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Re: Yachad ostracon





> Incidentally, I understand that the ostracon discusses a gift of a slave 
> - this in contradiction to Philo's description of the Essenes being 
> against slavery. Of course, such contradictions are not new and not 
> unexpected.
>  
> Best, Asia

There is a slave mentioned but I do not remember
the slave being identified in the text as part of
the gift.  The details I remember are:
    a date: "Year 2"
    mention of Jericho and one other unfamiliar location
    deed of gift identifiable as genre, with NTN
    personal names of both giver and receiver are readable
        Esti Eshel suggests the receiver is the "Overseer"
        of the Yachad; that is interpretation not text
    the claimed and possible reading of Yachad in broken context
    a mention of a slave also in broken context
    
Eshel noted it was unclear whether the ostracon was
the deed of gift document itself or a draft in
preparation for transfer to another medium.

Greg Doudna
gd@teol.ku.dk