Editorial Matters

As from this issue, Dr. James (Jim) West has given up his charge as Associate Editor/Book Reviews Editor (North America) for reasons of health. Jim has been active in this position for many years and finds it the right moment to leave the position. I will always be grateful for his professionalism which has made the task of editing SJOT so much easier as I didn’t have to worry about the quality of the English Language. However, I have asked Jim if he would probably be interested in a much less demanding position as language consultant, starting with SJOT 34, 2020, and he has agreed. Therefore I hope to be able to secure the quality of the English used here also in the future. This issue includes as series of articles on the subject of the use of Psalms in the 2 nd Temple Period, “Functions of Psalms and Prayers in the Second Temple Period—A Nordic Perspective,” edited by Mika S. Pajunen of the University of Helsinki, and Anne Katrine de Hemmer Gudme of the University of Oslo. The articles represent a continuation of studies of Psalms initiated by two conferences held in Copenhagen and Helsinki in 2015, and are evidence of the changing perspective on Psalm research in these years. When we are discussing matters relevant to the 2 nd Temple Period, this issue of SJOT also includes a section edited by Colin Cornell of the University of The School of Theology at Sewanee, The University of the South, devoted to the Elephantine papyri as used in teaching students the Old Testament. It is a “round-table discussion” and thus represents something not normally seen in journals like SJOT. We find it, however, a most relevant and interesting topic, not least because of the obvious progress of 2 nd Temple studies and the origins of Judaism in recent years. Finally, to balance the focusing on the 2 nd Temple period, we include a study of Nizzim Amzallaq on Moses’ Tent of Meeting, which brings us to quite a different corner of biblical studies.