Contents

List of Figures

Preface

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations

Introduction

I. Scripts of the Inscriptions from Mt. Gerizim

1. Temple-City on Mt. Gerizim

1.1. Sanctuary and Sacred Precinct

1.2. City

2. Scripts Used on Mt. Gerizim

2.1. Aramaic Script

2.2. Dating the Aramaic Inscriptions

2.3. Monumental and Cursive Aramaic Script: A Comparison

3. Aramaic Cursive Script (Appendix I.1 and II.1)

3.1. Lapidary Inscriptions

3.2. Inscriptions Written in Ink

3.3. Cursive Forms Attested on Mt. Gerizim (Appendix I.1)

3.4. Variety of the Forms of Letters

3.4.1. The Difference between the Initial/Middle and Final Form

3.4.4. Dalet and Resh

3.5. Dating the Aramaic Cursive Script from Mt. Gerizim

4. Aramaic Monumental Script (Appendix I.1 and II.2)

4.1. Forms Attested on Mt. Gerizim

4.2. Aramaic Monumental Script from Mt. Gerizim and the Inscriptions from 5th–4th or 3rd Centuries BCE

4.2.1. Lapidary Inscriptions from the Persian Period

4.2.2. Lapidary Inscriptions from the (Persian and/or) Hellenistic Period

4.2.3. Small Aramaic Inscriptions in Monumental Style

4.3. Monumental and Cursive Style in the Aramaic Script from Mt. Gerizim

4.3.1. Distinctive Features

4.3.2. Common Features

4.4. Dating the Aramaic Monumental Script

5. Mixed Script(Appendix I.3)

5.1. Forms Attested on Mt. Gerizim

5.2. Initial/Middle and Final Forms of Letters

5.3. Dating the “Mixed Script”

6. Spelling with Dalet or Zayin

6.1. Aramaic Monumental Script

6.1.1. Spelling with Zayin

6.1.2. Spelling with Dalet

6.2. Aramaic Cursive Script

6.2.1. Spelling with Zayin

6.2.2. Spelling with Zayin and Dalet

6.2.3. Spelling with Dalet

6.3. “Mixed Script”

6.3.1. Spelling with Zayin

6.3.2. Spelling with Dalet

6.4. Spelling As a Chronological Factor?

7. Ruling of Aramaic Inscriptions

7.1. Horizontal Ruling of Inscriptions in Aramaic Script

7.1.1. Pattern A

7.1.2. Pattern B

7.1.3. Pattern Difficult to Determine

7.2. Vertical Ruling?

7.3. Who Carved the Ruling Lines?

7.4.The Style of Aramaic Script and Ruling Practices

8. Mistakes and Unusual Spelling

8.1. Mistakes Observed by the Authors of the Editio Princeps

8.2. Other Mistakes

8.3. Unusual Spelling

9. Paleo-Hebrew Fragments

9.1. Fragments with Ruling Lines

9.2. Inscriptions without Ruling Lines

10. Conclusion

10.1. Dating the Aramaic and Hebrew Inscriptions from Mt. Gerizim

10.2. Private Inscriptions

10.2.1. Monumental Style

10.2.2. Cursive Style and Its Variety

10.2.3. Manufacturing the Private Inscriptions

10.3. Public Inscription(s)

II. Identity

1. Samaria in the Hellenistic Period

1.1. From the End of Persian Rule to the End of Ptolemaic Rule

1.2. Seleucid Rule

2. Identity of Worshippers of Yahweh in Samaria

2.1. Two Inscriptions from Delos and Their Implications for Samaria

2.1.1. Date of the Inscriptions

2.1.2. “Israelites”

2.1.3. hoi aparchomenoi

2.1.4. hieron (hagion) Argarizein

2.2. Identity of the Samarian Yahwists in the Hellenistic Period

3. Religious Institutions in Hellenistic Samaria

3.1. Sanctuaries in Samaria During the Hellenistic Period

3.2. Seleucid Administration of the Local Sanctuaries

3.3. Priests on Mt. Gerizim

3.4. Worshippers of Yahweh on Mt. Gerizim

3.5. Status of the Sanctuary on Mt. Gerizim

4. Texts Used by the Samarian Yahwists: Pentateuch

4.1. Samaritan Pentateuch

4.1.1. Harmonistic Texts

4.1.2. Samarian Layer of the Samaritan Pentateuch

4.2. When Did the Samarian Yahwists Adopt the Pentateuch?

4.3. When Was the Samarian Layer Added to the Harmonistic Text?

4.3.1. Dating the Harmonistic Background of the Samaritan Pentateuch

4.3.2. Pentateuch As Fragile Equilibrium

4.3.3. Judaean Modification of the Pentateuch

4.3.4. Samarian Modification of the Pentateuch

5. Samarian Yahwists As Foreigners in the Jewish Society

5.1. Laws of the Torah

5.2. Nehemiah 13

5.3. Ant. 13.254–258

5.4. New Testament

6. Date and Circumstances of the Exclusion: The Case of Sidonians in Shechem

6.1. Identity of the Sidonians

6.2. Question of Hellenization

6.3. Date

6.3.1. Coins with the Titles of Antiochus IV Epiphanes

6.3.2. 2Macc 6:2

6.3.3. 2Macc 5:22–23

6.4. Exclusion of the Samarian Yahwists and Its Consequences

7. Conclusion

III. Southern Levant between Antiochus III and Antiochus IV Epiphanes

1. Ant. 12.129–236: Seleucids, Ptolemies and Tobiads

1.1. Ant. 12.129–153: 4th and 5th Syrian Wars and Their Consequences

1.2. Ant. 12.154–236: The Tobiads

2. Chronology of Josephus in Ant. 12.129–236

3. Seleucid and Ptolemaic Kings in Ant. 12.129–236

4. The Dotal Agreement (Ant. 12.154–155)

4.1. Literary Evidence

4.2. Object of the Dowry: Land or Taxes?

4.3. Legal and Historical Aspects of the Dotal Agreement

4.4. Evidence for Legal Analysis

4.5. Inscriptions

4.6. Coins

4.7. Date

5. The Tobiads

5.1. Araq el-Emir and the Tobiads

5.1.1. Evidence of Texts

5.1.2. Archaeology

5.1.3. Dating the Tobiah Inscriptions

5.2. Chronology of the Tobiads in the Hellenistic Period

5.2.1. Joseph, Son of Tobias, Is a Literary Fiction

5.2.2. Joseph, Son of Tobias, Was Active Essentially in the 3rd Century BCE

5.2.3. Joseph, Son of Tobias, Was Active in the 3rd and also in the 2nd Centuries BCE

5.2.4. Joseph, Son of Tobias, Was Active Essentially in the 2nd Century BCE

5.2.5. Most Probable Time of Activity of Joseph the Tobiad

6. High-Priests in Jerusalem

6.1. Onias II

6.1.1. Ant. 12.156–166 Concerns the 3rd Century BCE

6.1.2. Ant. 12.156–166 Concerns the 2nd Century BCE

6.2. Simon II, Son of Onias II

6.3. Onias III

7. Conclusion

General Conclusion

Antiochus III

Seleucus IV Philopator

Antiochus IV Epiphanes

After Antiochus IV Epiphanes

Appendix I: Aramaic Script from Mt. Gerizim

1. Aramaic Cursive Script

2. Aramaic Monumental Script

3. Mixed Script

Appendix II

1. Aramaic Cursive Inscriptions from 3rd to 1st Centuries BCE

1.1. Lapidary Inscriptions

1.2. Inscription Written in Ink

2. Aramaic Inscriptions in Monumental Style

2.1. Persian Period

2.2. Hellenistic Period

Bibliography

General Bibliography

Greek and Latin Authors

Index of Ancient Sources

Index of Modern Authors

Thematic Index