The Restoration of Israel: Israel’s Re-gathering and the Fate of the Nations in Early Jewish Literature and Luke-Acts

345 Pages·2006·11.26 MB·English

by  Michael E. Fuller

Michael Ε. Fuller
The Restoration of Israel
Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die
neutestamentliche Wissenschaft
und die Kunde der älteren Kirche
Herausgegeben von
James D. G. Dunn · Carl R. Holladay
Hermann Lichtenberger · Jens Schröter
Gregory E. Sterling · Michael Wolter
Band 138
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DE
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Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York
Michael Ε. Fuller
The Restoration of Israel
Israel's Re-gathering and the Fate of the Nations
in Early Jewish Literature and Luke-Acts
W
DE
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Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York
© Printed on acid-free paper which falls within the guidelines
of the ANSI to ensure permanence and durability.
ISBN-13: 978-3-11-018896-7
ISBN-10: 3-11-018896-1
ISSN 0171-6441
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie;
detailed bibliographic data arc available in the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de.
© Copyright 2006 by Walter de Gruytcr GmbH & Co. KG, D-10785 Berlin
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sion in writing from the publisher.
Printed in Germany
Cover design: Christopher Schneider, Berlin
Acknowledgments
The present study is a slightly revised version of a 2005 Ph.D.
dissertation, written under Prof. Loren Τ. Stuckenbruck, and submitted
to the University of Durham. I wish to thank the editors of Beihefte zur
Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft-James D. G. Dunn,
Carl R. Holliday, Hermann Lichtenberger, Jens Schröter, Gregory E.
Sterling, and Michael Wolter-for accepting the work for publication.
The Ph.D. dissertation, on which this volume is based, could not
have been written without the crucial involvement and support of a
number of people. First of all, I must thank Prof. Loren Τ.
Stuckenbruck, who served as my Ph.D. supervisor during the research
and writing years of the dissertation. His expertise in Early Judaism,
avid interest in my research, and availability for discussions made him
an ideal supervisor and dialogue partner. My family and I are grateful
to him and his family for their friendship and support for the three
years we lived in Durham, England.
Appreciation is due to Prof. James D. G. Dunn for serving as my
interim-supervisor during Prof. Stuckenbruck's sabbatical leave. Also
thanks to Prof. C. T. R. Hayward for guiding my study of Aramaic and
Syriac at Durham. We also shared valuable conversations about Jewish
documents and their bearing on the present topic. I wish also to thank
the two examiners of the present thesis, Prof. John Barclay (internal
examiner [University of Durham]) and to Dr. Steve Walton (external
examiner [London School of Theology]). They provided an invigorating
viva and gave me much to consider for future research.
At different stages in the research and writing of the Ph.D. thesis,
conversations with Doron Mendels, Lawrence Schiffman, Shemaryahu
Talmon, and N.T. Wright were very helpful. The Durham Theology
seminar provided the context for many of these discussions with
visiting scholars, Durham faculty, and post-graduate colleagues.
I must also thank the secretarial staff of Durham, especially
Margaret Parkinson and Anne Parker, who have been so gracious and
friendly through the years.
VI
I am grateful for the Overseas Research Scholarship (1997-98; 1998-
99) granted by the British Government, which made my study at
Durham University possible.
A special word of thanks must go to Dr. Paul Conn (President of
Lee University), who interviewed me in Kings Cross station years ago
for a faculty post, and later invited me to Lee. He has been very
generous with his support of summer research requests and sabbaticals
through the years. Also, I am grateful to Dr. Carolyn Dirksen (Vice
President of Academic Affairs) who helped me in finding space and
time to write, even with desperate last minute requests in the middle of
an academic term.
My appreciation goes out to a number of friends for their support:
Chuck Robertson, Doug Mohrmann, Stephen and Linda Wright,
Florian Schwaab, Pierpaolo Adrianna, Franek Siedlok, Marco Conti,
Rev. Franklin Conn, Robin Holt, and Joshua Clark. I will always be
indebted to Reverend Conn for his love and help in my youth. Robin
Holt, a graduate student and my assistant at Lee University, devoted
her time and effort in helping me make final revisions of the Ph.D.
thesis. In finalizing revisions for the present monograph, Joshua Clark,
also a graduate student and assistant was of inestimable help. He read
through the manuscript more times than he liked. He is largely
responsible for the indices and solving innumerable editing and
formatting issues. Franek Siedlok provided crucial assistance at the
printing stage (or I should say printing stages!).
Sincere appreciation goes to Carsten Burfeind (Acquisitions Editor
for BZNW), who was both extremely helpful and patient during the
revisions for BZNW. Also thanks to Sabina Dabrowski at de Gruyter
for her careful reading of the manuscript and suggestions.
I wish to acknowledge as well my friends and colleagues here at
Lee University. Their solidarity and friendship extend beyond the
office. Their support and shared commitment to the difficult task of
teaching and research were vital to the completion of the present work.
Special thanks to Dr. Todd Hibbard, Dr. Emerson Powery, Dr. Brad
Frazier, and Dr. Edley Moodley. A special word of appreciation is due
as well to Prof. Brian Alderman, Prof. Barbara Searcy, Dr. Terry Cross,
Dr. Dale Coulter, and Dr. Jean Corey.
Three special friends must be singled out:
Dr. Mohammed Al-Masri is the friend one needs in far away places.
He always came through in a time of need. I miss the long nights of
Vll
conversation, despair, laughter, music, Montecristos, and Lagavulin. In
the years of writing our respective dissertations, we always believed
together that 'the end was near,' even when it was most distant. In the
Spring 2005, we found our release.
Dr. Emerson Powery has been a close friend for 20 years. He is like
a brother in the truest sense. His love for Religious Studies was
infectious, and served as the primary catalyst for my decision to pursue
a career and calling in this field. I would not have finished the
dissertation without his concern, commitment, and friendship.
Tom Waits is to be thanked for providing the musical
accompaniment during the years of writing. He has expressed so
precisely the emotions of this journey (e.g., pain, love, sadness, bliss
[and occasional insanity]).
My family has provided me with an endearing and endless amount
of love and support. I have been blessed with the love of my mother
(Elizabeth Fuller) and father (John Fuller), and five siblings (Johnnyt,
Karen, Tonya, Chastity, and Keelan).
No one has been more important to my life and the completion of
this work than my wife, Shelia Boland Fuller. Thanks for believing in
me and being so incredible in the tough times. Her faith saw us
through 18 months of separation and several subsequent years of
research and writing. Her name should be on the book as well.
And how could I have finished the Ph.D. and present study
without my little Abbey, who was born to us in Durham and is now
seven? She has brought so much life and love to our home. Moreover,
her name will always evoke memories of a place I will recall fondly,
Abbey House, Dept. of Theology, University of Durham ( Easter, 2006).

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ν
Table of Contents ix
Introduction 1
1 Prolegomena and Questions 1
2 Major Studies on Exile and Restoration in EJL 4
3 Approach and Method 11
Chapter 1
The Re-gathering of Israel 13
1 Introduction 13
2 Israel's Historic Re-gathering 15
2.1 Haggai and Zechariah: Qualified Acceptance 15
2.2 Ezra-Nehemiah: The Persian Restoration of Israel 16
3 Israel's Future Re-gathering(s) 23
4 The Re-gathering as Return of the Diaspora 25
4.1 The Book of Tobit: Return from Danger(s) 26
4.2 Sirach: Return to the Land of Wisdom 33
4.3 Second Maccabees 1-2: Return to the Restored Temple 43
5 The Re-gathering of Israel from Israel 48
5.1 Damascus Document: The True Return from Babylon 52
5.2 Animal Apocalypse: Return from Apocalyptic Exile 60
5.3 Fourth Ezra: Return from "Another Land" 75
6 The Return as Spiritual Journey 84
6.1 Philo of Alexandria: The Universal Pilgrimage to God 86
Chapter 2
The Fate of the Nations and Other Enemies 102
1 Introduction 102
2 E.P. Sanders' Assessment of the Fate of the Gentiles in EJL 106
3 The Defeat of the Nations as the Dominant Fate Ill