Intertestamental, Apocrypha, NT Use
- Intertestamental, Apocrypha, NT Use
In this short volume, B. provides an edition and German translation of, as well as a commentary on, a mythological/historiographical work telling of the origins of the Mandaean [End Page 643] movement. The Mandaean title of that work, Haran Gauaita, means "Inner Haran," with the term "Haran" likely referring to the biblical site of that name situated in northwestern Mesopotamia. In his brief introduction, B., inter alia, gives a description of the four known manuscripts of the work (which was first called to the attention of Western scholars by a 1937 publication of E. S. Drower), of which two, designated by him as "A" and "B," are currently housed in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, while the remaining two, "C" and "D," are part of a private collection in the Netherlands. For his edition, B. generally follows the text of manuscript "A" as the oldest of the four witnesses (copied 1677 a.d.) and the one that exhibits the most difficult readings. He reproduces the text of this manuscript in a transliteration using Latin letters, with a German translation on facing pages. The appended commentary focuses on the many philological and historical questions posed by the work and the previous scholarly discussion of these. The volume's end-matter consists of a list of Mandaean words used in the work, a table of abbreviations, a bibliography, a general index, and a plate section with photographic reproductions of the two previously unpublished manuscripts "C" and "D."—C.T.B.
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In this edited Habilitationschrift, J. identifies a rare but clear motif in select Jewish apocalyptic literature (Zech 4:6-7; 1 Enoch 52; 2 Baruch; 4 Ezra 13) in which mountains are portrayed as adversaries to be conquered. He goes on to provide an account of the motif's origins, meaning, and function. For J., the motif originated in ANE literature and Zech 4:6-7 was an early apocalyptic text that transmitted the motif to later apocalyptic literature. In most cases, the motif contributed to metaphorical portrayals of powerful political leaders and facilitated assessment of them. However, 4 Ezra 13 creatively combines the mountain-conquest motif with several motifs, thereby producing more tension between the vision in which the motif appears and its interpretation.
J.'s argument unfolds in five chapters framed by an introduction and conclusion. An initial chapter (Prolegomena) establishes the Book of Zechariah as early apocalyptic literature, introduces the three later Jewish apocalyptic sources (1 Enoch 52; 2 Baruch; 4 Ezra 13) that are central to the study, outlines the general role of mountains in apocalyptic literature, and sketches how the mountain-conquest motif is portrayed in select ANE texts. Subsequent chapters provide philological and exegetical analysis of the key passages in apocalyptic literature in which the motif occurs: Zech 4:6-7 (chap. 2), 1 Enoch 52 (chap. 3), 2 Baruch (chap. 4), and 4 Ezra 13 (chap. 5). A conclusion summarizes the findings of each of the philological chapters.—E.J.W.
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As the book jacket for L.'s volume notes, this is the first major commentary in English on Pesher Habakkuk in forty years. The volume opens with an extensive introduction in which L. addresses the following points about the document: (1) Structure of Pesher Habakkuk; (2) Introductory Formulas; (3) Physical Dimensions and Skin Preparation; (4) Script and Palaeography; (5) Scribal Practice...
