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

442 DEAD SEA SCROLLS AND THE NEW TESTAMENT
Christianity, 127 which is shared by Jesus and the Palestinian Jesus movement
but also to some extent by Paul, Matthew, and the Fourth Gospel.
Qumran’s Relevance to the New Testament
To develop an adequate view of the history of religions, it is also important
to keep in mind that the search for Qumran parallels should not lead
to a one-sided view of, for example, Paul or the Gospel tradition. Not
everything in the New Testament texts can be explained from the matrix
of Palestinian Judaism: we must also take into consideration the impact
of Hellenistic Judaism, not only in the Diaspora but also in Palestine, 128
and—to a lesser extent—the impact of the Gentile world. So, when
Qumranic “parallels” are considered, we should be prepared to ask
whether other parallels from other traditions can eventually provide a
better explanation for the phrases and ideas in the New Testament.
Hence, scholars of different specializations must work together and discuss
the relevance of their respective traditions for the understanding of
the New Testament. This is the only way to establish a sound and balanced
view of the religio-historical relations.
Further Insights
The issue of Qumran and the New Testament goes far beyond the search
for parallels. One of the most important benefits of Qumran research for
New Testament scholarship might be the new insights in the process of
text production and transmission in contemporary Judaism, in various
types of the use and interpretation of Scripture or in the history of numerous
literary forms and religious ideas.
127. Cf. Fitzmyer, “The Qumran Scrolls and the New Testament,” 609–20, esp. 610.
128. This is the basic result of the groundbreaking studies of M. Hengel on the
Hellenization of Judaism; see Martin Hengel, Judaism and Hellenism: Studies in Their
Encounter in Palestine in the Early Hellenistic Period (trans. J. Bowden; 2 vols.; London:
SCM, 1974); idem, The Hellenization of Judaea in the First Century after Christ (in collaboration
with Chistoph Markschies; trans. J. Bowden; London: SCM, 1989); idem,
“Qumran und der Hellenismus,” in Judaica et Hellenistica (WUNT 90; Tübingen:
Mohr Siebeck, 1996), 258–94; idem, “Jerusalem als jüdische und hellenistische
Stadt,” in Judaica, Hellenistica et Christiana (WUNT 109; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck,
1999), 115–56.