Studies in the Aramaic Legal Papyri from Elephantine

Throughout most of the 5th century B.C.E., a Persian garrison comprising Jewish soldiers and their families lived at Elephantine, at the first cataract of the Nile. This is a reprint of Muffs' 1969 monograph, which analyzes the legal formulary of the Aramaic papyri found there. Virtually every aspect of law is examined, including the sale of land, the swearing of oaths, and the granting of bequests. Levine (emeritus, New York U.) provides background information on Aramaic law in a new introductory essay. Muffs is Emeritus Seminary Professor of Bible Studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Yochanan Muffs, Ph.D. (1963) in Oriental Studies, University of Pennsylvania is Emeritus, Seminary Professor of Bible, Jewish Theological Seminary. His publications includeLove and Joy: Law, Language and Religion in Ancient Israel (1992).Baruch A. Levine, Ph.D. (1962) in Mediterranean Studies, Brandeis University is Skirball Professor, Emeritus of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, New York University. His recent publications include Anchor Bible Commentary, Numbers, 2 vols. (1990, 2000) andThe Documents from the Bar Kochba Period in the Cave of Letters (with Ada Yardeni), 2002.