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.

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has provided an opportunity to reexamine the formation of the Gospel of John. This study will utilize Dead Sea finds coupled with other Second Temple literature to examine how the Gospel of John portrays Jesus as being a king. The approach of this study to use a narrative approach that builds on the Gospel of John as a finished text. The contribution of a source critical approach is not disparaged but the narrative approach will allow the Johannine community to be seen in the context of the immediate post-Second Temple era. The limited literacy of the probable first audience of this text suggests that a narrative approach will best be able to understand the background to the formation of the Gospel of John. A central contention of this study is that the Gospel of John was composed after the Jewish Revolt and after the Synoptics. Thus it deserves the appellation of the Fourth Gospel and is called such in this study. The Fourth Gospel was composed at a time when Roman interest in anything connected to Judaism was sure to attract special interest. Thus the portrayal of Jesus as the Davidic Messiah needed to be handled carefully. The imagery of the new David found in 4Q504 compared with the imagery of Jesus being the Good Shepherd becomes an important part of the argument of this study on whether this Gospel portrays Jesus as being the Davidic Messiah. Jesus as the Good Shepherd showed Jews that Jesus is the Davidic Messiah without overtly offending Roman sensibilities. Furthermore evidence from Christian and Jewish sources indicates that an interest in a Third Temple was still stirring between the Jewish and Bar-Kochba Revolts. The Fourth Gospel shows Jesus as the Davidic Messiah who replaces the Temple because the Good Shepherd was the perfect sacrifice. / New Testament / D. Th. (New Testament)

Angelology emerged under the domination of Jewish groups. Reconstructing a brief history for Jewish groups of the second Temple Period is necessary to ascertain which Jewish group may be aligned with the angelology of 1 Enoch. Moreover, angelology developed within this natural historical context. An exploration of the tradition of angelogy includes angelic origins, their functions in the Hebrew Bible and the Septuagint, possible mythical associations, and speculation about why angels surfaced within Israelite religion. Examining the background, structure and contents of 1 Enoch will ensconce the Enochic writings, within the Second Temple Period. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / D.Litt. et Phil.

Angelology emerged under the domination of Jewish groups. Reconstructing a brief history for Jewish groups of the Second Temple Period is necessary to ascertain which Jewish group may be aligned with the angelology of 1 Enoch. Moreover, angelology developed within this natural historical context. An exploration of the tradition of angelology includes angelic origins, their functions in the Hebrew Bible and the Septuagint, possible mythical associations, and speculation about why angels surfaced within Israelite religion. Examining the background, structure, and contents of 1 Enoch will ensconce the Enochic writings, within the Second Temple Period. Various theories exist concerning the origins, genre, and characteristics of the apocalyptic. Although there is no agreement about these issues, I propose that 1 Enoch exhibits an apocalyptic perspective. While the notion of angels possibly appeared early in Semitic literature, a proliferation of angelology developed by the time of the writing of the books of I Enoch. It is judicious to examine which group possibly produced the Enochic corpus and pos&1"ble reasons for an increase in angelic speculation within these writings. It is my conviction that 1Enoch6 was dependent upon Genesis 6:1-4, which seived as a midrash of this earlier mythical tradition. I aspire to validate that both Genesis 6: 1-4 and the Book ofW atchers exhibits priestly concerns that are in sync with the Pentateuch. Priestly interests evident in the Enochic tradition may suggest the writer was a priest, who sought to address contentious issues involving the Jerusalem priesthood of his time. I believe this research is necessary to establish that Enoch's angelology influenced late Second Temple Jewish society. This is evidenced within subsequent Jewish literatures, which display Enochic angelic concepts, and reflects the belief system of a segment of Jewish society during that time. I am appreciative of the University of South Africa, the examining committee, and professor Spangenberg for their guidance. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / D.Litt. et Phil. (Biblical Studies)

The thesis aims to examine and refine the concepts of flesh and spirit in Musar le-Mevin, discussing Jörg Frey's hypothesis of the possibility to derive Paul's concept of sarx from Palestinian sapiential literature, in light of recent advancements in the field. The first part of the thesis is dedicated to the term baśar and its relationship to sin, knowledge and election. The second part focuses on the term jeṣer, its possible translation and the role it might have played in the development of the concept of jeṣer ha-raʿ as an evil agent. The third part analyses the term ruaḥ and describes how the sapiential composition develops its specific view of the spirit. The last chapter attempts to locate the text in relation to other intertestamental views of flesh and sin. Finally, the thesis discusses the possibility of studying Musar le-Mevin as a background to Paul's anthropology. The thesis suggests that the text develops an idea of allotted shares of the spirit which determine a person's position and fate. It also attempts to describe how this view incorporates ruaḥ baśar as a designation for those who were not given the knowledge of good and evil. The term baśar might be understood as the outcome of a fusion of the traditional Biblical connotations of fleetingness and earthliness with a pessimistic...

This thesis investigates how understandings of history in diverse texts of the Graeco-Roman period illuminate Lukan eschatology. Two strands of Lukan scholarship have contributed to an enduring tendency to underestimate the centrality of eschatology to Luke/Acts. Hans Conzelmann's thesis, that Luke focused on history rather than eschatology as a response to the parousia's delay, has dominated Lukan scholarship since the mid-twentieth century, with concomitant assumptions about Luke's politics and understanding of suffering. Recent Lukan scholarship has centred instead on genre and rhetoric, examining Luke/Acts predominantly in relation to ancient texts deemed the same genre while overlooking themes (including those of an eschatological character) that these texts do not share. This thesis offers a fresh approach. It illuminates the inherent connections between Luke's understanding of history and its end, and demonstrates significant ways in which Luke's eschatological consciousness shapes key themes of his account. By extending comparisons to a wider range of texts, this study overcomes two clear methodological shortfalls in current research: limiting comparisons of key themes to texts of similar genre, and separating non-Jewish from Jewish texts. Having established the need for a new examination of Luke's eschatology in Chapter 1, in Chapter 2 I set out the study's method of comparing diverse texts on themes that cut across genres. Chapters 3 to 6 then consider each key text and Luke/Acts in relation to a different aspect of their writers' conceptions of history: the direction and shape of history; determinism and divine guidance; human culpability and freedom; and the present and the end of history. The analysis shows that in every aspect of history examined, Luke/Acts shares significant features of the texts with which, because they do not share its genre, it is not normally compared. Setting Luke/Acts in conversation with a broader range of texts highlights Luke's periodised, teleological view of history and provides a nuanced picture of Luke's understanding of divine and human agency, all of which is affected in fundamental ways by his portrayal of the present time already within the final period of history. As a result, this study not only clarifies Lukan eschatology, but reaffirms the importance of eschatology for Lukan politics and theodicy.