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RE: orion Kittim, follow-up
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From: soren[SMTP:soren@enteract.com]
Sent: יום רביעי, אוקטובר 22, 1997 03:27
To: orion@mscc.huji.ac.il
Subject: Re: orion Kittim, follow-up
Kittim (Kaf-tav-yod-mem) show up in Genesis 10:4 as descendents of Yavan
(=Greece)and in Numbers 24:24 where they are at the end of Balaam's
prophecy, the one in which he says he will explain the "end of days"
(Numbers 24:14). Thus, as this is the last of the "peoples" mentioned, the
fact that they are on the scene means that the Messiah could plausibly
appear. As it happens, the reason that "Balaam" refers to a Greek invasion
is that Leviticus and Numbers, the so-called P material, are not
incorporated into the canon of the Jerusalem Temple, the emergent Torah,
before the 4th century BCE.
DDear Steve,
Leviticus and Numbers in general may be P. but the BalaamNarrative and oracles, except for a few editorial snippets, are not. They therefore represent older material, the exact age of which is unclear. Some of it, at least, may date drom King Saul's time "and his king will be higher (tallefr?) than Agag"/
Sincerely,
Jonathan D. Safren
Beit Berl college