DOCSLIB.ORG

Priesthood, Cult, and Temple in the Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Priesthood, Cult, and Temple in the Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran PRIESTHOOD, CULT, AND TEMPLE IN THE ARAMAIC SCROLLS PRIESTHOOD, CULT, AND TEMPLE IN THE ARAMAIC SCROLLS FROM QUMRAN By ROBERT E. JONES III, B.A., M.Div. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University © Copyright by Robert E. Jones III, June 2020 McMaster University DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (2020) Hamilton, Ontario (Religious Studies) TITLE: Priesthood, Cult, and Temple in the Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran AUTHOR: Robert E. Jones III, B.A. (Eastern University), M.Div. (Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) SUPERVISOR: Dr. Daniel A. Machiela NUMBER OF PAGES: xiv + 321 ii ABSTRACT My dissertation analyzes the passages related to the priesthood, cult, and temple in the Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran. The Aramaic Scrolls comprise roughly 15% of the manuscripts found in the Qumran caves, and testify to the presence of a flourishing Jewish Aramaic literary tradition dating to the early Hellenistic period (ca. late fourth to early second century BCE). Scholarship since the mid-2000s has increasingly understood these writings as a corpus of related literature on both literary and socio-historical grounds, and has emphasized their shared features, genres, and theological outlook. Roughly half of the Aramaic Scrolls display a strong interest in Israel’s priestly institutions: the priesthood, cult, and temple. That many of these compositions display such an interest has not gone unnoticed. To date, however, few scholars have analyzed the priestly passages in any given composition in light of the broader corpus, and no scholars have undertaken a comprehensive treatment of the priestly passages in the Aramaic Scrolls. My dissertation fills these lacunae. After a brief introduction to the dissertation in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 gives an overview and assessment of earlier treatments of the Aramaic Scrolls. Chapters 3 through 5 offer analyses of the passages related to the priesthood, cult, and temple found in fourteen of the approximately thirty Aramaic Scrolls, dealing with each composition in turn. In Chapter 6, I synthesize the material in the previous three chapters, and show that the Aramaic Scrolls reflect a remarkably consistent conception of Israel’s priestly institutions. By way of conclusion in Chapter 7, I situate the Aramaic Scrolls in the context of broader scholarly proposals concerning the history of the Second Temple Jewish priesthood, and demonstrate how this corpus can shed new light on an otherwise poorly documented period in Jewish history, namely, the pre-Hasmonean, Hellenistic period. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Since I began my time at McMaster six years ago, Daniel Machiela has been a mentor, teacher, and friend. I could not have asked for a more erudite, attentive, and encouraging supervisor. I am grateful for his critical eye and his unwavering support. I am also deeply indebted to the rest of my supervisory committee. I have learned so much from Eileen Schuller over the past few years. She possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the Dead Sea Scrolls, in addition to being a dedicated teacher and a model for careful, rigorous scholarship. Hanna Tervanotko was a late, but welcomed, addition to the committee. I had already benefited immensely from her published work prior to her arrival at McMaster, and I was thrilled to have her on board when she joined our Department in 2017. All three members of my supervisory committee are not only respected scholars in the fields of Dead Sea Scrolls and Second Temple Judaism, but they also routinely demonstrate their selfless commitment to their students. I am thankful for their expertise, insight, and time. I am also thankful to the entire Department of Religious Studies at McMaster University. It has been a great honor and a great joy to study and teach alongside such an impressive and collegial group of professors and graduate students. A significant portion of Chapters 3 and 5 were written at the Qumran Institute at the University of Groningen during my time as a Dirk Smilde Scholar in the spring of 2018. I must extend my sincerest thanks and appreciation to the Dirk Smilde family, the Ubbo Emmius Fonds, Mladen Popović, and the entire Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Groningen. I would also like to express my gratitude to George Brooke, who read and commented on a draft of Chapter 2 while I was in Groningen, and to Gareth Wearne, my fellow Dirk Smilde Scholar, with whom I had the pleasure of discussing our research projects over pints of Belgian beer. After three trips to Groningen while pursuing my Ph.D., it has become something of an iv academic home away from home, and I am thankful for all of my friends and colleagues there who have welcomed me into their rich and vibrant scholarly community. I would also be remiss if I did not offer a word of thanks to the professors at Eastern University, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and the University of Pittsburgh who took an interest in my work, especially Carl Mosser, Raymond Van Leeuwen, Kenton Sparks, Edith Humphrey, and Jason van Ehrenkrook. Without them, I would have had neither the skills nor the confidence to pursue further graduate study. I am grateful for their continued friendship and support. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to express my profound gratitude to my family. Their unfailing love has sustained me through this long and often arduous process. I could not have done it without them. My parents-in-law, Jay and Lori, welcomed me wholeheartedly into the Sofianek family almost seven years ago. One of the true joys of studying in Hamilton was being able to make so many trips to their house in Rochester, NY. Throughout the Ph.D. process, their home became a place for much needed rest, laughter, and conversation (not to mention good food and drink). I am very thankful for their love and support, and I am proud to call them Mom and Dad. My own parents, Bob and Debbie, have always been a source of inspiration for me. They taught me the value of hard work and the importance of a good education from a very young age. They made countless sacrifices for me and my sister, Rebecca, over the years. I would not be who or where I am without their love, wisdom, kindness, patience, persistence, and support. I am deeply grateful for them. Finally, I must acknowledge my sincere gratitude for Kyle, my wife, partner, and best friend. She has been my companion for over a decade, and no words could ever express how thankful I am for her. I could not have accomplished this goal without her constant love and selfless support. We have called many places “home” since we first met. But no matter where we have been or where we go next, home will always be where you are. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………..1 1.1 Introducing the Dissertation……………………………………………………………….1 1.2 Introducing the Material…………………………………………………………………..4 1.3 Overview of the Dissertation……………………………………………………………...5 CHAPTER 2: THE ARAMAIC DEAD SEA SCROLLS IN SCHOLARLY CONTEXT………………………..8 2.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..8 2.2 Earlier Treatments of the Aramaic Scrolls……………………………………………….10 2.3 Classifying the Aramaic Scrolls………………………………………………………….14 2.4 The Aramaic Scrolls and the Hebrew Scriptures………………………………………...20 2.5 The Aramaic Scrolls and Apocalyptic Literature/Apocalypticism……………………....24 2.6 The Aramaic Scrolls and Foreign Culture……………………………………………….30 2.7 The Aramaic Scrolls and the Qumran Sectarian Writings……………………………….35 2.8 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….37 CHAPTER 3: FROM ENOCH TO ABRAHAM………………………………………………………....40 3.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………40 3.2 The Book of Watchers (1 En. 1–36)……………………………………………………..41 3.2.1 The Priestly Qualities of Enoch and the Angelic Host…………………………..42 3.2.2 Exogamy as a Violation of Priestly Prohibitions………………………………...45 3.2.3 The Earthly Temple, Jerusalem, and the Eschaton………………………………47 3.2.4 The Heavenly Realm as a Temple……………………………………………….48 3.2.5 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….54 Excursus: Criticism of the Jerusalem Priesthood in the Book of Watchers? 1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………55 2 Suter, Nickelsburg, and the Foundations of a Consensus………………………..56 3 Critical Responses to Suter and Nickelsburg…………………………………….60 4 Condemning the Contemporary Jerusalem Priesthood?..………………………..60 5 Polemicizing against Menstrual Impurity?..……………………………………..62 vi 6 A Problematic Methodology?……………………………………………………64 7 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….66 3.3 The Animal Apocalypse (1 En. 85–90)…………………………………...……………..67 3.4 The Apocalypse of Weeks (1 En. 93:1–10; 91:11–17)…………………………………..75 3.5 The Genesis Apocryphon (1Q20)………………………………………………………..78 3.5.1 Noah’s Atoning Sacrifice………………………………………………………...79 3.5.2 Abraham’s Cultic Activity……………………………………………………….86 3.5.3 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….88 CHAPTER 4: FROM JACOB TO AARON……………………………………………………………..89 4.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………89 4.2 Testament of Jacob? (4Q537)……………………………………………………………89 4.2.1 A Vision of the Temple Cult……………………………………………………..91 4.2.2 The Temple and Its Environs…………………………………………………….92 4.2.3 Priests, Sacrificial Procedure, and Consumption………………………………...95 4.2.4 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….96 4.3 New Jerusalem (1Q32, 2Q24, 4Q554–555, 5Q15, 11Q18)……………………………...96 4.3.1 Gates, Boulevards, and the Location of the Temple……………………………..99 4.3.2 The Architecture of the Temple………………………………………………...106 4.3.3 The Priesthood and Its Rituals………………………………………………….110
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Use of Radiocarbon Dating in Assessing Christian Connections to the Dead Sea Scrolls
    RADIOCARBON, Vol 41, N r 2, 1999, p 169-182 ©1999 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona USE OF RADIOCARBON DATING IN ASSESSING CHRISTIAN CONNECTIONS TO THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS G A Rodley RD2 Picton, New Zealand B E Thiering c/o School of Studies in Religion, University of Sydney, 2006 Australia ABSTRACT. We present an analysis of radiocarbon dates on Dead Sea Scrolls that have a bearing on the question of the Scroll documents' relation to Christian origins. We assess details of dating reports, discuss paleographical evidence, and con- sider the content of the documents. When collated, these findings may be seen as compatible with a view that personalities mentioned in the Scrolls were contemporary with the founders of Christianity. INTRODUCTION Radiocarbon dating provides important information about the dates of some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a matter of interest to the claim that they are closely connected with earliest Christianity. The manuscripts properly called Dead Sea Scrolls were found at Qumran, near the northwest corner of the Dead Sea. Other, related documents that have been 14C dated were found at nearby locations in the Judean Desert. All historical indications point to their production in the general period of Jew- ish history extending from the third century BCE to the second century CE. 14C tests make it possible to give, within a statistically probable range, a date of manufacture of the writing material, either parchment (made from animal skin) or papyrus. This is not necessarily the same as the date of composition of the works inscribed on them.
    [Show full text]
  • 477 Appendix 3B, I. NAMES Supplemental Listing ABIAH
    Appendix 3B, I. NAMES Supplemental Listing Note: This listing primarily offers additional avenues for comparison. Many of its names are explored in other segments (e.g. citations related to post-exilic proceedings are referenced in Appendix 3B, II, Detail A). Biblical encyclopedias comparable to those employed in this work will enable locating verses for some few items not referenced elsewhere in this work. ABIAH - see Abijah/Abijam. ABIEL - see Jehiel[/Abiel]. ABI-EZER (1) (a) (Manasseh-Machir-) Gilead and Gilead’s sister, Hammoleketh/Hammolecheth; (Hammoleketh-) Abiezer. 1 Chronicles 7:17-18; (b) (Asenath + Joseph-Manasseh-Machir-Sons of Gilead-) Jeezer/sons of Abiezer. Numbers 26:28-30; Joshua 17:1-2; (c) (Aaron-Eleazar-Phinehas-) Abiezer/Abishua in the chief priest line; (d) (Joash, the Abiezrite-) Judge Gideon; Judges 6:11--refer to Appendices 1C, sub-part VI, C, and 3B, II, sub-part II, A, and Attachment 1. (2) Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.” Judges 6:24, 8:32. (3) Abiezer “the Anethothite/[Anathothite]” “of the Benjaminites”--one of king David’s 37 most valiant captains; head of a divisional force of 24,000 that served the king the ninth month of the year. 2 Samuel 23:27; 1 Chronicles 11:28, 27:12. ABIJAH/ABIAH/ABIJAM (1) (Benjamin-Becher-) Abiah. 1 Chronicles 7:8. (2) (Abiah/Abijah + Hezron -) Ashur, “father of Tekoa.” Refer to Appendix 1C, Attachment 1, at fn. 20. (3) “[T]he name of his/[Samuel’s (+ Hannah) ] son firstborn Joel, and the name of his second Abiah[/Abijah].” 1 Samuel 8:2; 1 Chronicles 6:28; refer also to Elkanah, this appendix.
    [Show full text]
  • AMRAM According to the Bible Amram Is a Son Of
    AMRAM According to the Bible Amram is a son of Qahat (Kohath) and father of Aaron, Moses and Miriam (Exod 6:18, 20, Num 26:58-59). His wife was Jochabed, his father's sister. His name appears frequently in genealogical lists. Amram is prominent in a number of Second Temple writings. In Pseudo-Philo’s Biblical Antiquities he is the hero of a significant incident before the birth of Moses (9:1-10). Josephus, Antiquities 1.210-216 knows of visions vouchsafed to Amram before the birth of Moses. This is particularly notable in view of 4QVisions of Amram. Amram, together with Qahat and Levi, figures in the chain of transmission of Sefer Harazim from Noah to Moses. Interestingly, he plays no major part in Jubilees, which is generally linked to Aramaic Levi and 4QTQahat ar. Five copies of the work entitled "Visions of Amram" were found in Cave 4 at Qumran. Although, this number of copies suffices to show that it must have had some importance for the Qumran covenanters, no references to it occur in sectarian literature. In 1972, J.T. Milik published a substantial fragment of 4QVisions of Amramb ar and claimed that Origen alluded to it. Milik recognized five copies, 4Q543-4Q548. Puech thinks that the same scribe copied 4QTQahat ar and 4QVisions of Amrama ar. Moreover, he notes that 4QTQahat ar starts on a piece of leather with a join on the Stone, AMRAM, page 2 right and he even speculates that these two works might have formed part of the same manuscript. Details of the other manuscripts of 4QVisions of Amram are not yet known.
    [Show full text]
  • Fisher, Memories of The
    Memories of the Ark: Texts, Objects, and the Construction of the Biblical Past By Daniel Shalom Fisher A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Ronald Hendel, Chair Professor Robert Alter Professor Benjamin Porter Professor Daniel Boyarin Professor Ann Swidler Summer 2018 Copyright © 2018 by Daniel Shalom Fisher, All Rights Reserved. 1 Abstract Memories of the Ark: Texts, Objects, and the Construction of the Biblical Past by Daniel Shalom Fisher Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Studies University of California, Berkeley Professor Ronald Hendel, Chair This dissertation constructs a cultural biography of the Ark of the Covenant, exploring through it the close, but often complicated, relationships that have existed between objects and collective memory in Biblical and ancient Jewish societies. The project considers the different ways in which Biblical writers and interpreters have remembered the Ark as a “real thing,” forming it, mobilizing it, and making meaning with it—largely in its absence after its likely loss in the 6th century BCE. From Exodus to Chronicles and in works of biblical interpretation through the Mishnah, this project explores how these writers reimagine the Ark to craft visions for their people’s future through their people’s past. The project is structured around five interrelated case studies from the Ark’s mnemohistory, considering different dimensions of cultural memory’s entanglement in material culture. Each case study draws upon and enriches text-, source-, and redaction-critical approaches, investigating the growth and reshaping of biblical writings as creative memory work.
    [Show full text]
  • The Dead Sea Scrolls JUDS 1611/RELS 1150 CRN: 16534
    The Dead Sea Scrolls JUDS 1611/RELS 1150 CRN: 16534 The Dead Sea scrolls have been rightly celebrated as changing our fundamental understanding of ancient Jewish and Christian history as well as the Bible. But what is in them, and why do they matter? In this course we will read through the most important scrolls in English translation and cover topics such as: authorship; historical context; religious practice; and scripture and its interpretation. The course will develop skills in analytical writing, close reading, and historical reasoning. This is a WRIT designated course. Instructor Professor Michael Satlow, Religious Studies and Judaic Studies. Office: 163 George St. Email: [email protected]. Phone: (401) 863-3911. My office hours are Monday 10-11:30 and by appointment. I will occasionally announce additional hours. At times these will be online or offsite (usually the Blue Room) office hours. Resources Please purchase the following two books, available at the Brown Bookstore: 1. M. Wise, et al., The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation (revised edition) (abbreviated below as Wise) 2. J. VanderKam and P. Flint, The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls (abbreviated below as V-F) Other readings available through our course reserve are marked with an asterisk (*). Our OCRA password is scrolls. We will be using Canvas. Requirements 1. Attendance and participation (10% of grade). 2. Online responses. You will have seven opportunities to write these responses in a forum on Canvas. You may miss one without penalty. They are due by 5 PM on the Sunday following the assigned week (e.g., the assignment for Week 3 is actually due on September 29), and will generally be short written responses to one or more prompts that I will suggest (30% of grade).
    [Show full text]
  • Jesus' Teaching and Pharisaical Judaism
    JBTM The Bible and Theology 14 JESUS’ TEACHING AND PHARISAICAL JUDAISM Steven L. Cox, Ph.D. Dr. Cox is Research Professor of New Testament and Greek at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary Memphis, Tennessee ew Testament (henceforth NT) scholars often acknowledge Jesus’ identity or closeness in theology Nto Pharisaical Judaism; however, such statements are generalized without any discussion of their mutual theological positions. Yet, Jesus and the Pharisees were constantly at odds with one another. In the first section of this article I will review a variety of sources, both primary and secondary, concerning Jesus, the Pharisees, and first-century Judaism. Sources naturally will include the Old Testament (henceforth OT), the NT, Josephus, and the Mishnah, though these sources are not exhaustive concerning the topic. In the second section I will discuss beliefs and practices that were common to all Jews. Theological issues such as monotheism, nationalism, the law, and other topics will be discussed. In the third section I will discuss Jesus and Pharisaical Judaism’s kinship by comparing their similarities and how they differ from other first-century Jewish sects. Theological issues such as the afterlife, resurrection, place of worship, the OT canon, and other topics also will be discussed. In the fourth section I will compare and contrast Jesus’ teachings with those of Pharisaical Judaism. A Collating of Sources Evidence from Josephus1 Josephus offered a general description of the Pharisees; however, he did not divulge much information
    [Show full text]
  • Saint Zechariah
    Saint Zechariah Priest, Prophet, Martyr Zechariah was a priest in the division of Abijah, After Elizabeth had given birth to their son, she one of the twenty-four priestly divisions formed during named him John as the Angel Gabriel had commanded. the reign of King David to minister at the Temple in At the time it was customary to name children after a Jerusalem. Each of the orders was responsible for member of the family, but no one in their family was ministering during a different week and Sabbath. Each named John so they went to ask Zechariah what he wished division would begin their service at midday during the to name the child. When he wrote on a tablet that John Sabbath before the time when they would perform the was his name, Zechariah’s muteness was cured and he morning sacrifice. From then on, they would serve in the named their child John. Zechariah then began to prophesy temple, offering the daily sacrifices and administering the about the messiah and his son in a prayer which became Priestly Blessings to the people, with their service ending known as the Benedictus. at midday on the following Sabbath after they had Less than a year after the birth of their son, King performed the morning sacrifice. Herod ordered a census be taken at the command of the As a member of the priestly line of Israel, Emperor of the Roman Empire, Augustus Caesar. Zechariah was well respected along with his wife Zechariah and Elizabeth remained where they lived while Elizabeth who was also from one of the priestly lines of many others around them had to travel to their hometown Israel.
    [Show full text]
  • Traditions About Miriam in the Qumran Scrolls
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Faculty Publications, Classics and Religious Studies Department Classics and Religious Studies 2003 Traditions about Miriam in the Qumran Scrolls Sidnie White Crawford University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/classicsfacpub Part of the Classics Commons Crawford, Sidnie White, "Traditions about Miriam in the Qumran Scrolls" (2003). Faculty Publications, Classics and Religious Studies Department. 97. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/classicsfacpub/97 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Classics and Religious Studies at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications, Classics and Religious Studies Department by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Published in STUDIES IN JEWISH CIVILIZATION, VOLUME 14: WOMEN AND JUDAISM, ed. Leonard J. Greenspoon, Ronald A. Simkins, & Jean Axelrad Cahan (Omaha: Creighton University Press, 2003), pp. 33-44. Traditions about Miriam in the Qumran Scrolls Sidnie White Crawford The literature of Second Temple Judaism (late sixth century BCE to 70 CE) contains many compositions that focus on characters and events known from the biblical texts. The characters or events in these new compositions are developed in various ways: filling in gaps in the biblical account, offering explanations for difficult passages, or simply adding details to the lives of biblical personages to make them fuller and more interesting characters. For example, the work known as Joseph andAseneth focuses on the biblical character Aseneth, the Egyptian wife of Joseph, mentioned only briefly in Gen 41:45, 50.' This work attempts to explain, among other things, how Joseph, the righteous son of Jacob, contracted an exogamous marriage with the daughter of an Egyptian priest.
    [Show full text]
  • The Importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls for the Study of the Explicit Quotations in Ad Hebraeos
    HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies ISSN: (Online) 2072-8050, (Print) 0259-9422 Page 1 of 9 Original Research The importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls for the study of the explicit quotations inAd Hebraeos Author: The important contribution that the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) hold for New Testament studies is Gert J. Steyn¹ probably most evident in Ad Hebraeos. This contribution seeks to present an overview of Affiliation: relevant extant DSS fragments available for an investigation of the Old Testament explicit 1Department of New quotations and motifs in the book of Hebrews. A large number of the explicit quotations in Testament Studies, Faculty of Hebrews were already alluded to, or even quoted, in some of the DSS. The DSS are of great Theology, University of importance for the study of the explicit quotations in Ad Hebraeos in at least four areas, namely Pretoria, South Africa in terms of its text-critical value, the hermeneutical methods employed in both the DSS and Project leader: G.J. Steyn Hebrews, theological themes and motifs that surface in both works, and the socio-religious Project number: 02378450 background in which these quotations are embedded. After these four areas are briefly explored, this contribution concludes, among others, that one can cautiously imagine a similar Description Jewish sectarian matrix from which certain Christian converts might have come – such as the This research is part of the project, ‘Acts’, directed by author of Hebrews himself. Prof. Dr Gert Steyn, Department of New Testament Studies, Faculty of Theology, University of Introduction Pretoria. The relation between the text readings found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS), those of the LXX witnesses and the quotations in Ad Hebraeos1 needs much more attention (Batdorf 1972:16–35; Corresponding author: 2 Gert Steyn, Bruce 1962/1963:217–232; Grässer 1964:171–176; Steyn 2003a:493–514; Wilcox 1988:647–656).
    [Show full text]
  • The Qumran Collection As a Scribal Library Sidnie White Crawford
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Sidnie White Crawford Publications Classics and Religious Studies 2016 The Qumran Collection as a Scribal Library Sidnie White Crawford Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/crawfordpubs This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Classics and Religious Studies at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sidnie White Crawford Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The Qumran Collection as a Scribal Library Sidnie White Crawford Since the early days of Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship, the collection of scrolls found in the eleven caves in the vicinity of Qumran has been identified as a library.1 That term, however, was undefined in relation to its ancient context. In the Greco-Roman world the word “library” calls to mind the great libraries of the Hellenistic world, such as those at Alexandria and Pergamum.2 However, a more useful comparison can be drawn with the libraries unearthed in the ancient Near East, primarily in Mesopotamia but also in Egypt.3 These librar- ies, whether attached to temples or royal palaces or privately owned, were shaped by the scribal elite of their societies. Ancient Near Eastern scribes were the literati in a largely illiterate society, and were responsible for collecting, preserving, and transmitting to future generations the cultural heritage of their peoples. In the Qumran corpus, I will argue, we see these same interests of collection, preservation, and transmission. Thus I will demonstrate that, on the basis of these comparisons, the Qumran collection is best described as a library with an archival component, shaped by the interests of the elite scholar scribes who were responsible for it.
    [Show full text]
  • 3161532813 Lp.Pdf
    Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament Herausgeber/Editor Jörg Frey (Zürich) Mitherausgeber/Associate Editors Markus Bockmuehl (Oxford) · James A. Kelhoffer (Uppsala) Hans-Josef Klauck (Chicago, IL) · Tobias Nicklas (Regensburg) J. Ross Wagner (Durham, NC) 335 Loren T. Stuckenbruck The Myth of Rebellious Angels Studies in Second Temple Judaism and New Testament Texts Mohr Siebeck L T. S, born 1960; BA Milligan College, MDiv and PhD Princeton Theological Seminary; teaching positions at Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Durham University and Princeton Theological Seminary; since 2012 Professor of New Testament (with emphasis on Second Temple Judaism) at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. e-ISBN PDF 978-3-16-153281-8 ISBN 978-3-16-153024-1 ISSN 0512-1604 (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament) Die Deutsche Nationalibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie; detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. © 2014 Mohr Siebeck Tübingen. www.mohr.de This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that permitted by copyright law) without the publisher’s written permission. This applies particularly to reproduc- tion, translations, microfilms and storage and processing in electronic systems. The book was typeset by epline in Kirchheim/Teck, printed by Gulde-Druck in Tübingen on non- aging paper and bound by Buchbinderei Spinner in Ottersweier. Printed in Germany. Preface The present volume brings together some unpublished and mostly published (yet updated) material. The common thread that links the chapters of this book is a concern to explore the myth of rebellious angels in some of its Second Temple Jewish setting and to inquire into possible aspects of its reception, including among writings belonging to what we now call the New Testament.
    [Show full text]
  • 13. BIBLICAL EPIC: 1 Chronicles Notes
    13. BIBLICAL EPIC: 1 Chronicles Notes rown 1 Chron 1-9: 1 Adam, Seth, Noah, Shem, Eber, Abraham; Abraham's sons were Isaac and Ishmael; Isaac's sons were Esau and Israel. Kings ruled in Edom. 2 Judah's line led to Obed, Jesse and David. Caleb was son of Hezron; Jerahmeel was firstborn of Hezron. Caleb's line were the Kenites. 3 David had 6 sons at Hebron, 4 by Bathshua and 9 others. Solomon's line led to Jeconiah, and then to Elioenai. 4 Reaiah's sons were the Zorathites; God blessed Jabez; Shelah's sons worked for the king. Simeon's line went to Gedor to seek pasture. 5 Reuben lost his birthright; his sons lived in Gilead. The sons of Gad and Manasseh lived in Bashan until the captivity. 6 Levi's sons were Gershon, Kohath and Merari. The musicians were Heman and Asaph. Aaron's sons made offerings and were given cities. 7 Issachar's sons were 87,000. Benjamin's sons were Bela, Beker and Jediael. Ephraim's line led to Joshua. Asher's sons were 26,000. 8 Benjamin fathered Bela, Ashbel, Aharah, Nohah and Rapha; Ner's line was Kish, Saul, Jonathan; Ulam’s sons were mighty men. 9 Jerusalem was resettled by Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh; there were priests and Levite gatekeepers. Kish fathered Saul. While anonymous, Jewish tradition assigns 1-2 Chronicles to Ezra in the 5th century BC. It was written after a remnant of Israel had returned from exile in Babylon. Although they had hoped to enter a time of blessing in anticipation of the Messiah, they were quickly disappointed.
    [Show full text]