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What is the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls? In this overview, we explore the most critical archaeological discovery of the 20th century and what it means for Messianic Judaism.
The Dead Sea Scrolls: Significance & Importance for Messianic Judaism
The Hebrew Bible is considered to be the most influential book of all time. It’s contents, categorically summarized by the Hebrew acronym ‘Tanakh’ (Torah, Prophets, & Writings), form the authoritative and sacred texts of the Jewish people, and further serve as the textual source for the Christian Bible. According to the March 2007 edition of Time Magazine, the Bible, “has done more to shape literature, history, entertainment, and culture than any book ever written. Its influence on world history is unparalleled, and show no signs of abating.”
The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) certainly has had a profound influence on human history. The Torah and its adherents were the first to introduce monotheism to a predominately polytheistic world. It’s laws and wisdom serve as the basis for morality and in many instances the inspiration of civil law for secular governments. The Tanakh presents poetic literature of the highest order through the ancient words of the prophets; and it’s record of history is widely accepted as an authoritative chronicle.
Yet, more than a canon of literature and history, the Tanakh is the esteemed Word of God, conveyed to mankind through the mouths and quills of Jewish emissaries who spoke to their contemporaries and still speak to us today. Such enduring words are the true mark of the eternal, immortalized legacy of the Sacred Scriptures. Thus, the assertion of Time Magazine reigns truer than one might realize, it [truly] ‘shows no signs of abating.’
Lessons Learned
It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law. (Yeshua – Luke 16:17)
Yeshua’s words are true in part thanks to the centuries-long tradition of meticulous copying and recopying of the books of the Hebrew Bible. The sacred words of Tanakh have been preserved, guarded, and verified by Jewish scribes and sages throughout the centuries; and for that the world is indebted. Yet, despite the respect and diligence with which the Tanakh was transmitted by Judaism’s Scribes, the earliest surviving manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible prior to the twentieth-century existed in the form of the Masoretic Text (Cairo Codex, 895 CE).
Prior to 1947, no ancient manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible existed in their original language before the Christian Era. Modern scholars seeking to understand the history of the Hebrew Bible relied heavily on non-Hebrew sources that often predated and [in few instances] differed from the Masoretic Text – among them were the Greek Septuagint and Samaritan Pentateuch. When considering the enormous time gap between the composition of the most ancient books of the Hebrew Bible and the earliest surviving copies (approximately two-millennia), it’s reasonable to assume that much could happen to a particular text over so many centuries.
However, the climate of Biblical scholarship changed dramatically and unexpectedly in 1947, when two Bedouin Shepherds stumbled upon a cave and found what would later be hailed as the greatest archeological discovery of the twentieth century: Over 800 original manuscripts, to include 202 biblical manuscripts written in their original language and dating to at least the last centuries BC and the first century CE, were discovered in eleven different caves along the north-western shore of the Dead Sea.
The sheer number and variety of manuscripts discovered at Qumran is unprecedented, and the ancient manuscripts have proven to be most valuable in reshaping our understanding of one of the most volatile periods in Jewish history. Consequently, the Qumran Scrolls are far and away the oldest copies of biblical books on record, and have narrowed the aforementioned gap by almost a millennia.
The best-preserved manuscripts were found in Cave 1, and include the ‘Mona-Lisa’ of Jewish discovery: A complete scroll that dates approximately to 100 BCE and contains all 66 chapters of the Book of Isaiah in its original language (1QIsaa). Once scholars had the opportunity to study the great scroll of Isaiah and compare it to the Masoretic text, their findings were astounding. Despite the fact that the Isaiah scroll was about a thousand years older than the Masoretic version of Isaiah, the two were nearly identical. Similar results were obtained from comparative studies repeated for many other scriptural books found at Qumran. In all cases, the results demonstrate in a forceful way how carefully Jewish scribes transmitted the text across the centuries. Furthermore, the number of Biblical texts and the variety of texts discovered aid scholars in better understanding the historical development of the Biblical cannon and what various Jewish movements considered “authoritative” in the Second Temple era.
Sectarian Scrolls
As mentioned prior, the Dead Sea Scrolls consist of a variety of texts. Perhaps the greatest interest in contributing to the understanding of Second Temple Judaism remains with the sectarian writings. The ‘Sectarian Scrolls’ describe the special theology, worldview, and history of a particular “sect” or “group” of Judaism.
Immediately upon the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, much speculation was given over to who was possibly responsible for the scribal authorship and transmission of the Qumran texts. Eleazar Sukenik, who purchases three of the original scrolls discovered in Cave 1, was the first scholar to propose that the scrolls might have a connection with the Essenes (one of the three ancient Jewish groups or “sects” described by the historian Josephus). Remarkably, the ancient beliefs and practices attributed to the Essenes by various historians of antiquity (Josephus, Pliny, Philo, and others) are overwhelming similar to the beliefs and practices represented in the Dead Sea Scrolls. However, most scholars agree that the collection of Sectarian texts were more than likely composed by multiple groups, within and outside of the Qumran Community. While such evidence does not negate association with the Essene sect, it does suggest that the Qumran community can be classified as an evolving community, or ‘communities’. The community itself identified themselves as the ‘Yahad’, a designation meant to emphasize the “oneness” or “unity” of the group.
The most well-known of the manuscripts of the Sectarian texts include: Serech HaYahad (The Community Rule), a manuscript describing the doctrine, constitution, and regulations of the community owning the scrolls at Qumran; the War Scroll, which describes an eschatological battle between the ‘Sons of Light’ and ‘Sons of Darkness’; the Damascus Document; Temple Scroll; and numerous pesharim (interpretations of biblical texts), such as, Pesher Habakkuk (commentary on Habakkuk).
The core texts of the Sectarian Scrolls reveal a closed social system, and a worldview centered around eschatological expectations. The group not only preserved their beliefs in what is recorded in the Dead Sea Scrolls, but developed a worldview that put them at odds with the rest of the Jewish people and the outside world. They esteemed themselves as members of the ‘new covenant’ and believed that the Last Days were eminent – thus, their rules and regulations were formed on the premise of that understanding.
The Community Rule
(1QS, 4Q255-64, 4Q280, 286-7, 4Q502, 5Q11, 13)
Of the Scrolls mentioned above, Serech HaYahad (The Community Rule) is generally regarded as the oldest manuscript pertaining to the evolving sect. Its contents are suggested to have originated around 100 BCE, and as far as most scholars know, no writings in ancient Jewish sources can be compared to it.
The composition of The Community Rule was intended to provide an outline for the community’s teachers and leaders (Guardians) concerning the organization and discipline of the group. In studying this most famous of sectarian manuscripts, one not only gains insight into the community at Qumran, but it also peers into the wider spectrum of ancient Jewish belief and practice.
The text defines the basic structure for conducting religious ceremonies and provides a manual for statutes relating to the Council of the community. Generally speaking, the contents of Serech HaYahad express those practices that are particularly relevant to life in the group: The manuscript first defines the nature of God and characterizes man’s role in relation to the two spirits of light and darkness. The text then provides directives concerning the commencement process for initiating new members seeking to join the sect, and defines offences with their respective punishments. Finally, the text concludes with an outline of the duties of the Master and his disciples through a poetic dissertation, otherwise known as the ‘Master’s Hymn’.
From the contents of the text, it is evident that the Qumran Group espoused a highly dualistic view of the world – a world sharply divided between good and evil, light and darkness – and cultivated a communal life of extreme ritual purity, necessitated by their withdrawal and rejection of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Upon studying the manuscript, it isn’t long before one discovers what might have motivated the Qumran community to withdraw from the Temple, and seclude themselves in the Judean Wilderness in the first place:
Whoever approaches the Council of the Community shall enter the Covenant of God in the presence of all who have freely pledged themselves. He shall undertake by a binding oath to return with all his heart and soul to every commandment of the Law of Moses in accordance with all that has been revealed of it to the sons of Zadok, the Priests, Keepers of the Covenant and Seekers of His will...
It is clear that the Qumran group was founded and led by cohanim who called themselves sons of Zadok (the leading priest in the time of David and Solomon). It is plausible that such an emphasis on the correct priestly line would attribute to their understanding of their own formation and mission. For that reason, the group is believed to have fled, or been driven out of Jerusalem as a result of a dispute with the priestly leaders over the reckoning of the calendar and matters of halachic interpretation. The most probable timetable for such a dispute is the onset of the Hasmonean dynasty.
It is also noteworthy to point out, that given the Yahad’s deep priestly roots and association with Zadok, not to mention their opposition to the Pharisees, some scholars believe that the Qumran group may have been a branch of the Sadducees (the term Tzadokim is derived from the name Zadok). While it is true that the Sadducees and the Essenes may well have agreed on a number of issues specifically pertaining to views concerning the calendar and their conservative interpretations on some matters of the Torah, they presumably did not agree about everything, the most obvious examples are the Yahad’s belief in the Messiah(s), the existence of multitudes of angels and the all-controlling power of fate, eternal reward and punishment, afterlife, and resurrection of dead. Thus, a claim cannot be made that the Qumran group was Sadducean based on the fact they shared views concerning a few individual laws. Rather, the most convincing view of the Qumran group that collected, preserved and in some cases wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls is the Essene splinter-group theory. This view holds that the group at Qumran was an offshoot of a larger Essene movement that was present in various parts of Israel.
Nevertheless, the Yahad’s evolution into the Qumran group we understand today and their relationship[or lack their of] with rest of the Jewish world, still sheds light on the Jewish climate that existed at the end of the Second Temple Period.
Perhaps the most enlightening aspect of the Qumran group is their flexibility and interpretation concerning matters of the Torah in some regards. Especially those concerning the group’s interpretation of atonement and how it relates to a community in exile from the Temple:
When these become members of the Community in Israel according to all these rules, they shall establish the spirit of holiness according to everlasting truth. They shall atone for guilty rebellion and for sins of unfaithfulness, that they may obtain loving-kindness for the Land without the flesh of holocausts and the fat of sacrifice. And prayer rightly offered shall be as an acceptable fragrance of righteousness, and perfection of way as a delectable free-will offering.
Interestingly, Serech HaYahad presents the Qumran group as a holy of holies for Israel, that is, as the most sacred group within the larger holy community. Their task was supposedly to atone for the land and to serve as a pleasing offering to God. In essence, the Yahad saw the life of the community as a substitute for the temple rituals of offerings and atonement. With such a lofty self-perception, also came lofty standards of conduct: Deliberate violation of any Mosaic precept was punished by expulsion without the hope of return; and inadvertent violations earned the sinner a two-year sentence outside the community.
Today, Jewish interpretations that support the idea of “prayer”, “repentance”, and “mitzvoth” as a means for atonement are standard and common. However, they were interpretations that did not come easy immediately upon the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Nevertheless, one might be surprised to learn that such interpretations did exist long before the Temple’s destruction. This again reflects the revealing nature of the Sectarian manuscripts.
Above all else, the contents of the Scrolls reveal a remarkable flexibility and variety of Jewish thought and practice in the first century. The fact that such interpretations had room to exist, and in fact that such a variety of thought amongst the Jewish sects did exist, serves to emphasize the degree to which Judaism was still wrestling to finding its own identity at the time of Yeshua. Truly, there is so much that we can learn about the state Judaism and the history of its development through the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. With that being said, The Community Rule and various other artifacts found in addition to the scrolls at Qumran do seem to highlight some points of interest that were common for the majority of Jewish sects. The Serech HaYahad speaks the gravity of slander, and among others, the utterance of the Ineffable Name:
If any man has uttered the [Most] Venerable Name even though frivolously, or as a result of shock or for any other reason whatever, while reading the Book or blessing, he shall be dismissed and shall return to the Council of the Community no more.
This passage from the Community Rule, although uniquely grave in the Qumran group’s punitive measure, highlights the stern stance that Judaism’s has typically and historically taken towards the utterance of the Ineffable Name. It would suffice it to say, that the various Sacred Name movements of today would not find a place refuge among the group in Qumran group.
Other points of interest in this regard are found outside the Scrolls as well. In addition to the variety of Scrolls found at Qumran, various other artifacts of Jewish interest were discovered, including [but not limited to] a large number of Tefillin and Mezuzot. In Cave 4 alone, a total of twenty-one sets of Tefillin were recovered (4Q128-48) as well as seven Mezuzot (4Q149-55). While the numbers are less staggering in other caves, discoveries of this kind are frequent throughout the Judean wilderness. The presence of numerous sets of Tefillin & Mezuzot at Qumran sheds light on Jewish practice prior to and during the first century CE, and suggests that such practices were not limited exclusively to one sect.
The Importance for Messianic Judaism
Many are the contributions The Dead Sea Scrolls have made to Judaism and the field of Biblical Study. The fact that their discovery coincides with the birth of the modern State of Israel is of no small significance. The Scrolls themselves embody the essence of the Jewish rebirth that rose out of the ashes of the Shoah and a bitter 2,000 year exile from the Land of Israel.
Much can also be said of their importance to the faith and practices of Messianic Jewish believers. Early in the Christian era, strenuous efforts were made by the emerging Gentile Church to divorce itself entirely from Jewish influence. What transpired was a doctrine and practice unrecognizable to Judaism. The clear lines that have been upheld throughout the centuries have not made it impossible for Jewish identity to flourish in Messiah Yeshua, but it has made it more difficult. Thus, the contribution of Dead Sea Scrolls and their discovery has done considerable good to humanity in hastening the effort to rectify the perceived chasm.
In his book, The Dead Sea Scrolls Today, James Vanderkam highlights the significance that the discovery of the Scrolls has had in the last 70 years: “The Qumran Scrolls have shown, to a far greater extent than what was sensed prior to 1947, how deeply rooted early Christianity was in the Jewish soil that nourished it.” While many of the same conclusions were discernable in centuries prior, and in many ways through the comparative study of the B’rit Chadasha and rabbinic literature, it is safe to say that the picture has changed dramatically with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
All of the New Testament is written in Greek (with several Hebrew and Aramaic transliterations). However, Yeshua and his disciples were Semitic-speaking Jews of Galilee and Judea. Comparing the sayings of Yeshua and his talmidim to rabbinic literature is helpful in that the Mishnah and Gemarah contain many oral mesorot that predate the first century. However, the Mishnah’s language is very cryptic and it wasn’t redacted until the late second century; the Gemarah much later. With the Dead Sea Scrolls, scholars now have at their disposal a considerable body of Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts that existed at the time of Yeshua. Thus, the earliest preaching of Yeshua and his talmidim can be compared to the languages written and spoken in his day. The comparison does little to cause us to reconsider the Greek translation, it does, however, reinforce the New Testament’s Jewish background and makes the Jewish soul of its authors evidently clear.
In conclusion, the major contribution of the Qumran scrolls to Messianic Judaism is to demonstrate the profound and yet simple fact that the early Messianic Jewish movement relative to its Jewish contemporaries in the First Century differed not so much in halachah and religious observance, or eschatological expectations, than in it did in the conviction that Yeshua of Natzeret is the Jewish Messiah. For this reason, the discovery of the Scrolls has helped strengthen Messianic Jewish belief and practice in many ways.
