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SV: orion-list Prof. Goranson's "DOERS" - A MACCABEAN EVIDENCE?



It is certainly less philologically objectionable than certain other
candidates. It could be traced back to Akkadian asu, "doctor", from syllabic
Sumerian A.SU, also a kind of doctor or healer. However, there are no
indications that those responsible for the text finds in the caves were
particularly concerned with healing. This is not a trivial concern:
magical-medical lore was one of the great literary heritages of the ANE, far
greater than the survival of so-called "literary" texts. So the lack of any
serious presence of this sort of literature among the Qumran materials
requires explanation: particularly so if it is claimed at the same time that
those responsible for the texts were concerned with just this type of
activity.

Frederick Cryer
University of Copenhagn

> -----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
> Fra:	leorose@Juno.Com [SMTP:leorose@Juno.Com]
> Sendt:	16. november 1999 06:11
> Til:	orion@mscc.huji.ac.il
> Emne:	Re: orion-list Prof. Goranson's "DOERS" - A MACCABEAN EVIDENCE?
> 
> Dear Professor,
> 
> I am not convinced by your ethymology of 'Essene'. 
> A number of possibilities  have been suggested and there is still no
> consensus in favor of any of them.
> As for me, I am inclined to favor the derivation from 'ah-sah' which
> means a physician or a healer in Aramaic; it is found in the Targum (cf.
> Jastrow, Dictionary of the Targum, Talmud...).
> It would be in consonance with Philo's description of the 'therapeutaye'.
> 
> Leo Abrami 
> For private reply, e-mail to leorose@juno.com

For private reply, e-mail to "Frederick H. Cryer" <fc@teol.ku.dk>
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