The Postexilic נתינים and the Neo-Babylonian Širkū: A Reassessment
The postexilic historical texts of the Hebrew Bible introduce a category of temple personnel called the נתינים (nətînîm), frequently translated as "temple servants," which are not found in earlier works of ancient Israelite literature. Descriptions of the נתינים bear a striking resemblance...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2025
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| In: |
Journal of Biblical literature
Year: 2025, Volume: 144, Issue: 3, Pages: 475-493 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Servant
/ Temple
/ Hebrew language
/ Babylonian language
/ Ezra
/ Nehemiah
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| IxTheo Classification: | BC Ancient Orient; religion HB Old Testament TC Pre-Christian history ; Ancient Near East |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The postexilic historical texts of the Hebrew Bible introduce a category of temple personnel called the נתינים (nətînîm), frequently translated as "temple servants," which are not found in earlier works of ancient Israelite literature. Descriptions of the נתינים bear a striking resemblance to the Neo-Babylonian širkū, who were dedicated to the temple as semi-free dependents. Some scholars have noted apparent similarities between these two, but most have sought to distinguish them on the assumption that while the širkū were slaves, the נתינים were not. More recent research has demonstrated that širkū were not slaves but temple dedicands fulfilling cultic and royal obligations in a specific legal arrangement. Given the appearance of the נתינים solely in postexilic texts, I argue that exposure to the širkū in Neo-Babylonian temple complexes influenced the biblical formalization of the נתינים as a distinct class of cultic functionary. I argue that the נתינים fit within a utopian perspective that presents a reconfigured and aspirational Judahite cult influenced by features from Neo-Babylonian temple structures. This thesis also makes sense of the postexilic attribution of the new cultic structure to King David and of later Jewish rejections of the נתינים. |
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| ISSN: | 1934-3876 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Biblical literature
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