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CHAPTER TWELVE<br />

THE IMPORTANCE OF ISAIAH AT QUMRAN<br />

J. J. M. Roberts<br />

My assigned topic is <strong>the</strong> importance of Isaiah at Qumran. 1 Here I explore<br />

three indications of that importance: (1) <strong>the</strong> number <strong>and</strong> nature of <strong>the</strong><br />

manuscripts of Isaiah found at Qumran, (2) <strong>the</strong> number <strong>and</strong> nature of <strong>the</strong><br />

allusions <strong>and</strong> citations from Isaiah found in o<strong>the</strong>r Qumran literature, <strong>and</strong><br />

(3) <strong>the</strong> exegetical approach to Isaiah reflected in <strong>the</strong> commentaries on<br />

Isaiah produced at Qumran. In discussing <strong>the</strong>se indications, I take a hint<br />

from <strong>the</strong> original oracles of Isaiah of Jerusalem, for which double entendre<br />

is a significant feature. 2 Following <strong>the</strong> lead of <strong>the</strong> prophet’s intentional<br />

ambiguity, I will address <strong>the</strong> issue of <strong>the</strong> importance of Isaiah at Qumran<br />

from two different perspectives: (1) <strong>the</strong> importance of Isaiah for <strong>the</strong><br />

Qumran community <strong>and</strong> (2) <strong>the</strong> importance of <strong>the</strong> Qumran community’s<br />

use of Isaiah for <strong>the</strong> contemporary community of biblical scholars.<br />

MANUSCRIPTS OF ISAIAH AT QUMRAN<br />

One quite clear indication of <strong>the</strong> importance of <strong>the</strong> book at Isaiah at<br />

Qumran is <strong>the</strong> sheer number of manuscripts of Isaiah found at Qumran.<br />

With <strong>the</strong> recent publication of <strong>the</strong> numerous fragmentary <strong>scrolls</strong> of Isaiah<br />

from Cave 4, 3 it now appears that <strong>the</strong>re were at least twenty separate<br />

<strong>scrolls</strong> of Isaiah in use in <strong>the</strong> Qumran community. Two of those <strong>scrolls</strong><br />

come from cave 1: The large, basically complete scroll of Isaiah, 1QIsa a ,<br />

was among <strong>the</strong> first <strong>scrolls</strong> discovered <strong>and</strong> helped to create <strong>the</strong> original<br />

1. I presented this paper as one of <strong>the</strong> plenary addresses at The Second Princeton<br />

Symposium on Judaism <strong>and</strong> Christian Origins: “Biblical Theology <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Dead Sea<br />

Scrolls: A Jubilee Celebration,” Nov. 9–12, 1997. I shared an earlier version of some<br />

of <strong>the</strong>se same ideas in Austin, Texas, Feb. 25, 1994, at <strong>the</strong> “Symposium on Isaiah <strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> Qumran Materials,” hosted by <strong>the</strong> University of Texas <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Institute for<br />

Christian Studies.<br />

2. J. J. M. Roberts, “Double Entendre in First Isaiah,” CBQ 54 (1992): 39–48.<br />

3. Eugene C. Ulrich et al., eds., Qumran Cave 4.X: The Prophets (DJD 15; Oxford:<br />

Clarendon, 1997).<br />

273

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