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

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378 ATONEMENT: QUMRAN AND THE NEW TESTAMENT<br />

attitude, come from God, not a divine person as such) especially as manifested<br />

<strong>and</strong> fostered within <strong>the</strong> community. I find none of this in <strong>the</strong> NT.<br />

<strong>The</strong> means of atonement is always <strong>the</strong> death of Christ, seen as a gift. <strong>The</strong><br />

Qumran idea fits in with <strong>the</strong> OT. <strong>The</strong> NT presents a new kind of piety,<br />

centered on <strong>the</strong> person <strong>and</strong> work of Jesus Christ.<br />

It by no means follows that this detailed knowledge about Palestinian<br />

Judaism that we now have from <strong>the</strong> DSS is useless for underst<strong>and</strong>ing NT<br />

salvation ideas, including atonement. It is just that little from Qumran<br />

atonement ideas can be applied to NT atonement doctrine except by way<br />

of contrast. <strong>The</strong> benefit comes from <strong>the</strong> gr<strong>and</strong> sweep of Qumran ideas.<br />

In <strong>the</strong> small compass of <strong>the</strong> closing pages, we were able to explore two of<br />

<strong>the</strong>se: accepting <strong>the</strong> punishment <strong>and</strong> exilic debt.<br />

Returning to <strong>the</strong> variety of <strong>the</strong>ories that have been propounded about<br />

<strong>the</strong> atoning death of Christ, we can say that <strong>the</strong> richness of what <strong>the</strong> NT<br />

presents in this area should warn us against excluding any aspect (e.g., propitiation,<br />

substitution). Elements of nearly every <strong>the</strong>ory appear in relevant<br />

NT passages. What is needed is to weigh what significance is given to each<br />

of <strong>the</strong>se <strong>and</strong> to any o<strong>the</strong>rs in <strong>the</strong> context of <strong>the</strong> message of each passage.<br />

APPENDIX<br />

ATONEMENT PASSAGES IN THE DSS<br />

• CD 2.4–5: Those who enter <strong>the</strong> covenant are reminded of God’s great<br />

power <strong>and</strong> wrath as well as of his great mercy. “Long-suffering is with<br />

him <strong>and</strong> a multitude of pardons to forgive (be 6(ad ) those who turn from<br />

transgression.”<br />

• CD 3.17–18: <strong>The</strong> covenanters had defiled <strong>the</strong>mselves by taking a possessive<br />

attitude toward <strong>the</strong> revelation <strong>the</strong>y had received, “but God in his wonderful<br />

mysteries forgave (be 6(ad ) <strong>the</strong>ir iniquity.”<br />

• CD 4.6 (promising a list of <strong>the</strong> members of <strong>the</strong> righteous remnant, which<br />

does not appear in our texts): <strong>The</strong>se are <strong>the</strong> first men of holiness “whom<br />

God forgave (be 6(ad ), <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>y justified <strong>the</strong> righteous <strong>and</strong> condemned <strong>the</strong><br />

wicked.”<br />

• CD 4.9: Those who follow after <strong>the</strong>se first members must follow <strong>the</strong> same<br />

Torah teaching as <strong>the</strong>y did. “According to <strong>the</strong> covenant which God established<br />

with <strong>the</strong> first members to forgive ((al) <strong>the</strong>ir iniquities, so God will forgive<br />

(be 6(ad ) <strong>the</strong>m.”

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