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Isaiahites?
Dear David Kaufman,
With all due respect, perhaps we can move beyond your post of 5 Oct in which
you appear to inform me what I may and may not assert. Perhaps it would be
useful for me to note some reasons I find the etymology of Essenes from
"the ones of Isaiah" and/or "the Isaiahites" not persuasive, as well as a
few notes on 'asah as the source I find persuasive.
Though Isaiah is prominent among Qumran mss, it is, after all, a major
prophetic book and prominent among Jews generally (and among Christians).
Even if one accepts that the variant text in 1QIsa a at 19:18 was intentional
(which I am prepared to do) there is little reason to think that either
Essenes or outsiders (which are you claiming?) considered Essenes Isaiahites.
If one were to make up such a name, wouldn't "sons of Isaiah", like "sons
of the prophets" be more plausible? Are you saying Hesaiwn would result in
Essenoi? If so, I doubt it. I'm not clear whether you give two forms to
account for the two forms of "Essene." If so you seem neither to be
following the pattern of the Aramaic proposals nor the Z. Frankel and K.
Kohler two separate etymologies pattern. can you provide a parallel? E.g.
in forms of gentilic? for analogy of two forms of Essene with two forms
of Nazarene see "Nazarenes" in Anchor Bible Dictionary. One could add the
two forms of Ossene and Sampsaean, both in Epiphanius.
Wm. Brownlee said, in effect, gee, these are (or include) Essene texts; I
wonder if 'ose hatorah in 1QpHab is the source, as pre-Qumran scholars
suggested? This proposal corresponds with Philo's uncertainty about its
Greek origin (QOPLS 75)--because the origin was not Greek. Philo wrote
(QOPLS 91) about Essenes or Ossenes (or pretty close): Essaion e osion.
This corresponds with what Epiphanius (Mr. Retentive) tells us of
Jewish Ossenes, who are especially concerned with observance of the torah.
Best wishes, Stephen Goranson UNC-Wilmington
home: 706 Louise Circle J, Durham NC 27705