Thesis--Copenhagen. / "Forkortelser": 2 p. at end.

Thesis--Copenhagen. / "Forkortelser": 2 p. at end.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--McMaster University, 2004. / Advisor: Eileen Schuller. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 330-368).

The aim of this thesis is to examine and critically evaluate the relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth, with special reference to baptism and to the question of whether Jesus practised a baptising ministry in Galilee. This involves us taking a fresh look at the Gospel texts on John and Jesus and considering the possible relevance of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Part I provides a preliminary examination of our sources. Part II focuses on possible links between John, the Essenes and the early Church. We argue: (i) that after his birth into a priestly family, John was probably brought up by the Essenes at Qumran, whom he later left to conduct an independent prophetic and baptising ministry by the Jordan; (ii) that the Qumran immersions provide the matrix to John's baptismal rite; (iii) that the affinity between the Essenes and the early Church in ideology and praxis may be owing to the influence of the former upon the latter, with John as the mediator between the two. Against this background, John and Jesus are directly related to each other in Part III. We conclude: (i) that after his baptism by John, Jesus remained a follower of John for a time, and practised a baptising ministry concurrent with that of John in Judea (John 3.22-26; 4.1-2); (ii) that Jesus continued this ministry in Galilee; (iii) that the synoptists' silence about Jesus' baptising (e.g. Mk 6.7-13 and par; Matt 10.5-16; Q=Matt 9.37-38//Lk 10.1-12) may indicate that they took it for granted, or that they were embarrassed by it; (iv) that unlike fasting, sabbath observance, tithes and offerings, purity, etc, baptism was not among the contentious issues relating to Jewish law; (v) that the emphasis on baptism in the post-Easter context of the Church was necessitated by its redefinition in the name of Jesus (Acts 2.38; 19.1-7; Rom 6.3; Gal 3.27; cf. the Trinitarian formula in Matt 28.19 [cf. Mk 16.15-16]); and (vi) that perhaps the strongest argument for John as mediator between the Essenes, Jesus and the early Church is precisely the ambivalence of the New Testament writers' attitude toward him.

1 Von Nächstenliebe zu Menschenliebe Zusammenfassung Die vorliegende Diplom-Arbeit ist dem Hauptthema der jüdisch-christlichen Ethik gewidmet, und zwar dem Thema der Nächstenliebe, ihrer Reichweite und Bedeutung. Der Ausgangspunkt der ganzen Arbeit ist der Auftrag "die Nächsten zu lieben" (Lv 19,18), der im Rahmen einer isolierten Moral der sakralen Gemeinschaft gleichgerade mit ihrer Rückseite (mit den Aufträgen im Dt 13 einen Götzendienst oder einen Fluch dem Gott mit Tod zu strafen) angesehen wird. Die supranatural gegründete Nächstenliebe, die von der Gottesliebe zu Menschen und von der Menschenliebe zum Gott abgeleitet ist, bezieht sich verständlich nur auf die Gottesfürchtige, die Gott und sein Gesetz aus ganzem Herz miteinander lieben. Nur diese bilden den Kreis von "Nächsten", wobei alle gottlose zu "Feinden" (einschliesslich der Blutsverwandten) gerechnet werden. Die Entstehung solcher Moral versteht man unter der Bedingungen ehemaligen Religiös- Territorialkonflikten. Im Weiteren beobachtet Autor anhand der religiösen Schriften einen Übergang zur allgemeinen Menschenliebe. Dabei wird reflektiert, dass Auftauchen von der Gedanke der universal begriffenen Menschenliebe mit der katastrophalen geschichtlichen Ereignissen Israels korreliert. Diese Ereignisse (vorallem die Eroberungen von Jerusalem, der...

Submitted by Maike Costa (maiksebas@gmail.com) on 2017-01-25T13:50:11Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivo total.pdf: 16971913 bytes, checksum: 24dbb878fedc09aa8ca8a4d2d657c395 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-25T13:50:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivo total.pdf: 16971913 bytes, checksum: 24dbb878fedc09aa8ca8a4d2d657c395 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-10-04 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This dissertation aims to understand the mode of religious life of the Essenes and Therapeutae through investigating the reason and motivating purpose of such living. The methodological procedure is based on a historical and hermeneutics analysis of texts concerning the object of study. Within the study of Judaism, the relevance of the object of research is justified on the one hand, because the lifestyle of the groups included in Essenism be sui generis, and, on the other hand, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are linked to an Essene character sect, be considered one of the major findings biblical documentary of all time. The analysis of the social, historical and religious context of the Judaism in the Second Temple period shows that in the late phase of this period in the history of the Jewish people, the Jewish nation was influenced by foreign policies that affected the religious sphere. Because of this, Jews interested in defending the principles and values of their religion rebelled against those who wanted to impose Hellenistic customs in the Jewish religious system. It is speculated that this rise may have been one of the factors that led to the formation of religious groups – comprehended in the Essene movement – which understood to be necessary to adopt a peculiar way of life to preserve the rectitude of the Jewish religious living. This righteousness was seen as a holy life based on the determination of the Torah according to the specific interpretation of each sect. / Esta dissertação objetiva compreender o modo de vida religiosa dos essênios e dos terapeutas por meio da investigação acerca da razão e da finalidade motivadoras de tal vivência. O procedimento metodológico fundamenta-se em uma análise histórica e hermenêutica de textos concernentes ao objeto de estudo. No âmbito de estudo acerca do judaísmo, a relevância do objeto de pesquisa se justifica, por um lado, pelo fato de o estilo de vida dos grupos inseridos no essenismo ser sui generis, e, por outro lado, a descoberta dos manuscritos do Mar Morto, que são vinculados a uma seita de caráter essênio, ser considerada um dos maiores achados documentais bíblicos de todos os tempos. A análise do contexto social, histórico e religioso do judaísmo no período do Segundo Templo mostra que na fase tardia desse período da história do povo judeu, a nação judaica sofreu influências políticas estrangeiras que afetaram o âmbito religioso. Por causa disso, judeus interessados em defender os princípios e valores de sua religião insurgiram-se contra aqueles que queriam impor costumes helênicos no sistema religioso judaico. Especula-se que esse levante pode ter sido um dos fatores que gerou a formação de grupos religiosos – compreendidos no movimento essênio – que entendiam ser necessária a adoção de um modo de vida peculiar para preservar a retidão da vivência religiosa judaica. Tal retidão era vista como uma vida santa fundada nas determinações da Torá conforme a interpretação específica de cada seita.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Essenism is, according to the data being discussed in this thesis, closely associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls material and had alienated itself from Second Temple Judaism as manifested through both Pharisaism and Sadduceanism. The problem that presents itself is the fact that Essenism is sometimes seen, with Pharisaism and Sadduceanism, as one of the three major trends within Second Temple Judaism, albeit schismatic in origin and nature. With Sadduceanism deriving its authority from the Temple and written Torah, and with Pharisaism its authority from both the written Torah as well as the oral tradition of the Sages, this thesis attempts to determine the criteria to be applied to cults of the Second Temple period in order for them to be classified as being Judaic. This is done in order to be able to establish what, in their own minds, set the Essenes apart from the other two prominent groups. That their motivation for exclusiveness must have been very strong becomes clear through the fact that, in their writings, the Essenes did not see themselves as just another group within Judaism, but as the only true and legitimate group. The ultimate aims of this thesis therefore are, firstly to find out exactly what constituted mainstream Second Temple Judaism according to certain historical and religious factors as well as Judaic ha/achic interpretation. Secondly, the thesis attempts to ascertain if Essenism met the determined criteria to be regarded as part of mainstream Judaism, and if not, if it can be regarded as sectarian Judaism, or as a separate religion altogether. In view of all the abovementioned criteria discussed, the probable conclusion would be that the sectarians from Qumran never thought of themselves as anything other than Jews within the ha/achic tradition, even though it may have been a ha/acha that may in certain respects have radically deviated from that of their fellow Jews. They can therefore rightly be regarded as part of the Judaic tradition of the Second Temple period. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Essenisme is, volgens die data bespreek in hierdie tesis, nou geassosiëer met die materiaal van die Dooie See Rolle, en die eksponente daarvan het hulself vervreem van Tweede Tempel Judaïsme soos gemanifesteer deur beide Fariseïsme en Sadduseïsme. Die probleem wat homself voordoen, is dat Essenisme, saam met Fariseïsme en Sadduseïsme, somtyds gesien word as een van die drie hoofstrominge binne Tweede Tempel Judaïsme, alhoewelskismaties van aard. Met Sadduseïsme wat sy outoriteit aan die Tempel en geskrewe Tora ontleen, en Fariseïsme sy gesag van beide die geskrewe Tora en die mondelinge tradisie van die Wyses, probeer hierdie tesis die kriteria bepaal wat toegepas kan word op kultusse van die Tweede Tempel tydperk, om sodoende as Judaïsties geklassifiseer te kan word, al dan nie. Dit word gedoen om vas te stel wat, in hul eie oë, die Esseners onderskei het van die ander twee prominente groepe. Uit hul geskrifte kan 'n mens aflei dat die Esseners se dryfveer vir eksklusiwiteit baie sterk moes gewees het, aangesien hulle hulself nie net as nog 'n verdere groep binne die Judaïsme gesien het nie, maar in der waarheid as die enigste ware en legitieme groep. Die uiteindelike doel van hierdie tesis is dus eerstens, om vas te stel presies wat verstaan kan word as Tweede Tempel Judaïsme, aan die hand van sekere historiese en religieuse faktore, asook ha/aehiese interpretasie. Tweedens, probeer dit vasstelof Essenisme aan die vasgestelde kriteria voldoen het om as deel van die hoofstroom Judaïsme gesien te kan word, en indien nie, of dit gesien kan word as sektariese Judaïsme, of as 'n heeltemal aparte godsdiens. In die lig van al die bogemelde bespreekte kriteria, sal die waarskynlike gevolgtrekking wees dat die sektelede van Qumran hulself nooit gesien het as enigiets anders as Jode binne die ha/aehiese tradisie nie, alhoewel dit 'n ha/aeha was wat in sekere opsigte radikaal verskil het van die van hul mede-Jode. Hulle kan gevolglik met reg gesien word as deel van die Judaïstiese tradisie van die Tweede Tempel tydperk.

This dissertation explores the value system held by the author of the Epistle of James. Most likely, this interesting Epistle of a former Galilean peasant is a collection of his sermons or discourses gathered and edited by one of his followers. The Epistle does not relate to any specific problems of concrete communities or persons and, therefore, it may be viewed as an encyclical letter. The author's main tone is: «you must act in this way and only this way». Therefore this document is a type of «halakhah», a literary form used by the sages of Israel before the Common Era. «Halakhah», as well as the Greek literary form paraenesis, does not imply any discussion of the material, but rather calls the readers to submission. The author of this «halakhic» encyclical shifts the attention of his readers from their realities to his idealistic world. He omits many aspects of Second-Temple-Period Jewish life, focusing his attention instead on the rules of spiritual life common for both Judeans and Christians. This focus explains why the Epistle has only two brief and indirect references to Jesus Christ, who as the hero surprisingly does not play a distinctive role. for several reasons the Messiah is replaced by famous characters from the Tanakh (i. e., Abraham, Rahab, Job, and Elijah) as being the best examples for...