Jewish anthropological beliefs during the Hellenistic-Roman period are an important but previously neglected area of biblical exegesis and Jewish studies. In an effort to address this deficiency, this volume brings together 20 essays related to the subject of sin and death, with special emphasis on integrating material from neighboring cultures. Thus, the volume provides an exemplary foundation for further research on ancient Jewish anthropology.

Jewish anthropological beliefs during the Hellenistic-Roman period are an important but previously neglected area of biblical exegesis and Jewish studies. In an effort to address this deficiency, this volume brings together 20 essays related to the subject of sin and death, with special emphasis on integrating material from neighboring cultures. Thus, the volume provides an exemplary foundation for further research on ancient Jewish anthropology.

The biblical Dead Sea Scrolls are about a thousand years older than the earliest complete manuscript of the Hebrew Bible and provide crucial insights into the history of the biblical texts. The "Biblia Qumranica" is the first comparative edition of these unique textual witnesses. The present volume provides a synopsis of the Minor Prophets manuscripts from Qumran and the other sites at the Dead Sea. In addition the Masoretic text (according to Codex Leningradiensis) and the Septuagint (according to the Gottingen edition) are included as reference texts. The "Biblia Qumranica" is a unique tool for text-critical analysis which allows for the first time to analyse and interpret the textual witnesses of the Hebrew Bible as preserved from the Second Temple period in comparison to each other.

English summary: This volume contains sixteen articles, written by German scholars and scholars from other countries, who took part in an international research symposium at the University of Osnabruck in 2003. The individual studies of Old and New Testament traditions and of ancient Jewish and early Christian literature focus on completely different aspects of learning. In addition to explanations concerning the practical experience of learning, for which learning something off by heart was of considerable significance, the personal and social aspects of learning processes were also of great importance. One learns from a teacher, and learning together in turn integrates the individual into the traditional community. Reference is also made to the theological-ritual dimension of learning, since learning is described as a way of encountering God, and teaching can be seen as an act of divine proof of grace. The order of the individual essays results in interesting perspectives for the history of the tradition of Jewish and Christian concepts of learning. German description: Dieser Band versammelt sechzehn Beitrage in- und auslandischer Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler, die im Jahre 2003 an einem internationalen Forschungssymposium an der Universitat Osnabruck teilgenommen haben. Die einzelnen Studien zur alt- und neutestamentlichen Uberlieferung bzw. zur antikjudischen und fruhchristlichen Literatur fokussieren ganz unterschiedliche Aspekte des Lernens: Neben Ausfuhrungen zur Lernpraxis, fur die das Auswendiglernen eine bedeutende Rolle spielt, kommt dem personalen und sozialen Aspekt von Lernprozessen grosse Bedeutung zu. Lernen geschieht durch einen Lehrer; im gemeinsamen Lernen wiederum bindet sich der Einzelne in die Traditionsgemeinschaft ein. Schliesslich wird auch auf die theologisch-kultische Dimension des Lernens verwiesen, da Lernen als Moglichkeit der Gottesbegegnung beschrieben werden und die Belehrung als ein Akt gottlichen Gnadenerweises verstanden werden kann. Durch die Zusammenstellung der einzelnen Studien ergeben sich interessante Perspektiven fur die Traditionsgeschichte judischer und christlicher Lernkonzeptionen.