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Rethinking Prophecy in Late Antique Syria University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2018 Rethinking Prophecy In Late Antique Syria Jae Hee Han University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the History of Religion Commons, and the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Han, Jae Hee, "Rethinking Prophecy In Late Antique Syria" (2018). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 2811. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2811 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2811 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Rethinking Prophecy In Late Antique Syria Abstract This dissertation explore constructions of prophethood and prophecy among a diverse set of late antique Syrian communities, including communities commonly labelled as “Manichaean,” “Jewish Christian,” “Para-Rabbinic,” and “Neoplatonist.” This dissertation aims to go beyond critiques of the “cessation of prophecy” narrative by offering a historical representation of the development of “prophecy” and the emergence of a discourse of “prophethood” in late antiquity. Methodologically, this dissertation heeds repeated calls for the inapplicability of “religion” as an operative category for the study of the past and adopts instead the parameters of time and place – late antique Syria – as an alternative framework within which to navigate through the archive of ancient texts and across a range of disciplines. As such, this dissertation forefronts the following texts emerging from and at play within this milieu: Cologne Mani Codex, the Kephalaia of the Teacher, the Pseudo-Clementine Homilies, Iamblichus’ De Mysteriis, and the Sar Torah macroform from the Hekhalot corpus. The first section of this dissertation centers on the emergence of “prophethood” as an object of disembedded discourse, from its emergence among the early followers of Mani (Cologne Mani Codex) to its continued transformations among “Manichaeans” living in the Eastern Roman Empire (Kephalaia of the Teacher). It then maps the effects of this discourse of prophethood on local Syrian theorizations of prophethood and prophecy (Ps.-Clementine Homilies). The second section of the dissertation pivots the discussion to the concept of prophecy, primarily by attending to semantic broadening of the Greek/Coptic word prognosis. It argues that a range of late antique Syrian communities like those responsible for the Ps.-Clementine Homilies, Neoplatonists like Iamblichus, and Syrian Manichaeans began to theorize prognosis along converging lines and through similar discursive and rhetorical strategies. The dissertation concludes by contextualizing the Sar Torah macroform in Hekhalot literature alongside these broader intellectual shifts regarding the nature of revelation and the acquisition of divine knowledge. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Religious Studies First Advisor Peter T. Struck Second Advisor Annette Y. Reed Keywords Jewish Mysticism, Late Antique Syria, Manichaeism, Neoplatonism, Prophecy, Pseudo-Clementine Homilies Subject Categories History of Religion | Religion This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2811 RETHINKING PROPHECY IN LATE ANTIQUE SYRIA Jae Hee Han A DISSERTATION in Religious Studies Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2018 Supervisor of Dissertation Graduate Group Chairperson _____________________ _____________________ Peter T. Struck Anthea Butler Professor, Classical Studies Associate Professor, Religious Studies Dissertation Committee Annette Yoshiko Reed Associate Professor, New York University David Stern Harry Starr Professor of Classical and Modern Jewish and Hebrew Literature, Harvard University Peter Struck Professor, University of Pennsylvania Anthea Butler Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania RETHINKING PROPHECY IN LATE ANTIQUE SYRIA COPYRIGHT 2018 Jae Hee Han For Appa iii Acknowledgements First and foremost, I thank my advisor, Annette Yoshiko Reed, whose probing questions and expansive scholarship has contributed no small part to the content and – I hope this will be taken as a compliment – to the methodological impatience evident throughout this dissertation. I entered the Religious Studies program at Penn with an opaque notion of scholarship as mastery over some aspect of the past; I learned from Annette that such “critical” postures themselves need to be investigated, not as a way of foreclosing possibilities, but of opening them. She exemplified for me the best of scholarly generosity and, if collegiality can be measured by calories consumed, then I thank her for sushi, mochi ice cream, Korean BBQ, and Indonesian coffee. Finally, I thank her for inviting me to participate in the Philadelphia Seminar for Christian Origins (PSCO), which will long remain a cherished memory for me. May our paths never part! I also want to extend my deepest thanks to my two committee members, David Stern and Peter Struck. I thank David for initiating me into the literary artistry of the rabbis; I am and will continue to be jealous of David’s deft theoretical analyses and acute aesthetic sensibilities, which will remain lofty goals for me to attain. The same can be said for Peter Struck, whom I regret I did not meet earlier in my time at Penn; I fear that I am leaving Penn poorer for it. Thank you for sparking my interest in prophecy, which is at the heart of this dissertation, the Neoplatonists, and for your patient reading and suggestions. I earnestly hope for more interdisciplinary ventures between the Classics and Religious Studies. To my dear Penn Religious Studies Department, a graduate student could not have asked for a better home. To Phil Fackler, Phil Webster, and Alex Ramos, thank you for your willingness to listen, your unfailing encouragements, and for leading the way. To Alex I owe weekly writing sessions, weekends for discussing theory, Greek and Hebrew practice sessions, game nights, and bad-movie nights. It was Alex and Sarah who made Philadelphia first feel like home for me. To Ali Karjoo-Ravary and Beeta Baghoolizadeh, thank you both for your endless hospitality, hard conversations, delicious tea, coffee, and kebab. I hope that you will look on our conversations together at Penn with the same quiet joy that I certainly will. Your presence made my experience at Penn far richer than I could have hoped. To Donovan Schaefer, Megan Robb, and Jolyon Thomas, our new(ish) faculty, thank you for your wisdom in navigating the job market and for budding friendships. Whatever my success, it is only a reflection on the strength of our little department in Philadelphia. As for people in the “other wing,” thanks are especially due to Jane Sancinito, whose constant friendship and comments shaped this dissertation for the better, and to Eyal Meyer, who epitomizes for me what it means to be a sabra. To Prof. Julia Wilker, I will miss our impromptu conversations in the hallway. Thank you also to Marcie, who has been a constant source of kindness in the form of baked goods and warm conversations. Finally, to many others I have had the good fortune to befriend, thank you, Susanne Kerekes, Jillian Stinchcomb, Matthew Chalmers, Andrew Hudson, Paul McBain, James Shackelford, Chijioke Azuawusiefe, Rasul Miller, Samiha Rahman, Noa Hegesh, Helena Dominguez, Jennie and Mike, Ryan Pilipow, Isabella Reinhardt, Addie Atkins, Patricia Kim, Cindy Susalla – thank you all for your abiding friendship. Of course, to Kate Stoler and Stephanie Palmer, thank you for “letting me” raid your secret stash of chocolate for years and for the many laughs. Thanks are due also to my patient family. To Jeremy, the makneh of our family, for nursing my hangover that one time... To my sister Amy and brother-in-law Jon, thank you for hanging out with me in the wasteland that is Orange County, California. I look forward to spoiling “little humba.” To my stepmother, Joanne, who has been a mother to me in more ways than she knows. I dedicated this dissertation to my appa, who has been the anchor of our family for many years. Thank you for teaching me the importance of humility, gratitude, respect, and education. Finally, to umma, I remember how much you loved us. Finally, to my wonderful partner Diana Kim, who buoyed me up with an endless encouragements and kept my head on straight. My greatest joy in the past few years has been exploring Philadelphia with you. I look forward to many more adventures with you, both in Providence and abroad! iv ABSTRACT RETHINKING PROPHECY IN LATE ANTIQUE SYRIA Jae Hee Han Peter T. Struck This dissertation explore constructions of prophethood and prophecy among a diverse set of late antique Syrian communities, including communities commonly labelled as “Manichaean,” “Jewish Christian,” “Para-Rabbinic,” and “Neoplatonist.” This dissertation aims to go beyond critiques of the “cessation of prophecy” narrative by offering a historical representation of the development of “prophecy” and the emergence of a discourse of “prophethood” in late antiquity. Methodologically, this dissertation heeds repeated calls for the inapplicability of “religion” as an operative category for the study of the past and adopts instead the parameters of time and place – late antique Syria – as an alternative framework within which to navigate through the
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