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Community Rule

Summary

The Community Rule (Hebrew: סרך היחד, Serekh haYahad), which is designated 1QS and was previously referred to as the Manual of Discipline, is one of the first scrolls to be discovered near khirbet (ruin of) Qumran, the scrolls found in the eleven caves between 1947 and 1954 are now referred to simply as the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Rule of the Community is a key sectarian document and is seen as definitive for classifying other compositions as sectarian or non-sectarian (1QpHabakkuk; 1QM; the Hodayot; and CD are other core sectarian documents). Among the nearly 350 documents (900+ manuscripts) discovered, roughly 30% of the scrolls are classified as "sectarian".

Discovery edit

The most complete manuscript of the Community Rule was found in Cave 1, and was first called the Manual of Discipline by Millar Burrows. It is now designated 1QS (which stands for : "Cave 1 / Qumran / "Serekh" = 'rule'). Numerous other fragments of this document, containing variant readings, were found in caves 4 and 5 (4QSa–j, 5Q11, 5Q13). Two other documents, known as the Rule of the Congregation (1QSa) and the Rule of the Blessing (1QSb), are found on the same scroll as 1QS and while they were originally thought to be part of the Community Rule are now considered separate compositions and appendices. The Community Rules contain dualistic writings with Zoroastrian and Roman influences. They talk of War between Angel of Evil, represented as Darkness or Satan and the Son(s) of the Israelite God, represented as light.

Community edit

There is some debate about the identification of the community described in 1QS. The most significant question that has been asked and debated is the relationship of the scroll to the ruins of the nearby settlement. While the vast majority of scholars would argue that a Jewish religious community in the Second Temple period occupied the site at Qumran and owned the scrolls found in caves nearby, a larger issue related to their identity as "Essenes" continues to be debated to this day. Striking similarities are found between the site of Qumran and rites and practices described in 1QS. Most noteworthy is the concern in 1QS for ritual purity by immersion and the discovery of nearly 10 ritual baths (mikva'ot) at Qumran. Much of the debate about the communities' identification with Essenes has centered on comparing and contrasting Josephus' descriptions of Essenes (he describes other "philosophical schools" such as Pharisees and Sadducees) with the details that emerge from sectarian literature found at Qumran (esp. 1QS) and the site itself. Josephus, for example, describes initiates to a male monastic order who are given a trowel for use when defecating (they are to dig a hole in private, away from the group, and ease their bowels while covering themselves with their robe), a detail about toilet habits that he finds amusing and entertaining for his readership. And yet, the discovery of a toilet at Qumran seems to contradict Josephus. Another question that has arisen, among others, when identifying Josephus' Essenes (see also Philo and Pliny) to the group at Qumran is the presence or absence of women. The cemetery that is adjacent to the settlement has only been partially excavated and there appear to be at least a few skeletal remains of women, which is seen by some to contradict an association between Essenes and the group there.

Scholars of earliest Christianity have traditionally taken note of 1QS because it refers to the messiahs of Aaron and Israel (ix 9–11). This and other writings from the Dead Sea Scrolls have opened a window to the past that allows us to understand ideas and developments related to the religious milieu near to the time of earliest Christianity.

Division edit

Michael Knibb provides six divisions in 1QS:[citation needed]

  • (1) in column i lines 1–15 the ideals of the community are set out;
  • (2) in column i line 16 –column iii line 12 the following are described: (a) Ritual and ceremony to enter the community are set out, (b) the covenant should be renewed annually, and (c) the need for inner conversion;
  • (3) in column iii line 13 – column iv line 26 dualistic beliefs are set forth;
  • (4) in column v line 1 – column vii line 25 are collections of rules, oaths, and rules governing administration, reproof and priestly presence;
  • (5) in column viii – column x line 8 are references to a true, spiritual temple (i.e. community) established in the wilderness (wise leader; liturgical calendar);
  • (6) in column x line 9 – column xi line 22 is hymn of praise (to creation similar to the Hodayot).

Variant Readings edit

As opposed to 1QS, manuscript 4QSd (4Q258) has the word God written in paleo-Hebrew letters 𐤀𐤋 (ʼEl) as can be seen on this infrared picture at the Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library. In addition, 4QSd does not mention 'the Priests, the Sons of Zadok' as does 1QS. Finally, 4QSd and 4QSb read 'ha-rabbim' (the Congregation).[1]

References edit

  1. ^ Vermes 1997.

Critical edition edit

  • Vermes, Geza (1997). The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English. Penguin Press. ISBN 978-0-7139-9131-4.
  • Metso, Sarianna (2019). The Community Rule: A Critical Edition with Translation. SBL Press. ISBN 978-0-88414-057-3.
  • Vázquez Allegue, Jaime (2006). La Regla de la Comunidad de Qumrán. Sígeme, Salamanca. ISBN 84-301-1592-7.
  • Vázquez Allegue, Jaime (2000). Los hijos de la luz y los hijos de las tinieblas. El prólogo de la Regla de la Comunidad de Qumrán. Verbo Divino. Estella. ISBN 84-8169-415-0.

Further reading edit

  • Charlesworth, James H. (1994). The Dead Sea Scrolls, Volume 1: Rule of the Community and Related Documents. Dead Sea Scrolls. Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. ISBN 978-0-664-21994-9. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  • Charlesworth, James H. (1999). "John the baptizer and Qumran barriers in light of the Rule of the Community". The Provo International Conference on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004350311_031. ISBN 978-90-04-35031-1.
  • Charlesworth, James H. (2000). "Community organization in the Rule of the Community" (PDF). In Schiffman, Lawrence H.; VanderKam, James C. (eds.). Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls: N-Z. Oxford University Press. pp. 133–136. ISBN 978-0-19-513796-5.
  • Collins, John J. (2009). "Beyond the Qumran Community: Social organization in the Dead Sea Scrolls". Dead Sea Discoveries. 16 (3): 351–369. doi:10.1163/156851709X473978. ISSN 0929-0761.
  • Collins, John J. (2023-03-09). "The Community Rules from Qumran: A Commentary , by Charlotte Hempel". Dead Sea Discoveries. 30 (1): 79–81. doi:10.1163/15685179-03001001. ISSN 0929-0761.
  • Dimant, Devorah (2007). "The volunteers in the Rule of the Community: A biblical notion in sectarian garb". Revue de Qumrân. 23 (2): 233–245. JSTOR 24663046.
  • Donovan, Diana Marie Therese. (2006). Elements of emotion in the opening sections of the Community Rule. https://wakespace.lib.wfu.edu/handle/10339/14791
  • Gagnon, Robert A. J. (1992). "How did the Rule of the Community obtain its final shape? A review of scholarly research". Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha. 5 (10): 61–79. doi:10.1177/095182079200001006. ISSN 0951-8207.
  • Hempel, Charlotte. (2000). The Textual Development of the Qumran Community Rule, pages 273-274.
  • Hempel, Charlotte (2003). "Interpretative Authority in the Community Rule Tradition". Dead Sea Discoveries. 10 (1): 59–80. JSTOR 4193264.
  • Hempel, Charlotte (June 2003). "The community and its rivals according to the Community Rule from caves 1 and 4". Revue de Qumrân. 21 (1): 47–81. doi:10.2143/RQ.21.1.3290833. JSTOR 24640880.
  • Hempel, Charlotte (2012-04-01). "Who is making dinner at Qumran?". The Journal of Theological Studies. 63 (1): 49–65. doi:10.1093/jts/fls053. ISSN 0022-5185.
  • Hempel, Charlotte (2013). The Qumran Rule Texts in context: Collected studies. Texte und Studien zum antiken Judentum. Isd. ISBN 978-3-16-152709-8.
  • Hempel, Charlotte (2017). "The theatre of the written word: Reading the Community Rule with Steven Fraade". In Hayes, Christine; Novick, Tzvi; Siegal, Michal Bar-Asher (eds.). The Faces of Torah: Studies in the Texts and Contexts of Ancient Judaism in Honor of Steven Fraade. Supplements to the Journal of Ancient Judaism. Göttingen Bristol: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. pp. 119–130. ISBN 978-3-525-55254-4.
  • Hempel, Charlotte (2020). The Community Rules from Qumran: A commentary. Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism. Mohr Siebeck. ISBN 978-3-16-157026-1.
  • Kampen, John (2012-01-01). ""Torah" and authority in the major sectarian rules texts from Qumran". The scrolls and biblical traditions. Brill. pp. 231–254. doi:10.1163/9789004231665_013. ISBN 978-90-04-23166-5.
  • Kapfer, Hilary Evans (2007). "The relationship between the Damascus Document and the Community Rule: Attitudes toward the temple as a test case". Dead Sea Discoveries. 14 (2): 152–177. JSTOR 40387555.
  • Kruse, Colin G. (1981). "Community functionaries in the Rule of the Community and the Damascus Document: A test of chronological relationships". Revue de Qumrân. 10 (4): 543–551. JSTOR 24607005.
  • Metso, Sarianna (1 July 1997). "The textual traditions of the Qumran Community Rule". In Kampen, Moshe Bernstein; García Martínez, Florentino (eds.). Legal Texts and Legal Issues: Proceedings of the Second Meeting of the International Organization for Qumran Studies, Cambridge 1995. Published in Honour of Joseph M. Baumgarten. Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah. Vol. 23. Leiden: Brill. pp. 141–147. doi:10.1163/9789004350250_s017. ISBN 978-90-04-10829-5.
  • Metso, Sarianna (1997). The textual development of the Qumran Community Rule. Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah. Vol. 21. Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004350236. ISBN 978-90-04-10683-3.
  • Metso, Sarianna (1999). "In search of the sitz im leben of the Community Rule". The Provo International Conference on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004350311_027. ISBN 978-90-04-35031-1.
  • Metso, Sarianna (2000). "The relationship between the Damascus Document and the Community Rule". The Damascus Document: A Centennial of Discovery. Brill. pp. 85–93. doi:10.1163/9789004350366-s010. ISBN 978-90-04-35036-6.
  • Metso, Sarianna (2004). "Methodological Problems in Reconstructing History from Rule Texts Found at Qumran". Dead Sea Discoveries. 11 (3): 315–335. JSTOR 4193333.
  • Metso, Sarianna (2006). "Creating Community Halakhah". Studies in the Hebrew Bible, Qumran, and the Septuagint. Brill. doi:10.1163/9789047417989_019. ISBN 978-90-474-1798-9.
  • Metso, Sarianna (2020). "Rule texts from Qumran on the spectrum of Jewish legal development". In Palmer, C.; Krause, A.R.; Schuller, E.; Screnock, J. (eds.). Dead Sea Scrolls, revise and repeat: New methods and perspectives. Early Judaism and Its Literature. SBL Press. pp. 23ff. ISBN 978-0-88414-436-6.
  • Muraoka, Takamitsu (2002-12-17). "The Community Rule (1 Qs): Column 4*". In Paul, Shalom M.; Kraft, Robert A.; Schiffman, Lawrence H.; Fields, Weston W.; Ben-David, Eva (eds.). Emanuel: Studies in Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, and Dead Sea Scrolls in Honor of Emanuel Tov. Vetus Testamentum, Supplements. Vol. 94. Leiden: Brill. pp. 335–346. doi:10.1163/9789004276215_022. ISBN 978-90-04-12679-4.
  • Muraoka, Takamitsu (2018). "Notae Qumranicae philologicae (5a) on the Community Rule". Semitica et Classica. 11: 289–297. doi:10.1484/J.SEC.5.116814. ISSN 2031-5937.
  • Murphy, Catherine (2002-01-01). Wealth in the Dead Sea Scrolls and in the Qumran Community. Brill. doi:10.1163/9789047400653_008. ISBN 978-90-474-0065-3.
  • Nati, James (2017-01-01). "The Community Rule or Rules for the Communities? Contextualizing the Qumran Serakhim". Sibyls, Scriptures, and Scrolls. Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004324749_049. ISBN 978-90-04-32474-9.
  • Nitzan, Bilhah (2010-01-01). "The Decalogue Pattern In The Qumran Rule Of The Community". Qumran Cave 1 Revisited. Brill. doi:10.1163/ej.9789004185807.i-292.21. ISBN 978-90-04-19077-1.
  • Novick, Tzvi (2013). "Column Five Of The Community Rule: Two Notes". Revue de Qumrân. 26 (1): 115–125. JSTOR 24663232.
  • Puech, Émile (1998). "[Review of The Textual Development of the Qumran Community Rule (Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 21), by S. Metso]". Revue de Qumrân. 18 (3): 448–453. JSTOR 24609132.
  • Quick, Laura (2017). "Manuscripts and their (proof-)texts: Paradigms for purity and holiness in the Community Rule and the Damascus Document". Biblische Notizen. 175: 35–53.
  • Schofield, A. (2009). From Qumran to the Yaḥad: A new paradigm of textual development for the Community Rule. Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah. Brill. ISBN 978-90-474-4250-9.
  • Tucker, James Milton (2021). From Ink Traces to Ideology: Material, Text, and Composition of Qumran Community Rule Manuscripts (PhD dissertation). University of Toronto.
  • Tzoref, Shani (2012). "The use of scripture in the Community Rule". In Henze, Matthias (ed.). A Companion to Biblical Interpretation in Early Judaism. Eerdmans Publishing Company. pp. 203–34. ISBN 978-0-8028-0388-7.
  • Vermes, Geza (1991). "Preliminary Remarks on Unpublished Fragments of the Community Rule from Qumran Cave 4". The Journal of Jewish studies. 42 (2): 250–250.

External links edit

  • The Community Rule, online viewer
  • An Online Transcription of Dead Sea Scroll 1QS (The "Manual of Discipline")
  • Manual of Discipline, English translation published by the Nazarenes of Mount Carmel
  • Williams, Tyler F. "1QS: The Community Rule (Manual of Discipline)." Codex:biblical-studies.ca Retrieved August 2, 2007.

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