On the "wicked priest" ID, briefly (more detail later if seems useful). We can reasonably exclude some proposed canditates as too early or too late. For instance, the C. Roth and G. R. Driver zealot sixties proposals are too late, aren't they? Briefly, others can be excluded, too.
The pesharim don't quote Hodayot verses, do they? In any case, why would a pesharist bother to write about scripture being fulfilled in the instance of a (putative) fictional character? The "Maccabean" theory, proposed before the centrality of Hebrew was fully appreciated, suffers from, among other things, attempts to link Hasidim and Essenes Aramaic usage that is not attested in any relevant text. And, I suggest, too early. The second most often proposed candidate is not Simon but Jannaeus (bibliography on request). The Groningen proposal, in part, offers stepwise movement from one Janathan to another. But separate TRs are difficult to see. I suggest: one, the second Jonathan. 4Q448, including col. A is dualistic, amid war. There is a negative opponent individual: Jonathan. Jonathan, already known to be quite a major figure in long sectarian strife. Warrior (including in land east of Jordan and north of Judaea), drinker, priest, greedy, cruel, long-time ruler (some others are too insubstantial characters), etc. Perhaps consider Jonathan as "wicked priest." Plus, he was contemporary with the first known Essene, a teacher, Judah the Essene. (And cf. Brownlww on Judah in 1QpHab). The claim that Josephus does not name the TR can be misleading: one cannot tell if the name is included unless one knows what name to look for. --- Robert Feather, a correspondent informed me, has a forthcoming book. I mention this not to endorse the book (that I haven't read and that seems quite unlikely), and I found his copper scroll book (1st ed. of 2?) quite unpersuasive, but mention this as bibliography: http://www.innertraditions.com/isbn/1-59143-044-5 best Stephen Goranson _______________________________________________ g-Megillot mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mailman.McMaster.CA/mailman/listinfo/g-megillot
