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A Stream from Eden A STREAM FROM EDEN A STREAM FROM EDEN: THE NATURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF A REVELATORY TRADITION IN THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS By ERIC R. MONTGOMERY, B.S., Th.M. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University © Copyright Eric R. Montgomery, 2013 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (2013) Department of Religious Studies McMaster University Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: A Stream from Eden: The Nature and Development of a Revelatory Tradition in the Dead Sea Scrolls AUTHOR: Eric Ryan Montgomery, B.S. (Oregon State University), Th.M. (Dallas Theological Seminary) SUPERVISOR: Eileen M. Schuller NUMBER OF PAGES: xvi, 431 ii ABSTRACT This thesis examines the nature and theological function of God’s revelation of knowledge in five texts discovered at Qumran: Instruction, the Treatise on the Two Spirits, the Hodayot, the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, and the Songs of the Sage. Chapter 1 is a historical survey of the different ways scholars have understood and classified God’s revelation of knowledge in the Scrolls. Scholars have often interpreted these texts in isolation from one another, and they have disagreed about whether the concept of divine revelation expressed in them is derived from the sapiential, prophetic, or apocalyptic traditions. I propose that all five of these texts should be interpreted together and that they all drew upon a single distinct revelatory tradition. In chapters 2–6, I examine each of the texts mentioned above by asking three questions: What did God reveal? How did he reveal it? What is the theological function of God’s revelation? In asking the last question, I am particularly interested in the role that God’s revelation of knowledge plays in the anthropological and soteriological worldview of the authors. Over the course of chapters 2–6, I argue that all five of these texts represent essentially the same revelatory tradition. In this tradition, God has revealed the mysteries of his cosmic design and the statutes of his covenant with creation to certain righteous people. God’s act of revelation takes place either through a visionary experience or an indwelling spirit that imparts knowledge. This knowledge of God’s cosmic design has the power to rectify the corrupt human condition which, in turn, allows those who have knowledge to enter into paradise where they can commune with the angels. Through God’s iii revelation of knowledge, the righteous can obtain the glorious state that Adam once possessed in the Garden of Eden. In chapter 7, I conclude the thesis by summarizing the principle features of the revelatory tradition contained in these five texts. I argue that this tradition did not flow directly from any of the standard tradition streams of which scholars typically speak (sapiential, prophetic, or apocalyptic), although, it does contain elements from all of these. Instead, these texts utilize a revelatory tradition that originated from within the Jerusalem temple establishment. This temple tradition equated the inner sanctuary of the temple with the Garden of Eden and the high priest with Adam. Within the holy of holies one could access God’s throne and receive the knowledge of his cosmic design. This tradition was eventually brought out of the temple and into religious communities which came to see themselves as the true paradisiacal temple. These communities believed that God continued to reveal his cosmic design in and through them allowing the community members to become like Adam and join together with the angels in communal worship of God. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My interest in the revelation of knowledge in the Scrolls began with a research paper for a graduate seminar on the Dead Sea Scrolls led by Dr. Eileen Schuller at McMaster University in 2009. It was Dr. Schuller’s guidance, critical feedback, and genuine interest that motivated me to pursue this topic further. I could not have had a better doctoral advisor. Dr. Schuller has always held me to the highest academic standard and treated me like a respected colleague. I have learned a great deal from her over the last five years, not only about the Dead Sea Scrolls, but also about humility, self-sacrifice, and serving others. She will always be a mentor, a friend, and a dear and beloved member of our family. My work never would have come to fruition without the help and support of the other members of my advisory committee. Dr. Dan Machiela arrived at McMaster the same year as me. It has been a real joy to study under him and work with him at the university. It was Dr. Machiela who introduced me to the Aramaic scrolls from Qumran, and my brief discussion of these texts in chapter 7 is, in a way, a tribute to him. Dr. Anders Runesson directed my first graduate seminar and my first teaching assistantship at McMaster. His teaching and research has shaped much of my thinking about ancient communities and how communities define themselves and interact with others. While Dr. Runesson has been many things to me (all of them good), more than anything else he has been an encourager who always cheered me on. Over the last few years, I have had the privilege of presenting parts of my research at the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies annual meeting, the annual meeting of the v Society of Biblical Literature, and the Scrollery colloquium at McMaster University and the University of Toronto. These venues have allowed me to refine ideas and receive valuable feedback from colleagues. I have also received financial awards and grants that have allowed me to continue my research without worrying about how to provide for my family. In 2008, I received the Alvin Irwin Ogilvie scholarship for studies in humanities and social sciences. At the 2010 annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies I was given the Founder’s Award for my paper, “Divine Knowledge as a Requisite for Communion with the Angel.” In 2011, I was a recipient of an Ontario Graduate Scholarship and the Abby Goldblatt memorial scholarship for study in Early Judaism. West Highland Baptist Church and the members of our Springfield life group have been an invaluable source of strength and encouragement. A doctoral program is wearisome for a student, but it is nearly intolerable for one’s spouse and children. Our life group has been a refreshing oasis (or should I say a paradise) in the midst of the blistering and dry desert of graduate studies. I would specifically like to thank Job and Mary Babu who have been surrogate parents while we have lived so far from home. Our families in the U.S. and India have provided constant support through their visits, gifts, and prayers, and their love has kept us strong as we have run the race. Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for my wonderful wife, Pauline, and my daughters, Annabelle and Aayna. If I learned nothing else over the last five years, I learned that a doctoral degree is only successfully earned as a team effort. Pauline has encouraged and supported me without hesitation over these long years, and she has been a sounding board for ideas and a valuable critic who spurs me on to excellence. My children have sacrificed a lot of daddy time so that this thesis could see the light of vi day; and at four and two years old they know more about the Dead Sea Scrolls than most adults. I am proud to say that when Annabelle now asks me, “Daddy, are you done working yet?” I can happily respond, “Sweetheart, I’m done. Let’s go play!” vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations .............................................................................................................. xii Transcriptions, Translations, Notations, and Terminology .................................... xiv Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................. 1 1. The Impetus for This Study ................................................................................ 3 2. The History and Present State of Research ......................................................... 7 2.1. Research in the 1950s–1980s ..................................................................... 7 2.2. Research in the 1990s–Present ................................................................... 14 2.2.1. Matthew Goff: Sapiential and Apocalyptic Revelation .................... 17 2.2.2. Leo Perdue: Mantic Revelation ........................................................ 18 2.2.3. Martti Nissinen and Alex Jassen: Sapientialized Prophetic Revelation ......................................................................................... 19 2.2.4. Shane Berg: Differing Traditions of Revelation ............................... 22 3. Revealed Knowledge and the Parable of the Elephant ....................................... 24 4. The Objective and Outline of This Study............................................................ 27 Chapter 2: Instruction ................................................................................................. 29 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................... 29 1.1. Provenance of Instruction and Its Relationship to Other Texts ................. 30 2. The Content of God’s Revelation in Instruction ................................................. 36 God’s Design for His Creation ................................................ 36 :רז נהיה The .2.1 2.2. God’s Cosmic Design as the Basis for His Covenant with Creation ........
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