Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Steve Oren" <soren AT enteract.com>]

I would like to reopen a thread.  We have, in the past, discussed a Hamonean 
dating for the editing of the Torah.  I recently came across material that 
seems to support this and I am anxious for comments.  Note that what I am not 
looking for are theological belief statements.  Rather, the question is what 
other data (that is: other material--Hebrew, Greek, Latin, etc--  shedding 
light on when the rules of Leviticus 23:9 were observed)supports of refutes 
the material below.

In Leviticus 23:9 we read "And you(pl) shall take to yourselves on the first 
day (of tabernacles], branches of palms, and boughs of thick trees, and river 
willows and you (pl) shall rejoice before YHWH your(pl) God seven days".  
Now, the historical books of the Bible contain a number of references to a 
7/8 day holiday (different discussion) in the seventh month but there is no 
mention of dwelling in tabernacles in connection with this period or taking 
these four items.  The single exception is at Nehemiah 8:15 "...and bring 
olive leaves and leaves of oil tree and leaves of myrtles and leaves of 
palms, and leaves of thick trees to make Sukkot as it is written"  Now the 
verse cannot mean to make the buildings called Sukkot or Tabernacles for then 
the list of materials would be absurd--why these and no other?  So, the verse 
must mean that to make the festival thsese materials are needed.  In that 
case, we have 3 of our present four materials (although in strange order 
since present Jewish tradition identifies myrtles as "boughs of thick 
trees").  But there are two species not found in the verse in Leviticus and 
one species ("fruit of beautiful tree" which is identified with the citron) 
which is missing.  Hence, our Leviticus had not been canonized as of the time 
that Nehemiah was written.  And, since the events discussed took place in ca. 
400 BCE, Nehemiah could not be written until the fourth century.

BUT, look now at II Maccabees10:3.  This describes the retaking of the Temple 
in 167 BCE which the author argues was a sort of replacement Tabernacles.  
What do the people do,? They take "branches, and boughs, and palms" 
(Beneton's translation).  This description could cover Nehemiah or it could 
cover Leviticus--with the exception of citrons. Now, Josephus (Whiston text) 
describing the reign of Alexander Yannai (104-78 BCE--see ANtiquities Book 
13, Chapter 13: 5) tells of how he performed the water ceremony on Sukkot in 
the "wrong" way whereupon the people in the Temple pelted him with citrons 
which they had because it was Sukkot.

Thus, it would appear that the "reception" of Leviticus as we now have it 
into the TOrah took place between 157 and this incident.--the span of a 
single person's life A person who as a child witnessed the Temple's retaking 
could have, as a person of great age, been one of those throwing citrons at 
Alexander Yannai.
Stephen Oren
Chicago, IL
Stephen Oren
Chicago, IL