Continuity and Innovation in the Aramaic Legal Tradition, Vol. 128
Ever since the Elephantine papyri were first published over a century ago, scholars have speculated on the origins of the well-developed legal formularies used in these documents. Since then, many more Aramaic deeds of conveyance both from Elephantine and from elsewhere have been published, especially within the last decade or so. With this expanded text base now available, the time is ripe for a comprehensive re-assessment of these legal formularies. This book endeavors to show that these...
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This book argues that Aramaic scribes from antiquity drew upon a common legal tradition. It identifies the distinctive elements that form the core of this tradition and traces their antecedents within the cuneiform record.
FiguresCh. 1 Introduction 1The Object of the Present Study 2Previous Scholarship on Aramaic Formularies 4The Aramaic Corpora 7The Structure of the Aramaic Deed of Conveyance 20The Method of the Present Study 26Cuneiform Corpora 28Summary 43A Note on the Presentation of the Texts 45Ch. 2 The Acknowledgment of Receipt Clause 46Cuneiform Background 47Neo-Assyrian Aramaic Deeds of Sale 64Elephantine 66Wadi ed-Daliyeh 71Jewish Aramaic Materials from the Judean Desert 78Nabatean Aramaic Materials from the Judean Desert 82Syriac 85Summary 87Ch. 3 The Investiture Clause 92Cuneiform Background 93Elephantine 106Wadi ed-Daliyeh 116Jewish Aramaic Materials from the Judean Desert 124Nabatean Aramaic Materials from the Judean Desert 137Nabatean Tomb Inscriptions 139Syriac Slave Sale from Dura-Europos 147Summary 149Ch. 4 The Warranty Clause 151Background 151Elephantine 162Wadi ed-Daliyeh 169Jewish Aramaic Materials from the Judean Desert 174Nabatean Aramaic Materials from the Judean Desert 180Syriac 185Summary 187Ch. 5 Conclusion 194Abbreviations 201Bibliography 204Index of Key Terms and Phrases 227
