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orion-list RE: orion-digest V2000 #59
George Brooks said:
>>But I do ask Dave Hindley one question before I sign off on the
Rechabite/Therapeautae thread:
Just because the Therapeut's practiced an ascetic tradition not
required of Jewish Priests, does not discount the possibility that
they practiced a tradition required of RECHABITE PRIESTS and
LEVITES.<<
Well, what you need to do is document what is known about Rechabites,
as well as follow up on Eisenman's proposal that some groups of
non-Levites had from time to time been incorporated into the
priesthoods (which was the understanding that I came away with after
reading Eisenman's several books).
To keep the topic central to this list, you would also need to
systematically document the parallels to what is *known* about Essenes
and Therapeutae, and what is actually stated in the DSS literature. I
emphasized *known* only because there is a lot of speculation used as
if "a priori" assumptions, and using these as parallels is not a safe
practice, historically.
Eisenman is heavily influenced by Robert Eisler's _Messiah Jesus and
John the Baptist_. I recently saw a bound photocopy edition for sale
at:
http://www.sidenersoftware.com/goodbooks/srframe.html
Their blurb is as follows:
Eisler, Robert. The Messiah Jesus and John the Baptist According to
Flavius Josephus. 1931. 638 pages. The largest work ever written on
the disputed passages in Josephus that refer to Jesus and John the
Baptist. Presents an eccentric theory, but is filled with a vast
amount of useful material. #1169. $35.
One of his many digressions is on the subject of Rechabites. However,
he draws a number of conclusions through comparison with nomadic
tribes of Semites who lived in the middle east of his day (the
"Sleb"), and today the stereotyping he employs in this process would
be considered offensive.
Have you also considered the "History of the Rechabites", translated
by J. H. Charlesworth, with critical notes, in _Old Testament
Pseudepigrapha_,vol 2, 1985, pp. 443ff?
Regards,
Dave Hindley
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
For private reply, e-mail to "David C. Hindley" <dhindley@compuserve.com>
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