RelSt 225 DSS Class Minutes #23 (12/03/1996)
by FRANK CATRICKES

The "HALAKHIC LETTER" (4QMMT) = GM 77-79

This fragmentary work has caused a paradigm shift with regard to theories
about the origins of the DSS community.  There are six different copies
each in different handwriting.  It was one of the more recent scrolls to
be published.  The community must have thought well enough of this scroll
that there were copies made.  What does this tell us? 

The Halakic Letter is not like Enoch, Jubilees, or Genesis in the sense
that it is not a "public" writing, although not quite private either, yet
in the form of a letter. Schiffman views the Halakic Letter as a
foundational document, representing the beginning point for a community.

It is short enough, in the synthesized form provided by GM, and important
enough for us to read it through, with random observations along the way.

line 8:  "none of the wheat of the Gentiles shall be brought into the
temple" -- note that a sacrifice does not necessarily have to be burned;
here a sacrifice of wheat seems to be envisioned (wine is also used
similarly in the ancient world, poured out to the deity or deities). 

line 12: "thank offering" is a certain category of offering, also
mentioned in TaNaKh/Torah. 

line 14:  a debate is going on here whether the complete liturgy should be
done on the same day as the sacrifice.  This sort of halakhic dispute with
regard to the timing of the sacrifice is also attested in later rabbinic
materials. This section also mentions very detailed halakhic rituals. 

line 24:  "unclean animals" -- on using products made from carcasses of
forbidden animals such as the pig. Carcasses of clean animals are also
considered impure, but presumably are not subject to the same
restrictions.

line 33:  Organization of the community into "camps."  Does such a "camp"
represent a separate village, a subset of Jerusalem or perhaps the city of
Jerusalem itself? Similar references elsewhere in the DSS may be
instructive.

line 39:  "pregnant animals" -- note the special considerations with
regard to sacrificing an animal parent and offspring.

line 77:  The text says that a corpse should be considered unclean 
regardless of whether it is "stripped of flesh or complete."

line 80:  Laws about "mixing" of animals, clothing materials, seed in
fields, fornication (pure and impure seed), etc.  Fornication here means
some kind of mixing of human things that shouldn't be mixed, with special 
reference to the "priests." As we have seen elsewhere, the people of the
DSS place a high priority on "purity" at all levels.

line 92:  "we have segregated ourselves" -- is this a reference to the
circumstances that originally led this group to segregate themselves from
"the rest of the people"? 

lines 100, 107, 116 -- note the "end of days" theme that is so frequent
also elsewhere in the DSS (and the Belial connection in line 115).

lines 106-118: the idea of covenant renewal and continuity with the
history of Israel (Moses, prophets, blessings and curses, punishments,
etc.) is built upon in the exhortations at the end. 

//end//