I propose that a more accurate translation of the entire verse 28 is as follows:
“Absolutely no persons may enter their own temple to make burnt offerings; moreover all the Jews are to be registered as slaves; moreover all reported resisting are to be forcibly seized and put to death.”
The current translation in 29a as “marked on their persons” is somewhat weak and omits διὰ πυρὸς, “by fire”. I would recommend the more literal translation “marked by fire on their body” as “branded.”
5) Questions of Comprehension of Context
At present, the text reads that upon registration and being branded with the mark of the ivy leaf of Dionysus, these people would be restored to their original condition of being, to some degree, masters of themselves. However, with the absence in the text of reference to slavery, and a misunderstanding over the nature of the temple prohibition, have these both contributed to a misinterpretation of the passage … and hence a mistranslation of authentia?
The following is my attempt to interpret the passage in its context.
Jews originally possessed SOME rights as CONQUERED people in their enclave, but nothing like autocracy, denoted by authentia. However, the Jewish priests humiliatingly refused to allow “god” Ptolemy entrance beyond the Court of the Gentiles into the Court of Israel, in order to offer HIS gift. Ptolemy’s stated intent in revenge, was to humiliate all the Jews – who were allowed in the Court of Israel – and to prohibit them from making THEIR gifts. He decided to give them the choice of death or to become slaves deprived of freedoms. He was not going to leave them exactly as they were, “set apart with these limited rights,” being to some degree masters of themselves. They were now not able to sacrifice in their Temple in Jerusalem, thus also no longer demoting him beneath their God. They could not enter to make burnt offerings, thus ending both the many free will offerings, and more crucially, the atoning sacrifices of Judaism. They could merely enter for prayer. However, if they also agreed to bear the publicly humiliating branding mark of a foreign god … as servants of himself and the god Dionysus, no longer just the servants of YHWH, then they would have “authority to kill” i.e. be allowed to sacrifice, but with those degrading conditions attached.
