MARCO SETTEMBRINI

The Akkadian inscription of Idrimi of Alalakh, dating back to the mid-fifteenth century BC, provides an important witness to the literary topos of the king chosen by God and being a devout proponent of the life of the temple. In the form of an autobiography it tells of Idrimi, initially forced to leave Aleppo with his entire family and then eagerly searching for success. He functions as a bandit for seven years and then settles in a neglected city where he provides protection to local farmers and gains recognition by a heterogeneous population. With the endorsement of the king of Mitanni, he goes out on missions which bring disarray into the Hittite area. He so earns what he needs in order to give stability to his kingdom. Taking up the studies carried out on this inscription, special contact with the Ugaritic poems of Kirta and Aqhat is pointed out. The theme of hampered royalty is then investigated in the light of imperial court prose. Elements common to royal Phoenician, Moabite and Aramaic inscriptions from the first millennium BC are hence underscored. Finally, a look at the biblical text calls for comparisons with passages of the story of Abimelech, Jephthah, David, and Joash.

The paper focus on the fact that Moses provides for both the construction of the sanctuary and the transmission of the laws that must ensure justice among the people. It is furthermore underscored that the terms which are used to designate who is "pure" and who is "innocent" can be identical. Biblical testimony is finally considered alongside some inscriptions from Ancient Egypt and Asia Minor.

This article offers a textual-historical commentary on the Old Greek version of Dan 11,6-9. The Alexandrian scribe transmits an anti-Seleucid passage while projecting events from his time (164-116 B.C.E.) onto events connected to the Laodician war (246-241 B.C.E.). The text he produces tries to stick to its Hebrew Vorlage and yet enhances the achievements of the Ptolemaic kings in line with their royal propaganda.

This essay offers a survey of the references to the divine spirit in the Hebrew Bible, especially highlighting the usage of the term rûaḥ. The essay is composed of four parts. At first it considers the contexts where the spirit appears as a divine hypostasis. Texts depicting the spirit as a divine agent are then contemplated. In the third part of the article the passages examined are the ones where God’s spirit creates and saves, giving renewed strength to the leaders of Israel (kings, prophets, priests). The spirit is finally perceived in its instructive action, which purifies human beings in order to enable them to have access to the Holy One.

In this paper I focus on the main features of so called “apocalyptic” texts which consider long successions of events, either spanning over centuries or covering the whole extent of history. Beginning with Daniel 2, I then proceed to read Daniel 7, The Apocalypse of Weeks (1 Enoch 93,1-10 + 91,11-17) and The Animal Apocalypse (1 Enoch 85–90), also produced in Palestine during the first decades of the 2nd century B.C.E.

The volume offers a new Italian translation of the Masoretic Text of the biblical book of Daniel together with a version of the Old Greek supplements. Every chapter includes the original text in front pages, essential philological notes and a fuller theological commentary.

This volume offers selected papyri, translated and discussed by Marco Settembrini, which offer a view of the life of the Jews in Egypt during the 3rd and 2nd century B.C.E. We hear of rich and poor citizens, merchants of slaves and prisoners. Formed at the gymnasium and at the school of Moses, their scribes prove themselves attentive to the demands of the royal court and at the same time loyal to the Lord of their fathers. While translating the oracles of Isaiah, they observe how these texts fit their age. Prevarications and harsh contracts oppress the citizens while it is urgent to free those who are indebted, take back those who escaped, restore the lands which have been abandoned because of the insurrections and Seleucid invasions.