Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

Ben wrote: That does seem simple. Too simple for me, given that "let the reader understand" sounds like it should not be quite that simple. You and I both have pointed out in various ways how very Danielic the time period in question was. Mark rarely names or points out the scriptural sour...

Wacholder notes in The New Damascus Document : ... Elijah's wandering to the wilderness of Damascus in 1 Kings 19:15 ... may have served as an inspiration for [the Damascus Document's] central thesis of the exile to Damascus. https://books.google.com/books?id=ZZ58UzrKr5sC&pg=PA41&dq=wilderne...

Luomanen writes in Recovering Jewish-Christian Sects and Gospels : ... Epiphanius locates the Nazarenes in Syrian Beroea, as well as the areas of Bashan (Kokaba/Chochaba)... and Decapolis ... Jerome, who spent some time near Beroea, also locates the Nazarenes there. Because Epiphanius himself lived ...

This is also, in my view, the "land of Damascus" mentioned in the Damascus Document (and the "wilderness of Damascus" mentioned in 1 Kings 19:15). And since I'm thinking the DSS have something to do with the Fourth Philosophy (which in my view includes Christianity), it makes sen...

After assessing all this, it looks to me like Jesus is referring to (other) Fourth Philosophic messiah-types and the uprisings and famine and such that occurred leading up to the destruction of the Temple that Josephus describes. And I've looked at a few commentaries about "the reader" and...

The problem I have with this idea is that Jonathan appears to be named as a legitimate priest in 4Q245, as Flint notes in The Book of Daniel, Volume 2 Composition and Reception : ... 4Q245 differs from 1 Chronicles 5 in extending its list of priests into the Hellenistic period. The name חוניה (Onias...

I don't have anything to add to this discussion, and these are just some notes for me to compare what Josephus says about the Fourth Philosophy and what Jesus says in Mk. 13. There appear to be some interesting similarities. I'm not thinking that perhaps Mark knew Josephus (but I suppose it's not im...

Not to seem contrarian (I like investigating various Teacher ideas), but the first thing that comes to my mind after reading the above link is that the change of Amos 5:27 in the Damascus Document from " beyond Damascus" to " to Damascus" has implications that affect Murphy O'Con...

I'm taking a fresh look at Alexander Janneaus, and I think I see the problem with the idea that he was the Wicked Priest. In the latter's case, there is a "they" who afflicted him with diseases (or perhaps pollutions or wounds) and arguably killed him, and it doesn't look like there is a &...

Regarding the meaning of the House of Judah, LaGrand notes that: Some scholars have inferred the Essene recruitment extended to the nations. Taking his cue from the directive to 'join oneself to the House of Judah' ... D.R. Schwartz concludes that the ancient community in view here "can reckon ...