Géza G. Xeravits - From Qumran to the Synagogues: Selected Studies on Ancient Judaism

Gza G. Xeravits

From Qumran to the Synagogues

Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature Studies

Edited by
Friedrich V. Reiterer, Beate Ego, Tobias Nicklas and Kristin de Troyer

Volume 43

ISBN 978-3-11-061431-2

e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-061561-6

e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-061437-4

ISSN 1865-1666

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019931725

Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek

The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie;detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de.

2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

www.degruyter.com

The idea of this collection emerged in March 2018 when I was awarded the Schweitzer Memorial Prize of the Hungarian Society of Hebraists. In his laudatory address, my former teacher Gza Komorczy, professor emeritus of Hebrew Studies and Assyriology at Etvs Lrnd State University, Budapest, suggested that the publication of such a collection would be appropriate. Happily enough, Albrecht Dhnert at de Gruyter received the idea favourably. I thank both of them for their enthusiasm towards my work.

The structure of the volume reflects the main directions of my scholarly interest. The first part deals with the Dead Sea Scrolls. The study of the scrolls was my first area of interest, which led me to the excellent universities of Leuven and Groningen. Later on, I gave courses on the scrolls throughout my teaching career. This research culminated in my PhD dissertation written under the wise guidance of Florentino Garca Martnez at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, and a textbook, which was published in Hungarian as well as in German with the kind cooperation of Peter Porzig.

The second part contains papers on the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha. When I returned to Hungary and received a teaching position at the Theological Academy of Ppa, I launchedtogether with my colleague and friend Jzsef Zsengellrthe organisation of a series of yearly conferences on the Deuterocanonical books of the Old Testament; a project that provoked scholarly interest for more than a decade. The most important fruit of this period was the editing of eleven volumes of conference proceedings,

While working on the manuscript of the present volume, I benefited the friendly assistance of a great number of people. I would like to single out some of them. Zoltn Tringer, Lszl Fejes and Klmn Ajtay made possible the purchase of a Tobii Eye Tracker that facilitates my work during my illness. dm Vr carefully assisted in editorial issues. Eszter Jakab helped finding a translator for one of the papers, the original language of which was French. Attila Lvai, dean at Selye Jnos University deserves deep gratitude for his collegiality and friendship. Special words of appreciation go to Beta Tth, for her tireless and heroic struggle with my English for nearly twenty years. Finally, it is a great honour for me that a real magister , Friedrich Reiterer, honorary president of the ISDCLwhose scholarly erudition I have always admiredagreed to write introductory words to the volume.

My family has always been a source of support. I thank my children, bris, Sra, Dmi, Rzi for their cheerfulness. My dear wife, Krisztina, is a true et yil , she is strong, wise and tender. With her, life is full of hope and loveI dedicate this book to her.

Gza G. Xeravits

This collection of articles by the academic scholar Gza G. Xeravits provides an overview of important publications by the author. The volume is subdivided into three groups of areas: there are articles on the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Deuterocanonical Works (for the nomenclature, cf. SBL Handbook of Style, 125) and Pseudepigrapha, and Early Judaism, especially the Synagogues. Those who consult the works of Gza G. Xeravits may gain a good insight into important issues of the late period of the Old Testament and early Judaism.

The collection is exemplary in terms of the spirit of research, the wide range of interests and outstanding scholarship. Currently, the pressure to publish in great quantity has led many researchers to the construction of hypotheses concerning various topics, often at the risk of getting lost in mere speculation. By contrast, Gza G. Xeravits gratifyingly engages with the texts themselves, analyses them methodically and, in this manner, achieves solid results. The individual contributions are good examples of how to analyse texts correctly. The results will always be appreciated by scholars.

Gza G. Xeravits works interdenominationally and internationally. Many students can benefit from his lectures in various universities in Hungary and Slovakia. But above all, the scientific community owes his zeal to many conferences, which he carried out with charm and, above all, great organizational skills, especially in Ppa and Budapestoften together with Jzsef Zsengellr, but also with other colleagues. What is an admirable trait of Gza G. Xeravitss personality is the fact that he prefers cooperation with others to being a solitary scholar. Many well-known scholars have gladly accepted his invitations, and what emerges from the lists of contributors to the respective volumes (based on the conferences) is the remarkable fact that almost all distinguished researchers have given papers on the late period of the Old Testament.

It is particularly important to point out the invaluable zeal in the edition of many collected volumes, for example, besides JSJSup, Brill especially DCLS, de Gruyter. If one is familiar with the time-consuming nature of editorial work, one can truly appreciate the value of these efforts. Particularly noteworthy in this context is the tedious preparation of comprehensive indexes in the individual volumes. They facilitate use for readers, and, at the same time, display the great variety of questions and topics treated. What underlies these achievements is Gza G. Xeravitss deep devotion to biblical scholarship, which has yielded a significant contribution in the field. Experts rely on these valuable editions with much gratitude.

The aforementioned joy in cooperation has led Gza G. Xeravits to intensive exchange with other research centers. The University of Salzburg is pleased to have a particularly prominent place in this regard. And, besides the long-term cooperation, the many international invitations to expert conferences and relevant lectures must be noted, some of which have also found their way into this volume.

Gza G. Xeravits, born in Budapest, is a renowned representative of Hungarian exegetical scholarship, who demonstrates in this volume how valuable contemporary research is in Hungary. The publishing house de Gruyterand especially Dr. Albrecht Dhnert, Editorial Director Theology and Religionmust be thanked for making the contributions, which formerly appeared in various publications, available in a single volume. I am delighted to recommend this collected volume to the community of researchers.

Friedrich V. Reiterer, Salzburg, May 2018