Centres and Peripheries in the Early Second Temple Period (eBook)

Cover 1
Preface 6
Table of Contents 8
List of Abbreviations 12
Ehud Ben Zvi: Introduction 16
Ehud Ben Zvi: Introductory Centre/Core-Periphery Considerations and the Case of Interplaying of Rigid and Flexible Constructions of Centre and Periphery among the Literati of the Late Persian/Early Hellenistic Period 36
A. Basic Considerations about the Model/s 36
1. Processes of Relative Hierarchical Branching 41
2. The Study of Inner Core or Peripheral Complexity and its Own Processes 42
3. Centering and Peripheralizing Tendencies and Processes 43
4. Multiple and Complementary Systems of Centre and Periphery involving the Same Partners 43
5. Matters of Othering (Including Gendering) 44
B. From Theory to Practical Examples 44
C. Reconstructing Some of the Rulesfor Constructing Centre and Periphery Axes within the Discourse of the Yehudite Literati 50
Laurie E. Pearce: Looking for Judeans in Babylonia’s Core and Periphery 58
A. Center/Core and Periphery: A Heuristic Model 58
B. A Top-Down Model 60
C. How Babylonians Expressed a Notion of Core and Periphery 63
D. Identifying Peripherals in the Corpus 66
E. Peripherals Supporting Core Economic Activities 69
1. Sippar 69
2. Susa 73
3. Judeans in the Rural Economy: The Land Behind Nippur 74
F. Summary 78
Bob Becking: Centre, Periphery, and Interference: Notes on the “Passover/Mazzot”-Letter from Elephantine 80
A. The Mappa Mundi Perspective 80
B. A Social Science Model 80
C. Elephantine 81
1. An Important but Enigmatic Document 82
2. A few Remarks on the Translation 83
3. General Remarks 83
D. Sender and Address 85
E. Centre and Periphery as two Complex Systems 87
F. Interference 89
G. Passover and Mazzot at Elephantine 91
H. Conclusion 93
Sylvie Honigman: Intercultural Exchanges in the Hellenistic East: The Respective Roles of Temples, Royal Offices, Courts, and Gymnasia 94
A. Introduction 94
B. The Gymnasion as an Institution for Athletic and Military Training 99
1. Gymnasia in Greek Cities 99
2. Gymnasia outside the Greek Cities 102
3. Jason’s Gymnasion in Jerusalem (2 Maccabees 4:7–15) 103
C. Primary Greek Education for Greek and Egyptian Boys in Ptolemaic Egypt 104
1. Greek Schools vs. Egyptian Temples: The Dual Institutional Setting 105
2. Content: Moral Instruction in Greek and Egyptian Primary Educations 106
D. The Higher Education of Royal Officials in Ptolemaic Egypt 107
1. The Social Identity of the Native Elites who learned Greek 107
2. Training Officials: Apprenticeship in the Administrative Offices (and not “Higher Education”) 108
E. From the Social Location of Texts to their Trans-Network Circulation within a Society 110
F. The Circulation of Books and Ideas across Boundaries: The Royal Court as the Institution for Intercultural Encounters 113
1. Questioning the Model of Itinerant and Migrant Literati 113
2. Strootman’s “Outer Court” 114
3. The Outer Court as a “Multiple” Contact Zone? 115
4. Devolution 117
5. The Cultural Role of Courts in Pre-Hellenistic and Hellenistic Times: A Comparison 119
G. Conclusion 121
Diana Edelman: Identities within a Central and Peripheral Perspective The Use of Aramaic in the Hebrew Bible 124
A. Introduction 124
B. Identity Strategies 124
C. Code-Switching in Bilingual and Multi-Lingual Contexts 127
D. Language and Group Identity 132
1. The Use of Hebrew and Aramaic in TANAK 135
1. Genesis 31:47 138
2. Jeremiah 10:11 138
3. Ezra 4:8–6:18 7:11–26
4. Daniel 2:4–7:28 143
E. Conclusion 145
Francis Landy: Between Centre and Periphery: Space and Gender in the Book of Judges in the Early Second Temple Period 148
Hermann-Josef Stipp: Jeremiah 24: Deportees, Remainees, Returnees, and the Diaspora 178
A. The Deportees, the Remainees, the Returnees and the Diaspora in Jeremiah 24 179
B. Theories on the Origin and Background of Jeremiah 24 185
1. Deuteronomistic Redaction? 185
2. Golah-Oriented Redaction? 187
3. An Ideological Weapon in Faction Fights in Post-Exilic Jerusalem? 189
C. A New Proposal 193
Kåre Berge: Are There Centres and Peripheries in Deuteronomy? 196
Reinhard Müller The Altar on Mount Gerizim (Deuteronomy 27:1–8) Center or Periphery? 212
A. Remarks on the Textual History of Deuteronomy 27:4 214
B. Literary History of Deuteronomy 27:1–8 217
C. Peripheries and Centers: Jordan, Gerizim, Ebal, Jerusalem 228
Erik Aurelius: Periphery as Provocation? 1 Kings 17 and 2 Kings 5 230
Magnar Kartveit: The Temple of Jerusalem as the Centre of Affairs in the Book of Chronicles: Memories of the Past and Contemporary Social Setting 244
A. Three Theories 244
B. Israel as the Centre of the World: Chapter 1 247
C. Jerusalem as the Centre of Israel: Chapters 2–9 250
D. The Temple as the Centre of Jerusalem and the Land: 1 Chronicles 10–2 Chronicles 36 252
E. Conclusion 256
Louis C. Jonker: Being both on the Periphery and in the Centre: The Jerusalem Temple in Late Persian Period Yehud from Postcolonial Perspective 258
A. Introduction 258
B. Methodological “Preamble” 259
C. The Differentiated Socio-Historical Context of the Late Persian Period and the Portrayal of the Temple in Chronicles 263
1. The Jerusalem Temple and Persian Imperial Religion 266
2. The Jerusalem Temple and Other Sanctuaries 270
3. Tribal Rivalry Over a Central Sanctuary 275
D. Synthesis: Power Relations and Second Temple as Reflected in Chronicles 280
Gary N. Knoppers: What is the Core and What is the Periphery in Ezra-Nehemiah? 284
A. Centres and Satellites? The Complexities of Ancient Greek Colonization 289
B. Ezra: Core and Periphery in Reverse? 294
C. Core-Periphery Reversals in Nehemiah 299
D. Core and Periphery: The View from Babylon and Susa 303
Juha Pakkala: Centers and Peripheries in the Ezra Story 310
A. Introduction 310
B. Ezra-Nehemiah as a Composition 312
C. Centers and Peripheries in the Ezra Story 314
D. Political Centers 319
E. Ideological Centers 322
F. Who Formed (the Center of) the Jewish Community? 325
G. Concluding Remarks 328
Friedhelm Hartenstein: The King on the Throne of God: The Concept of World Dominion in Chronicles and Psalm 2 330
A. Point of Departure: The Particularity of Psalm 2:6 330
B. On the Concept of World Empire in Chronicles in the Light of the Persian Political Thought and its Representations 332
1. The Achaemenid Concept of World Empire – An Outline 334
2. The Concept of the World Kingdom in Chroniclesin its Temporal and Territorial Particularity 336
a) Chronology / Prototypic Order 336
b) Spatial structure / implicit world view 337
C. Psalm 2 and Chronicles: A Synopsis in the Light of 2 Chronicles 20 341
1. Short Outline on the Structure and Content of Psalm 2 341
2. The Implicit Worldview/Concept of World dominion of Psalm 2 in Comparison with that of Chronicles 342
D. Figures 344
Beate Ego: Jerusalem and the Nations: “Center and Periphery” in the Zion Tradition 348
A. The Zion Tradition – Introductory Remarks 348
B. “Center and Periphery” in the Time of the Monarchy 349
C. “Center and Periphery” in the Exilic and Persian Periods 351
D. Outlook: “Center and Periphery” in the Hellenistic Period 358
Kathrin Liess: Centre and Periphery in Psalm 137 362
A. Translation and Structure of Psalm 137 364
B. Images of Periphery and Centre in Psalm 137 368
1. Living in the Periphery: Babylon (vv. 1–4) 368
a) The Periphery as a Watered City 368
b) The Periphery as a Place of Suffering 372
c) The Periphery as “Foreign Soil” 373
2. Loyalty to the Centre: Jerusalem (vv. 5–6) 375
a) Apodosis: Forgetting the Centre Concerns the Body and the Human Being as a Whole 376
b) Protasis: Remembering the Centre Elevates Jerusalem 380
3. Curse for the Periphery: Babylon (vv. 7–9) 382
a) The Foundation and Destruction of the Centre: Jerusalem 383
b) The Destruction of the Periphery: Edom and Babylon 386
C. From Periphery to Centre: Some Remarks on the Historical Setting 391
1. Psalm 137 as a Psalm for those Living in the Periphery 392
2. Psalm 137 as a Psalm for those Living in the Centre 393
Christoph Levin: The Edition of the Psalms of Ascents 396
A. Centre and Periphery 396
B. Ps 120–134 as Part of the Book of Psalms 398
C. Incorporation 400
D. Further Additions: The Righteousness Revision 403
E. The Edition of the Psalms of Ascents 405
F. The Reworking of the Individual Psalms 406
G. The Other Psalms of the Collection 413
H. The Arrangement of the Collection 414
Ann-Cathrin Fiß: “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12) Mercy as the Centre of Psalm 103 416
A. Psalm 103: Structure and Content 417
B. Mercy as the Theological Centre of the Psalm 417
1. Mercy as the Foundation of Anthropology 417
2. Mercy and Creation Theology 419
3. Mercy and Fulfillment of the Commandments 421
4. The Celestial Beings Obedience to the Commandments 422
C. To Whom Does Mercy Apply? 424
Urmas Nõmmik: Qinah Meter: From Genre Periphery to Theological Center – A Sketch 426
A. 427
B. 431
C. 435
1. Cluster 1 436
2. Cluster 2 436
3. Cluster 3 437
4. Cluster 5 438
5. Cluster 6 442
6. Cluster 7 444
7. Cluster 4 445
D. 449
E. 450
Peter Juhás: “Center” and “Periphery” in the Apocalyptic Imagination: The Vision of the Ephah (Zechariah 5:5–11) and the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch as Case Study 452
A. Introduction 452
B. The Texts Studied 452
C. The Proto-Zechariah – The Vision of the Ephah 454
1. Redaction-Critical Observations 455
2. The Ephah and the Winged Women 457
3. A Temple or a Safe Storage House? 460
D. The Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch 461
List of Contributors 468
Source Index 470
Author Index 476