the-bible-and-the-dead-sea-scrolls

184 IMPACT OF QUMRAN TEXTS ON PAULINE THEOLOGY
Qumran (1QS 10.17–21) Paul (Rom 12:17–21)
1a. I will not repay to 1a. Repay no one evil
anybody the reward of evil. for evil.
1b. I will pursue man with 1b. Be concerned about
goodness. what is good in the sight of all
men [cf. Prov 3:4 LXX].
2. For with God rests the 4. Leave it to the wrath of
judgment of every living God; for it is written,
being, and it is he who will “Vengeance is mine, I will
render to man his reward. repay,” says the Lord [Deut
32:35].
4. I will not grapple with 2. Live at peace with all
the men of perdition. men.
5. I will have wrath and Give your enemy to eat
no pity for the children
of injustice.
and to drink.
One may ask: How close to 1QS 10 is Paul in Rom 12–13 or the
Jewish-Christian tradition he is using? In any case, the Pauline ending of
a series of ethical topics seems to be typical for the contrast to Qumran.
CONCLUSIONS
Some of the nineteen “parallels” quoted above are of eminent importance
for a better understanding of what Paul is saying. I believe this is especially
true for the idea of the eschatological revelation of God’s
righteousness (A 1, above); in this first case I add that with this parallel
one can also sharpen the analysis of Paul’s saying. We can also gain a better
understanding of Paul on the relationship between present salvation
and hope (A 3), on the distinction between “Law” and “faith” according
to Hab 2:4 (C 1), on the way in which Paul argues regarding crucifixion
(C 3), on Paul’s and Qumran’s expression “works of the Law” (C 4), on
the Qumranian sola gratia (C 6), and finally also for a set of ethical traditions
concerning hate and love (D 3).
This is one way of looking at the so-called parallels: Where are they
helpful for a better understanding of Paul? It is most interesting to see
how very differently sometimes Paul uses the same words and phrases;