Durham E-Theses `Whoever seeks the Law will be lled with it' (Ben Sira 32.15): An examination of the history of darash and its inuence on the Acts of the Apostles COUSINS, FRANCIS,COLMAN How to cite: COUSINS, FRANCIS,COLMAN (2019) `Whoever seeks the Law will be lled with it' (Ben Sira 32.15): An examination of the history of darash and its inuence on the Acts of the Apostles, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/13397/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 ‘Whoever seeks the Law will be filled with it’ (Ben Sira 32.15): An examination of the history of darash and its influence on the Acts of the Apostles by Francis Cousins A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy Department of Theology and Religion Durham University 2019 1 Francis Cousins ‘Whoever seeks the Law will be filled with it’ (Ben Sira 32.15): An examination of the history of darash and its influence on the Acts of the Apostles Abstract This thesis contributes to the discussion of midrash in the New Testament (NT). It begins by investigating the history of the word darash, particularly its usage in a number of texts (the Tanak, Ben Sira, the Dead Sea Scrolls [DSS], and the Mishnah), the majority of which precede the composition of the NT. The results of the investigation indicate that the verbal form darash, from which midrash derives its name, was used with the sense of textual interpretation in the book of Ben Sira, and the DSS. An examination of the translation of darash in the Septuagint, shows linguistic connections to the genre of zētēsis, which has its roots in those who defended the poet Homer from criticism. Zētēsis has close links to midrash from a linguistic perspective and in the techniques used by the proponents of both. An examination of both the Hellenistic Jewish background of authors such as Demetrius, and Philo, in addition to the Hebrew texts such as Ben Sira and the DSS permits NT texts to be viewed from new perspectives. An examination of Acts, and the Council of Jerusalem in particular, shows that Luke uses the term zh/thsiv to describe the debate which takes place. Luke uses this term exclusively with relation to questions of Jewish law. This means that the decision as to whether Gentile Christians must adhere to the law of Moses is a legal debate, and the Apostolic Decree regulates Gentile Christians’ relationship to that law. 2 Contents Abstract 2 Contents 3 Abbreviations 6 Declaration 7 Copyright 8 Acknowledgements 9 1. Introduction 10 1.1 Methodology 18 1.1.1 Methodological Approach 18 1.2 Literature Review 21 1.2.1 Traditional-historical approach to midrash: Renée Bloch; Géza Vermès 23 1.2.2 The Legal-instructional model: Johann Maier and Paul Mandel 27 1.2.3 Midrash as Literary Genre: Philip Alexander; Michael Fishbane 34 1.2.4 Midrash and the NT: A. T. Hanson; Susan Docherty 39 1.2.5 zh/thsiv in the NT: Meir Gertner; George Parsenios 43 1.3 Evaluation of Literature Review 48 1.3.1 Defining Midrash 48 1.3.2 Studies on Midrash and the New Testament 49 1.3.3 The Hellenistic Background 50 1.4 Summary of Dissertation 50 2. ‘Seeking the Lord’: The use of #rd in the Tanak 53 2.1 Translating and Categorising the sense(s) of #rd in the Tanak 53 2.1.2 The Original meaning of #rd 54 2.2 Senses of #rd in the Tanak 55 2.3 Objects of #rd 56 2.4 Ezra 7.10 60 2.5 Midrash in the Tanak 66 2.6 Conclusions on use of #rd in the Tanak 68 3. The use of #rd and #rdm in the Dead Sea Scrolls 71 3.1 Introduction 72 3.2 Key occurrences of #rd in the DSS 77 3.2.1 Serekh: A Studying Community 77 3.2.1.1 1QS 6.6-8: ‘A man to interpret the law day and night’ 82 3.2.1.2 1 QS 8.10-16: Preparing a Way of Study 89 3.2.2 4Q Serekh Texts 93 3.2.3 Conclusions on the use of #rd and #rdm in Serekh 93 3.3 The Damascus Document: A community who seeks God 96 3.3.1 CD 6.2-11: Digging a well 98 3.3.2 Midrash of the Eschatological Torah? 102 3 3.4 ‘Seekers After Smooth Things’ and the Interpreter of the Law 104 3.4.1 Seekers After Smooth Things 105 3.4.2 Interpreter of the Law 112 3.5 Nistarot and Nigleh 117 3.5.1 4Q375: Testing a True Prophet 121 3.5.2 Conclusions on Nistarot and Nigleh 123 3.6 Midrash in the Dead Sea Scrolls 124 3.6.1 Midrash as a Title 126 3.6.1.1 Midrash as a Title in Serekh and CD 126 3.6.1.2 Midrash as a Title in 4Q174 129 3.6.1.3 Midrash as a Title in 4Q249 132 3.6.1.4 Conclusions on use of Midrash as a Title in the Dead Sea Scrolls 133 3.6.2 Midrash as Biblical Interpretation 134 3.6.3 Midrash as Judicial Enquiry 139 3.6.4 Conclusions on Use of Midrash in the DSS 140 3.7 Conclusions on the use of #rd and #rdm in the DSS 141 4. ‘Whoever seeks the Law will be filled with it’ (Ben Sira 32.15): An analysis of the use of #rd in Ben Sira 143 4.1 Introduction 143 4.1.1 The text of Ben Sira 144 4.2 Ben Sira 3.21-24: ‘hswkmw #wrdt l)’ 149 4.2.1 Sirach 3.21-24 150 4.2.2 Context of Pericope 151 4.2.3 Key terms in 3.21-24 152 4.2.3.1 Wondrous or marvellous things / what is too powerful or difficult 152 4.2.3.2 Evil things 153 4.2.3.3 The nistarot 154 4.2.3.4 Authorised or commanded 156 4.2.4 Greek Philosophy and Apocalyptic Wisdom 158 4.2.4.1 Greek Philosophy 158 4.2.4.2 Mystical and Apocalyptic 159 4.2.4.3 A Compromise 163 4.2.4.4 Conclusion 165 4.3 Ben Sira 32.14-16: ‘Searching the Torah’ 166 4.4 Beth Midrash (Ben S 51.23) 173 4.5 Conclusions on the use of #rd in Ben Sira 176 5. The Use of #rd and #rdm in the Mishnah 179 5.1 Introduction 180 5.2 Form 181 5.2.1 Date 183 5.3 Role of Scripture in the Mishnah 184 5.4 How #rd is used in the Mishnah 187 4 5.4.1 The occurrences of #rd and #rdm in the Mishnah 187 5.4.2 The meaning of #rd 210 5.5 Conclusions on the use of #rd in the Mishnah 215 6. The Translation of #rd in the LXX, and Homeric zētēsis 218 6.1 The translation of #rd in the LXX 221 6.1.1 How zhte/w and e)kzhte/w are used in the LXX 225 6.2 The genre of zētēsis 229 6.2.1 The origins of zētēsis 231 6.2.1.1 Conclusion on the origins of zētēsis 238 6.3 Demetrius the Chronographer 239 6.4 Philo of Alexandria: Questions and Answers on Genesis and Exodus 244 6.5 Legal zētēsis 250 6.6 Conclusions on the genre of zētēsis 251 6.7 Summation of the argument 252 7. ‘That they shall seek God’: Use of zh/thsiv (Seeking, Debate) in Acts 15 255 7.1 Introduction 256 7.2 The Sense of zhte/w in Acts 257 7.3 The Meaning of suzhte/w in Acts 259 7.4 The meaning of zh/thsiv in Acts 266 7.4.1 How does Luke use the term zh/thsiv? 267 7.4.2 What is the Debate at the Council of Jerusalem About? 272 7.4.2.1 The stages of the debate in Acts 15 277 7.4.2.2 Being saved (Acts 15.1) 280 7.4.2.3 Circumcision 282 7.4.2.4 Observing the Law (customs) of Moses (Acts 15.5) 285 7.4.2.5 Pharisaic halakah, or the halakic status of Gentile believers 286 7.4.3 Resolving the Debate 289 7.4.3.1 Peter’s speech (Acts 15.7-11) 290 7.4.3.2 James’s speech (Acts 15.14-21) 293 7.4.4 Conclusion: Gentiles Incorporated into the People of God 300 7.5 What is required of Gentiles? (The Apostolic Decree) 300 7.5.1 Purpose of the Apostolic Decree 301 7.5.2 Sources of the Apostolic Decree 304 7.6 Conclusions: A zh/thsiv solved by divine revelation and Scripture 308 7.7 Excursus on the use of suzhte/w in Mark 313 8.