For session 6 (4 November)...

(Next Tuesday, 28 October, there will be no class as it is our mid-term break. Our next session will be on Tuesday 4 November.)

Our next session will continue our look at the Dead Sea Scrolls, and we'll be focusing on reading portions of the primary texts themselves. For our next class you will need to have read:

• Community Rule (1QS): 1-6:24 (Vermes p. 97-107)
• The Messianic Rule (1QSa): entire text (Vermes p. 157-160)
• The War Scroll (1QM): sections 1-2, 7:1-9 (Vermes p. 161-165; 170)
• The Temple Scroll (11QT): sections 2-17:5 (Vermes p. 190-194)
• Commentary on Habakkuk (1QpHab): 1-7:5 (Vermes p. 478-481)

Here are some questions you should try to answer as you're doing your reading. We'll be discussing these in our next session:

Community Rule/1QS:

• Did the Community Rule remind you of any biblical material? If so, what?
• Column 1:1-10 - do you notice here any of the distinctives from the Essene hypothesis which was discussed last week regarding the Qumran community?
• Columns 1-2 - note the use of Belial; who is this? What role does it play in this?
• Column 2:20-25 - what might these lines tell us about the community?
• Column 3:13-14 - who are the various peoples mentioned in these lines?
• Column 3:15-18 - what religious theme does this show evidence of?
• Column 4:2-12 - any comparisons here with Paul's use of the 'flesh' and 'spirit' in the NT?
• 5:1-3 -what do these lines tell us about the community?
• 5:5-6 - reminiscent of anything biblical?
• 5:7-11 - based on the discussion of the identity of the Qumran community, what insight might these lines give us?
• 6:14-24 - what are the entrance procedures, based on this document?

Messianic Rule/ 1QSa

• What are the main themes of this short scroll?
• 1:4-5 - what is significant about these lines?
• 2:12f - what role does the messiah play in these lines? How is the meal imagery used?

The War Scroll/ 1QM

• Vermes says this is theological writing, not a military manual. Do you see any clues of this?
• given that the scroll seems to be apolcalyptic in nature, how might this affect our understanding? and what might it be closest to in terms of biblical literature?
• 1:1-3 - who are the peoples mentioned, and why are they mentioned?
• Col. 1-2 - what linguistic clues are given that might connect this document to the Community Rule and/or the community in general?
• What do you make of 7:1-5, and how does this affect Vermes's understanding of this document?

The Temple Scroll (11QT)

• What are the main subjects covered in this document?
• What is the style closest to in relation to biblical literature?

Commentary on Habakkuk (1QpHab)

• 1:11 - how does the author incorporate contemporary people and situations into the text?
• 2:10f - who are the Chaldeans interpreted to be referring to? (You may want to look this up and find out if it's not immediately clear...)
• 5:9-12 - how do they interpret these verses from Habakkuk?
• 7:1-5 - note how Habakkuk was written specifically for their time.