More on Yannai as the Qumran "wicked priest" and on VanderKam's "From Joshua to Caiphas: High Priests after the Exile" (2004)--a very good book.
Pesher Habakkuk viii: " this concerns the wicked priest who was called by the name of truth when he first arose." Of the five brothers born by two wives of John Hyrcanus, only Yannai and his brother Absalom (the latter who was silent when the teacher of righteousness was aggrieved) survived past 103 BCE. The second wife released three children from prison, and she "placed on the throne Alexander who had the double advantage over the others of seniority and apparent moderation of character. However, on coming to power he put to death one brother," and let Absalom live (War 1.85). She thought him good at first. By the way, Tal Ilan (JSJ 1993) argued that she was not the same woman as the wife of Yannai. VanderKam accepts that they were, and in one of the few quibbles with the book, the otherwise fine bibliography lacks any T. Ilan publications. In a dream (of interest to pesharim readers), according to Ant. 13. 320-3 (cf. War 1.68-9) John Hyrcanus was informed that it was the destiny of Alexander, sent to frontier Galilee, to be his successor. Divine revelation; called by the name of truth. Unlike, say, proposed Qumran "wicked priest" Menelaus, merely the office highest bidder. Unlike, say, Hyrcanus II known for indolence. Really, was Hrycanus II at least in part proposed as "teacher of righteousness" because apparently no one else had done so? (And because Dupont- Sommer proposed him as "wicked priest"?) VanderKam answers the Hyrcanus II proposal and affirms Yannai as the Angry Lion of 4QpNah; and Yannai as the negative King Jonathan in 4Q448. That Yannai has been recognized as wicked priest by several (e.g. Jean Carmignac, Bilha Nitzan) is not a problem but a help; now there is additional evidence. VanderKam accepts Jonathan Maccabee as wicked priest; but, I suggest, his recounting of the basis for that helps show how weak it always was; he recognizes, e.g., that it is not known that the teacher of righteousness served as high priest; the offered supports for the first Jonathan (Maccabee) as wicked priest, in brief, work better for the second Jonathan (Alexander, Yannai). Recognizing Yannai as the wicked priest and Judah the Essene (doer of torah) as the teacher of righteousness will help us better understanding the roots of what is later called in Greek heresy in the newly-added (attested to my knowledge only post 70 CE) negative sense and what is likewise (attested post 70) called in Hebrew in the newly-added negative sense minut. best, Stephen Goranson _______________________________________________ g-Megillot mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mailman.McMaster.CA/mailman/listinfo/g-megillot
