Published by De Gruyter

Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature Studies

Edited by: Kristin De Troyer, Beate Ego, Matthew Goff, Tobias Nicklas and Friedrich V. Reiterer

ISSN: 1865-1666

Overview
Volumes

The series Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature Studies (DCLS) is concerned principally with research into those books of the Greek Bible (Septuagint) which are not contained in the Hebrew canon, and into intertestamentary and early Jewish literature from the period around the 3rd century BCE to the 2nd century CE. The series was launched in 2007 in collaboration with the “International Society for the Study of Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature”. It provides a logical extension to the Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature Yearbook, which has been published since 2004.

Topics

Book 2022

Turmoil, Trauma and Tenacity in Early Jewish Literature

Nicholas P. L. Allen, Jacob J. T. Doedens

Volume 50 in this series

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This volume is written in the context of trauma hermeneutics of ancient Jewish communities and their tenacity in the face of adversity (i.e. as recorded in the MT, LXX, Pseudepigrapha, the Deuterocanonical books and even Cognate literature. In this regard, its thirteen chapters, are concerned with the most recent outputs of trauma studies. They are written by a selection of leading scholars, associated to some degree with the Hungaro-South African Study Group. Here, trauma is employed as a useful hermeneutical lens, not only for interpreting biblical texts and the contexts in which they were originally produced and functioned but also for providing a useful frame of reference. As a consequence, these various research outputs, each in their own way, confirm that an historical and theological appreciation of these early accounts and interpretations of collective trauma and its implications, (perceived or otherwise), is critical for understanding the essential substance of Jewish cultural identity. As such, these essays are ideal for scholars in the fields of Biblical Studies—particularly those interested in the Pseudepigrapha, the Deuterocanonical books and Cognate literature.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110784978
ISBN:: 9783110784978
ISBN:: 9783110785128
ISBN:: 9783110784893
Subject:: Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Subject:: Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Jewish Literature
Subject:: Early Jewish Literature
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2023

Beten bei Jesus Sirach

Exegese, Theologie, Intertextualität und Hermeneutik der antiken Sprachversionen

Miroslaw Lopuch

Volume 49 in this series

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The work sheds light on the theology of prayer in Jesus Sirach. In the exegesis of the seven selected passages, the connections with other biblical texts, their intentions, and the differences between the ancient language versions are also taken into account. This is in keeping with the character of the Book of Sirach, 68 percent of which has been handed down in Hebrew, then also in Greek and Syro-Aramaic.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110784923
ISBN:: 9783110784923
ISBN:: 9783110785111
ISBN:: 9783110784886
Subject:: Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Subject:: Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2022

Understanding Texts in Early Judaism

Studies on Biblical, Qumranic, Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature in Memory of Géza Xeravits

József Zsengellér

Volume 48 in this series

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This volume remembers Géza Xeravits, a well known scholar of deuterocanonical and Qumran literature.

The volume is divided into four sections according to his scholarly work and interest. Contributions in the first part deal with Old Testament and related issues (Thomas Hiecke, Stefan Beyerle, and Matthew Goff). The second section is about the Dead Sea Scrolls (John J, Collins, John Kampen, Peter Porzig, Eibert Tigchelaar, Balázs Tamási and Réka Esztári). The largest part is the forth on deuterocanonica (Beate Ego, Lucas Brum Teixeira, Fancis Macatangay, Tobias Nicklas, Maria Brutti, Calduch-Benages Nuria, Pancratius Beentjes, Benjamin Wright, Otto Mulder, Angelo Passaro, Friedrich Reiterer, Severino Bussino, Jeremy Corley and JiSeong Kwong). The third section deals with cognate literature (József Zsengellér and Karin Schöpflin). The last section about the Ancient Synagogue has the paper of Anders Kloostergaard Petersen.

Some hot topics are discussed, for example the Two spirits in Qumran, the cathegorization of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the authorship and antropology of Ben Sira, and the angelology of Vitae Prophetarum.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110768534
ISBN:: 9783110768534
ISBN:: 9783110768565
ISBN:: 9783110768367
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: facet.subjectFacet.TL-02-11
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2022

Ben Sira in Conversation with Traditions

A Festschrift for Prof. Núria Calduch-Benages on the Occasion of Her 65th Birthday

Francis M. Macatangay, Francisco-Javier Ruiz-Ortiz, Renate Egger-Wenzel

Volume 47 in this series

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This volume of essays on Ben Sira is a Festschrift on the occasion of the 65th birthday of Prof. Nuria Calduch-Benages.

The volume gathers the latest studies on Ben Sira's relationship with other Jewish traditions. With a variety of methods and approaches, the volume explores Ben Sira's interpretation of received traditions, his views on the prevailing issues of his time, and the subsequent reception of his work.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110762181
ISBN:: 9783110762181
ISBN:: 9783110762228
ISBN:: 9783110761979
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2022

Message and Composition of the Book of Isaiah

An Interpretation in the Light of Jewish Reception History

Antti Laato

Volume 46 in this series

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The study deals with the theological message and composition of the Book of Isaiah and promotes a thesis that an early Jewish reception history helps us to find perspectives to understand them. This study treats the following themes among others:
1 Hezekiah as Immanuel was an important theme in the reception as can be seen in Chronicles and Ben Sira as well as in rabbinical writings. The central event which makes Hezekiah such an important figure, was the annihilation of the Assyrian army as recounted in Isaiah 36-37.
2 The Book of Isaiah was interpreted in apocalyptic milieu as the Animal Apocalypse and Daniel show. Even though the Qumran writings do not provide any coherent way to interpret Isaianic passages its textual evidence shows how the community has found from the Book of Isaiah different concepts to characterize the division of the Jewish community to the righteous and sinful ones (cf. Isa 65-66).
3 Ezra and Nehemiah received inspiration from the theological themes of Isaianic texts of Levitical singers which were later edited in the Book of Isaiah by scribes. The formation of the Book of Isaiah then went in its own way and its theology became different from that in the Book of Ezra–Nehemiah.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110761818
ISBN:: 9783110761818
ISBN:: 9783110761863
ISBN:: 9783110761634
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: History of Reception
Subject:: Prophets
Subject:: facet.subjectFacet.TL-02-11
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book Ahead of Publication 2024

The Sage in Relation

Familial Descriptions of the Sage in the Scribal Circles of Ben Sira and Cognate Literature

Andrew Montanaro

Volume 45 in this series

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The Jewish sage Ben Sira links the partnership of the sage with personified Wisdom to his overall teaching on marriage and family. This study provides a detailed analysis of this connection, first, by describing the overlapping characteristics of fathers in families and sages among their students as seen through an examination of Ben Sira's use of metaphorical family language, whereby the sage takes the role of father in the pedagogical setting. This study then describes the spousal relationship between the sage and personified Wisdom, particularly as it appears alongside the marital instructions in Sir 23:16-26:18.

This study further considers Ben Sira's privileged social position to influence the religious conviction of next generation Judaism and to strengthen Jewish youth against rising Hellenistic pressures that may tempt them away from Torah adherence. Ben Sira's solution then is found in his proposed vision of families, modeled after his pedagogical setting.

Finally, Ben Sira's teaching is compared to other Second Temple texts, showing the importance of his context for his conception of family and the needs of his time. Thus, this study shows the relevance of Ben Sira's teaching for families as well as his distinctiveness among other Jewish texts.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.0000/9783110753288
ISBN:: 9783110753288
ISBN:: 9783110753363
ISBN:: 9783110752281
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Subject:: Jewish Literature
Subject:: Early Jewish Literature
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Language and Textual History
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2019

On Wings of Prayer

Sources of Jewish Worship; Essays in Honor of Professor Stefan C. Reif on the Occasion of his Seventy-fifth Birthday

Nuria Calduch-Benages, Michael W. Duggan, Dalia Marx

Volume 44 in this series

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The contributors and editors dedicate this volume of research to Professor Stefan C. Reif on the occasion of his 75th birthday. Together these twenty papers reflect our appreciation for his exemplary scholarship and lifelong commitment to acquaint our world with the theological and cultural riches of Jewish Studies.
This collection reflects the breadth of Prof. Reif’s interests insofar as it is a combination of Second Temple studies and Jewish studies on the roots of Jewish prayer and liturgy which is his main field of expertise. Contributions on biblical and second temple studies cover Amos, Ben Sira, Esther, 2 Maccabees, Judith, Wisdom, Qumran Psalms, and James. Contributions on Jewish studies cover nuptial and benedictions after meals, Adon Olam, Passover Seder, Amidah, the Medieval Palestinian Tefillat ha-Shir, and other aspects of rabbinic liturgy.
Moreover, the regional diversity of scholars from Israel, continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland and North America mirrors Stefan’s travels as a lecturer and the reach of his publications. The volume includes a foreword of appreciation and a bibliographic list of Professor Reif's works.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110630282
ISBN:: 9783110630282
ISBN:: 9783110630725
ISBN:: 9783110629958
Subject:: History
Subject:: Topics in History
Subject:: Jewish History
Subject:: Jewish History and Culture
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Jewish Literature
Subject:: Early Jewish Literature
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2019

From Qumran to the Synagogues

Selected Studies on Ancient Judaism

Géza G. Xeravits, Ádám Vér

Volume 43 in this series

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This volume collects papers written during the past two decades that explore various aspects of late Second Temple period Jewish literature and the figurative art of the Late Antique synagogues. Most of the papers have a special emphasis on the reinterpretation of biblical figures in early Judaism or demonstrate how various biblical traditions converged into early Jewish theologies. The structure of the volume reflects the main directions of the author’s scholarly interest, examining the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, and Late Antique synagogues. The book is edited for the interest of scholars of Second Temple Judaism, biblical interpretation, synagogue studies and the effective history of Scripture.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110615616
ISBN:: 9783110615616
ISBN:: 9783110614312
ISBN:: 9783110614374
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Jewish Literature
Subject:: Early Jewish Literature
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: facet.subjectFacet.TL-02-11
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2019

Wisdom, Cosmos, and Cultus in the Book of Sirach

A. Jordan Schmidt

Volume 42 in this series

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Despite the attention that has already been paid to the theme of creation in the book of Sirach, scholarship has yet to provide a comprehensive analysis of Ben Sira's instruction regarding the cosmic order and its role in the divine bestowal of wisdom upon human beings.
This book, which consists of two parts, fills a lacuna in scholarship by offering such an analysis. The first part of this study examines Ben Sira's three main treatments of the created world, thus providing a comprehensive description and synthesis of Ben Sira's doctrine concerning the created order of the cosmos. The second part of this work analyzes the place of human beings in general, and the Jewish people in particular, within the cosmic order. This second part includes an analysis of the role of the created order in Ben Sira's wisdom instruction in 1:1-10 and 24:1-34 as well as an elucidation of the way in which his treatments of various kinds of people—civic leaders, wives, doctors, manual laborers, scribes, and cultic personnel—are integral to Ben Sira's doctrine of creation. This study demonstrates that the created order is a fundamental category that Ben Sira relies upon in articulating his instructions about wisdom and wise behavior.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110600223
ISBN:: 9783110600223
ISBN:: 9783110601107
ISBN:: 9783110600179
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Jewish Literature
Subject:: Early Jewish Literature
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: General Topics and Biblical Reception
Subject:: Biblical Reception
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2019

Poetics and Narrative Function of Tobit 6

José Lucas Brum Teixeira

Volume 41 in this series

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Tobiah’s travel with the angel in Tobit chapter six constitutes a singular moment in the book. It marks a before and after for Tobiah as a character. Considered attentively, Tobit six reveals a remarkable richness in content and form, and functions as a crucial turning point in the plot’s development. This book is the first thorough study of Tobit six, examining the poetics and narrative function of this key chapter and revisiting arguments about its meaning. A better understanding of this central chapter deepens our comprehension of the book as a whole.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110615074
ISBN:: 9783110615074
ISBN:: 9783110613421
ISBN:: 9783110612967
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Jewish Literature
Subject:: Early Jewish Literature
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2018

Figures who Shape Scriptures, Scriptures that Shape Figures

Essays in Honour of Benjamin G. Wright III

Géza G. Xeravits, Greg Schmidt Goering

Volume 40 in this series

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The papers of the volume investigate how authoritative figures in the Second Temple Period and beyond contributed to forming the Scriptures of Judaism, as well as how these Scriptures shaped ideal figures as authoritative in Early Judaism. The topic of the volume thus reflects Ben Wright’s research, who—especially with his work on Ben Sira, on the Letter of Aristeas, and on various problems of authority in Early Jewish texts—creatively contributed to the study of the formation of Scriptures, and to the understanding of the figures behind these texts.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110596373
ISBN:: 9783110596373
ISBN:: 9783110593099
ISBN:: 9783110586466
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Jewish Literature
Subject:: Early Jewish Literature
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: General Topics and Biblical Reception
Subject:: Biblical Reception
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Language and Textual History
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2020

The Early Reception of the Torah

Kristin de Troyer, Barbara Schmitz, Joshua Alfaro, Maximilian Häberlein

Volume 39 in this series

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This volume contains the papers presented at the 2017 meeting of the SBL Program Unit on Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature in Boston, MA. The theme of the sessions was the interpretation of Torah in deuterocanonical literature. The contributions cover a variety of concepts and themes related to Torah and trace these through the Hebrew Bible, into the Septuagintal deuterocanonical books and other relevant and cognate literature.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110691801
ISBN:: 9783110691801
ISBN:: 9783110691849
ISBN:: 9783110691443
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Jewish Literature
Subject:: Early Jewish Literature
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: History of Reception
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2018

Wisdom Poured Out Like Water

Studies on Jewish and Christian Antiquity in Honor of Gabriele Boccaccini

J. Harold Ellens, Isaac W. Oliver, Jason von Ehrenkrook, James Waddell, Jason M. Zurawski

Volume 38 in this series

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This collection presents innovative research by scholars from across the globe in celebration of Gabriele Boccaccini’s sixtieth birthday and to honor his contribution to the study of early Judaism and Christianity. In harmony with Boccaccini’s determination to promote the study of Second Temple Judaism in its own right, this volume includes studies on various issues raised in early Jewish apocalyptic literature (e.g., 1 Enoch, 2 Baruch, 4 Ezra), the Dead Sea Scrolls, and other early Jewish texts, from Tobit to Ben Sira to Philo and beyond. The volume also provides several investigations on early Christianity in intimate conversation with its Jewish sources, consistent with Boccaccini’s efforts to transcend confessional and disciplinary divisions by situating the origins of Christianity firmly within Second Temple Judaism. Finally, the volume includes essays that look at Jewish-Christian relations in the centuries following the Second Temple period, a harvest of Boccaccini’s labor to rethink the relationship between Judaism and Christianity in light of their shared yet contested heritage.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110596717
ISBN:: 9783110596717
ISBN:: 9783110595888
ISBN:: 9783110593792
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Jewish Literature
Subject:: Early Jewish Literature
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: General Topics and Biblical Reception
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2019

The Early Reception of the Book of Isaiah

Kristin De Troyer, Barbara Schmitz

Volume 37 in this series

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This volume brings together a lively set of papers from the first session of the Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature program unit of the Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting in 2016. Together with a few later contributions, these essays explore a number of thematic and textual issues as they trace the reception history of the Book of Isaiah in Deuterocanonical and cognate literature.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110600520
ISBN:: 9783110600520
ISBN:: 9783110599046
ISBN:: 9783110597912
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Jewish Literature
Subject:: Early Jewish Literature
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: History of Reception
Subject:: Prophets
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2016

Die Juditfigur in der Vulgata

Eine theologische Studie zur lateinischen Bibel

Lydia Lange

Volume 36 in this series

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In Jerome’s influential Latin Vulgate translation of the Book of Judith, which dates to ca. 400 AD, only about half of the text accords with the earlier Greek translation known as the Septuagint. Lange’s study employs exegetical methods as well as methods native to the cognitive sciences to analyze the textual figures and uncover these discrepancies, which she then explicates in context of the political and social history of the time.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110488234
ISBN:: 9783110488234
ISBN:: 9783110483215
ISBN:: 9783110487053
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Language and Textual History
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2016

Allweiser Schöpfer und durchsetzungsstarker Gesetzgeber

Eine Studie zur erzählerischen Entfaltung des Gottesbildes im 4. Makkabäerbuch

Christian Blumenthal

Volume 35 in this series

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"Reason shall rule over the passions." In 4 Maccabees, a scripture structured as a praise to God, the anthropocentric focus of this oft-repeated central thesis calls attention to the nature of God’s role. This study traces in detail the development of the image of God in 4 Maccabees, and shows that for its author, anthropology is fundamentally rooted in his understanding of God.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110468519
ISBN:: 9783110468519
ISBN:: 9783110466553
ISBN:: 9783110467802
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2016

Construction, Coherence and Connotations

Studies on the Septuagint, Apocryphal and Cognate Literature

Pierre J. Jordaan, Nicholas P. L. Allen

Volume 34 in this series

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These fourteen selected essays were originally read at the LXXSA international conference: Construction, Coherence and Connotation in Septuagint, Apocryphal and Cognate Literature (28-30 August 2015), hosted by the North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.

Here, the intention was to apply new critical theory and approaches to the fields of Old Testament Scripture as well as associated Apocryphal and Cognate literature, with a specific focus on the interrelated recurring theme of the Wisdom of the deity and its decryption and reception at various times in history.

In this regard, it was felt that this theme and associated source texts had been largely overlooked in recent scholarship. Here the aim was to attract recent research by both leading national as well as international scholars which not only shed new light on Old Testament Apocrypha and so-called Pseudepigraphical literature but which also critically reviewed certain biblical wisdom texts which are foundational for both the Christian as well as Jewish communities.

As a consequence, many of the essays deal with the apocryphal Wisdom of Sirach. However, important contributions may also be found apropos Micah, Daniel, Baruch, 2 Maccabees, Tobit, Susanna, Judith, and the works of Josephus Flavius.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110466942
ISBN:: 9783110466942
ISBN:: 9783110465679
ISBN:: 9783110464269
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Language and Textual History
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2016

The Book of Sirach in the Armenian Biblical Tradition

Yakob Nalean and His Commentary on Sirach

Garegin Hambardzumyan

Volume 33 in this series

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The extreme complexity of Sirach’s text at times makes it almost impossible to come to one clear conclusion as regards certain issues. There are numerous differences between various translations of this deuterocanonical text. In addition, the Armenian translation, being a textual witness to not one but multiple parent texts, has its own complications.
This research provides a sustained theological reading of the Armenian text of Sirach on the basis of Yakob Nalean’s commentary written in the 18th century. At the same time it places a great emphasis on the textual evaluation of the various versions of Sirach in Armenian. In this respect an attempt has been made to display the unique features of the Armenian Sirach within the wider scope of the scholarship of this biblical text. Through a comprehensive linguistic and theological analysis of some major parts of Sirach in Armenian, this study assesses the extent to which this book was in use amongst Armenians throughout the centuries. In particular, the numerous references to Sirach in both Armenian and non-Armenian patristic literature are examined, with the aim of dating the first translations into Armenian and tracing the development of the text in the Armenian medieval schools.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110428964
ISBN:: 9783110428964
ISBN:: 9783110431636
ISBN:: 9783110429053
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: History of Reception
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book Open Access 2016

Exodus

Rezeptionen in deuterokanonischer und frühjüdischer Literatur

Judith Gärtner, Barbara Schmitz

Volume 32 in this series

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The story of Exodus from Egypt is a key founding myth that informs Israel’s collective identity and pervades all of Old Testament literature. In the Hellenistic period, the Exodus story enjoyed a renaissance, and it continues to influence literature to this day. This anthology provides the first comprehensive overview of the reception of Exodus in various contexts.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110418279
ISBN:: 9783110418279
ISBN:: 9783110418385
ISBN:: 9783110417029
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Subject:: Modern Times
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Religious Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2019

Intertextual Explorations in Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature

Jeremy Corley, Geoffrey David Miller

Volume 31 in this series

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This volume explores the fundamentals of intertextual methodology and summarizes recent scholarship on studies of intertextuality in the deuterocanonical books. The essays engage in comparison and analysis of text groups and motifs between canonical, deuterocanonical and non-biblical texts. Moreover, the book pays close attention to non-literary relationships between different traditions, a new feature of research in intertextuality.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110416930
ISBN:: 9783110416930
ISBN:: 9783110416954
ISBN:: 9783110415926
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2015

Lebensform und Lebensnorm im Antiken Judentum

Untersuchungen zur jüdischen Religionssoziologie und Theologie in hellenistisch-römischer Zeit

Günter Mayer, Michael Tilly, Daniel Schumann

Volume 30 in this series

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This volume compiles 17 articles by the late Jewish scholar Günter Mayer (1936–2004) and his life-long collaborator, the Tübingen New Testament scholar Michael Tilly. Thematically wide-ranging in the fields of Hellenistic and Rabbinical Judaism, the papers explore biblical history, the socialization and education of children, ancient funerary practices, and the reception history of biblical prophetic texts.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110416916
ISBN:: 9783110415902
ISBN:: 9783110416916
ISBN:: 9783110416978
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Ancient Near East
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book Open Access 2016

The Construct of Identity in Hellenistic Judaism

Essays on Early Jewish Literature and History

Erich S. Gruen

Volume 29 in this series

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This book collects twenty two previously published essays and one new one by Erich S. Gruen who has written extensively on the literature and history of early Judaism and the experience of the Jews in the Greco-Roman world. His many articles on this subject have, however, appeared mostly in conference volumes and Festschriften, and have therefore not had wide circulation. By putting them together in a single work, this will bring the essays to the attention of a much broader scholarly readership and make them more readily available to students in the fields of ancient history and early Judaism. The pieces are quite varied, but develop a number of connected and related themes: Jewish identity in the pagan world, the literary representations by Jews and pagans of one another, the interconnections of Hellenism and Judaism, and the Jewish experience under Hellenistic monarchies and the Roman empire.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110375558
ISBN:: 9783110375558
ISBN:: 9783110609448
ISBN:: 9783110387193
ISBN:: 9783110373028
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Subject:: Jewish Literature
Subject:: Jewish Literature, general
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Subject:: Religious Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2015

Religion and Female Body in Ancient Judaism and Its Environments

Géza G. Xeravits

Volume 28 in this series

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The volume publishes papers read at the ninth International Conference on the Deuterocanonical Books, Budapest, 2012. The title of the conference and the issuing volume covers an, on the one hand, extremely important and, on the other hand, regrettably neglected aspect particularly of the ancient Jewish and Christian traditions. Traditional manifestations of both Judaism and Christianity are predominantly masculine theological constructions. Despite their harsh masculine orientation, however, neither Judaism nor Christianity lacks elaboration on the female principle. When an ancient author chooses female imagery in order to make his message more emphatic, the female body as such forms an integral part of their metaphors. The contributions in this volume explore this phenomenon within the literature of early Judaism, and within its broad environments.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110410099
ISBN:: 978-3-11-040653-5
ISBN:: 978-3-11-041009-9
ISBN:: 9783110410129
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2016

The Process of Authority

The Dynamics in Transmission and Reception of Canonical Texts

Jan Dušek

Volume 27 in this series

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The authority of canonical texts, especially of the Bible, is often described in static definitions. However, the authority of these texts was acquired as well as exercised in a dynamic process of transmission and reception.

This book analyzes selected aspects of this historical process. Attention is paid to biblical master-texts and to other texts related to the “biblical worlds” in various historical periods and contexts. The studies examine particular texts, textual variants, translations, paraphrases and other elements in the process of textual transmission. The range covered spans from the Iron Age, through the Old Testament texts, their manuscripts and other texts from Qumran, the Septuagint, down to the New Testament, Apocrypha, Coptic texts, Patristics, and even modern translations of the Bible.

The book is particularly intended for those interested in the history of reception and transmission of biblical texts and in the textual criticism.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110399394
ISBN:: 9783110399394
ISBN:: 9783110399530
ISBN:: 9783110376944
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Language and Textual History
Subject:: Ancient Near East
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book Open Access 2015

Ancient Jewish Prayers and Emotions

Emotions associated with Jewish prayer in and around the Second Temple period

Stefan C. Reif, Renate Egger-Wenzel

Volume 26 in this series

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Given the recent interest in the emotions presupposed in early religious literature, it has been thought useful to examine in this volume how the Jews and early Christians expressed their feelings within the prayers recorded in some of their literature. Specialists in their fields from academic institutions around the world have analysed important texts relating to this overall theme and to what is revealed with regard to such diverse topics as relations with God, exegesis, education, prophecy, linguistic expression, feminism, happiness, grief, cult, suicide, non-Jews, Hellenism, Qumran and Jerusalem. The texts discussed are in Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic and are important for a scientific understanding of how Rabbinic Judaism and Early Christianity developed their approaches to worship, to the construction of their theology and to the feelings that lay behind their religious ideas and practices. The articles contribute significantly to an historical understanding of how Jews maintained their earlier traditions but also came to terms with the ideology of the dominant Hellenistic culture that surrounded them.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110369083
ISBN:: 9783110374292
ISBN:: 9783110369083
ISBN:: 9783110386080
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2015

“Take Courage, O Jerusalem…”

Studies in the Psalms of Baruch 4–5

Géza G. Xeravits

Volume 25 in this series

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the volume researches Baruch chapters 4–5 in the following successive steps. The first step is a structural analysis of the three different units of the chapters, 4:5–29; 4:30–5:6; 5:7–9, during which the structure of the greater units (strophes, cantos) will be investigated, together with the structural relationship of these units with each other. After this, the biblical background of the passages is explored. The Scriptural passages that prove to be authoritative or influential for the author(s) of the Baruch passages give clues as to the particular interest and intention of the author(s). This step is supplemented by an inquiry into the tradition historical background of the prophetic psalms. Finally, I close this short monograph with some basic comments on several formative issues of Baruch 4:5–5:9.
The book is written for the interest of scholars of Second Temple Judaism, biblical interpretation, and the effective history of Scripture.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110411829
ISBN:: 978-3-11-041125-6
ISBN:: 978-3-11-041182-9
ISBN:: 9783110412000
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2018

Aseneth's Transformation

Kirsten Marie Hartvigsen

Volume 24 in this series

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The story of Joseph and Aseneth is a fascinating expansion of the narrative in Genesis of Joseph in Egypt, and in particular, of his marriage to the daughter of an Egyptian priest. This study examines the portrayal of Aseneth’s transformation in the text, focusing on three perspectives. How did Aseneth’s encounter with Joseph and her subsequent transformation affect various aspects of her identity in the narrative? In what ways do the portrayals of Aseneth, her transformation, and her abode relate to select metaphors and other symbolic features depicted in the Septuagint, the Hebrew Bible, and the Pseudepigrapha? And, how do the ritualized components through which Aseneth’s transformation occurred function in the narrative, and why are they perceived as effective? In order to shed light on these facets of Joseph and Aseneth, the author draws on the contemporary approaches of intersectionality, conceptual blending, intertextual blending, and the cognitive theory of rituals, using these theoretical frameworks to explore and illuminate the complexity of Aseneth’s transformation.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110366891
ISBN:: 9783110366891
ISBN:: 9783110386400
ISBN:: 9783110363371
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2016

Studies on Baruch

Composition, Literary Relations, and Reception

Sean A. Adams

Volume 23 in this series

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There has been widespread neglect by scholars of deuterocanonical books, especially those (e.g., Baruch) that are thought to lack originality. This book seeks to address this lacuna by investigating some of the major interpretive issues in Baruchan scholarship. The volume comprises a collection of essays from an international team of scholars who specialise in Second Temple Judaism and Old Testament pseudepigrapha. Topics covered include: historical issues (the person of Baruch), literary structure, intertextual relationships between Baruch and the OT (Jeremiah, Isaiah), reception history (Christian and Jewish), and modern translation challenges. This is the first volume of essays that exclusively focus on Baruch and one that seeks to provide a foundation for future investigations.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110364279
ISBN:: 9783110364279
ISBN:: 9783110391602
ISBN:: 9783110362947
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2014

Canonicity, Setting, Wisdom in the Deuterocanonicals

Papers of the Jubilee Meeting of the International Conference on the Deuterocanonical Books

Géza G. Xeravits, József Zsengellér, Xavér Szabó

Volume 22 in this series

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The volume publishes papers read at the tenth International Conference on the Deuterocanonical Books, Budapest, 2013. The authors explore various aspects of this literature, with pre-eminent emphasis on their relation to diverse early Jewish texts and traditions; their reactions on Hellenism; and the way they treated as a canonical collection within their history of interpretation.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110367232
ISBN:: 978-3-11-037262-5
ISBN:: 978-3-11-036723-2
ISBN:: 9783110392548
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2015

Eheschließungen im frühen Judentum

Studien zur Rezeption der Leviratstora, zu den Eheschließungsritualen im Tobitbuch und zu den Ehen der Samaritanerin in Johannes 4

Ulrich Kellermann

Volume 21 in this series

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These studies provide an overview of rituals of marriage in Early Judaism. The first deals with the reception of Levirate law in Deut. 25:5-10 and the curtailment of Levirate marriage in favor of Halitza. The second shows, on the basis of the Book of Tobit, how aspects of marriage rituals can be traced into rabbinic times. Finally, an analysis of the marriage of the Samaritan woman in John 4:16-18 completes the volume.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110340808
ISBN:: 978-3-11-033992-5
ISBN:: 978-3-11-034080-8
ISBN:: 9783110385595
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2014

Gesellschaft und Religion in der spätbiblischen und deuterokanonischen Literatur

Friedrich V. Reiterer, Renate Egger-Wenzel, Thomas R. Elßner

Volume 20 in this series

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The essays in this compendium examine Late-Biblical writings dating from the Hellenistic period that relate to religion and society. A focus is placed on threat scenarios and on the drawing of differences to the Hellenistic environment and the question of identity for believers during the pre-Christian centuries.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110332322
ISBN:: 978-3-11-031605-6
ISBN:: 978-3-11-033232-2
ISBN:: 9783110390094
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2014

The Torah in 1Maccabees

A Literary Critical Approach to the Text

Francis Borchardt

Volume 19 in this series

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This volume addresses two pivotal questions surrounding the composition of 1Maccabees. It sets out to discern the place and function of the torah within the community described by the book. However, before addressing the main problem, the author must first determine the composition history of the text. Given that the former orthodoxy of a unitary authorship seems to be breaking down, and no consensus has taken its place, a literary critical investigation occupies a necessary and lengthy portion of the work. Once a recommendation for the book’s composition history is reached, attitudes toward the inherited Judean tradition are described in each of the strata discovered. The resulting study reveals a wide variety of opinions on the Judean traditions and their function in society. This contributes to the current trend in scholarship of the Hellenistic period questioning the dichotomy between Judaism and Hellenism by demonstrating the different attitudes within even one text.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110323481
ISBN:: 978-3-11-032298-9
ISBN:: 978-3-11-032348-1
ISBN:: 9783110372557
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2015

Evil and Death

Conceptions of the Human in Biblical, Early Jewish, Greco-Roman and Egyptian Literature

Beate Ego, Ulrike Mittmann

Volume 18 in this series

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Jewish anthropological beliefs during the Hellenistic-Roman period are an important but previously neglected area of biblical exegesis and Jewish studies. In an effort to address this deficiency, this volume brings together 20 essays related to the subject of sin and death, with special emphasis on integrating material from neighboring cultures. Thus, the volume provides an exemplary foundation for further research on ancient Jewish anthropology.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110315714
ISBN:: 9783110315516
ISBN:: 9783110315714
ISBN:: 9783110559217
ISBN:: 9783110382037
Subject:: Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Subject:: Classical Studies
Subject:: Ancient Religion
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Ancient Near East
Subject:: New Testament
Subject:: Historical, Political and Cultural Background
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2014

Second Temple Songs of Zion

A Literary and Generic Analysis of the Apostrophe to Zion (11QPsa XXII 1-15); Tobit 13:9-18 and 1 Baruch 4:30-5:9

Ruth Henderson

Volume 17 in this series

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Although in Second Temple literature we find a variety of songs concerned with the future of Jerusalem, little attempt has been made to analyse these comparatively as a generic group. In this study, three songs have been selected on the basis of their similarity in style, ideas and their apparent original composition in Hebrew. The texts have been subjected to a literary analysis both individually and then comparatively.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110315790
ISBN:: 978-3-11-031564-6
ISBN:: 978-3-11-031579-0
ISBN:: 9783110368079
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Ancient Near East
Subject:: Wisdom and Psalms
Subject:: Wisdom and Psalms, other
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2013

Scriptural Authority in Early Judaism and Ancient Christianity

Géza G. Xeravits, Tobias Nicklas, Isaac Kalimi

Volume 16 in this series

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The impact of earlier works to the literature of early Judaism is an intensively researched topic in contemporary scholarship. This volume is based on an international conference held at the Sapientia College of Theology in Budapest, May 18–21, 2010. The contributors explore scriptural authority in early Jewish literature and the writings of nascent Christianity. They study the impact of earlier literature in the formulation of theological concepts and books of the Second Temple Period.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110295535
ISBN:: 978-3-11-029548-1
ISBN:: 978-3-11-029553-5
ISBN:: 9783110487954
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: History of Reception
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2013

Weisheit als Lebensgrundlage

Renate Egger-Wenzel, Karin Schöpflin, Johannes Diehl

Volume 15 in this series

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As a commemorative gift for the 65^th birthday celebration of the Salzburgian Old Testament scholar Friedrich V. Reiterer, whose research on Biblical wisdom literature has been devoted primarily to the book of Ben Sira, his colleagues and students presented him with this “bouquet” of studies related to Professor Reiterer’s areas of interest. In addition to Ben Sira, these studies examine the part played by Wisdom in subsequent Late-Biblical texts, and in intertestamental and New Testament texts.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110266986
ISBN:: 978-3-11-026605-4
ISBN:: 978-3-11-026698-6
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Wisdom and Psalms
Subject:: Wisdom and Psalms, other
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2012

A Pious Seductress

Studies in the Book of Judith

Géza G. Xeravits

Volume 14 in this series

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The present volume contains papers delivered at the International Conference on the Deuterocanonical Books, held at the Sapientia College of Theology, Budapest, Hungary, 14–16 May, 2009. The contributions explore various aspects of the Book of Judith: its textual versions, historical background, theological ideas and literary afterlife.
The conference, on which this volume is based, was the most comprehensive scholarly meeting devoted recently to the Book of Judith. The contributors reopened several basic questions concerning the writing, such as the identification of concrete historical personalities reflected in the book, or some aspects of the halakhic system of the author.The scope of the contributions extends also to the late mediaeval use of the book by European playwrights.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110279986
ISBN:: 978-3-11-027994-8
ISBN:: 978-3-11-027998-6
Subject:: Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Subject:: Classical Studies
Subject:: Ancient Religion
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Jewish History
Subject:: General Jewish History
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: General Topics and Biblical Reception
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2012

Foreign Nations in the Wisdom of Ben Sira

A Jewish Sage between Opposition and Assimilation

Marko Marttila

Volume 13 in this series

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Ben Sira lived in an era when Hellenistic influences continued to spread in Palestine. The supreme political power was in the hands of foreign rulers. Under these circumstances it is no wonder that Ben Sira discusses the position of foreign nations in several passages. The tone varies due to the given context. This study demonstrates that Ben Sira’s relationship to foreign nations is best defined as “balanced”, as his attitude is neither thoroughly hostile nor that of uncritically embracing Gentiles. On the basis of certain passages, one can get the impression that even the foreigners could be recipients of the Torah. On the other hand, some nations were regarded by earlier biblical authors as archenemies of Israel, and these anti-elect people caused also Ben Sira’s anger to be provoked. Ben Sira was deeply rooted in Judaism but this did not prevent him from being open toward foreign influences as far as they were compatible with his religious and cultural heritage.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110270112
ISBN:: 978-3-11-027010-5
ISBN:: 978-3-11-027011-2
Subject:: Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Subject:: Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Ancient Near East
Subject:: Wisdom and Psalms
Subject:: Wisdom and Psalms, other
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2011

The Wisdom Instructions in the Book of Tobit

Francis M. Macatangay

Volume 12 in this series

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Despite the resurgence of scholarly interest in the Book of Tobit in recent years, an important aspect of this deuterocanonical book has been largely overlooked. Within it, there is an instruction manual for an effective way of being and living in exile, namely the wisdom instructions in Tobit 4. With glances at Tobit 12 and Tobit 14 where the wisdom instructions are repeated in shorter form, this monograph discusses the function of the wisdom discourse in the literary design of the narrative. Moreover, it examines how the wisdom instructions of Tobit demonstrate the vital role of the sapiential tradition in forming and maintaining Jewish identity in the Diaspora. Contextualizing the wisdom instructions not only within the narrative but also within the realities of Second Temple Judaism, it is argued that the author of Tobit saw the validity and employed the resources of the Jewish wisdom tradition in reinterpreting some of the traditional claims of covenant faith.
Using the Sinaiticus as the textual basis of study, it shows that the lengthy wisdom lecture of Tobit displays an inner logic that structures the collection of seemingly unrelated sayings. The instructions reinterpret a major deuteronomic concern to remember the Lord always. For Tobit, the practice of righteousness, the practice of wise behavior, and the practice of prayer realize and concretize such remembrance. Addressed to those in the Dispersion, Tobit’s wisdom instructions are meant to foster and shape a distinct ethos of truth, righteousness and mercy.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110255355
ISBN:: 978-3-11-025534-8
ISBN:: 978-3-11-025535-5
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Wisdom and Psalms
Subject:: Wisdom and Psalms, other
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Subject:: Religious Studies
Subject:: Ancient Religions
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2011

The Expanded Text of Ecclesiasticus

Its Teaching on the Future Life as a Clue to its Origin

Conleth Kearns, Pancratius C. Beentjes, Gerard Norton, Maurice Gilbert, Núria Calduch-Benages

Volume 11 in this series

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Nowadays many scholars are intensively studying the Book of Ben Sira in its different versions. One of the most intriguing aspects relates to the great quantity of passages on the afterlife in the various stages of the text of the Book of Ben Sira. Although Conleth Kearns already in 1951 wrote an important doctoral thesis on this subject, this study has never been published and circulates only in photocopied form. Since Ben Sira scholars more and more are convinced that this investigation is of great importance, even after sixty years a proper publication is welcomed.
In his study Kearns distinguishes, on the one hand, the witnesses to the second Greek and to the Latin version and, on the other hand, those to the Hebrew text, and those to the Syriac version as well. He concludes that there is unity of doctrine between the changes and additions of all the textual witnesses. Therefore he can refer to ‛the expanded text’.
The teachings on afterlife as found in the various stages of the text of Ben Sira are compared with the teachings found in Jewish literature from about 200 B.C. until 100 A.D., both canonical – especially Daniel and the Wisdom of Solomon –, and apocryphal or pseudepigraphical, such as 1–2 Enoch, 4 Ezra, Jubilees, Psalms of Solomon, and Testaments of the XII Patriarchs.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110252590
ISBN:: 978-3-11-025258-3
ISBN:: 978-3-11-025259-0
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Language and Textual History
Subject:: History of Reception
Subject:: Exegetical Monographs, general
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2011

Marriage in the Book of Tobit

Geoffrey David Miller

Volume 10 in this series

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Apart from Genesis, Tobit contains more information about marriage than any other biblical book. It reflects third-century beliefs and customs yet also serves a didactic function, teaching Diaspora Jews what they should value in their own marriages. This monograph elucidates these elements by asking four questions: 1) Whom should one marry? 2) How does one get married? 3) What role does God play in marriage? 4) What do actual marriages look like? By contextualizing Tobit in light of the Old Testament and relevant Ancient Near Eastern texts, one can appreciate the book's unique claims. Endogamy is defined more narrowly than in other Old Testament texts as Israelites are now enjoined to marry close relatives. Monetary matters such as the payment of the bride-price are downplayed, while adherence to the Mosaic Law is emphasized in the marriage contract and the wedding ceremony. Furthermore, intertextual links with Genesis 24 cast Tobiah and Sarah as founders of a "new Israel", showing that God becomes involved in their marriage so that the nation of Israel will not die out. Finally, the author's portrayal of three married couples in the book reveals much about gender roles and also creates a realistic portrait of the marital relationship in terms of communication, cooperation, and conflict.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110247879
ISBN:: 978-3-11-024786-2
ISBN:: 978-3-11-024787-9
Subject:: Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Subject:: Classical Studies
Subject:: Ancient Religion
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Religious Studies
Subject:: Ancient Religions
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2011

Wisdom of Solomon 10

A Jewish Hellenistic Reinterpretation of Early Israelite History through Sapiential Lenses

Andrew T. Glicksman

Volume 9 in this series

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The Wisdom of Solomon 10 is a unique passage among Jewish sapiential texts since it both presents Lady Wisdom as God's acting agent in early Israelite history and explicitly categorizes key biblical figures as either righteous or unrighteous. Structurally, Wisdom 10 is a pivotal text that binds the two halves of the book together through its vocabulary and themes. Although chapter 10 is such a unique passage that is central to the work, no full-scale study of this chapter has been attempted. Recent scholarship on the Wisdom of Solomon has focused on the identification of genres in the book’s subsections and the author’s reinterpretation of Scripture.
Through the use of historical and literary criticism, this study especially focuses on the genre and hermeneutical method of Wisdom 10 in comparison to other passages in the book and similar types of literature inside and outside the Bible. Chapter One establishes the purpose and methodology of the study, Chapter Two sets the literary and historical contexts for the Wisdom of Solomon, and Chapters Three to Six analyze the text poetically, form-critically, exegetically, and hermeneutically.
This study concludes that Pseudo-Solomon, the book’s author, composed and used Wisdom 10 in order to bind the two halves of the book together. Its genre is that of a Beispielreihe, or example list, and its form is an alternation of positive and negative examples that are linked by the repetition of a keyword. The passage also reflects elements of aretalogy, synkrisis, and midrash. Because of the first two of these elements, chapter 10 may be seen as supplementing the encomiastic genre in chapters 6–9. Furthermore, the aretalogical flavor of the text depicts Lady Wisdom in ways similar to the popular Hellenistic Egyptian goddess Isis in order to show Wisdom’s superiority to the pagan deity. Lastly, chapter 10 exhibits six primary hermeneutical principles used by the author throughout the book, albeit with differing degrees of focus.
Since the Wisdom of Solomon is a late composition, this study illuminates one facet of the Jewish Hellenistic reinterpretation of Scripture and will elucidate similar modes of exegesis in the early rabbinical and early Christian eras.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110247657
ISBN:: 978-3-11-024764-0
ISBN:: 978-3-11-024765-7
Subject:: Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Subject:: Classical Studies
Subject:: Greek
Subject:: Greek Authors
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Exegetical Monographs, general
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2011

Ben Sira on Family, Gender, and Sexuality

Ibolya Balla

Volume 8 in this series

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The book investigates Ben Sira’s attitudes toward all matters pertaining to sexuality in the context of family relations and gender issues. The author’s seemingly negative attitude to women, the anxiety expressed in the discussions of marital and extramarital relations, and the disciplining of children can lead to the assumption that the work has a negative attitude toward sexuality.
Ben Sira’s book is a combination of carefully composed wisdom poems and of teachings on everyday issues, including marriage, family life, self-control, desires, and sexual promiscuity. The sage dedicates a greater number of passages than other wisdom books to the discussion of social relations especially in regard to family. In so doing his regular point of departure seems to be what benefits or damages these relations mean, and whether they bring disgrace to a person, especially through sexuality. In addition, we have to make a distinction between the attitudes of the writer of the original Hebrew text of the book and that of the Greek translator. The two texts, produced in different social settings, times and places, differ at times in regard to sexuality.
This book examines the wisdom poems, some characterized by openness about issues of eroticism, and all sayings that concern matters pertaining to sexuality found in discussions of passions, family relations and gender issues, and warnings against sexual wrongdoing. All this is done with a special regard to the differences between the Hebrew original text and the Greek translation.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110247473
ISBN:: 9783110247466
ISBN:: 9783110247473
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2011

Rewriting Biblical History

Essays on Chronicles and Ben Sira in Honor of Pancratius C. Beentjes

Jeremy Corley, Harm van Grol

Volume 7 in this series

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Old Testament texts frequently offer a theological view of history. This is very evident in the Books of Chronicles and in the final section of Ben Sira (Ecclesiasticus). Today there is renewed interest in both these works as significant theological and cultural Jewish documents from the centuries before Jesus. Both Chronicles and Ben Sira aim to recreate a national identity centered on temple piety. Some chapters in this volume consider the portrayal of Israelite kings like David, Hezekiah, and Josiah, while others deal with prophets like Samuel and Elijah.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110240948
ISBN:: 978-3-11-024093-1
ISBN:: 978-3-11-024094-8
Subject:: History
Subject:: Historical Periods
Subject:: Ancient History
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: General Topics and Biblical Reception
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2010

Theologies of Creation in Early Judaism and Ancient Christianity

In Honour of Hans Klein

Tobias Nicklas, Korinna Zamfir, Heike Braun

Volume 6 in this series

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As environmental destruction begins to seriously affect humans, it has become increasingly relevant to reflect on the essential elements of the Jewish and Christian theologies of creation. The essays in this volume explore key aspects of creation theology, which poses the question of the origin of the world and of man. Creation theology is rooted in the concept of man who owes his existence to God and who is placed in a cosmos which God created as “good”. At the same time, the essays show that even back in antiquity, the creation discussion held high potential for ideological criticism.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110246315
ISBN:: 978-3-11-024630-8
ISBN:: 978-3-11-024631-5
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: History of Reception
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2010

Deuterocanonical Additions of the Old Testament Books

Selected Studies

Géza G. Xeravits, József Zsengellér

Volume 5 in this series

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The volume publishes papers presented at the International Conference on the Deuterocanonical Books (Pápa, Hungary). This conference dealt with the deuterocanonical additions of the Old Testament books. As such, this was one of the most extended discussions of these writings that has ever taken place at a scholarly meeting. The volume contains articles on the traditions and theology of the additions, and demonstrates their relationship with the contemporary literature of early Judaism.
Several writings of the Hebrew Bible – such as Esther, Daniel and Jeremiah – have different textual forms in the Greek Bible, and these forms display amplified material compared to the Hebrew versions. These additions testify to the creative reflection of early Jewish circles on the basic traditions of these Books and the textual fluidity of the writings in question.
The essays of this volume explore these additions, their relationship to the Hebrew parent texts, and their impact on the effective history of the interpretation of later centuries.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110240535
ISBN:: 978-3-11-024052-8
ISBN:: 978-3-11-024053-5
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: General Topics and Biblical Reception
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2010

The Stranger in Ancient and Mediaeval Jewish Tradition

Papers Read at the First Meeting of the JBSCE, Piliscsaba, 2009

Géza G. Xeravits, Jan Dušek

Volume 4 in this series

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This volume presents selected papers read at the first meeting of the Society for Jewish and Biblical Studies in Central Europe, in Piliscsaba, Hungary, February 2009, but does not publish the proceedings of this meeting (for a clarification see here). The papers investigate various aspects of the concept “Stranger” in Jewish tradition, from the Hebrew Bible to Mediaeval Jewish thought. The bulk of the material focuses on Early Jewish literature, which mirrors an intensive interaction with the Hellenistic system of thought, and the development of concurring Jewish interpretations of traditional values.
The papers of the volume provide insightful case studies about the formation of Jewish identity in diverse periods of Israelite and Jewish history, as well as the different attitudes to strangers, being either outsiders, or belonging to opposing sects of Judaism itself. The reader finds essays of historical, literary, and hermeneutical attention; of interest also to scholars of various forms of ancient and mediaeval Judaism.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110222043
ISBN:: 978-3-11-022203-6
ISBN:: 978-3-11-022204-3
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Subject:: Rabbinic Judaism
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2007

Text und Überlieferung des Buches Tobit

Michaela Hallermayer

Volume 3 in this series

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This thesis examines the history of the text and transmission of the Book of Tobit. In the Greek Bible, there are two different versions of the Book of Tobit, and these are related here to the fragments of the story of Tobit found in Qumran. The study aims to determine the original form of the text of the Book of Tobit and to draw conclusions about the way ancient translators worked and about the origins of this biblical narrative.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110896671
ISBN:: 978-3-11-019496-8
ISBN:: 978-3-11-089667-1
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2010

Like an Everlasting Signet Ring

Generosity in the Book of Sirach

Bradley Gregory

Volume 2 in this series

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This work explores the theological and social dimensions of generosity in the book of Sirach and contextualizes them within the culture and thought of Second Temple Judaism. Ben Sira’s understanding of generosity is predicated on the tension between affirming the classic wisdom principle of retributive justice and recognizing its breakdown in the socio-economic circumstances of Seleucid Judea. He forges a new Wisdom-Torah ethic of mercy in which giving generously is an integral part of living “the good life”.
While loans and surety are essential practices, almsgiving is the preeminent act of generosity. The fundamental theological logic at work consists in viewing the poor as proxies for God and is based on the economic structure of Proverbs 19:17. Giving to the poor is, in reality, a deposit in a heavenly treasury and will pay future dividends. By situating Ben Sira’s view of almsgiving within the wider framework of retributive justice and its breakdown, new light is shed on the practical tensions regarding the extent of almsgiving and its relationship to the support of the Jerusalem priesthood.
The various dynamics of Ben Sira’s thought on generosity are situated within the broader Hellenistic world and in their foundational role for later Jewish and Christian thought.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110223675
ISBN:: 978-3-11-022366-8
ISBN:: 978-3-11-022367-5
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: History of Reception
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Subject:: New Testament
Subject:: Synoptic Gospels and Acts
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2008

The Wisdom of Ben Sira

Studies on Tradition, Redaction, and Theology

Angelo Passaro, Giuseppe Bellia

Volume 1 in this series

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The Book of Sirach raises many questions: philological, exegetical, literary, historical, theological. There were even confessional questions which divided the traditions of synagogues and churches. It is, therefore, a fascinating book, located on the edges of the canon. Does the book attempt to repair the harm done by the erosive criticism of Job and Qoheleth, or is it the work of a thoughtful interpreter who, in a time of change, seeks to bear the tradition towards the new situation emerging from the Hellenistic Diaspora? Is it a book which aims at the restoration of the true faith against the autonomous questing of human wisdom, or is it merely a sincere, if shrewd, experiment at dialogue between the legitimate reasoning of the world and the wisdom given in the Law? According to a well-tried methodology of juxtaposing the specialists of different schools, this volume presents an up to date consideration of historical, exegetical and theological research.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110211269
ISBN:: 978-3-11-019499-9
ISBN:: 978-3-11-021126-9
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book Ahead of Publication 2024

Durch das Meer

Ein Neuentwurf kontextueller Exegese am Beispiel der Exodusrezeption in den Deuterokanonika

Benedikt Josef Collinet

Volume 55 in this series

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One important question being asked today is how to read sacred texts in secular and theological contexts. This books proposes a two-stage model that is integrative and capable of plurality. It attempts a rethinking of contextual exegesis by looking at the inner-Biblical reception history of the Exodus material – to be more precise, by examining how it is revealed in the "Hellenistic" books of the Bible and early Judaism.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.0000/9783111301198
ISBN:: 9783111301198
ISBN:: 9783111301334
ISBN:: 9783111293141
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: General Topics and Biblical Reception
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Language and Textual History
Subject:: Exegetical Monographs, general
Subject:: Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2023

Peace and War in Josephus

Viktor Kókai-Nagy, Ádám Vér

Volume 52 in this series

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Josephus Flavius’s life was defined by the Jewish war against Rome, about which he wrote his first book as a friend of the imperial family, enjoying the benefits of an end to the conflict. But this dichotomy between war and peace defined not only the life of our author but also the history of all peoples in Late Antiquity, so it is not surprising that war and peace also play a central role in his second book.

A broader theme could hardly have been chosen for this volume, which naturally brought with it the diversity of the studies it contains. At a conference in May 2022 at Selye János University in Komárom – "Peace and War in Josephus" – a distinguished, international group of scholars took up this theme, including Tal Ilan (Israel), Steve Mason (Canada), Jiří Hoblík (Czech Republic), and five Hungarian colleagues: Tibor Grüll, Ádám Vér, József Zsengellér, István Karasszon, and Viktor Kókai-Nagy. Their papers in English or German are complemented by three additional papers from Carson Bay (Switzerland), Marin Meiser (Germany), and David R. Edwards (USA). Together, their work ranges from the historical and literary context to the political and philosophical thought of the author.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111146591
ISBN:: 9783111146591
ISBN:: 9783111147864
ISBN:: 9783111146034
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: General Topics and Biblical Reception
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Ancient Near East
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2023

Between Wisdom and Torah

Discourses on Wisdom and Law in Second Temple Judaism

Jiseong James Kwon, Seth Bledsoe

Volume 51 in this series

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Previous scholars have largely approached Wisdom and Torah in the Second Temple Period through a type of reception history, whereby the two concepts have been understood as signifiers of independent, earlier “biblical” streams of tradition that later came together in the Hellenistic and Roman eras, largely under the process of a so-called “torahization” of wisdom. Recent studies critiquing the nature of wisdom and wisdom literature as operative categories for understanding scribal cultures in early Judaism, as well as newer approaches to conceptualizing Torah and authorizing-compositional practices related to the Pentateuchal texts, however, have challenged the foundations on which the previous models of Wisdom and Torah rested. This volume, therefore, brings together several essays that aim to reexamine and rethink the ways we can describe the developments of texts categorized as “Wisdom” that proliferated during the Second Temple Period and whose contents point to an engagement with a “Torah” discourse. By asking anew the question of whether “Wisdom” was transformed by/into “Torah” during this period, this volume offers reformulations on the discursive space between Wisdom and Torah through analyzing new identifications, confluences, and transformations.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111069579
ISBN:: 9783111069579
ISBN:: 9783111069920
ISBN:: 9783111069319
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Jewish Literature
Subject:: Early Jewish Literature
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Old Testament / Ancient Near East
Subject:: Wisdom and Psalms
Subject:: Wisdom and Psalms, other
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Hellenistic-Roman Era
Publisher:: De Gruyter