Dierk,
A few comments on your analysis of Jub. 34:4 (which VanderKam translates,
based on extensive textual analysis: "And there came the kings of Tafu and
the kings of Aresa and the kings of Seragan and the kings of Selo and the
kings of Ga'as and the kings of Betoron and the kings of Ma'ansakir..."):
Just for your info, VanderKam's identifications (Textual Studies, 219ff)
are as follows:
Tafu = Tappuah (Josh. 16:8); Aresa, usually identified with Hasor, he
considers a corruption of Adesa = Adasa; Seragan (related texts have Srtn) he
identifies with Piraton, but as reviewers pointed out this site is better
identified with Biblical Zaratan (Josh. 3:16); Selo is Shiloh; Ga'as is
Biblical Ga'as (Josh. 24:30); Betoron is Beth Horon; Ma'ansakir is Mahanayim
(per VanderKam perhaps not the Transjordanian site, but another near Shechem,
near modern Khirbet Mahneh - he cites Wright, Shechem 12-13, 245) and Sychar.
> >Ma'ansakir of Jub. 34:4 is often taken to be a combination of the names of
> two cities, Ma'an and Sakir.<
>
> Not really, for Ma'anisakir is to be identified as Hirbat al-Mahana al-Foqa
> (Hirbat an-Nabi, Nabi Isma'il), ca. 4 km ssw of Sechem (Tal Balata) and 4.5
> km s of Nablus.
> Sakir indeed refers to Sychar (Joh 4.5) = 'En Swkr (Mishna Menahot 10.2), a
> location ~1 km nw Sechem and 2 km wnw Nablus. The southern plain of Ma'an /
> al-Mahna isn't meant here, for acc. to TestJud 6.3 and Midrash 693 the
> village is located on top of a mountain (as I've mentioned already ealier).
I'm a little confused, as there is no independent mention of Sakir
alongside Ma'ansakir in Jub. 34:4 in the textual traditions I'm aware of,
only Ma'ansakir by itself (or variants), or "Shabir king of Mahanayim", which
reflects Ma'an and Sakir as originally distinct cities.
> The destruction of Shechem indeed ignores the general conditions of the
> Maccabean military scenario, nevertheless it fits perfectly into to the
> local geography and the military spirit of the narration and was, thus,
> important enough to be added (as an anti-Samaritan anecdote? cf. Ant XIII
> 275) in a later stage of political redaction, that is, in the end phase of
> the 'true' Jewish military epoch 110 -76 BC.
I agree that Jubilees underwent a considerable textual evolution. (The
earliest, pre-Maccabean edition appears to have concerned itself mainly with
polemics against Pseudo-Eupolemus along with alleged patriarchal practice of
Mosaic legislation.) I wouldn't exclude the possibility of further
developments as late as you suggest, if the evidence warrants it.
A problem I have in dating this passage by the presence of Sychar rather
than Shechem is that we don't really know why the author collected these
placenames. VanderKam noted that some of these were fortresses built by
Bacchides (and hence though Jubilees dated c. 161 BCE), but this conclusion
was based on some of his site identifications which seemed forced, such as
Pirathon. Is this, instead, a reminiscence of locations in a historical
military campaign or campaigns (perhaps Maccabean)? If so, then one can
conceive of a guerilla battle fought at Sychar rather than at the larger city
of Shechem, and Shechem's absence loses its significance. Unless one
understands the background of the list as a whole -- an unsolved and perhaps
unsolvable problem -- one cannot draw firm conclusions from this passage IMO.
Also, while Shechem was captured by Hyrkanus (Ant. 13.255), it was not
said to have been leveled like Samaria, and Josephus refers to Demetrius's
army in his campaign against Jannaeus in 88 BCE as encamped "near the city of
Shechem" (Ant. 13.377). This is in the period when you have suggested Sychar
had superceded a destroyed Shechem, if I understand you correctly. I have
not read Wright's _Shechem_ -- is your reconstruction of Shehem's history
based on his archaeological conclusions? And how do you interpret the data
from Antiquities?
> PS. What's up with your legionaries in 1QM? Enough panis militaris left for
> a decisive breakthrough this year?
Between campaigns at the moment.
Best regards,
Russell Gmirkin
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