Comments on: War on Shabbat http://menachemmendel.net/blog/2007/03/09/war-on-shabbat/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=war-on-shabbat Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:57:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Menachem Mendel http://menachemmendel.net/blog/2007/03/09/war-on-shabbat/comment-page-1/#comment-2485 Menachem Mendel Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:02:37 +0000 http://menachemmendel.net/blog/?p=220#comment-2485 You might also consider that Ptolemy I Soter took Jerusalem in 320 BCE (maybe 312) by what is delicately referred to as a "strategem" - showing up on Shabbat, when they wouldn't fight against him (ah, Agatharchides!). Which would appear to argue in favour of the explanation aluded to in Jubilies. Nusachanglia | 03.12.07 - 1:15 pm | # It is also worth looking at Antiquities, 18:310-379 -- which describes a short lived Jewish principality in Mesopotamia around the 1st cen. CE. In the story,a local Parthian governor tried attacking the Jews on the Sabbath, assuming that the Jews would not fight. It seems that the Jews initially refused to bear arms until they were rallied to defend themselves by their leaders (they won!). I am not sure how this fits into the big picture of fighting on shabbat. The jews did fight- but perhaps this reflects a lax attitude towards the Sabbath laws. Also,it is interesting that the Parthians were knowledgeably of the idea that Jews didn't fight on Shabbat. Plus this is all from Josephus so who the heck knows what to really make of it all. ariel simon | 03.13.07 - 4:14 pm | # You might also consider that Ptolemy I Soter took Jerusalem in 320 BCE (maybe 312) by what is delicately referred to as a “strategem” – showing up on Shabbat, when they wouldn’t fight against him (ah, Agatharchides!). Which would appear to argue in favour of the explanation aluded to in Jubilies.
Nusachanglia | 03.12.07 – 1:15 pm | #

It is also worth looking at Antiquities, 18:310-379 — which describes a short lived Jewish principality in Mesopotamia around the 1st cen. CE.

In the story,a local Parthian governor tried attacking the Jews on the Sabbath, assuming that the Jews would not fight. It seems that the Jews initially refused to bear arms until they were rallied to defend themselves by their leaders (they won!).

I am not sure how this fits into the big picture of fighting on shabbat. The jews did fight- but perhaps this reflects a lax attitude towards the Sabbath laws. Also,it is interesting that the Parthians were knowledgeably of the idea that Jews didn’t fight on Shabbat.

Plus this is all from Josephus so who the heck knows what to really make of it all.
ariel simon | 03.13.07 – 4:14 pm | #

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