In dieser Dissertationsschrift wird das Textproblem des deuterokanonischen Buches Tobit neu aufgerollt. Vollstandig liegt die Tobiterzahlung nur in der griechischen Uberlieferung der Septuaginta und in von dieser abhangigen Ubersetzungen wie der Vetus Latina vor, allerdings in teilweise erheblich divergierenden Textformen. Daneben wurden in Qumran die Textfragmente von funf aramaischen und hebraischen Tobit-Schriftrollen gefunden. Ausgehend von diesen Textfragmenten als den altesten Textzeugen des Buches Tobit wird uber einen Vergleich der Textformen versucht, die Frage nach dem Text des...

Although in Second Temple literature we find a variety of songs concerned with the future of Jerusalem, little attempt has been made to analyse these comparatively as a generic group. In this study, three songshave been selected on the basis of their similarity in style, ideas and their apparent original composition in Hebrew.The texts have been subjected to a literary analysis both individually and then comparatively.

The articles in this volume originated from lectures given in two meetings devoted to the Samaritans. The first was the sixth conference of the Societe d'Etudes Samaritaines, which took place at the University of Haifa in July 2004. The second meeting was part of the SBL International Conference in Vienna, July 2007.
The volume reflects the current state of research on the Samaritans. It presents a wide spectrum of approaches, including historical questions, the political, religious and social context of the Samaritans in the past and present, linguistic approaches,...

This volume presents selected papers read at the first meeting of the Society for Jewish and Biblical Studies in Central Europe, in Piliscsaba, Hungary, February 2009, but does not publish the proceedings of this meeting (for a clarification see here). The papers investigate various aspects of the concept "Stranger" in Jewish tradition, from the Hebrew Bible to Mediaeval Jewish thought. The bulk of the material focuses on Early Jewish literature, which mirrors an intensive interaction with the Hellenistic system of thought, and the development of concurring Jewish interpretations of...

This work explores the theological and social dimensions of generosity in the book of Sirach and contextualizes them within the culture and thought of Second Temple Judaism. Ben Sira's understanding of generosity is predicated on the tension between affirming the classic wisdom principle of retributive justice and recognizing its breakdown in the socio-economic circumstances of Seleucid Judea. He forges a new Wisdom-Torah ethic of mercy in which giving generously is an integral part of living "the good life."
While loans and surety are essential practices, almsgiving is the preeminent...

In einer Situation, in der die Bedrohung der Welt immer deutlicher wird, ja sich die Auswirkungen der Umweltzerstorung am Menschen selbst zu rachen beginnen, erlangt die Besinnung auf Grunddaten judischer wie christlicher Schopfungstheologien neue Aktualitat. Die insgesamt 19 Beitrage des hier vorliegenden Bandes erarbeiten eine groe Bandbreite fruhjudischer und antik-christlicher Texte, die sich mit Welt und Mensch als Schopfung Gottes auseinandersetzen. Dabei zeigt sich die enge Verknupfung der Rede von der Schopfung mit der Frage nach dem "Woher" von Welt und Mensch und ihre Verbindung...

Nowadays many scholars are intensively studying the Book of Ben Sira in its different versions. One of the most intriguing aspects relates to the great quantity of passages on the afterlife in the various stages of the text of the Book of Ben Sira. Although Conleth Kearns already in 1951 wrote an important doctoral thesis on this subject, this study has never been published and circulates only in photocopied form. Since Ben Sira scholars more and more are convinced that this investigation is of great importance, even after sixty years a proper publication is welcomed.
In his study...

Apart from Genesis, Tobit contains more information about marriage than any other biblical book. It reflects third-century beliefs and customs yet also serves a didactic function, teaching Diaspora Jews what they should value in their own marriages. This monograph elucidates these elements by asking four questions: 1) Whom should one marry? 2) How does one get married? 3) What role does God play in marriage? 4) What do actual marriages look like? By contextualizing Tobit in light of the Old Testament and relevant Ancient Near Eastern texts, one can appreciate the book's unique claims....

The book investigates Ben Sira's attitudes toward all matters pertaining to sexuality in the context of family relations and gender issues. The author's seemingly negative attitude to women, the anxiety expressed in the discussions of marital and extramarital relations, and the disciplining of children can lead to the assumption that the work has a negative attitude toward sexuality.
Ben Sira's book is a combination of carefully composed wisdom poems and of teachings on everyday issues, including marriage, family life, self-control, desires, and sexual promiscuity. The sage dedicates a...