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

82 MESSIANIC EXPECTATION AT QUMRAN
9.11. The final quotation refers to the rebuilding of Jericho. It now
appears that Jericho was rebuilt by John Hyrcanus (134–104 B.C.E.). 32
According to Josephus, Hyrcanus “was accounted by God worthy of
three of the greatest privileges, the rule of the nation, the office of High
Priest and the gift of prophecy” (Ant. 13.299–300). Even though he never
proclaimed himself king, he combined the functions of prophet, priest
and ruler. It seems plausible, then, that the messianism of the Scrolls, like
that of the Psalms of Solomon, originated as a critique of the current rule of
the Hasmoneans, specifically with reference to their combination of functions
that ought to be kept separate. This thesis is not negated by the discovery
of a text (4Q448) at Qumran that is a prayer for “Jonathan the
King” (Alexander Jannaeus). The Dead Sea sect may well have prayed
for Alexander when he was embroiled in struggles against foreign enemies,
and against their own opponents, the Pharisees. 33 A temporary
alliance in war-time, however, would not necessarily remove their objection
to the combination of kingship and priesthood by the Hasmoneans.
The role of the royal messiah in the Dead Sea Scrolls is virtually identical
to his role in the Psalms of Solomon. The prayer for “the Prince of the
Congregation” in the Blessings (1Q28b) may serve to illustrate the point:
The Master shall bless the Prince of the Congregation…and shall renew
for him the covenant of the Community that he may establish the kingdom
of His people for ever…to dispense justice with [equity to the oppressed]
of the land (Isa 11:4a)…
(May you smite the peoples) with the might of your hand and ravage
the earth with your scepter; may you bring death to the ungodly with the
breath of your lips! (Isa 11:4b)…and everlasting might, the spirit of
knowledge and of the fear of God (Isa 11:2); may righteousness be the girdle
(of your loins) and may your reins be girded (with faithfulness) (Isa
11:5). May He make your horns of iron and your hooves of bronze; may
you toss like a young bull [and trample the peoples] like the mire of the
streets! For God has established you as the scepter. The rulers…nations
shall serve you.
The resemblance between this passage and Psalm of Solomon 17 is twofold.
On the one hand, it draws heavily on biblical prophecy, especially Isa
11:1–4. On the other hand, it casts the “prince” in a militant role. He is
to restore the kingdom, and in the process to bring death to the ungodly.
32. Hanan Eshel, “The Historical Background of the Pesher Interpreting Joshua’s
Curse on the Rebuilder of Jericho,” RevQ 15 (1992): 409–20.
33. Ant. 13.372–383. See Hartmut Stegemann, Die Essener, Qumran, Johannes der
Täufer und Jesus (Freiburg: Herder, 1993), 187–88.