CHAPTER XIV AN ALLEGED PARALLEL TO LEVITICUS-A CARTHAGINIAN LAW CONCERNING SACRIFICES1 THE TEXT OF THE CARTHAGINIAN LAW. COMPARISON WITH THE LEVITICAL LAW. 1. The Text of the Carthaginian Law. Temple of Baal[zephon]. Tar[iff of d]ues, which [the superintendents of d]ues fixed in the time [of our rulers, Khalas]baal, the judge, son of Bodtanith, son of Bod[eshmun, and of Khalasbaal], the judge, son of Bodeshmun, son of Khalasbaal, and their colleagues. For an ox as a whole burnt-offering? or a prayer-offering, or a whole peaceoffering, the priests shall have 10 (shekels) of silver for each; and in case of a whole burnt-offering, they shall have in addition to this fee [300 shekels of flesh; and, in case of a prayer-offering, the trimmings, the joints; but the skin and the fat of the inwards and the feet and the rest of the flesh the owner of the sacrifice shall have. For a calf whose horns are wanting, in case of one not castrated (?), or in case of a ram as a whole burnt-offering, the priests shall have 5 shekels of silver [for each; and in case of a whole burnt-offering they shall have in addition to this fee 150 shekels of flesh; and, in case of a prayer-offering, the trimmings and the joints; but the skin and the fat of the inwards and the fe[et and the rest of the flesh the owner of the sacrifice shall have]. In case of a ram or a goat as a whole burnt-offering, or a prayer-offering, or a whole peace-offering, the priests shall have 1 shekel of silver and 2 zars for each; and, in case of a prayer-offering, they shall [have in addition to this fee the trimmings] and the joints; but the skin and the fat of the inwards and the feet and the rest of the flesh the owner of the sacrifice shall have. For a lamb, or a kid, or the young (?) of a hart, as a whole burnt-offering, or a prayer-offering, or a whole peace-offering, the priests shall have (of a shekel) and..... .....zars of silver [for each; and, in case of a prayer-offering, they shall have in addition] to this fee the trimmings and the joints; but the skin and the fat of the inwards and the feet and the rest of the flesh the own[er of the sacrifice] shall have. For a bird, domestic or wild, as a whole peace-offering, or a sacrifice-to-avertcalamity (?) or an oracular (?) sacrifice, the priests shall have (of a shekel) of silver and 2 zars for each; but the f[lesh shall belong to the owner of the sacrifice]. For a bird, or sacred first-fruits, or a sacrifice of game, or a sacrifice of oil, the priests shall have 10 g[erahs] for each; but... In case of every prayer-offering that is presented before the gods, the priests shall have the trimmings and the joints; and in the case of a prayer-offering.... 1 From the Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum, I, No. 165. 2 It is the word so translated in Deut. 33: 10. So rendered in Lev. 7: 13; 10: 14. Many scholars would render it "thank-offering.” 4 Compare Exod. 29: 13, 14. The Hebrew law differed from the Carthaginian. For a cake, and for milk, and for every sacrifice which a man may offer, for a meal-offering1.. For every sacrifice which a man may offer who is poor in cattle, or poor in birds, the priests shall not have anything.. Every freeman and every slave and every dependent of the gods and all men who may sacrifice.... these men [shall give] for the sacrifice at the rate prescribed in the regulations.. Every payment which is not prescribed in this table shall be made according to the regulations which [the superintendents of the dues fixed in the time of Khalasbaal, son of Bodtani]th, and Khalasbaal, son of Bodeshmun, and their colleagues. Every priest who shall accept payment beyond what is prescribed in this table shall be fi[ned].... Every person who sacrifices, who shall not give.... which.... 2. Comparison with the Levitical Law. ...for the fee This document is not earlier than the fourth or fifth century B. C. The Carthaginians, from whom it comes, were an offshoot of the Phoenicians, who were, in turn, descended from the Canaanites. They were accordingly of kindred race to the Hebrews. One can, therefore, see from this document something of how the Levitical institutions of Israel resembled and how they differed from those of their kinsmen. It will be seen that the main sacrifices bore the same names among both peoples. We find the "whole burntoffering," the "peace-offering," and the "meal-offering." The Carthaginians had no "sin-offering," while among the Hebrews we find no "prayer-offering." The ways of rewarding the priests also differed with the two peoples. The Hebrews had no such regular tariff of priests' dues as the Carthaginians, but parts of certain offerings and all of others belonged to them. Leviticus assigns from the peace-offering the "heave-thigh" and the "wave-breast" to the priests (Lev. 7: 14, 34; Num. 5:9, 10; 31: 29, 41). Mealor flour-offerings belonged to the priests (Lev. 5: 13; 7: 9, 10), as did the sin- and trespass-offerings (Lev. 6:18, 29; 7:9, 10). Of the burnt-offerings the priests had the skin (Lev. 7:8). The interesting thing is that in the ritual, as in the social laws, we find that the heathen Semites had a considerable number of regulations similar to those of the Hebrews. 1 This is the rendering of the Revised Version for this word. The Authorized Version rendered it less accurately "meat-offering." 2 Each temple had a number of officials connected with it besides the priests, such as carpenters, gate-keepers, slaughterers, barbers, Sodomites, and female slaves. Another Phoenician inscription mentions these. CHAPTER XV SOME LETTERS FROM PALESTINE LETTERS OF RIB-ADDA OF GEBAL. OF EBED-HEPA OF JERUSALEM. THEIR LIGHT ON CONDITIONS IN THE PERIOD OF THE EGYPTIAN DOMINATION OF PALESTINE. MANY of the El-Amarna1 Letters were written from Palestine and Phoenicia. Some scholars think these letters come from the Patriarchal period; others hold that they are contemporary with the Hebrew conquest, and give us additional information concerning it. Some of those who hold this last view believe that the conquest of Palestine by the Hebrews was not made all at once. They think that the tribes descended from Leah entered the land before those descended from Rachel. Such scholars hold that these letters give us contemporary evidence of the wars of the Leah tribes. Whichever view one takes, the letters are most interesting, as they open to us a previously unknown chapter in the history of Jerusalem. 1. Some Letters of Rib-Adda of Gebal.2 To the king, my lord, the king of the countries, speak, saying, Rib-Adda, thy servant, the footstool of thy feet; at the feet of the sun, my lord, eight times and seven times I prostrate myself. Again, there is clear to the king, my lord, the deed of Ebed-Ashera, the dog, when all the lands of the king, my lord, are made over unto him and are subservient to his land. And now behold the city of Sumur has been won over-a fold of my lord and a temple of his shrine-to him, and he has encamped in the temple of my shrine and has opened the place of the curse of my lord and won it. What is he, a man..... ...and dog that he should judge? Again, when men say in the presence of the king, my lord: "Learn that Gebal is.. ," then know that he has not taken Gebal ..and it is difficult for the lands of the king, my lord. Again, let the king, my lord, send his inspector who may judge... ....and may protect the city of the king, my lord. And I... and will serve my lord, the king of the lands. And may my lord send people and let them bring whatever belongs to my.. into the presence of the king, my lord, and let not that dog take anything that belongs to thy gods. And is it clear now that he would take Gebal? See, Gebal is like Memphis, loyal to the king. A second time, see Ebed-Ninib, the man whom I sent with Buhiya, is a. 1 See Part I, Chapter I, § 7 (3). So From Winckler und Abel's Thontafelnfund von El-Amarna, No. 73. Cf. Knudtzon, Die ElAmarna Tafeln, No. 84. The letter takes up assertions made by Rib-Adda in previous letters. send unto thy servant. Again see, Ummahnu is a maid-servant of the Baalgoddess of Gebal; her husband is Ishkur..........send!. . . . . . (The tablet is broken off at this point.) II1 To the king, my lord, my sun, say: Rib-Adda, thy servant; at the feet of my lord, my sun-god, seven times and seven times I prostrate myself. May the king, my lord, listen to the words of his faithful servant! It is going very hard for me! The hostility has become strong. The sons of Ebed-Ashera have become great in Amurru; theirs is the whole land. The city of Sumur and the city of Irkata are left to the princes. And behold in Sumur I am strong. When it was difficult for the princes on account of the enmity, I left Gebal and.. Zimridda and...... Yapa-Addi........with me. Behold, then wrote the prince unto them; but they did not hearken unto him. And may the king, my lord, hearken to the words of his faithful servant! Send aid very quickly unto the city Sumur for its protection until the arrival of the mercenaries of the king, the sun. And may the king, the sun, drive out the enemy from his land. Again may the king, my lord, hearken to the word of his servant and send men as guards to the city of Sumur and to the city of Irkata, in case that all the guards flee from Sumur. And may it seem good to my lord, the sun of the countries, to give to me 20 pairs of horses. And may he send help very quickly to the city of Sumur to guard it. All the guards who remain are in straits and few are the men in the city. If mercenaries thou dost not send, then there will be no city remaining to thee. If there are mercenaries, we will take all the lands for the king. These letters mention a certain Ebed-Ashera and claim that his sons are gaining possession of all the land of Amurru. If the "Ebed" were dropped out of the phrase, "sons of Ebed-Ashera,' there would remain "sons of Ashera," or, "sons of Asher." The "land of Amurru," or, "land of the Amorites," lay, at the time these letters were written, in the later home of the tribe of Asher, and a little to the north of it, between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains. Some scholars hold that we have in these letters references to the coming of the "sons of Asher," or the tribe of Asher into this region, but it is a theory which in the present state of our knowledge we can neither prove nor disprove. If it should prove to be true, these tablets would reflect a part of the Hebrew conquest of this region. 2. Letters of Ebed-Hepa of Jerusalem. [To the king, my lord, speak, saying, E]bed-H[epa thy servant-at] the feet [of the king, my lord,] seven times and seven times [I prostrate myself]. Behold 1 Winckler und Abel, op. cit., No. 77, Knudtzon, op. cit., No. 103. 2 These "sons of Ebed-Ashera" are mentioned in many other letters. 3 Winckler und Abel, op. cit., No. 174, and Knudtzon, op. cit., No. 286. I am not a [prefect]; a vassal am I unto [the king, my lord]. Why did not the king, [my lord], send a messenger [quickly]? In similar circumstances sent Ienhamu. .I. [May] the king [hearken unto Ebed]-Hepa, his servant. [Behold] there are no mercenaries. [May] the king, my lord, s[end a governor] and let him take [the prefects] with him.. .lands of the king who are....... [and Addaya], the governor ..So may the king care for them and send .and people.. of the king [has] their house. a messenger quickly. When. II1 To the king, my lord, speak, saying, Ebed-Hepa, thy servant-at the feet of my lord, the king, seven times and seven times I prostrate myself. What have I done to the king, my lord? They slander and misrepresent me before the king, my lord, [saying]: Ebed-Hepa is disloyal to the king, his lord. Behold I— neither my father nor my mother set me in this place; the arm of the mighty king caused me to enter into the house of my father. Why should I commit rebellion against the king, my lord? As long as the king, my lord, lives I will say unto the governor of the king, my lord: "Why dost thou love the Habiri and hate the prefects?" But thus be misrepresents me before the king, my lord. Now I say, "Lost are the lands of the king, my lord." So he misrepresents me to the king, my lord. But let the king, my lord, know (that) after the king, my lord, set guards, Ienhamu took them all.. Egypt. .of the king, my lord; [there are no] guards there. Then may the king care for his land! May the king care for his land! Separated are all the lands from the king. Ilimilku has destroyed all the country of the king; so may the king, my lord, care for his land! I say: "I will enter the presence of the king, my lord, and I will behold the eye of the king, my lord," but the enemy is more mighty than I, and I am not able to enter into the presence of the king, my lord. So may it seem right to the king.. may he send guards, and I will enter in and will behold the eyes of the king, my lord! And so long as the king, my lord, lives, so long as the governors are withdrawn, I will say: "Perished are the lands of the king." Thou dost not hearken to me! All the prefects have perished; there is left no prefect to the king, my lord! May the king turn his face toward mercenaries, so that there may come forth mercenaries of the king, my lord. There are no lands left to the king, my lord. The Habiri plunder all the countries of the king. If there are mercenaries in this year, then there will be left countries of the king, my lord. If there are no mercenaries, the countries of the king will be lost. Unto the scribe of the king, my lord, saying: "Ebed-Hepa, thy servant. Take beautiful words to the king, my lord! Lost are all the lands of the king, my lord." III2 [To the king, my lord, [speak,] saying, Ebled-Hepa, thy servant. [Unto the feet] of my lord seven [times and seven times I prostrate myself]. [I have heard all] the words [which the king, my lord,] has sent to me. Behold the deed which...... has done. word.. Copper. He has brought [into the city Keilah]. [Cf. Josh. 15: 44.] May the king know that all the lands are gone and there is enmity against me. So may the king care for his land! Behold the land of the city Gezer, the land of the city Askelon and the city of Lakish have given them food, oil, and all kinds of herbs. So may the king give attention to the mercenaries! May he send mercenaries against the people who commit outrages against the king, my lord! If there are in this 1 Winckler und Abel, No. 102; Knudtzon, 286. 2 Winckler und Abel, op. cit., No. 103; Knudtzon, op. cit., No. 287. |