dssdead-sea-scrolls
A — The Rules
Part 12
A fragmented Herodian-script text addresses an unnamed group of wicked Jews in the context of war, reproving their covenant unfaithfulness while holding open the possibility of last-minute return. The reproved party claims to fight Jehovah's wars yet has despised His covenant; their mighty men are humbled by His measuring line — the same standard of righteousness by which all covenant claims are tested. The closing lines, reading 'you will return,' suggest the fragment may witness a threshold moment: judgment and the offer of righteous reckoning standing together before the final battle.
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18-19). When his two years are completed, the Congregation shall consider [his case, and if he is admitted, he shall be inscribed in his rank and may then question about the law. And whoever has despised the law of the Congregation shall leave and shall not return again. And whoever has taken his food outside the rules, he shall return it to the man from whom he has taken it. vacat And whoever has approached his wife, not according to the rules, fornicating, he shall leave and will not return again. If he has murmured against the Fathers, he shall leave and shall not return again. But if he has murmured against the Mothers, he shall do penance for ten days. For the Mothers have no rwqmh within the Congregation. vacat And these are the rules in which they shall walk, all those who have been corrected. Whoever comes to report someone to the Priest overseeing 4Q 266, fr. II4Q270, fr. i-ii) the Congregation, he shall willingly accept His judgement, as He has ordered by the hand of Moses regarding the soul that sins by inadvertence that he shall bring his sin-offering and his guilt-offering. And concerning Israel it is written, I will go to the ends of heaven and will not smell the smell of your sweet odour. And in another passage it is written, To return to God with crying and fasting. And in another passage it is written, Rend your heart and not your garment and it is written to return to God with fasting and weeping. And whoever rejects these rules which follow all the precepts found in the Law of Moses, shall not be counted with all the sons of His truth, for his soul has detested the righteous corrections. As a rebel, he shall be dismissed from the Congregation. The Priest overseeing the Congregation shall speak about him. Answering, he shall say: 'Blessed art Thou, "Lord" of the universe. Everything is in Thine hands and Thou art the maker of everything. Thou hast founded the peoples according to their families and the languages of their nations. Thou hast made them err in
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confusion without a way. And Thou hast chosen our Fathers and hast given to their seed the precepts of Thy truth and Thine holy judgements by which a man, if he practises them, shall live. And Thou hast established boundaries for us and cursed those who transgress them. And we are the people of Thy redemption and the flock of Thy pasture. Thou hast cursed those who transgress it but we maintain.' And the dismissed man shall leave, and whoever eats from what is his, and greets the man who has been dismissed, and agrees with him, his case shall be recorded by the Guardian according to the decree, and his judgement shall be complete. And all the inhabitants of the camps shall assemble in the third month and shall curse him who turns aside, to the right or to the left from the Law. And this is the interpretation of the laws which they shall observe in all the age of visitation which will be visited on them during all the age of wrath and in their marches for all those who dwell in their camps and all their towns. Behold all this is according to the last interpretation of the Law. A HYBRID COMMUNITY RULE – DAMASCUS DOCUMENT TEXT Twelve fragments of a manuscript, dating probably to the end of the first century BCE, have preserved remains of a writing dependent both on the Community Rule and on the Damascus Document but also including material which is in neither of these sources. Fr. I deals with the initiation into the Community and the penal code in terms recalling 1QS VI-VII, and fr. 7, lines 7-10 contains a description of the Council of the Community which is an abridged version of 1QS VIII, 1—9. It is worth noting that the 'twelve men and three priests' of 1QS VIII, I is replaced here by'fifteen men'. Elements of the Sabbath laws from CD figure on columns I-II of fr. 7, while on one point the borrowing is
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probably from the Temple Scroll LII, 17-18. As for material alien to 1QS and CD, fr. cites Isaiah liv, 1-2 in full and the last four lines of fr. ii reproduce Lev. xii, 2, 4a, 5, 4b, but omitting xii, 3. This quotation is part of an account of the ages of the world arranged according to weeks, beginning with the garden of Eden. For the editio princeps, see J. M. Baumgarten, DJD, XXXV, 57-58. Fr.. as it is written in the Book of.. as it is written in the Book of Isaiah the prophet: Sing, o barren one, who did not bear; break forth in singing and cry aloud you who have not been in travail! For the sons of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married, says the Lord. Enlarge the place of your tent.. Its interpretation concerns.. Fr.. Why does a man betray his brother.. Let no young man or woman eat the sacrifice of Passover.. Fr. I.. and he shall be punished for ten days.. and he shall be punished thirty days.. and he shall be punished during that time with the half of his food for fifte[en days.. and he shall be punished for three months with half of his food. The man who speaks before his fellow inscribed before him, shall be excluded from purity for six months and he shall be punished with half of his food. vacat And the man who insuIts his fellow.. shall be punished for thirty days. vacat And the man who knowingly deceives shall be separated for six months and shall be punished during that time with half of his food. And the man who lies knowingly in any matter shall be
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punished for thirty days vacat And the man who lies concerning property knowingly, they shall exclude him for six months. And the man who lies down.. and falls asleep during a session of the Congregation shall be punished for thirty days. And if.. to read from the book, he falls asleep up to three times and if he goes out, he shall be punished for ten days. And the man who comes to join the Council of the Community the Guardian of the Congregation shall examine him. If it falls to him he shall instruct him for one year. And after he shall stand before the Congregation and they shall deliberate over him. If he is not found fit for the discipline, he shall depart. If he is to enter, the Guardian shall teach him the interpretation of the Law. He shall not touch the pure Meal of the Congregation until another full year. And on completing his year they shall hand over his property to the Guardian of the Congregation.. When he comes.. Fr.. on Sabbath day let no man wear soiled garments. No man shall be dressed in garments on which there is dust or.. on the Sabbath day. No man shall take out of his tent a vessel and food on the Sabbath day. No man shall lift an animal which has fallen into water on the Sabbath day. But if a man falls into water on the Sabbath day, he shall pass to him his garment to lift him out, but he shall not carry an instrument to lift him out on the Sabbath day. And if the army... on the Sabbath day. And let no.. Let no man of the seed of Aaron sprinkle purifying waters on the Sabbath day.. And with a beast he shall walk two thousand cubits on the Sabbath day. Every beast with a defect in it shall be kept at a distance of thirty stadia from the city of the Sanctuary.. When there shall be in the Council of the Community fifteen men, perfectly versed in all that is revealed of the Law and the Prophets, the Council of the Community shall be established in truth. They shall be witnesses to the truth at the judgement and elect of
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Goodwill. They shall be an agreeable offering atoning on behalf of the Land for all iniquity.. He shall terminate the ages of injustice.. Fr.. on the day of s[abbath.. on the day of sabbath.. No man from the seed of Aaron shall sprinkle water of purification.. They shall not bathe or wash on the great day and fast, on the day of Atonement. He who goes outside his town to graze the animals may go two thousand cubits. No man shall eat a blemished animal within thirty stadia from the sanctuary.. When there shall be in the Council of the Community fifteen men as God had said through His servants, the prophets, the Council of the Community shall be established in truth as an everlasting plantation, witnesses of truth and elect of Goodwill, sweet fragrance to atone for the land.. the ages of injustice will end by the judgement and the.. vacat In the first week Adam was created.. until he was not brought to the garden of Eden and a bone from his bones was taken to become the woman.. but she had no name until she was not brought to him.. For holy is a garden of Eden, and every fresh shoot that is in it is holy as it is written, If a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying. But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks as in her menstruation. And she shall continue in the blood of her purifying for sixty-six days. She shall not touch any hallowed things, nor come into the Sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed].
