Transcribed
in Demotic characters, all of the Aramaic texts collected in the papyrus belong
to the stream of tradition. Though both the findspot and the date of the
papyrus are unclear, there can be no doubt that the literary texts it contains
go back to the Aramaic-speaking diaspora communities in Egypt. Based on the
form of the script, the papyrus is generally surmised to have been written in
the mid-fourth century BCE. (Karel Van Der Toorn, Becoming Diaspora Jews:
Behind the Story of Elephantine [The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library;
New Haven: Yale University Press, 2019], 62)
The
Origins of the Compilation
Papyrus
Amherst was found in Egypt. The scribes who produced it used typically Egyptian
writing materials and wrote in Egyptian characters. Obviously, then, this text
is an Egyptian product. Yet the fact that the one copy of the compilation we
have is from Egypt does not necessarily mean the compilation we have is from
Egypt does not necessarily mean the compilation itself originated in Egypt.
Many of the individual texts collected in the papyrus convey the impression of
considerable antiquity. The ritual songs to Nanay, Bethel, and Yaho are full of
motifs and phrases that bear the mark of a long tradition. In most cases it is difficult
to rise above impressions because there is no hard evidence to date the texts.
But there is one exception: The first ritual song of the Israelite section is
an Aramaic version of a forerunner of Psalm 20. The biblical text is the Judean
edition of an originally North Israelite composition. The most likely scenario
to explain the transmission and transformation of the text is the transfer of traditional
religious literature from Samaria to Judah in the aftermath of the fall of
Samaria (721 BCE). The Hebrew original underlying the Aramaic version in the
Amherst papyrus, then, must go back to the eighty century BCE or earlier. The
songs to Bethel borrow several elements of the Baal mythology known from the
Ugaritic texts of the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1400 BCE). The presentation of
Bethel as the “Destroyer of Yamm” and as the god of thunderstorms especially goes
back to an early period. The songs in question presumably dare to the date of
the eighty century BCE, as well, if not earlier.
Assuming
that several texts collected in the Amherst papyrus are from the eighty century
BCE or before, one wonders when they found their way into the compilation. IT
cannot have happened before 700 BCE because the Samarians would have had no
incentive to transform their Hebrew psalms into Aramaic songs prior to their integration
into an Aramaic-speaking community. As argued above, the most likely event that
impelled them to seek shelter in the caravan city in the desert was Sennacherib’s
campaign against Judah in 701. The analysis of the structure of the compilation
yields another argument in favor of a date after 700. The first three sections collect
individual traditions of the three separate communities (Babylonians, Syrians,
Samarians), while section 4 consists of material that reflects their interaction
in their newfound home. The logic of this structure implies that the compilation
of sections 1-4 took place after 700 BCE—the earliest conceivable date of their
encounter. One might argue that the post quem date should be brought
down considerably lower because the death of Shamashshumukin, described in the Tale
of Two Brothers, occurred in 648 BCE. Some decades may have elapsed between the
events and their integration into a court novella. This would bring the
earliest date of the compilation down to about 620 BCE. However, since the Tale
of Two Brothers ic clearly an appendix, it should not be used to determine the
date of the compilation to which it has been attached. The Tale of Two Brothers
occupies a position comparable to that of tablet xii with respect to the rest
of the Gilgamesh Epic, Isaiah 37-39 with respect to the First Isaiah
collection, or Jeremiah 52 with respect to the book of Jeremiah. In fact, it is
also possible to argue that the compilation of sections 1-4 must have occurred
before the Tale of Two Brothers came into circulation. On that premise, the original
compilation would have been made between 700 and 600 BCE. (ibid., 83-85)
Papyrus Amherst 63, xii 11-19 (cf.
Psa 20):
May
Yaho answer us
In our troubles.
May Adonai answer us
In our troubles.
Be a bow
In heaven, Crescent!
Send
your messengers
From all of Rash!
And from Zaphon
May Yaho help us.
May Yaho give to us
Our heart’s desire.
May the Lord give to us
Our heart’s desire.
Every wish,
May Yaho fulfill.
May Yaho fulfill,
May Adonai not diminish
Any request of our heart.
Some
by the bow,
Some by the spear—
Behold, as for us,
My Lord, our God is Yaho!
May our Bull be with us.
May Bethel answer us tomorrow.
Baal-Shamayin
Shall bless the Lord:
“By your loyal ones
I bless you!”
End. (Ibid., 167-68)