Women in the Second Temple Period and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Describe Susannah’s background and personality. What was the dilemma that Susannah faced, and what were her options? How did Daniel rescue Susannah?
Susanna was from the tribe of Judah and the daughter of Hilkiah. She was also the wife of Joakim. She was a very beautiful woman, virtuous, and feared the Lord. She loved the law of the Lord and was willing to die rather than break it. Susannah had immense faith in God and believed that as long as she kept His commandments, then He would be faithful to protect her honor. Hire our assignment writing services in case your assignment is devastating you.
Susanna was faced with the option of doing as the two elders suggested- lie with her and keep her honor, or they would bear false witness against her, and she would be killed. She knew that the word of the elders was valued over that of a woman. Additionally, the words of two witnesses were enough to sentence a person to a crime. She knew that she would die whichever way; if it was found out that she had slept with the elders, she would die; if the elders testified against her on false claims, she would still die.
Daniel, through the Spirit of God, discerned that justice had been perverted against a daughter of Israel. He said that the two elders were to be separated and each interrogated. The two men gave different accounts of the supposed act that they had witnessed. One of the elders said that they were hiding under an Evergreen oak, and the other said that they were hiding under a Mastic tree. Thus, the two were guilty of lying and were put to death, and Susanna’s honor was preserved.
From the story of Judith, identify the following characters: Holofernes, Joakim, Uzziah, and Achior. What roles do they play relative to Judith? Are they seen more in terms of their relationships with her, or is she seen more in terms of her relationships with them?
Holofernes was the general of the army of the Assyrians. He had come to take over the city of Bethulia, which belonged to the Israelites. He was determined to defeat the nation, and when Judith came to supposedly give him a strategy on how to do so, he did not question the words she spoke to him. He was also attracted to her beauty, and he was amazed at her wisdom. Judith is seen more in terms of her relationship with Holofernes. Holofernes does not appear to need her help to defeat the Israelites, but nevertheless, he accepts her help.
Joakim is the High Priest of Jerusalem. He is mentioned in earlier chapters, where he advises the people of Israel to seek the face of God for deliverance. He is also mentioned toward the end of the narrative. He came to Bethulia after a report reached him on the victory of Israel over the Assyrians. He came to bless Judith and also, as was customary with the high priest, to offer sacrifices of some of the booty the Israelites had collected from the Assyrians. Joakim is seen more in terms of her relationship with Judith because he came to see the Lord’s victory and to bless Judith. He had come with the senate from Jerusalem to greet Judith, and they blessed her in the Name of the Lord.
Uzziah was the magistrate of the city and to whom the people brought Achior. He listened to what Achior had to say concerning Holofernes’s plan against the city. Initially, he encouraged the people to be strong and trust God for victory over the Assyrians. However, when the people’s courage failed, he conceded to their demand to surrender, but only after 5 days had elapsed. However, Judith rebuked him for making such a covenant with the people. He agreed to go along with her plan, but she did not reveal the details yet trusted her to do the right and wise thing. Judith is seen more in terms of the relationship she has with Uzziah. She had to go to him and get his approval to go on with her plan. Uzziah, knowing that she was a woman who feared God, allowed her to walk past the city gates, and when she returned with Holofernes’ head, he commanded the gates to be opened for her.
Achior was one of the Ammonite leaders who gave Holofernes an account of the history of the Israelites. He told him that they were a people undefeated as long as they served the true God and remained undefiled by sin. However, Holofernes swore to Achior that he would defeat the Israelites and then come back and kill Achior. Achior is seen more in relation to Judith because after Holofernes was beheaded, she ordered that he be brought to her. He came and saw the head and bowed down to her. He later converted and chose to serve the God of Judith, the God of Israel.
Was Ben Sira misogynistic? What specifically is the difference for Ben Sira between a good wife/daughter and a bad one?
Ben Sira is misogynistic. He believes a woman’s worth is in relation to a man. He states that the wickedness of a man is better than the good of a woman. He describes a good wife as loyal and one who rejoices in her husband; she is charming to her husband, and her skill fattens his flesh; she is modest, and her beauty comes with a steadfast heart. She is also quiet and disciplined. A good daughter is a virgin on the day she gets married, is faithful to her husband, and bears children to her husband. A bad wife is wicked and ensnares her husband with her beauty and possessions. A wife should not support her husband. A wicked wife is one who brings shame and disgrace to the husband. A bad daughter is one who is headstrong and the exact opposite of what he describes as being a good daughter.
Unlike Judith and Susannah, who are fictional characters, Babatha lived a very real life during tempestuous times. What do we learn about the rights and limitations women faced in the late first and early second centuries?
Women in the later centuries were allowed to own property. They could inherit property from their fathers and also from their deceased husbands. Additionally, women could trade and make wealth because, in Babbatha’s case, she loaned her husband money for his elder daughter’s dowry, and she held his assets as repayment after he failed to pay back 200 denarii. A woman was also allowed to retrieve dowry paid on her behalf after her husband died. Babbatha was not inherited by any of her first husband’s brothers, as was customary. She got married to a different family and was a second wife. A second wife was not allowed to take all of her husband’s property on his demise, but Babbatha defied this and disinherited her co-wife (Tyson, n.d).
How do you think the information from the Dead Sea Scrolls fits in with the other evidence you have just read as regards the status of women in Second Temple Judaism? Do you think the Qumranites held the same view of women as other Jews? Are there any particular aspects in which the Quranites may have been different? If so, were they stricter or less regarding the rights and roles of women?
In both cases, adultery and fornication were forbidden. Also, there were trustworthy women in the Qumran, whose main role was to ensure that girls got married as virgins. They were selected by the Overseer and were deemed to be wise. This is much the same way that Uzziah and Joakim viewed Judith. Women were not to be married to other nations ((Martinez, 1996).
The Qumranites did not hold the same views of women as other Jews. Several places show that bigamy was prohibited by the Qumran halakhah. The writer of the Damascus Covenant, in attacking his opponents, states that polygamy is prohibited in the Torah and states that “taking two wives in their lives, while the foundation of Creation is ‘male and female He created them’ And those who entered (Noah’s) ark went two by two into the ark. And of the prince it is written, ‘Let him not multiply for himself’” (Damascus Covenant 4:20–5:2) (Martinez, 1996). Babbatha was a second wife, which shows that the Second Temple Judaism allowed polygamy.
Qumran’s literature does not highlight the status of women as much as it does of men. Women are described in their roles as mothers and wives. They were excluded from all activities done publicly as well as from Torah study, war, prayer, or community assemblies. The Qumran often considered women and children to be in the same category. The writings specify that a man was considered mature at 20 years of age but has not said when a woman was deemed to be mature enough for marriage or any other public activities. In the Rule of the Congregation, women were not allowed to enter the Temple (Rule of the Congregation 2: 5–10). They were compared to children (halakhah in 4Q265). Women did not take part in the creation of community laws. However, women were expected to know the Torah laws and the community rules despite not attending the readings of these two (The Rule of the Congregation 1:5–1) (Martinez, 1996).
Hence, it can be seen that the Qumranites were stricter than the Jews based on the restrictions meted on women. In the readings, it is clear that women in the Second Temple Jerusalem were more liberal; they were allowed to be second wives, owned property. Women were also allowed in the Second Temple Judaism, to take bold steps that would better the community, as was the case with Judith.
Works Cited
The Bible: Revised standard version. (1967). Swindon: The British & Foreign Bible Society.
Martínez, Florentino García, ed. The Dead Sea scrolls translated: the Qumran texts in English. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1996.
Tyson, P. (n.d). Babatha’s Life and Times. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/scrolls/life.html
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Question 
When viewing the evidence of the Dead Sea Scrolls concerning women, it is important to do so not only against our standards today but also against the status of women in Judaism at the time. In order to understand this wider ancient Jewish context, go to the following sites and read the sections indicated:
Women in the Second Temple Period and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Judith(Links to an external site.) (https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=DIV1&byte=3825845): Read the introduction, skim through chapters 1-7 and then read from chapter 8.
Susana(Links to an external site.) (https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=DIV1&byte=4202366): Read the entire story; it’s short.
Ben Sira(Links to an external site.) (https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=DIV1&byte=3977004): Read the introduction and Ben Sira 25:13-26; 26:1-4, 13-18; 42:9-14.
Babatha(Links to an external site.) (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/scrolls/life.html)
From these sources, answer the following questions:
Describe Susannah’s background and personality. What was the dilemma that Susannah faced, and what were her options? How did Daniel rescue Susannah?
From the story of Judith, identify the following characters: Holofernes, Joakim, Uzziah, and Achior. What roles do they play relative to Judith? Are they seen more in terms of their relationships with her, or is she seen more in terms of her relationships with them?
Was Ben Sira misogynistic? What specifically is the difference for Ben Sira between a good wife/daughter and a bad one?
Unlike Judith and Susannah, who are fictional characters, Babatha lived a very real life during tempestuous times. What do we learn about the rights and limitations women faced in the late first and early second centuries?
Finally, how do you think the information from the Dead Sea Scrolls (as you have read in the textbooks) fits in with the other evidence you have just read as regards the status of women in Second Temple Judaism? Do you think the Qumranites held the same view of women as other Jews? Are there any particular aspects in which the Quranites may have been different? If so, were they stricter or less regarding the rights and roles of women?
Your answer should be 2-3 pages in length. The last question is going to require the most thought. It would be good to present some of the actual evidence from the Scrolls using citations from the textbooks.
Textbooks:
Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls, by Lawrence Schiffman (New York: Doubleday, 1995).
Complete World of the Dead Sea Scrolls, by Philip Davies, George Brooke, and Phillip Callaway (London: Thames and Hudson, 2002).
The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated by Florentino Garcia Martinez
(Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1996).
The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible, by Martin Abegg and Peter Flint
(San Francisco: Harper, 2002).