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historical perspectives: from the hasmoneans to bar kokhba in light ...

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98 BILHAH NITZAN<br />

<strong>in</strong> order <strong>to</strong> remove <strong>from</strong> among <strong>the</strong> exiles those who rebel and transgress<br />

aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> Lord. The wilderness plays a symbolic role <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

escha<strong>to</strong>logical ideology of <strong>the</strong> Qumran community, as <strong>the</strong> place and<br />

time of "prepar<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> way <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> wilderness" for ga<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g eternal<br />

salvation (1QS 8:13-16). This seems <strong>to</strong> apply both <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> fulfillment<br />

of <strong>the</strong> covenant regulations of <strong>the</strong> Qumran community and <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

removal of <strong>the</strong> rebels <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> community, as was <strong>the</strong> situation dur<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>the</strong> Exodus. 37 For this typological ideology, see <strong>the</strong> use of <strong>the</strong><br />

terms ("<strong>the</strong> penitents of <strong>the</strong> desert," 4QpPs a 3:1) and<br />

("<strong>the</strong> desert of <strong>the</strong> people," 1QM 1:3) for <strong>the</strong> members<br />

of <strong>the</strong> Qumran community.<br />

IV<br />

The dilemma of hold<strong>in</strong>g a concept of a covenant based simultaneously on free<br />

will and a concept of predest<strong>in</strong>ation<br />

As we have seen, <strong>the</strong> Qumran community realized that it must periodically<br />

purge itself of unfit members those who were unable <strong>to</strong> realize<br />

<strong>the</strong> sect's ideal of itself as <strong>the</strong> embodiment of <strong>the</strong> escha<strong>to</strong>logical<br />

new covenant of God with Israel. That is, <strong>the</strong> sect assumed that<br />

people entered its ranks due <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir own free will, 38 and that now<br />

and <strong>the</strong>n mistakes were made. However, it is also well known that<br />

<strong>the</strong> sect believed that a predest<strong>in</strong>ed fate governed <strong>the</strong> life of each<br />

<strong>in</strong>dividual (see 1QS 3:15-4:26, 1QH a 7:20, 15:12-15, 18:24-25; CD<br />

2:3-13, etc.; cf. Josephus, Ant. 13.172). 39 The conflict between <strong>the</strong>se<br />

assumptions is evident and should have bo<strong>the</strong>red <strong>the</strong> community.<br />

Indeed, <strong>the</strong> question as <strong>to</strong> whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> members of <strong>the</strong> Qumran<br />

community were conscious of this dilemma has already been raised<br />

by Jacob Licht, who observed <strong>the</strong> tension between <strong>the</strong>se two concepts.<br />

Licht suggested that <strong>the</strong> term , <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> sense of 'volunteer<strong>in</strong>g,'<br />

which appears <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> term for <strong>the</strong> members of <strong>the</strong><br />

community, e.g., "who volunteer ... <strong>to</strong> set up His covenant" and<br />

37 See CD 20:13b-15a alluded <strong>to</strong> Deut. 2:14.<br />

38 On <strong>the</strong> idea of a covenant based of free will, see for example Josh. 24:14-25.<br />

39 On <strong>the</strong> concept of predest<strong>in</strong>ation held by <strong>the</strong> Qumran community, see Licht,<br />

Rule Scroll, 81—105; A. Lange, "Weisheit und Pradest<strong>in</strong>ation," <strong>in</strong> Weisheitliche Urordnung<br />

und Pradest<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>in</strong> den Textfunden von Qumran, STDJ 18 (Leiden: Brill, 1995); A. Lange,<br />

"Wisdom and Predest<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Dead Sea Scrolls," DSD 2 (1995): 340-54.

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