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Re: orion RE: Orion Gmirkin's Proposals Part II
1) To assert, without basis, that Judah was given the title "Essene" after
his life (and to dismiss Ant 13 on Essenes; and to ignore that S, which
predates Herod, is Essene; etc.) appears to me to be special pleading in
service of (partially) erasing Essene history.
2) It is not in the least clear that either Posidonius or Strabo was
anti-Semitic; the latter explicitly describes Moses and his followers as
honorable. Josephus in Contra Apion apparently misunderstood a tradent.
Philo, who read Posidonius directly, knew better.
3) B. Qidd. 66a is mentioned in Loeb ([not that it has to be, to be
important]; v.7, p.372-3). This baraita may cast doubt on the reliability
of the Nicolas of Damascus account of John Hyrcanus.
4) To take one example, R. Bergmeier, _Die Essener Berichte des Flavius
Josephus_ 1993 (despite questionable assertions on other topics) doubts
Nicolas was the source of the account on Essenes in War 2.
Stephen Goranson goranson@duke.edu