Since its discovery at Qumran in the 1950's, those wishing to study the Songs of the Sage (4Q510,... more Since its discovery at Qumran in the 1950's, those wishing to study the Songs of the Sage (4Q510, 4Q511) had to approach a scattered grouping of fragments that gave little indication of the overall sequence, structure, and scope of the original composition. In the present volume, Joseph Angel remedies this situation by providing a new edition according to the sequence of the fragments determined by the material reconstruction of the more extensive manuscript, 4Q511. In addition to numerous enhanced readings and fresh English translations, the volume includes a general introduction, apparatus of variant readings, contextualizing commentary, catalog of photographic evidence, and keyword -incontext concordance. This work represents an unparalleled and comprehensive resource for anyone interested in the Songs of the Sage. Readership All interested in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Second Temple Judaism, and ancient Jewish prayer, magic, and demonology. For more information see brill.com
This tightly focused collection of essays, from an invited seminar of international specialists, ... more This tightly focused collection of essays, from an invited seminar of international specialists, centres on the question of the apocalyptic worldview around the time of the Maccabean revolt. What was the nature of apocalyptic at this time? Did the Maccabees themselves have a distinct apocalyptic worldview? These questions lead to other, more specific queries: who of the various groups held such a view? Certain of the essays analyse the characteristics of the apocalypses and related literature in this period, and whether the apocalyptic worldview itself gave rise to historical events or, at least, influenced them.
The collection begins with two introductory essays. Both the main and short papers have individual responses, and two considered responses by well-known experts address the entire collection. The volume finishes with a concluding chapter by the lead editor that gives a perspective on the main themes and conclusions arising from the papers and discussion.
Pages 51-71 in Jewish Religious Architecture: From Biblical Israel to Modern Judaism. Edited by S. Fine. Jews, Judaism, and the Arts 1. Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2020
The present study seeks to illuminate how the recitation of the prophylactic magical hymns known ... more The present study seeks to illuminate how the recitation of the prophylactic magical hymns known as 4QSongs of the Sage engendered religious experience for worshipers. Previous research on this composition has focused on locating it within the broader streams of early Jewish magical and apocalyptic tradition, but little attention has been paid to the apotropaic function of the Songs within the larger religious experiential framework implied by the text. This study argues that despite the lack of concrete information pertaining to ritual praxis, the language of the Songs reveals that participation in the ritual was designed to bring worshipers to understand themselves as realizing essential Qumranite ideals such as perfect purity and supernal knowledge, and to experience communion with the angels in the image of "the eternal sanctuary." It is suggested that the protection from the demons offered by the Songs is not so much the result of "magic" as it is a natural outcome of the perceived attainment of these ideals.
Pages 61-80 in Tales of Giants from Qumran and Turfan: Ancient Contexts, Traditions and Influences. Edited by M. Goff, E. Morano and L.T. Stuckenbruck. WUNT 360, 2016
Pages 28-39 in Ha-ish Moshe: Studies in Scriptural Interpretation in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature in Honor of Moshe J. Bernstein. Edited by B. Goldstein, M. Segal, and G. Brooke. STDJ 122, 2018
This study presents the results of my attempt to materially reconstruct
4QSongs of the Sageb (4Q5... more This study presents the results of my attempt to materially reconstruct 4QSongs of the Sageb (4Q511). The major findings, substantiated by the detailed discussion presented here, may be summarized as follows: (1) 4Q511 was at least 2 meters long and contained at least sixteen columns of writing. (2) Fragments representing material from fifteen out of the sixteen reconstructed columns can be arranged in their original order. (3) Columns contained at least 25 lines of writing, yielding a minimum column height of about 17.5 cm. (4)The composition contained in 4Q511 is not simply identical to the composition preserved in 4Q510, as scholars have assumed generally. It is more likely that they represent differing recensions of the same work or two different works, one of which has depended on the other, or both of which have depended on a common source.
Pages 185–211 in Functions of Psalms and Prayers in the Late Second Temple Period. Edited by M. S. Pajunen and J. Penner. BZAW 486. Berlin: De Gruyter., 2017
This article offers some new suggestions regarding the background and purpose of the Book of Gian... more This article offers some new suggestions regarding the background and purpose of the Book of Giants in the light of recent scholarship emphasizing (1) the shared features and interrelatedness of the Aramaic works discovered at Qumran and (2) the need to ground our understanding of early Jewish apocalyptic literature within the socio-political context of Hellenistic imperial domination. While this intriguing composition has been located correctly within the orbit of early Enochic tradition, the present study broadens the lens in order to consider the significance of its striking parallels with Danielic tradition, beyond the well-known shared tradition of the throne theophany (4Q530 2 ii 16-20 and Dan 7:9-10). Due attention is given both to the Danielic parallels and the transformations in Giants vis-à-vis the Enochic tradition upon which it depends (the Book of Watchers), which are interpreted in relation to recent research emphasizing that the early Enochic and Danielic writings constituted expressions of resistance to imperial rule. In line with this literary and historical contextualization, the study argues for a paradigmatic interpretation of Giants, according to which the monstrous sons of the watchers symbolize the violent, arrogant Hellenistic rulers of the author's day.
Pages 25-48 in The Divine Courtroom in Comparative Perspective: Proceedings of the Conference Held at Yeshiva University's Center for Jewish Law and Contemporary Civilization at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law on February 5-6, 2012. Edited by S. Holtz and A. Mermelstein. BIS 132., 2014
Pages 2975–3035 in Outside the Bible: Ancient Jewish Writings Not Included in Scripture. Volume 3. Edited by L. Feldman, J. Kugel, and L. Schiffman. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2013
Pages 3152–3171 in Outside the Bible: Ancient Jewish Writings Not Included in Scripture. Volume 3. Edited by L. Feldman, J. Kugel, and L. Schiffman. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2013.
Since its discovery at Qumran in the 1950's, those wishing to study the Songs of the Sage (4Q510,... more Since its discovery at Qumran in the 1950's, those wishing to study the Songs of the Sage (4Q510, 4Q511) had to approach a scattered grouping of fragments that gave little indication of the overall sequence, structure, and scope of the original composition. In the present volume, Joseph Angel remedies this situation by providing a new edition according to the sequence of the fragments determined by the material reconstruction of the more extensive manuscript, 4Q511. In addition to numerous enhanced readings and fresh English translations, the volume includes a general introduction, apparatus of variant readings, contextualizing commentary, catalog of photographic evidence, and keyword -incontext concordance. This work represents an unparalleled and comprehensive resource for anyone interested in the Songs of the Sage. Readership All interested in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Second Temple Judaism, and ancient Jewish prayer, magic, and demonology. For more information see brill.com
This tightly focused collection of essays, from an invited seminar of international specialists, ... more This tightly focused collection of essays, from an invited seminar of international specialists, centres on the question of the apocalyptic worldview around the time of the Maccabean revolt. What was the nature of apocalyptic at this time? Did the Maccabees themselves have a distinct apocalyptic worldview? These questions lead to other, more specific queries: who of the various groups held such a view? Certain of the essays analyse the characteristics of the apocalypses and related literature in this period, and whether the apocalyptic worldview itself gave rise to historical events or, at least, influenced them.
The collection begins with two introductory essays. Both the main and short papers have individual responses, and two considered responses by well-known experts address the entire collection. The volume finishes with a concluding chapter by the lead editor that gives a perspective on the main themes and conclusions arising from the papers and discussion.
Pages 51-71 in Jewish Religious Architecture: From Biblical Israel to Modern Judaism. Edited by S. Fine. Jews, Judaism, and the Arts 1. Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2020
The present study seeks to illuminate how the recitation of the prophylactic magical hymns known ... more The present study seeks to illuminate how the recitation of the prophylactic magical hymns known as 4QSongs of the Sage engendered religious experience for worshipers. Previous research on this composition has focused on locating it within the broader streams of early Jewish magical and apocalyptic tradition, but little attention has been paid to the apotropaic function of the Songs within the larger religious experiential framework implied by the text. This study argues that despite the lack of concrete information pertaining to ritual praxis, the language of the Songs reveals that participation in the ritual was designed to bring worshipers to understand themselves as realizing essential Qumranite ideals such as perfect purity and supernal knowledge, and to experience communion with the angels in the image of "the eternal sanctuary." It is suggested that the protection from the demons offered by the Songs is not so much the result of "magic" as it is a natural outcome of the perceived attainment of these ideals.
Pages 61-80 in Tales of Giants from Qumran and Turfan: Ancient Contexts, Traditions and Influences. Edited by M. Goff, E. Morano and L.T. Stuckenbruck. WUNT 360, 2016
Pages 28-39 in Ha-ish Moshe: Studies in Scriptural Interpretation in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature in Honor of Moshe J. Bernstein. Edited by B. Goldstein, M. Segal, and G. Brooke. STDJ 122, 2018
This study presents the results of my attempt to materially reconstruct
4QSongs of the Sageb (4Q5... more This study presents the results of my attempt to materially reconstruct 4QSongs of the Sageb (4Q511). The major findings, substantiated by the detailed discussion presented here, may be summarized as follows: (1) 4Q511 was at least 2 meters long and contained at least sixteen columns of writing. (2) Fragments representing material from fifteen out of the sixteen reconstructed columns can be arranged in their original order. (3) Columns contained at least 25 lines of writing, yielding a minimum column height of about 17.5 cm. (4)The composition contained in 4Q511 is not simply identical to the composition preserved in 4Q510, as scholars have assumed generally. It is more likely that they represent differing recensions of the same work or two different works, one of which has depended on the other, or both of which have depended on a common source.
Pages 185–211 in Functions of Psalms and Prayers in the Late Second Temple Period. Edited by M. S. Pajunen and J. Penner. BZAW 486. Berlin: De Gruyter., 2017
This article offers some new suggestions regarding the background and purpose of the Book of Gian... more This article offers some new suggestions regarding the background and purpose of the Book of Giants in the light of recent scholarship emphasizing (1) the shared features and interrelatedness of the Aramaic works discovered at Qumran and (2) the need to ground our understanding of early Jewish apocalyptic literature within the socio-political context of Hellenistic imperial domination. While this intriguing composition has been located correctly within the orbit of early Enochic tradition, the present study broadens the lens in order to consider the significance of its striking parallels with Danielic tradition, beyond the well-known shared tradition of the throne theophany (4Q530 2 ii 16-20 and Dan 7:9-10). Due attention is given both to the Danielic parallels and the transformations in Giants vis-à-vis the Enochic tradition upon which it depends (the Book of Watchers), which are interpreted in relation to recent research emphasizing that the early Enochic and Danielic writings constituted expressions of resistance to imperial rule. In line with this literary and historical contextualization, the study argues for a paradigmatic interpretation of Giants, according to which the monstrous sons of the watchers symbolize the violent, arrogant Hellenistic rulers of the author's day.
Pages 25-48 in The Divine Courtroom in Comparative Perspective: Proceedings of the Conference Held at Yeshiva University's Center for Jewish Law and Contemporary Civilization at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law on February 5-6, 2012. Edited by S. Holtz and A. Mermelstein. BIS 132., 2014
Pages 2975–3035 in Outside the Bible: Ancient Jewish Writings Not Included in Scripture. Volume 3. Edited by L. Feldman, J. Kugel, and L. Schiffman. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2013
Pages 3152–3171 in Outside the Bible: Ancient Jewish Writings Not Included in Scripture. Volume 3. Edited by L. Feldman, J. Kugel, and L. Schiffman. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2013.
Pages 1482–1489 in Outside the Bible: Ancient Jewish Writings Not Included in Scripture. Volume 2. Edited by L. Feldman, J. Kugel, and L. Schiffman. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2013
This volume brings together many of the author's previously published studies that center on the ... more This volume brings together many of the author's previously published studies that center on the Dead Sea Scrolls, early rabbinic literature, and the relationship between the two. While the collection treats a broad assortment of texts and themes from different cultural and chronological contexts, it is unified by a multi-dimensional mode of reading, which seeks to locate ancient Jewish texts within their hermeneutical, historical, and rhetorical settings. The term "fictions" in the title is
This book is a collection of seven essays dealing with a variety of central topics in the study o... more This book is a collection of seven essays dealing with a variety of central topics in the study of Second Temple Judaism. In the preface, the author expresses his principal compositional motivation: "to engage some assumptions and axiomatic beliefs that have helped determine the directions of scholarship in the field during the last half-century." Stone, a virtuoso who has produced significant research in the field for nearly fifty years, could not be better suited for the task. The attractive volume includes a substantial bibliography and indexes of subjects and names and ancient sources.
Oral presentation delivered at the online international conference “Was Paul an Apocalyptic Jew? ... more Oral presentation delivered at the online international conference “Was Paul an Apocalyptic Jew? A Case in Jewish Diversity in the Second Temple Period” (26 October 2021)
Crisis and Hope: YU Voices
Who Were the Maccabees, Really?
Hanukkah, the Hasmoneans and Jewis... more Crisis and Hope: YU Voices
Who Were the Maccabees, Really? Hanukkah, the Hasmoneans and Jewish Memory
A Conversation with
Prof. Joseph Angel and Prof. Steven Fine
Tuesday, December 15, 11:00 am EST
Participate at URL: yu.edu/yuvoices
YU Voices is a project of the Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies The Rabbi Arthur Schneier Program for International Affairs The Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies Judaic Studies @ YU
Who Were the Maccabees, Really? Hanukkah, the Hasmoneans and Jewish Memory
A Conversation with Prof. Joseph Angel and Prof. Steven Fine
Tuesday, December 15, 11:00 am EST
Participate at URL: yu.edu/yuvoices
YU Voices is a project of the Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies The Rabbi Arthur Schneier Program for International Affairs The Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies Judaic Studies @ YU
The Samaritans: A Biblical People celebrates the culture of the Israelite Samaritans, from biblic... more The Samaritans: A Biblical People celebrates the culture of the Israelite Samaritans, from biblical times to our own day. An international team of historians, folklorists, a documentary filmmaker and contemporary artists have come together to explore ways that Samaritans, Jews, Christians, and Muslims have interacted, often shunned and always interpreted one another across the expanse of western civilization.
Written for both the general reader and the scholar, The Samaritans: A Biblical People is a centerpiece of the Israelite Samaritans Project of the Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies. This exquisitely illustrated volume celebrates a traveling exhibition produced jointly with the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C.
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Books by Joseph Angel
The collection begins with two introductory essays. Both the main and short papers have individual responses, and two considered responses by well-known experts address the entire collection. The volume finishes with a concluding chapter by the lead editor that gives a perspective on the main themes and conclusions arising from the papers and discussion.
Papers by Joseph Angel
4QSongs of the Sageb (4Q511). The major findings, substantiated by the detailed discussion presented here, may be summarized as follows: (1) 4Q511 was at least 2 meters long and contained at least sixteen columns of writing. (2) Fragments representing material from fifteen out of the sixteen reconstructed columns can be arranged in their original order. (3) Columns contained at least 25 lines of writing, yielding a minimum column height of about 17.5 cm. (4)The composition contained in 4Q511 is not simply identical to the composition preserved in 4Q510, as scholars have assumed generally. It is more likely that
they represent differing recensions of the same work or two different works, one of which has depended on the other, or both of which have depended on a common source.
The collection begins with two introductory essays. Both the main and short papers have individual responses, and two considered responses by well-known experts address the entire collection. The volume finishes with a concluding chapter by the lead editor that gives a perspective on the main themes and conclusions arising from the papers and discussion.
4QSongs of the Sageb (4Q511). The major findings, substantiated by the detailed discussion presented here, may be summarized as follows: (1) 4Q511 was at least 2 meters long and contained at least sixteen columns of writing. (2) Fragments representing material from fifteen out of the sixteen reconstructed columns can be arranged in their original order. (3) Columns contained at least 25 lines of writing, yielding a minimum column height of about 17.5 cm. (4)The composition contained in 4Q511 is not simply identical to the composition preserved in 4Q510, as scholars have assumed generally. It is more likely that
they represent differing recensions of the same work or two different works, one of which has depended on the other, or both of which have depended on a common source.
Who Were the Maccabees, Really?
Hanukkah, the Hasmoneans and Jewish Memory
A Conversation with
Prof. Joseph Angel and Prof. Steven Fine
Tuesday, December 15, 11:00 am EST
Participate at URL: yu.edu/yuvoices
YU Voices is a project of the Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies
The Rabbi Arthur Schneier Program for International Affairs
The Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies
Judaic Studies @ YU
Who Were the Maccabees, Really?
Hanukkah, the Hasmoneans and Jewish Memory
A Conversation with Prof. Joseph Angel and Prof. Steven Fine
Tuesday, December 15, 11:00 am EST
Participate at URL: yu.edu/yuvoices
YU Voices is a project of the Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies
The Rabbi Arthur Schneier Program for International Affairs
The Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies
Judaic Studies @ YU
Written for both the general reader and the scholar, The Samaritans: A Biblical People is a centerpiece of the Israelite Samaritans Project of the Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies. This exquisitely illustrated volume celebrates a traveling exhibition produced jointly with the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C.