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Re: orion-list 63 BCE; 4QMishC

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Hi Greg,
you wrote

>It is true that 4QMishC has been characterized as a
>calendar text with holidays, but how certain is it that
>that is a correct identification of the genre of the
>historical name-bearing fragments?

Okay - first I've looked somewhat overhasty at the wrong table. Thanks to
Ian for his hint. Indeed,
different from 4Q324a frg. 1, which contains the Sabbaths of the priestly
service-entrances of Year 5,
 frg. 2 informs us about the Sabbaths/services of Year 6.

Please correct me if I'm wrong in the following.

Line 3  [  -- in (the service week of) Je]chezqe'l, who
Line 4  [(serves after Petachjah?)  -- k]illed (/slaughter of )  'MLJWS
(Aemilius?)

i.e.,  Elul, 29 (fast of the wood) - Tishri, 04: service by Jechezqe'l in
month 6/7 of Year 6.

Line 5  [ --   ]. the seventh
Line 6  [(month) --   ].[.] of Gamul (?)
Line 7  [ --  w]hich is
Line 8  [ (the second course after Jechezqe'l ?) --  k]illed (/slaughter of
?)  'MLJWS (? In the sense of: when that had happened...)

i.e., Tishri, 12 - Tishri, 18: service by Gamul in month 7 of Year 6.

And - if I'm correct - the missing link of the calendar text, the course of
Jakin, is located in line 5:
i.e., Tishri, 05 - Tishri 18: service by Jakin in month 7 of year 6.

The proof would be the lines 1+2, but line 2 is nearly empty.

Line 1  [ --  day]twenty(-two ?)
Line 2  [ -- twenty eigh]t (?) [blank]

i.e.,  Elul, 22 - Elul 28: service by Petachjah; QED.

Thus the calendar services between Elul 22 and Tishri 18 would be described
sufficiently.
The slaughter by 'MLJWS  is the only remarkable event in the calendar
period, probably enough to melt the hearts every six years...

But what about frg. 3 ?

Line 1  [ --  ]... ... [ -- ]
Line 2  [ -- Je]shua'(s?) fou[th] day[ (is Tebet 1! ?) -- ]
Line 3  [ -- (the course of) Shekanjah(?) wh]ich is the s[econd (in
Tishri) -- ]

i.e., the  reference to
a) Tishri, 29 - Tebet, 04: service by Jeshua in month 7/8 of Year 6 and
b) Tebet, 05 - Tebet, 11: service by Shekanjah in month 8 of Year 6
is possible, but doubtlessly not verifiable.

However, you see that a calendar text with mnemonic aid, or better,
historical add-ons, is more probable than a part of annals (yearbooks) with
only a few interesting events.

A brief word on Aem. Scaurus. Both his pre- and post-63er killing is - even
historical possible - merely exaggerated assumption (for we really don't
know it! - more: we not even know if Aem. Scaurus was meant...) to support
the different unverifiable bottle theories of (a single or the last)
deposition of scrolls along the timeline.


PS. If democracy is still alive, I vote for Ian's return to the list.

Best regards,
Dierk
------------------------------------------------
Tactics are only a very small part of warfare.
                                -  Xenophon, Memorabilia
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/7359/
------------------------------------------------

For private reply, e-mail to "Dierk van den Berg" <haGalil@gmx.net>
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