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

DEVORAH DIMANT 463
style. 88 Perhaps this situation reflects a phase in which the sapiential
books had not yet acquired the authoritative position enjoyed by the
Torah, the Prophets, and the Psalms, in other words, the third section of
the later canon, the “Writings,” had not yet come into being. 89 If this is
correct, it would mean that only Bible books that attained authoritative
status were “reworked” or “rewritten.” Considering the literature of
“reworked” Bible from this point of view may shed further light on its
nature and origin.
Language
Most of the apocryphal and pseudepigraphic texts that emerged from
Qumran caves attest to a distinct correlation between language and literary
character. As a rule, the Hebrew texts remain close to the Hebrew
Bible; namely, most of them belong to the category of rewritten/reworked
Bible. The Hebrew nonsectarian compositions consist chiefly of two
types: 1. Texts reworking the Hebrew Bible; and 2. Nonbiblical narratives,
often of historical import. As for the Aramaic works, though
dependent on biblical themes, models and styles, they rework their
sources in a freer manner, and supplement the biblical framework with
large blocks of nonbiblical materials. Indeed, at times the biblical theme
serves only as a loose framework, into which new nonbiblical materials
are molded. This method is well illustrated by writings such as the Book
of Enoch, the Book of Giants, the Testament of Qahath, and the Visions of Amram.
An important group of Aramaic texts displays only a general affinity to
the biblical world. This is the case of the court tales and legendary narrative
pieces. The Aramaic texts fall into four groups:
1. pseudepigraphic words of predeluvian figures and of biblical Patriarchs;
2. legendary narratives about the predeluvian characters and about biblical
Patriarchs;
88. See, for instance, Mysteries (1Q27; 4Q299–301) published by Lawrence H.
Schiffman, “299–301. 4QMysteries,” in Qumran Cave 4.XV: Sapiential Texts, Part 1 (DJD
20; Oxford: Clarendon, 1997), 31–123; and 4QInstruction published by John Strugnell
and Daniel J. Harrington, Qumran Cave 4.XXIV; Sapiential Texts, Part 2, 4Q415ff (DJD
34; Oxford: Clarendon, 1999).
89. Such a tripartite authoritative division is suggested by 4QMMT (= 4Q397)
14–21 10–11; see Elisha Qimron and John Strugnell, Qumran Cave 4.V: Miqsat Ma(ase
ha-Torah [DJD 10; Oxford: Clarendon, 1994], 27), the prologue of the grandson of
Ben Sira to the Greek translation of his grandfather, and Luke 24:44.