Early Judaism- A Comprehensive Overview

fragments of other religious texts that include Ben Sira, theGenesis

Apocryphon,theJoshua Apocryphon, Jubilees,andSongs of the Sabbath Sac-

rifice.These texts were probably brought to Masada by refugees before the

Roman siege had the fortress effectively closed off. Seven fragments were

found in casemate room 1039, which apparently was used as a garbage

dump by the Romans. All fourteen literary texts are written in Hebrew

(one in Paleo-Hebrew on papyrus) with one possible exception in an Ara-

maic text that remains unclassified.

A second class of finds from Masada is comprised of ostraca that are

usually associated with the Sicarii. Among them are shards inscribed with

letters, personal names including the famous “lots,” and lists of priestly

shares. The ostraca are written in Hebrew or Aramaic cursive script;

twenty are in Paleo-Hebrew script. Some of them can be connected to the

internal administration of the fortress by the Sicarii, such as the distribu-

tion of provisions; others mention names of owners of store jars

(O. Masada 462) or give instructions for supplying bread (O. Masada 557-

84). Still others may have been used as food coupons, as tags for a “popula-

tion registry,” or as lots for watch duties. A somewhat more intimate view

of those who occupied Masada is given by three personal letters on ostraca,

one of them written with charcoal. All other texts are written in ink.

After the siege, a small Roman garrison remained on Masada. No

Greek documents date to the period after 73/74. The Latin papyri and

ostraca written by members of the Tenth Legion do not provide an official

archive but a random collection that affords insight into the life and duties

of Roman soldiers. Among these items are a line from Virgil, a legionary

pay stub, and a list of hospital supplies.

Jewish Papyri from Egypt

Among the tens of thousands of papyri found in Egypt are many that were

written by Jews or refer to Jews. These papyri come from all regions of

Egypt and document all phases, areas, and aspects of Jewish presence

along the Nile. Among the most important corpora are the Elephantine

Papyri, written by members of a Jewish military colony that lived on the is-

land of Elephantine between 495 and 399b.c.e.and even ran their own

temple. Also important are the papyri in the Zenon Archive. Zenon was a

Ptolemaic official who toured Palestine in 260/59b.c.e.The documents in

his archive, which include accounts, lists, receipts, and memoranda, pro-

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EERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
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