Studies in the Aramaic Legal Papyri from Elephantine (Handbook of Oriental Studies/Handbuch Der Orientalistik)

363 Pages·2002·52.36 MB·English

by  Muffs

STUDIES IN THE ARAMAIC LEGAL PAPYRI
FROM ELEPHANTINE
HANDBOOK OF ORIENTAL STUDIES
HANDBUCH DER ORIENTALISTIK
SECTION ONE
THE NEAR AND MIDDLE EAST
EDITED BY
H. ALTENMULLER . B. HROUDA . B.A. LEVINE· R.S. O'FAHEY
K.R. VEENHOF . C.H.M. VERSTEEGH
VOLUME SIXTY-SIX
STUDIES IN THE ARAMAIC
LEGAL PAPYRI
FROM ELEPHANTINE
BY
YOCHANAN MUFFS
with Prolegomenon by Baruch A. Levine
BRILL
LEIDEN • BOSTON
2003
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Muffs, Yochanan.
Studies in the Aramaic legal papyri from Elephantine / by Yochanan Muffs; with
prolegomenon by Baruch A. Levine.
p. cm. --(Studia et documenta ad iura Orientis antiqui pertinentia; v. 8) (Handbook of
=
Oriental studies. Section 1, Near and Middle East; v. 66 Handbuch der Orientalistik)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 9004128689 (he)
1. Law--Middle East--History--To lSOO--Sources. 2.
Law--Egypt--Elephantine--History--To lSOO--Sources. 3. Manuscripts, Aramaic
(Papyri)--Egypt--Elephantine. 4. Law, Ancient--Sources. S.Jewish
law--History--Sources. I. Levine, Baruch A. II. Title. III. Studia et documenta ad jura
Orientis antiqui pertinentia; v. 8 IV. Handbuch der Orientalistik. Erste Abteilung, Nahe
und der Mittlere Osten; 66. Bd.
KL 190 .M84 2002
340.S'3--dc21
2002190844
Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnalune
Studies in the Aramaic legal papyri from Elephantine / by Yochanan Muffs;
with prolegomenon by Baruch A. Levine.
Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 2002
(Handbook of oriental studies: Sect. I, The Near and Middle East; Vol. 66)
ISBN 9004 128 689
ISSN 0169-9423
ISBN 90 04 12868 9
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CONTENTS
Prolegomenon by Baruch A. Levine ...................... XI
Reference Bibliography ................................
XLII
Acknowledgements ...................................
XLV
I. Introduction ................................... .. .
The Discovery of the Papyri .......................
I. I
2. The Legal Documents ........................... 3
A. Previous Studies of the Legal Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
B. The Assyriological Approach .................... 12
3. General Subject of This Study: Aramaic Business Law ... 16
A. Definition of the Topic ......................... 16
B. A Problem of Method: Operative Section or Schluss-
klauseln ................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
C. The Meaning of the Contrast .................... 22
D. Analysis of the Aramaic Operative Section .......... 24
4. Specific Object of This Study: Investigation of tyb Ibby . . . . 27
A. Suggested Meanings: Previous Studies ......... . . . . 27
B. A New Interpretation .......................... 28
II. Terms of Satisfaction in Conveyance ................... 30
I. The Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
A. The Term tyb Ibby in Litigation-mr!lq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
B. The Term tyb Ibby in Sale ...................... 33
C. The Relationship Between tyb Ibby (Sale) and yhbt lk
br!lmn (Gift) ................................ 36
2. The Interpretation of the Texts ............. . . . . . . . . 40
A. The Contrast of tyb Ibby with yhbt lk br!lmn . . . . . . . . . . 40
B. The Definition of the Term tyb Ibby in Sale and mr!lq . . 43
III. Tyb lbby in Contexts other than Conveyance ............ 51
I. The Texts ..................................... 51
2. The Explanation of the Texts ...................... 52
A. The Implications of the Use of tyb Ibby in the mohar
Clause ....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
VIII CONTENTS
B. A Possible Atypical Use of !yb Ibby in Deeds of
Delivery ................................... 56
C. Tyb Ibby in the Dowry-Acceptance Clause .......... 58
IV. Libbasu Tab ..................................... 63
Libbasu !ab in Deeds of Sale: A Preliminary Investigation 63
I.
A. Previous Studies of libbasu !ab in Sale and Division ... 63
B. A New Interpretation: libbasu !ab-A Term of Receipt
and Quittance ............................... 65
2. The Explication of the Various Aspects of the Term on the
Basis of Its Grammatical Alloforms and Complements ... 69
A. The Grammatical Structure of the Term ........... 69
B. The Relationship Between Payment and Satisfaction .. 72
C. libbasu tab and the Completeness of Payment ....... 76
3. The Quittance Use of libbasu tab Outside of Conveyance
A. libbasu !ab in the Quitclaim ..................... 77
B. The Incorporation of the Quitclaim into Other Entgelt-
liche Transactions ............................ 78
4. libbasu tab in Borrowed Legal Forms ................ 86
5. The Origins of the Term libbasu !ab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
A. Traditions of Cuneiform Law: A Problem of Method .. 90
B. The Geographic and Linguistic Distribution of libbasu
tab ....................................... 95
C. Unique Characteristic of libbasu tab and Archaic Sale
Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
V. Semantic Equivalents and Contrasts ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II6
I. The Isoglosses of libbasu !ab ...................... II6
A. Sippar libbasu tab = Sus a duppur ............. . . . . 117
B. The Sip par libbasu !ab = Kultepe saba ............ 120
C. OB libbasu !ab = MB zaku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
D. OB libbasu tab = MB zaku = Late NB e!ir .......... 125
E. Degrees of Overlap among saba, libbasu tab, and zaku 126
2. Contrasting Terms and Clauses .................... 128
A. The Verb badu "to rejoice" as a Term of Volition ..... 128
B. Tabu "to be happy" as a Term of Volition .......... 136
Summary ....................................... 139
Excursus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
CONTENTS IX
VI. The Egyptian Analogues of tyb lbby .................... 142
I. Pre-Saitic Analogues to tyb lbby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
2. An Abnormal Hieratic Analogue .................... 148
3. The Demotic Analogues of tyb lbby .................. 150
A. The Demotic dj.k-mtjJtj (i) "You Have Satisfied My
Heart" in the Law of Conveyance Documents ....... 150
B. The Terms dj.k-mtj I}Jj (i) "you have satisfied my
heart" and I}Jtj (i) mtj. w "my heart is satisfied" in
Litigation Contexts ........................... 158
C. Demotic Terms of Satisfaction in Marriage Documents 163
D. Demotic Terms of Satisfaction in the So-Called
Adhesions .................................. 169
VII. Conclusion ...................................... 173
I. The Coordination of the Akkadian, Aramaic, and Demotic
Terms ...................................... . 173
2. The Origins of Aramaic Common Law Formularies ..... . 179
A. The Aramaic Common Law Tradition and Neo-
Assyrian Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... . 180
B. The Aramaic Formulary and the Neo-Assyrian Dockets 187
C. The Aramaic-Assyrian Symbiosis ................ . 189
D. Later Reflexes of the Aramaic Formulary ......... . 192
Addenda et Corrigenda .............................. .. 195
Bibliography and Abbreviations ....................... .. . 209
Glossaries ....................................... .. . 226
I. West-Semitic .................................. . 226
II. Cuneiform .................................. .. . 233
III. Other ........................................ . 244
Sources 245
I. West-Semitic .................................. . 245
II. Cuneiform .................................... . 247
III. Egyptian ..................................... . 255
Indices 256
I. Subjects ......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 256
II. Personal Names ................................. 306
III. Modern Scholars ................................ 308