RelSt 225 DSS Class Minutes #22 (21 November 1996)
by Benjamin Fogelman


HALAKHIC TEXTS: Further Comments on the Temple Scroll

Col. 51. 6-7 (GM 170) This line seems to be picking up on the 
notion of Mt. Sinai as the place of Revelation (use of the word 
mountain).  Narrator is God, presumably speaking to Moses.  

Line 15 of the same column "Pursue justice exclusively so that 
you can live and enter and take possession of the land which I 
give you so as an inheritance for ever."  The DSS group 
presumably saw this as legislation for the future and read these 
scrolls in the same manner as they read forward looking portions 
of what came to be Tanakh (Hebrew Bible); or perhaps they saw it 
as a "historical" document of their past, like Deuteronomy. 

Digression over English Bible Versions:
AV   = authorized version (published 1611) = King James Version
RV   = revised version (of the AV), published 1881
ASV  = American standard version, basically RV (1901)
RSV  = revised standard version (1952)
NRSV = new revised standard version (1989)

The RV/ASV rendered the tetragrammaton as "Jehovah," not LORD.

The RSV was controversial among conservative Christians 
especially for rendering Isaiah 7.14 as "young woman" not 
"virgin," although the Greek translation used in the Christian 
gospels with reference to Jesus' birth is rendered "virgin."
 
The Gideon society in Christianity, which distributes Bibles to 
hotel rooms and gives them away on the streets, stuck with the 
AV/KJV for years, and now uses the New King James Version.

The terminology and style in the Temple Scroll echoes Torah to a 
significant degree as seen in the following examples:

Col. 54.5-6 (GM 172) "I order you today" -- same language as when 
  G-d would speak through Moses in Deuteronomy, especially;
Col. 56.3-4 (GM 173) "act in accordance with Law"
Col. 60.16 (GM 176) again shows how G-d spoke through Moses 

The DSS group apparently did not see this material as derived 
from, or an appendage to Torah, but as directly along side of 
it  and was viewed with equal importance. 

In Deuteronomy 18.19 (see 11QTempleScroll 54; GM 172) the idea 
of a "prophet like Moses" has been interpreted variously, 
including the Samaritan belief that the future agent of God will 
be a new Moses. This topic moved into a variety of areas relating 
to ancient eschatology and also to the development of what came 
to be traditional Jewish biblical literature.

Possible topics for the research paper assignment:

1) The protection of purity/sanctity of the people and the city 
as well as the Temple.  Issues can be raised with regard to the 
places of sacrifice.  Also, what is the actual role of the 
sacrifice and what does it mean.  Can acceptable sacrifice occur 
in places other than the Jerusalem Temple? 

2) The role of women.  There is much concern about women in some 
of the scrolls.  What areas of life should daughters, wives, and 
women stay away from?  The Temple Scroll is very explicit and 
open about the presence of women. 

3)  The rules for the King.  The Temple scroll contains a 
theocratic section. How is this viewed and organized? 

/end/