RelSt 225 DSS MINUTES -- 9/10/96
Tamar Lasson
lasson@sas.upenn.edu

NOTE: For details on items mentioned in these and other Minutes, see the 
set of Minutes from Spring 1995 on the class gopher slot at ccat.sas.

1. 1) assignment for 9/12 -- read Vanderkemp's introduction
   2) short discussion of various scholars and their contraversial theories
      (Golb, Schiffman, Eisenman, Allegro; the now "traditional" view
      in F. M. Cross and M. Burrows; sensationalism in the Sun)
   3) viewing photocopies and pictures of the scrolls
   4) refamiliarization with required texts for course

2. 5) definition of "eschatology" (treatment of "last things") and its 
      significance for understanding the scrolls

3. 6) certain examples and types of scrolls (based esp on the photos)
      a. The "Manual of Discipline" (rules for the community)
      b. Pesher (commentary) on the biblical book of Habbakuk,
         and other types of "exegetical" literature (interpretation
         of texts considered authoritative) including "Targums" 
         (translations of biblical works; usually in Aramaic)
      c. The large Isaiah scroll

4. 7) general survey of periods of Jewish history up to and 
      through the DSS era, with focus on languages used
      a. (Neo) Babylonian  (fall of "first temple" c 586 BCE)
      b. Persian (c 525-325 BCE)
         --Aramaic as primary language
      c. Hellenistic (c 325-65 BCE)
         --Greek as primary language
      d. Roman (destruction of "second temple" in 70 CE)
         --Greek remained the main commercial-political language
           in the eastern Mediterranean 
   8) language of the scrolls
          --mainly Hebrew, some Aramaic, a few Greek

5. 9) Other scrolls from the Judean Desert not treated with the Qumran
      area "DSS" material proper (see Garcia Martinez Introduction) 
      e.g. "Second Revolt" material (135 CE) - Bar Kokhba/Kosibah

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