1QSa 2.6 excludes a number of categories of people from the congregation, including "everyone who is defiled in his flesh, paralysed in his feet or in his hands, lame, blind, deaf, dumb or defiled in his flesh with a blemish visible to the eyes, or the tottering old man who cannot keep upright in the midst of the assembly" (Martinez' translation), because they are defiled and the holy angels are present.
Am I right in thinking that the text assumes that should the defiled appear in the congregation, their presence would drive the angels from its midst? And if so, why? Yours, Jeffrey Gibson -- Jeffrey B. Gibson, D.Phil. (Oxon.) 1500 W. Pratt Blvd. #1 Chicago, IL 60626 [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ g-Megillot mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mailman.McMaster.CA/mailman/listinfo/g-megillot
