Nazirites in Late Second Temple Judaism 1

DirectEvidencefortheNazirites

1Samuel1.11,21,22
4QSam

Numbers6.121

Judges13.5,72 (47)16.17

Amos2.1112

Lamentations4.78

BenSira(Sirach)46.13

1Maccabees3.49(4653)

PhiloDespecialibuslegibus1.247254
QuodDeussitimmutabilus8690
Desomniis1.252254
Deebriete143144

JosephusBellumjudaicum2.313314
Antiquitatesjudaicae4.72(7072)
Antiquitatesjudaicae5.277278,285,312
Antiquitatesjudaicae5.344,3467
Antiquitatesjudaicae19.294(293294)

Archeologicalevidencediscoveryofatombin1967atHebrewUniv.Mt.Scopuscampus
inscriptionsontwoossurarieswrittenincursiveAramaic:"JonathantheNazirite"and"Hanania
sonofJonathantheNazirite."

MishnahNazir1.172.132.42.7103.123.363.74.17,etc.

fromNaziritesinlateSecondTempleJudaism:asurveyofancientJewishwritings,theNewTestament,
archaeologicalevidence,andotherwritingsfromlateantiquity/byStuartChepey.
Chepey,StuartDouglas,1970(Author).

2
StuartD.Chepey,"SamsontheHolyOne:ASuggestionRegardingtheRevisersUseofinJudg
13,716,17LXXVaticanus,"BiblicaVol.83(2002)9799

PossibleandTangentialEvidenceforNazirites

Mark14.2515.23
Matthew2.23(2223)
shallbecalledaNazarene
AbetterplacenamewouldbethealternategentilicadjectiveutilizedforJesusintheNew
Testament,andparticularlywithinMatthewssourceMark,[Nazarenos](Mk1.24
10:47:14.6716.6Lk.4.3424.19).Asis,[Nazoraios]bearsacloserresemblance
tothedesignationofknownreligiousgroupsoftheperiod,suchasthePharisees()
[Pharisaioi]andSadducees()[Saddukaioi],andsomehavepositedthatthetermbe
aderivativeofsomepreChristianreligiousgroup(cf.Acts24.5)p.152.
Acceptingthetermasaplacename,MatthewsderivationofthephopheticcitationHeshall
becalledaNazareneisallthemoredifficultduetotheabsenceofanyreferencetothetown
NazarethintheOldTestament.p.153
Luke1.15
Acts18.18(1822)
Acts21.2327a(1727a)

Hegesippus(accordingtoEusebius,Historiaecclesiastica2.23.5[47])

PlutarchQuaestionesconvivales4.6.2(134137)

MakingSenseoftheEvidence

"IntermsofthegeneralknowledgeofHebrewcultritualamongJews,sourcesrevealthatnotall
inthisperiodknewwhoa'Nazarite'was,thoughconceivablybytheturnofthefirstcenturyAD
mostdid."p.181
vow,cf.Philo"GreatVow"
selfoffering
holy
pure
"asthoseinastateofgrief".p.184

Conclusion

ReligiousgroupswheredevotiontoGodwasexpressedthroughcertaincommonlyheld
practicesand/orbeliefs:
Pharisees
Sadducees
earlyChristians

Religiousgroupswherecertainrestrictionsprecludedmembership:
Essenes

QumranCommunity
Therapeutae

Nazarites,ontheotherhand,wereknownfromallwalksofJewishlife,whetherman,woman,or
child,possiblyslaveaswellasfree,richorpoor,common,aswellassociallyelite,the
Amhaarets3 aswellastheHakamin4 ,irrespectiveofbeliefbeyondthesimpledesireto
expresspersonaldevotiontotheGodofIsrael.Thebeautyofthecustom,furthermore,layinits
allowanceforflexibility,personalfreedomofexpression,andevenadaptiontooutsideculutural
norms....p.199

3
4

theindigenouspeople(here,theuneducated)
theScribes,thesages,alsohakhamim