View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Carolina Digital Repository JEWISH PRIESTS AND THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF POST-70 PALESTINE Matthew J. Grey A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Religious Studies. Chapel Hill 2011 Approved by: Jodi Magness Eric Meyers Joel Marcus Bart Ehrman Evyatar Marienberg ©2011 Matthew J. Grey ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT MATTHEW J. GREY: Jewish Priests and the Social History of Post-70 Palestine (Under the direction of Jodi Magness) For over a century, most scholars have claimed that the presence, activity, and influence of the Jewish priesthood sharply declined with the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 C.E. According to the traditional narrative, priestly authority in the Jewish community was replaced by the leadership of rabbinic sages, whose legal expertise superseded the third-party mediation of the divine presence previously provided by hereditary priests. Priests may have retained an honorary status in post-70 Jewish society, but functional leadership belonged to the rabbis. As a result of this model, most literary and archaeological material relating to Judaism after 70 has been viewed through the lens of rabbinic literature, rulings, and interests. In this dissertation I challenge the traditional narrative by arguing that priests did not disappear from Jewish society or abrogate their claims to national leadership with the loss of the Jerusalem temple. Literary, epigraphic, and archaeological evidence indicates that many priestly circles survived the First Revolt, continued to identify themselves as priests, retained much of their status, and contributed to Jewish social, religious, and political dynamics in Palestine for several centuries after 70. While some priests associated with the emerging rabbinic movement, others pursued independent interests and promoted a priest-centered vision of Jewish society. iii Examples of post-70 priestly dynamics include Josephus‟ endorsement of priestly leadership after the First Revolt, the priestly ideology behind the Bar Kokhba revolt in the second century, the continued presence of priestly aristocrats in Galilee, the leadership of priestly sages in the Tiberian academy during the late third and early fourth centuries, expressions of priestly nationalism in the Byzantine period, and the involvement of priests in synagogue worship. The extant sources do not allow for a complete reconstruction of post-70 priestly activity. However, there is sufficient evidence to establish a modest historical framework of Jewish priests and their activities in post-70 Palestine. This framework will help us appreciate the ways in which priestly circles contributed to Jewish dynamics after 70, and provide an alternative lens through which Jewish literature and material culture from this period can be viewed and interpreted. iv To my wife Mary and our children Priscilla, Hannah, and John v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is a pleasure to acknowledge all of those institutions and individuals who have supported, encouraged, and assisted me in writing this dissertation. To begin, I express a deep appreciation for the members of my dissertation committee. From the beginning of my work as a Ph.D. student, Jodi Magness has been an ideal advisor in every way. She has been consistently attentive, insightful, interested, and helpful throughout my academic journey at UNC-Chapel Hill. Her work has inspired and informed my research in countless ways, and her constant encouragement has been invaluable. One could not ask for a better guide through the early stages of an academic career. I am also extremely grateful to Eric Meyers, Joel Marcus, Bart Ehrman, and Evyatar Marienberg. Through coursework, casual conversation, and formal evaluation, each of these outstanding scholars have provided me with the direction, insights, and advice necessary to improve and refine my scholarship. It has been an honor to work with such a fine committee. Many other friends and scholars have also offered support, advice, and guidance at various stages of this project. Oded Irshai and Lee Levine were both kind enough to meet with me in Jerusalem during the summer of 2009 to discuss my dissertation topic and offer suggestions on my approach to the material. Paul Flesher also gave valuable encouragement and advice during the research process. Other scholars who offered helpful support and insights at various stages of my research – through email vi correspondence, short conversations, extended communications, or by sharing their own work – include Philip Alexander, Mordechai Aviam, Julian Barnett, Jonathan Boyarin, Joan Branham, Naftali Cohn, Cory Crawford, Rachel Elior, Aryay Finkelstein, Steven Fraade, Martin Goodman, William Hamblin, David Larsen, Laura Leiber, Uzi Leibner, Diana Lipton, David Seely, Chad Spigel, Geza Vermes, Moulie Vidas, Timothy Wardle, and John Wilkinson. Although they might not all agree with my methodology or ultimate conclusions, I thank each of them for their interest in my project and the suggestions they offered along the way. I have also been greatly enriched by interactions with fellow graduate students over the last five years at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University. In particular, long discussions with Steven Werlin and Alan Todd – including while driving throughout southern Israel studying the “Darom” synagogues – have given me much to think about regarding the material and methodology I used in this dissertation. In addition, I have benefited from discussions in classes, in the halls, and in the graduate lounge with Jared Anderson, Anne Blankenship, Sean Burrus, Ariel Bybee Laughton, Jason Combs, Brian Coussens, Erin Kuhns Darby, Brandi Denison, Maria Doerfler, Carrie Duncan, Kathy Foody, Ilyse Morgenstein-Fuerst, Ben Gordon, Travis Proctor, Jon Rainey, Bennie Reynolds, Jason Staples, Ben White, and others. Richard Rust kindly read through early drafts of each chapter and offered helpful suggestions on how to improve my writing. Walter Nichols and Rebecca Morris at the UNC-Chapel Hill/Duke LDS Institute of Religion provided work space and resources which facilitated the writing and completion of this dissertation. vii A number of institutions have provided financial support for my research. For the summer of 2009, the UNC Department of Religious Studies offered me a Perry Summer Travel Award, and the UNC Center for Global Initiatives offered me a Pre-Dissertation Travel Award. Both sources of funding allowed me to travel to Israel in order to meet with scholars, access libraries, and visit the archaeological sites discussed in this dissertation. Additional funds that allowed me to attend necessary conferences were provided by Robert Miller Fund for Graduate Student Excellence Travel Grants (Fall 2009 and Fall 2010) and a GPSF Conference Travel Award (Spring 2010). I also received exceptionally generous Graduate Research and Dissertation Grants from Religious Education and the Department of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University during the 2007-2011 academic years. I have also appreciated the opportunities to present aspects of my research – and in turn receive valuable comments – in various academic settings. In this regard, I thank the chairs and members of the following conference sessions: the History and Literature of Early Rabbinic Judaism, Early Christian and Jewish Mysticism, and Priests and Levites in History and Tradition sections of the Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meetings in 2009, 2010, and 2011; the Christianity and Judaism in Late Antiquity section of the American Schools for Oriental Research Annual Meetings in 2008 and 2009; and the Touching Religion in Late Antiquity section at the North American Patristics Society Annual Meeting in 2010. Finally, I want to express love and appreciation for my family who has supported me in my first decade of academic endeavors. My mother and step-father (Marilyn and Barry Koffman), my father and step-mother (Kenneth and Toni Grey), and my siblings viii (Megan Walker, Nicholas, Lauren, and Andrew Grey) have always encouraged me in pursuing my interests, regardless of how eccentric these might be. Their unconditional love and support has been a constant source of strength for me. I thank my in-laws (James and Priscilla Todd) for their support, humor, and for giving me their blessing to marry their daughter based only on my promise to get a “real job” one day. I also greatly appreciate Robert and Ann Dean for the warm and generous hospitality they extended to us during our time in North Carolina. Most of all, I express my thanks and love to my wife Mary and our children Priscilla, Hannah, and John, to whom I dedicate this dissertation. Every one of the countless hours I spent with ancient Jewish priests, Mary spent keeping our family and home afloat. I deeply appreciate her unfailing encouragement, humor, inspiration, and excitement about my research. The children have probably been too forgiving for the many hours they had to share their father with Josephus, Bar Kokhba, and the “priests of Tiberias.” Fortunately, for our family the study of the ancient world has been – and will continue to be – a team effort and I look forward to many more decades of exploration with my wonderful wife and children by my side. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .........................................................................................