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SCROLLS FROM THE DEAD SEA:
THE ANCIENT LIBRARY OF QUMRAN AND MODERN SCHOLARSHIP
The Qumran Community
Scroll Fragments
These scroll fragments were displayed in the exhibit at the
Library of Congress, May - August 1993. They were provided
courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The exhibit
captions and translations (below) provide background on the
fragments and their relationships with the other Dead Sea
Scrolls, the Qumran Community, and its Library.
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IMAGE FILE NAME: phylac-a.gif (b & w)
IMAGE FILE NAME: phylac-b.gif (color)
Phylactery
Tefillin
Mur 4 Phyl
Parchment
Copied first century-early second century C.E.
Fragment A: height 17.7 cm (7 in.), length 3 cm (1 3/16 in.)
Fragment B: height 3.8 cm (1 1/2 in.), length 2.8 cm (1 1/8 in.)
Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority (3)
The command "And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy
hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes" (Deut.
6:8) was practiced by Jews from early times. In the Second
Temple period the sages established that "tefillin"
(phylacteries; amulets in Greek) would include four scriptural
passages inscribed on parchment placed in box-like containers
made of black leather. One of the phylacteries was worn one on
the left arm and the other on the forehead. These served "as a
sign upon your hand and as a symbol on your forehead that with a
mighty hand the Lord freed us from Egypt" (Exodus 13:9, 16).
The Dead Sea region has now yielded the earliest phylactery
remains, both of the leather containers and the inscribed strips
of parchment. As a rule, phylacteries include the same four
selections, two from the book of Exodus (Exod. 13:1-10; 13:11-16)
and two from Deuteronomy (Deut. 6:4-9; 11:13-21). The scriptural
verses were penned in clear minuscule characters on the elongated
writing material, which was folded over to fit the minute
compartments stamped into the containers.
References:
Milik, J. T. "Textes Hebraux et Arameens." In Les Grottes de
Murabba`at, Discoveries in the Judaean Desert, II, pp. 80-
85. Oxford, 1961.
Yadin, Y. "Tefillin (Phylacteries) from Qumran [XQ Phyl 1-4])"
(in Hebrew), Eretz-Israel 9 (1969):60-83 and plates.
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Phylactery - Translation
Tefillin
Mur 4 Phyl
Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority (3)
Exod. 13:1-3
1. (1)And spoke
2. the Lord to
3. Moses
4. saying, (2)"Consecrate
5. to Me every first-born
6. the first issue of every womb of the
7. Israelites, man
8. and beast is Mine."
9. (3)And Moses said to the people,
10. "Remember this day
11. on which you went (free)
12. from Egypt, the house of bondage,
13. how with a mighty hand
14. the Lord freed you from it; no
15. leavened bread shall be eater. (4)This day
Transcription by J. T. Milik; translation adapted from "Tanakh,"
pp. 103-4. Philadelphia, 1985.
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IMAGE FILE NAME: commun-a.gif (b & w)
IMAGE FILE NAME: commun-b.gif (color)
The Community Rule
Serekh ha-Yahad
4Q258 (S<superscript>d)
Parchment
Copied late first century B.C.E.─early first century C.E.
Height 8.8 cm (3 7/16 in.), length 21.5 cm (8 7/16 in.)
Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority (7)
Originally known as The Manual of Discipline, the Community
Rule contains a set of regulations ordering the life of the
members of the "yahad," the group within the Judean Desert sect
who chose to live communally and whose members accepted strict
rules of conduct. This fragment cites the admonitions and
punishments to be imposed on violators of the rules, the method
of joining the group, the relations between the members, their
way of life, and their beliefs. The sect divided humanity
between the righteous and the wicked and asserted that human
nature and everything that happens in the world are irrevocably
predestined. The scroll ends with songs of praise to God.
A complete copy of the scroll, eleven columns in length, was
found in Cave 1. Ten fragmentary copies were recovered in Cave
4, and a small section was found in Cave 5. The large number of
manuscript copies attests to the importance of this text for the
sect. This particular fragment is the longest of the versions of
this text found in Cave 4.
Reference:
Qimron, E. "A Preliminary Publication of 4QS<superscript>d
Columns VII-VIII" (in Hebrew). Tarbiz 60 (1991):435-37.
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The Community Rule - Translation
Serekh ha-Yahad
4Q258 (S<superscript>d)
Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority (7)
And according to his insight he shall admit him. In this way
both his love and his hatred. No man shall argue or quarrel with
the men of perdition. He shall keep his council in secrecy in
the midst of the men of deceit and admonish with knowledge, truth
and righteous commandment those of chosen conduct, each according
to his spiritual quality and according to the norm of time. He
shall guide them with knowledge and instruct them in the
mysteries of wonder and truth in the midst of the members of the
community, so that they shall behave decently with one another in
all that has been revealed to them. That is the time for
studying the Torah (lit. clearing the way) in the wilderness. He
shall instruct them to do all that is required at that time, and
to separate from all those who have not turned aside from all
deceit.
These are the norms of conduct for the Master in those times
with respect to his loving and to his everlasting hating of the
men of perdition in a spirit of secrecy. He shall leave to them
property and wealth and earnings like a slave to his lord,
(showing) humility before the one who rules over him. He shall
be zealous concerning the Law and be prepared for the Day of
Revenge.
He shall perform the will [of God] in all his deeds and in all
strength as He has commanded. He shall freely delight in all
that befalls him, and shall desire nothing except God's will...
Transcription and translation by E. Qimron
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IMAGE FILE NAME: calendar.gif
Calendrical Document
Mishmarot
4Q321 (Mishmarot B<superscript>a)
Parchment
Copied ca. 50-25 B.C.E.
Height 13.4 cm (5 1/4 in.), length 21.1 cm (8 1/4 in.)
Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority (10)
A significant feature of the community was its calendar,
which was based on a solar system of 364 days, unlike the common
Jewish lunar calendar, which consisted of 354 days. The calendar
played a weighty role in the schism of the community from the
rest of Judaism, as the festivals and fast days of the group were
ordinary work days for the mainstream community and vice versa.
According to the calendar, the new year always began on a
Wednesday, the day on which God created the heavenly bodies. The
year consisted of fifty-two weeks, divided into four seasons of
thirteen weeks each, and the festivals consistently fell on the
same days of the week. It appears that these rosters were
intended to provide the members of the "New Covenant" with a
time-table for abstaining from important activities on the days
before the dark phases of the moon's waning and eclipse (duqah).
References:
Jaubert, A. "Le Calendrier de Jubiles et de la Secte de Qumran:
Ses origines Bibliques," Vetus Testamentum 3 (1953):250-64.
Talmon, S. "The Calendar of the Judean Covenanteers." In The
World of Qumran from Within: Collected Studies, pp. 147-85.
Jerusalem, 1989.
Talmon, S. and I. Knohl. "A Calendrical Scroll from Qumran Cave
IV -- Mi■ Ba (4Q321)" (in Hebrew), Tarbiz 60 (1991):505-21.
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Calendrical Document - Translation
Mishmarot
4Q321 (Mishmarot B<superscript>a)
Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority (10)
1. [on the first {day} in {the week of} Jedaiah {which falls}
on the tw]elfth in it {the seventh month}. On the second
{day} in {the week of} Abiah {which falls} on the twenty-
f[ifth in the eighth {month}; and duqah {is} on the third]
{day}
2. [in {the week of} Miyamin {which falls} on the twelfth] in
it {the eighth month}. On the third {day} in {the week of}
Jaqim {which falls} on the twen[ty-fourth in the ninth
{month}; and duqah {is} on the fourth] {day}
3. [in {the week of} Shekania {which falls} on the eleven]th in
it {the ninth month}. On the fifth {day} in {the week of}
Immer {which falls} on the twe[n]ty-third in the te[nth
{month}; and duqah {is} on the sixth {day} in {the week of}
Je]shbeab {which falls}
4. [on the tenth in] it {the tenth month}. On the [si]xth {day}
in {the week of} Jehezkel {which falls} on the twenty-second
in the eleventh month [and duqah {is on the} Sabbath in]
{the week of} Petahah {which falls}
5. [on the ninth in it {the eleventh month}]. On the first
{day} in {the week of} Joiarib {which falls} on the
t[w]enty-second in the twelfth month; and [duqah {is} on the
seco]nd {day} in {the week of} Delaiah {which falls}
6. [on the ninth in it {the twelfth month}. vacat The] se[cond]
{year}: The first {month}. On the sec[on]d {day} in {the
week of} Malakiah {which falls} on the tw[entieth in it {the
first month}; and] duqah {is}
7. [on the third {day} in {the week of} Harim {which falls} on
the seventh] in it {the first month}. On the fou[r]th {day}
in {the week of} Jeshua {which falls} [on] the twentieth in
the second {month}; and [duqah {is} on the fifth {day} in
{the week of]} Haqqos {which falls} on the seventh
8. [in it {the second month}. On the fifth {day} in {the week
of} Huppah {which falls} on the nine]teenth in the third
{month}; and duqa[h] {is} on the six[th {day} in {the week
of} Happisses {which falls}
Translation and transcription by S. Talmon and I. Knohl
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IMAGE FILE NAME: torah-a.gif (b & w)
IMAGE FILE NAME: torah-b.gif (color)
Some Torah Precepts
Miqsat Ma`ase ha-Torah
4Q396(MMT<superscript>c)
Parchment
Copied late first century B.C.E.-early first century C.E.
Fragment A: height 8 cm (3 1/8 in.), length 12.9 cm (5 in.)
Fragment B: height 4.3 cm (1 11/16 in.), length 7 cm (2 3/4 in.)
Fragment C: height 9.1 cm (3 9/16 in.), length 17.4 cm (6 7/8
in.)
Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority (8)
This scroll, apparently in the form of a letter, is unique
in language, style, and content. Using linguistic and
theological analysis, the original text has been dated as one of
the earliest works of the Qumran sect. This sectarian polemical
document, of which six incomplete manuscripts have been
discovered, is commonly referred to as MMT, an abbreviation of
its Hebrew name, Miqsat Ma`ase ha-Torah. Together the six
fragments provide a composite text of about 130 lines, which
probably cover about two-thirds of the original. The initial
part of the text is completely missing.
Apparently it consisted of four sections: (1) the opening
formula, now lost; (2) a calendar of 364 days; (3) a list of more
than twenty rulings in religious law (Halakhot), most of which
are peculiar to the sect; and (4) an epilogue that deals with the
separation of the sect from the multitude of the people and
attempts to persuade the addressee to adopt the sect's legal
views. The "halakhot," or religious laws, form the core of the
letter; the remainder of the text is merely the framework. The
calendar, although a separate section, was probably also related
to the sphere of "halakhah." These "halakhot" deal chiefly with
the Temple and its ritual. The author states that disagreement
on these matters caused the sect to secede from Israel.
References:
Strugnell, J., and E. Qimron. Discoveries in the Judaean Desert,
X. Oxford, forthcoming.
Sussman, Y. "The History of 'Halakha' and the Dead Sea Scrolls --
Preliminary Observations on Miqsat Ma`ase Ha-Torah (4QMMT)"
(in Hebrew), Tarbiz 59 (1990):11-76.
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Some Torah Precepts - Translation
Miqsat Ma`ase ha-Torah
4Q396(MMT<superscript>c)
Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority (8)
1. until sunset on the eighth day. And concerning [the
impurity] of
2. the [dead] person we are of the opinion that every bone,
whether it
3. has its flesh on it or not--should be (treated) according to
the law of the dead or the slain.
4. And concerning the mixed marriages that are being performed
among the people, and they are sons of holy [seed],
5. as is written, Israel is holy. And concerning his (Israel's)
[clean] animal
6. it is written that one must not let it mate with another
species, and concerning his clothes [it is written that they
should not]
7. be of mixed stuff; and one must not sow his field and
vineyard with mixed species.
8. Because they (Israel) are holy, and the sons of Aaron are
[most holy.]
9. But you know that some of the priests and [the laity
intermingle]
10. [And they] adhere to each other and pollute the holy seed
11. as well as their (i.e. the priests') own [seed] with corrupt
women. Since [the sons of Aaron should...]
Transcription and translation by J. Strugnell and E. Qimron
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deadsea.scrolls.exhibit rev. 6/18/93 (kde)