Relations between Qumran Texts and their Social Background

in Second Temple Jewish Society A Study of 4QInstruction, 1QS and 1QHa

Arjen Bakker

Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies

Abstract    Who  wrote  the  Dead  Sea  Scrolls?  

 

                 Since   the   discovery   of   the   scrolls   in   the   late   1940s,  the   ques?on   of   their   origin   has   been   the   cause   of  much   controversy.   The   publica?on   of   all   of   the  material  in  the  1990s  as  well  as  developments  in  the  archaeology  of  the  region  have  put  into  ques?on  the  tradi?onal   theory   that   the   Qumran   sect   produced  most   of   the   scrolls.   At   this   point   it   is   necessary   to  inves?gate   how   the   different   texts   found   in   the  caves   near   Qumran   relate   to   one   another.   Only   by  combining   informa?on   from   different   texts   can   we  get  a  beIer  view  on  the  social   reality  behind  them.  Is   it  possible   to  group  certain   texts   together  on   the  basis  of  peculiar  similari?es  in  vocabulary  and  style?  Do  these  texts  also  share  a  similar  rhetorical  strategy  and   ideology?  What  can  we  say  about   the  situa?on  in   which   these   texts   were   composed;   about   their  social   background?   Perhaps   we   can   we   learn  something   about   specific   groups.   This   study   will  focus   on   4QInstruc?on,   the   Rule   of   the   Community  (1QS)  and  the  Thanksgiving  Hymns  (1QHa).    

 I.  Taxonomy    How  do  we  classify  the  Dead  Sea  Scrolls?  

             There   is   a   general   tendency   among   scholars   to  classify  the  scrolls  in  the  following  way:    1.   Biblical  texts    2.   non-­‐Biblical  texts      -­‐>  a.  non-­‐sectarian  texts                                                                                    -­‐>  b.  sectarian  texts    A  number  of   scholars  have   tried   to  develop   criteria  for   the   classifica?on   of   texts   as   sectarian/non-­‐sectarian   (e.g.   D.   Dimant,   E.   Chazon,   A.   Lange).  However,  currently  the  picture  of  the  provenance  of  the   scrolls   is   much   more   complex.   It   is   likely   that  there   were   several   groups   and   movements   behind  the   texts.   The   classifica?on   is   therefore   in   need   of  revision.  This  project  intends  to  contribute  to  this    by  studying   the   rela?ons   between   texts   and   grouping  certain  texts  together  on  the  basis  of  similari?es.  

II.  Rela?ons  Between  Texts  (1):  Philological  Analysis    How  do  we  find  rela?ons  between  texts?  

             The  three  texts  will  be  compared  paying  aIen?on  to  the  following  features:  

�  physical  characteris?cs  of  the  manuscripts  

�  paleography  and  da?ng  �  orthography  and  scribal  features  

�  vocabulary  �  style  �  traces  of  redac?on  and  recep?on  of  the  texts    We  will   inves?gate  whether  4QInstruc?on,  1QS  and  1QHa  share  par?cular  features  which  do  not  occur  (in  the   same   frequency)   in   other   texts   found   near  Qumran.   The   features   of   vocabulary   and   style   are  the  most  relevant  in  this  comparison.  

   III.  Rela?ons  between  Texts  (2):  Literary  Analysis    How  do  we  describe  rela?ons  between  texts?  

             The   next   step   is   to   analyze   the   texts   as   literary  documents.  In  this  literary  analysis  specific  aIen?on  will  be  paid  to  social  dimensions  that  are  inherent  to  certain  literary  strategies.  The  analysis  focuses  on:  

�  Literary  form  and  genre  

�  Rhetorical  strategies  and  polemics  

�  Ideology  and  ideals  of  knowledge    A^er   the   analysis   of   each   single   text,   the   texts  will  be   compared   to   one   another.   On   the   basis   of   this  comparison  a  judgment  will  be  made  whether  these  texts   share   many   significant   features   in   terms   of  content  and  whether  they  can  be  assumed  to  have  a  similar  background.  

IV.  Social  Se`ng    Do  we  find  traces  of  their  social  background?  

           The   rhetorical   strategies   and   ideology   in   the   texts  teach  us  something  about  their  social  background.  In  recent   years   a   number   of   scholars   have   applied  sociological   models   to   Jewish   and   Chris?an   texts  from   an?quity.   In   Qumran   research   the   focus   has  been   primarily   on   the   sociology   of   sectarianism.   In  this  project  the  following  issues  will  be  discussed:  

�  educa?on  and  literacy  

�  economy  and  social  class  

�  power  rela?ons  �  sectarian  tendencies    The  final  step  will  be  to  confront  the  findings  of  the  present   research   project   with   current   academic  discussions  on  the  sociology  and  economy  of  Jewish  society   in   the   Second   Temple   period.   Par?cular  interest  goes  out  to  the  debate  on  Jewish  groups  and  movements  in  this  era.  

   Conclusion    What  can  we  learn  from  the  Dead  Sea  Scrolls?                      The  texts  that  were  discovered  in  eleven  caves  near  Qumran   provide   us   with   unique   informa?on   on  Jewish   society   in   the   period   of   200   BCE   -­‐   100   CE.  Textual   sources   from   this   period   are   limited.   It   is  thus   of   the   greatest   importance   to   inves?gate  whether   the   groups   who   produced   these   scrolls  were   marginal   and   their   ideas   idiosyncra?c,   or  whether   they  had  a  wider   influence.  Moreover,   the  informa?on   gained   from   the   scrolls   can   be  integrated  into  the  larger  picture  of  Jewish  society  in  this   period,   as   obtained   from   other   sources.   The  current   project   focuses   on   three   of   the   main   texts  from  the  corpus  of  the  Dead  Sea  Scrolls.  It  takes  part  in  a  new  development   in  Qumran  research  that  will  lead  to  many  new  insights  in  the  coming  years.  From  the   caves   we   get   a   glance   at   an   hitherto   largely  unknown  segment  of  Judaism.  

25-10-11 13:02Digital Dead Sea Scrolls at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem - Community Rule Scroll

Pagina 1 van 2http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/community

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The Community Rule

Click to examine the scroll.Rule of Community Scroll (1QS) • Qumran, Cave 1 • 1st century BCE - 1st century CE • Parchment • H: 24, L: 250 cm • Government of Israel • Accessionnumber: 96.83/208A-B

The Community Rule (Serekh Hayahad, 1QS), formerly called the "Manual of Discipline," is the major section of one of the first seven scrolls discovered in Cave 1 atQumran in 1947. Written in Hebrew in a square Hasmonean script, it was copied between 100 and 75 BCE.

In addition to this manuscript, fragments of no less than ten additional copies of the work were found in Cave 4 (4Q255-264), and two tiny fragments of another copy cameto light in Cave 5 (5Q11). The copy from Cave 1 is the best preserved and contains the longest version of the text known to us. On the basis of comparison with thefragments from Cave 4, however, scholars have concluded that the manuscript from Cave 1 represents a late stage in the evolution of the composition.

The Community Rule is a sectarian work, crucial for understanding the Community's way of life. It deals with such subjects as the admission of new members, conduct atcommunal meals, and even theological doctrines (such as the belief in cosmic dualism and in predestination). The picture that emerges from the scroll is one of acommunal, ascetic life governed by rigorous rules, which transformed the members of the Community into "priests in spirit," who lived sacred lives in a "spiritual temple."The Community members patterned their daily lives in symbolic imitation of the lives of the priests serving in the Temple by praying and performing ritual ablutions,thereby acting in blatant opposition to the "defiled" physical Temple in Jerusalem.

At this time, rule literature was a new genre, which would later become part of the Christian monastic tradition (for example, the sixth-century Rule of Saint Benedict). Thediscovery of the Community Rule at Qumran is the earliest evidence for the existence of the genre in Western civilization. The importance of this work lies in the fact thatit provides a rare opportunity to learn about the lives of the sectarians, whom we assume to be Essenes, through their own rule literature. Prior to the discovery of thescrolls, little was known about the Essenes apart from the evidence of classical sources (Flavius Josephus, Philo, and Pliny the Elder), as well as a few hints in rabbinicliterature.

Photography: Ardon Bar-Hama

The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, The Community Rule Terms of use

Col IV (4) Col III (3)

11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

? 1QS  Col.  III-­‐IV