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Re: orion-list Philo and pacifism of Essenes
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----- Original Message -----
From: George Brooks <george.x.brooks@Juno.Com>
To: <orion@mscc.huji.ac.il>
Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 1999 12:25 AM
Subject: Re: orion-list Philo and pacifism of Essenes
> Dierk:
>
> Sometimes you work very hard to develop a "significance" without
> a "difference".
The significant difference is the flexible meaning of the term "camp" in
the War Scroll.
You think on Khirbet Qumran as a camp described in the scroll, isn't it?
Well, the connection is utmost seductive but completely wrong:
A War Scroll camp is either a temporary fortified field-camp or the army in
battle formation. Fortresses or outposts are aside the authors interests;
siege tactics are consequently not part of the tactica. Moreover, the paper
doesn't even show basic knowledge of the logistics
Thus the reason for the absence of women and lames from the camps should be
clear.
> The point I was making is that if the Egyptian Therapeutae allowed
> women to participate as "equals" (or near equals?), while the Essenes
> had a reputation for keeping women separate.
Show me an Essene Rule of Marriage first!
>
> This "separateness" may have still have:
> 1] allowed for all female households in and amongst the
> male households, or
Pure assumption.
> 2] which allowed living with women as "married Essenes" for those
> Essenes who fit that category
Josephus theory of relativity...
>, or
> 3] which allowed living with "sisters" and "mothers" in an unwed
> state but excluding them from the spiritual function of the
> community.
That's a good summary of Gospel lifestyle, but we're talking about a
militaristic union, for which peace was understood in negative fashion,
simply as the absence of war.
> Thus, in terms of "potential" pacifism or aggressiveness, it is
> easier to see the Therapeutae as having the more pacificist
> inclinations. They seem more flexible from the foundation.
"Potential" pacifism is a term of Zakkai's Peace Faction first. You're in
the wrong channel, I believe, when trying to connect pro-Roman tactics of
survival with the xenophobe union.
> However, in the end, I have to Greg Doudna in maintaining that
> this whole idea of pacifist Therapeautae **or** Essenes is more
> myth than reality.
Hey - that's remarkable realistic. I see s.th. like the prolongation of 1st
century peace philosophy back into the past. The classical making of roots?
> To the Doers of Torah/Doers of War/Healers/Stalwart Ones
> of Old,
I would add the Doers of (Roman) Peace.
> George Brooks
> Tampa, FL
Merry Xmas and a less terrible New Millennium.
Dierk
For private reply, e-mail to "Dierk van den Berg" <haGalil@gmx.net>
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