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Re: Josephus's inkwells



Greg Doudna writes:

> By the way, what are the implications of Josephus's seal
> found in association with De Vaux's Qumran 
> inkwells being in Greek?  

Dear Greg,
Well, if one follows maximalist canons of biblical archaeology, we 
would have to conclude that Josephus "probably" wrote the Qumran 
scrolls before he got on to bigger projects with the help of a 
proper patron: perhaps this was during his Essene days. The small 
discrepancy that he was supposed to be in prison at the time Qumran 
was destroyed can be easily explained away by assuming that one of 
his scribes was using his writing room after his arrest. This, I 
submit, is an argument that stands as well as any that connects the 
scrolls with the inkwells.
Have a good trip to Manchester,
Thomas