Fragment A: 17.7 x 3 centimeters; Fragment B: 3.8 x 2.8 centimeters
"And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes" (Deuteronomy 6:8), was practiced by Jews literally from early times. In the Second Temple period the sages established that the tefillin or phylacteries (amulets in Greek) would include four scriptural passages inscribed on parchment placed in a box-like container made of black leather. The phylacteries would be worn during weekday morning prayers, one on the left arm and the other on the forehead. These would serve as a sign and as a reminder that the Lord had brought the children of Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 13:9, 16).
Though the custom was known from Second Temple sources ( The Letter of Aristeas , v. 159; Josephus, Antiq . 4:213), Qumran has now provided us with the earliest remains of tefillin , both of the leather containers and the inscribed strips of parchment. The scripture verses had been penned in miniscule, though clear, characters on the elongated writing material, which was folded over to fit the minute compartments.
As a rule, phylacteries include four verses, two from Exodus (Ex. 13:1-10; 13:11-16) and two from Deuteronomy (Deut. 6:4-9; 11:13-21), that refer directly to the `sign upon thy hand' and the `frontlets between thine eyes' alluded to in the `Hear, O Israel' passage. The Qumran phylacteries are indeed similar to those based on late Rabbinic tradition, although there are minor variations.
REFERENCES: Y. Yadin. retz Yisrael (1969) 9:60-83 and plates; J.T. Milik. "Tefillin, Mezuzot, Targums." (1977) 6:33-90 and plates.
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