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

368 ATONEMENT: QUMRAN AND THE NEW TESTAMENT
that Jesus’ act of giving bread and pouring out wine just before his death
clearly pointed to the same idea: giving himself and his life. 14
Qumran Messianic Atonement?
Certain texts use the term kipper in connection with messianic figures.
CD 14.18–19 says: “And this is the clarification of the judgments in
which [they shall walk, until there arises the Messi]ah of Aaron and of
Israel and he will expiate their iniquities.” The parallel text in 4Q267 frag.
18 3.11–13 confirms that it is the Messiah who is to expiate. The lack of
a preposition after kipper points to Dan 9:24–25 as the background,
where seventy weeks (of years) are required for Israel and Jerusalem to
deal with its sin, “to expiate iniquity … and to anoint the most holy” and
sixty-nine weeks for a messiah-prince. It seems that our passage here
links the coming of the Messiah with the passage of time required for
Israel to receive its exilic punishment. So surely is the coming of the
Messiah a sign of Israel’s expiation that the Messiah can be spoken of as
the one who effects it. At present I think this the most likely interpretation,
but unfortunately the fragmentary nature of both witnesses to the
text does not permit certainty.
4QAhA (4Q541) frag. 9 1.2 says: An Aaronic figure of the future “will
atone for l( ((al) all the sons of his people.” These fragments seem to be
part of a “Testament of Levi,” so the atonement here would probably be
cultic. The preposition used after the verb points to the same conclusion.
Certain elements in the context are reminiscent of the experiences and
activities of the Righteous Teacher, who founded the community: he
understands secrets from the Scriptures (4Q541 frag. 2 2.6; frag. 7 1.1–2),
he has been forced to flee like a bird from its nest (frag. 2 2.7, cf. 1QH 12
[= 4].8–9), his enemies insult him and lie about him (4Q541 frag. 9
1.5–6). Above all, his teaching activity is emphasized (frag. 7; frag. 9 1.3).
The community may well have seen Levi’s prophecy as fulfilled in the
work of their founder, perhaps after the pattern of the experiences of
Aaron himself (Numbers 16–17).
14. See Nicholas T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God (Christian Origins and the
Question of God 2; Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996), 554–65. Wright emphasizes the significance
of Jesus’ acts at the Last Supper and not merely of the words spoken (which
have tended to receive almost exclusive attention in scholarly circles). He sees the significance
of the acts, however, in terms of a coming conflict and victory leading to
Israel’s restoration. This may well be so, but surely the self-giving significance is even
more palpable and fundamental.