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Contra Apion and Porphyry
Dear Marianne Dacy,
Thank you for your response. You wrote that "in Porphyry's day, Josephus'
work was evidently differently divided from what it is today." What
evidence is there for that? Also, in a quick look at Molly Whittaker's
book, I do not see that she makes that assertion. Of course it is
possible, but how do we know? M. Stern asserts that Porphyry used
Against the Greeks merely as a source on Jews generally. Though the
late M. Stern was very often right, here, that is not what Porphyry's
words tell us.
You call Contra Apion a "section of Josephus' Antiquities." It
may be better to call it a separate work. However, one interesting
connection between the two works is that they are both dedicated to
Epaphroditus, who had a big library in Rome (if I remember correctly).
E. may have supplied books (sources) to Josephus. E. served Nero;
Domitian had him killed. Epictetus, the Stoic, was his slave.
Dio Chrysostom, who mentioned Essenes, possibly used the library too ?
Again, thanks for your response. I am a rookie in the e-mail
list world, and I must say I am somewhat disappointed to have gotten
so little response, so far, to such specific (supported) assertions
on this list as:
** Pliny never visited Qumran, as often claimed.
** The frequent assertion that "Essene" does not appear in Qumran mss is
false.
** The Essene name comes from 'asah, as the Qumran mss tell us.
** The sources of Josephus' Against the Greeks, Philo's Apology
for the Jews, Pliny's source M. Agrippa, and Porphyry present
Essenes as Jews par excellence.
I still hope for and invite further respons