16.06.2013 Views

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

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

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

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

CHAPTER SEVEN<br />

QUMRAN’S SOME WORKS OF TORAH (4Q394–399 [4QMMT])<br />

AND PAUL’S GALATIANS<br />

James D. G. Dunn <strong>and</strong> James H. Charlesworth 1<br />

INTRODUCTION—CHARLESWORTH<br />

Some Works of Torah (4QMMT, or Halakic Letter = 4Q394–399) 2 is ano<strong>the</strong>r<br />

example of <strong>the</strong> paradigmatic importance of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Dead</strong> <strong>Sea</strong> <strong>Scrolls</strong> for<br />

underst<strong>and</strong>ing Christian Origins. <strong>The</strong> title of this text, if it ever had one,<br />

has not been preserved. Its present title derives from a phrase found in<br />

<strong>the</strong> final lines. Since <strong>the</strong> words m(s 8y htwrh (hrwth y#(m) appear in only<br />

one extant fragment <strong>and</strong> it is not near <strong>the</strong> beginning of <strong>the</strong> document, we<br />

should not assume we know <strong>the</strong> title of this document.<br />

Whe<strong>the</strong>r it is a letter or a treatise is not clear. Leaders at Qumran most<br />

likely sent it to <strong>the</strong> ruling priest <strong>and</strong> his group in <strong>the</strong> Jerusalem Temple.<br />

It dates from about <strong>the</strong> middle of <strong>the</strong> second century B.C.E.; conceivably,<br />

<strong>the</strong> Righteous Teacher composed it. <strong>The</strong> importance of this document at<br />

Qumran is clear, since six fragmentary copies were found in Cave 4. 3<br />

This document states why <strong>the</strong> Qumranites left Jerusalem <strong>and</strong> separated<br />

from o<strong>the</strong>r priests in <strong>the</strong> Temple cult. <strong>The</strong> text explains that its<br />

1. Robert Hayward <strong>and</strong> Loren T. Stuckenbruck provided assistance for <strong>the</strong> first<br />

draft of this paper. This essay is a revised <strong>and</strong> exp<strong>and</strong>ed version of an article by James<br />

D. G. Dunn that appeared in NTS 43 (1977): 147–53. <strong>The</strong> Cambridge University<br />

Press <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> editor of NTS are due appreciation for <strong>the</strong> permission to revise <strong>and</strong><br />

republish <strong>the</strong> work that appeared in 1977. James H. Charlesworth exp<strong>and</strong>ed <strong>and</strong><br />

updated <strong>the</strong> work, making its insights more accessible to a wider audience, <strong>and</strong> supplying<br />

information obtained by <strong>the</strong> Princeton team that worked on MMT.<br />

2. In <strong>the</strong> mid-1990s, <strong>the</strong> Princeton <strong>The</strong>ological Seminary <strong>Dead</strong> <strong>Sea</strong> <strong>Scrolls</strong> Project<br />

(PTSDSSP) renamed MMT Some Works of Torah, to reflect consistency in translating<br />

key terms. Throughout this chapter, 4QMMT will be used interchangeably with<br />

4Q394–399.<br />

3. See <strong>the</strong> contributions to John Kampen <strong>and</strong> Moshe J. Bernstein, eds., Reading<br />

4QMMT: New Perspectives on Qumran Law <strong>and</strong> History (SBLSymS 2; Atlanta: Scholars<br />

Press, 1996).<br />

187

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!