Russell, on the identifiable masonry as Roman, cf. G.A. Smith_ Jerusalem, The topography, economics and history from the earliest times to A.D. 70, vol. II, p. 425, #1, London 1907
Too many folks tended (and still tend, my impression) to invert Jewish history a little bit since then, always stereotypically parroting the apparently omnipresent "literary evidence" in the pseudo-Hasmonean Josephus, an utmost remarkable, almost "Pharisaic" appearing phenomenon btw that has overshadowed the whole DSS research from the very beginning. And this although only less (and then only younger material) is copied from jejune Roman camp reports by Josephus. However, over the years one is already up to their tricks. Are you actually aware in the very moment of 2Macc 4.33-38 in the context of Onias III's liquidation, Russell? Daphne near Antioch was his final place of refugee acc. to 2 Macc; there and nowhere else he was killed by a paid death squad that - not by chance - came from Tyre. Who had made the decisive deal in Tyre in winter 171/70 BC? Right - you know that already, so no further comment is needed. The two alternative Antiochs (the 2nd I have developed and presented on Orion-L in 1998, I think) are thus still in the discussion. 1QM is not to be brought into a serekh line with 1QS, 1QSa and 1QSb, neither systematically nor terminologically - not even sociologically. Otherwise any taktika written at any time would be related to the yachad, btw. Albeit the fact that all orders are derivatives of basic conflict solutions, Schiffman is apparently not familiar with the traditional roots - and only that's important here - of the military orders in 1QM, i.e. the biblical, Davidic Warfare, its tribal 12er symbolism (that should turn in the present version of 1QM into more holy 7er symbolism) and the to be expected Palestinian weaponry - result of a rejection of the anachronistic Mishnaic cubit, once erroneously engrafted (but seemingly forevermore) by the great scholar Yigael Yadin, REMF in the Israeli Army. Tradition is always a very strong element in Military History - not only in the US Army. On the other hand it should be clear that the editors of 1QM, the old Mechoqeqan, non-qumranic source with its Davidic tradition in front and a hymn tradition in the rear have indeed intended to create a serekh-like war scenario (that's why the text starts in this way), but of what kind and why? Target group of 1QM (edited by authorized exiled and finally redacted by returnees in Judea), is not the former exiled yachad as a whole, rather her flimsiest social element - the dupable youth without any combat experience, i.e. those who do not know better. The self-glorifying tract for the maskîl, a clerical polit official or wisdom teacher responsible for education and tradition, might thus aim at the mystical fervour of a fanaticised array of child-soldiers and virginal jobel-rebels enlisted by death. But whoever has own combat experiences knows that even when the outcome of war, esp. of a total war, is philosophically determined as already predetermined (!) - the single next battle, even the military movements on the next day in the field, always remain incalculable, undetermined, contingent on particular situations. It is thus the privilege of a theoretical taktika to factor out the unknown - therein the enemy has to act, if ever, quasi brainless acc. to the chosen tactical scheme.And what actually does the enemy in 1QM? - nothing at all! For he is the fictive part of the taktika. That armed terrorist is not yet born that has ever acted acc. to the "handbook for the ancient suicide bomber" (seven shots do nicely), the numerous times redacted scheme of column 2 ff. for more than the moment of shock, the decisive time needed for a transformation into sacred martyrdom. For that's easy understandable for all military historians, me too has to reject any idea of a somehow to be identified natured realism, perhaps even a historical war manual, beyond the first column, the first two simultaneous redacted years of the proclaimed six-year war of liberation of Israel. But already in year three (viz colum 2) all ancient Jihadists were history, and deathlike silence would control the erstwhile fruitful literary scene for the next one, two decades. We write the year 37 BCE - the editors had profound knowledge of the destruction of Sechem 110 BC by Hyrcanos I, thus of Jubilees, and of the battle of either Carrhae 54 BCE or Drymos 39 BCE and of the renaissance of the horse archers in the Parthian army reform of Mithridates II, likewise in around 110 BC, a logical result of the surprising Scythian intrusion into the eastern provinces of Parthia and the resulting battles of defence for decades and finally - Chanukah and its implications is absolutely irrelevant to the editors. Why? well, I am likewise not interested in 6/4, the Independence Day - apparently by political (and geographical) means, isn't it? However, it might by an advantage to restart any ambituous 1QM investigation with Yadin's work on "Warfare in Biblical Lands". And nota bene - I don't like to see again the anachronistic cubit with excess length from the Mishna in the upcoming papers. Thanks in advance. best, _Dierk _______________________________________________ g-Megillot mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mailman.McMaster.CA/mailman/listinfo/g-megillot
