כוהנים שנשבו או נדדו: מישעיהו השלישי עד ברית דמשק

The problem of descendants of priests who had emigrated to countries as far as northern Anatolia or the coasts of Asia Minor and Greece is addressed by Trito-Isaiah. He promises that these people will be admitted to the priesthood in Jerusalem, since they will not assimilate and their pedigrees will establish their legitimacy (Isa 66:20-22). Indeed, the problem of a reliable genealogy, especially for priests, was a crucial one for the Restoration community (Ezra 2:59-63; Nehemiah 7:61-65). The Damascus Document, in one of the fragments recently published by J. M. Baumgarten (4Q266), addresses the problem of priests who had been taken captives. They are disqualified from service in the Temple. Then follows the case of priests who had emigrated - ינדד לעב [ (yndd lcb [ ]). The analogy of Isaiah 66:20-22 and the rulings of the Mishnah, Qiddushin 4:10-11 suggest that here the case of a priest who migrated to the 'sea countries' is contemplated. Therefore , it is best to complete the phrase in question as follows: ... איש מבני אהרון אשר ינדד לעבור את הים It may plausibly be suggested that both Trito-Isaiah and the Damascus Document, written some three hundred years later, deal with the same problem: the former presents an idealistic vision, the latter a rigorous legislation.