The Passion of Nabusa: An Account of Unwanted Tunics and Snakebites in the Hermopolis Letters.

• Author: Williams, Trevor B.

The Hermopolis letters are a familial correspondence discovered at Tuna el Gebel (Hermopolis West) in February 1945. Bezalel Porten and Jonas C. Greenfield have written that "the personal concern expressed in these letters exudes great warmth and considerable charm." (1) However, the history of scholarship has not necessarily concerned itself with human expression, focusing instead on what can be gleaned from their use of Aramaic. (2) One of the most expressive individuals throughout the Hermopolis letters is a man named Nabusa, who writes about his dissatisfaction with a tunic and laments a recent snakebite. These letters were written around the late sixth to fifth century ??, and provide us with an insight into some of the anthropological dimensions of life in Persian Egypt.

There is a human element to these letters that should be recognized just as much as their lexical characteristics. This study will focus on the personal concerns of Nabusa as they manifest in TAD (3) A2.1 (Hermopolis 4) and A2.5 (Hermopolis 5), interpreting the substance of his messages and their use of familial concerns. (4) Both sections of this study will treat specific aspects of each letter as they pertain to Nabusa's tunic and an apparent snakebite.

COMPLAINTS REGARDING AN UNWANTED TUNIC (TAD A2.1)

TAD A2.1 almost offers an ancient version of the modern phrase "it was a gift." (5) The central issue addressed in TAD A2.1 is Nabusa's frustration over a tunic and his desire for castor oil. Nabusa does not seem to be a person who avoids talk of his displeasure, and this characteristic is evidenced by the letter's interpenetration of business and familial content. This mixture makes the context of each request more difficult to translate, because it forces the reader to interact with a brief, real-world use of the Aramaic language. Given that the greeting of the letter addresses Nanaihem, it is likely that Nabusa's complaints are directed toward her among his other concerns for the people at Syene.

There are several aspects of Nabusa's complaint that warrant further analysis, and his discussion of a tunic is particularly interesting since he literally tries to barter with Nanaihem for something else. Every shade of this request offers insights into what concerns drove Nabusa and his family. After the initial formal greetings and general matters, Nabusa addresses his feelings about the tunic he received. He finally gets to state his case about its condition, writing: [phrase omitted] (TAD A2.1.4). Here, we meet our initial stage of difficulty because, while the word [phrase omitted] ("to find") is relatively straightforward with multiple attestations as a G stem verb (cf. Ezra 4:15, 19), [phrase omitted] does not have this same distinction. (6)

There is some debate about how to translate [phrase omitted] and this can go in two distinct directions. Akio Moriya indicates that it could either be a statement of fashion or of condition. (7) On one hand, we could go with Porten and Ada Yardeni's translation: "I have found it completely frayed." (8) But, on the other hand, we could translate it with a more dynamic tinge: "and I found it completely ridiculous." (9) Moriya prefers the latter translation, but he does not make a great effort to defend his position or fully explain it. He suggests that our options for translation are derived from appeals to cognates in Akkadian (sama?u, sam?u/sen?u, "(to) tear") and Mishnaic Hebrew ([phrase omitted], "ridiculous"). (10) These two options express completely different characterizations of Nabusa's complaint and elicit divergent understandings of his character. (11)

Nabusa, in either case, has a problem with what he received. The phrase he uses to express his feelings about the tunic is [phrase omitted] (TAD A2.1.5). Unlike the ambiguity of the previous phrase, this statement can be translated straightforwardly as "and my heart is not attached to it." (12) One could use this phrase to justify either interpretation, but in both cases, it clearly functions as a statement of displeasure. The word [phrase omitted] ("to cling") indicates the substance of what Nabusa denied about his relationship with the tunic since it is the object of denial. Other uses of [phrase omitted] can be found in the Syriac of the Peshitta, which uses it to describe the attachment of leprosy (2 Kings 5:27) and the connection of bones to skin (Job 19:20). The Aramaic in the Hebrew Bible also uses [phrase omitted] in a vision interpreted by Daniel; it describes the vision's prediction that the iron and clay (i.e., terrestrial empires) will not stay together because it is not in their nature to do so (Dan. 2:43). (13)

Biblical Hebrew uses its cognate term to describe the cleaving of man and woman in Genesis 2:24 (see also Targum Onqelos). (14) In other places, [phrase omitted] is used to describe a conscious choice to hold onto something (Gen. 34:3; Deut. 30:20; Josh. 22:5). (15) The various uses of [phrase omitted] can produce a nuance that has a cooling effect on the intent of Nabusa's letter in addition to other meanings that have the opposite function. If the reason that Nabusa does not want the tunic is because of fashion rather than condition, his displeasure toward it will have the potential to be extremely dramatic. Moriya posits a more dynamic translation of the letter: "I do not like it" (TAD A2.1.5). (16) Porten and Greenfield contend that this phrase is itself part of an idiomatic expression, citing Genesis 34:3 as an example. (17) The way [phrase omitted] is used attests to a more intense kind of attachment. We could understand this to mean that Nabusa wishes for something else and is not that concerned that it is torn or otherwise problematic for him.

The fact that this is exactly what he then tries to do renders the context of this excerpt into that of a bargaining scenario. Nabusa wants something he could cling to or that has some other value. He does not just tell Nanaihem that he does not like the tunic, for Nabusa implies that he would like to receive something in its place. This is a nuance that Moriya tries to tap into when he characterizes Nabusa's statement about using an old garment as an expression of his "wish to obtain a new one." (18) However, is it actually so clear that Nabusa wants a new tunic? He certainly does not ask Nanaihem for anything new. In fact, he asks for something completely different--not even a new gift for himself. Nabusa kindly offers the following instructions to Nanai?em: [phrase omitted] (TAD ?2.1.5-6). Translating this line is not as contentious as some of the previous ones, and interpreters translate it in similar ways.

Nabusa wants the tunic's potential replacement to be...