historical perspectives: from the hasmoneans to bar kokhba in light ...

60 TAL ILAN
aware of this allusion. The compilers of the pesher crafted it in such
a way that the verse referring to the harlot would appear exactly at
the historical-chronological juncture where the queen became the
object of the discussion.
From this interpretation we can deduce two things. The first is
that just as the sect disliked the Pharisees, it similarly disliked the
new Hasmonean ruler. They could hardly have used a worse symbol
to convey this notion than a harlot. In this respect the queen's
gender was of no particular importance. All Hasmoneans were bad.
However, gender plays an important role in the way the sect's exegesis
was applied. It seems that the presence of females was better
left as an allusion from the verse rather than explicitly mentioned
in the commentary. Shelamzion receives no code name. She is merely
referred to through the negative imagery of the biblical verse. The
suggestion that the exclusion of a direct reference to real women is
a repeated exegetical technique employed with regard to gender
differences may also be inferred from another verse in the commentary
on Nahum. In column 1 we read Nah. 2:12: "The lion tore
enough for his whelps and strangles prey for his lionesses," which
is then interpreted as a reference to the crucifixion of the Seekers
of Smooth Things by the Lion of Wrath:
(4Q169 3-4 i 4-7)
Although the verse mentions the lionesses specifically no mention is
made in the interpretation. It is, however, of some interest to note
that Josephus, when describing the crucifixion of Yannai's opponents,
informs us that "he had eight hundred of his captives crucified in
the midst of the city, and their wives and children butchered before
their eyes while he looked on, drinking with his concubines reclining
beside him" (War 1.97). Josephus' story in this context is derogatory
in the extreme. It describes the king indulging his female
companions while acts of the utmost horror take place before his
eyes. This text probably reflects Nicolaus of Damascus' negative attitude
toward King Yannai. Nicolaus, Herod's court historian, may
have based his description of Yannai feasting with his concubines
on gossip that circulated at his time. Pesher Nahum may actually be