“For from Zion Shall Come Forth Torah . . .” (Isaiah 2:3): Biblical Paraphrase and the Exegetical Background of Susanna

Abstract

Many of the fundamental debates in early Judaism were not held in a literary vacuum; rather, the interlocutors formulated their arguments according to the contours of passages from the Hebrew Bible. This chapter analyzes the use of one biblical passage that served such a role amongst Jews in antiquity: the prophecy in Isa 2:1-4. It examines three Jewish sources from antiquity that employed this prophecy, especially v. 3, in order to address questions of communal identity; specifically, the issue of the status of the Jewish community or communities in the Diaspora. The chapter focuses on an interpretive crux at the opening of the story that has long perplexed exegetes. In the Theodotion version, the story begins with an exposition focusing on the dramatis personae , including Susanna, her husband Jehoiakim, and the two elders. Keywords:Diaspora community; early Judaism; exegetes; Jewish community; Susanna; Theodotion