Penitential Prayer in Second Temple Judaism: the Development of a Religious Institution (review)

T1HEJEWISH QUARTERLYREVIEW,XCII, Nos. 1-2 (Jully-October, 2001) 265-268 RODNEYALAN WERLINE.Penitential Prayer in Second Temple Judaism: the Development of a Religious Institution. Society of Biblical Literature :Early Judaismand its Literature13. Atlanta:Scholars Press, 1998. Pp. 238. Rodney Alan Werline'sbook affords the reader a useful practical acquaintance with Second Temple period literature and prayer. The book deals with penitential prayerswhose purpose is to achieve atonementand forgiveness and to make the sinner worthy of salvation. Werline assumes that the composition of these prayersbegan during the Babylonian exile, when sacrifices were no longer the means for atonement and forgiveness. The prayersthat emerged are based on the Deuteronomic belief that punishment follows sin and that only regret and confession can lead to God's forgiveness and redemption.The lack of any explanations orjustifications for the penitential prayersin the books of Ezra and Nehemiah leads Werline to assume thatthey were institutionalizedat an earlierage. The book has four chapters. Chapter 1 deals with writings that are related to the first steps in the development of penitential prayers. Deuteronomy 4 and 28-30 emphasize penitence and confession as necessary steps for salvation. 1 Kings 8 offers prayeras the appropriateform for confession . In Jeremiah,repentanceand prayer are said to bring salvation at the end of 70 years. Third Isaiah calls for confession and repentancefollowing the disappointmentassociated with the Restoration. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah contain penitential prayers, while Chronicles reworks the materialfound in 1 Kings 8. Examiningeach of these writings, Werline describes the historical backgroundand the unique structureof the text, and points to the earliersources on which the prayersare based. Chapter2 deals with Daniel and Greek Baruch,both writtenduringthe crisis broughtabout by the decrees of Antiochus IV. In these books, penitential prayers are associated with the correct interpretationof Jeremiah. Both Daniel and Baruch confess and express penitence for the people's failureto obey the wordsof the prophets.But they go one step further:they give their own interpretationsof the prophet's words. Daniel interprets Jeremiah's70 years of exile as a prophecyof the end of Antiochus'decrees and the arrival of salvation. Jeremiah'swarning against a revolt is used by Baruch to preach against any resistance to Seleucid authority.Werline analyzes these prayers and points to their use of biblical language. He also points to the similarity between the penitential prayer in Daniel and the sofer confession in Sirach. 266 THE JEWISH QUARTERLYREVIEW Chapter3 deals with communitiesin which penitence is an essential part of their self-definition. Echoes of these communities can be found in the Enoch literature,Jubilees and in the Qumranlibrary.Claiming that penitence can be found only within their boundaries,these groups believe that the salvation promised in Deuteronomy is limited to them alone. Furthermore , both penitence and salvation are perceived within an eschatological framework.The firstpartof chapter3 examines the communities as represented in various writings (Jubilees, 1 Enoch, the Testamentof Moses, the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchsand the Damascus Document). The covenant ceremony from IQS is also included in the discussion. Werline points to the use of Deuteronomicconcepts andthe use of priorpenitential prayers.All this leads (p. 147ff.) to the evaluationof the penitentialprayers used by the Qumrancommunity. Chapter4 deals withprayersfoundin Tobit,thePrayerof Azariah,3 Maccabees , the Greekadditions to Estherand the Psalms of Solomon. Despite theiruse of Deuteronomiclanguage, these books do not follow the Deuteronomic scheme of sin-punishment-penitence-salvation.The one who prays believes thathe or she is righteousandpious; hence his troublescannotbe understood. Alternatively, a few of these prayers accept the troubles as justified punishmentbut claim that the means of punishment-the foreign ruler-leads to a defamationof God'snamein theworld.Werlineshows that the question of theodicy is treatedonly superficiallyin these writings and few answers are given. One explanation offered is that the pious person suffersbecause of the sins of the nationandthathis deathcan atonefor the sin of thepeople. Anotherexplanationis thatthereis didacticpurposeto the suffering of the pious. Sometimes there is no explanation and the prayer becomes a point from which salvation begins. Werlinesurveys many sources andgives importantinformationconcerning their time of composition and their social and political context. While the informationhe gives is mainly accurate, Werline often appearsto be unawareof opposing opinions. For example, he dates Jubilees to 168 BCE...