The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (55 page)

‘Conquest of Egypt and Jerusalem or Acts of a Greek King',
Israel Antiquities Authority

(4Q
247
)

A fragment consisting of seven mutilated lines, and palaeographically dated to the last decades of the first century BCE, appears to belong to an apocalyptic account of world history, divided into weeks of years and possibly centred on the Temple of Jerusalem. Despite the lack of continuous narration, the significant details justify the inclusion of this text in the volume.

For the
editio princeps
, see M. Broshi,
DJD,
XXXVI, 187-91.

 

... [de]termined [end] ... [And afterwards will co]me the fif[th] week ... four-hundred [and eighty years (after the exodus from Egypt)] Solo[mon] (built the Temple; cf. 1 Kings vi, 1) ... (It was destroyed in the time) [of Zede]kiah king of Judah ...

(It was restored by) the Levites and the people of the Lan[d] ... (Final stage) ... kin[g] of the Kittim ...

(4Q
248
)

The story told in this ten-line fragment, which contains only broken lines, resembles the account of Daniel xi concerning the ‘King of the North' (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) who invades Egypt and ill-treats Jerusalem.

For the
editio princeps,
see M. Broshi and E. Eshel,
DJD,
XXXVI, 192-200.

 

... in Egypt and Greece and ... Therefore they shall eat ... their [s]ons and their daughters in a siege in ...

And (the Lord) shall cause [His] wind to pass [through] their court-yards and ... he shall come to Egypt and sell her dust and ... to the city of the Temple and shall capture her with all [her ... ] And he shall turn against the lands of the nations and shall return to Egyp[t] ... [And when the shattering of the power of the ho[ly] people [comes to an end] ... When all these [come into being] the children [of Israel] shall return ...

Historical Texts C
-
E (formerly Mishmarot
C
^a-c
)

4Q
331
-
3
)

Three very badly mutilated calendric documents include references to Jewish and Roman historical personalities (Shelamzion/Salome Alexandra, wife of Alexander Jannaeus; Hyrcanus II, her son; Yohanan the high priest, probably John Hyrcanus I; the Kittim (Romans) and Aemilius (no doubt M. Aemilius Scaurus, governor of Syria). They all lived in the late second or the first half of the first century BCE. The compositions recall the early rabbinic historical calendar known as Megillat Taanit (see
HJP,
114-5).

For the
editio princeps,
see J. A. Fitzmyer,
DJD,
XXXVI, 281-9.

[the] priest ... Johanan to bring to ...

... Shelamzion ...

... [to] give him honour among the Arab[s] ... [on the n]inth of Shebat—that is ... which is the twentieth (day) of the month ... Shelamzion came ... to oppose ... Hyrcanus rebelled ... to oppose ...

... [of the Kit]tim killed ... [on the] fifth [day] in (the week of) Jedaiah - this is ...

... [in (the week of) Je]hezekel which is ... Aemilius killed ... [in] the seventh [mon]th ... (the week of) Gamul ... Aemilius killed ...

(4Q
468e
)

A tiny fragment is the only surviving part of a historical document containing the unusual name of
Pwtl‘ys.
The editor, M. Broshi, reads it as Ptollas, a Hellenized form of the Hebrew name Putiel, and probably identical with a companion of Herod's son Archelaus, who accompanied him to Rome in 4 BCE. The journey was preceded by civil riots in Jerusalem which were suppressed by the army, killing three thousand people (cf. Josephus,
Ant.
xvii, 213-18;
War
ii, 8-14)' Two other scholars, D. R. Schwartz and W. Horbury (see
JJS
50, 308-11), suggest a reading of Peitholaus, a pro-Roman Jew associated with the massacre of many of his compatriots in mid-first century BCE (cf. Ant. xiv, 84-5;
War,
i, 162-3).

For the
editio princeps,
see M. Broshi,
DJD,
XXXVI, 407-11.

 

[to k]ill the multitude of men ... Potlaus/Potlays. And the persons that

(1Q
27
, 4Q
299
-
3011
)

Originally entitled
The Book of Mysteries
by J. T. Milik
(DJD,
I, 102-5), these fragments expound the familiar theme of the struggle between good and evil, but their nature is difficult to determine. Perhaps they derive from a sermon, or from an apocalyptical writing. Three further manuscripts (4Q299-301) yield badly damaged fragments belonging to the same writing. 4Q300 3 and 4Q299 partly overlap with 1Q27. An earlier passage may be reconstructed from 4Q300 and 4Q299.

For the
editio princeps,
see L. H. Schiffman,
DJD,
XX, 31-123.

I
... all {so that they might know the difference between g[ood and evil] ...} (4Q
300
) the mysteries of sin ... {all their wisdom} (4Q300).

They know not the mystery to come, nor do they understand the things of the past. They know not that which shall befall them, nor do they save their soul from the mystery to come.

And this shall be the sign for you that these things shall come to pass.

When the breed of iniquity is shut up, wickedness shall then be banished by righteousness as darkness is banished by the light. As smoke clears and is no more, so shall wickedness perish for ever and righteousness be revealed like a sun governing the world. All who cleave to the mysteries of sin shall be no more; knowledge shall fill the world and folly shall exist no longer.

This word shall surely come to pass; this prophecy is true. And by this may it be known to you that it shall not be taken back.

Do not all the peoples loathe iniquity? And yet it is spread by them all. Does not the fame of truth issue from the mouth of all the nations? Yet is there a lip or tongue which holds to it? Which nation likes to be oppressed by another stronger than itself, or likes its wealth to be wickedly seized? And yet which nation has not oppressed another, and where is there a people which has not seized [another]'s wealth? ...

... And what shall man be called ... wise and righteous, for man has no ... , nor concealed wisdom save the wisdom of wicked cunning and the de[sign of] ... a deed that shall not be done again except ... the word of his Maker. And what shall a m[an] do ... who rebels against the word of his Maker, his name shall be expunged from the mouth of all ... Listen, you who hold up [truth (?)] ... eternity and the plans of existence and the thou[ghts] ... every mystery and establishes every plan. He is the author of all [that is to come.] He is from before eternity. ‘He' is His name and for e[ver] ...

... [the sorc]erers, experts in sin, have uttered the parable and proclaimed the riddle in advance. And then you will know if you have considered ... and the attestations of heave[n] ... your foolishness for the [s]eal of the vision is sealed away from you. And you have not considered the mysteries of eternity and have not comprehended understanding. Th[en] you will say ... for you have not considered the root of wisdom. And if you open the vision, it will remain shut from you ... all your wisdom for the ... is for you ... his name for [wh]at is the hidden wisdom ...

I will cause my spirit to flow and I will divide my words for you according to your kinds ... [a p]arable and a riddle. And those who search for the roots of understanding together with those who hold unto the [wonderful] my[steries] ... those who are silly, and the scheming men for all the acomplishments of their actions ...

(4Q
215a
)

Previously classified as part of the Testament of Naphtali (4Q215), the four fragments of 4Q215a, of which only one is translatable, belong to a work of poetic eschatology. The subject is the end of wickedness and the portrayal of final blessedness.

For the
editio princeps,
see E. Chazon and M. Stone,
DJD,
XXXVI, 172-86.

... and the stressful constraint and the ordeal of the pit and they shall be refined by them to become the elect of righteousness, and all their wickedness will be blotted out (?) because of His loving-kindness. For the age of wickedness is complete and all injustice has [passed] away. [For] the time of righteousness has come and the earth is full with knowledge and the praise of God. In the day[s of] ... has come the age of peace and the precepts of truth and the testimony of righteousness to make one understand the ways of God and the might of His deeds for ever and ever. Every ... shall bless Him and every man shall prostrate himself before Him. [And they shall have] one [he]art. For He knows their recompense before they were created and had assigned the service of righteousness as their boundaries ... in their generations. For the dominion of righteousness/of goodness has come and He shall raise up the throne of the [kingdom], and intelligence is greatly exalted; prudence and soundness are tried by [His] h[o]ly desi[gn] ...

(4Q
475
)

A single fragment of a poem, palaeographically datable to the late first century BCE, depicts the eschatological bliss of the Holy land.

For the
editio princeps,
see T. Elgvin,
DJD,
XXXVI, 464-73.

(4Q
521
)

Commonly referred to as the ‘Resurrection fragment', this writing consists of sixteen fragments. The script is dated to the beginning of the first century BCE. Whether the designation ‘apocalypse' is fully justified is a moot point: the writing comes across as a composition in verse akin to the poetry of the late biblical period. The surviving fragments do not appear to include anything patently sectarian. The term ‘Messiah', probably in the singular, is used without the addition of Aaron or Israel, and the noun
‘hasidim',
absent from the big scrolls and little attested elsewhere, figures in lines 5 and 7. The divine name ‘Lord' represents, not the Tetragram, but
Adonai
(four times). The poem incorporates Ps. cxlvi, 6-7 and Isa. lxi, 1, the latter cited also in the New Testament (Lk. iv, 18). As in the Gospels, healing and resurrection are linked to the idea of the Kingdom of God. Line 12 furnishes the most explicit evidence concerning the raising of the dead. Fragment 7, line 6, repeats the same idea, referring to God as ‘He who will raise the dead of His people'.

For the
editio princeps,
see E. Puech,
DJD,
XXV, 1—38; cf. G. Vermes, ‘Qumran Forum Miscellanea I',
JJS
43 (1992), 303-4.

II
... [the hea]vens and the earth will listen to His Messiah, and none therein will stray from the commandments of the holy ones.

Seekers of the Lord, strengthen yourselves in His service!

All you hopeful in (your) heart, will you not find the Lord in this?

For the Lord will consider the pious
(hasidim)
and call the righteous by name.

Over the poor His spirit will hover and will renew the faithful with His power.

And He will glorify the pious on the throne of the eternal Kingdom.

He who liberates the captives, restores sight to the blind, straightens the b[ent] (Ps. cxlvi, 7-8).

And f[or] ever I will clea[ve to the h]opeful and in His mercy ...

And the fr[uit ... ] will not be delayed for anyone

And the Lord will accomplish glorious things which have never been as [He ... ]

For He will heal the wounded, and revive the dead and bring good news to the poor (Isa. lxi, 1).

... He will lead the uprooted and make the hungry rich ...

... [the ear]th and all that is on it; and the sea [and all that is in it] and all the ponds of water and rivers who are doing good before the Lor[d] ... ... like those who curse and are (destined) for death [when] the Life-giver will raise the dead of His people.

And we will thank and proclaim to you the righteousness of the Lord, who ...

E
.
Wisdom Literature