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orion OSSENES: WHICH VOLUME FOR EPIPHANIUS?
Dear Russell Gmirkin,
I am absolutely fascinated with your references to Epiphanius (and to the
Abstract).
I would very much appreciate the bibliographical data (Title, Editor,
Year, ISBN) for the volume or volumes you are using. I would like to
delve into this material more thoroughly and think your concise email
would be a great roadmap for doing so.
Thanks!
George Brooks
George.X.Brooks@JUNO.com
On Fri, 22 Jan 1999 01:49:53 EST RGmyrken@aol.com writes:
>Dear Stephen,
> First, let me apologize for my inaccurate statement that you
>claimed that >"Philo was a Stoic." I wrote my last posting on my
laptop, away from
>my >office and documents I should have reviewed before sending my email.
>You were >right to take me to task for misrepresenting you on that
point.
> Since you have seen fit to respond mainly regarding the Ossenes in
>Epiphanius, I will confine my reply to same. > First, the Ossenes
were clearly of Jewish origin. Epiphanius >indicates >they originated in
pre-Christian times (19.5.6). As you pointed out >from >19.15.1, they
kept "the Jewish life in Sabbath observance,
>circumcision, and >the keeping of the law." However, they are also
portrayed as
>"forbidding the >books <of Moses> like the Nasaraeans" (19.15.1,
continuing the quote; >the >Nasaraeans were Jews who kept all Jewish
customs but for sacrifices,
>but >claimed that Moses did not author the Pentateuch [18.1.4]), and
also
>"accepted >other writings in addition to the law, though they rejected
most of
>the >prophets who came afterwards" (Abstract 15.18, which, though
perhaps
>not by >Epiphanius, nevertheless contains comparable information).
Further,
>according >to Epiphanius they had succumbed to the heresy of the
Elkesites
>(Sampseans). >This is immediately relevant to your equation of Essene
with "doers of >the >law." Even if the Ossenes had once observed Jewish
customs, would
>they have >retained the name Ossene after rejecting the Torah and
adopting
>Elkesite >practices?
> Your comment that the Ossenes "lived near the Dead Sea" is quite
>misleading. Epiphanius says that they lived "in Nabatea and Iturea,
>Moab and >the country around Areopolis, the regions lying *over and
beyond* what
>the >Holy Scripture calls the ^Ñsalt valley^Ò; this is what is called the
>Dead Sea" >(19.1.2). At 53.1.1. this same region (where the Sampseans
also
>lived) is >described as "the country called Perea, on the *far side* of
what is
>called >the Salt or Dead Sea, <and> in Moab near the Torrent Arnon and
beyond
>in >Iturea and Nabatea." Perea was of course an ancient equivalent of
our
>"Transjordan", and the "salt valley" is the Arabah. Moab and Arnon are
>of course beyond but adjacent to the Dead Sea. Epiphanius could not be
more
>clear. >All the locations Epiphanius lists are in Transjordan, east of
the
>Dead Sea, >not west where the Essenes dwelt (per Pliny).
> Responding to George X. Brook^Òs query, it is Epiphanius who
>portrays the >Essenes as an extinct branch of the Samaritans. (14.2.1
also
>mistakenly >traces the Sadducees to the Samaritans.) Epiphanius is
clearly not
>drawing on >Josephus or any other known literary source. Yet he
accurately
>preserved the >name Essene here. This is a fact that calls for
explanation, the
>simplest one >being that Essene is the proper form of the name.
> Cordially,
> Russell Gmirkin
>
For private reply, e-mail to George Brooks <george.x.brooks@juno.com>
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