Secret Groups in Ancient Judaism by Michael E. Stone

Abstract

Reviewed by: Secret Groups in Ancient Judaism by Michael E. Stone L. Scott Brand Michael E. Stone. Secret Groups in Ancient Judaism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018. 176 pp. doi:10.1017/S0364009419000138 In this study, Stone endeavors to demonstrate that certain social groupings within Judaism in the Second Temple period may reasonably be described as secret societies. Stone's examination begins with a definition of basic criteria for groups that will ultimately qualify for inclusion under this rubric: (1) limited membership; and (2) a process of gradual initiation into esoteric doctrine or praxis. These a priori considerations then inform the study as a whole. Beginning with chapter 1, Stone explicitly prioritizes for consideration the Essenes and Therapeutae. The Qumran sectarians in particular are characterized as an ideal test case, owing to their fortuitous attestation by both "insider" and "outsider" evidence; accordingly, they are treated as the study's point of departure. In chapter 2, the author rejects the prevalent anachronism of attempting to derive a normative typology for ancient esoteric groups from Renaissance Hermeticism, instead seeking to locate the phenomenon of secrecy within the more apposite context of ancient social convention. Stone first examines how the ancient use of esoteric literary and hermeneutical modalities may have functioned as claims of authority. He then revisits his own earlier research into apocalyptic literature, focusing on the formulaic tabulations of revealed lore within the genre, and identifying a manifest discrepancy between such secret (cosmological, eschatological, etc.) knowledge as is typically claimed in these summary lists, and the content actually revealed in the course of the narrative. Since apocalyptic, in its wide circulation, may have constituted more of an exoteric than an esoteric literature, Stone posits that this suggestive incongruence may betray the existence of an underlying esoteric lore: a closely guarded tradition intimated by, but not fully revealed in, the texts themselves. The social dimension is explored further in chapter 3, where the author draws heavily on earlier sociological studies to consider how secrecy may be [End Page 204] utilized both to define a given esoteric group against the majority culture, and to structure its internal power hierarchy. Stone then proceeds to examine how claims of esoteric religious experience may have been intended to consolidate authority, whether in the context of actual group power dynamics or merely as a literary motif within various textual traditions. Chapter 4 departs from methodological considerations and moves instead to the specific analysis of Stone's proposed comparanda, as he examines the Greco-Roman mystery religions as potential analogues to the Jewish groups under discussion. Agreeing with the opinio communis that the Qumran sectarians are to be identified with the Essenes, Stone ultimately concludes that (particularly as represented in the Community Rule and the Damascus Document) they did in fact represent such a secret group. In support of this assessment he notes that the Qumran group not only featured an exclusive and hierarchical social structure, but also "cultivated and transmitted secret teaching" (67), although he does acknowledge that, given their special focus on the community's collective spiritual and eschatological standing, the analogy with the mystery religions is imperfect. Next, the use of cryptic scripts in certain manuscripts is adduced as evidence that the community took pains to keep certain teachings secret, and also that such teachings were revealed to initiates in the course of a graded system of progressive initiation, as was characteristic of the mystery cults. In the case of the Therapeutae, the author focuses on their attested penchant for allegory and somniloquy in attempting to prove that they too practiced secret traditions that would justify their characterization as an esoteric society. Stone then continues the examination of the Qumran sectarians' apparent social organization in chapter 5. Again appealing in particular to the Community Rule, he discerns a hierarchical structure in the chain of authority, beginning at the top with the Maskil, running down through the "inner, elite group" (85) of fifteen who are selected for additional instruction, and finally reaching the lowest level with the membership at large. In addition, Stone characterizes another pattern evinced in Essene praxis—namely, careful selection of candidates, followed by regular evaluation and confirmation by oaths—as a...