Intertestamental, Apocrypha, NT Use: Qumran
- Intertestamental, Apocrypha, NT Use:Qumran
Scholars have argued that the two texts of A.'s title view stone vessels as susceptible to impurity. Chalk vessel finds at Kh. Qumran have presented a challenge to this idea, and solutions to date have proved unsatisfying. The recent publication of final reports on these finds invites us to reconsider both the archaeological and the textual evidence relevant to the ritual status of stone vessels at the Qumran site. The typological profile of the Kh. Qumran assemblage parallels that found at Jewish sites elsewhere. I argue here that both of the above documents view stone vessels as unsusceptible to most kinds of ritual impurity—apart from corpse impurity. In so doing, I elucidate the pentateuchal basis for the documents' view on the matter and seek to make the case that this view was common among contemporary Jews. Against this background, I also explore the origins of the chalk vessel industry in the 1st cent. b.c.e. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.]
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The re-emergence of the Sons of Zadok in CD-A, and later in Da, 1QS-1QSa, 1QSb, 4QFlor, and 4Qpap pIsaa has generated a variety of scholarly interpretations. Many scholars have considered the references to the Sons of Zadok in these texts mainly in relation to the Sons of Aaron and most often within the setting of the yaḥad as well. While some have argued for an exile of the Zadokites from Jerusalem, many others have sought to connect [End Page 576] the above texts' mentions of the Sons of Zadok to internal fractures within the yaḥad itself; still others propose that the designation should not be understood in a genealogical sense or even suggest that it be regarded as a literary invention. Against this background, my study begins by considering the Sons of Zadok designation against the backdrop of Hasmonean rule. It does this by interpreting the designation in light of Ezekiel 40–48 and in relation to other ideologies that have found their way into the DSS. As in Ezekiel 40–48, the Sons of Zadok in the DSS have an ideological function. In particular, the adoption of this appellation was an ideological tactic on the part of the Zadokite scribes to lend additional support to their dual Messiah eschatology which involved a separation of the high priesthood from the royal office. Adoption of the designation further seems to imply a refusal on the part of the yaḥad's leadership of the authority of the Hasmonean ruler, Alexander Janneus, especially in his role as high priest. By the same token, the designation reflects a further radicalization in the self-perception of the yaḥad itself, or at least a significant portion of it. Second, my study suggests that all, or almost all, the above-mentioned Scrolls derive from the same circle of scribes. Even though all, or almost all, of these texts are probably based on earlier exemplars, these scrolls appeared to have been copied in order to be read together. The re-emergence of the Sons of Zadok in the DSS, as also probably in Sir 51:12a-o, can tentatively be dated to the time of Janneus. Political and other changes following his death may explain why the Sons of Zadok are not mentioned in later DSS texts. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.]
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