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

CHAPTER ELEVEN
PSALMS AND PSALTERS IN THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS
Peter W. Flint
Among the almost nine hundred scrolls that were discovered in the
Judean desert, no book is represented by more manuscripts than the
book of Psalms—a clear indication of the importance of the Psalter in the
Qumran community. This essay has five sections:
1. Description of the Psalms scrolls and pertinent observations
2. Early proposals concerning the Psalms scrolls
3. An assessment of the “Qumran Psalms Hypothesis”
4. Conclusions
5. Three appendices, including translations of the “apocryphal” psalms and
a listing of contents of the Psalms scrolls
1. DESCRIPTION OF THE PSALMS SCROLLS
AND PERTINENT OBSERVATIONS
As specified in Appendix 1, the Dead Sea Scrolls include forty Psalms
scrolls or manuscripts that incorporate psalms. Thirty-seven of these
were found in eight locations at Qumran: three in Cave 1, one each in
five minor caves (2, 3, 5, 6, and 8), twenty-three in Cave 4, and six in
Cave 11. Three more scrolls were discovered further south: two at
Masada (1963–64) and one at Nahal Hever (1951–60). 1
Careful study of this material reveals several features that contribute
to our understanding of the book of Psalms and its completion as a
collection or book of Scripture. 2
1. Part of this manuscript was previously thought to be from Wadi Seiyal, which is
further south.
2. The following comments are made with reference to appendix 1.
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