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

190 THREE SOBRIQUETS, THEIR MEANING AND FUNCTION
between these three levels (see figure 2 below). In the following analysis,
I will deal mostly with the second, symbolic, or ideological level. 21
Textual level “The Wicked Priest” A textual expression, between
the lemma and the exegesis
Symbolic level “The Wicked Priest” An evaluation, “bad,”
“wicked,” the enemy of the
righteous community
Historical level “The Wicked Priest” A reference to a Hasmonean
high priest (or priesthood)
THE WICKED PRIEST IN THE PESHARIM
The designation “the Wicked Priest” occurs nine times in the 1QpHab
and once in 4QpNah. 22 The first mention of the Wicked Priest is in
1QpHab 1.13, but only as a conjecture since the right part of the first column
is missing. But the presumed lemma cited in line 12 from Hab 1:4
contains the words qdc . . . (#$r in the MT. In the exegesis, the
Righteous Teacher is clearly mentioned in line 13, so it is not unlikely
that the Wicked Priest should also be mentioned here, together with the
Teacher. 23 They are mentioned together in other passages such as
1QpHab 9.9–10; 11.4–5. No further information could be extracted from
this passage.
The other 1QpHab occurrences of (#$rh Nhwkh are in 8.8; 9.9; 11.4;
12.2; 12.8. From the end of column 8, there are three instances, 8.16; 9.16
(emendation); and 11.12, where only the noun Nhwkh is mentioned.
Now, the question is whether Nhwkh is a short form for (#$rh Nhwkh;
do these two designations refer to the same identity? I suggest that they
do. These designations are not used arbitrarily; instead, the mentioning
of “the Priest” without the adjective is “sandwiched” in between appearances
of the term “the Wicked Priest” as follows: 24
21. I have taken this model from Kari Syreeni’s “three-world model,” in “Separation
and Identity: Aspects of the Symbolic World of Matt 6:1–18, ” NTS 40 (1994):
522–41, esp. 522–23.
22. The title “the Priest” occurs three times (once as an emendation 1QpHab 9.16),
and the full title “the Wicked Priest” occurs six times.
23. Elliger, Habermann, and Lohse support this emendation.
24. In all passages except the last one, the sobriquet stands absolute, after the
rbdh / r#$p wr#$p as the direct reference to the lemma just quoted.