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

366 ATONEMENT: QUMRAN AND THE NEW TESTAMENT
a foundation for future members. The punishment of the guilty is probably
more prominent than in the OT, though it is not absent even there
(Num 25:13; 35:33). The strong emphasis on community members as
beneficiaries of the atonement is understandable in the DSS and not to
be expected in the OT. It does seem, however, that God’s forgiving individuals
receives far more relative prominence in the DSS than in the OT.
In the OT cult, man makes atonement through prescribed rituals, and then
God forgives (not kipper). In the DSS there is little of cultic atonement,
except of course in the Temple Scroll. Another matter that receives far more
emphasis in the DSS than in the OT is atonement for the land (Cr),
)eres[). It is unfortunate that in many translations this has been obscured
by translating )eres[ as “earth” and thus giving a universal, christianized
tone to the idea. 11 Generally, the Community was to make atonement for
the land by slaughtering all the wicked in it. The OT has little to say
about atonement for the land, but Num 35:33 (atonement by slaying the
murderer) and Deut 32:43 (atonement by victory over Israel’s enemies)
are obviously in the background. Clearly, the notion of atonement in the
DSS is a development closely related to OT ideas. The differences are
due to the community’s situation as a faithful remnant in a nation under
divine wrath, which took the form of foreign oppression for sins, including
cultic irregularities. This remnant was to be the basis for a future
salvation for Israel, as more members were added to the movement and
its discipline. The discipline was itself an important part of this basis, as
existing and new members were subject to examination, reproof, and
penalties. Beyond this lies the ultimate “reward” for the wicked, when
they are to be destroyed in the endtimes war.
Qumran Community Atonement?
Except for the Temple Scroll, literal, cultic atonement is rare in the DSS.
When the term is metaphorical, atonement is usually brought about by
a holy spirit from God, a pious influence in the community, the community’s
discipline, or the slaying of the wicked. What we do not find in the
DSS is a substitutionary or vicarious atonement on the part of the community.
12 Their general theology precluded any idea of works of
11. Similarly, for the term gh~(ge4), I think it is best at least initially to try the translation
“land,” in view of contemporary Palestinian Judaism’s preoccupation with the
fate of the Holy Land.
12. Paul Garnet, Salvation and Atonement in the Qumran Scrolls (WUNT 2; Tübingen;
Mohr Siebeck, 1977).