Previously I gave reasons to see that the Qumran mss view "wicked priest" was
Alexander Jannaeus, that his acquiescent surviving brother Absalom (War 1.84,
Ant. 13.323 and 1966 Marcus/Loeb note, and Ant. 14.71) was mentioned in 1QpHab
V 9, and that their contemporary Judah the Essene (War 1.78-80; Ant. 13.311) was
the "teacher of righteousness."
Speaking of Jannaeus and his brother Absalom, it is worth recalling the Damascus
Document passage in CD V 18 and in 4QD266 3ii6 and 4Q267 2,2 that Belial raised
Jannes and his brother when the Prince of Lights raised Moses and
Aaron. This tradition adds names to the sorcerers of Exodus 7:11. This is the
dualistic repeated situation at the time of the "teacher of righteousness," in
the perspective of his supporters. Admittedly the spelling (all three times) in
D is YXNH, whereas Jannaeus in Hebrew is usualy YN)Y; in other words, the names
are closer in Greek and Latin. But it may be interesting that here we have only
Jannes named and not his brother Jambres/Mambres/Jotape, given that the first is
close to Jannaeus and the second is not close to Absalom; and the first name is
more important. Usually in the many scattered attestations of these
sorcerers, both brothers are named (Targum; Pliny; OTPseudepigrapha [1985]
2.427-42). Might this usage have contributed to Rabbinic confusion between John
Hyrcanus and Jannaeus? That Yannai was the name of Alexander rather than of
Hyrcanus, and for spelling variations, see Tal Ilan, Lexicon of Jewish Names in
Late Antiquity, Part I, Palestine 330 BCE-200 CE (2002) 23-4, 144-50, esp. p.
147.
Louis Ginzberg (Unknown Jewish Sect, 1916/1922/1976, p.288) wrote:
"YXNH, (5,18) name of a sorcerer contemporary with Moses. In talmudical
sources (Exodus Rabba 9,4; Menahot 85a) he is called YWXNY, in NT (II Timothy
3:8) and in the Pseudepigrapha: Iannes. The mentioning of Moses' opponent by
the name of Iannes may be a disguised attack on (King Alexander) Jannaeus or
on King [sic] Ioannes (Hyrcanus)." In a footnote he adds that in the
vernacular the difference in the names "was scarcely perceptible."
We can now see that the mention of Jannes was an attack on ("wicked priest")
Jannaeus.
best,
Stephen Goranson
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