The Significance of the Divine Torah in Ptolemaic Egypt in Documentary and Literary Sources from the Third and Second Centuries BCE
In: Journal for the Study of JudaismSearch for other papers by Peter Altmann in
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Abstract
This essay analyzes the Torah’s role in Judean communities from Ptolemaic Egypt in order to evaluate the significance of the Judean claim of divine origins for their law in relation to the conceptual or functional nature of this law. An introductory step explores the nature of the Judean communities in Egypt under the Ptolemies. The essay then moves to consider the nature of judicial practice in Ptolemaic Egypt, especially among Judean communities, where scholars have asserted overlap with the written Greek Torah in the interpretation of legal records. Given the largely negative finds from papyri documents concerning practical judicial conceptions, the discussion turns to depictions of Torah in the Letter of Aristeas and other Hellenistic-Judean literature. The argument demonstrates that direct references to the Torah conceive of its importance in philosophical terms and group affiliation rather than judicial categories, even when the conception of God as a divine legislator emerges.
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The Significance of the Divine Torah in Ptolemaic Egypt in Documentary and Literary Sources from the Third and Second Centuries BCE
In: Journal for the Study of JudaismSearch for other papers by Peter Altmann in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
This essay analyzes the Torah’s role in Judean communities from Ptolemaic Egypt in order to evaluate the significance of the Judean claim of divine origins for their law in relation to the conceptual or functional nature of this law. An introductory step explores the nature of the Judean communities in Egypt under the Ptolemies. The essay then moves to consider the nature of judicial practice in Ptolemaic Egypt, especially among Judean communities, where scholars have asserted overlap with the written Greek Torah in the interpretation of legal records. Given the largely negative finds from papyri documents concerning practical judicial conceptions, the discussion turns to depictions of Torah in the Letter of Aristeas and other Hellenistic-Judean literature. The argument demonstrates that direct references to the Torah conceive of its importance in philosophical terms and group affiliation rather than judicial categories, even when the conception of God as a divine legislator emerges.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 450 | 215 | 28 |
| Full Text Views | 77 | 10 | 1 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 196 | 25 | 3 |