A More Viable Myth for Jewish Origins

Discussion about the Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, pseudepigrapha, Philo, Josephus, Talmud, Dead Sea Scrolls, archaeology, etc.
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Secret Alias
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A More Viable Myth for Jewish Origins

Post by Secret Alias »

If I was to develop a conspiracy theory about Jewish/Samaritans origins I'd bring together the following:

1. the Pentateuch was written in Hebrew which incorporates Persian words (pardes, eshdat lamo) and Persian concepts (monotheism, pardes as a Persian garden) which most naturally reflects its development in the Persian period.
2. the first four books of the Pentateuch were a unit and Deuteronomy was written later. The four books likely correspond allegorically to the four rivers of Paradise. This is confirmed by the fact that Deuteronomy literally plagiarizes from Exodus (in the original Qumran/Samaritan/circle of R Ishmael form).
3. the 'trinity' of 'the god of Abraham, god of Isaac, god of Jacob' is related to the acknowledged three powers of Philo. In other words Philo's exegesis was the original exegesis. No reason for listing three gods in the Pentateuch and two explicit 'names' of God if the text was a monotheist/monarchic text.
4. if Philo's exegesis was the earliest the core 'center' of Judaism was the conversion of non-Jews/Samaritans to the religion. The key element here is the portrait of Abraham as a convert to a new god who resides at Shechem or where Paradise (His 'home') is at the top of Gerizim which is at once 'heaven' or connected to the earth by a stairway to heaven.
5. Philo's understanding of a 3 step process of becoming a 'son of Man/Israel' likely was part of the conversion process.

As such the ancient dismantling of Jewish conversion/making of proselytes was a recognition or proper divination of the religion viz. 'the Jewish religion is a plot to take over the world.' The Romans tried to take over the world by military force. So did other Empires. The Pentateuch sought to take over the world through religion.
yakovzutolmai
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Re: A More Viable Myth for Jewish Origins

Post by yakovzutolmai »

A strong element of Gmirkin's thesis is that the Jewish religion is essentially the best and most deliberate instance of Plato's theory of theocracy. This was designed to get a wide diaspora to pour money and arms toward a polis.

Abraham is a figure of Edessa, and an artifact of the last war of the Neo-Assyrian kings including the alliance of Israelites (lost tribes) and Arabs against the Medes. I have argued that "Kingdom of God" eschatology pertains to reversing the defeat of the Iron Empire against Iranian barbarians.

Abraham's god appeals to Harran, I assume to Aram. Jacob to Jews, I suppose. Isaac is a mystery. Are they appealing to Saka? AKA Ar-Saces the Parthians? It's too early. Alternatively, contrary to British Israelitism, maybe the Kurds of that era (who claim Parthian as kin) were Saka. Maybe the Saka were Kurds. So, perhaps the "God of Isaac" is the God of Lake Van. Just wandering the search field.
Secret Alias
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Re: A More Viable Myth for Jewish Origins

Post by Secret Alias »

I don't see "Kingdom of God" as seminal in either earliest Samaritan or Jewish thought. The 'Davidic messiah' is a degeneration of the original (Samaritan) understanding of a returning Moses and Moses is not a king. Where do you derive the importance of this terminology? I would argue the exact opposite. The Pentateuch presents an ideal state which has NO features of governance i.e. no king, no standing armies. It is a government run by a priesthood where it is assumed (implicitly) that the Persian government is in charge of all aspects of statehood. As such Moses is not presented as a king. Response?
yakovzutolmai
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Re: A More Viable Myth for Jewish Origins

Post by yakovzutolmai »

Secret Alias wrote: Fri Sep 23, 2022 8:09 am I don't see "Kingdom of God" as seminal in either earliest Samaritan or Jewish thought. The 'Davidic messiah' is a degeneration of the original (Samaritan) understanding of a returning Moses and Moses is not a king. Where do you derive the importance of this terminology? I would argue the exact opposite. The Pentateuch presents an ideal state which has NO features of governance i.e. no king, no standing armies. It is a government run by a priesthood where it is assumed (implicitly) that the Persian government is in charge of all aspects of statehood. As such Moses is not presented as a king. Response?
Sorry, the "Kingdom of God" would be a Christian concept and I tie it to Assyrian influence. I only mentioned it and the rest to contribute alternative sources, not argue one way or the other about what you contributed.

As for the Davidic messiah, I'm very convinced this was spun out of the Taheb into a Jewish appropriation of divine Alexander the Great.

I agree with you about the Pentateuch. Again, to invoke Assyria, I strongly suspect that the Neo Assyrian empire would appropriate and control tribal idols in order to retain the loyalty of Arab and Israelite nomads. The importance of idols to Assyrian/Armenian/Hatran kings is emphasized over and over again, and the importance of a city's idol in Babylon is well understood. I'm extrapolating from Assyria's ability to command the loyalty of Arab and Israelite tribes that they maybe just controlled their idols.

Hence, a Persian political order is a very plausible setting for vicious anti-idolatry. In that sense I agree with your point of view on this.
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