Philip F. Esler is Portland Chair of New Testament Studies at the University of Gloucestershire. He is a Higher Education administrator and academic who became the inaugural Chief Executive of the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) in 2005, remaining in that role until 2009. From 1995 to 2010 he was Professor of Biblical Criticism at St Andrews University. From 1998 to 2001 he was Vice-Principal for Research and Provost of St Leonard's College at St Andrews. During the years 1999 to 2003 he served as a member of the Board of Scottish Enterprise Fife. From October 2010 to March 2013 he was Principal and Professor of Biblical Interpretation at St Mary's University College Twickenham. He had an earlier career as a lawyer, working in Sydney during 1978-81 and 1984-92 as an articled clerk, then solicitor and barrister.

[The book] should be read and studied by all students of the Second Revolt and the Bar Kokhba materials, and may it inspire many other such close analyses of the surviving written evidence.

• List of Figures Prologue: Re-telling an Ancient Jewish Family Tale 1: Archival Ethnography 2: Nabatea and the Nabateans 3: Life in Maoza 4: Muqimu Borrows Money from his Wife 5: Archelaus Purchases a Date-palm Orchard 6: Archelaus Rescinds his Purchase 7: Shim"on Purchases a Date-palm Orchard 8: P. Yadin 4: Its Character and Parties 9: P. Yadin 4 and Shim"on's Purchase of the Orchard 10: An Ancient Jewish Family Tale Appendix 1: The Emended Nabatean Aramaic Text of P. Yadin 4 (with annotations) Appendix 2: Translations of P. Yadin 1-4 (with annotations) List of References Index of Secondary Authors

Philip F. Esler is Portland Chair of New Testament Studies at the University of Gloucestershire. He is a Higher Education administrator and academic who became the inaugural Chief Executive of the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) in 2005, remaining in that role until 2009. From 1995 to 2010 he was Professor of Biblical Criticism at St Andrews University. From 1998 to 2001 he was Vice-Principal for Research and Provost of St Leonard's College at St Andrews. During the years 1999 to 2003 he served as a member of the Board of Scottish Enterprise Fife. From October 2010 to March 2013 he was Principal and Professor of Biblical Interpretation at St Mary's University College Twickenham. He had an earlier career as a lawyer, working in Sydney during 1978-81 and 1984-92 as an articled clerk, then solicitor and barrister.

[The book] should be read and studied by all students of the Second Revolt and the Bar Kokhba materials, and may it inspire many other such close analyses of the surviving written evidence.

• List of Figures Prologue: Re-telling an Ancient Jewish Family Tale 1: Archival Ethnography 2: Nabatea and the Nabateans 3: Life in Maoza 4: Muqimu Borrows Money from his Wife 5: Archelaus Purchases a Date-palm Orchard 6: Archelaus Rescinds his Purchase 7: Shim"on Purchases a Date-palm Orchard 8: P. Yadin 4: Its Character and Parties 9: P. Yadin 4 and Shim"on's Purchase of the Orchard 10: An Ancient Jewish Family Tale Appendix 1: The Emended Nabatean Aramaic Text of P. Yadin 4 (with annotations) Appendix 2: Translations of P. Yadin 1-4 (with annotations) List of References Index of Secondary Authors

Philip F. Esler is Portland Chair of New Testament Studies at the University of Gloucestershire. He is a Higher Education administrator and academic who became the inaugural Chief Executive of the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) in 2005, remaining in that role until 2009. From 1995 to 2010 he was Professor of Biblical Criticism at St Andrews University. From 1998 to 2001 he was Vice-Principal for Research and Provost of St Leonard's College at St Andrews. During the years 1999 to 2003 he served as a member of the Board of Scottish Enterprise Fife. From October 2010 to March 2013 he was Principal and Professor of Biblical Interpretation at St Mary's University College Twickenham. He had an earlier career as a lawyer, working in Sydney during 1978-81 and 1984-92 as an articled clerk, then solicitor and barrister.

[The book] should be read and studied by all students of the Second Revolt and the Bar Kokhba materials, and may it inspire many other such close analyses of the surviving written evidence.

• List of Figures Prologue: Re-telling an Ancient Jewish Family Tale 1: Archival Ethnography 2: Nabatea and the Nabateans 3: Life in Maoza 4: Muqimu Borrows Money from his Wife 5: Archelaus Purchases a Date-palm Orchard 6: Archelaus Rescinds his Purchase 7: Shim"on Purchases a Date-palm Orchard 8: P. Yadin 4: Its Character and Parties 9: P. Yadin 4 and Shim"on's Purchase of the Orchard 10: An Ancient Jewish Family Tale Appendix 1: The Emended Nabatean Aramaic Text of P. Yadin 4 (with annotations) Appendix 2: Translations of P. Yadin 1-4 (with annotations) List of References Index of Secondary Authors