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

ADELA YARBRO COLLINS 245
[I will be] his father and he shall be my son (2 Sam. 7:14). He is the Branch of
David who shall arise with the Interpreter of the Law [to rule] in Zion [at
the e]nd of days. As it is written, I will raise up the tent of David that is fallen
(Amos 9:11). That is to say, the fallen tent of David is he who shall arise to
save Israel. 64
In this passage the phrases “the sanctuary which Thy hands have
established, O Lord,” “the Sanctuary of Israel” and “a Temple of Adam”
occur. The latter expression could also be translated “temple made by
men,” “temple standing among men,” or “temple consisting of men.” 65
Scholars have disagreed on the translation of this phrase and on whether
two or three temples are implied by the three terms. 66 It seems clear from
the citation of Exodus 15:17 in line 3 that “the sanctuary which Thy
hands have established, O Lord,” is the temple mentioned in the Temple
Scroll that God would establish on the “day of creation,” the definitive,
eschatological temple. The “Sanctuary of Israel” represents typologically
both the first and the second temples of Israel’s history. 67 The “Temple
of Adam” seems to be the same as “the Sanctuary of Israel.” The context
and the structure of the argument in Florilegium 1.1–13 implies this identification.
68 That the community would expect a Temple of Adam is supported
by the expectation expressed in the Commentary on Psalms that
those who have returned from the wilderness, who will live for a thousand
generations, in safety; for them there is all the inheritance of Adam
(Md) tlxn) and for his descendants for ever. 69
63. Temple Scroll (11Q19) 29.6–10; trans. modified from Vermes, Complete DSS, 200.
Note that in Jub. 1:29 also the eschatological temple is expected to appear on the day
of the new creation.
64. Florilegium (4QFlor = 4Q174) 1.1–13; trans. from Vermes (Complete DSS,
493–94) with modifications based on the translation of Michael O. Wise,
“4QFlorilegium and the Temple of Adam,” RevQ 15 (1991): 105–6. For a detailed discussion
of this text, see George J. Brooke, Exegesis at Qumran: 4QFlorilegium in Its Jewish
Context (JSOTSup 29; Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1985).
65. John J. Collins favors the translation “sanctuary of men”; idem, The Scepter and
the Star: The Messiahs of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Ancient Literature (ABRL; New
York: Doubleday, 1995), 107. But the lack of an article with Md) supports the possibility
that the reference is to the proper name “Adam” rather than to humanity.
66. For a summary of research on this passage, see Wise, “4QFlorilegium and the
Temple of Adam,” 107–10; see also John J. Collins, Scepter and the Star, 107, and the literature
cited there.
67. So Wise, “4QFlorilegium and the Temple of Adam,” 131.
68. See ibid., 118–21.
69. 4QpPsa (= 4Q171) 3.1–2; trans. from García Martínez, DSS Translated, 204. See
also CD 3.18–4.10, esp. 3.20. For discussion, see Wise, “4QFlorilegium and the Temple
of Adam,” 127–28.