Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Toto · 05-07-2004, 10:42 PM

Exhibit

Quote:

"Jewish Life in Ancient Egypt: A Family Archive From the Nile Valley," revolves around 2,500-year-old papyrus scrolls from a cache of hundreds unearthed on Elephantine Island — the oldest extra-biblical evidence of Jews in Mitzrayim.
...

"Jewish Life" comes alive through the remarkable, Aramaic-language scrolls, which describe a Jewish community on lush Elephantine 800 years after the biblical exodus. Apparently there were no hard feelings, because these people were descendants of Jews who had voluntarily returned to Egypt after the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. While elite Jews were forced into exile in Babylonia, many soldiers and common folk relocated to Egypt, which proved to be a multicultural mecca, not an anti-Semitic hellhole, according to the exhibit.

Apparently, these documents describe a Jew who married an Egyptian slave of another Jewish family - but it is not clear if "slave" is really the right word, since these "slaves" were allowed to own property and get married.

The time period is after Jerusalem was conquered by the Bablylonians, and while the Persian empire was in control of Egypt.

The Jew involved here, Ananiah, was an official at the Temple of Yahou (a.k.a. Yahweh), but the family seems to have also worshipped the Queen of Heaven (Astarte) and some other minor local gods.

The Skirball's website is down now, bur from another source it says:

Quote:

The Elephantine Papyri present some of the earliest evidence that Jews lived in Egypt in ancient times. Their stories are a fascinating reflection of the biblical accounts given in 2 Kings and Jeremiah that Jews returned to Egypt after the destruction of Solomon's Temple.

Also included in the exhibition are more than 30 ancient Egyptian and Persian artifacts that give broad context to this period in history. These include a life-size statue, bronze statuettes, reliefs and silver vessels. All of the objects are drawn from the renowned collection of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, where the exhibition opened in February 2002. Edward Bleiberg, Associate Curator of Egyptian, Classical and Ancient Middle Eastern Art at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, organized the exhibition.

The artifacts in the exhibition offer insight into ancient Jewish history following the destruction of Solomon's Temple by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E. This event led to the dispersion of Jews to foreign lands. The elite and educated members of Jewish society were taken into exile in Babylon while the non-elite emigrated elsewhere. Many fled to Egypt where they established Jewish communities among Egyptian neighbors, like those who settled at Elephantine. The Persian conquest of Babylon in 539 B.C.E., and then of Egypt in 525 B.C.E., ushered in many changes for the Jews. The Persian policy of religious tolerance permitted Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. Yet many Jews, encouraged by this atmosphere of tolerance, chose to remain in Elephantine.

Questions: Does this upset any of the usual ideas people have about Jewish history of this period? I gather that these documents were collected almost a century ago and were only recently catalogued and put on display.

I will probably see this exhibit at some point. Is there anything in particular I should look for?

DrJim · 05-10-2004, 11:04 AM

I've done some reading on these finds several years ago, and a lot of this is from memory and some from some little bits I wrote. I've lost most of my detailed notes, hwoever.

As I recall, the Jewish community there suffered rather bitterly after the Egyptian rebellion against Persia in teh very late 5th century bce, loosing their temple. Eventually, a large Jewish population would reemerge in Alexandria a few centuries later. I sort of question the sites emphasis on how peaceful the place was. Egypt in teh 5th century was imperial territory, and the Jews/Judeans were among the "foreign" elements. Some dialogue and interchange is to be expected, but I think a lot of tensions whould have been there too.

The papyrus finds are important for a number of reasons. First of all, it questions the notion of Jewish "monotheism" at the time. Since the divine name YHWH was combined with other theophoric elements, like ANATYHW (Anath and YHWH) big quesitons are raised: is this simply an aspect of YHWH that was worshipped separately, or is it a fundamentally distinct diety? Assyrian as well as Egyptian thought, at least to some extent, allowed for a single great god to be seen behind the very many deities recognized in the world. Teh Elephantine Jewish letters suggest that the Jewish deity is a development from a similar sort of way of thought.

Most importantly, the fact that the Elephantine letters show that, after the destruction of the Egyptian Jewish temple (ca 400 bce, I beleive), the community there wrote to both Samaria and Jerusalem for aid. Now, the idea of a temple outside of Jerusalem must have been obnoxious to at least some folks in Jerusalem, but that the Egyptian community felt at least trying to communicate with them was worth the attempt. Indeed, have gotten some kind of response, but, IIRC, there was no agreement to help if the Egyptian community to continue blood sacrifice. I can't remember if there was a defintite ban on the practice, or if it was more an implication through ignoring the controversial issue (e.g., "we will gladly help you build a new building to pray and have weddings and Bar Mitzvahs").

One important question that the papyri do is raise the issue of the use of "Jew/Judean" as an ethnic or religious identity. The Eleph. Pap. are significant to discussions about Jewish identity at this time, although there is some flexibility in ethnic labels. For example, one papyri, ca. 471 bce mentions a Mahseiah bar Jedeniah who is called an Aramean of Syene. Apparently the same chap in 460s-450s BCE was called an Elephantine Jew. In the next decade, however, he was an Aramaean of Syene again. So some distinction between ARamean and Jew was recognized, but there was a flexibility in terms.

Technically, the term Judean / Jew seems to refer to people who descended from the peoples of the region of "Judah", but ti eventually takes on connotations of acceptance of a set of religious beliefs (which themselves are always in a state of flux and negotiation) held, by at least some, as "normative" of membership in the group. In the Persian period (or at least as it is remembered by some Hellenistic writers), some elements in Jerusalem thought "Jewish/Judean" properly applied to only the Jerusalem community who claimed that their ancestors had gone through the purgatory of the exile. They represented the more exclusivits position which linked worship of Yahweh to Israel and Judah. Books like Ezra and Nehemiah probably Hellenistic (IMHO) expressions of an earlier exclusivism, make Jerusalem and the "exilic" community virtually the totality of not only "Judean" identity, but of "israelite" too. Such a Jerusalem centerdness marks a lot of the Hebrew Bible, but I doubt that most of it is as exclusivist as Ez and Neh.

I suspect that many of the Jerusalem elite often had a sense that many "Jews" / "Israelites" could be found in Egypt, Mesopotamia and beyond, and that kind of family bond should be cultivated (although, of cousre, with the "Motherland" as the center of religious authority).
I think the strict, exclusivism of Ez and Neh, was only one voice among many in Jerusalem. Ezra and Nehemiah should not be read as normative of Jerusalem religious life and self ascription in the 5th century. As I see it, there had to be some continued connection between the Jews / Judeans of Egypt and elsewhere and "Judah". They could not have been completely disowned (even though Jeremiah denigrates and curses the refugees who fled Judah for Egypt). There must have been those in Judah who thought that a larger "Judean" ethnicity was worth preserving, even if many who would claim a Judean descent were living abroad.

ON the other hand, you wouldn't have needed to have as narrow a sense of group membership as Ez and Neh to have used the misfortune of the Egyptian community to ones own advantage, playing the "Jerusalem / Judah" homeland card to win influence abroad (presumably to the expense of Samaria). Eventually, a separate "Samaritan" ethnicity/religion would develop, and the rivalry between them and "Judaism" would be very sharp (there remain some Samaritans, although they are very few in number).

One of the most important papyri in the collection (IIRC) is the so-called ‘Passover Letter’, which has the Egyptian community being instructed (apparently for the first time), in the festival of unleavened bread. One might be able to see here a Jerusalem festival being exported to Egypt (and hence, an example of Jerusalem-centered control on how to express Jewish/Judean) identity.

Two of the sources I used so long ago:

B. Porten, with J. J. Farber, C. J. Martin, G. Vittmann, et al. The Elephantine Papyri in English. Three Millennia of Cross-Cultural Continuity and Change (SNEAC, 22; Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1996).

Hamilton, M. W., ‘Who Was A Jew? Jewish Ethnicity During the Achaemenid Period’ Restoration Quarterly 37 (1995), pp. 102-17.

Sorry my notes aren't more complete or in better order to back up my opinions. Anyway, enjoy the exhibit but see what you can pick up about Judean / Egyptian relations and, especially Diaspora / Jerusalem dialogue too.

JRL

Toto · 06-21-2004, 05:52 PM

I finally made it to the exhibit. It is small, but worth while. The Skirball has supplemented the papyri with artifacts from their collection, including a display of Asherah (fertility goddesses) found in excavations of Jewish homes.

The papyri are displayed here.

The settlement on the Elephantine Island is assumed to be the one referred to in Jeremiah, where Jeremiah rails against sacrifices at a non-Jerusalem Temple and women who worship a goddess. (I didn't catch the cite to Jeremiah about a second Temple.)

The docent made a point of explaining that the Jews worshipped a Queen of Heaven, the consort of YHWH. She noted the irony of the Jerusalem Temple instructing residents of Egypt on the proper way to celebrate passover.

It is stated in one scroll that Ananaih was a "lechen", and the docent claimed that this was some sort of undetermined Temple official, no one knew exactly what he did. But I discovered from another part of the exhibit that a lechen was a Bablyonian Temple official whose duties were to dress and adorn the statute of the god, but that role was considered unthinkable for a Jewish Temple.

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05-10-2004, 11:04 AM	#2
DrJim Regular Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Lethbridge AB Canada Posts: 445	I've done some reading on these finds several years ago, and a lot of this is from memory and some from some little bits I wrote. I've lost most of my detailed notes, hwoever. As I recall, the Jewish community there suffered rather bitterly after the Egyptian rebellion against Persia in teh very late 5th century bce, loosing their temple. Eventually, a large Jewish population would reemerge in Alexandria a few centuries later. I sort of question the sites emphasis on how peaceful the place was. Egypt in teh 5th century was imperial territory, and the Jews/Judeans were among the "foreign" elements. Some dialogue and interchange is to be expected, but I think a lot of tensions whould have been there too. The papyrus finds are important for a number of reasons. First of all, it questions the notion of Jewish "monotheism" at the time. Since the divine name YHWH was combined with other theophoric elements, like ANATYHW (Anath and YHWH) big quesitons are raised: is this simply an aspect of YHWH that was worshipped separately, or is it a fundamentally distinct diety? Assyrian as well as Egyptian thought, at least to some extent, allowed for a single great god to be seen behind the very many deities recognized in the world. Teh Elephantine Jewish letters suggest that the Jewish deity is a development from a similar sort of way of thought. Most importantly, the fact that the Elephantine letters show that, after the destruction of the Egyptian Jewish temple (ca 400 bce, I beleive), the community there wrote to both Samaria and Jerusalem for aid. Now, the idea of a temple outside of Jerusalem must have been obnoxious to at least some folks in Jerusalem, but that the Egyptian community felt at least trying to communicate with them was worth the attempt. Indeed, have gotten some kind of response, but, IIRC, there was no agreement to help if the Egyptian community to continue blood sacrifice. I can't remember if there was a defintite ban on the practice, or if it was more an implication through ignoring the controversial issue (e.g., "we will gladly help you build a new building to pray and have weddings and Bar Mitzvahs"). One important question that the papyri do is raise the issue of the use of "Jew/Judean" as an ethnic or religious identity. The Eleph. Pap. are significant to discussions about Jewish identity at this time, although there is some flexibility in ethnic labels. For example, one papyri, ca. 471 bce mentions a Mahseiah bar Jedeniah who is called an Aramean of Syene. Apparently the same chap in 460s-450s BCE was called an Elephantine Jew. In the next decade, however, he was an Aramaean of Syene again. So some distinction between ARamean and Jew was recognized, but there was a flexibility in terms. Technically, the term Judean / Jew seems to refer to people who descended from the peoples of the region of "Judah", but ti eventually takes on connotations of acceptance of a set of religious beliefs (which themselves are always in a state of flux and negotiation) held, by at least some, as "normative" of membership in the group. In the Persian period (or at least as it is remembered by some Hellenistic writers), some elements in Jerusalem thought "Jewish/Judean" properly applied to only the Jerusalem community who claimed that their ancestors had gone through the purgatory of the exile. They represented the more exclusivits position which linked worship of Yahweh to Israel and Judah. Books like Ezra and Nehemiah probably Hellenistic (IMHO) expressions of an earlier exclusivism, make Jerusalem and the "exilic" community virtually the totality of not only "Judean" identity, but of "israelite" too. Such a Jerusalem centerdness marks a lot of the Hebrew Bible, but I doubt that most of it is as exclusivist as Ez and Neh. I suspect that many of the Jerusalem elite often had a sense that many "Jews" / "Israelites" could be found in Egypt, Mesopotamia and beyond, and that kind of family bond should be cultivated (although, of cousre, with the "Motherland" as the center of religious authority). I think the strict, exclusivism of Ez and Neh, was only one voice among many in Jerusalem. Ezra and Nehemiah should not be read as normative of Jerusalem religious life and self ascription in the 5th century. As I see it, there had to be some continued connection between the Jews / Judeans of Egypt and elsewhere and "Judah". They could not have been completely disowned (even though Jeremiah denigrates and curses the refugees who fled Judah for Egypt). There must have been those in Judah who thought that a larger "Judean" ethnicity was worth preserving, even if many who would claim a Judean descent were living abroad. ON the other hand, you wouldn't have needed to have as narrow a sense of group membership as Ez and Neh to have used the misfortune of the Egyptian community to ones own advantage, playing the "Jerusalem / Judah" homeland card to win influence abroad (presumably to the expense of Samaria). Eventually, a separate "Samaritan" ethnicity/religion would develop, and the rivalry between them and "Judaism" would be very sharp (there remain some Samaritans, although they are very few in number). One of the most important papyri in the collection (IIRC) is the so-called ‘Passover Letter’, which has the Egyptian community being instructed (apparently for the first time), in the festival of unleavened bread. One might be able to see here a Jerusalem festival being exported to Egypt (and hence, an example of Jerusalem-centered control on how to express Jewish/Judean) identity. Two of the sources I used so long ago: B. Porten, with J. J. Farber, C. J. Martin, G. Vittmann, et al. The Elephantine Papyri in English. Three Millennia of Cross-Cultural Continuity and Change (SNEAC, 22; Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1996). Hamilton, M. W., ‘Who Was A Jew? Jewish Ethnicity During the Achaemenid Period’ Restoration Quarterly 37 (1995), pp. 102-17. Sorry my notes aren't more complete or in better order to back up my opinions. Anyway, enjoy the exhibit but see what you can pick up about Judean / Egyptian relations and, especially Diaspora / Jerusalem dialogue too. JRL

06-21-2004, 05:52 PM	#3
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	I finally made it to the exhibit. It is small, but worth while. The Skirball has supplemented the papyri with artifacts from their collection, including a display of Asherah (fertility goddesses) found in excavations of Jewish homes. The papyri are displayed here. The settlement on the Elephantine Island is assumed to be the one referred to in Jeremiah, where Jeremiah rails against sacrifices at a non-Jerusalem Temple and women who worship a goddess. (I didn't catch the cite to Jeremiah about a second Temple.) The docent made a point of explaining that the Jews worshipped a Queen of Heaven, the consort of YHWH. She noted the irony of the Jerusalem Temple instructing residents of Egypt on the proper way to celebrate passover. It is stated in one scroll that Ananaih was a "lechen", and the docent claimed that this was some sort of undetermined Temple official, no one knew exactly what he did. But I discovered from another part of the exhibit that a lechen was a Bablyonian Temple official whose duties were to dress and adorn the statute of the god, but that role was considered unthinkable for a Jewish Temple.

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