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Eyal Regev

Bar Ilan, Land of Israel and Archaeology, Faculty Member

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Eyal Regev is a full professor in the Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology Bar-Ilan UniversityFields or research: Social and religious history and social archaeology of the Second Temple period.Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls early ChristianityThe Hasmoneans and Herod Pharisees, Sadducees and other religious groups social scientific study of Second Temple Jewish society

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Drafts by Eyal Regev

Paul's Heavenly Jerusalem and Earthly Jerusalem Politics," Biblical Studies Journal 6.2 (2024): 129-145.

Paul's Heavenly Jerusalem and Earthly Jerusalem Politics," Biblical Studies Journal 6.2 (2024): 1... more

"Jerusalem as the Central Place for Paul and Acts," Religions 14: 713 (2023).

"Jerusalem as the Central Place for Paul and Acts," Religions 14: 713 (2023).

פודקסט - ג'ון לנון וישו - יצירתה של דתיות חדשה? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7nrYY8i8DU

האיזנו לפודקסט שלי ב'בר דעת' של אוניברסיטת בר-אילן https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7nrYY8i8DU

Eyal Regev – List of Publications

CV and list of publications

Papers by Eyal Regev

"The Village People: Social Aspects of Rural Settlements—Comments on Method and Theory," Atiqot 115 (2024): 1-22.

"The Village People: Social Aspects of Rural Settlements—Comments on Method and Theory," Atiqot 1... more

"Archaeology, Purity and Society: Some Methodological Reflections," 'Atiqot 113 (2023): 97-113.

"Archaeology, Purity and Society: Some Methodological Reflections," 'Atiqot 113 (2023): 97-113.

Sectarianism in Early Judaism: ATONEMENT AND SECTARIANISM IN QUMRAN: DEFINING A SECTARIAN WORLDVIEW IN MORAL AND HALAKHIC SYSTEMS

How Did the Temple Mount Fall to Pompey

Journal of Jewish Studies, 1997

Quand Pompee arriva en Palestine en 63 avant JC, Jean Hyrcan II et Aristobule II se disputait le ... more Quand Pompee arriva en Palestine en 63 avant JC, Jean Hyrcan II et Aristobule II se disputait le trone d'Israel. Israel finit par tomber aux mains des Romains apres la prise de Jerusalem. Flavius Josephe decrit le siege de la Montagne du Temple par Pompee dans les Antiquites juives (XIV 58-68). Ce recit revele une foule de details problematiques sur le plan historique. L'A. se propose de poser ces problemes et de les resoudre pour comprendre les circonstances dans lesquelles des decrets ont ete edictes pour interdire le combat durant le Sabbat pendant cette periode

Access Analysis of Khirbet Qumran: Reading Spatial Organization and Social Boundaries

Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 2009

This article examines the spatial organization and architecture of Khirbet Qumran using Hillier a... more This article examines the spatial organization and architecture of Khirbet Qumran using Hillier and Hanson's Space Syntax theory, commonly called access analysis. The results show strong social boundaries and the division of the site into distinct clusters, in a specific hierarchical structure that entails ritualization. The access analysis map of Kh. Qumran is compared with those of seven other contemporaneous manor houses or villas, in which all the spatial boundaries are substantially weaker (indicated by a lower mean-depth calculation, following Hillier and Hanson). The spatial characteristics of Kh. Qumran correspond to a sectarian social organization and ideology as defined by sociologists of religion and documented in studies of different sects; these characteristics are typical of the spatial organization of several modern sects, especially the Shakers. The general characteristics are also typical of the Yahad sect of the Community Rule (1QS). They may relate to a certai...

Purity, Pottery, and Judaean Ethnicity in the Hasmonean Period

Journal of Ancient Judaism, 2021

Three distinct cultural phenomena emerged in the Hasmonean period (152–37 BCE): the concept of Ge... more Three distinct cultural phenomena emerged in the Hasmonean period (152–37 BCE): the concept of Gentile impurity, full body immersion in a ritual bath, and (relative) abstinence from the use of imported foreign pottery. This article examines the historical and archaeological evidence for these three traits: their chronology, geographical distribution, and interrelationship. All three relate to the contact between Judaeans and non-Judaeans. They symbolize social boundaries that were created to foster the ethnic identity of the Judaeans vis-à-vis local Gentiles. The creation of these ethnic boundaries was encouraged by the Hasmonean state both because they corresponded to the Hasmonean ideology and political aims, and because state formation usually contributes to the development of ethnic identity.

The Ram and Qumran: The Eschatological Character of the Ram in the Animal Apocalypse (1 En. 90:10–13)

Apocalyptic Thinking in Early Judaism, 2018

Community as Temple: Revisiting Cultic Metaphors in Qumran and the New Testament

Bulletin for Biblical Research, 2018

In this article, I will compare the different usages of symbolism for the community as temple in ... more In this article, I will compare the different usages of symbolism for the community as temple in the Community Rule (1QS) and 4QFlorilegium to those in the NT—Paul’s Epistles, Ephesians, and 1 Peter. I will reassess the link that these expressions create between the cult/community and the Jerusalem Temple to determine whether the widespread assumption that the community truly replaced the temple is correct. The Community Rule’s metaphors are sophisticated, including not only temple terminology (although the temple itself is never explicitly mentioned) but also the priestly or sacrificial function of atonement. I propose taking “the Temple of Man” (miqdash adam) wherein the torah practices are offered up as similar to the cultic metaphor in the Community Rule. For Paul, such cultic metaphors are part of a wider system, which is secondary to his rhetorical and functional needs. There are clear differences between Paul’s identifying his community as the temple as compared to the Yahad’...

A History of the Hasmonean State: Josephus and Beyond , written by Kenneth Atkinson

Journal for the Study of Judaism, 2017

The Temple Cult, Romanization, and the Rebels

Journal of Ancient Judaism, 2014

What Kind of Sect was the Yaḥad? A Comparative Approach

The Dead Sea Scrolls and Contemporary Culture

From Qumran to Alexandria and Rome: Qumranic Halakhah in Josephus and Philo

Halakhah in Light of Epigraphy, 2010

Between Two Sects: Differentiating the Yaḥad and the Damascus Covenant

Texts and Context

Josephus on Gibeah: Versions of a Toponym

The Jewish Quarterly Review, 1999

... 10See HW Attridge, The Interpretation of Biblical History in the Antiquitates Judaicae of Fla... more

From Enoch To John The Essene—An Analysis Of Sect Development: 1 Enoch, Jubilees, And The Essenes

Proceedings of the Tenth International Symposium of the Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Literature, 9–11 January, 2005

This chapter examines the ideology of 1 Enoch and Jubilees , two extensive literary compositions ... more This chapter examines the ideology of 1 Enoch and Jubilees , two extensive literary compositions that are indirectly related to the sectarian movement of Qumran. Keeping in mind the general sociological characteristics of sectarianism, it compares the ideological traits of 1 Enoch and Jubilees with those of the Qumran movement. It then compares the ideologies and behavior ascribed to the Essenes by Philo and Josephus with those advanced in 1 Enoch and Jubilees , the Community Rule , and the Damascus Document . The overall result may shed light on the relationship between 1 Enoch , Jubilees , and the Essenes, as well as the relationship between each of these and the Qumran sectarians. The best way to facilitate such a comparison is to follow a general sociological theory of sectarianism and extract some basic ideological principles from 1 Enoch , Jubilees and the ancient descriptions of the Essenes, respectively. Keywords: 1 Enoch ; Community Rule ; Damascus Document ; Essenes; ideological traits; Jubilees ; Philo; Qumran; sectarian movement

Josephus, the Τemple, and the Jewish War

Interpretation and History

This chapter discusses the ideology of the temple among the Zealots and their opponents (hencefor... more This chapter discusses the ideology of the temple among the Zealots and their opponents (henceforth: the anti-Zealots). It aims to show that each side regarded the temple as the main cause of the civil war against the other side. The chapter begins with Josephus often repeated claim that the Zealots polluted the temple and then examines his justification for the destruction of the temple. It also examines Josephus own discourse, and then focuses on the question of its historical validity in light of current postmodern historical theories. In order to re-evaluate the historical context and integrity of Josephus views, the chapter correlates his discourse with the actual place of the temple in the acts and aspirations of the Zealots and their opponents. Keywords: Jewish War; Josephus; temple; zealots

Paul's Heavenly Jerusalem and Earthly Jerusalem Politics," Biblical Studies Journal 6.2 (2024): 129-145.

Paul's Heavenly Jerusalem and Earthly Jerusalem Politics," Biblical Studies Journal 6.2 (2024): 1... more

"Jerusalem as the Central Place for Paul and Acts," Religions 14: 713 (2023).

"Jerusalem as the Central Place for Paul and Acts," Religions 14: 713 (2023).

פודקסט - ג'ון לנון וישו - יצירתה של דתיות חדשה? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7nrYY8i8DU

האיזנו לפודקסט שלי ב'בר דעת' של אוניברסיטת בר-אילן https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7nrYY8i8DU

Eyal Regev – List of Publications

CV and list of publications

"The Village People: Social Aspects of Rural Settlements—Comments on Method and Theory," Atiqot 115 (2024): 1-22.

"The Village People: Social Aspects of Rural Settlements—Comments on Method and Theory," Atiqot 1... more

"Archaeology, Purity and Society: Some Methodological Reflections," 'Atiqot 113 (2023): 97-113.

"Archaeology, Purity and Society: Some Methodological Reflections," 'Atiqot 113 (2023): 97-113.

Sectarianism in Early Judaism: ATONEMENT AND SECTARIANISM IN QUMRAN: DEFINING A SECTARIAN WORLDVIEW IN MORAL AND HALAKHIC SYSTEMS

How Did the Temple Mount Fall to Pompey

Journal of Jewish Studies, 1997

Quand Pompee arriva en Palestine en 63 avant JC, Jean Hyrcan II et Aristobule II se disputait le ... more Quand Pompee arriva en Palestine en 63 avant JC, Jean Hyrcan II et Aristobule II se disputait le trone d'Israel. Israel finit par tomber aux mains des Romains apres la prise de Jerusalem. Flavius Josephe decrit le siege de la Montagne du Temple par Pompee dans les Antiquites juives (XIV 58-68). Ce recit revele une foule de details problematiques sur le plan historique. L'A. se propose de poser ces problemes et de les resoudre pour comprendre les circonstances dans lesquelles des decrets ont ete edictes pour interdire le combat durant le Sabbat pendant cette periode

Access Analysis of Khirbet Qumran: Reading Spatial Organization and Social Boundaries

Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 2009

This article examines the spatial organization and architecture of Khirbet Qumran using Hillier a... more This article examines the spatial organization and architecture of Khirbet Qumran using Hillier and Hanson's Space Syntax theory, commonly called access analysis. The results show strong social boundaries and the division of the site into distinct clusters, in a specific hierarchical structure that entails ritualization. The access analysis map of Kh. Qumran is compared with those of seven other contemporaneous manor houses or villas, in which all the spatial boundaries are substantially weaker (indicated by a lower mean-depth calculation, following Hillier and Hanson). The spatial characteristics of Kh. Qumran correspond to a sectarian social organization and ideology as defined by sociologists of religion and documented in studies of different sects; these characteristics are typical of the spatial organization of several modern sects, especially the Shakers. The general characteristics are also typical of the Yahad sect of the Community Rule (1QS). They may relate to a certai...

Purity, Pottery, and Judaean Ethnicity in the Hasmonean Period

Journal of Ancient Judaism, 2021

Three distinct cultural phenomena emerged in the Hasmonean period (152–37 BCE): the concept of Ge... more Three distinct cultural phenomena emerged in the Hasmonean period (152–37 BCE): the concept of Gentile impurity, full body immersion in a ritual bath, and (relative) abstinence from the use of imported foreign pottery. This article examines the historical and archaeological evidence for these three traits: their chronology, geographical distribution, and interrelationship. All three relate to the contact between Judaeans and non-Judaeans. They symbolize social boundaries that were created to foster the ethnic identity of the Judaeans vis-à-vis local Gentiles. The creation of these ethnic boundaries was encouraged by the Hasmonean state both because they corresponded to the Hasmonean ideology and political aims, and because state formation usually contributes to the development of ethnic identity.

The Ram and Qumran: The Eschatological Character of the Ram in the Animal Apocalypse (1 En. 90:10–13)

Apocalyptic Thinking in Early Judaism, 2018

Community as Temple: Revisiting Cultic Metaphors in Qumran and the New Testament

Bulletin for Biblical Research, 2018

In this article, I will compare the different usages of symbolism for the community as temple in ... more In this article, I will compare the different usages of symbolism for the community as temple in the Community Rule (1QS) and 4QFlorilegium to those in the NT—Paul’s Epistles, Ephesians, and 1 Peter. I will reassess the link that these expressions create between the cult/community and the Jerusalem Temple to determine whether the widespread assumption that the community truly replaced the temple is correct. The Community Rule’s metaphors are sophisticated, including not only temple terminology (although the temple itself is never explicitly mentioned) but also the priestly or sacrificial function of atonement. I propose taking “the Temple of Man” (miqdash adam) wherein the torah practices are offered up as similar to the cultic metaphor in the Community Rule. For Paul, such cultic metaphors are part of a wider system, which is secondary to his rhetorical and functional needs. There are clear differences between Paul’s identifying his community as the temple as compared to the Yahad’...

A History of the Hasmonean State: Josephus and Beyond , written by Kenneth Atkinson

Journal for the Study of Judaism, 2017

The Temple Cult, Romanization, and the Rebels

Journal of Ancient Judaism, 2014

What Kind of Sect was the Yaḥad? A Comparative Approach

The Dead Sea Scrolls and Contemporary Culture

From Qumran to Alexandria and Rome: Qumranic Halakhah in Josephus and Philo

Halakhah in Light of Epigraphy, 2010

Between Two Sects: Differentiating the Yaḥad and the Damascus Covenant

Texts and Context

Josephus on Gibeah: Versions of a Toponym

The Jewish Quarterly Review, 1999

... 10See HW Attridge, The Interpretation of Biblical History in the Antiquitates Judaicae of Fla... more

From Enoch To John The Essene—An Analysis Of Sect Development: 1 Enoch, Jubilees, And The Essenes

Proceedings of the Tenth International Symposium of the Orion Center for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Associated Literature, 9–11 January, 2005

This chapter examines the ideology of 1 Enoch and Jubilees , two extensive literary compositions ... more This chapter examines the ideology of 1 Enoch and Jubilees , two extensive literary compositions that are indirectly related to the sectarian movement of Qumran. Keeping in mind the general sociological characteristics of sectarianism, it compares the ideological traits of 1 Enoch and Jubilees with those of the Qumran movement. It then compares the ideologies and behavior ascribed to the Essenes by Philo and Josephus with those advanced in 1 Enoch and Jubilees , the Community Rule , and the Damascus Document . The overall result may shed light on the relationship between 1 Enoch , Jubilees , and the Essenes, as well as the relationship between each of these and the Qumran sectarians. The best way to facilitate such a comparison is to follow a general sociological theory of sectarianism and extract some basic ideological principles from 1 Enoch , Jubilees and the ancient descriptions of the Essenes, respectively. Keywords: 1 Enoch ; Community Rule ; Damascus Document ; Essenes; ideological traits; Jubilees ; Philo; Qumran; sectarian movement

Josephus, the Τemple, and the Jewish War

Interpretation and History

This chapter discusses the ideology of the temple among the Zealots and their opponents (hencefor... more This chapter discusses the ideology of the temple among the Zealots and their opponents (henceforth: the anti-Zealots). It aims to show that each side regarded the temple as the main cause of the civil war against the other side. The chapter begins with Josephus often repeated claim that the Zealots polluted the temple and then examines his justification for the destruction of the temple. It also examines Josephus own discourse, and then focuses on the question of its historical validity in light of current postmodern historical theories. In order to re-evaluate the historical context and integrity of Josephus views, the chapter correlates his discourse with the actual place of the temple in the acts and aspirations of the Zealots and their opponents. Keywords: Jewish War; Josephus; temple; zealots

Oxford Bibliographies Online Datasets

The Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Sacred: Meaning and Ideology in the Halakhic Controversies between the Sadducees and Pharisees

Review of Rabbinic Judaism, 2006

Family Burial, Family Structure, and The Urbanization of Herodian Jerusalem

Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 2004

Ancient Jewish Style: Why were Ossuaries and Southern Oil Lamps Decorated?

Levant, 2006

Abstract: This article aims to explore the social dynamics underlying the emergence of decorated ... more

Social Archaeology of Late Second Temple Judaea: From Purity, Burial, and Art, to Qumran, Herod, and Masada, Routledge 2023

Social Archaeology of Late Second Temple Judaea: From Purity, Burial, and Art, to Qumran, Herod, and Masada, , 2023

This book analyzes social ideology and social relationships in late Second Temple Judaea, studyin... more This book analyzes social ideology and social relationships in late Second Temple Judaea, studying a range of archaeological material and sites to better understand both communal and individual trends in Jerusalem and its environs. Using several different methodologies, the book brings to light new ideas about social trends such as individualism among Jews and Judeans during the late Second Temple period. It provides in-depth analysis of the social aspects of ritual baths, burial caves, ossuaries, and decorated oil lamps, as well as thorough examinations of the sites of Khirbet Qumran, Herod's palaces, and Masada during the First Jewish Revolt against Rome. Social Archaeology of the Late Second Temple Judaea is suitable for students and scholars interested in the history, society, and archaeology of the Jews in the Second Temple period as well as the social background of early Christianity, early Rabbinic Judaism, and Levantine archaeology.

The Temple in Early Christianity: Experiencing the Sacred, Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library, Yale University Press, 2019

The Land of Israel during the Second Temple, Mishnah and Talmud Periods (with Ze'ev Safrai), Jerusalem: Karta, 2011

The Sadducees and their Halakhah: Religion and Society in the Second Temple Period, Yad Izhak ben Zvi 2005 (Hebrew). Available at https://kotar.cet.ac.il/KotarApp/Index/Book.aspx?nBookID=95242520

Sectarianism in Qumran, Paperback edition (2018)

Now in paperback and e-book. Eyal Regev SECTARIANISM IN QUMRAN A Cross-Cultural Perspective Secta... more Now in paperback and e-book. Eyal Regev SECTARIANISM IN QUMRAN A Cross-Cultural Perspective Sectarianism in Qumran: A Cross-Cultural Perspective explores the sectarian characteristics of the system of beliefs and laws of the two major Qumran sects of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the yahad and the Damascus Covenant, using theories of sectarianism and related topics in sociology, anthropology and the study of religion. It discusses Qumranic moral and purity boundaries, cultic rituals, wealth, gender, atonement, revelation mysticism, structure and organization and compares them with those of seven sects of the same (introversionist) type: the early Anabaptists, Mennonites, Hutterites and Amish, Puritans, Quakers and Shakers. The sociological and historical relationship between the Qumran sects and the related movements of 1 Enoch, Jubilees and the Essenes are analyzed in detail, in order to understand the socio-religious background of sectarianism in Qumran and its subsequent variations. Throughout the chapters, differences between the yahad, the Damascus Covenant and the Essenes are observed in relation to social boundaries, social structure, gender relations, revelation and inclination towards mysticism. Points of resemblance and difference are traced between the Qumran sects and the early-modern Christian ones, and several different patterns of sectarian ideology and behaviour are noticed among all these sects.

The Hasmoneans: Ideology, Archaeology, Identity, Journal of Ancient Judaism Supplements 10, Göttingen, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2013.

Sectarianism in Qumran: A Cross-Cultural Perspective , Religion and Society Series 45, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2007 https://www.degruyter.com/view/product/175629

Sectarianism in Qumran: A Cross-Cultural Perspective explores the sectarian characteristics of t... more Sectarianism in Qumran: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

explores the sectarian characteristics of the system of beliefs and laws of the two major Qumran sects of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the yahad and the Damascus Covenant, using theories of sectarianism and related topics in sociology, anthropology and the study of religion. It discusses Qumranic moral and purity boundaries, cultic rituals, wealth, gender, atonement, revelation mysticism, structure and organization and compares them with those of seven sects of the same (introversionist) type: the early Anabaptists, Mennonites, Hutterites and Amish, Puritans, Quakers and Shakers.

The sociological and historical relationship between the Qumran sects and the related movements of 1 Enoch, Jubilees and the Essenes are analyzed in detail, in order to understand the socio-religious background of sectarianism in Qumran and its subsequent variations.

Throughout the chapters, differences between the yahad, the Damascus Covenant and the Essenes are observed in relation to social boundaries, social structure, gender relations, revelation and inclination towards mysticism. Points of resemblance and difference are traced between the Qumran sects and the early-modern Christian ones, and several different patterns of sectarian ideology and behaviour are noticed among all these sects