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Re: orion-list Re: self-definition



In my opinion, not only did Essenes live at Qumran, and there and elsewhere
compose some of the Qumran texts, but they also gave themselves the
self-designation which via Greek and Latin comes into English as "Essenes."
	If one wishes to disagree, that is one thing, but to suggest that I
have failed to present considerable evidence and several lines of argument
to support the above conclusions is somewhat less than sporting or
credible.
	Since the case for the etymology would not fully fit into one post,
I wrote to alkraemer@hotmail.com offering to mail a photocopy of my article
which presents the etymology with some citations and historical context.
("Others and Intra-Jewish Polemic as Reflected in Qumran Texts" in The DSS:
A Comprehensive Assessment vol. 2, ed. P. Flint and J. VanderKam, [Leiden:
Brill, 1999]).
	But I received no response. No response, a response which would
have included a postal address. Odd, that.
	Some rejectionists, e.g. Ian H., simply move from one obscurantism
to another. I have addressed history of scholarship, including the mistakes
of the sixteenth century which still influenced scholars in 1947ff (some
even today)
	One asks for statistics; I gave numbers (even if not the whole nine
yards). One hears that Apostolic Constitutions is "late," then is presented
with Josippon, even later, and ignorant of Philo. One starts a thead with
article notes saying that Qumranites cultivated Biblical Hebrew and also
developed typological usages from it, including self-designations--a point
apparently lost in some quarters.
	I think that evidence for and agreement on this etymology is
growing. I expect that there will be more to learn about its consequences
for history.
	best wishes,

Stephen Goranson
goranson@dke.edu

for "Rereading Pliny on the Essenes" see
http://orion.mscc.huji.ac.il/orion/programs/Goranson98.html




For private reply, e-mail to stephen goranson <goranson@duke.edu>
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