studies
On behalf of the Society for Classical Studies (SCS), the Erich S. Gruen Prize Committee invites all graduate students in North America to enter the sixth annual competition for the best graduate rese...
www.classicalstudies.org
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Reposted by Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D.
samuelhayimbrody.bsky.social
Sam Brody @samuelhayimbrody.bsky.social · 18d
nice life of man you got there. would hate to see it be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short
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Reposted by Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D.
chancebonar.bsky.social
Dr. Chance Bonar @chancebonar.bsky.social · 19d
The digital version of God, Slavery, and Early Christianity is officially out! If you're interested in ancient Mediterranean slavery's effects on Christian thought and practice, this is for you.

www.cambridge.org/core/books/g...
God, Slavery, and Early Christianity
Cambridge Core - History of Religion - God, Slavery, and Early Christianity
www.cambridge.org
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Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D. @blindscholar.bsky.social · 18d
I've often thought the concept of rights was a slippery one for just that reason. What are they, where do they come from, and what do they actualy entail? What other concepts are they functionally synonymous with?
But here I'm more curious about how a constraint on congress applies to other powers.
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Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D. @blindscholar.bsky.social · 18d
a set of privileges and immunities (=rights?) inherent in national citizenship.
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Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D. @blindscholar.bsky.social · 18d
Interesting, thanks. Another reason to love the 14th! It seems like there's been a lot of debate about whether and which of the Bill of Rights are covered by "privileges and immunities." In either case, this amendment is also limited in whose actions it constrains (the states'), but by implying...
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Eric J. Harvey, Ph.D. @blindscholar.bsky.social · 19d
Right, but the word "right" is only attached to peaceable assembly. To me, there is a subtle but important distinction beetween "we have a right to freedom of speech" and "congress is prohibited from making laws abridging the freedom of speech." The first one is vaguer but stronger.
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