dssdead-sea-scrolls
C — Calendars, Liturgies and Prayers
Part 8
A fragmentary Pentecostal covenant-renewal prayer addresses Jehovah directly, tracing the pattern of rejection and election: humanity at large failed to discern Him in His works and was set aside, while a remnant people were chosen in His appointed time, set apart as holy, and given a renewed covenant confirmed by vision, the words of the Holy Spirit, and the writing of His Right Hand. The prayer closes by naming the raising up of a faithful shepherd — a phrase that activates the Mosaic and Davidic shepherd-type pointing forward to the servant raised to lead the covenant remnant in the last days.
1
The following fragments, published by J. T. Milik, belong to a collection of prayers for Jewish festivals. The title of the present section is lost, but reference to the renewal of the Covenant seems to indicate that we have here another part of the sect's Pentecostal liturgy.
2
I.. Thou wilt cause the wicked to be our ransom and the unfaithful to be our redemption. Thou wilt blot out all our oppressors and we shall praise Thy Name for ever and ever. For this hast Thou created us and to say to Thee this: Blessed art Thou... the Great Light for the daytime, and the Little Light for the night.. without transgressing their laws,. and their dominion is over all the world. But the seed of man did not understand all that Thou caused them to inherit; they did not discern Thee in all Thy words and wickedly turned aside from every one. They heeded not Thy great power and therefore Thou didst reject them. For wickedness pleases Thee not, and the ungodly shall not be established before Thee. But in the time of Thy goodwill Thou didst choose for Thyself a people. Thou didst remember Thy Covenant and granted that they should be set apart for Thyself from among all the peoples as a holy thing. And Thou didst renew for them Thy Covenant on a glorious vision and the words of Thy Holy Spirit, on the works of Thy hands and the writing of Thy Right Hand, that they might know the foundations of glory and the steps towards eternity.. Thou didst raise up for them a faithful shepherd..
