The Biblical Masorah and the Temple Scroll An Orthographical Inquiry

by Jacobs, Steven Leonard

• ISBN13: 9780761823063
• ISBN10: 0761823069
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-10-29
• Publisher: UPA

Summary

The Temple Scroll, the last of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in 1967, contains two phenomena that are at variance with the Jewish tradition. Professor Jacobs presents a thorough study of ligature writing or "joined letters" and the insertion of both words and phrases between the lines of the text in The Biblical Masorah and the Temple Scroll.

Author Biography

Steven Leonard Jacobs is Associate Professor of Religious Studies in the Department of Religious Studies at The University of Alabama where he holds the Aaron Aronov Chair of Judaic Studies. He has served as the Rabbi of Temple B'nai Sholom, Huntsville, AL, and taught or has taught Jewish, Holocaust [Shoah], and Biblical Studies at Calhoun Community College, Oakwood College, University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL; Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS; and Martin Methodist College, Pulaski, TN. He received his B.A. [With Distinction] from the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA; and his B.H.L., M.A.H.L., D.H.L., and D.D. [Honoris Causa] from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, OH. In addition to serving congregations in Steubenville, OH; Niagara Falls, NY; Dallas, TX; and Birmingham and Mobile, AL, he has taught at Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL, where he served as the Herbert P. Feibelman, Jr., Chautauqua Professor of Jewish Studies; University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, as Adjunct Professor of Religion Studies; University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham-Southern College, and Samford University, Birmingham, AL

Table of Contents

Figures	vii
Tables	ix
Foreword	xi
David B. Weisberg
Preface	xiii
Introduction	1	(10)
Introductory	1	(1)
The Work of Israel Yeivin and Aron Dothan	2	(3)
The Temple Scroll and Its Role in Biblical Scholarship	5	(2)
The Question of Canonization: The Temple Scroll versus the Masoretic Text	7	(4)
The Writing of the Biblical Text (Halakha and Masorah) and the Writing of the Temple Scroll	11	(80)
Introductory	11	(1)
The Writing of the Texts: Yeivin's ``Categories'' and the Temple Scroll	11	(11)
Unusual Scribal Practices	22	(1)
Ligatures in the Temple Scroll	23	(3)
Further Thoughts on Canon and Canonization	26	(4)
Tables	30	(6)
Figures	36	(55)
The Question of the Dating of the Temple Scroll and Other Scribal Phenomena	91	(12)
Introductory: The Place to Start---Yigael Yadin	91	(1)
A Second Line of Defense: Identifying the Temple Scroll with Qumran and the Essene Sect---Yigael Yadin	92	(2)
In Support of Yadin: Broshi, Farrell, Lewittes, Maier, Milgrom, and the Encyclopedia Judaica	94	(1)
In Opposition to Yadin: Levine, Schiffman, Wacholder (and Cohn)	95	(4)
My Own Conclusions	99	(1)
Other Scribal Phenomena	99	(2)
Tentative Conclusions	101	(2)
A Bibliographic Essay: Surveying the Literature; Final Thoughts	103	(8)
Introductory	103	(1)
Archaeology, History, and Discovery: Religion, Philosophy, and Theology	103	(2)
Bible and Higher Criticism: Scholarship and Text Analysis	105	(1)
Canonization and Masoretic Traditions: Calendar and Dating; New Testament and Christian Origins	105	(1)
Final Thoughts	106	(5)
Bibliography	111	(14)
Supplement	125	(10)
About the Author	135