Guy Darshan | Tel Aviv University (original) (raw)
Books by Guy Darshan
Stories of Origins in the Bible and Ancient Mediterranean Literature (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), 2023
In this book, Guy Darshan explores stories of origins that lie at the heart of Pentateuchal sourc... more In this book, Guy Darshan explores stories of origins that lie at the heart of Pentateuchal sources in the context of literature created in neighboring societies of the ancient Mediterranean world. A comparative study, his volume analyses the parallels between Biblical origin stories-the narrative traditions arranged in geneaological sequence that recount the beginnings of humanity and origins of peoples-in tandem with ancient Greek genealogical writings from the 7-5th centuries BCE onwards. He also considers Phoenician and Anatolian sources from the first millennium, several of which have only been published in recent years. This is the first scholarly study to trace the origins of this genre of narrative and the circumstances that led to appearances in the Hebrew Bible and ancient Mediterranean literature. It sheds new light on our knowledge of the history of literature, as well as the interconnections and interrelations between civilizations of the pre-Hellenistic eastern Mediterranean and Near East.
![Research paper thumbnail of After the Flood: Stories of Origins in the Hebrew Bible and Eastern Mediterranean Literature (The Biblical Encyclopaedia Library 35; Jerusalem: Bialik Institute) [Hebrew]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/57744961/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Papers by Guy Darshan
Vetus Testamentum, 2024
This study compares the three major versions of the concluding verses of the story of the assembl... more This study compares the three major versions of the concluding verses of the story of the assembly at Shechem (1 Kgs 12:13-20): the Masoretic Text (MT), its Septuagint counterpart (G*), and the version found in 3 Kgdms 12:24s-u LXX called the "Alternative Story" (AS). While the MT version includes an account concerning Adoram the taskmaster over the forced labor (12:18a, 19), the shorter AS lacks this detail. This fact, together with additional historical and philological considerations, serves as the basis for the article's proposal that the brief report on Adoram originated from an independent account that provides a unique and distinct explanation for the Kingdom's division. This tradition diverges from, yet exhibits certain similarities to other explanations for the schism, as described in the Shechem assembly story, the account of Jeroboam's rise, and the Deuteronomistic editorial strata. (online version)
The Pentateuch and Its Readers, 2023
The article reviews all occurrences of the term “Tent of Meeting” in the major versions (MT, LXX,... more The article reviews all occurrences of the term “Tent of Meeting” in the major versions (MT, LXX, and Q) of the books of Samuel and Kings. While these texts are typically discussed separately in scholarly literature, a joint analysis of them provides a dipper understanding of the textual and literary phenomena they represent, each text shedding light on the others. In this context, the article offers a new explanation for the formation of 1 Sam 2:22 and 1 Kgs 8:1–11. For the full PDF, please email me: gdarshan@tauex.tau.ac.il.
Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, 2022
This paper aims to highlight a series of similarities between Leviticus and an extraordinary Gree... more This paper aims to highlight a series of similarities between Leviticus and an extraordinary Greek inscription that was discovered in Marmarini (Greece) and published during the recent decade (CGRN 225 = SEG 65-376). As this inscription contains instructions and regulations for ritual conduct, as well as reflects many unique Near Eastern features, it serves in this paper as the basis for a new comparative study that has significant ramifications on our understanding of the casuistic law in Leviticus, and the formation of the Priestly material in the Pentateuch.
Please contact: gdarshan@tauex.tau.ac.il for the full version.
Journal for the Study of Judaism, 2022
While a finding of pig remains has often been regarded in Iron Age archaeological studies as an i... more While a finding of pig remains has often been regarded in Iron Age archaeological studies as an indication of the inhabitants' identity, several recent zooarchaeological studies have shown that the archaeological record is more complex, and that pig remains cannot serve as an identity marker. The textual evidence analyzed in this paper supports this direction and suggests a discussion of a multistage development process leading up to various expressions of the pig taboo in ancient Israelite belief. While in the Pentateuch pigs are mentioned alongside other impure animals and are not accorded excessive impurity amongst them, the textual sources indicate that pigs received a special status and became an identity marker only from the Greco-Roman period onwards. This paper also shows that during this period even the word "pig" became taboo in certain instances, as seen from three texts preserved in the LXX of Samuel-Kings (1-4 Kingdoms) but missing from the MT.
Vetus Testamentum
The literary unit Sir 42:1–8 opens with the instruction not to be ashamed of keeping the Torah an... more The literary unit Sir 42:1–8 opens with the instruction not to be ashamed of keeping the Torah and commandments (42:2), and proceeds to list a series of actions that one should perform without embarrassment. Oddly enough, the second half of 42:2 instructs not to be ashamed “of rendering judgment to acquit the wicked,” על משפט להצדיק רשע. While this verse cannot be explained by the hermeneutic maneuver of changing the simple meaning of the Hebrew term רשע or the syntactic function of the lamed in להצדיק, I propose employing a text-critical approach in order to resolve the difficulty it presents. The emendation suggested in this paper subsequently helps us identify the biblical verses that served as the source of inspiration for the verse in Sirach (Ps 82:2–3), and the midrashic interpretation this verse was given in a later text (Rom 4:5).
Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages , 2019
Genesis 1 has been the subject of many comparative studies, focusing especially on its similarity... more Genesis 1 has been the subject of many comparative studies, focusing especially on its similarity to Enuma Elish. However, verse 2 in this chapter, which has no parallels in Mesopotamian cosmogonies whatsoever, deserves a separate discussion. The closest parallel to this verse is found in the Phoenician world. While several scholars, such as Gunkel, Eissfeldt, Moscati, and Koch, have noted briefly this similarity, they have not collected and analyzed all the testimonies and fragments preserved from the Phoenician world. The present study attempts to review the entire corpus of extant Phoenician sources within the context of the ancient Near East (especially Egyptian) coupled with an understanding of the Greco-Roman world, in which the Phoenician traditions were preserved, in order to trace the history of the tradition of the primordial wind (רוח) through the cosmogonies of the Phoenician world and Gen 1:2. This analysis may have important ramifications for the widespread discussions of pneumatology in the literature of the Second Temple.
The History of the Jacob Cycle (Genesis 25-35): Recent Research on the Compilation, the Redaction and the Reception of the Biblical Narrative and Its Historical and Cultural Contexts (ed. B. Hensel; Archaeology and Bible 4; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck), 2021
Despite the general consensus among scholars as to the distinction of the Priestly layer in the P... more Despite the general consensus among scholars as to the distinction of the Priestly layer in the Pentateuch, several texts still remain disputed, and few others might have not yet been identified as part of the Priestly stratum. The disagreement about the identification of several Priestly passages extends to the final chapters of Genesis, especially regarding chs. 47–50. This paper seeks to demonstrate the importance of textual criticism to the identification of the different strata in these chapters, and to suggest a new explanation for the original literary form and purpose of the Priestly layer in these chapters.
Biblische Notizen , 2019
Recent scholarly interest in determining the original language of apocryphal books, as well as th... more Recent scholarly interest in determining the original language of apocryphal books, as well as the new methodology and arguments presented in these studies, necessitate a renewed and detailed examination of 1 Maccabees. The scholarly assumption of a Hebrew Vorlage of 1 Maccabees is traditionally based on four main types of evidence that will be reexamined. In this paper, I also investigate two further criteria in light of the new arguments raised in the Apocrypha research: quotations from and literary allusions to biblical texts in 1 Maccabees, and reflection of the Hebrew of the Hellenistic period.
השמיר, והכתב, והמכתב, והלוחות (משנה אבות ה:ו): מחקרים לכבוד פרופסור שמיר יונה, 2023
The Ambivalent Nature of Shame in Sirach (4:21; 41:14–42:8) – Meaning and Hellenistic Background
Biblica, 2019
In two cases, Ben Sira deals with the ambivalence of shame: 4,21-24 and 41,14–42,8. There are cas... more In two cases, Ben Sira deals with the ambivalence of shame: 4,21-24 and 41,14–42,8. There are cases in which shame is negative and brings about bad things, and there are cases in which shame is desirable and good. While the negative sense of shame is the common meaning in biblical Hebrew, the positive sense may belong to the Hellenistic period. In these two pericopes the meaning of the expression נשא פנים, which parallels the verb בוש (Sir 4,22; 42,1), seems also to have undergone a semantic shift, but its exact meaning is disputed. This paper suggests a solution to the dispute regarding the expression נשא פנים by tracing its translational tradition in the Septuagint, and by examining the related expression הכיר פנים. In these cases, which have not previously been considered in addressing this question, the Septuagint is used as a dictionary for the Hebrew of the Hellenistic period. In order to understand the semantic development of both this expression, and the concept of shame in general, during the Hellenistic period, the second part of the paper draws attention to the ambivalence of the concept of shame in Greek literature. This data may shed new light on the reason for the semantic shift of these terms in Ben Sira’s time. Furthermore, this may also contribute to the expanding discussion of Jewish wisdom literature from the Hellenistic period against the background of its time and place.
PROOFS. While numerous scholars have compared the Priestly regulations in the Pentateuch to anc... more PROOFS. While numerous scholars have compared the Priestly regulations in the Pentateuch to ancient Near Eastern " ritual texts, " the Priestly legal material more generally corresponds in form and style to ancient Near Eastern casuistic law collections than to descriptive or prescriptive " ritual texts. " At the same time, ancient Near Eastern law collections do not contain any ritual or religious ordinances, relating instead primarily to civil and financial affairs or social law and order. This paper examines the formal, substantive, and generic affinities between the Priestly laws and the casuistic Greek " Sacred Laws " inscribed on stone and other materials throughout the eastern Mediterranean basin from the sixth century BCE onwards. Analysis of related Northwest-Semitic and Punic texts, as well as potential precedents from the Hittite world, further contributes to our understanding of the Sitz im Leben of the casuistic Priestly law.
Biblica, 2017
The great interest in Alexander the Great—a figure admired and adduced in the literature of many ... more The great interest in Alexander the Great—a figure admired and adduced in the literature of many of the cultures of the ancient world—appears to have prompted the scribes and copyists of 1 Maccabees to elaborate the passage relating to him in 1 Macc 1,1-7. This scribal activity is evident from the changes in sequence between the various versions and manuscripts of v. 1 and vv. 3-5. This paper proposes that these additions reflect the worldview of later scribes regarding the place of the Hellenistic period within world history and the idea that Alexander’s hubris led to his death.
JAOS, 2016
The only Priestly pre-Exodus narrative to be framed in explicitly chronological terms is the Floo... more The only Priestly pre-Exodus narrative to be framed in explicitly chronological terms is the Flood account. Here, in light of a recently published Akkadian text from Ugarit (RS 94.2953) and Berossus’ version of the Flood story, I suggest that in this unique case P may be based on earlier models that were in possession of a precise temporal framework.
forthcoming in: The Textual History of the Bible from the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Biblical Manusc... more forthcoming in: The Textual History of the Bible from the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Biblical Manuscripts of the Vienna Papyrus Collection: Papers from the Fifteenth International Symposium of the Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Literature, Cosponsored by The University of Vienna Institute for Jewish Studies and The Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies,10–13 April, 2016, ed. Ruth A. Clements, Russell E. Fuller, Armin Lange, and Paul Mandel (Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 137; Leiden: Brill, 2022), 219–240
JBL, 2014
This article examines two types of foundation narrative prevalent in the biblical literature in l... more This article examines two types of foundation narrative prevalent in the biblical literature in light of as-yet-undiscussed parallels from ancient Greek and Mediterranean texts. The first type, embodied in the Genesis narratives and Greek genealogical traditions, portrays the founders as leaving a distant land to settle peacefully in a new land. The second is exemplified by the central hexateuchal theme of the Israelites’ migration to Canaan by dispossessing the native population as well as the Dorian migration traditions. Several factors indicate that the foundation story genre also became central and foundational in other small kingdoms around the Mediterranean—as indicated, for example, by the Phoenician– Luwian inscriptions referring to bt Mpš/Mopsus and related classical sources. The popularity of the genre in the ancient Mediterranean is striking in light of the fact that, while experiencing tribal migrations and wanderings, the great Mesopotamian and Egyptian kingdoms never represented themselves as “immigrants.” It is suggested that this genre may have emerged with the rise of the new, small-scale kingdoms in the Mediterranean basin toward the end of the second millennium b.c.e. The Phoenician and Greek colonization enterprises of the first third of the first millennium b.c.e. in particular increased awareness of the newly emerging states and focused attention on ethnic identity.
![Research paper thumbnail of The Meaning of ברא (Ezek 21,24) and the Prophecy Concerning Nebuchadnezzar at the Crossroads (Ezek 21,23–29 [18–24]), ZAW 128 (2016), 83–95](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/44159159/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](1 For Akkadian loan words in Ezekiel, see Raymond-Jacques Tournay, »A propos des babylonismes d'E... more 1 For Akkadian loan words in Ezekiel, see Raymond-Jacques Tournay, »A propos des babylonismes d'Ezéchiel,« RB 68 (1961): 388-393; Stephen P. Garfinkel, Studies in Akkadian Influences in the Book of Ezekiel (Columbia University:
![Research paper thumbnail of The Hapax δυνάστευμα in 3 Kgdms 2:46c (forthcoming in The Journal of Septuagint and Cognate Studies 51 [2018]), 120-127](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/56771369/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](The Journal of Septuagint and Cognate Studies, 2018
The two long pluses in 3 Kgdms 2 (MT 1 Kgs 2) are among the most difficult puzzles in the septuag... more The two long pluses in 3 Kgdms 2 (MT 1 Kgs 2) are among the most difficult puzzles in the septuagintal text. This paper focuses on v. 46c, specifically the word *δυνάστευμα (acc. pl. δυναστεύματα). This hapax legomenon has significant ramifications for the history of the text of 1 Kgs / 3 Kgdms. 46c having no clear counterpart in MT/LXX 3–11, all the scholars who dealt with it to date look for its parallel via the following verse (46d) and the similar passage in MT 9:17–19. While former proposals have suggested that it renders בעלת (MT 1 Kgs 9:18), חשק/עשק (9:19) or ממשלתו (ibid), I submit that the better Hebrew equivalent is מסכנות/ערי המסכנות (9:19). This argument is based on the frequent rendering of the term מסכנות in LXX as πόλεις ὀχυραί ‘strong cities,’ and the minuses in the parallel verse in LXX 3 Kgdms to 1 Kgs 9:19, i.e., 10:22a. If correct, this suggestion can contribute to our understanding of the growth of the text and the textual relationship between 2:46c–d in the Miscellanies and 1 Kgs 9:17–19/3 Kgdms 10:22a.
Stories of Origins in the Bible and Ancient Mediterranean Literature (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), 2023
In this book, Guy Darshan explores stories of origins that lie at the heart of Pentateuchal sourc... more In this book, Guy Darshan explores stories of origins that lie at the heart of Pentateuchal sources in the context of literature created in neighboring societies of the ancient Mediterranean world. A comparative study, his volume analyses the parallels between Biblical origin stories-the narrative traditions arranged in geneaological sequence that recount the beginnings of humanity and origins of peoples-in tandem with ancient Greek genealogical writings from the 7-5th centuries BCE onwards. He also considers Phoenician and Anatolian sources from the first millennium, several of which have only been published in recent years. This is the first scholarly study to trace the origins of this genre of narrative and the circumstances that led to appearances in the Hebrew Bible and ancient Mediterranean literature. It sheds new light on our knowledge of the history of literature, as well as the interconnections and interrelations between civilizations of the pre-Hellenistic eastern Mediterranean and Near East.
Vetus Testamentum, 2024
This study compares the three major versions of the concluding verses of the story of the assembl... more This study compares the three major versions of the concluding verses of the story of the assembly at Shechem (1 Kgs 12:13-20): the Masoretic Text (MT), its Septuagint counterpart (G*), and the version found in 3 Kgdms 12:24s-u LXX called the "Alternative Story" (AS). While the MT version includes an account concerning Adoram the taskmaster over the forced labor (12:18a, 19), the shorter AS lacks this detail. This fact, together with additional historical and philological considerations, serves as the basis for the article's proposal that the brief report on Adoram originated from an independent account that provides a unique and distinct explanation for the Kingdom's division. This tradition diverges from, yet exhibits certain similarities to other explanations for the schism, as described in the Shechem assembly story, the account of Jeroboam's rise, and the Deuteronomistic editorial strata. (online version)
The Pentateuch and Its Readers, 2023
The article reviews all occurrences of the term “Tent of Meeting” in the major versions (MT, LXX,... more The article reviews all occurrences of the term “Tent of Meeting” in the major versions (MT, LXX, and Q) of the books of Samuel and Kings. While these texts are typically discussed separately in scholarly literature, a joint analysis of them provides a dipper understanding of the textual and literary phenomena they represent, each text shedding light on the others. In this context, the article offers a new explanation for the formation of 1 Sam 2:22 and 1 Kgs 8:1–11. For the full PDF, please email me: gdarshan@tauex.tau.ac.il.
Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, 2022
This paper aims to highlight a series of similarities between Leviticus and an extraordinary Gree... more This paper aims to highlight a series of similarities between Leviticus and an extraordinary Greek inscription that was discovered in Marmarini (Greece) and published during the recent decade (CGRN 225 = SEG 65-376). As this inscription contains instructions and regulations for ritual conduct, as well as reflects many unique Near Eastern features, it serves in this paper as the basis for a new comparative study that has significant ramifications on our understanding of the casuistic law in Leviticus, and the formation of the Priestly material in the Pentateuch.
Please contact: gdarshan@tauex.tau.ac.il for the full version.
Journal for the Study of Judaism, 2022
While a finding of pig remains has often been regarded in Iron Age archaeological studies as an i... more While a finding of pig remains has often been regarded in Iron Age archaeological studies as an indication of the inhabitants' identity, several recent zooarchaeological studies have shown that the archaeological record is more complex, and that pig remains cannot serve as an identity marker. The textual evidence analyzed in this paper supports this direction and suggests a discussion of a multistage development process leading up to various expressions of the pig taboo in ancient Israelite belief. While in the Pentateuch pigs are mentioned alongside other impure animals and are not accorded excessive impurity amongst them, the textual sources indicate that pigs received a special status and became an identity marker only from the Greco-Roman period onwards. This paper also shows that during this period even the word "pig" became taboo in certain instances, as seen from three texts preserved in the LXX of Samuel-Kings (1-4 Kingdoms) but missing from the MT.
Vetus Testamentum
The literary unit Sir 42:1–8 opens with the instruction not to be ashamed of keeping the Torah an... more The literary unit Sir 42:1–8 opens with the instruction not to be ashamed of keeping the Torah and commandments (42:2), and proceeds to list a series of actions that one should perform without embarrassment. Oddly enough, the second half of 42:2 instructs not to be ashamed “of rendering judgment to acquit the wicked,” על משפט להצדיק רשע. While this verse cannot be explained by the hermeneutic maneuver of changing the simple meaning of the Hebrew term רשע or the syntactic function of the lamed in להצדיק, I propose employing a text-critical approach in order to resolve the difficulty it presents. The emendation suggested in this paper subsequently helps us identify the biblical verses that served as the source of inspiration for the verse in Sirach (Ps 82:2–3), and the midrashic interpretation this verse was given in a later text (Rom 4:5).
Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages , 2019
Genesis 1 has been the subject of many comparative studies, focusing especially on its similarity... more Genesis 1 has been the subject of many comparative studies, focusing especially on its similarity to Enuma Elish. However, verse 2 in this chapter, which has no parallels in Mesopotamian cosmogonies whatsoever, deserves a separate discussion. The closest parallel to this verse is found in the Phoenician world. While several scholars, such as Gunkel, Eissfeldt, Moscati, and Koch, have noted briefly this similarity, they have not collected and analyzed all the testimonies and fragments preserved from the Phoenician world. The present study attempts to review the entire corpus of extant Phoenician sources within the context of the ancient Near East (especially Egyptian) coupled with an understanding of the Greco-Roman world, in which the Phoenician traditions were preserved, in order to trace the history of the tradition of the primordial wind (רוח) through the cosmogonies of the Phoenician world and Gen 1:2. This analysis may have important ramifications for the widespread discussions of pneumatology in the literature of the Second Temple.
The History of the Jacob Cycle (Genesis 25-35): Recent Research on the Compilation, the Redaction and the Reception of the Biblical Narrative and Its Historical and Cultural Contexts (ed. B. Hensel; Archaeology and Bible 4; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck), 2021
Despite the general consensus among scholars as to the distinction of the Priestly layer in the P... more Despite the general consensus among scholars as to the distinction of the Priestly layer in the Pentateuch, several texts still remain disputed, and few others might have not yet been identified as part of the Priestly stratum. The disagreement about the identification of several Priestly passages extends to the final chapters of Genesis, especially regarding chs. 47–50. This paper seeks to demonstrate the importance of textual criticism to the identification of the different strata in these chapters, and to suggest a new explanation for the original literary form and purpose of the Priestly layer in these chapters.
Biblische Notizen , 2019
Recent scholarly interest in determining the original language of apocryphal books, as well as th... more Recent scholarly interest in determining the original language of apocryphal books, as well as the new methodology and arguments presented in these studies, necessitate a renewed and detailed examination of 1 Maccabees. The scholarly assumption of a Hebrew Vorlage of 1 Maccabees is traditionally based on four main types of evidence that will be reexamined. In this paper, I also investigate two further criteria in light of the new arguments raised in the Apocrypha research: quotations from and literary allusions to biblical texts in 1 Maccabees, and reflection of the Hebrew of the Hellenistic period.
השמיר, והכתב, והמכתב, והלוחות (משנה אבות ה:ו): מחקרים לכבוד פרופסור שמיר יונה, 2023
The Ambivalent Nature of Shame in Sirach (4:21; 41:14–42:8) – Meaning and Hellenistic Background
Biblica, 2019
In two cases, Ben Sira deals with the ambivalence of shame: 4,21-24 and 41,14–42,8. There are cas... more In two cases, Ben Sira deals with the ambivalence of shame: 4,21-24 and 41,14–42,8. There are cases in which shame is negative and brings about bad things, and there are cases in which shame is desirable and good. While the negative sense of shame is the common meaning in biblical Hebrew, the positive sense may belong to the Hellenistic period. In these two pericopes the meaning of the expression נשא פנים, which parallels the verb בוש (Sir 4,22; 42,1), seems also to have undergone a semantic shift, but its exact meaning is disputed. This paper suggests a solution to the dispute regarding the expression נשא פנים by tracing its translational tradition in the Septuagint, and by examining the related expression הכיר פנים. In these cases, which have not previously been considered in addressing this question, the Septuagint is used as a dictionary for the Hebrew of the Hellenistic period. In order to understand the semantic development of both this expression, and the concept of shame in general, during the Hellenistic period, the second part of the paper draws attention to the ambivalence of the concept of shame in Greek literature. This data may shed new light on the reason for the semantic shift of these terms in Ben Sira’s time. Furthermore, this may also contribute to the expanding discussion of Jewish wisdom literature from the Hellenistic period against the background of its time and place.
PROOFS. While numerous scholars have compared the Priestly regulations in the Pentateuch to anc... more PROOFS. While numerous scholars have compared the Priestly regulations in the Pentateuch to ancient Near Eastern " ritual texts, " the Priestly legal material more generally corresponds in form and style to ancient Near Eastern casuistic law collections than to descriptive or prescriptive " ritual texts. " At the same time, ancient Near Eastern law collections do not contain any ritual or religious ordinances, relating instead primarily to civil and financial affairs or social law and order. This paper examines the formal, substantive, and generic affinities between the Priestly laws and the casuistic Greek " Sacred Laws " inscribed on stone and other materials throughout the eastern Mediterranean basin from the sixth century BCE onwards. Analysis of related Northwest-Semitic and Punic texts, as well as potential precedents from the Hittite world, further contributes to our understanding of the Sitz im Leben of the casuistic Priestly law.
Biblica, 2017
The great interest in Alexander the Great—a figure admired and adduced in the literature of many ... more The great interest in Alexander the Great—a figure admired and adduced in the literature of many of the cultures of the ancient world—appears to have prompted the scribes and copyists of 1 Maccabees to elaborate the passage relating to him in 1 Macc 1,1-7. This scribal activity is evident from the changes in sequence between the various versions and manuscripts of v. 1 and vv. 3-5. This paper proposes that these additions reflect the worldview of later scribes regarding the place of the Hellenistic period within world history and the idea that Alexander’s hubris led to his death.
JAOS, 2016
The only Priestly pre-Exodus narrative to be framed in explicitly chronological terms is the Floo... more The only Priestly pre-Exodus narrative to be framed in explicitly chronological terms is the Flood account. Here, in light of a recently published Akkadian text from Ugarit (RS 94.2953) and Berossus’ version of the Flood story, I suggest that in this unique case P may be based on earlier models that were in possession of a precise temporal framework.
forthcoming in: The Textual History of the Bible from the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Biblical Manusc... more forthcoming in: The Textual History of the Bible from the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Biblical Manuscripts of the Vienna Papyrus Collection: Papers from the Fifteenth International Symposium of the Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Literature, Cosponsored by The University of Vienna Institute for Jewish Studies and The Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies,10–13 April, 2016, ed. Ruth A. Clements, Russell E. Fuller, Armin Lange, and Paul Mandel (Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 137; Leiden: Brill, 2022), 219–240
JBL, 2014
This article examines two types of foundation narrative prevalent in the biblical literature in l... more This article examines two types of foundation narrative prevalent in the biblical literature in light of as-yet-undiscussed parallels from ancient Greek and Mediterranean texts. The first type, embodied in the Genesis narratives and Greek genealogical traditions, portrays the founders as leaving a distant land to settle peacefully in a new land. The second is exemplified by the central hexateuchal theme of the Israelites’ migration to Canaan by dispossessing the native population as well as the Dorian migration traditions. Several factors indicate that the foundation story genre also became central and foundational in other small kingdoms around the Mediterranean—as indicated, for example, by the Phoenician– Luwian inscriptions referring to bt Mpš/Mopsus and related classical sources. The popularity of the genre in the ancient Mediterranean is striking in light of the fact that, while experiencing tribal migrations and wanderings, the great Mesopotamian and Egyptian kingdoms never represented themselves as “immigrants.” It is suggested that this genre may have emerged with the rise of the new, small-scale kingdoms in the Mediterranean basin toward the end of the second millennium b.c.e. The Phoenician and Greek colonization enterprises of the first third of the first millennium b.c.e. in particular increased awareness of the newly emerging states and focused attention on ethnic identity.
1 For Akkadian loan words in Ezekiel, see Raymond-Jacques Tournay, »A propos des babylonismes d'E... more 1 For Akkadian loan words in Ezekiel, see Raymond-Jacques Tournay, »A propos des babylonismes d'Ezéchiel,« RB 68 (1961): 388-393; Stephen P. Garfinkel, Studies in Akkadian Influences in the Book of Ezekiel (Columbia University:
The Journal of Septuagint and Cognate Studies, 2018
The two long pluses in 3 Kgdms 2 (MT 1 Kgs 2) are among the most difficult puzzles in the septuag... more The two long pluses in 3 Kgdms 2 (MT 1 Kgs 2) are among the most difficult puzzles in the septuagintal text. This paper focuses on v. 46c, specifically the word *δυνάστευμα (acc. pl. δυναστεύματα). This hapax legomenon has significant ramifications for the history of the text of 1 Kgs / 3 Kgdms. 46c having no clear counterpart in MT/LXX 3–11, all the scholars who dealt with it to date look for its parallel via the following verse (46d) and the similar passage in MT 9:17–19. While former proposals have suggested that it renders בעלת (MT 1 Kgs 9:18), חשק/עשק (9:19) or ממשלתו (ibid), I submit that the better Hebrew equivalent is מסכנות/ערי המסכנות (9:19). This argument is based on the frequent rendering of the term מסכנות in LXX as πόλεις ὀχυραί ‘strong cities,’ and the minuses in the parallel verse in LXX 3 Kgdms to 1 Kgs 9:19, i.e., 10:22a. If correct, this suggestion can contribute to our understanding of the growth of the text and the textual relationship between 2:46c–d in the Miscellanies and 1 Kgs 9:17–19/3 Kgdms 10:22a.
Despite the fact that the Flood narrative originates in Mesopotamia, neither of the two principal... more Despite the fact that the Flood narrative originates in Mesopotamia, neither of the two principal motifs discussed in this paper-the representation of the Flood hero and his offspring as the progenitors of the nations (Genesis 10) and the planting of the first vineyard in the first postdiluvian generation (Gen 9:20-27)-occur in the Mesopotamian versions of the Flood story. Scholars have thus opined that these two units constitute original Israelite literary creations penned by the biblical authors. A similar juxtaposition of material does appear, however, in the early Greek genealogical writings, that began to be committed to writing during the Archaic period (C7-6 b.c.e.). The relationship this literature bears to the biblical texts has yet to be examined. This article analyzes the parallels between the Greek genealogical writings and the biblical texts regarding the Flood hero and his descendants in the first post-diluvian generations and the central place these hold in both sets of literature. The results possess great significance for the question of the genre and development of the literary threads in the opening chapters of Genesis, as also for our understanding of the literary patterns and motifs prevalent in the ancient eastern Mediterranean cultures during the first third of the first millennium b.c.e. and the interest the latter exhibit in issues relating to ethnic identity.
SBL paper, San Diego, Nov. 2014
The Department of Biblical Studies Conference, Tel Aviv University June 5–6, 2023
As is well known, the accounts of the planting of the first vineyard and the discovery of wine fo... more As is well known, the accounts of the planting of the first vineyard and the discovery of wine following the Flood do not occur in any of the versions of the Mesopotamian flood story. While the fusion of these two motifs in Genesis 9 has thus traditionally been attributed to the biblical author, ancient Greek texts also combine the two themes. This paper discusses these Greek sources in the biblical context for the first time, exploring their origins and relation to other ancient Near Eastern Flood versions, and then evaluates their implications for the complexity of traditions and formation of the biblical narrative.
