Re: Responses

I'm sorry about the delay in response; my free minutes have been sharply
limited by work, and I've enjoyed what few I've had away from the list.
Only three more weeks of this life dominated by work, and then I return to
school and study!

Jim said:
<< The comparison in time difference I was referencing was about 100-200
years preceding Christ vs. 60 after Christ. The nature of the beast we're
talking about seems to require some time lapse[. . . .] The destruction of
the temple was a terrible loss, but the Jewish synagogue predated the
temple, and texts were disseminated (alright, in Greek :) ) all over the
Roman Empire and probably throughout Palestine. [. . .] 20 years -- from the
destruction of the temple to around the time of Josephus' writing -- just
seems too soon. It is possible that the destruction of the temple caused a
crisis that made a fixed canon necessary, but then the decisions made at
that point would probably be reflective of attitudes the community already
held for some time. >>

The temple was not the extent of the damage; along with the command to
destroy the temple, it is said, Nero ordered the destruction of all
Jerusalem. Ancient reports indicate more than a million Jews killed.
Jerusalem was razed. The Jewish state was decimated, really, until the 20th
century. Some activity continued, long enough for at least one more
significant rebellion in the next century, but Jerusalem as it was came to
an abrupt end. In a short period, Jewish strains and sects as big and
influentual as the Sadducees simply disappeared, leaving behind only the
Pharisees.

>From Josephus, The Jewish Wars (Or, The Wars of the Jews)
Book Seven, Chapter One, Section One

The Entire City Of Jerusalem Was Demolished, Excepting Three Towers

Now as soon as the army had no more people to slay or to plunder, because
there remained none to be the objects of their fury, (for they would not
have spared any, had there remained any other work to be done,) Caesar gave
orders that they should now demolish the entire city and temple, but should
leave as many of the towers standing as were of the greatest eminency; that
is, Phasaelus, and Hippicus, and Mariamne; and so much of the wall as
enclosed the city on the west side. This wall was spared, in order to afford
a camp for such as were to lie in garrison, as were the towers also spared,
in order to demonstrate to posterity what kind of city it was, and how well
fortified, which the Roman valor had subdued; but for all the rest of the
wall, it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up
to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came
thither believe it had ever been inhabited. This was the end which Jerusalem
came to by the madness of those that were for innovations; a city otherwise
of great magnificence, and of mighty fame among all mankind.

The wall that was spared, which, "enclosed the city on the west side," is,
of course, the western wall, or wailing wall, which stands today.

How well disseminated the texts were throughout the Roman Empire and
Palestine probably depends on the question of literacy that was raised
before. It is not clear to me that Hebrew copies of the texts would have
been in many households. Shortly after the destruction of Jerusalem does
still seem to me a reasonably probable date for the coming of a more
standardized text -- what I was before calling canonization -- or for the
transformation from "the Bible are" to "the Bible is."

The book I quoted was written around 75 C.E. Josephus was there, which, as
I said before, makes more peculiar his comments which SEEM to indicate a
canon well-defined in form and substance. He should know about substantial
variation, even if only by knowing the Greek translations. Whatever the
date for standardization, Josephus must have known of the non-standard,
which sheds a strange light on his comments.

-robbie
-
* Unsubscribing? Mail majordomo@roughdraft.org with the message
* UNSUBSCRIBE BANANAFISH
Received on Sat Aug 3 17:32:31 2002