Various Aspects of Worship in Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature (2015), conference

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Various Aspects of Worship in Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature (2015) is a conference in the series of International Conference on the Deuterocanonical Books, chaired by Géza G. Xeravits and József Zsengellér. It is the 2015 International Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature (2002-), learned society

History

The conference is organised by the Department of Bible, Sapientia College of Theology, and the Faculty of Theology of the Károli Gáspár Reformed University, Budapest, Hungary, in 28 June - 1 July, 2015.

Preliminary Program

28 June, Sunday (Sapientia College of Theology, Auditorium Maximum)

17.30-18.30: Stefan Reif: How Did Early Judaism Understand the Concept of ‘Avodah?

29 June, Monday, Morning Session (Sapientia College of Theology)

9.00-9.30: Panc Beentjes: Worship in the Books of Chronicles

9.30-10.00: Jeremy Corley: Sirach Chapter 2 and the Temple

10.00-10.30: Discussion

10.30-11.00: Coffee

11.00-11.30: Severino Bussino: Word and Prayer in the Book of Ben Sira

11.30-12.00: Otto Mulder: The Feast in Sirach 50: Yoma or Tamid or Rosh Hashanah?

12.00-12.30: Discussion

12.30-14.30: Lunch

29 June, Monday, Afternoon Session (Károli University, Faculty of Theology)

14.30-15.00: Beate Ego: The Concept of the Temple in 2 Maccabbees

15.00-15.30: Pierre Jordaan: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Martyr Narratives of 2 Maccabees 6 and 7: The Creating of a New Type of Worship

15.30-16.00: Discussion

16.00-16.30: Coffee

16.30-17.00: Nuria Calduch-Benages: Penitence in the Book of Baruch

17.00-17.30: Marko Marttila: The Role of the Babylonian Priests in the Letter of Jeremiah

17.30-18.00: Discussion

30 June, Tuesday, Morning Session (Sapientia College of Theology)

9.00-9.30: Ursula Schattner-Rieser: Different Kinds of Worship in the Second Temple Period and the “Offering of Lips” in the Sectarian Writings from Qumran

9.30-10.00: Balázs Tamási: Levi, Levites and Worship in Qumran

10.00-10.30: Discussion

10.30-11.00: Coffee

11.00-11.30: Stefan Beyerle: Temples and Sanctuaries within Their Apocalyptic Setting

11.30-12.00: Ibolya Balla: Ben Sira on the Piety of Men and Women: Binary Opposites in the Taxonomy of Piety?

12.00-12.30: Discussion

12.30-14.30: Lunch

30 June, Tuesday, Afternoon Session (Károli University, Faculty of Theology)

14.30-15.00: Renate Egger-Wenzel: Gestures and Locations of Worship in the Book of Tobit

15.00-15.30: Francis Macatangay: Cultic and Charitable Acts in the Book of Tobit

15.30-16.00: Discussion

16.00-16.30: Coffee

16.30-17.00: Karin Schöpflin and Friedrich Reiterer: Hellenistic Philosophical and Religious Background of Worship

17.00-17.30: Barbara Schmitz: Aspects of Worship in the Letter of Aristeas

17.30-18.00: Discussion

20.00: Business meeting of the ISDCL

1 July, Wednesday, Morning Session (Károli University, Faculty of Theology)

9.00-9.30: Markus Witte: Worship and Holy Places in the Wisdom of Solomon

9.30-10.00: Gerhard Swart: No Place for Worship—Rhetorical Function and Historical Significance of a Prayer Theme in Deuterocanonical Literature

10.00-10.30: Discussion

10.30-11.00: Coffee

11.00-11.30 József Zsengellér: Aspects of Samaritan Worship

11.30-12.00: Géza Xeravits: Temple and Synagogue in Late Antique Setting

12.00-12.30: Csaba Ötvös: Creation and Worship in Gnosticism

12.30-13.00: Discussion

13.00: Lunch

Abstracts of the Lectures

  • Ibolya Balla: Ben Sira on the Piety of Men and the Piety of Women: Binary Opposites in the Taxonomy of Piety?

Through the evaluation of passages that deal with human relations and can betray Ben Sira’s view on gender and of passages that concern piety/fear of God, the paper aims at answering the following questions: Is piety the primary taxonomizer in the Book of Ben Sira? What are the expressions of piety in the Book? How does the author view the piety of men and the piety of women? Does he have the same or different expectations for males and females in terms of wisdom and the fear of God?

It is no exaggeration to claim that the Book of Chronicles to a high degree might be characterized as an overview of Israel’s history written down with a ‘liturgical pen’. In 1-2 Chronicles, it is not much effort to list at least three dozen pericopes, as well as substantial sections and chapters, in which liturgical elements are on the forefront. And it is of specific interest that most of these texts are reckoned to the so-called “chronistisches Sondergut”, material that is only found in the Book of Chronicles itself. In my contribution I will briefly pay attention to some marked examples of how the Chronicler has interwoven history and worship, specifically in 2 Chronicles.

  • Stefan Beyerle: Temples and Sanctuaries within Their Apocalyptic Setting

References to cult and sacrifices in Jewish apocalyptic literature from Hellenistic-Roman times are rather meager. And this is also true with a view to places, better say the place, that may function as a dedicated site for those sacrifices: the temple. Temple imagery is clearly attested in Jewish apocalyptic traditions, but its role can at best be described as being ambiguous. While, e.g., sources from the “real-life” sphere, like the coins of the Bar Kokhba revolt whose leader obviously was a figure within a messianic-apocalyptic setting, refer explicitly to the Jerusalem temple, the earlier apocalyptic writings like the Book of the Watchers, the Apocalypse of Weeks or the Animal Apocalypse rather tend to turn temple and sanctuaries into metaphors—like “heaven,” “Adam” or “God”—and to adopt, herewith, a more or less hesitant attitude towards cult and locations for cult. To my opinion the reason for this opaque treatment of temple or temples is that apocalypticism integrates those places for worship into its “cosmic” worldview.

As is well known, the "word" is a significant element in the teaching of Ben Sira on interpersonal relationships. In this paper I will explore the use of "word" to determine if it is indeed significant in the texts on prayer. I will then show in which way the three aspects, "word", "prayer" and "interpersonal relationships" are linked to one another.

Penitence is a religious concept, closely linked to repentance or being repentant. It consists basically in feeling or displaying sincere sorrow or remorse at having done wrong, in turning aside from a path of behaviour and in having a change of mind. In the Judaism of the Second Temple period, great importance is attributed to penitence and the confession of sins. It is in this period indeed that we observe the development of the so-called “penitential prayers”. These include, among others, Bar 1,15–3,8 in the translation of the LXX. However, instead of concentrating on this penitential prayer, we have chosen to extend our view to the book of Baruch as a whole. In this study, we intend to examine some expressions of penitence, particularly ones where the emphasis is on the state of the body. We have decided to focus on this aspect because of the close connection existing between penitence/prayer and the body of the worshipper/penitent. In the biblical mentality, the notion of the body is one of the key aspects of revelation and salvation. The texts which we shall consider are the following: Bar 1,5; 2,18 and 4,20.

The second chapter of Ben Sira’s book calls the student to be ready for testing. The sage was probably addressing temple scribes in Jerusalem. Moreover, the poem concludes with an allusion to 2 Sam 24:14, whose context relates to the divine choice of the threshing floor of Araunah as the temple site. The paper will explore how far a temple context for Sirach Chapter 2 can shed light on the poem. The present paper builds on the monograph on this chapter by Nuria Calduch-Benages, En el crisol de la prueba: Estudio exegético de Sir 2,1-18 (Estella, Navarra: Verbo Divino, 1997).

The chosen topic of this conference “Various Aspects of Worship in Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature” might lead most scholars to deal with the prayer sections found in single books. But as we know from Midrash Tanḥuma, Va-etḥanan 3, prayer has many names: “tefillah (petition), teḥinah (beseeching), ẓe῾akah (shouting), ze῾akah (cry), shavah (cry for help), renanah (cry for prayer) pegi῾ah (plea), nefilah (falling down), 'amidah (standing)”. The last two words do not mention a vocal expression, but refer to the posture of a human being. However, one cannot perform such gestures without also placing them in a certain locus and at a particular tempus. Since it is exactly such postures or gestures that are generally neglected, I have chosen to draw attention to them, especially within the book of Tobit.

  • Beate Ego: The Concept of the Temple in 2 Maccabees

In recent research, there has been a debate about the role of the temple in the 2 Maccabees. Whereas some scholars have underlined the importance of the Temple as the place of God´s presence, others tried to show that the Temple played only a marginal role. As I will show in my paper, this alternative is too simple. The traditions concerning the role of the Temple are much more complex, as many more traditions are intertwined there almost layer-like, and together construct a meaningful whole. By taking up exilic and post-exilic conceptions, the author emphasizes again and again that God dwells in heaven. Yet the reception of this concept does not eventuate in a marginalization of the sanctuary. If from this point of view one inquires further into the specific meaning of the Temple, then it becomes clear that the Temple counts as a place of (temporary) divine indwelling, which can only be encountered if one is pure and holy. And yet the Temple is not only a place of worship, but also serves—as becomes clear by focusing on the Persian era motif of the kings of other nations bringing offerings to it—as a visible sign of the political significance of Jerusalem and the national greatness of Israel. As we can already see in earlier theology of Zion, "Temple" and "City" are not opposites; rather, they are closely related to one another. The City is the place of the Temple; the City derives its glory from the Temple, just as, by contrast, the Temple develops its glory within the City. If Israel acts in accordance with God's will, then both remain under divine protection. The connection of the motif of protection and other elements—as for example the Spiegelstrafe and the warfaring angels—shows that the author particularly wants to emphasize this traditional motif of the old Temple theology. Impressively, it experiences a dramatic staging and becomes a leitmotif of Temple theology of 2 Maccabees. Here, God's heavenly throne becomes a guarantor of his care for his people and the Temple; people on earth in the Temple call upon God in heaven and God sends His people and the Temple His help from heaven.

  • Pierre Jordaan: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Martyr Narratives of 2 Maccabees 6 and 7: The Creating of a New Type of Worship

The martyr narratives of 2 Maccabees have been analyzed by various scholars in many ways. The most recent are those proffered by Van Henten (1997) who scrutinized the martyr texts in terms of a noble death and narrative patterns; Schwartz (2008) from a viewpoint of a diaspora setting and dating; and Doran (2012) using certain stylistic devices but concentrating mainly on the clash between Judaism and Hellenism. However, an analysis of the arguments within these texts and their rhetorical value upon the hearers/listeners has yet to be undertaken. In this context, this paper applies rhetorical concepts from among others the Ars Rhetorica of Aristotle. The possible effect on the hearers/listeners seem to be immense; undeniably the challenging circumstances which the text seems to address resulted in a nonconventional forms of worship, including the celebration of a new body after death and the innovative belief that God was able to create something out of nothing.

The Book of Tobit displays certain attitudes towards cultic and charitable acts. The Temple is as important as acts of charity. The paper investigates such attitudes and argues that for Tobit, the charitable and the cultic are two inseparable modes of worship and service before God.

  • Marko Marttila: The Role of the Babylonian Priests in the Letter of Jeremiah

This survey sheds light on the manner how the Letter of Jeremiah depicts Babylonian priesthood. The author’s strong reliance on biblical passages related to idolatry and his vague references to the actual Babylonian worship seem to suppose that he was not an eye witness of the Babylonian cult. In his letter, he repeatedly describes the idols and their futility. As the starting-point is polemical, it is not a surprise that he sees foreign priests exclusively in a negative light. One aspect in his work is the conviction that the Babylonian priests are actually aware of the vanity of their divine images, but they fulfill their duties in order to make their living and even to exploit their social position. It is common that the Letter of Jeremiah describes priests as greedy, dishonest and acting on the basis of selfish motifs. Some passages give the impression as if the priests take a good care of the images and try to protect them against thieves, war and other sort of calamity. The Letter of Jeremiah attempts to say that the Babylonian priests refuse to perceive the fact that these gods are not real. This may be due to the priests’ sincere belief in their divine images or due to the priests’ willingness to maintain the prevailing conditions and their own privileged position. The Letter of Jeremiah contains only a few direct references to the worship carried out by the priests. Verse 30 depicts a kind of mourning ritual where the priests howl and roar in their torn clothes and have their heads and beards shaved. Many of these details contradict the biblical legislation concerning the priesthood. One concrete example of the naivety of the Babylonian priests is told in vv. 40-41 where a mute person is trying to be healed with the aid of Bel’s statue. The statue itself also remains mute and ineffective. However, the author does not parallel the silence of Bel with the silence of YHWH that is often experienced in the complaint psalms. The Letter of Jeremiah nowhere emphasizes the role of YHWH as the only sovereign and supreme God. The reasonable explanation for this “non-mention of YHWH” is that YHWH’s qualities and the monotheistic creed were fully familiar to the addressees of the Letter.

  • Otto Mulder: The Feast in Sirach 50: Yoma or Tamid or Rosh Hashanah?

Three conceptions of interpreting the feast mentioned by Ben Sira in his glorious description of the liturgy and the high priest Simon II in the Temple of Jerusalem (50:5-21) are published since 1896, when the Hebrew manuscripts are found in the Cairo Geniza. Traditionally according to Solomon Schechter / Charles Taylor , based on the Talmud tractate Yoma, the feast is seen as being Yom Kippur. However, the high priest alone was permitted to go behind the veil in the liturgical context of Yom Kippur. A special reference to this feast is missing. In 1978 Ó Fearghail gives another view and draws attention to the daily offering described in the tractate Tamid , based on the Greek verse on 50:15, in which the wine offering is described. However, this verse is absent in the Hebrew text of MsB. In 2003 I have suggested the feast of Rosh Hashanah based on H50:16 . Ben Sira mentions the priestly trumpet blast in combination with the call to remembrance in his description of the worship and service at the altar in 50:16-19. Only the priests are allowed to blow the trumpets. They invite the whole congregation of Israel to remember the Most High in the ten days before Yom Kippur. Conclusive evidence in support for a feast from Ben Sira and the Torah is limited. What arguments are decisive to answer this question in a re-evaluation from the rabbinic tradition and the literature of Qumran?

  • Stefan Reif: How did Early Judaism Understand the Concept of 'Avodah?

The Hebrew word ‘avodah has an intriguing semantic history. Early Rabbinic texts presuppose meanings that include “work”, “study”, “Temple worship” and “prayer”. Do these nuances have a respectable linguistic pedigree, or did the Rabbis invent them? In order to respond to this question, an assessment will be offered of how the word is defined in Classical Hebrew and in the Hebrew texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls. These findings will then be compared with how the word was rendered by those who translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek for the Septuagint, and by the grandson of Ben Sira. It will then be possible to offer a tentative analysis of how theology and language appear to have influenced each other in the treatment of this word by the Jews of the Second Temple period.

  • Ursula Schattner-Rieser: Different Kinds of Worship in the Second Temple Period and the “Offering of Lips” in the Sectarian Writings from Qumran

While in ancient times Israelite worship happened by means of sacrifices, Judaen exils were compelled to develop new ways of Worship without Temple and sacrifices during the Babylonian Exile in the 6th c. BC. The Jewish cult in history of religion was probably the first that replaced material offerings (animals, cereals, incense) by offering of the lips. This experience prepared the Jewish community for all situations without Temple and for an equal worship through prayers. Practiced by the Community of Qumran the unbloody cult became the norm after the destruction of the 2nd Temple in rabbinic Judaism and Christianity. But Judaism in the Second Temple Period is multifaceted and different ways to approach God coexisted side-by-side. The paper gives an overview of parallel Jewish cults as known from Egypt/Elephantine and among the Samaritans from the Persian period up to the Roman period and the Qumran society.

  • Gerhard Swart: No Place for Worship – Rhetorical Function and Historical Significance of a Prayer Theme in Deuterocanonical Literature

In their various forms and contexts, reflections on the religious experience of Israel and early Judaism share one underlying assumption, namely, that calamity results from disobedience. In prayers, this assumption is mostly expressed in confessions – in penitential prayers or in confessions of communal sin included in other prayers. Penitential elements thus are very common – so much so that it is impossible to trace the lineage or intertextual dependencies of such elements, and impossible to use them as indicators of the date(s) of origin of these texts. One of the rarer elements/motifs of this kind occurs in LXX Dan 3:38 (PrAzar 15): “In this day there is … no place to bring an offering before you and to find mercy” (… οὐδὲ τόπος τοῦ καρπῶσαι ἐνώπιόν σου…). Focusing on this phrase, the present paper addresses some questions about the approaches and assumptions with which scholars investigate the origins and the semantics of deuterocanonical texts.

  • Markus Witte: Holy Places and Worship in the Wisdom of Solomon

In contrast to the book of Ben Sira, strongly focused on Jerusalem and the temple, the Wisdom of Solomon, written between the first century BCE and the first century CE in Alexandria, mentions the holy city only in two verses in the relecture of the prayer of Solomon (1 Kings 3) in Wisdom 9. The temple and the sacrifices play only a marginal role in the book of Wisdom. This paper provides an overview of the use of terms for “holy” in the book of Wisdom and analyzes its handling with holy places and its high estimation of prayer and of the interpretation of scriptures as two location-independent forms of worship as a typical early Jewish diaspora theology.

The synagogue—an institution testified archaeologically and textually to as early as the turn of the 3–2 centuries BC Egypt—did obviously not intend to substitute the Temple of Jerusalem in any aspect. This was excluded first of all by the basic differences between the cultic forms performed in them. However, it seems that after the fall of the Temple at 70 AD it remained the sole institutionalised place of public communitarian Jewish worship. The question offers thus itself: what sort of connections attend the synagogue with the only legitimate—although by historical circumstances irreversibly destroyed—cultic place, the Temple. My paper touches upon the following aspects: alternative places of worship; the synagogue during the time of the Temple; Temple and synagogue: written sources and archaeological remains.


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