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[German version] I. General Literary communication is communication by means of texts - stabilized, coherent and substantial statements. These may be written or eventually put down in writing, but they may also remain oral ( Literacy). Since for earlier societies as a rule only written texts can be studied, the term ‘literature’ focusses on such sedimented media of literary communication. Nevertheless, particularly for ancient societies the mainly oral character of literary communication must be emp…

[German version] (Και(α)φᾶς, Cai(a)phâs). Joseph, with the epithet Caiphas (from Aramaic qayyāfā), was high priest of the Temple of Jerusalem (AD 18-36) and therefore the leader of the Sanhedrin ( Synhedrion), the highest Jewish authority for civil and political issues during Hellenistic and Roman times. As son-in-law of the high priest Ananus (or Annas, Hannas; AD 6-15), he belonged to one of the important families of priests that regularly occupied this office (Jo 18,13; also mPar 3,5 and tYev 1,10) [4. 234]. He was appointed by the Roman procurator Valerius Gratus (AD 15-26), …

(Ἰάσων; lásōn). [German version] [1] Leader of the Argonauts Thessalian hero from  Iolcus, leader of the  Argonauts, participant in the Calydonian Hunt (Apollod. 1,68), son of  Aeson [1] and Polymela (Hes. Cat. 38-40; Apollod. 1,107) or  Alcimede (Pherecydes 3 F 104 FGrH; Apoll. Rhod. 1,47); brother of  Promachus (Apollod. 1,143); with  Hypsipyle, he fathered  Euneus [1] (Hom. Il. 7,468) and Nebrophonos (Apollod. 1,115), and with  Medea, he fathered Medeus (Hes. Theog. 1001),  Mermerus [3] and Pheres (Apollod. 1,146). Having been raised by  Chiron (Hes. Cat. 40), I. lives…

[German version] I. Origin According to the legend of the origin of the Septuagint, which is based on the so-called Letter of Aristeas [2] ([12. 20-37; 15. 677-687; 13]), king Ptolemy [3] II Philadelphus had the Pentateuch translated into Greek for his library by 70 (or 72; 70 = ἑβδομήκοντα/ hebdomḗkonta, Latin septuaginta interpretes, hence the name S./LXX) scholars over a period of 70 (or 72) days. The name then came to refer to the Greek translation of the entire Hebrew Bible including the Apocrypha (Apocryphal literature). This story is prob…

[German version] (Σαμβήθη/ Sambḗthē or Σάββη/ Sábbē). Name, probably derived from Hebrew šabbat (Sabbath) [7. 622 ff.], of the Jewish Sibyl, who can be identified with the Egyptian, Persian and Babylonian Sibyls [2. 317 ff.]. A Sabbe is first recorded in Pausanias' [8] list of four Sibyls ( c. AD 160) (Paus. 10,12,1-9), drawing on Alexander [23] Polyhistor. She can be identified with a prophetess known as a 'Noah's daughter' in Or. Sib. 3,823 ff., Or. Sib. prooemium 33 and Or. Sib.  1,289. The 12 books of the Oracula Sibyllina, pseudepigraphic apocalyptic literature (Apocalypse…

(Φασάηλος; Phasáēlos). [German version] [1] Eldest son of Antipater [4] and Cyprus Eldest son of Antipater [4] and Cyprus, born in c. 77 BC probably in Marissa (Idumaea; Jos. Bl.  1,8,9; Jos. Ant. lud. 14,7,3). In 47 BC, P. was appointed governor  (στρατηγός/stratēgós) of Jerusalem and the surrounding area by Antipater (ἐπίτροπος/ epítropos of Judaea under the high priest and ethnarchos Hyrcanus [3] II), while his brother Herod [1] took on the same office in Galilee (Jos. Ant. lud. 14,9,2; Jos. Bl 1,10,4). Josephus credits P…

[German version] This historical depiction of world events (from Adam to the destruction of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem by Titus in AD 70) was written in Hebrew, presumably in the 10th cent. in southern Italy. It is based on the works of  Iosephus [4] Flavius ( Antiquitates Judaicae, Bellum Judaicum, Contra Apionem). Aside from the Latin version of the Bellum (so-called Latin Hegesippus, 4th cent. AD) diverse medieval chronicles can be established as the main models. At the centre are disputes between Rome and Israel. Medieval translations into Arabi…

[German version] The last of seven procurators who administered most of Palestine as a Roman province after the death of Agrippa I in AD 44 under the supreme command of the Syrian governor. Born in Clazomenae, he obviously obtained his office through the links between his wife Cleopatra and the empress Poppaea Sabina (Jos. Ant. Iud. 20,252f.). His rule lasted only two years (AD 64-66) and ended with the outbreak of the 1st Jewish uprising against Rome (Tac. Hist. 5,10). Josephus Flavius whose Bellum Iudaicum is the most important source for Gessius Florus (GF) (cf. Jos. BI 2,1…

(Μενέλαος/Menélaos, Attic Μενέλεως/Menéleos; Latin Menelaus). [German version] [1] Ruler of Sparta, married to Helena A significant character in the cycle of myths about the Trojan War ( Troy: Cycle of myths). A younger brother of Agamemnon, who ruled the most significant power centre in Greek myth, Mycene, by marriage to Zeus's daughter Helen ( Helene [1]; their only child was a daughter, Hermione) M. became king of a region in the Eurotas valley with its capital Sparta and Amyclae [1], which was significant…

[German version] (from the Hebrew šelōmṣiyōn, Aramaic short form Šelamṣah, 'Peace of Zion'; Greek Σαλαμψιώ/ Salampsiṓ). Eldest daughter of Herod (Herodes [1]) the Great and his Hasmonaic wife Mariamme [1]; b. c. 33 BC. After Herod's brother Pheroras had refused marriage with her, in 20 BC, she wed her cousin Phasael II, son of Phasael [1] I, by whom she had five children (Herod IV, Alexander III, Antipater IV, Alexandra and Cyprus III) (Ios. Ant. Iud. 16,7,6; 17,1,3; 18,5,4). Wandrey, Irina (Berlin) Bibliography N. Kokkinos, The Herodian Dynasty. Origins, Role in Society and Ec…

[German version] I Greek (Φίλων/ Phíl ōn). [German version] [I 1] Athenian politician Athenian from Acharnae who was exiled by the Oligarchic regime in 404 BC (Triakonta). During the civil war, he lived as a metoikos (resident without Attic citizenship) in Oropos awaiting the outcome of events. Following his return, when he applied to join the boulḗ he was accused of cowardice and other misdemeanours at a dokimasia investigation (Dokimasia) (Lys. 31; possibly 398 BC). Walter, Uwe (Cologne) Bibliography Blass, vol.1, 480f.  Th.Lenschau, A. Raubitschek, s.v. P. (2), RE 19, 2526f. …

[German version] (Φασαηλίς/ Phasaēlís, Φασηλός/ Phasēlós, modern Ḫirbat Faṣāil). City founded by Herodes [1] I in memory of his elder brother Phasael [1] to the north of Jericho in the fertile Jordan rift valley, probably after 30 BC (Ios. Ant. Iud. 16,5,2; Ios. BI 1,21,9). Inherited after Herod's death by his sister Salome (Ios. Ant. Iud. 17,8,1; Ios. BI 2,6,3), after her death P. became the property of Livia [2], wife of the emperor Augustus (Ios. Ant. Iud. 18,2,2; Ios. BI 2,9,1). P. was known for it…

[German version] (Μαχαιροῦς/ Machairoûs, Hebrew Mekawar, Mekabar). Fortress situated east of the Dead Sea in southern Peraea, on the border with the Nabataean kingdom ( Nabataei) which Alexander [16] Iannaeus (103-76 BC) had built (modern Ruǧm al-Mišnaqa). According to Plin. HN 5,16,72, M. was, apart from Jerusalem, the strongest fortress in Judea. M. was completely destroyed during the Roman campaign in 63 BC by Pompeius (Str. 16,763) and later by the proconsul of Syria Gabinius [I 2] (57-55 BC) (Jos…

[German version] One of the highest princes of angels in Jewish mystical literature. There are several etymological explanations for M.'s name. Odeberg [2. 137 ff.] had already pleaded for the Greek words metá and thrónos, ‘(he who sits)next to the throne (of God)’ (similarly [1]; negatively [5. 75]). In addition, a tradition of 70 secret names is linked with M. [3], including ‘Youth’, ‘Servant’, ‘Yahoel’ and ‘little Yahweh’. He is given a central role in late antique Hekhalot literature [5]. In the so-called Third Book of Enoch…

[German version] (Hebrew benē Ṣādōq, 'sons of Zadok') is a term for the descendants of Zadok (a grandson of Aaron), one of the high priests in the Temple in Jerusalem at the time of  David [1] (2 Sam 15:24-37). In the pre-Exilic period (up to 586 BC), they had sole claim to the office of high priest (1 Kg 2:26 f.), and in the post-Exilic period (from 538 BC), they once again were able to prevail in the offices of priest and high priest (Ez 44:6-16; Priests III). In the post-Exilic period, the perform…

[German version] (Ζοροβαβελ/ Zorobabel, LXX). The pseudepigraphic Hebrew Apocalypse of Z. (Apocalypses) was presumably written in Palestine (Palaestina) at the beginning of the 7th cent. AD and reflects Messianic expectations of the Jewish population, which - threatened by anti-Jewish Byzantine law - was hoping for a Persian conquest of Palestine (Persian-Byzantine Wars 604-630 AD; dating of the Apocalypse to the 4th or 5th cent.[1]). Embedded in a frame story, the revelation by Metatron (some MSS:…

(Hebrew šelomṣiyōn, 'Peace of Zion', Aramaic short form šelamṣāh; Σαλώμη/ Salṓmē). [German version] [1] Sister of Herod [1] the Great, 2nd half, 1st cent. BC Sister of Herod (Herodes [1]) the Great ( c. 57 BC - AD 10). Until his death, she played an important role in factional intrigues at the Herodian court: she plotted against Herod's Hasmonaic wife Mariamme [1] I and their sons Alexander and Aristoboulus [4], likewise against her own husbands Iosephus [1] and Costobarus, who were executed (Jos. BI 1,441 ff.; Jos. Ant. Iud. 1…

[German version] Son (or grandson) of Judas Galileus, who (like his father Hezekiah) fought against Rome and Herod (Ios. Ant. Iud. 18,1,6; 14,9,2) [2]. Judas is described by Iosephus [4] Flavius as the founder of the so-called fourth (nameless, later given the derogatory name of Sicarii, ‘Dagger Men’ = ‘Murderers’ [1. 50]) philosophical school, which differed from the Pharisaei mainly in its love of freedom and its struggle for the absolute rule of God (Ios. Ant. Iud. 18,1,1; 18,1,6) [3. 599; 1. 8…

(Greek Ὀν(ε)ίας/ On(e)ías; Hebrew neḥonyah, ḥunyah, ḥoni); personal name, which was widespread in ancient Judaism ([9. vol. 2, 1394, 1455]; Jos. Ant. Iud. 14,22; 25; 222; Jos. Ap. 2,49; Mishnah Taan 3,8). In the pre-Maccabaean period, bearers of this name included four Zadokid High Priests at the Temple of Jerusalem. The most important historical sources for the lineage of the Oniads are the Antiquitates Iudaicae of Iosephus [4] Flavius and 2 Macc. [German version] [1] O. I. High Priest, father of Simon the Just, 4th/3rd cents. BC (Late 4th cent. BC). Son of the High Priest Jaddu…

[German version] (ζηλωταί/ zēlōtaí, from Greek ζηλοῦν/ zēloûn, 'strive after'). Political and religious group of Jews who rose against Roman rule in Palestine in the 1st cent. AD, primarily in the first Jewish-Roman War (Jewish Wars). The term 'Zealots' can be found in Iosephus [4] Flavius (BI 4,160f.; 7,268-270), whose Bellum Iudaicum (books 4-7) and Antiquitates form the most important historical sources for the Zealots' movement and ideology. The term is a translation of the Hebrew qannāīm ( qannā, 'eager', sc. for God, e.g. in the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhed…

(Φωκυλίδης/ Phōkylídēs). [German version] [1] Poet from Miletus, c. 540 BC Greek poet from Miletus (Phryn. 336, p. 463 R.; Suda) who wrote hexameters and elegiac gnomai (gnome; elegiac: Athen. 632d; both: Suda φ 643), c. 540 BC (Suda). The Γνῶμαι/ Gnômai, aphorisms, are ascribed to P. by many authors (e.g. Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Strabo, Dion [I 3] Chrysostomus, Athenaeus, Clement of Alexandria). They begin (as do those of Demodocus [2] of Lerus) with καὶ τόδε Φωκυλίδου/ kai tóde Phōkulídou, 'P. says this, too'). They are written in hexameters (from one to eight verses…

This item can be found on the following maps: Syria | Dead Sea (textual finds) | Caesar | Christianity | Zenobia | Coloniae | Alexander | Commerce | Hasmonaeans | Legio | Limes | Mesopotamia | Natural catastrophes | Phoenicians, Poeni | Pilgrimage | Pompeius | Aegean Koine [German version] I. Name Hebrew Y  rūšālēm, presumably ‘foundation of the (god) Šalēm’, in the Masoretic texts ( Masorah) always vocalized in the dual form Y  rūšālayim; Greek Ἱερουσαλήμ, Ἰεροσόλυμα; Latin Ierusalem, [ H] ierosolyma), archaizing Šālēm (Gn 14:18; Ps 76:3) or Y  bōs (Judg 19:10-11; 1 Chr 11:4-5), und…

[German version] The special tax of two drachmas per person imposed on the Jewish population after the conquest of Jerusalem (AD 70) by Vespasianus (Jos. BI 7,218). The fiscus iudaicus ( FI) replaced the half-shekel tax levied for the Jewish Temple and was regarded as a punitive measure as it was diverted to the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus in Rome. Under Domitianus the FI was collected rigourously as a measure for preventing conversions (Suet. Dom. 12,2) [3; 4; 7], but already under Nerva the collection was eased off [1; 4]. The levying of the FI is attested until the mid 3rd cent. AD …

[German version] (Λιβιάς; Libiás, Latin Livias, also Iulias). Town in the eastern Jordan valley, the Aramaic name of which is bet ramta, and which, according to Jewish tradition, is to be identified with the biblical bet haran (or haram; Nm 32:36; Jos 13:27) (jTalmud Shevi 9,2 [38d]). The Christian traditions of Hier. and Eus. (Euseb. On. 48,13ff.; Βηθραμφθά, Bēthramphthá) follow this. Even if this identification is not certain, bet ramta is undoubtedly identical with the town mentioned by Jos. (BI 17,10,6) Bētharámata (Βηθαράματα), where Herodes [1] the Great owned a palac…

(Μανάημος; Manáēmos). Greek form of the Hebrew proper name Menaḥem (‘the comforter), attested in the Old Testament (2 Kgs 15:14ff.) and in other Semitic languages. [German version] [1] Essenian, 1st cent. BC Essenian ( Essenes) (1st cent. BC), who foretold Herod ( Herodes [1]) the Great that he would become king and that he would turn his back on godliness and and justice, and who predicted, in a second prophecy, the duration of his reign (Jos. Ant. Iud. 15,10,5). Like M. [3], the son of Judas Galilaeus, he is identified with the scribe M. [1; 2]. Wandrey, Irina (Berlin) [German version] [2] In…

(Σίμων/ Símōn). [German version] [1] Sculptor in bronze from Aegina, c. 480-460 BC Sculptor in bronze from Aegina. S. participated with a horse and a charioteer in the votive offerings dedicated by Phormis at Olympia; accordingly, his period of artistic activity is around 480-460 BC. The base which belonged to it has been identified. A dog and an archer by S. (Plin. HN 34,90) probably formed a further group. Neudecker, Richard (Rome) Bibliography Overbeck, nos. 402, 437  M. Zuppa, s.v. S. 2, EAA 7, 1966, 315  F. Eckstein, Anathemata, 1969, 43-49  E. Walter-Karydi, Die äginetische Bi…

I. Ancient Orient [German version] A. General The magic of the ancient Orient and of Egypt is based on a view of the world that runs counter to that of religion. In the world-view of magic, men, gods and demons are tied to each other and to the cosmos by sympathies and antipathies, whereas in the religious world view everything is created by the gods for their own purposes; the relations between men and the cosmos are the result of deliberate actions of the gods. In the practice of religion, however, b…

(Ἰώσηπ(π)ος; Iṓsēp(p)os, Ιώσηφ(ος); Iṓsēph(os)). From Hebrew yosep yosipyah ‘may God add (further children)’, a prevalent Jewish name in memory of the biblical patriarch Joseph (Gen. 35; 37-50), e.g. in the Herodian family. [German version] [1] Uncle and brother-in-law of Herod [1] the Gr. Uncle and brother-in-law of  Herod [1]  the Great (Jos. Ant. Iud. 15,65; 81). He acted as his deputy for the duration of Herod's journey to M.  Antonius [I 9] in 34 BC. He became involved in the intrigues surrounding Queen  Mariamme, his wife Salome pr…

(Ἑκαταῖος; Hekataîos). [German version] [1] Tyrant of Cardia, 4th cent. BC Tyrant of  Cardia, kept in office by  Alexander [4] although  Eumenes [1] made an effort to free the city (Plut. Eumenes 3). In the Lamian War, he supported  Antipater [1] (Diod. Sic. 18,14,4). Badian, Ernst (Cambridge, MA) [German version] [2] Henchman of Alexander [4] the Gr., 4th cent. BC One of the  hetairoi of Alexander [4], entrusted by him in 336 BC with the removal of  Attalus [1], whom he murdered (Diod. Sic. 17,2,5; 5,2). Badian, Ernst (Cambridge, MA) Bibliography Berve 2, no. 292 (not identical with …

[German version] (Ματθίας/Matthías); variant of the proper name Mattathias, Hebr. Mattityah, ‘gift of God’). Father of the historian Iosephus [4] Flavius, of whom little is known apart from his son's statements in his vita (Jos. Vit. 1). He lived from AD 6 until after AD 70, since Iosephus reports on the fate of his parents during the Jewish War (Vit. 41; Jos. BI 5,13,1). M. was a member of the priestly clan of Yehoyarib (1 Chr 24,7) and his great-grandmother was presumably a daughter of Alexander [16] Iannaeus and therefore a Hasmonean (Vit. 1,4; critical [3], affirmative [2]). Wandrey, Iri…

[German version] (from the Hebrew personal name ṭōviyyȧh, Neh 2,10; Τωβιας/ Tōbias, LXX, cf. ὑιοὶ Τωβια/ hyioì Tōbia 'sons of Tobias', 2 Esr 17:62). The family of the T. played a leading economic and political role at the time of the second Temple (III) in Iudaea (Judah and Israel). Archeologically attested is Hyrcanus's fortress of Tyrus which was probably built on the ruins of the ancestral seat of the T. in present-day Irāq al-Amīr (Transjordan) [1]. The first historically traceable representative is known f…

[German version] (Φερώρας; Pherṓras). Youngest son of Antipater [4], born c. 68 BC probably in Marissa (Idumaea), died c. 5 BC. His first marriage was to a Hasmonaean princess (the sister of Mariamme [1] I, the first wife of his elder brother Herodes [1] I), his second was to a "slave girl" (Jos. BI 1,24,5; Jos. Ant. Iud. 16,7,3). P. was a close comrade-in-arms of his brother Herodes: on his commission he restored the fortress of Alexandreum to the north of Jericho (Jos. Ant. Iud. 15,11,5; Jos. BI 1,16,3), acted …

[German version] [1] Prophet see  Prophets Wandrey, Irina (Berlin) [German version] [2] Jud.-Hell. tragedian (Ἐζεκίηλος, Εζεκιῆλος; Ezekíēlos, Ezekiêlos). Judaeo-Hellenistic tragedian, who probably lived in Alexandria (or see [5]). The draft of the Exagōgḗ, the only known work of E., of which 5 fragments (269 trimeters) have been preserved, can be dated to the period between c. 240 BC ( terminus post quem: origin of the Septuagint) and 100 BC ( terminus ante quem: evidence from  Alexander [23] Polyhistor). The preserved verses (the most complete tragedy fragments af…

[German version] [1] Granddaughter of Aristobulus II. and Iohannes Hyrcanus II. (Hebrew Mirjam; the form Mariamne in Fr. Hebbel's drama is a corruption from later MSS). Granddaughter of Aristobulus [2] II. and Iohannes Hyrcanus [3] II. Born c. 53/52 BC, M. was a celebrated beauty. Married to Herod ( Herodes [1]) the Great, she became involved in the intrigues and conflicts between Hasmoneans and Herodeans. In 29 Herod had her executed on suspicion of unfaithfulness based on the calumnies of his sister Salome (Jos. Ant. Iud. 15,218-236). Bringmann, Klaus (Frankfurt/Main) Bibliography A…

(Καλλιρ[ρ]όη; Kallir(r)hóē, ‘the fair-flowing’). [German version] [1] Daughter of Oceanus Daughter of Oceanus, wife of  Chrysaor [4], mother of  Geryoneus (Hes. Theog. 351; 979ff.; Apollod. 2.106; Hyg. Fab. 151). She appears in the circle of  Persephone (H. Hom. 5,419); also mentioned as wife of Manes or of Poseidon (Dion. Hal. Ant. 1.27.1; schol. Pind. O. 14.5). Zingg, Reto (Basle) [German version] [2] Daughter of Achelous Daughter of Achelous, wife of  Alcmaeon [1], mother of Amphoterus and Acarnan (Apollod. 3.88ff.; Eur. Alcestis TGF fr. 79). Zingg, Reto (Basle) …

[German version] (προσήλυτος/ prosḗlytos, 'one that has arrived (to join the group)'; Latin proselytus). The first recorded use of the Greek term prosḗlytos is in the Septuagint as a translation of the Biblical concept gēr (a 'foreigner' resident in Israel and enjoying special legal status) [8. 40-45; 9. 51 ff.]. Towards the end of the epoch of the Second Temple (1st cent. AD), prosḗlytos then chiefly refers to a convert to Judaism (Jos. Ap. 2,28) [4. 60 ff.], who enjoyed almost the same rights within the Jewish community as one born a Jew [1. 60-123]. Ac…

[English version] [1] Prophet s. Propheten Wandrey, Irina (Berlin) [English version] [2] jüd.-hell. Tragödiendichter, 3. oder 2. Jh. v. Chr. (Ἐζεκίηλος, Εζεκιῆλος). Jüd.-hell. Tragödiendichter, der vermutlich in Alexandreia (anders [5]) lebte. Die Abfassung der Exagōgḗ, des einzigen bekannten Werkes des E., von dem fünf Fr. (269 Trimeter) erh. sind, ist auf den Zeitraum zw. ca. 240 v.Chr. ( terminus post quem: Entstehung der Septuaginta) und 100 v.Chr. ( terminus ante quem: Zeugnis des Alexandros [23] Polyhistor) zu datieren. Die erh. Verse (das umfangreichste Tra…

[English version] (hebr. benē Ṣādōq - “Söhne Zadoks”) bezeichnet die Nachkommen Zadoks (Enkel Aarons), eines der Hohenpriester im Jerusalemer Tempel zu Zeiten Davids [1] (2. Sam 15,24-37), die in vorexilischer Zeit (bis 586 v. Chr.) den Alleinanspruch auf das Hohepriesteramt besaßen (1 Kg 2,26 f.) und sich in nachexilischer Zeit (ab 538 v. Chr.) erneut für das Priester- und Hohepriesteramt durchsetzen konnten (Ez 44,6-16; Priester III.). Die Priester, denen allein der Opferdienst vorbehalten war, wa…

[English version] (Ματθίας; Nebenform des EN Mattathias, hebr. Mattityah, “Gottesgabe”). Vater des Historikers Iosephos [4] Flavios, über den außer den Aussagen des Sohnes in seiner vita (Ios. vita 1) wenig bekannt ist. Er lebte von 6 n.Chr. bis nach 70 n.Chr., da Iosephos über das Schicksal seiner Eltern während des jüd.-röm. Krieges berichtet (vita 41; Ios. bell. Iud. 5,13,1). M. gehörte dem Priestergeschlecht der Yehoyarib an (1 Chr 24,7), und seine Urgroßmutter war vermutlich eine Tochter des Alexandros [16] Iannaios und somit Hasmonäerin (vita 1,4; krit. [3], affirmativ [2]). W…

[English version] (Λιβιάς, Livias, auch Iulias). Ort im östl. Jordantal, dessen aram. Name bet ramta lautet, und der nach jüd. Überl. mit dem biblischen bet haran (oder haram; Nm 32,36; Jos 13,27) zu identifizieren ist (jTalmud Shevi 9,2 [38d]). Dem folgt die christl. Trad. bei Hier. und Eus. (Eus. On. 48,13ff.; Βηθραμφθά, Bēthramtha). Bleibt diese Gleichsetzung auch unsicher, so ist bet ramta zweifellos mit dem bei Ios. (bell. Iud. 2,4,2, ant. Iud. 17,10,6) gen. Ort Bētharámata (Βηθαράματα), an dem Herodes [1] d.Gr. einen Palast besaß, identisch. Unter Herodes [4] Ant…

[English version] (Ζοροβαβελ, LXX). Die pseudepigraphische hebr. Apokalypse des S. entstand verm. Anf. des 7. Jh. n. Chr. in Palaestina und spiegelt die messianischen Erwartungen der jüd. Bevölkerung wider, die - durch die antijüd. byz. Gesetzgebung bedroht - auf die persische Eroberung Palaestinas hoffte (pers.-byz. Kriege 604-630 n. Chr.; Datier. der Apokalypse ins 4. Jh. oder 5. Jh. [1]). Eingebettet in eine Rahmenhandlung, die Offenbarung der messianischen Erlösung durch Metatron (einige Mss.:…

(Φασάηλος). [English version] [1] Ältester Sohn des Antipatros [4] und der Kypros Ältester Sohn des Antipatros [4] und der Kypros, geb. ca. 77 v.Chr. verm. in Marissa (Idumaea; Ios. bell. Iud. 1,8,9; Ios. ant. Iud. 14,7,3). 47 v.Chr. wurde Ph. durch Antipatros (ἐπίτροπος/ epítropos von Iudaea unter dem Hohenpriester und Ethnarchen Hyrkanos [3] II.) zum Gouverneur (στρατηγός/ stratēgós) von Jerusalem und Umgebung ernannt, während sein Bruder Herodes [1] dasselbe Amt in Galilaea übernahm (Ios. ant. Iud. 14,9,2; Ios. bell. Iud. 1,10,4). Iosephos attestie…

(Φίλων). [English version] [1] Athen. Politiker Athener aus Acharnai, wurde 404 v.Chr. vom oligarchischen Regime verbannt ( triákonta ) und lebte während des Bürgerkrieges abwartend als Metoike in Oropos. Nach der Rückkehr wurde er bei der Bewerbung für die bulḗ in einer Dokimasieklage ( dokimasía ) der Feigheit und anderer Verfehlungen bezichtigt (Lys. 31; viell. 398 v.Chr.). Walter, Uwe (Köln) Bibliography Blass, Bd.1, 480f.  Th.Lenschau, A. Raubitschek, s.v. Ph. (2), RE 19, 2526f. [English version] [2] Athen. Bürger und Soldat (4. Jh. v. Chr.) Athener aus dem Demos Paiania, …

[English version] Die der jüd. Bevölkerung nach der Eroberung Jerusalems (70 n.Chr.) durch Vespasianus auferlegte Sondersteuer von zwei Drachmen pro Kopf (Ios. bell. Iud. 7,218). Der f.I. löste die für den jüd. Tempel erhobene Halbschekel-Steuer ab und wurde als Strafmaßnahme empfunden, da er dem Tempel des Iuppiter Capitolinus in Rom zugeführt wurde. Unter Domitianus wurde der f.I. als Maßnahme zur Verhinderung von Konversionen rigoros eingezogen (Suet. Dom. 12,2) [3; 4; 7], aber bereits unter Nerva wurde die Einziehung gelockert [1; 4]. Die Erhebung des f.I. ist bis in die Mi…

[English version] (Φασαηλίς, Φασηλός/ Phasēlós, h. Ḫirbat Faṣāil). Von Herodes [1] I. in Erinnerung an seinen älteren Bruder Phasael [1] wahrscheinlich nach 30 v.Chr. nördl. von Jericho im fruchtbaren Jordangraben gegr. Stadt (Ios. ant. Iud. 16,5,2; Ios. bell. Iud. 1,21,9). Nach Herodes' Tod an seine Schwester Salome vererbt (Ios. ant. Iud. 17,8,1; Ios. bell. Iud. 2,6,3), ging Ph. nach deren Tod in den Besitz der Livia [2], der Gattin des Kaisers Augustus, über (Ios. ant. Iud. 18,2,2; Ios. bell. Iud. …

(Ἑκαταῖος). [English version] [1] Tyrann von Kardia, 4. Jh. v.Chr. Tyrann von Kardia, von Alexandros [4] im Amt belassen, obwohl sich Eumenes [1] um die Befreiung der Stadt bemühte (Plut. Eumenes 3). Im Lamischen Krieg unterstützte er Antipatros [1] (Diod. 18,14,4). Badian, Ernst (Cambridge, MA) [English version] [2] Berater von Alexandros [4] d.Gr., 4. Jh. v.Chr. Einer der Hetairoi von Alexandros [4], von ihm 336 v.Chr. mit der Kaltstellung von Attalos [1] beauftragt, den er ermordete (Diod. 17,2,5; 5,2). Badian, Ernst (Cambridge, MA) Bibliography Berve 2, Nr. 292 (nicht mit N…

[English version] I. Allgemein Lit. Kommunikation ist Kommunikation mit Hilfe von Texten, stabilisierten, kohärenten und umfangreicheren Äußerungen. Diese können schriftlich sein oder verschriftlicht werden, können aber auch im Bereich des Mündlichen verbleiben (Schriftlichkeit-Mündlichkeit). Da für frühere Ges. im Regelfall nur schriftliche Texte untersucht werden können, konzentriert sich der L.-Begriff auf solcherart sedimentierte Medien der lit. Kommunikation. Gerade für ant. Ges. muß gleichwohl…

(hebr. šelomṣiyōn, “Friede Zions”, aram. Kurzform šelamṣāh; Σαλώμη). [English version] [1] Schwester Herodes' [1] d. Gr., 2. H. 1. Jh. v. Chr. Schwester Herodes' [1] d.Gr. (ca. 57 v. Chr.-10 n. Chr.). Sie nahm bis zu dessen Tod eine wichtige Rolle im intriganten Spiel um die Macht am herodianischen Hof ein. So intrigierte sie gegen Herodes' hasmonäische Frau Mariamme [1] I. und deren Söhne Alexandros und Aristobulos [4] sowie gegen ihre eigenen Gatten Iosephos [1] und Kostobaros, die hingerichtet wurden (Ios. bell. I…

(Ἰώσηπ(π)ος, Ιώσηφ(ος)). Von hebräisch josep josipjah, “Gott möge (weitere Kinder) hinzufügen”; in Erinnerung an den bibl. Patriarchen J. (Gn 35; 37-50) verbreiteter jüd. Name, u.a. in der herodian. Familie. [English version] [1] Onkel und Schwager Herodes' [1] d.Gr. Onkel und Schwager Herodes' [1] d.Gr. (Ios. ant. Iud. 15,65; 81), fungierte 34 v.Chr. während dessen Reise zu M. Antonius [I 9] als sein Stellvertreter, geriet in die Intrigen um die Königin Mariamme und wurde auf Anzeige seiner Frau Salome wegen Ehebruchs mit Mariamme …

[English version] (προσήλυτος, “Hinzugekommener”; lat. proselytus). Die griech. Bezeichnung p. ist erstmals als Übers. des biblischen Begriffs gēr (der im Land Israel ansässige und bes. Rechtsstatus genießende “Fremde”) in der Septuaginta belegt [8. 40-45; 9. 51 ff.]. Gegen Ende der Epoche des Zweiten Tempels (1. Jh. n. Chr.) bezeichnet prosḗlytos dann hauptsächlich den zum Judentum Konvertierten (Ios. c. Ap. 2,28) [4. 60 ff.], der innerhalb der jüd. Gemeinschaft fast dieselben Rechte besaß wie ein Jude von Geburt [1. 60-123]. Die Bedingung…

(Φωκυλίδης). [English version] [1] Dichter aus Milet, um 540 v. Chr. Griech. Dichter aus Milet (Phryn. 336, p. 463 R.; Suda), der hexametrische und elegische Gnomen verfaßte (elegisch: Athen. 632d; beides: Suda φ 643), ca. 540 v.Chr. (Suda). Die Γνῶμαι ( Gnṓmai, Aphorismen) werden Ph. von vielen Autoren zugeschrieben (u.a. Platon, Aristoteles, Cicero, Strabon, Dion [I 3] Chrysostomos, Athenaios, Clemens von Alexandreia). Sie beginnen (wie die von Demodokos [2] von Leros) mit καὶ τόδε Φωκυλίδου (‘Auch dies sagt Ph.’). Sie sind in Hexam…

[English version] [1] Enkelin des Aristobulos II. und des Iohannes Hyrkanos II. (hebr. Mirjam; die Form Mariamne in Fr. Hebbels Drama ist Korruptel späterer Hss.); Enkelin des Aristobulos [2] II. und des Iohannes Hyrkanos [3] II. Geb. um 53/52 v.Chr. wurde M., eine berühmte Schönheit, mit Herodes [1] d.Gr. verheiratet und geriet in die Intrigen und Konflikte zw.Hasmonäern und Herodeern. 29 ließ Herodes sie aufgrund der Verleumdungen seiner Schwester Salome wegen Verdachts der Untreue hinrichten (Ios. ant. Iud. 15,218-236). Bringmann, Klaus (Frankfurt/Main) Bibliography A. Scha…

I. Alter Orient [English version] A. Allgemein Altoriental. und äg. M. beruht auf einem Weltbild, das der Religion entgegengesetzt ist. Im mag. Weltbild sind Menschen, Götter und Dämonen durch Sympathien und Antipathien miteinander und mit dem Kosmos verbunden, im rel. Weltbild wird alles durch die Götter zu ihrem eigenen Nutzen gestaltet; die Beziehungen zw. Mensch und Kosmos sind Folge bewußter Maßnahmen der Götter. In der rel. Praktik jedoch sind beide Weltbilder integriert und komplementär. Das rel…

[English version] (Και(α)φᾶς, Cai(a)phas). Joseph, mit Beinamen Kaiphas (von aram. qayyāfā), amtierte als Hoherpriester des Jerusalemer Tempels (18-36 n.Chr.) und somit als Vorsitzender des Sanhedrin (Synhedrion), der höchsten für zivile Gerichtsbarkeit und polit. Fragen zuständigen jüd. Instanz in hell. und röm. Zeit. Er gehörte als Schwiegersohn des Hohenpriesters Ananus (oder Annas, Hannas; 6-15 n.Chr.) zu einer der wichtigen Priesterfamilien, die regelmäßig dieses Amt besetzte (Jo 18,13; auch mPar 3,5 und tYev 1,10) [4. 234]. Ernannt durch den röm. procurator Valeriu…

[English version] (vom hebr. EN ṭōviyyȧh, Neh 2,10; Τωβιας/ Tōbias, LXX, vgl. ὑιοὶ Τωβια/ hyioí Tōbia, 2 Esr 17,62). Die Familie der T. spielte z.Z. des Zweiten Tempels (III.) eine führende ökonomische und polit. Rolle in Iudaea (Juda und Israel). Arch. nachgewiesen ist die wohl auf den Ruinen des Stammsitzes der T. im h. Irāq al-Amīr (Transjordanien) errichtete Festung Tyros des Hyrkanos [1]. Ihr erster histor. faßbarer Vertreter ist der aus dem bibl. Buch Nehemia bekannte persische Verwaltungsbeamte ammonit…

(Ἰάσων). [English version] [1] Anführer der Argonauten Thessal. Heros aus Iolkos, Führer der Argonauten, Teilnehmer an der Kalydonischen Jagd (Apollod. 1,68), Sohn des Aison [1] und der Polymela (Hes. cat. 38-40; Apollod. 1,107) bzw. Alkimede (Pherekydes 3 F 104 FGrH; Apoll. Rhod. 1,47); Bruder des Promachos (Apollod. 1,143); von Hypsipyle Vater des Euneos (Hom. Il. 7,468) und Nebrophonos (Apollod. 1,115), von Medeia Vater des Medeios (Hes. theog. 1001), des Mermeros und Pheres (Apollod. 1,146). I. wird bei Chiron erzogen (Hes. cat. 40) und lebt mit Aison ohne Thronre…

(Σίμων). [English version] [1] Bronzebildner aus Aigina, ca. 480-460 v. Chr. Bronzebildner aus Aigina. S. war mit einem Pferd samt Pferdeführer am Weihgeschenk des Phormis in Olympia beteiligt; daraus ergibt sich eine Schaffenszeit um 480-460 v. Chr. Die zugehörige Basis wurde identifiziert. Ein Hund und ein Bogenschütze des S. (Plin. nat. 34,90) bildeten wohl eine weitere Gruppe. Neudecker, Richard Bibliography Overbeck, Nr. 402, 437  M. Zuppa, s. v. S. 2, EAA 7, 1966, 315  F. Eckstein, Anathemata, 1969, 43-49  E. Walter-Karydi, Die äginetische Bildhauerschule, 1987, …

Dieser Ort ist auf folgenden Karten verzeichnet: Ägäische Koine | Alexandros | Caesar | Christentum | Coloniae | Handel | Hasmonäer | Legio | Limes | Mesopotamien | Naturkatastrophen | Phönizier, Punier | Pilgerschaft | Pompeius | Syrien | Totes Meer (Textfunde) | Zenobia [English version] I. Name Hebr. Y  rūšālēm, vermutl. “Gründung des (Gottes) Šalēm”, masoretisch (Masora) stets als Dualform Y  rūšālayim vokalisiert; griech. Ἱερουσαλήμ, Ἰεροσόλυμα; lat. Ierusalem, [ H] ierosolyma), archaisierend Šālēm (Gn 14,18; Ps 76,3) oder Y  bōs (Ri 19,10-11; 1 Chr 11,4-5), unter Hadr…

[English version] (Σαμβήθη oder Σάββη/ Sábbē). Name der jüdischen Sibylle, die mit der äg., pers. und babylon. Sibylle identifiziert werden kann [2. 317 ff.]; er leitet sich wohl von hebr. Šabbat ab [7. 622 ff.]. Eine Sabbe ist erstmals in der vier Sibyllen umfassenden Liste des Pausanias [8] (um 160 n. Chr.) belegt (Paus. 10,12,1-9), die auf Alexandros [23] Polyhistor zurückgeht. Sie ist mit der als “Tochter Noahs” bezeichneten Prophetin in or. Sib. 3,823 ff. sowie or. Sib. prooemium 33 und or. Sib. 1,289 zu identifizieren. Die 12 B. der Oracula Sibyllina zählen zur pseudepigra…

[English version] (von hebr. šelōmṣiyōn, aram. Kurzform Šelamṣah, “Friede Zions”; griech. Σαλαμψιώ). Die älteste Tochter Herodes' [1] d.Gr. und seiner hasmonäischen Frau Mariamme [1]; geb. ca. 33 v. Chr. Nachdem Herodes' Bruder Pheroras die Eheschließung mit ihr abgelehnt hatte, heiratete sie nach 20 v. Chr. ihren Cousin Phasael II., Sohn Phasaels [1] I., mit dem sie fünf Kinder (Herodes IV., Alexandros III., Antipatros IV., Alexandra und Kypros III.) hatte (Ios. ant. Iud. 16,7,6; 17,1,3; 18,5,4). Wandrey, Irina (Berlin) Bibliography N. Kokkinos, The Herodian Dynasty. …

[English version] (Μαχαιροῦς, hebr. Mekawar, Mekabar). Östl. des Toten Meeres in der südl. Peraia, an der Grenze zum Nabatäerreich (Nabataioi) gelegene Festung, die Alexandros [16] Iannaios (103-76 v.Chr.) erbauen ließ (h. Ruǧm al-Mišnaqa). Nach Plin. nat. 5,16,72 war M. neben Jerusalem die stärkste Festung Iudaeas. M. wurde während des röm. Feldzuges 63 v.Chr. durch Pompeius (Strab. 16,763) und später durch den Proconsul Syriens Gabinius [I 2] (57-55 v.Chr.) vollständig zerstört (Ios. ant. Iud. 14,5…

[English version] Sohn (oder Enkel) des Judas Galilaios, der (wie auch sein Vater Hesekias) gegen Rom und Herodes kämpfte (Ios. ant. Iud. 18,1,6; 14,9,2) [2]. Judas wird von Iosephos [4] Flavios als Begründer der sog. vierten (namenlosen, später mit dem negativen Begriff Sikarier, “Dolchträger” = “Mörder”, belegten [1. 50]) philos. Schule bezeichnet, die sich von den Pharisaioi hauptsächlich durch ihre Freiheitsliebe und den Kampf für die absolute Herrschaft Gottes unterschied (Ios. ant. Iud. 18,1…

[English version] (Φερώρας). Jüngster Sohn des Antipatros [4], geb. ca. 68 v.Chr. wahrscheinlich in Marissa (Idumaea), gest. ca. 5 v.Chr. In erster Ehe war Ph. mit einer Hasmonäerprinzessin verheiratet (der Schwester von Mariamme [1] I., der ersten Frau seines älteren Bruders Herodes [1] I.), in zweiter Ehe mit einem “Sklavenmädchen” (Ios. bell. Iud. 1,24,5; Ios. ant. Iud. 16,7,3). Ph. war ein enger Mitstreiter seines Bruders Herodes: Er erneuerte in dessen Auftrag die Festung Alexandreion nördlic…

[English version] Einer der höchsten Engelfürsten in der jüd. mystischen Lit. Für den Namen M. gibt es verschiedene etym. Erklärungen. Bereits Odeberg [2. 137ff.] plädiert für die griech. Wörter metá und thrónos, “(derjenige, der) neben dem Thron (Gottes sitzt)” (ähnlich [1]; ablehnend [5. 75]). Außerdem ist mit M. die Trad. von 70 Geheimnamen verbunden [3], darunter “Jüngling”, “Knecht”, “Yahoel” und “kleiner Yahwe”. Eine zentrale Rolle kommt ihm in der spätant. Hekhalot-Literatur zu [5]. Im auf früheren Trad. basierenden s…

[English version] Diese in Hebr. vermutlich im 10. Jh. in Südit. verfaßte geschichtliche Darstellung des Weltgeschehens (von Adam bis zur Zerstörung des jüd. Tempels in Jerusalem durch Titus 70 n.Chr.) basiert auf den Werken des Iosephos [4] Flavios ( Antiquitates Iudaicae, Bellum Judaicum, Contra Apionem). Als hauptsächliche Vorlage sind neben der lat. Fassung des Bellum (sog. lat. Hegesippus, 4. Jh. n.Chr.) diverse ma. Chroniken auszumachen. Im Zentrum stehen die Auseinandersetzungen zw. Rom und Israel. Ma. Übers. ins Arab., Äthiop. und Lat. lie…

(Μανάημος). Griech. Form des hebr. EN Menaḥem (“der Tröster”), der im AT (2 Kg 15,14ff.) und in anderen semit. Sprachen belegt ist. [English version] [1] Essener, 1. Jh. v. Chr. Essener (1. Jh.v.Chr.), der Herodes [1] d.Gr. in dessen Jugendjahren die Königsherrschaft, seinen Abfall von Gottesfurcht und Gerechtigkeit sowie bei einer zweiten Prophezeiung die Dauer seiner Regentschaft vorhersagte (Ios. ant. Iud. 15,10,5). Wird auch wie M. [3], der Sohn des Judas Galilaios, mit dem Schriftgelehrten M. identifiziert; [1; 2]. Wandrey, Irina (Berlin) [English version] [2] Jugendgefäh…

(Καλλιρ[ρ]όη, “die Schönfließende”). [English version] [1] Tochter des Okeanos Tochter des Okeanos, Gattin des Chrysaor [4], Mutter des Geryoneus (Hes. theog. 351; 979ff.; Apollod. 2,106; Hyg. fab. 151); sie erscheint im Kreis der Persephone (Hom. h. 5,419); überl. auch als Gattin des Manes oder des Poseidon (Dion. Hal. ant. 1,27,1; schol. Pind. O. 14,5). Zingg, Reto (Basel) [English version] [2] Tochter des Acheloos Tochter des Acheloos, Gattin des Alkmaion [1], Mutter von Amphoteros und Akarnan (Apollod. 3,88ff.; Eur. Alcestis TGF fr. 79). Zingg, Reto (Basel) [English version] […

(griech. Ὀν(ε)ίας; hebr. neḥonyah, ḥunyah, ḥoni); im ant. Judentum verbreiteter EN ([9. Bd. 2, 1394, 1455]; Ios. ant. Iud. 14,22; 25; 222; Ios. c. Ap. 2,49; mischna Taan 3,8). Träger dieses Namens waren in vormakkabäischer Zeit u.a. vier zadokidische Hohepriester am Tempel von Jerusalem. Die wichtigsten histor. Quellen für das Geschlecht der Oniaden sind die Antiquitates Iudaicae des Iosephos [4] Flavios und 2 Makk. [English version] [1] O. I. Hoherpriester, Vater Simons des Gerechten, 4./3. Jh. v. Chr. (E. 4. Jh.v.Chr.). Sohn des Hohenpriesters Jaddua (Ios. ant. Iud. 1…

[English version] I. Entstehung Die auf den Aristeas-Brief (Aristeas [2]; [12. 20-37; 15. 677-687; 13]) zurückgehende Entstehungslegende der S. besagt, daß König Ptolemaios [3] II. Philadelphos den Pentateuch von 70 (bzw. 72; 70 = ἑβδομήκοντα/ hebdomḗkonta, lat. septuaginta interpretes, daher der Name S./LXX) Gelehrten an 70 (bzw. 72) Tagen für seine Bibl. ins Griech. übersetzen ließ. Der Name wurde dann auf die griech. Übers. der gesamten hebräischen Bibel einschließlich der Apokryphen (Apokryphe Literatur) übertragen. Diese Über…

[English version] (ζηλωταί/ zēlōtaí, “Eiferer”, von griech. ζηλοῦν/ zēlún, “eifern”). Polit.-rel. Gruppe von Juden, die sich im 1. Jh. n. Chr. und v. a. im ersten Jüd.-röm. Krieg (Jüdische Kriege, s. Nachträge) gegen die röm. Herrschaft in Palaestina erhoben. Der Begriff “Z.” findet sich bei Iosephos [4] Flavius (bell. Iud. 4,160 f.; 7,268-270), dessen Bellum Iudaicum (B. 4-7) und Antiquitates die wichtigsten histor. Quellen für die Bewegung und Ideologie der Z. darstellen. Der Begriff ist eine Übers. der hebr. Bezeichnung qannāīm ( qannā, “eifernd”, sc.: für Gott, u. a…

[English version] Der letzte von sieben Prokuratoren, die den größten Teil Palaestinas als röm. Prov. nach dem Tod Agrippas I., 44 n.Chr., unter dem Oberbefehl des syr. Statthalters verwalteten. Aus Klazomenai gebürtig, erhielt er sein Amt offenbar durch die Beziehungen seiner Frau Cleopatra zur Kaiserin Poppaea Sabina (Ios. ant. Iud. 20,252f.). Seine Regierungszeit dauerte lediglich zwei Jahre (64-66 n.Chr.) und endete mit dem Ausbruch des 1. jüd. Aufstandes gegen Rom (Tac. hist. 5,10). Iosephos Flavios, dessen Bellum Iudaicum die wichtigste Quelle für G.F. darstellt (…

(Μενέλαος, att. Μενέλεως; lat. Menelaus). [English version] [1] Herrscher von Sparta, Gatte der Helena Bedeutende Figur im Mythenzyklus vom Troianischen Krieg (Troia: Sagenkreis). Als jüngerer Bruder des Agamemnon, der in Mykene den myth. bedeutendsten griech. Herrschersitz innehat, wird M. durch Heirat mit der Zeustochter Helene [1] (einziges Kind ist die Tochter Hermione) König über das Gebiet im Eurotas-Tal mit seinem Hauptort Sparta und dem in vordorischer Zeit bedeutenden Amyklai [1] (Beschreibung seines…

[German Version] I. Early Judaism The Septuagint uses προσήλυτοι/ prosḗ lytoi, literally “those who have come over,” to translate Hebrew גֵּר/ gēr (“resident alien” [Stranger: II] in the land of Israel, enjoying a special legal status). Toward the end of the ¶ second temple period, proselyte came to denote primarily a convert to Judaism (e.g. Jos. Apion. II 28), with almost the same rights in the Jewish community as someone born a Jew. In early Judaism, three conditions for conversion (VIII) to Judaism were laid down: offering sacrifice (dropped af…

[German Version] A prophecy or apocalypse of Zephaniah (Sophonias) is mentioned in ancient and medieval lists of the Old Testament Apocrypha. A Greek quotation is preserved in Clement of Alexandria’s Stromata (V 11.77); a Coptic text is also preserved in two fragmentary 5th-century manuscripts, one Sahidic, the other Akhmimic. The extant manuscript evidence is insufficient to determine with certainty whether we are dealing with portions of a single work or several works composed under the same name (Diebner, 1158). The Akhmi…

[German Version] I. Neurobiology and Psychology – II. Religious Studies – III. Ancient Near East and Old Testament – IV. Early Judaism – V. Greco-Roman Antiquity – VI. New Testament – VII. Church History – VIII. Fundamental Theology – IX. Practical Theology – X. Missiology – XI. Art History I. Neurobiology and Psychology Dreams are hallucinatory experiences that generally occur during sleep. Unlike real experiences, they involve associations that are temporally, spatially, and emot…

[German Version] was the author of a work (possibly fragmentary) on biblical history from Adam to Saul and ¶ David, which was traditionally attributed to Philo of Alexandria. The version preserved in numerous manuscripts was translated from Greek in the 4th century into pre-Jerome Latin, and goes back to an original Hebrew text, as is shown by the use of notions and terms close to the Hebrew Bible and Targum literature. The narrative embellishments and additions to the biblical text also indicate a close relations…

[German Version] I. Religious Studies As with many animals, purification is a basic area of human behavior. Mutual purifying implies and generates expectations, trust, solidarity, and hierarchy. Religious actions (e.g. the purifying of statues and pictures of gods) go back to identical structures. Purifying is a fundamental element of ritual actions. Ritual objects, but also the actors themselves, are purified. This process is often self-referential: purification happens not with regard to something unclean, but for the ritual. Purifica…

[German Version] I. Comparative Religion In differentiated religious systems or cultures, the categories of clean and unclean, or purity and impurity, represent a key classificatory-communicative distinction which determines the course of inner boundaries (e.g. those between clergy and laity or women and men) and outer boundaries (e.g. between believers and “pagans,” in-group/out-group). It enjoys particular plausibility in the context of dualistic models such as Zoroastrianism, for example (Zarathu…

[German Version] epic poet, known only through quotations of his Greek epic on the Samaritan city of Shechem (Hellenistic foundation myth, events involving Jacob, Dinah, Simeon, and Levi, circumcision, murder of the Shechemites [Gen 34]) in Alexander Polyhistor’s On the Jews, another lost work. Only six fragments (47 hexameters) of Theodotus’s work are preserved in Eusebius of Caesarea’s Praeparatio evangelica. The epic was produced in Palestine or Alexandria before the 1st century bce; its clear interest in the topic of forced conversion to Judaism suggests that it…

[German Version] The apocryphal apocalypse “Ascension of Isaiah” consists of two distinct parts: the “Martyrdom of Isaiah” (1–5) and the “Vision of Isaiah” (6–11). The Martyrdom of Isaiah was very likely written in Hebrew in Palestine. The original language of the Vision of Isaiah is Greek; however, where it first originated and the location of the final editing process (3rd–4th cent. ce) are unknown. A complete version of the Vision of Isaiah is only available in an Egyptian translation (4th–6th cent. ce); additionally, some Greek and Latin fragm…

[German Version] I. Religious Studies – II. History of Religion I. Religious Studies The term “oracle,” derived from the Latin noun oraculum, denotes, (1) in close connection with the original meaning of the word, the oracle site, i.e. the place at which a divine statement ( orare, “to speak”) was communicated to a person (see II, 3 below); (2) also common in ancient usage, the oracular statement itself; (3) the oracle as an institution; (4) in individual cases also a specific person involved in issuing the oracle (e.g. the medium of Nechun…

[German Version] In Jewish theology, the seven Noachid (Noahide) laws (Heb. sheva mizwot bene Noach) are the commandments (Mitzvot) binding on all human­king, including Gentiles – in contrast to the commandments and prohibitions of the Torah, revealed exclusively to the Jews. This idea goes back to the rabbinic interpretation of the revelations to Adam and Noah, the forefathers of all humankind (Gen 2:16; 9:1–7). In principle observing the Noahide laws enables Gentiles to live lives pleasing to God and incorp…

[German Version] I. History of Religions – II. Responses I. History of Religions 1. Orphic-Dionysian mysteries. The earliest Greeks anticipated a short and active life without any form of existence after death. The 6th century bce saw the appearance of religious alternatives that promised an afterlife in the beyond. One of these spread anonymously under the name of Orpheus; myths of Orpheus speak of deliverance from a senseless and cheerless netherworld. There was never a coherent religion practiced by Orphics, but there is discu…

[German Version] 1. Rabban Gamaliel (Gamaliel I) was active in Jerusalem c. 25–50 ce as an outstanding Torah scholar ( Midr. Sota 9:15) and member of the Sanhedrin ( bet-din; Acts 5:34ff.). The traditional view that he was the son or grandson of Hillel is presumably legendary ( b. Šabb. 15a), but does, indeed, suggest continuity in doctrine. The historicity of the teacher-student relationship attributed to him and Paul in Acts22:3 and his intervention ¶ before the Sanhedrin on behalf of releasing the apostles (Acts 5:34–39) is also unclear. 2. Gamaliel II , the son of Simeon and grands…

[German Version] I. Religious Studies – II. Old Testament – III. New Testament – IV. History of Dogma and Dogmatics – V. Art History – VI. Judaism I. Religious Studies The attempt to ascend to the abode of the gods is associated with myths and expressions of the impossible (Deut 30:12; Prov 30:4) and of presumption (Isa 14:13f.; the Aloads, Bellerophon). Nevertheless divine help empowers (Wind, cloud, wings, Angels…

[German Version] (Heb. כְּתוּבָּה, “that which is written”), marriage contract in which the financial livelihood of the wife is secured in the event of divorce or widowhood (Marriage: IX). The Talmud tractate Ketubbot (“marriage contracts”) deals with the rights and duties of spouses resulting from the marriage contract, but also with other topics such as dowry, divorce, etc. Since the minimum amounts of money to which a wife is entitled in these cases are also specified by law ( m. Ketub. 4:7–12; b. Ketub. 16b), the drawing up of a ketubbah could be waived in talmudic times. …

[German Version] was the Jewish author of a Greek epic on the city of Jerusalem, in the Hellenistic tradition of praise of cities. Eusebius of Caesarea ( Praep. 9.20, 24, 37) transmits 24 hexameters, divided into six fragments, and attributes them to Alexander Polyhistor’s On the Jews, who himself cites them as taken from the epic On Jerusalem. Subjects treated in the fragments are Abraham, the binding of Isaac, the abode of God, Joseph and the dream interpretation, and Jerusalem’s water supply. The epic comprised at least 14 chapters, and was probably written between 200 and 100 bce in Hel…

[German Version] The term refers to the period roughly between (a) the end of the Babylonian Exile (539 bce), the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem (520), and the completion of the Hebrew Bible, and (b) the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple (70 ce) and the beginnings of rabbinic Judaism. The term “early Judaism” thus covers a period that historians, depending on where the focus of their interest lies, also refer to as the Hellenistic-Roman period (300 bce–200 ce), lately also as “Middle Judaism” (Boccaccini) or the Second Temple Period (520 bce–70 ce). It …

[German Version] The pseudepigraphic Hebrew Apocalypse of Zerubbabel (Apocalypticism: III, 2), probably written in Palestine in the early 7th century ce, reflects the messianic hopes (Messiah: III, 1) of the Palestinian Jews, who – threatened by the anti-Jewish laws of the Byzantine rulers – set their hopes on a Persian conquest during the Persian-Byzantine wars between 604 and 630 ce. Embedded in a framework that recounts the revelation of messianic redemption by Metatron/Michael to Zerubbabel, the last ruler of the Davidic line and builder of the seco…

[German Version] is the name given to the author of a Hellenistic Jewish didactic poem of 230 aphorisms written between 100 bce and 100 ce, possibly in Alexandria. It combines material borrowed from the Septuagint – though specifically Jewish beliefs are not much evidence, there is no departure from monotheism – with Hellenistic “popular ethics” (Walter, 191). There is no evidence of Christian influence or use of the New Testament. The work belongs to the wisdom genre of practical guidance on living characteristic of t…

[German Version] The book of Judith, named for its protagonist, Judith (“Jewess”), forms part of the Old Testament Apocrypha (II). The original, probably composed in Hebrew (for Gk as the original language, see Engel), from which the extant Greek translation in its various recensions stems, has not been preserved. The old Latin, Syriac, Coptic and Armenian translations were prepared from original Greek texts. Several Hebrew versions of the text exist which are based on a free rendition of the Sept…

[German Version] I. History of Religions – II. Old Testament – III. Christianity – IV. Ethics – V. Judaism – VI. Islam I. History of Religions “Fasting” is a universally attested cultural technique to produce an expansion of mental and social control, power, or awareness (Asceticism) by restricting the intake of food. Many different types of and reasons for fasting can be found in the history of religions, and they are combined in various ways. Several studies have been produced with regard to individual religions …

[German Version] I. History of Religions – II. Old Testament – III. Judaism – IV. Christianity – V. Dogmatics – VI. Islam I. History of Religions The terms messiah and messianism derive from the Hebrew word māšîaḥ, “anointed one.” Under the impact of foreign rule in Israel and Judah beginning in the 6th century bce, the word took on a new meaning: the Messiah was expected to bring deliverance from foreigners and oppressors, and in part to inaugurate the eschatological age of salvation (see II–IV below). The word's meaning was expanded in the …

[German Version] I. Greco-Roman Sibylline Material The Sibylline oracles of antiquity were oracles ascribed to Sibyl, always in Greek hexameters (Pseudepigraphy); the earliest date from the 5th century bce. Two corpora need to be distinguished: (1) the Sibylline Oracles (Gk οἱ Σιβύλλης χρησμοί/ hoi Sibýllēs chrēsmoí, “the oracles of Sibyl,” or τὰ Σιβύλλεια/ tá Sibýlleia, “the sibylline material”) and οἱ χρησμοὶ Σιβυλλιακοί/ hoi chrēsmoí Sibylliakoí, Lat. oraculaSibyllina), a primarily Judeo-Christian collection (see II and III below); and (2) the Sibylline Boo…

[German Version] Other than a few quotations from the church fathers (e.g. Or. Princ. III 2.1), the only known version of the “Ascension of Mose” ( As.Mos. or T.Mos.) is an incomplete Latin manuscript from the 6th century (palimpsest; 1st ed. 1861 by Ceriani). This Latin translation (5th cent.) of a Greek translation probably goes back to a Hebrew or Aramaic original (Tromp favors a Greek original) written in Judea before the destruction of the temple (original version probably 2nd–1st cent. bce; final version early 1st cent. ce, because Herod the Great is identifiable; …

[German Version] The designation “Zealots” (ζηλωταί/ zēlōtaí, from Gk ζηλόω/ zēlóō, “to be zealous, to strive after”) for those Jews who rebelled against Roman rule in Palestine during the 1st century ce and especially during the First Jewish Revolt is encountered in the works of Flavius Josephus ( Bell. II 651; IV 160f.; VII 268–270), whose Bellum Judaicum (II–VII) and Antiquitates constitute the most important sources for the Zealot movement and its ideology. The Hebrew designation qannaʾim (“zealous ones”) is attested, among other places, in b. Sanh. 82a. Their name goes back …

[English Version] (hebr. sheva mizwot bene Noach) sind nach jüd. Auffassung die für alle Menschen (Nichtjuden und Juden) verbindlichen Gebote (Mizwot) – im Gegensatz zu den exklusiv den Juden offenbarten Ge- und Verboten der Tora. Diese Vorstellung geht auf die rabb. Auslegung der Offenbarungen an Adam und Noah, die Urväter aller Menschen, zurück (Gen 2,16; 9,1–7). Die Einhaltung der n.G. ermöglicht prinzipiell auch den Nichtjuden ein gottesfürchtiges Leben und schließt sie in den göttlichen Heils…

[English Version] ist der Autor eines Werkes über die bibl. Gesch. von Adam bis hin zu Saul und David (möglicherweise frgm.), das traditionell Philo von Alexandrien zugeschrieben wurde. Die in zahlreichen Hsn. überlieferte, in vorhieronymischen Lat. vf. Übers. (4.Jh.) aus dem Griech. geht auf einen urspr. auf Hebr. vf. Text zurück, wie bes. durch der HB und der Targumlit. nahestehende Begriffe etc. deutlich wird. Auch die erzählerischen Ausschmückungen und Zusätze zur bibl. Vorlage verweisen auf …

[English Version] I. Antikes JudentumMit προση´λυτοι/prosē´lytoi, wörtl. »Hinzugekommene«, übers. die LXX das bibl.-hebr. גֵּר/ger (der im Land Israel ansässige und einen bes. Rechtsstatus genießende »Fremde« [: II.]). Gegen Ende der Epoche des Zweiten Tempels bez. der Begriff Proselyten (P.) dann hauptsächlich den zum Judentum Konvertierten (so etwa bei Flav.Jos.Apion. 2,28), der innerhalb der jüd. Gemeinschaft fast dieselben Rechte besaß wie ein Jude von Geburt. Im antiken Judentum werden folgende Beding…

[English Version] . Die pseudepigraphische hebr. Apokalypse (Apokalyptik: III.,2.) des S. (vermutlich Anfang 7.Jh. n.Chr., Palästina) spiegelt die messianischen Erwartungen (Messias/Messianismus: III.,1.) der jüd.-paläst. Bevölkerung wider, die – durch antijüd. Gesetze der byz. Herrscher bedroht – auf die pers. Eroberung hoffte (pers.-byz. Kriege 604–630 n.Chr.). Eingebettet in eine Rahmenhandlung, die Offenbarung der messianischen Erlösung durch Metatron/Michael an S. (letzter Herrscher aus david…