The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christianity

Discussion about the New Testament, apocrypha, gnostics, church fathers, Christian origins, historical Jesus or otherwise, etc.
User avatar
DCHindley
Posts: 3411
Joined: Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:53 am
Location: Ohio, USA

Re: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christianity

Post by DCHindley »

John2 wrote: Wed Jan 24, 2018 5:47 pm Regarding the Fourth Philosophic mindset, Josephus says in War 6.5.4 that:
But now, what did the most elevate them in undertaking this war, was an ambiguous oracle that was also found in their sacred writings, how, about that time, one from their country should become governor of the habitable earth. The Jews took this prediction to belong to themselves in particular, and many of the wise men were thereby deceived in their determination.
But War 6.5.4 was about the oracle, and how the people misinterpreted it, making no connection whatsoever with 4th philosophy movements. Like any tragic event (I was just watching a TV show "What Makes Aircraft Crash") there are usually several smaller events that, taken individually, wouldn't cause the tragedy, but together cause the accident.

Josephus felt that, yes, 4th philosophy teaching was a major cause of the tragedy, but it was also fueled on by the arrogance of the aristocracy as well as "ambiguous oracles" (statements in Law or Prophets) that were "mistakenly" taken to mean that a Judean would rule the inhabited earth, when in "reality" it referred to Vespasian (or Vespasian & Titus, depending on whether you follow Joe or Tacitus).

DCH
John2
Posts: 4309
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 4:42 pm

Re: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christianity

Post by John2 »

DC wrote:
But War 6.5.4 was about the oracle, and how the people misinterpreted it, making no connection whatsoever with 4th philosophy movements.
The 66-70 CE war was the culmination of the Fourth Philosophy which began in 6 CE. Josephus connects the beginning and the end of the Fourth Philosophy in Ant. 18.1.1 and 18.1.6:

Ant. 18.1.1:
Yet was there one Judas, a Gaulonite, of a city whose name was Gamala, who, taking with him Sadduc, a Pharisee, became zealous to draw them to a revolt, who both said that this taxation [in 6 CE] was no better than an introduction to slavery, and exhorted the nation to assert their liberty; as if they could procure them happiness and security for what they possessed, and an assured enjoyment of a still greater good, which was that of the honor and glory they would thereby acquire for magnanimity. They also said that God would not otherwise be assisting to them, than upon their joining with one another in such councils as might be successful, and for their own advantage; and this especially, if they would set about great exploits, and not grow weary in executing the same; so men received what they said with pleasure, and this bold attempt proceeded to a great height. All sorts of misfortunes also sprang from these men, and the nation was infected with this doctrine to an incredible degree; one violent war came upon us after another, and we lost our friends which used to alleviate our pains; there were also very great robberies and murder of our principal men. This was done in pretense indeed for the public welfare, but in reality for the hopes of gain to themselves; whence arose seditions, and from them murders of men, which sometimes fell on those of their own people, (by the madness of these men towards one another, while their desire was that none of the adverse party might be left,) and sometimes on their enemies; a famine also coming upon us, reduced us to the last degree of despair, as did also the taking and demolishing of cities; nay, the sedition at last increased so high, that the very temple of God was burnt down by their enemies' fire. Such were the consequences of this, that the customs of our fathers were altered, and such a change was made, as added a mighty weight toward bringing all to destruction, which these men occasioned by their thus conspiring together; for Judas and Sadduc, who excited a fourth philosophic sect among us, and had a great many followers therein, filled our civil government with tumults at present, and laid the foundations of our future miseries, by this system of philosophy, which we were before unacquainted withal, concerning which I will discourse a little, and this the rather because the infection which spread thence among the younger sort, who were zealous for it, brought the public to destruction.
Ant. 18.1.6:
But of the fourth sect of Jewish philosophy, Judas the Galilean was the author. These men agree in all other things with the Pharisaic notions; but they have an inviolable attachment to liberty, and say that God is to be their only Ruler and Lord. They also do not value dying any kinds of death, nor indeed do they heed the deaths of their relations and friends, nor can any such fear make them call any man lord. And since this immovable resolution of theirs is well known to a great many, I shall speak no further about that matter; nor am I afraid that any thing I have said of them should be disbelieved, but rather fear, that what I have said is beneath the resolution they show when they undergo pain. And it was in Gessius Florus's time [64 CE to 66 CE] that the nation began to grow mad with this distemper, who was our procurator, and who occasioned the Jews to go wild with it by the abuse of his authority, and to make them revolt from the Romans. And these are the sects of Jewish philosophy.
War 6.5.4:
The Jews took this prediction to belong to themselves in particular, and many of the wise men were thereby deceived in their determination. Now this oracle certainly denoted the government of Vespasian, who was appointed emperor in Judea. However, it is not possible for men to avoid fate, although they see it beforehand. But these men interpreted some of these signals according to their own pleasure, and some of them they utterly despised, until their madness was demonstrated, both by the taking of their city and their own destruction.

So Josephus connects the time (and philosophy) of Judas with the time (and philosophy) of Florus, and given the presence of messianic DSS texts that date to the Herodian era and just prior to it, I don't buy the idea that Jews were not expecting that "one from their country should become governor of the habitable earth" before 66 CE. How else do you suppose that Judas the Galilean and Sadduc expected (and taught others) that God would "be assisting to them"? Were Fourth Philosophers really unaware of (or uninspired by) the DSS (most of which date to the Herodian era) and non-messianic until 66 CE?
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.
John2
Posts: 4309
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 4:42 pm

Re: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christianity

Post by John2 »

Isayre wrote:
Does this dating imply that there is a possibility for the Teacher Of Righteousness to be Jesus?
It's funny you ask that, I was wondering the same thing myself, if perhaps there could be something to the idea that the Teacher was Jesus after all.

I suppose if the Damascus Document is a product of the Fourth Philosophy (or one of its factions, i.e, Christianity), then the foundation of the sect could be described in the opening column, as the time when:
... He [God] visited them, and He caused a root of planting to spring from Israel and Aaron to inherit His Land and to prosper on the good things of His earth. And they perceived their iniquity and recognized that they were guilty men, yet for twenty years they were like blind men groping for the way.


As Blanton, for example, puts it regarding this:
The language of "root"/"shoot" combined with the planting imagery is related to biblical passages such as Isa 11, to Jewish texts of the Second Temple period such as Jub 1:16; 21:24; 1 Enoch 10:16, and to other texts that were produced by the sectarian Association, such as 1QS 8:5. Using this imagery the sect is able to establish its pedigree as a group that was founded by an act of divine election, as God chose and nourished the "root" that would later constitute the sect. Through a creative use of the remnant theology, D is able to present itself as the sole legitimate heir to Israel's traditions ...

https://books.google.com/books?id=rdaTp ... sm&f=false
So let's say that this refers to the time of Judas and Sadduc ("from Israel and Aaron"?) c. 6 CE, when they began to teach people that God would "be assisting to them." Then the Damascus Document goes on to say that twenty years later (c. 26 CE):
God observed their deeds, that they sought Him with a whole heart, and He raised for them a Teacher of Righteousness to guide them in the way of His heart.
So I suppose it wouldn't be impossible for this to be Jesus, timeline-wise. And Jesus and the Teacher were both tried and sentenced to death by a "wicked priest." And both of them opposed the Pharisees, knew "all the mysteries of the words of His servants the Prophets," preached a "new covenant" that was really a renewed old covenant, and "foretold all that would happen to His people and His land."

Mk. 8:31-33:
He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Mk. 14:49:
Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.
1QpHab. col. 2:
Interpreted, this concerns] those who were unfaithful together with the Liar, in that they [did] not [listen to the word received by] the Teacher of Righteousness from the mouth of God. And it concerns the unfaithful of the New [Covenant] in that they have not believed in the Covenant of God [and have profaned] His holy Name. And likewise, this saying is to be interpreted [as concerning those who] will be unfaithful at the end of days. They, the men of violence and the breakers of the Covenant, will not believe when they hear all that [is to happen to] the final generation from the Priest [in whose heart] God set [understanding] that he might interpret all the words of His servants the Prophets, through whom He foretold all that would happen to His people and [His land].
Mk. 11:27-33:
They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”

Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ . . . ” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)

So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
Mk. 13:1-23:
As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

“You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

“When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.

“If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.


1QpHab. col. 7:
Interpreted, this concerns the men of truth who keep the Law, whose hands shall not slacken in the service of truth when the final age is prolonged. For all the ages of God reach their appointed end as He determines for them in the mysteries of His wisdom.

Mk. 13:32-27:
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”
Last edited by John2 on Tue Jan 30, 2018 12:30 pm, edited 9 times in total.
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.
John2
Posts: 4309
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 4:42 pm

Re: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christianity

Post by John2 »

And "righteousness" (based on the OT) is the cornerstone of Jesus' teaching.

Mt. 5:17-20:
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Mt. 5:6:
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Mt. 5:10:
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.
John2
Posts: 4309
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 4:42 pm

Re: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christianity

Post by John2 »

Another similarity between Jesus and the Teacher that comes to mind is that both espoused a philosophy of suffering. In Mk. 8:31-32 and 13:9-13, for examples, Jesus teaches that he and his followers will suffer:
He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them ... Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit ... Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.


And 1 Peter 1:10-11 and 2:19-21 say:
Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.
For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
1QpHab cols. 7-8:
"But the righteous shall live by his faith" [Hab. 2:4]. Interpreted, this concerns all those who observe the Law in the House of Judah, whom God will deliver from the house of judgment because of their suffering and because of their faith in the Teacher of Righteousness.
And the word that is translated here as "suffering" (amal) is used to describe the Suffering Servant in Is. 53:11:
After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
http://biblehub.com/interlinear/isaiah/53-11.htm


.
Last edited by John2 on Wed Jan 31, 2018 4:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.
John2
Posts: 4309
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 4:42 pm

Re: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christianity

Post by John2 »

I suppose if Jesus was the Teacher of Righteousness then the figure called the Liar (if he is separate from the Wicked Priest) could still be Paul (as per Eisenman), and the Wicked Priest could then be Caiaphas.

But I have the impression that the Liar is a different person than the Wicked Priest, so this brings up a problem with the Teacher = Jesus idea since the Liar appears to have been alive at the same time as the Teacher and I've always assumed/had the impression that Paul never met Jesus (but now I'm wondering what the evidence is for that).

And Paul's belief in at least the spiritual Jesus is the reason he "flouted the Law," so to speak (as he says in Rom. 14:14, "I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself"), and he says that he had been "advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers" in Gal. 1:14 when he had persecuted the Church before God revealed Jesus in him in Gal. 1:15-16. So it seems unlikely to me that Paul would have "flouted the Law" prior to his conversion to Christianity, whether he met Jesus or not.

1QpHab col. 5:
"O traitors, why do you stare and stay silent when the wicked swallows up one more righteous than he?" [Hab. 1:13]

Interpreted, this concerns the House of Absalom and the members of its council who were dumb at the time of the chastisement of the Teacher of Righteousness and gave him no help against the Liar who flouted the Law in the midst of their whole [congregation].


Perhaps there could be a translation issue here (the above is by Vermes), but other translations I've seen appear to be similar, including this one of unknown provenance:
"Why do the traitors look and plough evil swallowing righteousness away from us." Pesher about the House of Absalom and the men of their council which fall silent in reproaching of the Moreh Tsedek. But they do not help him against the lying man who does violence to the Torah among all the nations.


The "among all the nations" part is interesting (vs. Vermes' "in the midst of their whole [congregation]") and would have even more Pauline resonance, but I'll have to check the Hebrew later.
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.
John2
Posts: 4309
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 4:42 pm

Re: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christianity

Post by John2 »

With the James = the Teacher idea this reference to the Liar is not a problem, since Paul says that he had met James in Gal. 1:19 and had "flouted the Law in the midst of their whole [congregation]" (so to speak) in Gal. 2:2-6:
I went [to Jerusalem] in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message.


This situation seems more in keeping with 1QpHab col. 5:
"O traitors, why do you stare and stay silent when the wicked swallows up one more righteous than he?" [Hab. 1:13]

Interpreted, this concerns the House of Absalom and the members of its council who were dumb at the time of the chastisement of the Teacher of Righteousness and gave him no help against the Liar who flouted the Law in the midst of their whole [congregation].
Last edited by John2 on Wed Jan 31, 2018 6:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.
John2
Posts: 4309
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 4:42 pm

Re: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christianity

Post by John2 »

Paul's concern with teaching his gospel "in vain" in Gal. 2:2 is interesting given what 1QpHab col. 10 says about the Liar:
"Woe to him who builds a city with blood and founds a town upon falsehood! Behold, is it not from the Lord of Hosts that the peoples shall labour for fire and the nations shall strive for naught?" [Hab. 2:12-13]

Interpreted, this concerns the Spouter of Lies who led many astray that he might build his city of vanity with blood and raise a congregation on deceit, causing many thereby to perform a service of vanity for the sake of its glory, and to be pregnant with [works] of deceit, that their labour might be for nothing and that they might be punished with fire who vilified and outraged the elect of God.
Paul's "vanity" is arguably alluded to in James 2:20, which uses the same word for the "vain" man who believes in faith without works that Paul uses about his gospel:
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?


So in addition to flouting the Torah and raising their own congregations (in the context of the "new covenant," no less), the Liar and Paul were both thought of as being "vain."

And Paul is presented as having been "punished with fire" too in Acts 21:27-36, 22:22 and 23:12-15:
... some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.)

The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul ...

When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!”
Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”
The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty men were involved in this plot. They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.”
Last edited by John2 on Wed Jan 31, 2018 8:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.
John2
Posts: 4309
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 4:42 pm

Re: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christianity

Post by John2 »

So Paul and the Liar were "vain," "flouted the Law," "punished by fire" and "vilified and outraged the Elect of God."

Gal. 2:2:
I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain.
Gal. 3:1-4:
You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain?
Gal. 4:11:
I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.
2 Cor. 6:1:
As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.
1 Thes. 3:5:
For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain.
1QpHab col. 2:
[Interpreted, this concerns] those who were unfaithful together with the Liar, in that they [did] not [listen to the word received by] the Teacher of Righteousness from the mouth of God. And it concerns the unfaithful of the New [Covenant] in that they have not believed in the Covenant of God [and have profaned] His holy Name.
1QpHab col. 5:
Interpreted, this concerns the House of Absalom and the members of its council who were dumb at the time of the chastisement of the Teacher of Righteousness and gave him no help against the Liar who flouted the Law in the midst of their whole [congregation].
1QpHab col. 10:
Interpreted, this concerns the Spouter of Lies who led many astray that he might build his city of vanity with blood and raise a congregation on deceit, causing many thereby to perform a service of vanity for the sake of its glory, and to be pregnant with [works] of deceit, that their labour might be for nothing and that they might be punished with fire who vilified and outraged the elect of God.
2 Cor. 11:4-28:
For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles ... And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve ...

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder ... have labored and toiled ... Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
Gal. 2:4-6:
This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message.
Gal. 2:13:
But when they [some from James] arrived, he [Cephas] began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
Gal. 5:6-12:
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? ... As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!
Paul also feels compelled to say that he is not lying in the context of talking about Jewish Christians.

Gal. 1:19-20:
I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.
2 Cor. 11:22-31:
Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more ... The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying.
Rom. 9:1-5:
I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised!
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.
John2
Posts: 4309
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 4:42 pm

Re: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christianity

Post by John2 »

I wrote:
I'm starting to wonder what Jewish Christian leaders "really" wanted Gentiles to do regarding Torah observance (though I'm also starting to wonder just how "lenient" the requirements set out in Acts 15 really are given James' statement in 15:21 that the Torah was available to Gentiles "in every city" and is "read in the synagogues on every Sabbath," which appears to suggest (or that it was assumed) that they were to observe the Sabbath (or at least attend synagogues on the Sabbath) and to learn about the Torah that way, but I need to give that some more thought.
Deines writes in Acts of God in History: Studies Towards Recovering a Theological Historiography:
Yet, there follows in 15:21 (and only here) a final rationale, which includes the motivation for this suggestion: "For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath." The understanding of the Apostolic Decree depends heavily on the interpretation of this verse that, almost proverbially, is one of "the most difficult of the New Testament" (so Martin Dibelius, and since then often quoted), which is also why we will begin with it here. Firstly, it is debated which element of James' previous speech is to be supported by this (vv. 16-18; v. 19; or v. 20?). Even when taking the majority view that v. 21 provides the reason for the instructions given in v. 20, one still has to ask what this means in terms of the understanding of the Apostolic Decree.

For Jervell, the relationship is clear-cut and simple: "V. 21 gives the reason for v. 20; the law is the reason for the Decree. The Decree is necessary because the law demands it. The reference to Moses thereby gives the physical place where the demand can be found, that is, the Decree is more or less to be understood as a summary of the passages in the Torah ..."

https://books.google.com/books?id=9ndjF ... es&f=false
Unfortunately, that's where it cuts off for me on Google books, but it sounds like Jervell sees it the way I am starting to lean towards.

Wendel and Miller note in Torah Ethics and Early Christian Identity that:
According to Jacob Jervell, Luke presents Gentile Christ-believers as an "associate people" who belong to Israel and are incorporated into the "true Israel" without being Israel. They are thus obligated to the laws that the Torah originally applied to Gentile resident aliens, laws that are restated in the apostolic decree of Acts 15:20 (cf. 15:29; 21:25).

This explanation rightly insists that the apostolic decree imposes part of the Torah on Gentile Christ-believers. Despite the absence of chapter and verse references, Luke's readers would have connected the prohibitions against things defiled by idols, blood, what is strangled, and sexual immorality (15:20) to the Torah ...

Nevertheless, the four requirements of the decree are not authorized by Moses. While they are connected to the law of Moses (15:21), James formulates the terms of the decree as his judgment (15:19). In the letter the "apostles and elders" send to the Gentiles, the requirements are authorized by the Holy Spirit and the Jerusalem apostles and elders, not Moses (15:28; cf. 16:4).

https://books.google.com/books?id=Zp8xD ... es&f=false


For the most part the DSS are hostile towards Gentiles, but it so happens that in the Damascus Document the situation is different. As Harrington notes in Jewish Identity and Politics Between the Maccabees and Bar Kokhba:
It is important to recognize that the Damascus Document is the only scroll to truly accept the ger at all ... Gentiles are not neutral; their idolatry makes them impure and contaminating. Nevertheless, presumably after an initiation and purification process, they can be included among the ger category of the sect.

https://books.google.com/books?id=o26q1 ... nt&f=false
And as Himmelfarb notes in A Kingdom of Priests: Ancestry and Merit in Ancient Judaism:
We have already seen that Jubilees rejects the possibility of conversion ... of the ger; similarly 4QFlorilegium prohibits the ger along with a series of foreigners from entering its eschatological temple (4Q174 I 3-4). The presence of the ger among the members of the sect shows that for the Damascus Document, in contrast, gentiles were not so essentially different from Jews that it was impossible to cross the boundary.

https://books.google.com/books?id=ZgYAx ... nt&f=false
This is similar to the situation in Christianity. As Acts 10:28 puts it:
You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.
Eisenman points out that the Damascus Document even alters the OT by adding "ands" to Ezek. 44:15 and makes a wordplay on "Levites" to arguably include Gentiles as one of the categories of people who went out to the land of Damascus to practice the new covenant; thus it turns Ezekiel's description of one thing ("the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok") into three things, with one of them arguably being Gentiles:

CD 3:20-4:4:
The Priests and the Levites and the Sons of Zadok, who kept the service of the Temple, when the Sons of Israel strayed from me, will offer me the fat and blood. "The Priests" are the Penitents of Israel, who went out from the Land of Judah and "the Joiners" [nilvim, playing on Levites] with them. And "the Sons of Zadok" are the Elect of Israel, called by name, who will stand up in the Last Days.


Regarding the meaning of nilvim as Gentiles, not only is this how the word understood in the OT (and in an eschatological context), this meaning is confirmed by the statement that follows a few lines later:

CD 4.11:
And with the completion of the Era of these years, there will be no more joining to the House of Judah, but rather each man will stand on his own watchtower.
As Cohen notes in The Beginnings of Jewishness: Boundaries, Varieties, Uncertainties, this word is used in the OT to describe Gentiles who convert to Judaism or attach themselves in some manner to Israel:
Isaiah 14:1 ... prophesizes that "strangers (hager) shall join (venilvah) them and shall cleave to the House of Jacob" ... these passages address the eschatological age, when the earth is filled with knowledge of the Lord, and a new cosmic order is being created ... The first and only passage in the Tanakh that would seem to refer clearly to the social integration of the gentile in the historical present is Esther 9:27: "The Judeans undertook and irrevocably obligated themselves and their descendants, and all who might join them, to observe these two days in the manner prescribed and at the proper time each year." Here we have Judeans (yehudim), and gentiles who attach themselves (nilvim aleihem) to them; all alike constitute the community of those bound by the law of the Purim festival.

https://books.google.com/books?id=cvWq4 ... en&f=false
You know in spite of all you gained, you still have to stand out in the pouring rain.
Post Reply