Jewish Identity and Politics between the Maccabees and Bar Kokhba: Groups, Normativity, and Rituals

293 Pages·2011·1.585 MB·English

by  Benedikt Eckhardt

Jewish Identity and Politics
between the Maccabees and Bar Kokhba
Supplements
to the
Journal for the Study
of Judaism
Editor
Benjamin G. Wright, III
Department of Religion Studies, Lehigh University
Associate Editors
Florentino García Martínez
Qumran Institute, University of Groningen
Hindy Najman
Yale University and University of Toronto
Advisory Board
g. bohak – j.j. collins – j. duhaime – p.w. van der horst –
a.k. petersen – m. popoviĆ – j.t.a.g.m. van ruiten –
j. sievers – g. stemberger – e.j.c. tigchelaar –
j. magliano-tromp
VOLUME 155
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.nl/jsjs
Jewish Identity and Politics
between the Maccabees
and Bar Kokhba
Groups, Normativity, and Rituals
Edited by
Benedikt Eckhardt
LEIDEN • BOSTON
2012
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jewish identity and politics between the Maccabees and Bar Kokhba : groups, normativity, and
rituals / [compiled] by Benedikt Eckhardt.
p. cm. — (Supplements to the Journal for the study of Judaism ; 155)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-90-04-21046-2 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Jews—History—168 B.C.–135 A.D.
2. Jews—Identity. 3. Maccabees. 4. Bar Kokhba, d. 135 5. Jews—Politics and government—To
70 A.D. 6. Judaism—History—Post-exilic period, 586 B.C.–210 A.D. I. Eckhardt, Benedikt. II.
Title. III. Series.
DS121.7.J49 2012
933’.04—dc23
2011035552
ISSN 1384-2161
ISBN 978 90 04 21046 2
Copyright 2012 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing,
IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in
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Fees are subject to change.
CONTENTS
List of Contributors ............................................................................ vii
Preface .................................................................................................. ix
Introduction: Yet Another Book on Jewish Identity in
Antiquity .......................................................................................... 1
Benedikt Eckhardt
Varieties of Identity in Late Second Temple Judah
(200 b.c.e.–135 c.e.) ...................................................................... 11
David Goodblatt
The Claim of Maccabean Leadership and the Use of
Scripture ........................................................................................... 29
Arie van der Kooij
Toilet Practices, Purity Concerns, and Sectarianism in the
Late Second Temple Period .......................................................... 51
Jodi Magness
Identity and Alterity in the Dead Sea Scrolls ................................ 71
Hannah K. Harrington
“An Idumean, That Is, a Half-Jew” Hasmoneans and
Herodians between Ancestry and Merit .................................... 91
Benedikt Eckhardt
Rise of the Idumeans: Ethnicity and Politics in Herod’s
Judea .............................................................................................. 117
Adam Kolman Marshak
Die Hasmonäerin Alexandra—Integrationsfigur für den
Widerstand gegen den neuen König Herodes? ......................... 131
Linda-Marie Günther
vi contents
“God is with Italy now” Pro-Roman Jews and the Jewish
Revolt ................................................................................................ 157
Julia Wilker
“Herod’s Days” and the Development of Jewish and Christian
Festivals ............................................................................................ 189
Clemens Leonhard
Forbidden Gentile Food in Early Rabbinic Writings ................... 209
Günter Stemberger
The Meaning of Circumcision for Strangers in Rabbinic
Literature .......................................................................................... 225
Korbinian Spann
Bibliography ......................................................................................... 243
Index of Subjects ................................................................................. 261
Index of Ancient Sources .................................................................. 265
Index of Modern Authors ................................................................. 278
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
Benedikt Eckhardt is Research Fellow at the Cluster of Excellence
“Religion and Politics” at the University of Münster.
Hannah K. Harrington is Professor of Old Testament at Patten Uni-
versity in Oakland, California.
David Goodblatt is Professor of History at the University of California,
San Diego.
Linda-Marie Günther is Professor of Ancient History at the University
of Bochum.
Arie van der Kooij is Emeritus Professor of Old Testament Studies at
Leiden University.
Clemens Leonhard is Professor of Liturgical Studies at the University
of Münster.
Jodi Magness is Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excel-
lence in Early Judaism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill.
Adam Kolman Marshak has received a phd from Yale University and
is Teacher of History at Gann Academy, Waltham, MA.
Korbinian Spann has received a phd in Jewish Studies from the Uni-
versity of Freiburg and teaches Jewish Philosophy and Rabbinics.
Günter Stemberger is Emeritus Professor of Jewish Studies at the Uni-
versity of Vienna.
Julia Wilker is Research Fellow at the Friedrich-Meinecke-Institut at
the Freie Universität, Berlin

PREFACE
The eleven contributions presented in this volume are based on papers
read at a conference on “Groups, Normativity, and Rituals. Jewish
Identity and Politics between the Maccabees and Bar Kokhba”, held
at the University of Münster on November 18 and 19, 2009. The
conference was organized by Clemens Leonhard and myself. It was
funded by the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”, a research
association established at Münster and supported by the German
Research Foundation. Thanks are due to the persons and institutions
responsible.
The conference has profited a lot from the vivid participation of
Albert Baumgarten and Folker Siegert, whose papers are not included
in this volume. I may take this opportunity to thank all the partici-
pants of the conference for making this event an exceptionally pleasant
and productive occasion.
Finally, I have to thank Clemens Leonhard, the leader of our proj-
ect C3 and therefore my supervisor, for leaving both the conceptual
development of the conference and the publication of its proceedings
to me. I sincerely hope that the results justify this decision.
B.E.