Jewish Scribes in the Second-Temple Period (JSOT Supplement Series)

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

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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 Abbreviations

INTRODUCTION

7 8

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 2.4.4. Josephus on Biblical History 2.4.5. Josephus on Jewish History in the Roman Period 2.4.6. New Testament 2.4.7. 4 Ezra 2.4.8. Testament of Abraham 2.4.9. Papyri and other Documentary Sources 2.4.10. Aquila's and Symmachus's Greek Translations 2.4.11. Mishna 2.4.12. Tosefta 2.4.13. Jewish Inscriptions 2.4.14. Targumim 2.5. Silence Requiring Explanation

127 129 133 143 201 205 209 216 218 230 234 239 251

Chapter 3

POSSIBLE EXPLANATORY FACTORS

274

Chapter 4

A POSSIBLE MODEL FOR THE STATUS AND FUNCTIONS OF SCRIBES

309

Bibliography Index of References Index of Authors

328 351 359

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 publication, 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 Culture (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. Furthermore, 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 intricacies of Josephus's writings, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the rabbis and the Second-Temple period in general.

ABBREVIATIONS

AB AGJU ASNU BA BARev BETL BEvT BHS BHT BJRL BJS BN BNTC BZAW CBQ CBQMS CGTC CIG CIJ ConBOT CPJ CRINT DID EKKNT FRLANT HNT HTKNT HTR HUCA IEJ IVP JAC JAOS JBL

Anchor Bible Arbeiten zur Geschichte des antiken Judentums und des Urchristentums Acta seminarii neotestamentici upsaliensis Biblical Archaeologist Biblical Archaeology Review Bibliotheca ephemeridum theologicarum lovaniensium Beitrage zur evangelischen Theologie Biblia hebraica stuttgartensia Beitrage zur historischen Theologie Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester Brown Judaic Studies Biblische Notizen Black's New Testament Commentaries Beihefte zur ZAW Catholic Biblical Quarterly Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Monograph Series Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary Corpus inscriptionum graecarum Corpus inscriptionum judaicarum Coniectanea biblica, Old Testament Corpus papyrorum judaicarum Compendia rerum iudaicarum ad Novum Testamentum Discoveries in the Judaean Desert Evangelisch-Katholischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments Handbuch zum Neuen Testament Herders theologischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament Harvard Theological Review Hebrew Union College Annual Israel Exploration Journal The InterVarsity Press New Testament Commentary Series Jahrbuchfiir Antike und Christentum Journal of the American Oriental Society Journal of Biblical Literature

Abbreviations JEA JJS JQR JRS JSHRZ

JSJ JSNTSup JSOTSup JSPSup JTS KAT LCL LSJ

NIGTC NovT NovTSup NRSV

NIL NTOA NTS OBO OTL OTP OTS RB RNT SBLDS SBLSBS SBLSCS SBLTT SJ SJLA SNTSMS SPB TDNT THKNT TNTC VT VTSup WBC

Journal of Egyptian Archaeology Journal of Jewish Studies Jewish Quarterly Review Journal of Roman Studies Jiidische Schriften aus hellenistisch-romischer Zeit Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman Period Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Supplement Series Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Supplement Series Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha, Supplement Series Journal of Theological Studies Kommentar zum Alien Testament Loeb Classical Library H.G. Liddell, Robert Scott and H. Stuart Jones, GreekEnglish Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 9th edn, 1968) The New International Greek Testament Commentary Novum Testamentum Novum Testamentum, Supplements New Revised Standard Version New Testament Library Novum Testamentum et orbis antiquus New Testament Studies Orbis biblicus et orientalis Old Testament Library James Charlesworth (ed.), Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Oudtestamentische Studien Revue biblique Regensburger Neues Testament SBL Dissertation Series SBL Sources for Biblical Study SBL Septuagint and Cognate Studies SBL Texts and Translations Studiajudaica Studies in Judaism in Late Antiquity Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series Studia postbiblica Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich (eds.), Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley; 10 vols.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964-) Theologischer Handkommentar zum Neuen Testament Tyndale New Testament Commentaries Vetus Testamentum Vetus Testamentum, Supplements Word Biblical Commentary

9

10 WUNT ZAW ZPE ZTK

Jewish Scribes in the Second-Temple Period Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament Zeitschriftfur die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft Zeitschrift fur Papyrologie und Epigraphik 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 complexity of the evidence has resulted in diverse scholarly assessments of the status and functions of scribes in ancient Jewish society. The majority 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 Judaism and commentaries and handbooks to the New Testament oversimplify 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. In this investigation I aim to tackle this particular problem by using an approach which has so far not been applied to the study of scribes. In order to minimize the influence of modern assumptions on the selection of relevant evidence an exclusive approach will be used. The approach is exclusive in the sense that it takes into account only those pieces of evidence which provide explicit proof that the individuals or groups referred to are scribes. Scribes are identified as such on the grounds of either a title commonly designating a professional scribe ("IBID, K~IBO, "l1?^, ypauucrcexx;, A,ipA,ctpvo iepel Kai dvavvcooTT) toti VOUOD Kuptov xcdpew.

King Artaxerxes to Ezra, the priest and reader of the law of the Lord, peace.

The term ~130 has been rendered dvayvcooiTiq, a term which means 'reader' but can also designate a slave who is trained to read or a secretary.249 In contrast to 1 Esd. 8.8-9, 2 Esd. 7.11-12 faithfully translates the titles ~IDO and jitD as ypauiuxtevK; and iepevx;.250 The two combinations of Ezra's titles, iepeijq and dvcryvcocrrn^ in 1 Esdras and tepexx; and ypaujicfievs in 2 Esdras, appear consistently in the context of Artaxerxes' commissioning letter and Ezra's public reading of the law.251 It seems likely that the key for the understanding of Ezra, the priest and reader, in 1 Esdras lies in the importance ascribed to the public reading and interpretation of the law.252 The reading was requested by 247. Cf. 2.2.2. The translation and commentary in Coggins and Knibb may serve as an example of how deep-rooted the modern concept of Ezra as a Torah scholar is. Without any discussion they translate Ezra's title as 'scholar' and explain that Ezra's title was a religious title which corresponds to the 'scribes' mentioned in the Gospels (Coggins and Knibb, Esdras, pp. 56-57). 248. This is independent of whether the author used a common source with Ezra-Nehemiah or revised Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles. 249. So LSI. 250. Interestingly, both Greek versions with different titles for Ezra claim to quote an accurate copy of King Artaxerxes' letter. 251. 1 Esd. 8.8, 19; 2 Esd. 7.11,21.1 Esd. 9.39,42, 49; 2 Esd. 18.1,4,9. 252. Coggins and Knibb again refer the reader to the similarity between Ezra's title and the New Testament writings (Lk. 2.46). However, this comparison is based

110

Jewish Scribes in the Second-Temple Period

the people who had gathered in front of one of the Temple gates in Jerusalem. After Ezra had finished the reading of the law, the governor Nehemiah supposedly said to Ezra and to all the Levites that this day of the reading should be celebrated as a sacred day.253 The author of 1 Esdras emphasizes one particular function of Ezra, his public reading of the law, by designating Ezra dvayvcoatrii;TOUvonoi). The author stressed what he obviously regarded as Ezra's most important function in the postexilic community. It is probable that the author of 1 Esdras chose the Greek term dvayvcoairii; because it can designate both a reader and a secretary.254 In this way he was able to include in the title both Ezra's position as a secretary and what he regarded as Ezra's most important function. This increased emphasis on Ezra's function as a reader of the law may be significant. It may be interpreted as evidence that much importance was assigned to the reading of the law in the author's own society and that it was associated with priests and scribes. Furthermore, 1 Esdras provides evidence for the view that Ezra's title "1210 was not universally regarded as important in Jewish tradition.255 The Appointment of Scribes and Judges A further passage which is part of Artaxerxes' letter requires discussion. This is the only instance where 2 Esdras is inconsistent with regard to the use of the term ypauuctTEvx; in the translation of the Hebrew text. In the letter, Ezra is invested with the authority to appoint officials in the province 'Beyond the River' to judge (Jews?) according to Jewish law. 1 Esd. 8.23 KOI ou, "EaSpa, KOTO if|v aoiav -rovi 6eoi) dvd8evf;ov Kpvtdq iced Siicacrcdi;, OTCOK; 8iKd£axjiv ev 6Xrj Suplct Kat OoiviKrjrcdvTCK;TOXJS eTtvcraxu.evotx; TOY v6(iov Tofi eeoO aoir KOITO\)apiatiioi KCCI oi ypa|iM.aTei6