================================================================== @@@@@ @@@@@ @@@@@ @ @ @ @ Wetherbee on @ @ @@@@@ @@@@@ Spring Danielou @ @ @ @ 1995 @ @ @ @ @@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@ ================================================================== R E V I E W S ================================================================== Dead Sea Scroll Book Reviews, for Religious Studies 225 University of Pennsylvania, Robert Kraft, Spring Term 1995 Copyright by the respective authors; reproduction with appropriate credits is permitted. [[NOTE: The assignment was to summarize the reviewed book and to compare it especially with the textbooks used in the course, by James VanderKam The Dead Sea Scrolls Today (Eerdmans/SPCK 1994) and Joseph Fitzmyer Responses to 101 Questions on the Dead Sea Scrolls (Paulist Press 1992). As with this note, any comments by the course instructor are enclosed in double brackets below.]] ----- Jean Dani<'e>lou, The Dead Sea Scrolls and Primitive Christianity. Westport CT: Greenwood Press, 1958. Pp. 128. Reviewed by Joshua R. Wetherbee wetherbe@sas.upenn.edu [[Can you say anything about the author (if not, I can add a note), and is there any value in commenting on how VanderKam and/or Fitzmyer handle some of the more suspect claims in this book?]] <0.1> The purpose of this book is an attempt examine the relations between the religious group encountered in the Dead Sea Scrolls and early Christianity. The connection of the scrolls with the Qumran ruins and the Essenes is assumed. The book focuses on how early Christianity contrasted with contemporary religious groups. <1.1> I.The Religious Community of Qumran and the Evangelical Milieu <1.1.1> Arguments for the linkage of John the Baptist and the Essenes at Qumran are presented. The major forces of these arguments are similarity of location, time, beliefs (the end times had come) and practices (baptism, repentance). <1.1.2> The practices and ministry of Jesus are contrasted with those of the community. The use of a similar calendar, administrative set up, and teachings are discussed. <1.1.3> The structure of the early Church in Jerusalem is compared to the structure at Qumran. Corresponding aspects include a 12 person ruling body, the existence of prophets, communal goods, punishment for withholding goods, catechetical instruction, similar prayer rituals, and similar use of Old Testament prophecies. <1.2> Christ and the Teacher of Righteousness (=TR). <1.2.1> Texts in which the TR is mentioned are discussed and compared with the view held of Christ by the early Church. Interaction with a wicked priest and the suffering of the TR are also discussed in relation to Christ. <1.2.2> Most Messianic references are related to the community as a whole and not to the TR. Arguments dealing with the meaning of "anointed" are discussed. The conclusion is drawn that the TR was more analogous to John the Baptist than to Jesus in Christianity. <1.2.3> The Grandeur and limits of the TR: This section concluded by stating that the TR seemed to be a highly respected man but there was really no sense of Messiah or deity about him. <1.3> Early Developments of the Church and the Community of Qumran: <1.3.1> In this section it is argued that the Greek speaking priests encountered in Act 6 are actually Essenian. This is supported by references to Justin [[Martyr, a mid-second century Christian author]] and the speech of Stephen in Acts 7. <1.3.2> Essenian thought in St. Paul: The conversion of Paul in Damascus was argued to have been through Essenian Christians (Essenian presence there pointed to by the Damascus Document). Also, his ideas on justification and his phraseology are contrasted with the scrolls. <1.3.3> Similar themes as those found in Qumran are found in writings of St. John. There is much light and dark imagery and many similar phrases. <1.3.4> It is argued that the book of Hebrews may have been intended for an Essene audience. This epistle attempts to combine the expectation of two Messiahs [[royal and priestly]] found at Qumran into the single Messiah Christ. <1.3.5> Several claims linking the Essenes to specific activity in the early Church are made. Three examples of this are the Syrian Church, Ebionism, and Hermas, the author of the early Christian work The Shepherd. <2.1> This book is useful in that it gives an overview of the arguments linking the Essenes and the Dead Sea Scrolls to early Christianity. It is broad enough to enable the reader to see the many ways in which the two groups are related. It raises a number of issues of interest that get one thinking and inspires further study. The first two sections are especially good and the arguments were well thought out and organized. The uniqueness of Christianity is portrayed quite strikingly. <3.1> One problem of the book is the assumptions made about the linking of the Essenes to Qumran and to the scrolls. Many of the arguments are based on this link. If it were to be proven that they were not Essenes many of the arguments would fail. He also seems to make assumptions about the Essenes and what they believe. His view of the Essenes is very strict and does not allow for much variability. <3.2> Many of the claims made link Christianity directly to the Essenes. It is not considered that there could have been other religious groups of that time period out of which early Christianity evolved. In general the overemphasis on Essenes is quite prevalent. This is especially noticeable in the third section and many of the arguments in that section are not as strong. The Essenes seem to be popping up all over the place. <000.1> In summation I would recommend this book as an excellent introduction to the subject of early Christianity and it's evolution. It is interesting to see how the knowledge of one religious group of that time affects our knowledge of another. One must be careful, however, to take into consideration the assumptions on which the arguments are made. Reviewer: J. Reuben Wetherbee. wetherbe@mail.sas.upenn.edu 3910 Iving Street. Box #396 Philadelphia, PA 19104 //end//