The Postexilic נתינים and the Neo-Babylonian Širkū: A Reassessment.

The postexilic historical texts of the Hebrew Bible introduce a category of temple personnel called the נתינים (nətînîm), frequently translated as "temple servants," which are not found in earlier works of ancient Israelite literature. Descriptions of the נתינים bear a striking resemblance to the Ne...

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Publicado en:Journal of Biblical Literature Vol. 144; no. 3; pp. 475 - 494
Autor principal: Moser, Tyler M.
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Society of Biblical Literature 2025
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: The Postexilic נתינים and the Neo-Babylonian Širkū: A Reassessment.
      aug:
        au: Moser, Tyler M.
        affil: University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712
      su:
        Old Testament criticism & interpretation
        Biblical research
        Biblical commentaries
        David, King of Israel, ca. 1040-970 B.C.
        Assyro-Babylonian religion
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        subj:
          Old Testament criticism & interpretation
          Biblical research
          Biblical commentaries
          David, King of Israel, ca. 1040-970 B.C.
          Assyro-Babylonian religion
      ab: The postexilic historical texts of the Hebrew Bible introduce a category of temple personnel called the נתינים (nətînîm), frequently translated as "temple servants," which are not found in earlier works of ancient Israelite literature. Descriptions of the נתינים bear a striking resemblance to the Neo-Babylonian širkū, who were dedicated to the temple as semi-free dependents. Some scholars have noted apparent similarities between these two, but most have sought to distinguish them on the assumption that while the širkū were slaves, the נתינים were not. More recent research has demonstrated that širkū were not slaves but temple dedicands fulfilling cultic and royal obligations in a specific legal arrangement. Given the appearance of the נתינים solely in postexilic texts, I argue that exposure to the širkū in Neo-Babylonian temple complexes influenced the biblical formalization of the נתינים as a distinct class of cultic functionary. I argue that the נתינים fit within a utopian perspective that presents a reconfigured and aspirational Judahite cult influenced by features from Neo-Babylonian temple structures. This thesis also makes sense of the postexilic attribution of the new cultic structure to King David and of later Jewish rejections of the נתינים.
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