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THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

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of which probably no one will deny the expression '" (lay and uijilit " occirs nearly fifty times while the Ininverted jihrase is found only fourteen limes. deed, if one were to judjje sinii)ly from such external evidence, the Syriac version would undoubtedly be recognized as a direct translation from the Hebrew; for in the whole ranjre of Syriue literature there is no work of such strongly marked IIel)rew cast as this Al.iikar legend. The following examples will illustrate this: In the Syriac the expression " 15at Kol " (p.

exactly the Neo-IIebrew •)'p ri3 (a voice in Syriac simply a word; on p. 38. line 10. "if thou." etc.. is an imitation of Gen. XV. 3. the Hebrew |n of which is ba. line

is

9.

one from Dan. ii. 11. Such exanii)les. which ini.irht ea.sily be multiplied, show at least how closely the In view of the Sj'riac version follows liihlical style. fact that the nurnitive itself has no Syriac Fol- point of contact with Biblical literalows ture, this close resemblance can be explained only by the assumption that Hebrew Original, the author of the Syriac version had a Hebrew ori,i:inal before him. This assumption becomes almost a certainly when it is perceived how deeply the Ahikar legend is indebted to Jewish literature for many of its essential features, though it is by no means meant to be implied that the work itself is genuinely Jewish. In its details the contest of wits between Ahikar and the Egyptian sages resembles closely that in the Talmud (Hek. H/j) between Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah and the Athenian wise nun; and this resemblance exists not only in th<' inili iilual details, but likewise in the general fashion of replying to one question impossible of solution with another iniestion of exaggerated impossibility. For instance, the wise men of Athens reipiire Joshua to sew together the fragments of a broken millstone and receive in reply the request for a few threads made of hi' fiber I

Lam. I{. to i. 1 exactly tlu' same question and answer are reiMirded of .hikar in the

of the stone (see also

)



Syriac version (p. (i."))and in the Arabic p. '..'4). The incident of the ropes of .siuid. mentioned in all the versions of the Ahikar legenil. is found in its simplest form in the Talnuid; Joshua declares himself ready to transport an outlying well into the city if his questioners will sup ply him with ro]iesof bran. The form of Ahiljar's repartee seems a liltle loo artificial. The resemblaneebitwei'n the account (jf Pharaoh 'sin<lel)tedness to Sennacherib and a similar pleasjuitry related of Joshua haslicin pointeil out by .Sleissner. who also demonstrates that Ahikars greatest triuni|)h the boys, upborne by eagles, who were to build a tower l)etween heaven and earth is also related of Joshua, though in a strongly Judai/.ed form. The construction of n similar air castle plays a great part also in the Hiram legend (Valk. to E/.ek. xxviii. 2. ^ 'Mu V. l ,1 M,!/.). "IS. II It is to be remarked that the Ahikar legend is in many respects similar to that concerning Hiram; thus. lirain's s<'lf deification (see Gin/berg, in " .Monalsschrift," xliii. .'i4'.i (7 m-q.) seems to be mildly i)arallelecl in the collo(|uy between Ahikar and I'iiaraoh. where the former refers to the (

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I

Egyptian monarch's weakness and insignificance as compared with his almost divine liabylonian master. Sennacherib. The sarcasm of this comparison is intensified when one recollrelslhat. aeeordini; lo.liwi-.h legend, it was Ihe Egyptian king who, like Ilintm. cliiimed divine honors for hinisi'lf (Mek., Shinih. g 8; Tan., cd. Huber, ii 31) I.

-lit

Investigation as to the sources of the proverbs and fables in the Al.iikar legend is more difficult. Xot only do the <lilfcreut versions ditfer widely Sources in mimber and contents, but, from the of the very nature of legends, such material Proverbs is extremely liable to modification and and Fables, elaboration. Taking those in the Syriac version, the following numerous jiandlels to Ahikar 's maxims, culled from the Bible anil Talmud, may throw sotue li.irht upon the connection; No. No. No.

Ab.

1.

Iv. 17. Eiil. It. to xll.

n.

Ecelus. (Slnii-h), xlx. 10 isvrlac) ; Ab. II. 14. EiTlus. (Slruc-h). xxv. 21 (Syriac). The Ahikar text probal)ly iiei^iis rortfiijnn here. No. 7. This IS prnlpichly a pun upon the Hebrew word '^i''!', which 3.

.5.

means No,

biitli

"aliiiornl-iri'f"

Hi-re.

H.

brew words 1.

Al)i]^ar

and "to hasten."

aci-ortlln); to Hali'vy, is (eityi and TJ' las-si.

t4x>,

"i"i'

a play upon the He-

No. 9. A i)lay upon the words a'iiy rfa (to split wood) and do sit down to a meal). No. 10. For the expression " to pour wine upon graves " compare Ecrlus. (Siraeh), xxx. 18. No. 1«, Compare Pn)V. xlli. 19, a maxim widely prevalent In various forms IhrouKliout Jewish llteniture; see Dukes, "Rabblnisi-lie Ulumenlese," Nos. ISO. Isl. iloii. nnii'D I'^p

13.

Found

15.

Orlglnidly contained a play

No. No.

p'i'H (to

literally In tien. R. xllv. 12.

upon p^" (portion) and

quarrel).

No. 111. In place of "evil eye" (Prov. xxiti. ft) we have "a shameless one"; probably throuffh confusion of the late Hebrew Is;Dn (seeKld. .>t. No. 21. Ecclus. (Slnich), xxx. 12 (compare S.Trlacl. No. :W. "Son" should probably be read here instead of "slave" (see Armenian version. No. -lat, in airreement with Shall. Wli.

No. 40. ".Mphabet of Ben Slra," letter Lnmedli: "The wise ni*eils a nod the fool requires a blow." No. 4;i. Ecclus. (Slnich), XX.X11. 11. No. 44. Eccl. Ix. 111. No. 4<1. Ii. B. 9S/<, quoted as a saying of Siraeh Identical with the .Mukar maxim as to substance, but contradictory in form. No. 40. Prov. xxvll. 10. No. .'iOo. Ecclus. (SIniclil. xxx. 17, xli. 2. No. .'iO/». Eccl. vil. 2-4 the divergence Is probably owing to an erroneous contraction of Die verses In Eccleslastes. No. ,'>1. To Eccl. H. Iv. I), quoted as a popular adage; see also a similar maxim In Pes. li*i. No. .52. Ecclus. (SIracli), xxvll. Hi. No. .W. Ecclus. I.sii-ach), xx. IS, xxi. 10. No, .'>4. Ecclu.s. (SIrachi, xlx. 10. No. .Vi. Mek., Mlsh|>a|lm. i li. No. ,')7. Prov, xxvll. 10, ilie word " not " is to l)e supplied. No. iVt. All. vl. No. 111). Prov. xxlv. 17, .b. iv. 28 compare also No. 17 of the

man







.").



Ahikar maxims. Nil.

1)1.

No.

r>2.

Lev. xlx. ;il. PIrke Kabbenu ba-Kadosh, ed. SebOnblum, p. 22b; ed.

Griinhiit, p. ft.'). No. Ik). Ecclus. (Slracli), iv. 21!, according to the text given In " Wisdom of lien Slni," ed, Schechler; compare also lien. K. xllv. 1."), Meg. IW), Her. 71). No. lift. Eccl. 1. S. a play u|wn Ihe Hebrew word Ti". which

means

iKith

"eve" and

" fountain "

Hen

No. 71. "Alpiiabet of



compare 'i'aiiild, ;i2/i. where llie U'Xt needs

Slra," end,

correction. ~l. Ps. cxll. a. probably .No. 74. Prov. xxv. 17.

No.

The exhortations which borrow

according to the Scptuaglnt.

end of the .liikar legend, imagery mainly from ihe animal

at Ihe

their

world, may be also panilleled in rabbinical literature. The following is an illiislration Ahiljiar refers to the relations between himself and his nephew when he says. " I have seen colls that were Ihe slayers The context of their parents" (Syriac text. p. 70). seems to demand an opposite sentence; namely, that young colls sometimes die before their |)arents form Which is actually found in Sanh. .VJar ').