JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT SUPPLEMENT SERIES 291 Editors David J.A. Clines Philip R. Davies Executive Editor John Jarick Editorial Board Robert P. Carroll, Richard J. Coggins, Alan Cooper, J. Cheryl Exum, John Goldingay, Robert P. Gordon, Norman K. Gottwald, Andrew D.H. Mayes, Carol Meyers, Patrick D. Miller Sheffield Academic Press This page intentionally left blank Jewish Scribes in the Second-Temple Period Christine Schams Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series 291 for my parents Copyright © 1998 Sheffield Academic Press Published by Sheffield Academic Press Ltd Mansion House 19KingfieldRoad Sheffield SI 19AS England Printed on acid-free paper in Great Britain by Bookcraft Ltd Midsomer Norton, Bath British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 1-85075-940-5 CONTENTS Acknowledgments 7 Abbreviations 8 INTRODUCTION 11 Chapter 1 PREVIOUS SCHOLARSHIP ON SCRIBES AND ITS SHORTCOMINGS 15 Chapter 2 DISCUSSION OF THE EVIDENCE FOR JEWISH SCRIBES IN THE SECOND-TEMPLE PERIOD 36 2.1. Description of the Sources 36 2.2. Evidence for Scribes in the Persian Period (539-323 BCE) 44 2.2.1. Bullae 46 2.2.2. Ezra-Nehemiah 46 2.2.3. 1 and 2 Chronicles 60 2.3. Evidence for Scribes in the Hellenistic Period (323-63 BCE) 71 2.3.1. Septuagint Translations of the Biblical Books 71 2.3.2. Testament of Levi and Aramaic Levi 83 2.3.3. Zenon Papyri (P. Cairo Zen. 590006; P. Lond. 7. 1930) 87 2.3.4 Seleucid Charter (Josephus, Anf. 12.138-44) 88 2.3.5. 1 Enoch and the Book of Giants 90 2.3.6. Wisdom of Ben Sira 98 2.3.7. 1 Esdras and 2 Esdras 106 2.3.8. 1 Maccabees 113 2.3.9. 2 Maccabees (Eleazar) 121 2.4. Evidence for Scribes in the Roman Period (63 BCE-Second Century CE) 124 2.4.1. Psalms Scroll (David) 124 2.4.2. Philo 125 6 Jewish Scribes in the Second-Temple Period 2.4.3. Kaige-Theodotion Translation 127 2.4.4. Josephus on Biblical History 129 2.4.5. Josephus on Jewish History in the Roman Period 133 2.4.6. New Testament 143 2.4.7. 4 Ezra 201 2.4.8. Testament of Abraham 205 2.4.9. Papyri and other Documentary Sources 209 2.4.10. Aquila's and Symmachus's Greek Translations 216 2.4.11. Mishna 218 2.4.12. Tosefta 230 2.4.13. Jewish Inscriptions 234 2.4.14. Targumim 239 2.5. Silence Requiring Explanation 251 Chapter 3 POSSIBLE EXPLANATORY FACTORS 274 Chapter 4 A POSSIBLE MODEL FOR THE STATUS AND FUNCTIONS OF SCRIBES 309 Bibliography 328 Index of References 351 Index of Authors 359 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank Professor Martin Goodman who with much patience has guided me through the arduous task of writing a DPhil thesis. Throughout the work on the thesis, which has resulted in this book, he has helped me find the necessary sense of direction and focus. I have greatly benefited from his criticism of my work and excellent scholarship. I am also extremely grateful for the helpful comments and suggestions of my examiners, Professor Lester Grabbe and Professor Geza Vermes, their encouragement towards pub- lication, and Lester Grabbe's recommendation of this work to Sheffield Academic Press. Needless to say any remaining mistakes are my own. I would further like to express my gratitude to the Pusey, Kennicott and Ellerton Fund (Oxford), the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Cul- ture (New York), and Tyndale House (Cambridge) for their financial assistance during the period in which the research for this book has been carried out. I am very grateful to St Cross College for providing such pleasant surroundings and the facilities necessary for the writing of the thesis and the book. A thank you also to CHP Consulting for giving me time off work to put the finishing touches to this book. On a more personal note I would like to thank my parents who have provided the best support one could wish for and who have taken a great interest in my work. They have never failed to encourage and assist me in many ways during years of study. This book would not have been possible without them. Invaluable continuous support during the making of the book has also come from my husband Graham, who now knows more than most seismologists about Jewish scribes. Fur- thermore, a special thanks to Ruth Cross on whose computer most of this book was written and to Graham Robertson and Marcus Milwright for proof-reading a large part of it. I would also like to thank Jacqueline Joseph for all the inspiring coffee breaks spent discussing the intrica- cies of Josephus's writings, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the rabbis and the Second-Temple period in general. ABBREVIATIONS AB Anchor Bible AGJU Arbeiten zur Geschichte des antiken Judentums und des Urchristentums ASNU Acta seminarii neotestamentici upsaliensis BA Biblical Archaeologist BARev Biblical Archaeology Review BETL Bibliotheca ephemeridum theologicarum lovaniensium BEvT Beitrage zur evangelischen Theologie BHS Biblia hebraica stuttgartensia BHT Beitrage zur historischen Theologie BJRL Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester BJS Brown Judaic Studies BN Biblische Notizen BNTC Black's New Testament Commentaries BZAW Beihefte zur ZAW CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly CBQMS Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Monograph Series CGTC Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary CIG Corpus inscriptionum graecarum CIJ Corpus inscriptionum judaicarum ConBOT Coniectanea biblica, Old Testament CPJ Corpus papyrorum judaicarum CRINT Compendia rerum iudaicarum ad Novum Testamentum DID Discoveries in the Judaean Desert EKKNT Evangelisch-Katholischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament FRLANT Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments HNT Handbuch zum Neuen Testament HTKNT Herders theologischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament HTR Harvard Theological Review HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual IEJ Israel Exploration Journal IVP The InterVarsity Press New Testament Commentary Series JAC Jahrbuchfiir Antike und Christentum JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society JBL Journal of Biblical Literature Abbreviations 9 JEA Journal of Egyptian Archaeology JJS Journal of Jewish Studies JQR Jewish Quarterly Review JRS Journal of Roman Studies JSHRZ Jiidische Schriften aus hellenistisch-romischer Zeit JSJ Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman Period JSNTSup Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Supplement Series JSOTSup Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Supplement Series JSPSup Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha, Supplement Series JTS Journal of Theological Studies KAT Kommentar zum Alien Testament LCL Loeb Classical Library LSJ H.G. Liddell, Robert Scott and H. Stuart Jones, Greek- English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 9th edn, 1968) NIGTC The New International Greek Testament Commentary NovT Novum Testamentum NovTSup Novum Testamentum, Supplements NRSV New Revised Standard Version NIL New Testament Library NTOA Novum Testamentum et orbis antiquus NTS New Testament Studies OBO Orbis biblicus et orientalis OTL Old Testament Library OTP James Charlesworth (ed.), Old Testament Pseudepigrapha OTS Oudtestamentische Studien RB Revue biblique RNT Regensburger Neues Testament SBLDS SBL Dissertation Series SBLSBS SBL Sources for Biblical Study SBLSCS SBL Septuagint and Cognate Studies SBLTT SBL Texts and Translations SJ Studiajudaica SJLA Studies in Judaism in Late Antiquity SNTSMS Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series SPB Studia postbiblica TDNT Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich (eds.), Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley; 10 vols.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964-) THKNT Theologischer Handkommentar zum Neuen Testament TNTC Tyndale New Testament Commentaries VT Vetus Testamentum VTSup Vetus Testamentum, Supplements WBC Word Biblical Commentary 10 Jewish Scribes in the Second-Temple Period WUNT Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament ZAW Zeitschriftfur die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft ZPE Zeitschrift fur Papyrologie und Epigraphik ZTK Zeitschrift fur Theologie und Kirche INTRODUCTION Purpose of this Study This study is a historical investigation into the status and functions of scribes during the Second-Temple period. A determination of the role of scribes in ancient Jewish society has important implications for the general study of both ancient Jewish history and the New Testament writings. This topic has been the subject of many studies but the com- plexity of the evidence has resulted in diverse scholarly assessments of the status and functions of scribes in ancient Jewish society. The major- ity of scholars hold the view that scribes played an important role in the history of the Jewish people during the Graeco-Roman period and great influence has been ascribed to them in social, political and religious matters. However, most books on the history of Second-Temple Juda- ism and commentaries and handbooks to the New Testament over- simplify the complex evidence. For example, the relevant sources do not contain sufficient information about scribes to allow one to derive a comprehensive picture of their status and functions by simply collating the evidence. In addition, some of the information about scribes seems to be contradictory. Since studies of scribes are usually characterized by conflation or selective use of evidence and are frequently based on presumptions which can no longer be sustained,1 a new assessment of the problematic evidence with regard to the status, power and functions of Jewish scribes in ancient society is desirable. Method and Limitations It will be evident from the discussion of previous scholarship in Chapter 1 that the selection of relevant evidence depends strongly on a scholar's notion of scribes and his/her judgment about the validity of 1. E.g. about the membership and influence of Pharisees, rabbis or the sanhedrin. 12 Jewish Scribes in the Second-Temple Period the sources. The selection of relevant evidence therefore constitutes one of the main sources of disagreement.