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orion more on ostracon 1
For line 8 of the new Qumran Essene ostracon, Cross and Eshel give
the translation "when he fulfills (his oath) to the Community[" . To the
best of my current knowledge, that translation, and the underlying reading,
is the best available. Naturally, I am interested in reading the views of
others, including alternate suggestions. None of the alternates I have read
(or thought of myself) so far are persuasive.
Line 8 begins with a kap (ke) and a verb reasonably rendered as "to
fulfill." C and E provide useful comparative examples, including from 1QS
6.18 and Dan 9.2. I read line 8 as indicating that "he" has *not yet*
fulfilled the oath. Therefore, the suggestion that this ostracon is a
preliminary or draft Essene deed document is strengthened.
Further on the date of deposit of the ostracon, I did not write as
clearly as possible. If it is the case that it was moved to the east of the
wall in 68 CE or shortly after, it still could have been written earlier
than 68, though presumably sometime in the first century CE. Perhaps we
will eventually have a clearer idea of what was happening at Qumran circa
68 CE and earlier.
Stephen Goranson goranson@duke.edu