Wisdom in Transition: Act and Consequence in Second Temple Instructions

Wisdom in Transition

Supplements to the

Journal for the Study of Judaism Editor

John J. Collins The Divinity School, Yale University Associate Editors

Florentino García Martínez Qumran Institute, University of Groningen

Hindy Najman Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, University of Toronto Advisory Board

j. duhaime – a. hilhorst – p.w. van der horst a. klostergaard petersen – m.a. knibb j.t.a.g.m. van ruiten – j. sievers – g. stemberger e.j.c. tigchelaar – j. tromp

VOLUME 125

Wisdom in Transition Act and Consequence in Second Temple Instructions

By

Samuel L. Adams

LEIDEN • BOSTON 2008

This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A C.I.P. record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

ISSN 1384-2161 ISBN 978 90 04 16566 3 Copyright 2008 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. printed in the netherlands

FOR HELEN

CONTENTS Acknowledgments ....................................................................... Abbreviations ..............................................................................

xi xiii

Introduction ................................................................................ 1. Klaus Koch and the Tun-Ergehen-Zusammenhang ................ 2. Second Temple Instructions and the “Eschatologizing” of Wisdom ........................................... 3. Layout of the Present Study .............................................

1 1 6 8

Chapter One Act and Consequence in Egyptian Instructions .............................................................................. 1. Introduction ....................................................................... 1.1 Background on the Instructions ............................... 1.2 Purpose of This Chapter ......................................... 2. Maxat and the “Free Will of God” ................................... 3. Old and Middle Kingdom Instructions ............................ 3.1 Instruction of Ptahhotep .......................................... 3.2 Teaching for Merikare .............................................. 4. New Kingdom Instructions ............................................... 4.1 Instruction of Amenemope ...................................... 5. Conclusions ........................................................................

15 15 15 17 19 27 27 36 39 39 49

Chapter Two Act and Consequence in the Book of Proverbs ................................................................................... 1. Introduction ....................................................................... 2. Structure of Proverbs ........................................................ 2.1 Structure of Proverbs 1–9 ........................................ 2.2 Structure of LXX-Proverbs ..................................... 3. Date .................................................................................... 4. Social Setting ..................................................................... 5. Divine Agency and the Yahwistic Redaction Theory ...... 6. Proverbs, World-Order, and Social Solidarity .................. 7. The Didactic Process in Proverbs .....................................

53 53 57 59 60 62 68 77 83 88

viii

contents 8. Death in Proverbs ............................................................ 8.1 Retribution and Death in LXX-Proverbs .............. 9. Conclusions ......................................................................

Chapter Three Wisdom in Transition: The Book of Ecclesiastes .............................................................................. 1. Introduction ..................................................................... 2. Genre ............................................................................... 3. Structure and Literary Integrity ...................................... 3.1 Epilogue to Qoheleth ............................................. 4. Historical Setting and Possible Influences on Qoheleth .......................................................................... 4.1 Hellenistic Influence? .............................................. 4.2 Other Influences on the Sage ................................ 5. Death in Qoheleth ........................................................... 6. The “Human Spirit” in Qoheleth .................................. 7. Conclusions ......................................................................

93 97 100 101 101 106 108 112 120 127 130 132 141 152

Chapter Four Ben Sira’s Apologetic Response ....................... 1. Introduction ..................................................................... 2. Genre ............................................................................... 2.1 Priestly References in Sirach .................................. 3. Structure and Literary Integrity ...................................... 3.1 Prayer for Deliverance in Sirach 36 ...................... 4. Historical Setting and Possible Influences on the Sage .................................................................................. 4.1 Hellenistic and Other Influences ........................... 5. Ben Sira’s Pedagogy and Promise of Retribution .......... 6. Determinism, Free Will, and Theodicy .......................... 7. Ben Sira and 1 Enoch ....................................................... 8. Wisdom and Torah in Ben Sira ...................................... 9. Death in Sirach and the Possibility of an Afterlife ........ 9.1 References to Eternal Life in Sirach ...................... 10. Affirmation of the Tun-Ergehen-Zusammenhang .................. 11. Conclusions ......................................................................

153 153 158 161 163 164 170 173 177 182 191 198 204 208 210 212

Chapter Five Wisdom in Transition: Mystery and Eschatology in 4QInstruction ................................................. 1. Introduction ..................................................................... 2. Structure and Literary Integrity ......................................

215 215 217

contents 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

ix

The Promise of Retribution ............................................ Apocalyptic Eschatology in a Wisdom Text ................... Social Setting for 4QInstruction ..................................... Date .................................................................................. The Didactic Process in 4QInstruction .......................... The “Spiritual People” and the “Fleshly Spirit” ............ 8.1 Free Will and Determinism in 4QInstruction ....... 9. 4QInstruction: A Sectarian Document? ......................... 10. 4QInstruction and the Wisdom of Solomon ..................

221 233 237 243 245 256 263 267 269

Conclusion ..................................................................................

273

Bibliography ................................................................................

279

Index of Authors ........................................................................ Index of Texts .............................................................................

295 298

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study, a revised version of my dissertation submitted to Yale University, grew out of an abiding interest in the Wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible and ancient Near East. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Yale generously supported me with a dissertation fellowship and the chance to learn from a group of brilliant, accessible scholars. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to pursue doctoral work in such a setting. Prior to his retirement, I took a yearlong course on the Egyptian instructions with William Kelly Simpson. His kind attention to our work helped me a great deal. Other specialists in Egyptology, especially David Klotz, have answered my questions over the years and continued a meaningful dialogue. H.W. Fischer-Elfert read a draft of chapter 1 and offered valuable suggestions. Matthew Goff went over much of the study with care and gave helpful feedback. Special thanks go to my dissertation committee members: Robert Wilson, Steven Fraade, and John Collins, who has served as the primary advisor. I have been working with Professor Collins since my first M.Div. course at the University of Chicago, and he is an exemplary model for me. He considers his tireless efforts with students to be an essential aspect of his scholarly work. He is a generous and fair advisor, and his comments are always incisive. John Collins has taught me the importance of this vocation and the need to pursue it with intensity and creativity. Brill has graciously agreed to include this book in the Journal for the Study of Judaism Supplement Series, and I thank Mattie Kuiper at Brill for her prompt response to questions and her help with finalizing the manuscript. Here at Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Virginia, where all of the revisions were done, I am grateful to New Testament doctoral student William Robinson for his careful help with indexing and proofreading matters, and to Dean John Carroll for his support. My parents, Alfred and Joanna Adams, have supported me throughout my life and encouraged me to ask questions about God and the Bible. My wife Helen and two children, Virginia and Charlie, have been my greatest source of strength throughout this process. They remind me each day about present possibilities for joy. Helen has been steadfast

xii

acknowledgments

in her devotion to me and my pursuit of this study, which I dedicate to her with much love. Finally, I am grateful to the sages who wrote these ancient instructions. These authors struggled with justice, death, and the nature of God, and they were willing to challenge each other and offer new ideas about important matters (sometimes with a sense of humor). I remain thankful for the preservation of their discussion and the privilege of being able to study it. Richmond, Virginia September 15, 2007

ABBREVIATIONS This study will follow the abbreviation guide in Patrick Alexander et al., The SBL Handbook of Style (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1999). The following abbreviations do not appear in the guide: ADAI.K ÄUAT BAe BLS CBOTS DSSSE FThSt GOF HBS JANES JARCE MÄSt PÄ RdÉ WAS YES

Abhandlungen des deutschen archäologischen Instituts, Kairo Ägypten und Altes Testaments: Studien zur Geschichte, Kultur und Religion Ägyptens und des Alten Testaments Bibliotheca Aegyptiaca Bible and Literature Series Coniectanea Biblica Old Testament Series Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition Freiburger theologische Studien Göttinger Orientforschungen Herders biblische Studien Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt Münchner ägyptologische Studien Probleme der Ägyptologie Revue d’Égyptologie Wiener Alttestamentliche Studien Yale Egyptological Studies

INTRODUCTION I have seen the business that God has given everyone to be busy with. He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:10–11

1. Klaus Koch and the Tun-Ergehen-Zusammenhang If cultural and religious systems are to flourish and have lasting significance, they must be able to address fundamental questions for the ordering of individual lives and the larger society. Within many contexts, the affirmation of predictability is an essential requirement, especially in relation to human behavior and the expected outcomes. The assertion is often made that righteousness brings manifold blessings, and wickedness leads to misery. Such a guarantee can create cohesion and stability for societies, since it encourages members to conduct themselves with integrity, both in the family unit and the public sphere. The promise of benefits functions to preserve the status quo, as individuals are enjoined to respect the system in place and wait for guaranteed rewards. Such a framework is frequently illustrated through sapiential discourse, where culturally relevant sayings describe human behavior and its anticipated consequences.1 Through colorful images and pithy language, members of a society or religious group are presented with maxims on the particularities of life and how to achieve and maintain success. Such proverbial material is often compiled into instructional texts, which have humanity as the basic point of orientation.2 In these 1 The assumption of predictability does not necessarily indicate an infallible principle of justice, even when isolated sayings seem to suggest as such. See Michael V. Fox, “World Order and Ma{at: A Crooked Parallel,” JANES 23 (1995), 40, and the discussion below. 2 James L. Crenshaw, Old Testament Wisdom: An Introduction (rev. and enl. ed.; Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998), 10, explains the perspective of the Wisdom books, which are usually anthropocentric and interested in social harmony. It generally

2

introduction

collections of observations and warnings, larger issues are also considered, such as divine justice, the natural world, and the intricacies of human relationships. For the cultural world of the ancient Near East, particularly in Egypt and Israel, Wisdom literature became an important means of shaping communal life, posing theological questions, and speaking to the inherent need for predictability. In a famous essay (“Is There a Doctrine of Retribution in the Old Testament?”), Klaus Koch pointed to an underlying principle in these instructions, especially the book of Proverbs: What we do find repeated time and time again is a construct which describes human actions which have a built-in consequence. Part of this construct includes a conviction that Yahweh pays close attention to the connection between actions and destiny, hurries it along, and “completes” it when necessary. The wisdom literature reflects on and articulates the close connection between the Good Action-Blessings-Construct and the Wicked Action-Disaster-Construct as this applied to individuals.3

Koch posits a framework in the Wisdom books in which events happen of their own accord, as part of a process set in motion by a deity whose role is more like a “ ‘midwife who assists at a birth’ by facilitating the completion of something which previous human action has already set in motion.”4 As a result of the fair and self-perpetuating system in place, bad events befall evil people, and fortunate occurrences await those who adopt a reverential mindset (usually called “fear of the Lord” in Israelite instructions). Many sayings seem to support this reading, such as Prov 11:18: “The wicked earn no real gain, but those who sow righteousness get a true reward.” An individual’s fate hinges on understanding the system in place and heeding the call of Wisdom: “For waywardness kills the simple, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but those who listen to me (Wisdom) will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster” (Prov 1:32–33).

follows that optimism lies at the heart of the sapiential message, although there is also a lively tradition of more complex, speculative works (e.g., the Dispute between a Man and His Ba, Qoheleth). 3 Klaus Koch, “Is There a Doctrine of Retribution in the Old Testament?” trans. T.H. Trapp, in Theodicy in the Old Testament (ed. J.L. Crenshaw; IRT 4; Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1983), 64; originally published as “Gibt es ein Vergeltungsdogma im Alten Testament?” ZTK 52 (1955): 1–42. 4 Koch, “Is There a Doctrine of Retribution in the Old Testament?” 61.

introduction

3

Koch’s seminal discussion produced a number of responses, as commentators have built on the identification of an act-consequence nexus (Tun-Ergehen-Zusammenhang) and how this model can clarify the content of ancient Near Eastern instructions. An important corrective to the original proposal is that Koch did not adequately emphasize the social aspect of ancient Near Eastern instructions. One primary goal of these texts is to foster mutual solidarity, as Carl-A. Keller, Jan Assmann, Lennart Boström, and Bernd Janowski (among others) have clearly demonstrated.5 According to the maxims in these compilations, persons are supposed to rely on one other, since benevolence is ultimately beneficial to the purveyor of a kind deed. Another issue relates to the role of God in determining outcomes. Koch’s “midwife” argument pointed to the lack of divine initiative in the instructions, particularly in the context of judgment.6 Yet the fact that judicial language is used sparingly in Proverbs and other texts does not indicate the absence of a larger retributive principle or a deity whose role in human events is removed or in any way inconsequential. A saying in which God is not mentioned does not presuppose a lack of divine agency, including the capacity for judgment.7 In a number of sayings in these proverbial collections, the Lord can freely intervene and “return” a deed back upon the person who committed it (e.g., Prov 24:12).8 For a person who deals kindly with an enemy, “the Lord will reward (µlvy) you”

5 Carl-A. Keller, “Zum sogenannten Vergeltungsglauben im Proverbienbuch,” in Beiträge zur alttestamentlichen Theologie: Festschrift für Walther Zimmerli zum 70. Geburtstag (ed. H. Donner and R. Hanart; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1977), 223–38; Jan Assmann, Ma at: Gerechtigkeit und Unsterblichkeit im alten Ägypten (Munich: Beck, 1990); Lennart Boström, The God of the Sages: The Portrayal of God in the Book of Proverbs (CBOTS 29; Stockholm: Almqvist and Wiksell International, 1990); Bernd Janowski, “Die Tat kehrt zum Täter zurück: Offene Fragen im Umkreis des >> Tun-Ergehen-Zusammenhangs Wer eine Grube gräbt . . .