RelSt 225, 18 January 2000 ASSIGNMENT: If you were among the discoverers of these ancient texts and fragments, what questions would you want to investigate (give three)? Here are the questions submitted thus far. We will discuss some of them in class today, and look at the range of writings included in the DSS. RAK From: "Michael Phua" 1. Who was the Teacher of Righteousness? 2. How did the Qumran Community interpret the OT? 3. Was John the Baptist related to the Qumran Community? --- From: Daniel Cohen 1. How old are the scrolls? When were they created, and when were they hidden in the grave? (How long were they used before burial?) 2. Jericho - near the Dead Sea - used to be a winter resort for wealthy people (such as King Herod, who built a palace there), as its low altitude made it the perfect vacation spot to escape cold. What type of settlement was found near the scrolls? 3. Why were the scrolls buried? --- From: "Matt Mugmon" 1. How much can the Scrolls tell us about the origins of Christianity (and how are we limited in learning about that from the Scrolls)? 2. What accounted for the delay in getting much of the Scrolls available for study? 3. In general, how well preserved are the scrolls, and how did that vary from cave to cave? --- From: "Christopher Hoess" 1. About how much of the text is more-or-less complete, versus the fragmentary texts? (approximate) 2. How "accurate" are the translations, i.e., what degree of leeway can exist in the interpretation of the words? (One example from one of our books was the Prayer for King Jonathan [I think], where it's not, in fact, clear that it mentions Jonathan's name.) Given that there's a certain amount of room for interpretation reading unpointed Hebrew/Aramaic, and the texts are somewhat damaged, does this pose a significant problem? 3. Do the photographs of the texts released include all the fragments? --- From: Erik Malnstrom 1) Why are the Dead Sea Scrolls so significant? 2) Who wrote them and why is there so much controversy surrounding this question? 3) What conflicting opinions do scholars have surrounding them and who has the most evidence to back up these opinions? --- From: BENJAMIN G GROVERMAN 1. Is it clear that all of the scrolls were written by the same group of people over a relatively short period of time, or do the authors and dates vary widely? 2. Is it possible that other noteworthy archaeological sites - and possibly other scrolls - have yet to be uncovered in the Dead Sea area? 3. About how much of the content of the scrolls is subject to vastly differing interpretation? --- From: emily24@sas.upenn.edu (Emily A Robin) 1. What languages are the DSS written in, and how similar are these languages to their modern equivalents? 2. What texts ae included in the DSS? That is, do the DSS comprise the Old Testament, or are the texts unrelated to Scriptures? 3. What do the DSS reveal about Judaism and early Christianity? Are there discussions of a messiah? --- From: "Tony Regenstreif" Is there any evidence which points to the scrolls intended audience? For example, were they intended for regular use or special occasions? Or even written with posterity in mind? This leads to another questions as to why the scrolls might have been in the caves at all. Was this a normal practice of the surrounding communities or did it have something to do with the fate of the scrolls' authors? If so, what was the fate of the Essenes? Finally, were the Essenes the only community around the caves? Were there other groups? Was the site a widely known or as remote as it seems now? --- From: Robin Friedlander 1. How were the DSS preserved? That is, were they stored in containers, and if so what type, and what were the factors which made them last so long? 2.Who found the DSS and how did it come about that they ended up being controled in the hands of only a few scholars for so long? 3. Do the DSS relate more to what we know of as the "typical" bible story or do they seem to be more connected to the time period itself, as in the events of the time and the authors' concern with those events? --- From: Sarah Farnham 1. Did the writers of these scrolls mean to keep them secret for all time? If so, why? 2. How many Jews of the time period could read and write? 3. Were the writers of the scrolls working with, for, or against each other? How aware were they of their fellow writers? --- From: Joanna Young 1. How many caves are there and are they connected to each other at all? 2. How were the jars/scrolls transported inside the caves? 3. When was the last time that the caves were visited/inhabited by man? (i.e. How long have they been left undisturbed?) /end/ RelSt 225, 20 January 2000 Instructions for late registrants in RelSt 225 (week #2) For tomorrow (Tuesday), work on general orientation to the modern study of the scrolls. The books I ordered in the bookstore for this purpose are James VanderKam, The DSS Today, and Joseph Fitzmyer, Responses to 101 Questions on the DSS (possibly the bookstore has sold out; any source of basic information will be useful at this point). Also, look at the class page under "Reviews" and sample what has been written about the scrolls. The first assignment (light!) was to submit three questions about the scrolls, and I've also posted them on the course page under "Queries and Responses" -- rs225.qs. Think about what you would want to know if you were the discoverer of these materials! Also look at the "Indices" section of the course page under "General (draft)" about 2/3 of the way down this long file, where a summary of topics is found. Each student will be assigned a sub-section of the index for which the student will be responsible when reading the texts. Choose three items that might be of special interest to you (e.g. someone has already asked for the word-group "wisdom," someone else is interested in laws relating to celebrations, etc.). Send me a note with your preferences. For Thursday (our class day each week for reading the texts, in English), be prepared to discuss the "Pesharim" (Commentaries) section of one of the standard translations (I prefer Garcia Martinez, but Vermes or Wise-Abegg-Cook will do as well -- for bibliographical details see "Course Information" ... "1999"). Some of this is on the net (see the "Texts & Translations" option on the main class page, for example), but not much. --- Very briefly, here is what I recall that we did the first week of class: (1) Were introduced to various resources for the class, especially the class page (with links to the ORION Center page, and to some DSS texts in translation) and the "DSS Revealed" CD-ROM. Class minutes from several previous classes are available for consultation on the class page, along with sample book reviews, research papers, etc. (2) Were asked to pretend that we were finding such scrolls, and to submit three questions to which we would want to find answers in proceeding to study the materials. (Noted the "six Ws" mnemonic -- what, where, when, who, why, wherefore.) (3) Were asked to look at the Index to the scrolls that is under construction (based on an earlier effort by Theodore Gaster) and identify topics or areas of special interest. Each student will be responsible for a sub-area of the index. (4) Assignment for Tuesday classes -- get acquainted with the modern study of the scrolls (in relation to the questions we are asking) by looking at book reviews, encyclopedia articles, etc., as well as the recommended books by VanderKam and Fitzmyer. (5) Assignment for Thursday classes -- read the translations of the texts, starting with the "Pesharim" (Commentaries), then moving to the books of rules (Manual of Discipline, Damascus Document) and associated "sectarian" literature. --- 25 January 2000: No Class, Snow Storm! To compensate for missed class time today, I've located and edited electronic copies of the commentaries on Habakkuk and on Nahum (part), and have placed them in the "Texts" slot of the class page. There is also an excerpt from the commentary on Hosea in the linked "Texts and Translations" page listed on the entry for the 225 page. Remember the scenario: you have just discovered these materials, and are trying to figure out what you have. Assuming that you are able to do a rough reading of the texts (and if you compare the online translations with Garcia Martinez or Vermes or Wise-Abegg-Cook, you will appreciate some of the problems at that level), what sort of information will you need, or what additional help would you seek, to understand their significance -- both micro (details of interpretation) and macro (the "bigger picture")? Enjoy. Thursday we will plunge in. Bring your snorkel and goggles! --- Query: > Hello Dr. Kraft. I'm feeling a bit lost in this class. I don't really > understand what I should be doing. I've been reading a little in the > VanderKam book, which helps, but I am largely lost in both the translation > and organization of the texts. For example, I can't find the comparable > translation of what you posted on the website in my Garcia Martinez book. > How can I get back on track here? Getting lost in this wilderness/desert is easy to do, and you do us all a favor by asking how to proceed. For the first "reading" assignment (tomorrow!) go to Garcia Martinez "Exegetical Literature: 3 Pesharim" (185-207), with special focus on Habakkuk (197ff) and Nahum (195ff) and Hosea (191ff). The fantasy game is that YOU have just discovered this stuff, so what next? I'm hoping for a wide-ranging discussion in class, that will require all sorts of clarifications and tangents. I'll need two of you to keep track of the more significant twists and turns -- volunteers can step forward at the start of class! "Exegetical" = interpreting scriptures (authoritative/biblical texts). "Pesher" (a formulaic word in the text) = "interpreted," "the meaning is" Habakkuk, Nahum, Hosea = books of the Jewish scriptures ("minor prophets") -- RelSt 225, 27 January 2000 Here is the write-up of last Thursday's class. Emily Robin and Ben Groverman I. GENERAL QUESTIONS A. What should we be doing? Read along at one's own pace, ie VanderKam and Fitzmyer B. What about the Index? Submit some ideas for topics C. What do we do for next class? Get into broader acquaintance with DSS and literature. II. TANGENT No. 1 Ostracon (sp?): Pottery with writing on it; recently found at Q site; possible link between DSS site and people there; this isn't included in Fitzmyer and VanderKam III. PESHERIM, Round 1 A. HABAKKUK: most complete of pesherim, from Cave 1 B. SQUARED BRACKETS: standard device for indicating where text is missing. Some is easy to fill in-seems to quote Scriptures verbatum. C. NOTE!!! One temptation to be resisted is to read back into the earlier periods what we know about the later periods. Dan brought up this point by asking about rabbinic judaism, which came to be known as orthodox judaism in the Middle Ages. D. Stuff that RAK put on the Web is DSS text from CDRom with blanks as indicated by FGM. IV. TECHNICAL ISSUES A. BLANKS: Some seem to be important, others not. For example in pesherim, almost every time we see a certain word or certain biblical text, there is a blank. B. HEBREW LESSON: At the time when DSS were written, Hebrew had no vowels. It is thus difficult to understand the vocalization of the texts. Example: PSR = pesher. C. GREEK LESSON: In Ancient Greek writings, there is no division between words, only one continuous string of letters. In DSS, we have word division but no vowels. D. FORMATTING: Mini-formatting concerns words, letters, sentences. Maxi-formatting concerns columns and blank spaces. E. ONDULATION: The wave-like pattern on the bottoms of the DSS tells us about how the DSS were rolled for storage. F. JOINTS: Some texts are stitched together-leather pieces. Some are glued-papyri pieces G. INTERLINEAR WORDS: Sometimes there are words inserted into the text. Sometimes they are written by the same copyist, other times, a different copyist has inserted a word. V. PESHERIM, ROUND 2 A. Scolars chose to call the texts pesherim b/c of the formulaic used in the texts. RAK prefers the term "commentaries." B. FGM reconstructs many of the texts by meshing fragments, esp. Isiah and pesherim. This is very physical work and takes lots of time, so it may have delayed publication of some documents. C. Lemma = quotation, usually from Biblical text Pesher = interpretation VI. 6 W's A. WHO: 1. Groups: a. The Kittum: a bad group. Foes. Fighting and warring people. Connected with set of events at end of history b. The Chaldaeans: a group mentioned in Lemma (maybe Gentillic: a name given to a group) c. Smoothies d. Priests e. "Simple folk" not same meaning as "People of the Land" which is a rabbinic name that marginalizes a group of people who don't have rules, etc. f. Judah/Israel/Jacob/Ephraim/Manasseh: sometimes good, sometimes bad. An area of ambiguity. 2. Individuals: a. Teacher of Righteousness: positive and good b. Man of Lies/Wicked Priest: are these two separate or are they one? c. YHWH: tetragrammaton: handled in many ways. In English bible, LORD (not Lord). We will return to this discussion. d. Absalom e. Demetrius of Yavan (Greece): from Nahum commentary. A real person in history. Whoever wrote these pesher read Jewish Scripture, could be Jews or Christians. These texts seem to be meant to be read aloud, probably as a study or worship document for a community setting. Some problems with tenses and pronouns, some attributable to Hebrew grammar, some to fragmentary nature of texts. By and large, Jerusalem and the Temple are good things though they are currently in the wrong hands. VII: HISTORY OF ISRAEL AND OF THE JEWS Prior to 587/6 bce = Israel, after Judean --> Jew A. 587/6 bce: Destruction of the Temple (in Jerusalem), a focal point in the DSS. Destroyed by the Babylonians (modern day area of Persian Gulf). B. Begins the Babylonian Captivity. Diaspora follows: most Jews leave Palestine. C. Political scene shifts, and in 540 bce Persia takes control. Rules until 330 bce. Jews are allowed to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild Temple. D. Then Greece comes along. Alexander the Great pushes back the Persians. Alex dies in 323 and the empire crumbles. Hellenistic World = world of Alex and his armies. Hellenic World = Classical Greece, ie Athens. E. Maccabean Rebellion: 168-63 bce. 100 years of Jewish independence. -- RelSt 225, Tuesday, February 01, 2000 Ben Groverman and Emily Robin General Notes: When sending documents (or notes) to RAK, please send in text (ASCII) format. 1. INDEX IDEAS: A. Names for the community B. Names with geographic references to Palestine-Israel, Judah, Ephraim, etc C. Other names with geographic references-the Kittim, the Greeks D. Angels and Demons NOTE: There is some ambiguity between human beings and holy beings in the Community. There is almost a continuum between angelic and human. E. "Wisdom" is an abstract, fuzzy topic. There are many related topics and words. F. "Revelation" and the idea that God is communicating in a special way to these special people. G. Community people: priests, levites, the Many (aka the group), the Poor (sometimes a specific group) Are levites and priests the same? Probably not. The "priests" seem to be a higher order in the priestly ranks, while the "levites" are a subset of priests usually responsible for preaching, singing, and certain rituals. H. Government: different translations of DSS give different titles to leadership I. Messiah - some documents talk about more than one messiah. Be careful not to fall into our own beliefs J. Belial - bad leader of the spiritual world, aka Satan K. Eschatology - living in or near the end times, very similar to some of the Gospels and other New Testament (Christian tradition) writings. Early Christianity was an eschatological outbreak from Judaism. 2. HOW DO WE DO THIS INDEX? First look at Gaster's index (see homepage). Double check his references, there may be changes or corrections to be made. Then we will be responsible for cataloguing the new texts. Maybe we want to include links to scholarly material and class papers. Use the standard designation described in the General draft of the index (see homepage). No roman numerals. Hymns are a special problem because they have been rearranged since Gaster's day. 3. ASSIGNMENTS ROBIN: Family types of language SARAH: Weapons and war type of references (interesting to note that the Essenes were supposedly pacifists) JOANN: Boat and water terminology. (In ancient times, the Q site was on the Dead Sea and water travel may have been important) MICHAEL: Wisdom and associated abstract terms DAN: Priestly functions of knowing, understanding, communicating, and sharing God's word and wisdom. Also, calendar TONY: Earthly opponents and geographic names MATT: Functionaries in the Community CHRIS: Purity and baptism RACHEL: Holidays and ritual observances MARGIE: Horoscopes and astronomical units EMILY: Food, wine, diet, and personal references BEN: Animal references and other personal references ERIK: Opponents of the Brotherhood MARCUS: Rewards and punishments SCOTT: Functionaries and government, work with Matt NOTES to above: "tablets written in heavens" indicates a strong concept of determinism (predestination). He who has access to these tablets has advance knowledge of things to come. Confused? You are predestined to be! 4. OTHER STUFF THE MANDAEANS: A small religious sect still in existence. A Semitic background group with relationships to Judaism and early Christianity. Name comes from the Aramaic form of the word "gnosis" which means "knowledge." Clearly in existence in 7th or 8th century c.e., but some claim that they go back even further. They call the water of Baptism "Jordan." The argument is that they lived in Palestine in their early days and then they moved to Iraq/Iran where they are now. They have interesting treatments of John the Baptist and Jesus. KJV: King James Version. The English translation of the Christian Bible authorized and funded by King James of England in 1611. Also, AV = authorized version. RSV: Revised Standard Edition. Almost every document in the DSS has a unique scribe; almost no scribe has written more than one document. Maybe this means that blank spaces were introduced by copyists who were working with a set of originals texts which have been lost. It is unclear how many of the texts are originals and how many are copies. Compare the use of blanks in Nahum to that of Habakkuk No one really lives near the Q site. It is 79 miles from new Jericho. The Bedouin were the only people to visit regularly. It is sometimes difficult to tell if the Bedouin haven't sold documents that aren't from the Q site as DSS documents. Those little capitalists! Beware of "Parallelomania"! This is the condition where one finds parallels and then attributes meaning to these parallels. VERY DANGEROUS! -- RelSt 225 - Kraft Minutes: Febuary 3, 2000 Robin Friedlander and Dan Cohen NOTE: "control n" can open both indicies (for example) and Texts at once "alt tab" switches between two open files - these refer to the gopher menu Today's Text to be discussed: Commentary on Habukkuk (Pesherim on Hab.) NOTE: 1. Double brackets (in the gopher files) indicate material quoted from Hab. - a space follows 2. There are no quot. marks in the manuscript itself (Kraft inserts them) 3. Kraft also provides the blank line after each commentary 4. Brackets within the text indicate something was missing then filled in from what they know from translations of more recent Hab. 5. Columns do not have a consistent number of letters per line; due to the animal skin being inconsistent a scribe would have to improvise. 6. The actual book of Hab. is a few hundred years prior to the persherim 7. "pesheru" = interpreted; this is one formula of announcing commentary 8. "control f" in indicies in order to find/go to a specific reference or word Quotation 1.: "Chaldeans, bitter and hasty nation" Pesher 1.: "concerns Kittim..." "Kittim" = Romans (?) - because dating of the pesherim is usually around the time when the Romans were opponents. NOTE: Pesherim and DSS dated not earlier than 300bce to 100ce. Most thought to be around 168bce - the Maccabean revolt. Josephus: - 1st century ce - a Jewish historian who gives us the "Vita" on his own life to validitate his own word and work; - a Cohen: of a priestly family in Jeruselem - 37ce = birth (?) - writing until at least 100ce - a contemporary of first generation Christians (Christ's death being around 36ce) - 66ce: War with Rome begins: J commanded to serve as a Jewish General in the northern front (Galilee) -J was torn between his nationalism and his realism: he realized that the Jewish revolt would not succeed -J gives up (sides with realism) and is branded as a traitor -J taken to Roman camp where VESPIAN is the General (soon to be emperor) -Vesp. leaves son TITUS in charge of the Jeruselem campaign in order to return to Rome to assume emperorship; Titus (who has a Jewish significant other, Bernichai) is in command when Jeruselem falls to Rome in 70ce -Vesp. interrogates J about the Jewish forces Tiberius Julius Alexander (TJA): - an elite Jew from Alexandria - Allied with Romans; oversees Titus when Vesp. returns to Rome - Uncle = Philo Philo: - Wrote of Judaism at time THUS: Josephus and Philo = Primary Contemporary Sources on 1. The Essenes 2. Types of Judaism 3. Pharisees etc. BACK TO QUOTATION: "Kittim" is in jewish scripture: refers generally to the main enemy of the time (not always Romans) NOTE: a "Concondance" - of DSS or Jewish Scripture, lists in alphabetical order all the words used in the texts and where they can be located "Kittim" = a threat, outsider; usually in the middle east or spain ie) the greek Selucids who were the "Kittim" during the Maccabean revolt which was preroman Quotation 2.: Pesher: Kittim are quick and valient in war; world will fall under the rule of the Kittim; the wicked (under the Kittim) will not believe in the law of God(?)/ Community(?) NOTE: 1. editors should note how many lines are missing when there is a break/brackets/... - it is important to see what is missing 2. there is no hebrew distinction between "he" and "it" 3. "it" can mean God's word which = "He" 4. in a lemma: as He said "..." = back to the text of Hab. 5. We do not know the semantic range of all words - the context requires different meanings for the same word; one must pick the appropriate one 6. "Yavan" = Greek(?) - this is generally accepted but could be questionable like Kittim: it can depend on the time period OR on location (ie Parthians in the east who on certain frontiers did the same thing as the Kittim) 7. a. Neobabylonians - clobbered Jeruselem in 586bce b. "Persians" next ruled the area (including Turkey and threatened Greece) 540-330bce +/- c. Alexander the Great: rises to power and spreads east and takes over Persian world: = "HELENISTIC WORLD" of A the G and his successors. - this empire begins to splinter due to weak successors: SELJUK rules Asia minor to the east and PTOLEMY rules Egypt and surrounding area (which was easier to govern because it was more isolated): these two ruled from 332bce after A the G d. Maccabean revolt in 170-168bce: against the SELEUKIDS (greeks) who were in power e. further east - the Parthian revolt: created and empire and moved west = thorn in the side of the western Seleukid empire; Parth's = eastern threat who wanted to influence the Maccabees and who were never totally conquered by the Romans. 8. Latin was never the dominant language of the Roman empire: only in parts of the western roman empire; it was a greek world and latin was not imposed 9. IF DSS written in 150bce (under Maccabean) Language = ?: a. look at coins: have both greek and hebrew or aramaeic b. in order to survive politically one would have needed to be able to function in greek c. the main language of the Persian empire was ARAMAEIC d. in Jewish scripture hebrew was impt. 10. "The Jewish war" - by Josephus: wrote it in greek because he was living in Rome being associated with Titus and his target audience were educated Jews (?) who spoke greek (?) 11. DSS - Hebrew seems to be a first not second language for the scribes - BUT we have nothing to compare it to. 12. no "Bible" as a whole being translated at the time: really, authoritative works that were historically jewish were being translated separately a. Josephus does note the widely recognized authoritative works that are now "bible" such as the Pentatuk b. in the preface to the greek translation of SIRACH by Sirach's grandson, there is a reference to categories (collections) of works which are bible-like but these collections were not set in stone c. Josephus mentions 22 books of Jewish literature 13. being accedemically astute is knowing how our history is biased: ie to us the Roman empire fell in the 4th century however for the Greeks it was simply a change in the dynasty (to Byzantine) -- RelSt 225, Minutes for 2/8 From: Daniel Cohen Today's plan is dealing with questions, then (peradventure) eschatology Each Tuesday, bring questions/issues or RK will reserve one Feel free to e-mail to ask the topic of class in advance 2 basic issues will be explored: eschatology (How will God judge? How will evil end? Who will be leader in the end?), and attitudes towards purity From these central things will be spin-offs Half the battle is forming questions! Sarah: Does "Qumran text" refer to DSS? RK: Good question. Discoveries in the Judean Desert is series of 40 volumes; discoveries around Dead Sea and north (Judean desert is inhospitable wasteland); more broad than Qumran at first, but most are from the eleven caves around Qumran - DSS. See into to Garcia Martinez. Other things discovered, from 3rd century B.C.E. to Baar-Kochba. Also monastic Christianity stuff. Marcus: Why have DSS become focus? RK: Close in proximity. Cave 4 is near ruins of Qumran. Tendency is to connect scrolls to people of ruins (though some scholars don't think so) Early scholars were of Christian background, who looked at the rules (which will be discussed Thursday) and saw similar community behind them. Also, 50 years ago, the idea of Jewish monastics stumped scholars. Now, the scrolls opened up understanding of the possibilities in Judaism. Tony: Various kinds of Judaism - Pharisees, Saducees... What are they? Are the unique to Palestine? RK: When you ask about eshatology... what are our options? What groups do we have? "My teacher said, 'Repetition is what studies are all about.'... Stop me if we go beyond the pale of repetition..." JOSEPHUS (37 C.E. - 100 C.E. beginnings of Christianity) Of priestly descent, so in good position to know goings-on; what he says isn't necessarily true, but he has access Works: Vita/Life, War (7 vol., 66-73 revolt against Rome), Antiquities (history of Jews from Creation, 20 vol., overlap with War), Against Apion (writing against Greek/Egyptian author who wrote anti-Jewish stuff) DRC: How were texts of Josephus preserved? RK: Christians preserved them, to understand their background. Especially in War and Antiq, groups are named - comfortably existing within the framework of Judaism; sect, but not negative; option Saducees - Zadok (seen in DSS; from transliteration), many Zadok's in the history Josephus calls them boorish, elite, aloof, aristocratic (priestly) In general, not actively looking for Messiah; more into Temple life Not really into afterlife Most different of groups; minimalist, laws of Moses Into political matters Pharisees - most of attention of people who study Judaism; surviving Judaism is closest to them Sarah: Does he say how they came about? RK: No. Emily: Do these three represent denominations today? RK: No. Origins of name: negative - given them by opponents, came from Persians ("Oh, look at them, integrating Persian stuff.") positive - Hebrew "separate": separatists Small percent of population of 250,000, but favorable Sarah: Did the three groups live in isolation? RK: No. Tony: So the great mass of people are nothing? RK: They have sympathies. Josephus was probably from Saducees, but he said he followed Pharisaic life (as they were more influential) Eschatology - resurrection, judgement, reward/punishment Angels (none of this believe by Saducees) Robin: Resurrection of whom? RK: Judgment. People resurrected, stand before God, at the end of time. Predestination; Pharisees in between, Essenes have everything predetermined, Saducees have nothing Essenes - quantity-wise, most time spent on them (perhaps because they were the least known?) Where's name from? Let it go... Doesn't plot them on map Essenes are Celibate (either never had sex, or had it then withdrew) Separate from society (own little groups, leadership) 4,000-6,000 No mention of eschatology; predestination, though Margie: How do they grow? RK: People were convinced to join the group. Chris: Maybe he doesn't want to present Jews as crazy, so no eschatology. RK: Right, he wants to downplay it. Tony: Do they proselytize? RK: They must have. 4th group mentioned by Josephus: Zealots - political agitators, insurrectionists Advocates of theodicy Sicarii - dagger people, go around assassinating people antithetical to cause //end// -- RelSt 225, 10 February 2000 Sarah & Marjie [[On the matter of Josephus on Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, etc., the main passages are: Jewish War [NOT WARS] 2.[8.]117-166 -- the earliest of his accounts Antiquities 13.[5.9.]171-173 [why here!? see also 13.[10.5f]288ff] Antiquities 18.[1.]1-25 Life [2.]10-12 The identifications include both the old system of numbering [e.g. War book 2 section 8 entire] and the more recent [War 2.117-166]. If you use an older version of the Whiston translation from 1736 (!), you will need the older reference system; the most recent reprints of Whiston's translation have added the new system as well. Caveat emptor again! RAK]] From: "Sarah Farnham" Notes from Feb 10, 2000 by Marjie and Sarah Assignment of the day: Figure out what kind of people wrote these scrolls "Sectarians Writings": (not in a pejorative sense) represent the characteristic aspect of the people Commentaries: allow us to come closer to what these people were thinking Daniel: How do we connect or not connect the Essenes to the scrolls? RK: Let's not address this question today; we should look at what Josephus said about the Essenes and compare that to the Rules--we'll get to that later. Look at Pliny's Essenes (Roman author) and Philo's Essenes (I) (oldest Jewish author to mention Essenes before Josephus) to help answer the question. Therapeutae: Philo describes them similarly to the Essenes. We come to think of them as a sister group to the Essenes. Back to Habakkuk... (we began at lemma 1:13, a well preserved section, and started to move through) note to class: this was the first time that we covered a large amount of text as a class. We tried to record as much as possible, but seeing as we can't recopy all the passages here, it may be a bit fragmented (but so are the scrolls!), so bear with us... "For it is as he/it says..."--it's unclear whether the scribe is referring to the Lord, to a book, or to a prophet (Hebrew has no separate pronoun for "it") --this brings us to... Some problems with interpretation: 1. how author uses certain words (semantics) 2. translating Hebrew: should the translator make comparable English phrases, or stick to the exact text verbatim 3. parallelism: Hebrew poetry (which this is) uses a device called "parallelism" in which the same idea is stated in slightly different words--generally with two lines. The ideas may be synonomous, antithetical, or simply congruent. The interpreter may translate as two separate things. Parallelism is exemplified in the Proverbs and Psalms. 4. pronouns are ambiguous (we, them, he, she, it [see above; Hebrew has no "it"). back to Habakkuk 1:13... We vs. them issue: the "we" can mean "we, God's people" against "them, the gentiles/outsiders (ie. Romans, Greeks, Persians). Again, it's unclear who "they" is. Could be evil, could be good. The "we vs. them" can also signify an internal conflict, within the community. The scribe has not defined who "God's people" are--Israelites? Some subset of Israelites that are relatively righteous? Point is, they're "good guys" who won't be destroyed by gentiles. "God's elect" may be synonymous with "God's people." Tony: What does "nation" refer to, exactly? RK: Good question, not clear. Author of Pesher assumes that we understand what he's saying, but we don't necessarily--a little slippery (here is a reccurring theme: clarity was not their strong suit!). "My Holy One"=God the concept of holiness vs. evil "holy"=purity; problems taken care of; people/angels/God can all be "holy" - Chris notes that there is also the eschatological aspect in these writings which seems to imply that angels and men will mingle among the holy community...the sectarians seem to feel there's sort of a continuum between angels and men. This will probably become more clear when we look at some Enoch literature, Enoch being a patriarch and man who was "taken up by God," and who becomes "angelic" in some pseudepigrapha. Marcus: A question concerning the sentence "are you not from everlasting?" RK: if you know Hebrew, you know it's making a statement in the form of a question--we do this in English too. What should a translator do? should he/she conform to what it would mean in Eng or should he assume we know a little about the lang it's written in? "from everlasting" means "from endless time in the past." "traitors": insiders, not outside House of Absalom--Who was Absalom?--tangent c.1000 bce--David was the first real king of all Israel (united, that is. Saul (sp?), who preceeded David, began uniting the kingdom) David's son= Absalom: ambitious; tries to usurp father's rule; ends up dying due to too much ambition (hubris anyone?) Chris notes that Absalom also engages in "unclean" behavior, namely, having sexual relations with his father's concubines. This probably influenced sectarian thoughts of him...assuming that this Absalom is in fact the Biblical Absalom, which isn't clear. therefore "House of Absalom" is related to the concept of traitors Absalom is a part of the Sadduccees--the debate is over whether it's David's Absalom or an Israelite leader within the Maccabbean kingdom. Back to Hab 1:13a-b... moves from contrast between 2 communities to an internal conflict now the issue is the traitor/liar: in Jewish scripture, the concept of Torah and law is very important. The Liar hasn't been true to the law, according to the interpreter. Tony asks about "midst of their whole"--is this a larger or smaller society? RK: Probably it's a group in which conflict takes place. It's a subset/inner division of Israel. Col. VI: Kittim Not identified with Israel, threatening outsiders, often identfied with sea people. The nets that are mentioned in the scrolls ("sacrifice to their nets," "burn incense to their seine.") refer to the Kittim weapons. tangent: king/emperors vs. God, the difference is small tangent: sacrifice can be anything, not just dead animals. Point is that it's some religious act of reverence "divide their yoke": Kittim are not really dividing up and giving out; they're keeping it within their own group. Commentary of Nachum--Nachum Peshar: fragmentary, written in different hand from Habakkuk--not necessarily the same commentator Greek King tries to enter Jerusalem (Demetrius)= "seekers of smooth things" Who is the "Teacher of Righteousness"? It could be the name of an ongoing title (not just one person in particular). Basically, we don't know for sure who it is. "Whither the lion, the lioness went..." interpretation concerns Demetrius, Yavan, Antiochus Yavan=Hebrew word referring to Greek culture and area Antiochus 2nd century BCE (175 ff) (ff means "and following") kingship changes north of Palestine (Seleucides: Greeks who have inherited that part of Alexander's kingdom, which went from Turkey to modern Persian Gulf) Antiochus III: successful expander of empire Antiochus IV: archenemy who forms political setting for Hasmonean/Macabbean (Hasmonean and Macabbean--same thing) revolt, symbolizes outsiders, probably the one being referred to in Nahum Chris: Question about "And afterwards she would be trodded down...." Who is "she?" Rachel: In FGM, it says "it" instead of "she." Daniel: the discrepancy over "she" vs. "it" in the translation is due to the fact that in Hebrew, "city" is a feminine noun, and to describe such a noun as "it" uses the same Hebrew word for "she"... the letters "hey," "vav," and "aleph," which is pronounced "he." (Hebrew lesson #1: me is who, who is he, he is she!). RK: Vermes says "she," since it's a fragment, we don't know the value of "she," but Jerusalem is often referred to as "she." Lion of Wrath: internal or external? Seems to be inside of the community, could be the same as "Liar." Same question is asked about the Kittim: are they internal or external? Nahum 2.14--reference to crucifiction Josephus's story: Hasmanian ruler crucified his opponents (Pharisees), this could be what Nachum is referring to Tony: Is Lion of Wrath good guy or bad guy? RK: It varies with text, always unclear. We don't have any clear reference to the Macabbean kingdom in the scrolls: odd, maybe writers didn't like the Macabbeans. Damascus Document (DD): often called DSS before the DSS was found, Why? Because found 100 years ago in a Cairo synagogue called Geniza (Hebrew for storeroom), Geniza was filled with thousands of pieces of Hebrew Literature, including the Damascus Document. Schecter found the DD (called Damascus because it mentions Damascus) and called it a Zadokite work (because it refers to Zadok). Schecter translated the DD without any parallels (DSS hadn't been found yet), so he couldn't fill in any blanks. Next Thursday: Return to the Damascus Document The End!!! -- RelSt 225, 15 February 2000 [missing?] -- Relst 225, 17 February 2000 [missing?] -- Religious Studies 225 Notes--02/22/00 Written by: Marcus McGee Edited by: Chris Hoess *note--please send Prof. Kraft a title and brief synopsis of your research proposal the week after Spring Break, (topics working directly with the text are preferred). Essenes continued--from Flavius Josephus' The War, Book 2 (Whiston translation; modern editions like the Lobe will be useful for research papers). Whiston's translation was made in the 1700s; suitably tweaked, it's been the standard since. RAK suggests using the paragraph breaks from the newer editions (Whiston's original paragraphs are monolithic). Interlude: how can we tell if a writer intended a text to be "canonical" or "inspired" ? It's not always possible, but look for formulas such as "these are the words of God/Moses/a prophet", etc. Josephus' The War: --probably written in Aramaic and then translated to Greek, The War was written before Josephus' Antiquities, because he refers to the former in the latter. The War was probably not written more than ten years after the actual war took place. --in this text, Josephus doesn't just refer to the Essenes, the group; he also mentions "Simon, one of the sect of the Essenes". (Also note that Simon is making a prophecy/interpreting here) 2.8 (History Break) Archelaus, son/successor of Herod the Great (~4 BCE) was the ethnarch (ruler of a specific ethnic group) of Judea. Due to complaints from the citizens and others, he was exiled to Gaul roughly in 6 CE by Augustus Caesar and Judea is made a province with appointed prefects, 1st Coponius; one of his successors was Pontius Pilate. These were once procurators instead. Coponius is a member of the "equestrian order" of Rome-the patrician class below senator, people who were wealthy enough to own a horse and serve in the cavalry-many of these were army officers. Reference to Judas the Galilean, leader of his own sect advocating revolt and theodicy. --here we recognize that Josephus makes an effort to downplay rebellion as a trait of the Jews. Again the 3 sects: Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes are mentioned (in some detail) Essenes noted as "Jews by birth" --recognized as not living in one place (parallel with other texts) --claims they practice exclusion for punishment --differentiates between married and non-married Essenes Eschatology. The study of the end (of an individual or of the world) Josephus doesn't talk about it much, again, presumably in an attempt not to provoke the Romans with stories of Jewish rebellion. --Says Pharisees believe in reincarnation --mentions Daniel, name means "God is my judge" Daniel, while included among the prophets of the Protestant Bible, remains separate from the Torah in Judaism (placed in the Kethuvim, or "Writings"). The text is not entirely in Hebrew, partially Aramaic. Considered apocalyptic (word apocalypse means revelation) writing. When was Daniel written? Secular scholars look at the predictions that line up with historical events. Supposedly a captive of Babylonians around 500 BCE and makes indirect reference to Alexander the Great 170 BCE around the time of the Maccabean Revolt. Again, Josephus may avoid this literature, because it's too provocative. Eschatology sees the present world as existing in the last days of the old order and before the beginning of the new. Realized Eschatology. The notion that the expected future is somehow here or presently beginning. Do Scrolls indicate this? Depending on mindset and ability to capture the mood of the writer, Yes. Examples include references to "The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness," allusions to this struggle with expectation of overcoming evil, mention of specific leaders, a final establishment of justice and promise of fulfillment. This notion of "the last stages of all order," leads to questions of theodicy, agents, messiah, anointing/reward. There is normally a Messiah ("anointed one"), the leader against the bad, and there are frequent references to angels telling people their lot/destiny or taking them to read the heavenly books. These books contain the fate of everyone and everything, predestination. Another popular figure in this literature is Enoch, who was "taken up" by God into Heaven, who also brings knowledge like this to people. There is also the expected Antagonist leading the bad (often called Belial in the Scrolls), and through warfare the bad is defeated. This end of the bad is called the Consummation, and is followed by Judgment (reward of the good and sometimes graphic punishment for the bad) and the opening of the Book of Life. --- RelSt 225, 24 February 2000 Exposition on 1QS The Rule of the Community (based on Vemes' earlier = translation) Introduction 1.. The Rule of the Community is primarily found in cave 1. There are = fragments of the manual found in other caves (especially cave 4). The = Messianic Rule, 1QSa, is also attached to this scroll, but is handled = separately.=20 2.. There are 11 columns almost intact, with the last two translated = as poetic, i.e., in short parallel lines (it is not sure if the = originals are poetic). 3.. Basically there are 9 cols of about 26-28 lines each. Inspite of = its nearly complete state, it appears that the title line at the very = beginning is missing. 4.. It is similar to the Damascus Document. It provides a number of = rules governing the administration, officers and definition of the = community. 5.. It is different from CD in that it does not state the historical = setting but very specific rules for the community (e.g., the place where = the toilets must be situated). The two have similarities and differences = which interest scholars. The materials in these two documents become the = primary basis for comparison with the works of Josephus and Philo on the = Essene.=20 Commentary on Selected Texts 1.1 It seems to be a kind of title line for the document (although we do = not have the exact beginning) for it gives the title for the community = rule and is followed by, in general, stating the authority of Moses and = the prophets. This may suggest the authoritative nature of the work and = its importance. (NB. The formula "Moses and the Prophets" does not = necessarily suggest a fixed authoritative writing). 1.2ff. These vss indicate that the people had a stark binary outlook in = life, e.g., good vs evil.=20 1.7. "covenant of grace": a shift in motif from rules to grace = (something worth looking into). Admission to the Covenant of Grace: Admission to this covenant suggests an acceptance of this doctrine = versus other options. There is an idea of confession and entrance into = the covenant. The Rule is one of the few works that suggests the = existence of entrance rights and voluntary giving of goods. It also = suggests that there was a voluntary, adult comprehension before entering = this community. (cf. 1.20) 1.8 "counsel of God": reveals an idea of a divine mind guiding all = actions mimicking ideas of predestination divine mind behind all. It is = a standard idea that has to do with the fact that everything is set out = in heaven and in the heavenly book. God knows what every one's lot is = and every one's duty is to live out his or her lot.=20 1.9. "appointed time": eschatological language. 1.15 "right/left": =3D an idiom. Not a literal expression.=20 (NB. Scholars are trying to identify whether these materials became part = of the Rabbinic tradition.) 1.18ff=20 (1) "Satan" (GM =3D "Belial"): a specific reference to evil.=20 A general term (not a name) for "accuser" which comes to be identified = with someone who stands over the good people (e.g., in the Book of Job, = God allowed the accuser to test Job, cf. particularly chs. 1,2 and 42). "Satan" is not a usual name in the scroll. The usual names are, e.g., = Belial, Mastema, etc. Vermes' translation is perhaps an attempt to make clear the meaning of = Belial (origin of word not certain), which is the actual Hebrew word = here. (2) "priest and Levites" (a technical term): reveals the nature of the = community and its liturgy. They are usually mentioned together and their functions seem to = be overlapped. Nevertheless, they have slightly different functions. = Both of them are distinguished from the Rabbim (Heb. =3D the "many", = which is translated differently for the community at large) or "all the = people" who form the rest of the community.=20 (3) "Amen, Amen" (1.20): some kind of liturgy for the entrance into the = community (but may not be exactly in this manner).=20 (4) This grouping of the community (i.e., the leaders: Priest and = Levites, and the people; 2.18ff) was permanent and an idealized vision = of a perfect, divine order and everlasting design. That there was no = moving from one designation to another further strengthens the idea of = predestination.=20 3.1ff contrasting of the two ways: good/bad; life/death; light/darkness; = etc=20 In the DSS there is a fragment called "The Two Ways." Early Christian sources, which are heavily indebted to Judaism, take the = framework of the "two ways" and talk about ethics (e.g., the way of = death =3D to murder, adultery, lie, etc; the way of life =3D be good to = neighbor, etc). The community rule probably reflects the general way of thinking in the = Ancient Near Eastern (ANE).=20 NB: beware of parallelomenia! E.g., the records of early Christianity in the Acts of the Apostle (NT) = reflect many similarities with the Qumran sect: they sold their = possessions, separated themselves from others, practiced a particular = way of life, etc. Their leadership was described not in terms of priests = and Levites but of the Apostles. The parallels are interesting, and = geographically and chronologically close, which makes them likely to = have some relationship with each other. Note, however, that even before the scrolls were discovered, these kinds = of community were already identified by Jean Thomas (or Commer?), in the = 1930s. cf. Baptistic Movement in Palestine and Syria in the First = Century of the Common Era. He points out lots of evidence for these kinds of community which have = their rite of purification usually associated with water, and which = distanced themselves from the main body of society. 5.1 "Community of God" (GM =3D "men of the Community"): this group name = suggests a separation from a surrounding evil influence. It also appears = in the context of communal possessions and administration.=20 5.2ff "sons of Zadok": cf. CD for who the sons of the Zadok were. It is = most likely a general term for priestly leaders. Numerous polemics = against the management of the Temple suggests this split. The reference to the "sons of Zadok," may be = a self-conscious recognition of the community separated from the = evildoers by "oaths" and pledged to "return" to correct the evil.=20 NB: In 4QMMT, which has the characteristics of a foundational document, = there appears an attempt to convince the others of their doctrinal = errors. Exposition on 4QRule of the Community=20 Introduction 1.. There are parallels between the materials in cave 1 and 4. E.g., = Col 1 is paralleled with 1QS 7.10-17. Col 3 has parallel with 1QS = 8.11-15; 9.12-20.=20 2.. Col 4 is missing. Commentary on Selected Text 5.10"Shebet": =3D "7" NB: words in the bracket (.) are explanation provided by the translator. 5.11"Gamul": not certain whether it is a letter of the alphabet or = something else. "Release": a term found in the discussion of the jubilee year. Maybe = what is in view here is some kind of a calendar. The details are not = clear, however. A pattern (with which the text is to be read) can be observed here: "In = the Release.the sign of jubilee.the end of the jubilee." "Jubilees" are kind of grouping of seven years, or seven times seven = years. 7.16 mentions "the final sign of the seventh jubilee" which = probably is the end of the jubilee.=20 Note that GM puts Calendars and Priestly Rosters in p.451ff. They belong = to the category of obtaining knowledge through observing the solar = calendars.=20 --- RelSt 225, DSS class notes, 2/29/00 Michael and Tony Philo=92s Essenes Introduction 1.. One of the oldest sources on the Essenes that has been preserved. 2.. It probably comes from the 1st century BCE. Some have argued = recently that the materials were written before 66 BCE, which RAK = rightly says is overly precise. 3.. It is actually not preserved in the writings of Philo but has been = quoted by an early Christian author, Eusebius (early 4th century CE), = who utilizes materials available to him that he knows has to do with the = development of early Christianity and Christian monasticism. Passage of Philo=92s Essenes 1.. Both Philo and Josephus claim that the Essenes were distributed = throughout various locations, a sub set within different cities in = Judea.=20 2.. Philo here mentions that they lived in "many villages," which is = not sure whether it refers specifically to the Essenes as being part of = the villages or they had their own villages. However, the parallel gives = the idea of dwelling in the city and that they were a large community = and not just a few people. 3.. Although we are not clear about the sources which Philo uses, from = his writings (his 10-vol work can be found in LCL) we can be sure that = he has great respect for what he considers to be "Scripture."=20 4.. NB: Philo does use terms like "Scriptures" that imply authority to = particular writings that he commends. Incidentally, he writes = commentaries (not like the pesherim) on particular themes which = exclusively come from what we now call the Pentateuch (the five books of = Moses), e.g., themes of Abraham, Sarah, etc. These commentaries are = interpretation or exegetical of particular texts. The word "exegesis" = comes from Greek which means "to draw out," i.e., to draw meaning out of = a text. Conversely, "eisegesis" means "to put meaning into the text the = way one wants it," which in some sense is exegesis but develops a = different line. Philo is often accused of eisegesis, of making his mind = up about what he expects or should find in a text rather than making the = text speak for itself. 5.. He uses a lot of what the ancient Greeks call "allegory," which = comes from Greek, meaning "it means other than what it seems" ("alle" = =3D other).=20 6.. He has often been called a philosopher, but RAK would rather call = him a psychologist because the kind of meaning that he intends to draw = from the text usually has to do with the state of mind or state of = being, but not eschatology. 7.. His exposition of "Scriptures" seems to be written for an audience = who is familiar with Jewish Scriptures. 8.. He has another set of writing which seems to aim at general = readers in Alexandria in 1st century, e.g., the life of Moses. He = presents an overall life of Moses as a great historical and political = figure and a law giver within a Utopian Jewish setting. 9.. He almost never talks explicitly about historical events taking = place in his lifetime, except in a couple of "essays" dealing with a = particular set of political crisis that erupted around the year 38 or 39 = CE. One of them is called Against Flaccus who was a Roman governor in = Alexandria and who permitted riot against Jewish community = (communities). Philo is the spokesperson for Judaism in Alexandria in a = political climate that has caused particular problems. He ends up being = part of the delegation sent from Alexandria to Rome to appeal to the = emperor for justice. He writes about that trip and the work is called = Embassy to Gaius.=20 10.. Excursus: Philo is the uncle of Tiberius Julius Alexander, who is = an influential and famous Roman military and political figure throughout = the 1st century. TJA first appears around the time of Embassy as a minor = Roman official appointee in Egypt and later, in mid 40s of 1st century, = as governor of Judea for few years, before becoming advisor to the main = General on the Pathean in the East. During the reign of Nero, he becomes = governor to Egypt. (NB: for further discussion on TJA, see RAK, = "Tiberius Julius Alexander and the Crisis in Alexandria According to = Josephus," in Of Scribes and Scrolls: Studies on the Hebrew Bible, = Intertestamental Judaism, and Christian Origins Presented to John = Strugnell on the Occasion of His Sixtieth Birthday (ed. Harold Attridge, = John J. Collins, and Thomas H. Tobin; Maryland: University Press of = America, 1990) 175-84. He is seen by historians as an apostate who is = not faithful to his ancestor=92s customs. 11.. Philo wants the readers to see that the Essenes is a voluntary = group.=20 12.. There is no mentioning of children among the Essenes. But that = does not mean that they are not married, the way Pliny would have put = it. 13.. Philo talks about women, children, etc. He talks about a = community.=20 14.. DSS do not seem to mention slavery, although in Jewish law, = slavery is not prohibited and slaves are to be set free during the = jubilees.=20 15.. They are hard working people. But we are not sure whether they = engaged in agriculture or herding activity. 16.. DNA discovers that some scrolls were made from the skin of = certain types of animals, which are still in existence today. 17.. It seems that some Essenes work in the city where they get their = income from and that they contribute their income to the local manager = in charge of that city.=20 18.. They have meals together. 19.. Although they have no children, they treat each other as their = own children.=20 --- RelSt 225, 2 March 2000: Film --- RelSt 225, Notes, 3/7/00 From: "Matt Mugmon" First, we would address any questions about the film we watched March 2. Question from Marcus concerning a comment made in the film about early = Christianity drawing from Judaism. A few theories offered from the = class. One theory: Early Monastics behaved similarly to the Essenes, = possibly having drawn from them. RAK: Early Christianity can actually tell us about Judaism in an = earlier period. Some scholars, such as Schiffman, decided to look at = the Dead Sea Scrolls to study the development of Jewish law -- Rabinnic = Judaism -- something that had been noted by earlier scholars but not = focused on. There are two sides to the issue; emphasizing what the DSS = say about law (to study the devpt. of Judaism) and the emphasis on = theology (to study early Christianity). There are things in = Christianity that came out of a kind of Judaism that doesn't show its = face in rabinnic, or orthodox, Judaism. Looking at different kinds of = Judaism and Christianity, there's rabinnic Judaism, classical = Christianity and early Christianity. Mostly by what early Christianity = presents, we can get information about early (pre-rabinnic) Judaism. = Before the DSS were found, much of our info came from Christians who = found what such writers as Philo and Josephus wrote interesting. With = the DSS, the next question involves shedding light on early = : Christianity. There is good evidence (doesn't have to be monastic = evidence) of Christians organizing themselves in ways that sound like = the rules in the DSS. There are very strong parallels among the = different parts of the development of Judaism and Christianity. Early = Christian sources do talk about groups like the Saducees and Pharisees. = Studying what is said can get us to see what goes into finding a = satisfactory interpretation of the material, and what is considered a = satisfactory interp. may change. Question from class: Could orthodox Judaism have been created as a = reaction to Christianity? What 'standardized' Judaism (how did the = development toward orthodox occur)? RAK: Yes. The rabbi, like the bishop, is considered to be a successor of = some sort. The rabbis are Moses' successors. Question concerning canonization of literature RAK: We have not only the Jewish Bible, but also oral 'law' (not simply = law; this embodies practices and leads to understanding traditions, = etc.) These get written down, and from there we get the Talmud and = related rabinnic literature. The idea is that God reveals truth through = the Bible and Moses' successors. Later, we get 'responsa', which are = rabinnic authorities' responses to things not previously dealt with in = the Talmud or Bible. In Christianity, the sermons, etc., of Church = fathers get passed down. But for Christianity, these 'commentaries' = aren't packaged how they are in Judaism. Question the emphasis at the end of last Thursday's film on the = archaeological aspect of the work RAK: Note that the scrolls can be found a mile away from the community, = but the dates of the scrolls and when people lived there do not = necessarily correspond. Certain archaeological issues that were being = focused on when the film was made aren't being focused on right now. = The question of when the ruins were inhabited and when the scrolls were = written are two separate questions. Question: Are excavations still being done at Qumran? RAK: The ostrakon, a piece of pottery on which there's writing, was only = found four to five years ago. As for what could be done, only 50 of = 1,200 graves have been dug up. The influential orthodox Jewish = community would have to make sure they're not graves of Jews. Question: Are caves still being looked for? RAK: Most visible caves have probably been found. What could still = happen: caves covered because of natural disasters like earthquakes or = landscape shifts. Looking at technology, perhaps earth-penetrating = devices would be able to lead people to where they could do more = looking. Question concerning who has jurisdiction over the Qumran site RAK: It will go back to the Palestinian state. A lot of the work = renewed at the site has been done by Israelis trying to do as much as = they can. But it could be that the graves will be able to be dug up. = Also, the Palestinians are interested in the economy, and it is a = tourist area. Side note: The new head of the project will be announced soon Short discussion about interest in and money for studying of the = scrolls: RAK: The Latter Day Saints have taken an interest in scholarship in = general. As a church, they have an interest in genealogy, in = identifying ancestry. They have an interest in antiquity. As for = money, there was more available 20 years ago than today. The NEH and = the NEA have gone away little bit as there has been less of an emphasis = on centralized funding and more distribution. But private donors will = frequently give money anyway -- it's a question of presenting the agenda = to people who already get a lot of requests. Question (or comment?): Philo's 'Therapeutae' dwells on the image and = appearance of God, which sounds similar to later mystical, Kabbalistic = stuff. RAK: This work sounds like its talking about Christian monastics, and = some had said it is talking about that and then attribute it to Philo. = But the study of the work's style and relationship to other treatises = suggest it is Philo. From there, we have the normal problem of = historical interpretation, with us needing to know more about Philo. = Then, we don't even know if it's historically reliable. Philo has often = been described as a Platonist -- what's good about the ideal taking = precedence over what really happens. So, what he writes about he could = be discussing in idealistic terms. He has a concept of a philosopher as = a person who has to communicate the truth when it's found. He talks = about how nice it would be to go to an isolated area and contemplate = life, but he had to remain active in his community. //end// -- RelSt 225, 9 March 2000 [[Here is the latest, for your spring break reading. I've glanced through these notes, and while they are fine, on the whole (thanks, guys), I have found some matters that will require clarification -- things were moving rather fast at points, and details may have blurred somewhat (e.g. I didn't speak of "mummified coffins," and the disappearance of bones and coins is due to modern carelessness in keeping track of them). So here is a challenge for you all -- a living example of some problems of maintaining "historical precision" in transmitting information! What emendations would you suggest? See you after the break. RAK]] Notes by erik Today's topic is 4QMMT. RAK states he has just put up a new version on line because the old one had screwed up formatting and asks if anyone has looked at it. He comments that a lot is missing in the translations in our books and this will help us to fill in the gaps. We begin by looking at the papyrus fragments. There are seven lines in each column. We looked at fragment 2, column 2 and its place relative to the other fragments. You can see the columns physically in their sequence. Column 1 has parallels to other material. We look at this to see how there are questions about order. In the basic reconstruction, it is a matter of Strugnell's or Martinez's opinion. There is also difficulty in finding the first writing down of the materials because it was in a world in which authorship was not paid much attention to. Without fragments, they probably fill up the space on leather with more writing, so it is not necessarily orderly. Dan: What have paleographers discovered about the authors? RAK states paleographers look at the handwritings, see the differences in each,, the different material in each papyri, varieties of widths, the materials on the lines and the dimensions and types of writings, try to tell the dates. They are able to get it within a generation. Paleographers can't solve it all though. Strugnell try to fit it together intellectually. It is our job to figure out what it all means. We then turned to the contents and jump around. We try to see the themes and argue about how they relate to the reading of the rules. They are short and scrappy, bear a lot of weight in history, and are seen as an early fundamental document. There must be six or seven copies found. Margie: Is there the same handwriting on two unjoined fragments? RAK says it is conceivable, but in general writing was done in different hands. His theory is that writing skill was crucial, it was part of an initiation process where one must prove himself capable. Marcus: Is it possible to tell the amount of time in the different hands? RAK states that through carbon 14 dating it is possible. He looks at it through the angle that if you have 800 hands, two centuries, in association with a community of 40-50 people with 1200 graves, what hypothesis would you make? He goes over different factors such as earthquakes on 31 bce cause gaps in the continuity, some explain the graveyard as a retirement community, some count the number of graves, look at how they are oriented. Others go with firm data such as manuscripts from the caves, the different handwritings, different in almost all. With the different hypotheses, which is the most probable, we don't know. There is always new evidence from tests so we must always be tentative about our conclusions. It is a constant spiral and we are always moving to a more advanced location. Someone asks if in the graves so far, can we tell how they bury the dead or is it useful? RAK states it is useful in his opinion. The graves had shafts with side compartments, most were clearly laid out in a particular direction, not oriented to Jerusalem, on the east side of the Dead Sea, with maybe some characteristic elements. There are mummified coffins, some graves have more than one body, there are some with women and children bones, but most are male. We can determine gender by height and the pelvis area. However, a lot is up in the air, a lot remains to be solved, and DNA is capable of solving some of it. One problem is that bones disappear, just like a lot of coins have disappeared. There are in an unstable part of the world. Now we look at the text, starting at the end. Looking at the last section, we see a reference to the end times and a mentioning of Belial. It appears in various forms, Belial is most common in the Scrolls, but Beliar is also used. Tony: Asks about the weak tone of some of the words. RAK points out that an important factor is the foundational stand at this point in the rift is not complete, and maybe there is a conciliatory tone. Marcus: Who are we talking to? RAK warns against referring to the religion as a sect. It is defintiely an ethos of some sort. We will have a debate within a discussion setting. We don't know who is talking. Some items in the letter referred to Rabbinic Jews, referred to within the old subsets. Schiffman sees tow early representations of the Sagisees within the traditional Halakkic that leaves an imprint on later Jewish materials that may lead to who might be involved in the writing of this letter. We can be bold and make fragments into this theory. It is fun to conjecture and to see what works. You can either start soemwhere or don't. I like to do both. You can ask what does it all mean and play around with it or let it sit. We continue to look at the text and see references to the history of Israel with Solomon, Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. Jeroboam is relevant because it identifies with rebelliousness. We see a reference to the end of days, an evangelical thrust, the receivings of blessings and curses, segregation from the rest, which is the seed of sectarianism. Dan: Is it the general consensus that the fragments are connected to the letter. RAK states we need to trust scholars. They are talented and have energy. Dan: We see the same words but different tones, a fixed relationship, creating in the structure the meaning of the text, caught in circles. RAK states we are willing to accept the placement but we don't know what came before. Continuing to look at the text, we see mentioning of purity, precepts, defilement, wheat of the gentiles(maybe an idiom), broth of sacrifices, and cereal offerings. Marcus asks about the sons of Aaron and why the editors supplied them. People look up in A&C and Vermesh to see and A&C does not use the term and Vermesh uses the sons of priests. RAK comments how you fill it out depends on how you interpret the consistentcy. Marcus asks why Aaron is the holiest of the holy. RAK draws a diagram of Levi, Moses and states that both are priestly terms referring to a certain subset of priests. RAK then continues to talk about the different types of priests, that priests can do bad, but they ought not to. Dan asks about the bracketed content about crushed testicles in line 42. RAK states you can't be a priest or serve as a priest with maladies and there are physical disqualifications. Purity is beyond nature and rules judge what is acceptable. Dan asks about the escatalogical feel to the themes. RAK speaks about the unblemished red heffer and maintaining ritual. He mentions the article about a perfect heffer in Time, also a subset of mystical Judaism where a leader makes his followers think he is the messiah. Controlled analogy is the best way to get at history and early Christianity was weird escatalogically. A final mentioning of "Believe it or Not" by Ripley with one about Pliny as a descendant of the Essenes. --- RelSt 225 Spring Break -- RelSt 225, 21 March 2000 [missing?] --- RelSt 225, 23 March 2000 [missing?] --- RelSt 225, Dead Sea Scrolls, Notes for March, 28th, 2000 Scott Finger and Rachel Wainer Philo's Essenes II referred to as "Every Good Man is Free" partly devoted to description of Essenes 75th paragraph ( half way through)begins Essene discussion Main Topic: freedom or slavery Essenes presented in context of how the good man is free in contrast to slavery 4,000 Essenes existed, term Essene believed by Philo comes from "piety" in Greek, others believe it comes from Hebrew word Hasidim (pious ones) "Theraputae" derived from the word "to serve" Moses often referred to as "servant of G-d" which comes from same verb and the Essenes were devoted to service of G-d On subject of sacrifice:- don't sacrifice living animals- not cultic as priesthood Theraputae- -"Treatise on the Contemplative Life"- written after "Every Good Man is Free"- believed to be written second because it opens with the line "Having mentioned the Essenes" -date written is unknown -2 essays are related to each other in topic -Greek essayist writes about Theraputae- but doesn't get to them until late in the essay -Section 21- Theraputae is mentioned as existing in many places -Syria and Palestine not specified here, in other places, Essenes specified as living there -Theraputae mentioned here as living in Egypt, especially in Alexandria area -Theraputae lived North of the Maereotic (sp?) Lake, West of Alexandria, South of Mediterranean, on a strip of land a little above the rest of the land, suitable for their purposes, by reason of safety and temperature -their houses were built in fields to give them natural boundaries for safety and provided good temperature from the sea and from breezes -the breezes from the sea were light, the breezes from the lake were heavy -the Theraputae lived in plain, unfancy houses that provided against heat and cold, most likely against the heat -Theraputae lived spread apart but not too far apart, they were devoted to solitude -the word Monks comes from Monachos- which means to be solitary -They lived in fellowship- assisting and protecting each other -each house had a "Holy Place" which was a sacred shrine, similar to Greek House with shrine to Greek deities -Question emerges: was Philo really there or does he base what he writes on what he heard, Professor Kraft thinks he has been there. -Mystery language used here which is not characteristic of Jewish writing -Ancient world has religions with identities to god with similar and dissimilar practices in which each member knows of mysteries, -Language of Mystery: language of religions of Philo's world -On the subject of the holy area: no meat or food allowed -the Thereputae were devoted laws of G-d and hymns and had their own texts and music -Philo was into harmony, he wrote about harmonies of Universe, the harmony was expressed mathematically -Marcus asked, "were theorems and other myths contradictory to Philo's Judaism"? Professor Kraft said that the Pythagorean theorem was ok with him. -Egyptian cult religions- with Isis as focus and Osyrus her husband- Philo doesn't believe in them but used their mystery language -The Romans called the Jews atheists because they didn't follow their gods. More on the Theraputae -they prayed twice a day, during the morning and night ?they think of G-d and only G-d in their sleep -when the sun sets, they pray for the soul, then it rises, they ask G-d For happiness -from the morning to the evening, they were devote to the practice of sacred ritual, they read scriptures, meditated, read allegories and interpreted them to their own lives and they looked for the meanings of nature -this is in contrast to the Essenes who spent much time tending to the flocks -writings exist about Ancient men and are read as model upon which to base a sect -in 6 days, each member goes by himself to a monastery and is in solitude, there he philosophizes on his own -the group is described as having written lots of scrolls and is a reading and writing culture which was unusual for the time Sacred Assembly: -on the seventh day- everybody comes together and meet in sacred assembly, they sit in age order and do so seriously -the group sits with their right hands between their dresses and chests and their left to the side -the eldest, who has the most profound learning, speaks steadfastly, investigating laws which penetrate into souls and remain there -there is a tremendous focus on law -the men and women sit separately on the 7th day- here the potential for women in the monastery is presented -the wall that separates the men and women is sold and goes up 3-4 cubits and then rises up to the roof -the wall exists to preserve modesty but allows women to hear -on the Sabbath, nobody eats before sunset and many continue the fast for the entire six days -care for the body is suitable only for darkness, meditations is suitable for the light and daytime -the number seven is seen as the perfect number -The group ate plain bread and drank only water in order to prevent hunger and thirst, but no more- eating was only out of necessity -the clothes they wore were only to protect them from the elements -they practiced complete simplicity and did everything out f necessity -they had cheerful meetings and banquets that were different from all others -Moses mentioned at the banquets -Philo comments on Moses- use of Moses, prophets and laws indicates that they are thought of as Jews -audience: the document was written for people who were probably not Jewish, rather more for a general audience -The Theraputae come together in white garments and are joyously brave -they stand in a row, either based on age or when they entered the group, look to heaven, and pray to G-d that He will accept their entertainment, ten the elders sit down to eat in the same order/rank - the women were included -often the women entered the group and became virgins again, so men must have been celibate too ? there must have been some other way the community grew- either by those who come to join it or maybe they picked up unwanted children - there were no slaves in the group- it was seen as unholy- nature creates everyone free but Jews did have slaves according to Mosaic law - Question: when did slavery die out from Jewish Culture? Answer: We don't know - The group has a feast, and afterwards has a banquet tat goes into the night, then they cross the road imitating the crossing of the Red Sea- this is a possible reference to Moses and the Israelites- but we don't know how often this ritual takes place. - The Theraputae are similar in some ways to Essenes and different in others. --- RelSt 225, Class notes for 30 March 2000 Rachel Wainer and Scott Finger When it comes to the DSS we think we are dealing with copies of texts, not originals, so the original literature is probably older than the copies we are dealing with. The literature was obviously important enough at the time that people at Qumran chose to copy it. Did the people at Qumran see the texts as the Bible? On the whole we dont know, people have their own biases when approaching this issue so we are basically reduced to talking about individual documents and whether or not the copyers considered them bibllica or not. The Temple Scroll: Moses is the speaker in most of the scroll, but at some points it is G-d who's speaking: p168 col 47: "The city which I will sanctify" p170 col 51: "Which I tell you on this mountain" probably referring to Sinai Similar question can be asked of the Genesis Apocryphon: Was it equally authoritative/religiously valuable as books in the Torah (5 books of Moses)? We dont know but there is lots of common material between the Torah and this text. Its exciting when we find material that is different (not in the Torah) Back to the Temple Scroll: Are the festivals mentioned here still practiced? The sacrifices are not done and have not been done since the second temple fell in 70 AD. But most of the festivals mentioned here have been preserved within Judaism- with the exceptions of the festivals of new wine and new oil and others. Are these different rituals old ones which were modified before the OT was written (could this be why they are not included?) Most conservative Jews and Christians believe the Torah goes back to Moses, but we really can't date the books much before the DSS because the oldest biblical material we have comes from the DSS- the second oldest comes 800-900 years later. The copies we have of Deuteronomy are contemporary (time wise) w/ the Temple Scroll. How do they date the DSS? Paleography is the sciene of looking at old writing- study how letters were formed throughout time. When it came to the scrolls, the main man for this was Cross. Scholars have mainly looked at inscriptions, but also the Nash Papyrus etc. Also, they have to deal with contanimants that could effect the scrolls such as hand oils, cigarrette smoke etc. What is a wave offering? An offering you wave around before the people, as opposed to burnt offerings, pouring offerings, etc Col 17- Passover, from the biblical sources, is noted as 2 different feasts that have come together: the pascal lamb sacrifice, and the fest of unleaved bread for 7 days. The first day of passover is noted as the 14th day of the first month- meaning the spring month of Nisan. Now when we talk about the first month of the Jewish calendar we mean Tishrei, a fall/winter month, so basically the calendar is split into 2 six month cycles, with the first month of each cycle filled with major holidays. Were passover sacrifices done in individual home? Every family is expected to slaughter a lamb, and in general you had to to the temple to make sacrifices (that's why passover is known as a pilgrimage holiday), but we dont know if that is the caste here. We dont know if the people at Qumran sacrificed at the temple, but since they are unhappy with its leadership the answer is likely no. Did the different sects recognize each other as Jews? There was a Jewish temple in egypt for about 200 years in the political environment of northern Greeks vs southern Greeks. The elephanti temple is an even earlier egyptian one, from about 500 bc and papyri indicate that they did sacrifice there. So this was a Jewish community within the Persian army around the same time the second temple was being built. Back to the scrolls- were the Qumran members sacrificing? We dont know, havent found many bones, or we dont know if we have. p158 Reference to the jubilee year, as well as Shavuot, the feast of weeks, and first fruits. Here corn refers to grain in general. There is a discussion regarding whether or not the jubilee year is the 49th year, or the one after that, the 5oth year. p160 Different tribal land assingments are made, the order is interesting. The Levites are mentioned first, then Judah, Benjamin, Joseph, and then finally Rueben, who is chronologically the first born. p162 Starts the topic of the architecture of the Temple, very detailed. Something close to the plan for the ideal temple in the last chapters of Ezekiel. p165 Reference to eternal law/covenant made wtih Pinhas. Included to establish their connection with G-d, as opposed to the enemy's non-existant connection. col39 Reference to women, which is interesting since there were no women in teh Essene community. p166 Festival of the huts, known as holiday of Sukkot. col43 Reference to how far people live from the Temple- "those who live at a distance of 3 days from teh temple" col44 "The sons of Aron, our brother" as a refernce to Moses, so it is possibly G-d talking to Moses. Also mentions the sons of Kohath- a group of priests. col45 Reference to relations with wives, but this is probalby about the ideal situation, not how it acutally is, so the essene theory can still hold. col46 "There shall not fly any unclean bird over my temple" So G-d is talking again. Also protect against humans contaminating the temple- the latrines are kept outside the city and away from the Temple. End of notes 3/30 --- RelSt 225, 4 April 2000 [missing?] -- RelSt 225, 6 April 2000 [missing?] -- RelSt 225, 11 April 2000 [missing?] -- RelSt 225, 13 April 2000 Matt RAK starts by mentioning a few thing about the Jubilees. It contains a = history of ancient Israel and the stories, organized according to = Jubilee years (every 50 years). It's also called 'Little Genesis'. The = setting for it is that Moses is soon to leave earth, so here we get a = flashback. The Enoch stuff and Jubilees are two of the things we knew = about before the scrolls were found, and they were passed along by = Christians. These books were popular particular in medieval = Christianity, and prior to the scrolls, there was no evidence of these = writings in the Jewish rabinnic tradition. As for the 'Testaments of = the 12 Patriarchs', these are not as well represented at Qumran as the = other books, which comes unexpectedly to some. Given the popularity in = Christianity for Jubilees, Enoch and the Testaments, and given the = strong representation of the first two sets at Qumran, one might expect = more of the Testaments at Qumran. The Pseudepigrapha tend to talk about = the stage before Moses, using ancient characters. In many of them, = there is a connection to the idea of the 'heavenly books'. Also, we see = a mixture of history, admonition, law (more social, personal ethical = law) and eschatology. Question: What about literature? Is there any 'incidental' stuff found = at Qumran, or does everything have religious implications? Dan points out that one of Golb's (the guy who thinks there was no = community at Qumran, and that the scrolls were imported) arguments is = that we would have seen more of those community-type writings if there = were a community there. Marcus: Isn't it possible that that kind of other material was thought = of as waste? Chris: Well, if some of it might have been in the ruins, and not in the = caves, then it would have been destroyed. RAK: In Petra's (the city with the structure we all know from 'Indiana = Jones: The Last Crusade' central areas, one of the churches was = excavated 10 years ago. In the debris from a fire, several scrolls were = founded, carbonized by the fire and thus preserved. Teams in different = parts of the world are working on it, deciphering it. These are = not-literary stuff, such as tax records, etc. There has been some = material found north, in the Sumerian area. The DSS caves have produced = none of the documentary stuff, though. Nonetheless, if one wanted to be = bitchy about it, one doesn't have to assume that everything is religious = in nature, because there are fragments. But it is unlikely that you'll = find nonreligious stuff among the scrolls. Robin: Sometimes I worry that the scrolls are fabricated, that they're = not original, RAK: Well, you have to remember the question, 'Who do you trust' (like, = for example, the people who are working on the dating of the scrolls). Dan: Quick Tuesday question -- When Yadin forcibly demanded getting one = of the scrolls from the Bedouins, I read that since then there have been = no discoveries at Qumran. Is it possible that the Bedouins just aren't = coming out with more discoveries they may have made? RAK: There are two sides of the coin. First, there's the problem of = confiscation -- Yadin acted as an Israeli authority in that situation. = On the other side of that, the team sent word that they'd pay the = Bedouins, by size of the material found, to encourage them to keep the = scrolls intact. Question: Has the Angel Scroll been dated by Carbon 14? RAK: Nope. I haven't heard anything about it during this term, either. = No official members of the team have seen it. Question: Have any scholars hypothesized that the scrolls were written = by more than just one group? RAK: Everything has been hypothesized -- and yes, Golb has suggested = that. Now, to the hymns. RAK: The hymns can be tough to get at because we're working with poetry. = Rhyme was not a big things in Hebrew poetry until later on. The poetry = was used in a praise situation, and prayers were often expressed in = poetic form. Commentary on psalms starts with the Bible and comments on = it, like the Pesharim does. In the DSS, you get Biblical psalms that = are not in the same order as in the Bible, so we're seeing an early part = of the process of grouping together these psalms. Stuff we're looking at now comes from the Biblical psalms, and there's = more. 'Psalm 154' in the Apocryphal Psalms of David (online). We see = some similar themes to other scrolls, but are these necessarily = sectarian? Note particularly the parallelism used in these psalms. The = 'she' in this part probably refers to knowledge. The 'masses' are the = 'Many', and the 'poor' could also by the community. In Column X, we see Belial pop up. Now, looking at 11Q5, Column 28 -- Psalm 151. We see this one in a = Catholic Bible (not the exact same thing, though). There is some = difficulty, though, with pronoun ambiguity. RAK: One of the key passages for those interested in the Bible is page = 309 in Garcia-Martinez - 11Q5, right before psalm 151, Column 27. Note = the use of blanks in this passage. it says David wrote 3600 psalms, and = here, the calendar is given to us in a hymn book. It says he wrote 446 = songs and 4 more for the possessed. Add everything up, and we get a = total of 4,050. Now we look at the one that precedes that one -- the 'Hymn of the = Creator' -- Column 26. RAK: Note particularly the parallelism in this = one. Now, the Hodayot. Question: Who is the 'I'? RAK: It's unknown. Some say that the person who's writing is the = Teacher of Righteousness. Dan: This particular one has a more personal feel than the others. //end// RelSt 225, 18 April 2000 [missing?] RelSt 225, 20 April 2000 [missing?] RelSt 225, 25 April 2000 [missing?] RelSt 225, 27 April 2000 [Marjie? ] //end of spring 2000 minutes]]