The color of the tefillin wasn’t an issue

The Talmud states that tefillin must be square and black, and this commandment is considered a law given to Moses at Sinai (i.e no reason but still a law). However, new research (published today at PLOS One) proves that the tefillin found at Qumran were not dyed at all, and certainly not black. Although some of them were found to be black in color, this blackness was not the result of intentional dyeing but rather the opposite—natural weathering and decay of the leather, likely due to moisture that seeped into the caves. That is, chemical examination of the tefillin eliminates the possibility that they were originally dyed black. Dyeing can be identified in one of two ways: using carbon-like materials such as charcoal or using tannin and iron oxides. Neither of these was found on the tefillin. Professor Yonatan Adler concludes from this that the color of the tefillin was not originally significant in Jewish law, and it is likely that the tradition of black tefillin developed at a later period.

Ancient Yahwism was actually a syncretistic Zoroastrianism

The podcast “Gnostic Informant” interviews Prof. Gad Barnea from the University of Haifa for his new article in the memorial book for Prof. Shaul Shaked. Prof. Barnea is supposed to release a new book on the topic at the beginning of 2025.

Archaeological and textual evidence from the island of Elephantine in Egypt and other regions suggests that the Yahwistic communities of the Persian period had no knowledge of the biblical texts as we know them today. They did not use biblical names, were not familiar with biblical traditions, and essentially, apart from their reverence for Yahweh, had nothing that would identify them as Jews. They were even polytheistic, worshipping Anat and Bethel. There were also temple priestesses, although their roles are not detailed, but the fact is that women participated in the worship.

Contemporary communities in Elephantine, Samaria, and Babylon exhibited a form of Yahwism that we would not recognize today as Judaism. This form is characterized by the absence of biblical figures such as Moses, Abraham, and Noah. It is doubtful whether these figures existed before the exile or before the return to Zion.

The evidence points to significant cultural and religious assimilation with Persian practices, including the use of Avestan terms and the presence of a fire holder (ātašdān) in their temples. In these fire holders, it seems, they conducted the haoma ritual or its alternative, since supposedly Zoroaster despised the use of drugs, although this is unclear and there are differing opinions. Some believe he despised the uncontrolled use of mind-altering substances, as he himself praised the haoma. Therefore, it appears that Jewish temples performed psychoactive incense rituals, raising the question: was this new or not? It probably wasn’t new, and the traditional use of mind-altering substances by the Jews likely helped them integrate Persian practices of the conqueror of that era.

Hence, more than being monotheistic, Judaism was syncretistic, incorporating Zoroastrian elements into Yahwistic worship. Thus, Judaism should be seen as a Levantine variation of Zoroastrianism, with all its aspects: the afterlife, the dualism between good and evil, the eternal fire on the altar (atar), etc. There might have been Orphic and philosophical influences over time, but this began under Persian rule.

Therefore, the “Second Temple” in Jerusalem was likely built around the late 5th or early 4th century BCE, under Persian influence. From the “Passover Letter from Elephantine,” it can be understood that Passover was a new festival at that time, reflecting more Persian customs than biblical ones. For example, it emphasized the full moon, as was common in ancient Eastern cultures.

Yahwism at that time was still in its developmental stages, interwoven with Persian and Hellenistic religious expressions of the period. It was only later that this form of Yahwism evolved into what we recognize today as Judaism.