Scriptures in the Dead Sea Scrolls: the Evidence from Qumran

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Scriptures in the Dead Sea Scrolls: the Evidence from Qumran SCRIPTURES IN THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS: THE EVIDENCE FROM QUMRAN PETER FLINT The theme of this essay, the canon of Scripture and the scroIls, has enjoyed considerable attention from scholars. Since the term canon is not appropriate in this context, the first section provides adefinition of canon and offers more appropriate terms for the sacred writings under discussion. The second part of the essay compares the Jewish, Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox Canons of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and the third sUIveys the ancient evidence apart from the Dead Sea Scrolls. The final section considers the evi­ dence from the scroHs that were found at Qumran. 1. CANON AND MORE APPRoPRIATE TERMINOLOGY 1.1 History and Difznition qf the Term Canon The term canon transliterates the Greek Kavrov, which in turn derives from a Semitic word for reed. Compare the Greek KaVVa, Hebrew i1~R, and Arabic qanäh, as weH as the English term cane. In classical usage, the basic sense of reed yields to that of straight rod or bar, with the Iiteral meaning of a measuring tool (as used, for example, in building). MetaphoricaIly, the term then becomes a norm, ideal, or standard of excellence (for instance, to denote the perfect human figure in sculpture, or the basis for knowing what is true or false in phi­ Iosophy). FinaIly, the term can signifY a table or list (for example, a chronological timetable or a mathematical series).l In the early fourth century (in his letter to Carpian) the Church Father Eusebius uses the plural form term KavovEC; far chronologi­ cal timetables and for lists of Gospel references. In his Ecclesiastical History (3.25; 6.25), however, Eusebius refers to his own listing of New Testament books as a Ka'taAOYOC;. Our earliest surviving list of I See R. E. Brown and R. F. Collins, "Canonicity," the NJBC, §§66.1-10 1, esp. §66.5; and H. W. Beyer, "K!XVroV," TDNT, 3.596-602. 270 FLINT books is in the Muratorian Fragment (late second century), but it is only with lists from the later fourth century-by Athanasius and Augustine, and from the councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage 111 (397)-that general agreement with respect to their contents becomes clear for most of the Church. Athanasius, for instance, distinguishes between the x:avovlI;6, ..u::va (canonical books) and the Apocrypha. The basic meaning of canon is a reed, but its two extended mean­ ings in Classical Greek, norm and list, are pertinent for biblical stud­ ies. 2 Occurring thrice in the Septuagint3 and four times in the New Testament,4 its only significant usage in the present context is Gal 6: 16, which says that Christians live by one x:aVIDV or normative rule of life. In the early Church, the notion of x:aVIDV as a norm soon became prominent due to early disputes,5 and was also used for bind­ ing decisions. 6 In addition to a norm, the term sometimes denoted widely accepted lists of Scriptures. Such closed lists of x:avovll;6llEVa became invested with ecclesiastical status, giving rise to the twofold meaning of x:avIDv that prevailed in later theology: norm far the Church, and list of sacred writings of the Old and New Testaments. Implicit is the notion of reflexive judgement on the part of the church authorities and compilers, who declared certain lists to be norma­ tive and sacred. Canon is thus to be regarded as a technical term with several distinct components: norm, list, and reflexive judgment.7 I propose the following definition: A canon is the closed list of books that was officially accepted retro­ spectively by a community as supremely authoritative and bin ding for religious practice and doctrine.8 2 See Brown and Collins, "Canonicity," NJBC, 1035 (§66.5); and Beyer, "KUVroV." 3 Mic 7:4; Jdt 13:6; 4 Macc 7:21 (The last is a figurative reference to philo­ sophica! rule.) 4 2 Cor 10:13, 15, 16; and Ga! 6:16. 5 For instance, Clement (96 C.E.) employs the term in an ethical and homileti­ cal context (I Clement 7:2), and Irenaeus (ca. 180) uses the canon if'truth to describe the binding truth of the Gospel, attested by the Scriptures and tradition (Against Heresies 1.9.4-5; 3.2.1; 3.11.1.). 6 For example, the decisions reached at Nicaea (325) were termed canons, which functioned as normative rules of life for Christians. ) E. Ulrich, "The Canonical Process, Textual Criticism, and Latter Stages in the Composition of the Bible" in "Sha'arei Talmon. " Studies in the Bible, Qymran, and the Ancient Near East Presented to Shemaryahu Talmon (ed. M. Fishbane and E. Tüv; Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1992),267-912, esp. 69--70; andJ. Barr, Holy Scripture: Canon, Authori!J, Criticism (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1983), 50. B See P. W. Flint, The Dead Sea Psalms Scrolls and the Book if' Psalms (STDJ 17: .
Recommended publications
  • 2624 Israel 0I-07-3C
    ANCIENT ISRAEL REVEALED June 16 - July 3, 2007 Saturday, June 16: CHICAGO/TEL AVIV Depart Chicago in the evening. Sunday, June 17: JERUSALEM: David Citadel Hotel We arrive into Ben Gurion Airport and drive up to Jerusalem to Dear Members and Friends of the Oriental Institute: rest before our orientation lecture and dinner. (D) The Oriental Institute is pleased to present a comprehensive Monday, June 18: JERUSALEM: David Citadel Hotel tour of Israel. Uniquely situated at the crossroads of cultures, Touring begins on the Mt. of Olives and Mt. Scopus. Viewing Israel is among the most historically rich areas in the world. The Jerusalem from this perspective gives us an understanding of the Oriental Institute has had an archaeological presence there historical ramifications of its location. We enter the Old City at the Citadel built by Herod, and begin our historical overview from its since the early 1900s, when founder James Henry Breasted sent walls. Today’s Old City touring will focus on the First Temple an expedition to excavate at the site of Megiddo. The dig period including Hezekiah’s fortifications and the City of David, covered a span in time from 5000 to 600 BC. Each layer was where excavations have exposed the city and shaft leading to the carefully uncovered to reveal successive cultures that city’s water supply in the Kidron Valley. We will examine dominated the city. In 2005, the Haas and Schwartz Megiddo Hezekiah’s Tunnel, built through the rock to divert the water into Gallery opened at the Oriental Institute Museum, featuring an inner city reservoir, the Gihon Spring and pool of Siloam.
    [Show full text]
  • The Holy Land & Jordan
    RouteThe Holy 66 - LandThe Mother & Jordan Road Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus in the Footsteps Walking November 1 - 13, 2018 (13 days) HIGHLIGHTS Int’l Many sights that Jesus walked and taught Travel in Jordan includes: including: Machaerus, ruins of fortress of The Baptism Site of Jesus in the Herod the Great Jordan River Petra Cana Mt Nebo Caesarea Phillippi A Boat Ride on the Sea of Galilee Nazareth, the Mount of Precipice Mount of Beatitudes Ancient Sites including: Capernaum Megiddo The Garden of Gethsemane Beit Shean Mount of Olives…the Palm Belvoir Crusader Castle Sunday Road Masada The Garden Tomb and Golgatha Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem Jerusalem...the old City including: Qumran, site of the finding of Dead Sea The Via Delarosa Scrolls Church of the Holy Sepulchre Bethlehem: Sea of Galilee with a “Jesus” Boat Church of the Nativity Shepherds Field Special Times of Worship To guarantee availability, make your reservation by July 16th! After this date, call for availability. 145 Day 1 – Depart the United States and God defeated 450 prophets of Baal with fire from heaven (1 From your door to Israel we travel today. Your R&J Tour Director Kings 18). We continue to Nazareth (Luke 1 & 2) and visit the will make sure all goes well as we check in at the airport and board Church of the Annunciation where tradition holds that the Annun- our plane. After dinner is served, sit back and relax, enjoying the ciation took place. From here we continue to the Mt. of Precipice, on-flight entertainment as you prepare for this exciting adventure of the traditional site of the cliff that an angry mob attempted to throw a lifetime, walking where Jesus walked.
    [Show full text]
  • Information Brochure
    SPONSOR • Tandy Institute for Archaeology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary CONSORTIUM MEMBERS TEL GEZER • Ashland Theological Seminary Tel Gezer is a 33-acre site located on the • Clear Creek Baptist College • Emmaus Bible College western flank of the foothills of Judah, • Lancaster Bible College and Graduate School overlooking the coastal plain of Israel. It is gezer • Lycoming College strategically located at an important crossroad • Marian Eakins Archaeological Museum guarding the pass from the coast up to PROJECT Jerusalem. The ancient city is mentioned in SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONS several Egyptian and Assyrian texts. Gezer is • The Gezer Regional Council mentioned in the biblical account of Solomon’s • Israel Nature and National Parks Protection fortifications (1 Kings 9:15). It was continuously Authority occupied from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic Period. AFFILIATED WITH the American Schools of Oriental Research YOU’RE INVITED TO JOIN THE TEAM! Although previous excavations have revealed For more information about much of Gezer’s history, there are still many participating in this excavation go to questions left unresolved that are key to the reconstruction of ancient Palestine. The 2015 season will focus on excavating two major www.telgezer.com strata, each representing a major period in the history of Gezer. The first is the Iron Age IIA city associated with Solomon where a large CONTACT INFORMATION administrative courtyard with adjoining rooms Dr. Steve Ortiz was revealed in 2014. This city was destroyed Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in a major conflagration associated with the P.O. Box 22308 • Fort Worth, TX 76122-0308 campaign of pharaoh Shishak. In addition, the [email protected] • 817-923-1921 ext.
    [Show full text]
  • The Qumran Collection As a Scribal Library Sidnie White Crawford
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Sidnie White Crawford Publications Classics and Religious Studies 2016 The Qumran Collection as a Scribal Library Sidnie White Crawford Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/crawfordpubs This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Classics and Religious Studies at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sidnie White Crawford Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The Qumran Collection as a Scribal Library Sidnie White Crawford Since the early days of Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship, the collection of scrolls found in the eleven caves in the vicinity of Qumran has been identified as a library.1 That term, however, was undefined in relation to its ancient context. In the Greco-Roman world the word “library” calls to mind the great libraries of the Hellenistic world, such as those at Alexandria and Pergamum.2 However, a more useful comparison can be drawn with the libraries unearthed in the ancient Near East, primarily in Mesopotamia but also in Egypt.3 These librar- ies, whether attached to temples or royal palaces or privately owned, were shaped by the scribal elite of their societies. Ancient Near Eastern scribes were the literati in a largely illiterate society, and were responsible for collecting, preserving, and transmitting to future generations the cultural heritage of their peoples. In the Qumran corpus, I will argue, we see these same interests of collection, preservation, and transmission. Thus I will demonstrate that, on the basis of these comparisons, the Qumran collection is best described as a library with an archival component, shaped by the interests of the elite scholar scribes who were responsible for it.
    [Show full text]
  • This Is Holy Ground: Israel & Jordan
    RouteThis 66 is Holy- The MotherGround: Road Israel & Jordan Petra Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus in the Footsteps Walking November 4 - 16, 2021 (13 days) HIGHLIGHTS Int’l Walk Where Jesus Walked Qumran home of Dead Sea Scrolls Caesarea Mesada Nazareth Dead Sea and a chance for a swim Cana and an Opportunity to Renew Wedding Vows Travel into Jordan Boat ride on Sea of Galilee See the Ruins of Herod the Greats Fortress Opportunity for Baptism Renewal in Petra and the Petra Treasury Jordan River Jabal Harun where Aaron is Mt of Beatitudes buried Many Sites in Historic Jerusalem Mt Nebo to view Holy Land from including: where Moses stood Palm Sunday Road Garden of Gethsemane Via Dolorosa Western Wall Garden Tomb Bethlehem including: Church of the Nativity Shepherds Field Sea of Galilee with a “Jesus” Boat Reserve your seats early as this tour will fill fast! 178 Day 1 – Depart the United States Church of the Annunciation where tradition holds that the Annun- Meet R&J Tour Director for flight to Israel. After dinner is served, sit ciation took place. From here, we continue to the Mt. of Precipice, back and relax, enjoying the on-flight entertainment as you prepare the traditional site of the cliff that an angry mob attempted to throw for this exciting adventure of a lifetime – walking where Jesus Jesus off of after his bold proclamation in the Nazareth synagogue walked! (Luke 4:16-30), and then on to Cana (John 2), where Jesus per- Included Meals: Inflight formed his first miracle at a wedding reception.
    [Show full text]
  • Pottery and Purpose: Using GIS to Evaluate the 'Scroll' Jars at Qumran Patricia A
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity, Art, Art History and Design, School of School of Art, Art History and Design 8-2018 Pottery and Purpose: Using GIS to Evaluate the 'Scroll' Jars at Qumran Patricia A. Patton University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/artstudents Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons Patton, Patricia A., "Pottery and Purpose: Using GIS to Evaluate the 'Scroll' Jars at Qumran" (2018). Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity, School of Art, Art History and Design. 136. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/artstudents/136 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Art, Art History and Design, School of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity, School of Art, Art History and Design by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. POTTERY AND PURPOSE: USING GIS TO EVALUATE THE ‘SCROLL’ JARS AT QUMRAN by Patricia A. Patton A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts Major: Art History Under the Supervision of Professor Philip Sapirstein Lincoln, Nebraska August, 2018 POTTERY AND PURPOSE: USING GIS TO EVALUATE THE ‘SCROLL’ JARS AT QUMRAN Patricia A. Patton, M.A. University of Nebraska, 2018 Advisor: Philip Sapirstein This thesis uses geographical information systems (GIS) to map the findspots of the so-called ‘scroll’ jars and associated artifacts at Qumran.
    [Show full text]
  • A Day in the Life of Hananiah Nothos: a Story by Magen Broshi
    A Day in the Life of Hananiah Nothos: A Story By Magen Broshi When Hananiah Nothos1 woke up it was still dark outside. He and his companions who shared the cave with him2 did not have to change--they wore the same clothes day and night. After washing their hands,3 they hurried to the morning prayer.4 On the plateau, near the community center,5 stood a group of some hundred and twenty, most of them cave dwellers and a few old and infirm residents of the center. They stood facing east, toward the rising sun, dressed in tattered sandals and ragged clothes, white garb that had known better times.6 1 Hananiah Nothos. A scroll published recently has preserved the names of some members of the Qumran community. This is the only one of the six hundred non-biblical scrolls, which contains such data. Here, the overseer wrote down the names of those he rebuked and the misdemeanors they committed. One of the rebuked was Hananiah Nothos. Cf. Esther Eshel, "4Q477: The Rebukes of the Overseer," Journal of Jewish Studies 45 (1994), pp.110-22. 2 Who shared the cave with him. It seems that most of the inhabitants of Qumran (originally called Secacah, see below) lived in caves. Cf. M.Broshi, "The Archeology of Qumran-a Reconsideration," in The Dead Sea Scrolls, Forty Years of Research , edited by D. Dimant and U. Rappaport (Leiden and Jerusalem: Brill-Magnes, 1992), p. 104. Even if J. Patrich is correct in his contention that only one of the natural caves in the rocky escarpment was used for habitation, he cannot deny that at least six artificial caves below the marl plateau were used for this purpose.
    [Show full text]
  • Qumran Hebrew (With a Trial Cut [1Qs])*
    QUMRAN HEBREW (WITH A TRIAL CUT [1QS])* Gary A. Rendsburg Rutgers University One would think that after sixty years of studying the scrolls, scholars would have reached a consensus concerning the nature of the language of these texts. But such is not the case—the picture is no different for Qumran Hebrew (QH) than it is for identifying the sect of the Qum- ran community, for understanding the origins of the scroll depository in the caves, or for the classification of the archaeological remains at Qumran. At first glance, this is a bit difficult to comprehend, since in theory, at least, linguistic research should be the most objective form of scholarly inquiry, and the facts should speak for themselves—in contrast to, let’s say, the interpretation of texts, where subjectivity may be considered necessary at all times. But as we shall see, even though the data themselves are derived from purely empirical observation, the interpretation of the linguistic picture that emerges from the study of Qumran Hebrew has no less a range of options than the other subjects canvassed during this symposium. Before entering into such discussion, however, let us begin with the presentation of some basic facts. Of the 930 assorted documents from Qumran, 790, or about 85% of them are written in Hebrew (120 or about 13% are written in Aramaic, and 20 or about 2% are written in Greek). Of these 930, about 230 are biblical manuscripts, which * It was my pleasure to present this paper on three occasions during calendar year 2008: first and most importantly at the symposium entitled “The Dead Sea Scrolls at 60: The Scholarly Contributions of NYU Faculty and Alumni” (March 6), next at the “Semitic Philology Workshop” of Harvard University (November 20), and finally at the panel on “New Directions in Dead Sea Scrolls Scholarship” at the annual meeting of the Association of Jewish Studies held in Washington, D.C.
    [Show full text]
  • Travel Study Program to Israel
    10/8/15 Israel Study Abroad Seminar May 21- June 7, 2016 Proposed Itinerary (Subject to change depending upon conditions at the time) We are very pleased to announce our historical and archaeological study abroad to Israel with a one day optional visit to Petra. This unique study abroad trip will provide each participant with a life time of memorable experiences. For ORU students 3 credits (GBIB 648 Israel Study Abroad), and each student receiving financial aid is required to select an additional 3 credits from the courses offered during the summer 2016 academic schedule. We have designed a special itinerary that will allow you to see what the ordinary tourist to Israel would never have the opportunity to see – all for the special price of $4580 per person. Included in this price are: Daily buffet breakfast and evening dinner at hotels Deluxe coach with English speaking guide and admissions to sites visited 15 nights top tourist star hotel accommodation shared basis in twin/doubles rooms, with late night checkout on 06 June (after dinner) Arrival/departure transfers with porterage at airport and hotels Daily touring with lectures at each site as per your itinerary Entrance fees as listed in your itinerary Border taxes for one day Petra trip from Elat which includes lunch The only things not included are your personal tips for hotels, drivers and guides and any personal items or food for lunch that you may wish to purchase. (Although tips are purely voluntary, it is suggested you consider about $20 per day total.) We sincerely hope you can join us in the Holy Land this coming May 2016.
    [Show full text]
  • Archaeology and Text: a Journal for the Integration of Material Culture with Written Documents in the Ancient Mediterranean and Near East
    Archaeology and Text: A Journal for the Integration of Material Culture with Written Documents in the Ancient Mediterranean and Near East Vol. 1, 2017 Archaeology and Text: A Journal for the Integration of Material Culture with Written Documents in the Ancient Mediterranean and Near East Editors David Small, Lehigh University. Email [email protected] Itzhaq Shai, Ariel University. Email: [email protected] Editorial Board: Yonatan Adler, Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology, Ariel University Colleen Darnell, Department of Art History, University of Hartford Thomas Gallant, Department of History, University of California at San Diego Onno van Nijf, Department of History, University of Groningen Robin Osborne, Faculty of Classics, Cambridge University James Whitley, School of History, Archaeology, and Religion, Cardiff University K. Lawson Younger, Jr., Department of Old Testament and Semitic Languages, Trinity International University Table of Contents Divination Texts of Maresha – Archeology and Texts Esther Eshel, Bar Ilan University, Ian Stern, Archaeological Seminars Institute 7 Toward an “Archaeology of Halakhah”: Prospects and Pitfalls of Reading Early Jewish Ritual Law into the Ancient Material Record Yontan Adler, Ariel University 27 Purity Observance among Diaspora Jews in the Roman World Jodi Magness, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 39 Visual Models in Archaeology and Harmonization of Archaeological and Literary Data Catalin Pavel, Kennesaw State University 67 Reading Between the Lines: Jewish Mortuary Practices in Text and Archaeology Karen B. Stern, City University of New York, Brooklyn College 95 Complex Purity: Between Continuity and Diversity in Ancient Judaism Yair Furstenberg, Ben Gurion University of the Negev 115 Editorial Statement The study of the human past has conventionally been divided between two distinct academic disciplines depending upon the kind of evidence under investigation: “history”, with its focus on written records, and “archaeology”, which analyzes the remains of material culture.
    [Show full text]
  • Jewish Heritage Tour 2020-2021 10 Days
    JEWISH HERITAGE TOUR 2020-2021 10 DAYS | 9 NIGHTS | 6 GUIDED DAYS Welcome to the Gil Travel Family, leaders in worldwide travel management for over 40 years! We would like to thank you for your interest in traveling with us. TOUR OVERVIEW Multiple Departures Duration All-year-round. 10 days, 9 nights Highlights Notes Tel Aviv, Caesarea, Haifa, Acre, Rosh Hanikra, Land Only Package. Golan Heights, Sefad, Airfare is not included in the price. Galilee, Beit Shean, Tiberias, Jerusalem, We will be glad to book your flights. Qumran, Massada, Dead Sea Activity Level Private Tour Guide Option Moderate Want your own tailor-made tour? We can do it too! Gil Tours Travel, Inc. 1511 Walnut St. 2nd fl, Philadelphia PA, 19102 w: www.giltravel.com t: 215-568-6655 t: 1-800-223-6655 f: 215-568-0696 www.facebook.com/giltravel ITINERARY Departure Thursday En-Route En-Route for your tour to Israel Depart from the USA for your Jewish Heritage Israel Tour Day 1 Friday Welcome to Israel Upon arrival to Ben Gurion Airport, proceed to arrival hall. Meet your driver at La Farina Bakery where he will be holding a sign with your name. Transfer to your hotel in Tel Aviv. Overnight Tel Aviv Day 2 Saturday At Leisure Gil Tours Travel, Inc. 1511 Walnut St. 2nd fl, Philadelphia PA, 19102 w: www.giltravel.com t: 215-568-6655 t: 1-800-223-6655 f: 215-568-0696 www.facebook.com/giltravel Enjoy a free day in Tel Aviv. You could choose to go shopping or explore the beautiful Bauhaus style architecture or even visit Jaffa, where the first Jewish settlers of the late 1800s and early 1900s landed when arriving in the land of Israel.
    [Show full text]
  • The Masada Fragments, the Qumran Scrolls, and the New Testament
    BYU Studies Quarterly Volume 36 Issue 3 Article 21 7-1-1996 The Masada Fragments, the Qumran Scrolls, and the New Testament David Rolph Seely Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq Part of the Mormon Studies Commons, and the Religious Education Commons Recommended Citation Seely, David Rolph (1996) "The Masada Fragments, the Qumran Scrolls, and the New Testament," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 36 : Iss. 3 , Article 21. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol36/iss3/21 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in BYU Studies Quarterly by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Seely: The Masada Fragments, the Qumran Scrolls, and the New Testament the masada fragments the quaranqumran scrolls and the new testament david rolph seely discovery and inventory during the last fifty years the judean desert on the western shore of the dead sea has yielded a wealth of textual material from many locations evidence that has illuminated our understanding of the history of israel and judaism in the two centuries preceding and the two centuries following christ 1 all of these manuscripts are properly referred to as the dead sea scrolls 2 in the years 1947 56 eleven caves in the vicinity of the ruins at quaranqumran produced over eight hundred documents yigael badinyadin who would eventually excavate masada was closely connected with the discovery
    [Show full text]