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orion Orion Sadducees (MMT)
Steve Abramowitz wrote commenting on my:
><< we know that the Oniad supporters were
> religious conservatives; their enemies would have been the "liberals" of the
> likes of Menelaus who I think were taking the conciliatory approach to
> Antioch; Alcimus came to power in the same current; how far are we here from
> what became Pharisaic position? >>
thus:
>As I recall MMT it discussed two of the diferences between "we" and "they".
>One dealt with the method of purification of the priests using the red heifer
>and water. This was necessary if the priest was unpure due to contact with a
>dead body etc. It seems that the duration of the process with the ashes of the
>red heifer required a wait by the priest until the end of the day (sunset).
Hi Steve,
Yes, that's right. This is the case as put in Num 19:2-10 as well. They were
unclean until evening. I would consider Numbers a fairly mainstream document
just as MMT was. Remember, MMT says " for all of these, the sun must set for
them to be pure" W.A.C., p360.
>They felt it was not necessary to wait until sunset, if the entire ritual was
>performed.
Who are the "they" you are referring to?
>As I recall another diference between "we" and "they" was the nature of the
>flowing water necessary for ritual bath . "We" were much more strict about
>what was "live" water and what was water which was contaminated and not
>acceptable.
Yes, Steve, it's normal for conservatives to be stricter.
>The MMT
>writer was saying that what the High Priest and the Priests were doing was
>not proper according to the Law which could not be changed or diminished.
Case unproven, Steve. Given the situation I postulated, the "they", the
liberals among the priesthood who would eventually support such as Menelaus,
also performed duties in the temple -- after all they were in the rosters,
weren't they? If there were problems in the performance of duties, it was
almost certainly them given their liberalizing tendencies, wouldn't you
think? (Yet, I see no case for performance contrary to the views of MMT or
Numbers, only evidence for debate.)
It's hard to believe that you'd want to say that a High Priest of the
standing of Onias would do anything to diminish or change the Law.
Ian
Ian Hutchesson
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But grasp this writing so that you know how to preserve the books which I
will give you, which you will put in order and anoint with cedar oil and
place in vessels of clay in the place which he made from the beginning of
the creation of the world... (TMos 1:16-17)