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

234 THE DREAM OF A NEW JERUSALEM AT QUMRAN
bear abundantly, so that famine would be unknown. The land that was
desolate would be like the garden of Eden (Ezek 36:22–38). This complex
of motifs implies a new creation, a restoration of the original creation
before it was marred by the sin of Adam. The description of Zion as “a
very high mountain” presupposes the eschatological tradition that Zion
would be given an elevation higher than all the other mountains of the
earth in the last days (Ezek 40:2; Isa 2:2–4; Mic 4:1–4; cf. Ezek 20:40). 20
Thus, the Israelites adapted and extended old mythic motifs as they created
a picture of a definitive future age.
In its present form the great vision of Ezekiel 40–48 contains a passage
about the allocation of the land that is to follow the new settlement (Ezek
47:13–48:29). According to this plan, the people are not to settle in
Transjordan or the Anti-Lebanon, but from the region “toward Hamath”
in Lebanon on the north, to the boundary with Egypt in the south. 21
Each tribe is allocated a strip of land from east to west, with Dan in the
far north and Gad in the far south. 22 South of the territory of Judah and
north of Benjamin, a strip of land between them is to be “set apart” for
the Lord. This is the hmwrt (consecrated area) in the widest sense. It
includes the site of Jerusalem. This area contains two districts that are
consecrated in a narrower sense, the portion of the Levites and that of
the priests. Each of these is a #$dqh tmwrt (sacred area). South of the
territory of the priests is the district of “the city,” which has the same
dimension as the districts of the priests and Levites from east to west, but
is only half as large from north to south. This territory contains the city,
its pastureland, and its arable land. To the east and the west of the three
strips for the priests, the Levites, and the city are two regions to be given
to the prince. 23
In this arrangement the temple precinct is far more important than the
city of Jerusalem. The passage never mentions the name “Jerusalem.”
The outer gates of the sanctuary are quite similar to Solomon’s city gates
in Megiddo, Hazor, and possibly Gezer. 24 The gates of the sanctuary
lack towers and have a cultic rather than a military purpose. But the
architecture suggests that Ezekiel has shifted the emphasis from the city
to the temple. The impression that the text is downplaying the city is
reinforced by the fact that the sanctuary is not actually in the city.
Instead, it is placed in the district of the priests. The area of the priests is
20. For discussion, see Zimmerli, Ezekiel II, 347.
21. For discussion, see Zimmerli, ibid., 528–32.
22. See the map in ibid., 537.
23. See the diagram in ibid., 535.
24. Ibid., 352–53.