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

330 SOCIOLOGICAL AND LITURGICAL DIMENSIONS
strip Scripture of its ability to speak. It rather gives Scripture a fresh and
true voice that may be heard by those who reside in the silence of the
wilderness near a dead sea.
In Psalm Pesher 1, prophetic fulfillment is often connected to the Land:
And the afflicted will take possession of (the) land and will delight in abundant peace.
Its interpretation concerns the congregation of the Poor Ones, who will
accept the appointed times of affliction…they will delight [in] all […] of the
land and will grow fat in all…” (frags. 1–10, 2.9–11). 41
Psalm 37:11, cited above, describes a group of people who will reassume
a position of leadership in the Land and take great pleasure in possessing
the Land as God had promised Abraham. In its “original” context,
the verse reassures Israel that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the
One who fulfills the divine promises, would soon return the Promised
Land to Israel in final judgment, while destroying the nations which vied
for possession of it. The commentary that follows Ps 37:11 utilizes the
same elements—the afflicted (Mywn(), the Land (Cr)), and delight
(wgn(thw)—but refocuses the original prophecy. In the hands of the
Qumran scribe(s), prophecy has been altered because prophecy has been
fulfilled. It, the community, is the currently afflicted people, living in the
desolate wilderness apart from the Temple and God’s Holy City. While
the Psalm still speaks an eschatological word of promise in the latter
days, the final judgment has now become imminent. 42 The circumstances
of the community demonstrate that soon, on account of its faithfulness,
“The Poor Ones” will inherit the Land, God’s promise, when God
restores the legitimate priestly line.
Charlesworth, The Pesharim and Qumran History, 14–16; Michael Fishbane, “Use,
Authority and Interpretation of Mikra at Qumran,” in Compendia rerum Iudaicarum ad
Novum Testamentum. Section 1. Mikra: Text, Translation, Reading and Interpretation of the
Hebrew Bible in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity (ed. M. J. Mulder; Assen: Van
Gorcum; and Philadelphia: Fortress, 1988), 339–78.
41. James H. Charlesworth et al., eds., The Dead Sea Scrolls: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek
Texts with English Translations, Vol. 6B, Pesharim, Other Commentaries, and Related Documents
(PTSDSSP 6B; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck; Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002),
11. Other references to “the land” (Cr)h) appear at 1–10 2.4, 8, 9, 11; 3.9; 4.2, 11.
42. The authoritative value placed on prophetic truth at Qumran and the absence of
other copies of 4QpPs a (= 4Q171) raise an important question, “was prophecy considered
finally concretized at Qumran?” Our inclination is to respond “no,” acknowledging
that prophecy continues to be alive within the Community. As history continues
and life changes for the Qumranites, it is conceivable that the divine knowledge will
continue to illuminate other previously hidden meanings of Scripture. Perhaps this fluidity
is possible because of the apocalyptic framework in which all prophecy appears at
Qumran. See, John J. Collins, “Teacher and Messiah? The One Who Will Teach
Righteousness at the End of Days,” in The Community of the Renewed Covenant (ed. E.
Ulrich and J. VanderKam; Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame, 1994), 193–210.