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

PAUL GARNET 373
expect an ongoing emphasis in the NT on the idea of Christ’s self-giving.
Where do we find self-giving in the OT or the intertestamental literature?
There is Samson’s suicide and the death of the Maccabean
martyrs, but these are hardly a dominant theological theme. Even
Moses’ offer of himself in an attempt to make atonement for Israel after
the worship of the golden calf was not accepted (Exod 32:30–33). 19
There are areas, however, where the Palestinian-Judaism background as
exemplified in the DSS is quite helpful in an approach to NT soteriology,
and to this we briefly turn.
Accepting the Punishment
We have seen that the Qumran community intended to prepare for the
restoration of Israel by fulfilling Lev 26:40–42 through accepting the
punishment, each of his own iniquity, and submitting to the community’s
reproof and discipline. Their highest ethical value was +p#m, mis ]hpāt[:
judgment, justice, righteousness. Each member applied this principle to
himself through his obedient conduct and to other members through the
exercise of reproof. Ultimately the community would apply it to the rest
of the world in the final war against the sons of darkness.
A fitting symbol for this judgment was fire. Already in the OT this is
a symbol for God himself, suggesting his righteous jealousy and power
in judgment. This imagery occurs in connection with God’s historical
judgment of the enemies of David (Ps 18:7–18) and in prophecies of
forthcoming political upheavals and of the endtime judgments (Isa 26:11;
27:4; 30:30; 33:14; 34:9–10; Dan 7:9–10). In the DSS this is taken up in
two interesting passages. 1QH 14 (= 6).17–19 tells how the founder of
the community had been saved by God from a worthless and violent congregation
and introduced to a group who reproved according to justice.
This group is destined to universal growth and to be an everlasting light.
By the flames of this light all the guilty will be destroyed. In 1QH 11 (=
3).29–36 the writer’s former association with the wicked (24–38) is
described in terms of a flood, which becomes a river of fire from heaven
which is to destroy the whole universe. It need not surprise us that this
fire should sometimes be spoken of as originating in heaven and sometimes
from the wicked or even from hell itself. The fire could well symbolize
the final conflict between light and darkness, and in any case the
19. In 4QDibHam a (4Q504) frags. 1–2 2.9–10 Moses did succeed in effecting this
atonement.