Re: [Megillot] Re: [ANE] Re: Philo on Sadducees and Pharisees??

[RUSSELLGMIRKIN]

One should also consider the fact that Pesher Nahum displays a positive attitude towards the Lion of Wrath, who is said to have executed the enemies of the elect in accordance with Jewish legal practices from ancient times (and further supported by 11QT).  This is affirmed not only by Yadin, but by both major recent studies on Pesher Nahum (the books by Greg Doudna and Shani Berrin).  The old idea from the 1960s that Pesher Nahum opposed the Angry Lion was based primarily on the assumed identification with Alexander Jannaeus, but represents a very flawed reading of the text.  The traditional interpretation of Pesher Nahum is properly viewed with great skepticism.   Best regards, Russell Gmirkin Sorry to be a pedant. I reread 4Qpesher Nahum and did not find the name of Alexander Jannaeus. Has a new fragment been published? Or is this shorthand for 'a 'furious lion cub' which most scholars identify with Jannaeus (but not Doudna, who I think here has made a respectable case for an alternative interpretation), though I remain openminded about it, especially given my scepticism about the historical precision of pesher allusions). I'm mainly concerned that in a scholarly discussion we remain careful to distinguish fact from theory. PD