According to Pesher Habakkuk v, the House of Absalom failed to help the teacher of righteousness when the wicked priest rebuked him; Absalom "kept silence." If we follow the pHab viii hint of juxtaposed House of Judah, 'osey hatorah, and the Teacher of Righteousness and accept Jannai as its "wicked priest," perhaps we should consider the only surviving brother of Jannai, Absalom. After all, Jannai did not kill his brother Absalom (unlike others), because he considered him no threat as a rival for power; his brother, "...the survivor, who was content with a quiet life." (War I 84; cf. Ant. 13. 323 "brother who preferred to live without taking part in public affairs" and Marcus/Loeb note a; Ant. 14.71). Quiet; silence; Absalom.
The accounts in Josephus and Talmud about sectarian-upset dinners of John Hyrcanus and Jannai (or one dinner twice assigned) are complex. But it's interesting that Raba reportedly said (b. Berakot 29a): "Johanan and Jannai are different [i.e., John Hyrcanus was not Jannai--correct]; Jannai was originally wicked and Johanan was originally righteous." Possibly this reflects Essene and Pharisee/Rabbinic polemic. In the Essene view Jannai was at first "called by the name of truth" (pHab viii 9) and then became wicked (the wicked priest). For Raba the opposite obtained. best, Stephen Goranson _______________________________________________ g-Megillot mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mailman.McMaster.CA/mailman/listinfo/g-megillot
