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Welcome Dr. Bar-Ilan. So wonderful to find this article here!
Given the proposed relationship between the Book of Gad the Seer and the Book of Revelations, what are your thoughts on the Hebrew translation of Revelations and the Hebrew NT manuscripts that were acquired by Buchanan along with the Book of Gad the Seer?
I understand there is some debate over whether or not these New Testament manuscripts also date to an earlier period or they are 18th century Hebrew translations by Van Dort and Rahabi
Thank you very much for this article.
I have thought a lot about why Christians portray Christ as a Lamb. It seems he should be represented by a goat (since his blood was spread out at Gethsemane and he was later abandoned or cast out on the cross). We just have to presume devotion as you said.
I would like to ask a question about the symbol of the lamb in the First Temple period if I may. As you stated it is not generally used by Jews early on. But if one considers a pre-exilic date for the Book of Gad the Seer does that change the meaning of the symbol? It seemed that most the sources cited are post exilic.
I’m sure you know many Jewish scholars that feel those in the Second Temple period treat texts fluidly. Sidney Crawford described the revisionist tradition of scribes and wrote:
“Each biblical book reached a recognizable shape at the end of its redactional process, and that shape governed the activity of the scribes who transmitted it going forward. … For example, the shape of Exodus began with the Israelites in Egypt. … [T]he text within that shape was not fixed, but the shape itself was stable. … Thus, even though Exodus exists in two literary traditions (proto-rabbinic and pre-Samaritan) it is recognizably Exodus in both editions.”
So I certainly believe the text of Gad the Seer can be dated to CE. But… when do we think the shape originated? If we think the date is pre-exilic how does that change the meaning of the lamb symbol? In this journal Todd Uriona wrote, “the Assyrian kings in their hubris claimed to destroy those that opposed them as if they were “lambs.”” He probably views a lamb as an entity Assyria thinks they can dominate. But that’s about all I’ve been able to find.
It fascinates me you state the loss of the lamb may be the loss of the temple (God’s presence on earth). Yet, the lamb never seems to die in heaven. We have to wonder what is sacrificed up there.
Also, I was not tracking the deeper meaning of sacrifice (to come closer).
I didn’t know Gad the Seer was so apocalyptic and I’ll have to dive in.