Aramaic and Hebrew Inscriptions from Mt. Gerizim and Samaria between Antiochus III and Antiochus IV Epiphanes Culture and History of the Ancient Near East FoundingEditor M.H.E. Weippert Editor-in-Chief Thomas Schneider Editors Eckart Frahm W. Randall Garr B. Halpern Theo P.J. van den Hout Irene J. Winter VOLUME54 Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.nl/chan Aramaic and Hebrew Inscriptions from Mt. Gerizim and Samaria between Antiochus III and Antiochus IV Epiphanes By Jan Duˇsek LEIDEN•BOSTON 2012 ThisstudyistheresultofaresearchactivitywhichispartofthegrantprojectGACˇR401/07/P454“Criticalanalysisofthenew epigraphicevidencerelatedtothehistoryoftheprovinceofSamariafromthe4thcenturybcetothe1stcenturyce”,whichhas providedfinancialsupportforitsediting. Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaper. LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Duˇsek,Jan. AramaicandHebrewinscriptionsfromMt.GerizimandSamariabetweenAntiochusIIIandAntiochusIVEpiphanes/byJanDuˇsek p.cm.–(CultureandhistoryoftheancientNearEast;v.54) Includesbibliographicalreferences. ISBN978-90-04-18385-8(hardback:alk.paper)1.Inscriptions,Aramaic–WestBank–Gerizim,Mount.2.Inscriptions, Aramaic–Israel–Sabastiyah.3.Inscriptions,Hebrew–WestBank–Gerizim,Mount.4.Inscriptions,Hebrew–Israel–Sabastiyah.5. Paleography,Hebrew.6.Paleography,Aramaic.7.Judaism–History–Post-exilicperiod,586B.C.-210A.D.I.Title. PJ5208.A5D872012 492.4'11–dc23 2011042134 ISSN1566-2055 ISBN9789004183858(hardback) ISBN9789004225466(e-book) Copyright2012byKoninklijkeBrillNV,Leiden,TheNetherlands. KoninklijkeBrillNVincorporatestheimprintsBrill,GlobalOriental,HoteiPublishing, IDCPublishers,MartinusNijhoffPublishersandVSP. 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(cid:2)ντ(cid:5)(cid:6)τ(cid:7)ωτ(cid:7)(cid:9)(cid:10)ρ(cid:12)ν(cid:7)ωΣαμαρε(cid:16)ςε(cid:18)πρ(cid:20)σσ(cid:5)ντες... —FlaviusJosephus,JewishAntiquities. CONTENTS ListofFigures.................................................................................. xi Preface ......................................................................................... xiii Acknowledgements............................................................................ xv Abbreviations ..................................................................................xvii Introduction ................................................................................... 1 ChapterOne.ScriptsoftheInscriptionsfromMt.Gerizim.................................. 3 . Temple-CityonMt.Gerizim ........................................................... 3 .. SanctuaryandSacredPrecinct .................................................. 3 .. City ............................................................................... 4 . ScriptsUsedonMt.Gerizim ........................................................... 5 .. AramaicScript ................................................................... 5 .. DatingtheAramaicInscriptions ................................................ 5 .. MonumentalandCursiveAramaicScript:AComparison..................... 8 . AramaicCursiveScript ................................................................. 8 .. LapidaryInscriptions ............................................................ 8 .. InscriptionsWritteninInk ...................................................... 10 .. CursiveFormsAttestedonMt.Gerizim ........................................ 10 .. VarietyoftheFormsofLetters .................................................. 16 ... TheDifferencebetweentheInitial/MiddleandFinalForm ............ 17 ... DaletandResh............................................................ 19 .. DatingtheAramaicCursiveScriptfromMt.Gerizim.......................... 21 . AramaicMonumentalScript ........................................................... 26 .. FormsAttestedonMt.Gerizim ................................................. 26 .. AramaicMonumentalScriptfromMt.GerizimandtheInscriptionsfrom th–thorrdCenturiesbce.................................................... 29 ... LapidaryInscriptionsfromthePersianPeriod ......................... 29 ... LapidaryInscriptionsfromthe(Persianand/or)HellenisticPeriod ... 30 ... SmallAramaicInscriptionsinMonumentalStyle ...................... 33 .. MonumentalandCursiveStyleintheAramaicScriptfromMt.Gerizim...... 34 ... DistinctiveFeatures ...................................................... 34 ... CommonFeatures ....................................................... 36 .. DatingtheAramaicMonumentalScript ........................................ 36 . MixedScript ............................................................................ 37 .. FormsAttestedonMt.Gerizim ................................................. 37 .. Initial/Middle andFinalFormsofLetters....................................... 39 .. Datingthe“MixedScript” ....................................................... 39 . SpellingwithDaletorZayin............................................................ 39 .. AramaicMonumentalScript .................................................... 40 ... SpellingwithZayin....................................................... 40 ... SpellingwithDalet....................................................... 40 .. AramaicCursiveScript .......................................................... 41 ... SpellingwithZayin....................................................... 41 viii contents ... SpellingwithZayinandDalet ........................................... 41 ... SpellingwithDalet....................................................... 41 .. “MixedScript”.................................................................... 41 ... SpellingwithZayin....................................................... 41 ... SpellingwithDalet....................................................... 42 .. SpellingAsaChronologicalFactor?............................................. 42 . RulingofAramaicInscriptions......................................................... 43 .. HorizontalRulingofInscriptionsinAramaicScript ........................... 44 ... PatternA ................................................................. 44 ... PatternB.................................................................. 46 ... PatternDifficulttoDetermine........................................... 48 .. VerticalRuling? .................................................................. 49 .. WhoCarvedtheRulingLines?.................................................. 49 .. TheStyleofAramaicScriptandRulingPractices............................... 51 . MistakesandUnusualSpelling......................................................... 52 .. MistakesObservedbytheAuthorsoftheEditioPrinceps ...................... 52 .. OtherMistakes................................................................... 52 .. UnusualSpelling ................................................................. 54 . Paleo-HebrewFragments............................................................... 54 .. FragmentswithRulingLines .................................................... 54 .. InscriptionswithoutRulingLines............................................... 58 .Conclusion.............................................................................. 59 .. DatingtheAramaicandHebrewInscriptionsfromMt.Gerizim .............. 59 .. PrivateInscriptions .............................................................. 60 ... MonumentalStyle........................................................ 60 ... CursiveStyleandItsVariety............................................. 60 ... ManufacturingthePrivateInscriptions ................................. 61 .. PublicInscription(s) ............................................................. 62 ChapterTwo.Identity ......................................................................... 65 . SamariaintheHellenisticPeriod....................................................... 65 .. FromtheEndofPersianRuletotheEndofPtolemaicRule ................... 65 .. SeleucidRule ..................................................................... 68 . IdentityofWorshippersofYahwehinSamaria ........................................ 74 .. TwoInscriptionsfromDelosandTheirImplicationsforSamaria ............. 75 ... DateoftheInscriptions.................................................. 76 ... “Israelites” ................................................................ 77 ... (cid:5)(cid:22)(cid:23)παρ(cid:10)(cid:12)μεν(cid:5)ι .......................................................... 77 ... (cid:22)ερ(cid:5)ν((cid:25)γι(cid:5)ν)(cid:27)Αργαρι(cid:29)ε(cid:30)ν ............................................... 78 .. IdentityoftheSamarianYahwistsintheHellenisticPeriod.................... 79 . ReligiousInstitutionsinHellenisticSamaria .......................................... 81 .. SanctuariesinSamariaDuringtheHellenisticPeriod.......................... 81 .. SeleucidAdministrationoftheLocalSanctuaries .............................. 82 .. PriestsonMt.Gerizim........................................................... 83 .. WorshippersofYahwehonMt.Gerizim ........................................ 83 .. StatusoftheSanctuaryonMt.Gerizim ......................................... 84 . TextsUsedbytheSamarianYahwists:Pentateuch..................................... 85 .. SamaritanPentateuch............................................................ 86 ... HarmonisticTexts........................................................ 86 contents ix ... SamarianLayeroftheSamaritanPentateuch ........................... 89 ... Deuteronomy:andthe“ChosenPlace” ............................. 90 .. WhenDidtheSamarianYahwistsAdoptthePentateuch?...................... 90 .. WhenWastheSamarianLayerAddedtotheHarmonisticText? .............. 92 ... DatingtheHarmonisticBackgroundoftheSamaritanPentateuch .... 92 ... PentateuchAsFragileEquilibrium ...................................... 93 ... JudaeanModificationofthePentateuch ................................ 94 ... SamarianModificationofthePentateuch............................... 95 . SamarianYahwistsAsForeignersintheJewishSociety ............................... 96 .. LawsoftheTorah ................................................................ 97 .. Nehemiah ..................................................................... 99 .. Ant..–.................................................................. 100 .. NewTestament................................................................... 100 . DateandCircumstancesoftheExclusion:TheCaseofSidoniansinShechem....... 101 .. IdentityoftheSidonians......................................................... 101 .. QuestionofHellenization ....................................................... 104 .. Date............................................................................... 107 ... CoinswiththeTitlesofAntiochusIVEpiphanes....................... 109 ... Macc: ................................................................ 110 ... Macc:–........................................................... 112 .. ExclusionoftheSamarianYahwistsandItsConsequences..................... 115 . Conclusion.............................................................................. 116 ChapterThree.SouthernLevantbetweenAntiochusIIIandAntiochusIVEpiphanes..... 119 . Ant..–:Seleucids,PtolemiesandTobiads ................................... 119 .. Ant..–:thandthSyrianWarsandTheirConsequences .......... 120 .. Ant..–:TheTobiads ................................................... 120 . ChronologyofJosephusinAnt..–........................................... 120 . SeleucidandPtolemaicKingsinAnt..–..................................... 122 . TheDotalAgreement(Ant..–) .............................................. 123 .. LiteraryEvidence ................................................................ 123 .. ObjectoftheDowry:LandorTaxes?............................................ 124 .. LegalandHistoricalAspectsoftheDotalAgreement.......................... 125 .. EvidenceforLegalAnalysis...................................................... 127 .. Inscriptions....................................................................... 127 .. Coins ............................................................................. 128 .. Date............................................................................... 129 . TheTobiads ............................................................................. 132 .. Araqel-EmirandtheTobiads ................................................... 133 ... EvidenceofTexts......................................................... 133 ... Archaeology.............................................................. 135 ... DatingtheTobiahInscriptions .......................................... 136 .. ChronologyoftheTobiadsintheHellenisticPeriod ........................... 137 ... Joseph,SonofTobias,IsaLiteraryFiction.............................. 139 ... Joseph,SonofTobias,WasActiveEssentiallyintherdCenturybce 140 ... Joseph,SonofTobias,WasActiveintherdandalsointhend Centuriesbce ............................................................ 142 ... Joseph,SonofTobias,WasActiveEssentiallyinthendCenturybce 143 ... MostProbableTimeofActivityofJosephtheTobiad .................. 143