The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls: The ... - josephprestonkirk

180 IMPACT OF QUMRAN TEXTS ON PAULINE THEOLOGY
“not by faith alone” [ou)k e)k pi/stewv mo/non]). The word “alone” (qr) in
the “community song” helps us understand that “by God’s grace alone”
is Jewish, too, while “by faith alone” is especially Pauline.
8. God’s Spirit and Man’s Liberation from Sin
Paul
Romans 8:2–8 states: “For the principle (o9 ga_r no/mov) of the spirit of life
in Christ Jesus has set you free from the principle (a0po__
tou= no/mou) of sin
and death” (v. 2).
Qumran
1QS 3.6–12 (partly paralleled in 4Q papS a [4Q255] frag. 2 lines 1–9; 4papS c
[4Q257] 3.9–14): “For through the spirit of God’s true counsel there can be
atonement for the ways of man—for all [7] his sins—that he can behold the
light of life, while he will be cleansed from all [8] his sins by the holy spirit.”
Explanations
The Qumran parallel is a strong argument for the meaning of no/mov in
Rom 8:2 as “principle” (see, e.g., Josephus Ant. 1.315: “by the principle
of warfare” [pole/mou no/mw|]) instead of “Law” (see also Rom 3:27). This
means that Paul plays with the word nomos (in Rom 8:3, 4, and 7 it means
“Law”) and does not speak of a “law/Law of sin and death.”
Between Rom 8:2–8 and 1QS 3.6–12 are further parallels in terminology.
“Flesh” occurs nine times in Rom 8:2–8 and also in 1QS 3.9 (for the
expression “sinful flesh” in Rom 8:3, see C 5, above). We need to compare
“the requirement of the Law” in Rom 8:4 with “the laws of God” in
1QS 3.8; see further the verb “to please” in Rom 8:8 and 1QS 8.11.