Subject: RE: Jerusalem Temple Inscription Warning Gentiles of Death
From: Thomas R. W. Longstaff (tlongst@colby.edu)
Date: Sun Dec 20 2009 - 21:08:35 EST
I still think that it's a mistake to think that only people capable of reading and understanding literary texts would be able to read and understand such signs and inscriptions. You don't have to be literate to understand an exit sign, a stop sign, a no entry sign, etc. I just don't see how literacy rates are the issue here. Dr. Thomas R. W. Longstaff Crawford Family Professor of Religious Studies, Emeritus Colby College Waterville, ME 04901 Associate Director: The Excavations at Sepphoris, Israel For your protection this message, including any attachments, has been scanned and found to be free of known viruses. > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-ioudaios-l@Lehigh.EDU > [mailto:owner-ioudaios-l@Lehigh.EDU] On Behalf Of Kenneth Litwak > Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 8:50 PM > To: First Century Judaism Discussion Forum > Subject: RE: Jerusalem Temple Inscription Warning Gentiles of Death > > David (and Liz), > > Why? What is your basis for thinking that the inscription > is not exactly what it appears to be, a warning that should > be read by the relevant people (and hence making it > unreasonable to say that only 4/100 people could do so)? > Would it not be inherently problematic to post a sign that no > one could read but hold people accountable for it? It does > not seem that product liability warnings have much in common > with a public sign. This would be more akin to having "Don't > Walk" signs flash, even though you know no one can read them, > so that drivers are not responsible if they run someone down. > > Ken Litwak > > Kenneth D. Litwak, Ph.D. > Azusa Pacific University > 901 E. Alosta Ave. > Azusa, CA 91702 > > ________________________________ > > From: owner-ioudaios-l@Lehigh.EDU on behalf of Suter, David > Sent: Sun 12/20/2009 5:26 PM > To: First Century Judaism Discussion Forum > Subject: RE: Jerusalem Temple Inscription Warning Gentiles of Death > > > > Ken, > > The sign reads like a disclaimer on a modern product telling > the user that, if misused, the product could maim or kill the > user. The disclaimer is there for the lawyers. I like Liz's > suggestion. Someone wants to make it clear that they are > practicing due dilligence in protecting the temple from > pollution by outsiders -- or that they are not responsible > for what happens to someone who violates the rules > prohibiting entry into the temple to gentiles. Perhaps the > inscription should be read in light of the story of the > incursion of Heliodorus into the temple in 2 Maccabees 3. > Once the temple has been defended by the appearances of > divine forces, the priests are afraid that they will be > blamed for the attack upon Heliodorus and pray that he will > be restored to health. > > David Suter > Saint Martin's University > ________________________________________ > From: owner-ioudaios-l@Lehigh.EDU > [owner-ioudaios-l@Lehigh.EDU] On Behalf Of Lisbeth S. Fried > [lizfried@umich.edu] > Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 4:50 PM > To: First Century Judaism Discussion Forum > Subject: RE: Jerusalem Temple Inscription Warning Gentiles of Death > > Hi Ken, > You know there were signs like this on the doors of Egyptian > temples in hieroglyphs saying none but priests could enter, > and I assume that none but priests could read them. > Except the gods could read them. > > Liz Fried > Ann Arbor > > > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-ioudaios-l@Lehigh.EDU > [mailto:owner-ioudaios-l@Lehigh.EDU] On Behalf Of Kenneth Litwak > Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 7:29 PM > To: First Century Judaism Discussion Forum > Subject: RE: Jerusalem Temple Inscription Warning Gentiles of Death > > Liz and Others, > > Thanks. I was not really seeking to argue that such an > inscription did not exist but if the arguments for a low > literacy rate are correct, it seems puzzling that such a > thing would have been provided because hardly anyone (only 4 > people out of 100 in Stanley's reckoning) could even read. > So first, thanks to all who have told me where I could find > the inscription. > Second, doesn't its existence suggest that the ability to > read had to be above 4% if it was to be meaningful? > > Ken Litwak > > Kenneth D. Litwak, Ph.D. > Azusa Pacific University > 901 E. Alosta Ave. > Azusa, CA 91702 > > ________________________________ > > From: owner-ioudaios-l@Lehigh.EDU on behalf of Lisbeth S. Fried > Sent: Sun 12/20/2009 5:39 AM > To: First Century Judaism Discussion Forum > Subject: RE: Jerusalem Temple Inscription Warning Gentiles of Death > > > > Hi Ken, > I saw an inscription of this nature at the Archaeological > Museum in Istanbul. It was on the third floor, a floor > dedicated entirely to antiquities from Israel. It was there > along with the Siloam inscription, the Ta'anach incense > altar, and others. The inscription was in Greek warning > gentiles away from the temple mount. I wasn't reading Greek > at the time I saw it, so I won't swear to it's contents, but > that was the gist. > > Liz Fried > > Ann Arbor > > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-ioudaios-l@Lehigh.EDU > [mailto:owner-ioudaios-l@Lehigh.EDU] On Behalf Of Kenneth Litwak > Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2009 6:22 PM > To: First Century Judaism Discussion Forum > Subject: Jerusalem Temple Inscription Warning Gentiles of Death > > After a quick check of a few scholarly articles, I have two > questions about the warning to Gentiles about not entering > the Temple, or rather, the Court of the Women, on pain of > death. First, although I read multiple references to this > being an inscription and a discussion of the significance of > he inscription, I did not see anyone say that we possess > physical evidence of this inscription. It appears rather that > this was recorded by Josephus but we have no epigraphic > evidence of it. > > So, given this situation, first, is there any good > reason to think that such an inscription actually existed? > Second, if Christopher Stanley is correct, and literacy was > down around 4% (and although I think he is wrong, it appears > that the guild in general thinks he is right or close to it), > it seems highly unlikely that anyone, except perhaps a few > scribes, entering the temple would be able to read this or > any other inscription, so what would be the point of it? How > could a Gentile be held accountable for something that > virtually no one entering the temple could read since hardly > anyone in the culture at all could read, based on Stanley's account? > > Ken Litwak > > Kenneth D. Litwak, Ph.D. > Azusa Pacific University > 901 E. Alosta Ave. > Azusa, CA 91702 > >
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