[Megillot] Re: [Megillot / ANE] teacher Judah Essene; "wicked priest" Alexander

[RGmyrken]

Dear Stephen,

    Not to take direct issue with your theory on Judah the Essene as TR, etc. -- we've discussed this to death on Orion -- but, I'd like to ask for some amplification on one minor point, an argument you first raised in your JJS article several years ago, if memory serves.

Posidonius was used by Strabo, and Josephus used Strabo. Ant. 13 has Essenes at 146 BC, since their histories began then, when Polybius left off.

   Now granted that Polybius broke off his history c. 146 BCE, and that both Posidonius and Strabo took up their histories in detail at about this time, how exactly does this relate to Ant. 13?  That is, why would either Posidonius or Strabo start off their respective books with an account of the Jews (and their three sects)?  (a) There is no fragment of either author that I know of that recounts historical events in Judea of c. 146 BCE.  (b) Ant. 13.171 itself contains no fragment of history (such as either Posidonius or Strabo might have written) in association with the mention of the three sects of the Jews ("Now at this time there were three schools of thought among the Jews, which held different opinions concerning human affairs..."). 
   And indeed Ant. 13.173 refers the reader to The Jewish War 2.119-166 ("Of these matters, however, I have given a more detailed account in the second book of the Jewish History"), which was written against the historical backdrop of the events of 6 CE and probably dates to around the same era.  It seems to me more likely that Ant. 13.171 derives from some such later essay than from the histories of either Posidonius or Strabo.  Unless you have an independent argument that one of these historians discussed Jewish events c. 146 BCE (which would be of some interest).

Best wishes,
Russell Gmirkin