The Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament
What do the Dead Sea Scrolls say about Jesus?
What do the Dead Sea Scrolls say about Jesus? Nothing.
What do they say about the world in which Jesus lived? Lots.
The Dead Sea Scrolls are comprised primarily of two types of texts: parts of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and sectarian works written by the small group (or groups) of Jews who lived at Qumran. The scrolls date from the mid-third century B.C.E. until the mid-first century C.E.
While the Dead Sea Scrolls do not shed light on the person or ministry of Jesus, they do illuminate practices and beliefs of ancient Judaism. Since Christianity began as a sect of Judaism, the scrolls are very important for understanding the earliest Christians and their writings—the New Testament.
The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the caves by Qumran, a site in the Judean Wilderness on the west side of the Dead Sea. James C. VanderKam explores similarities between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament in the March/April 2015 issue of BAR. Photo: “Caves@Dead Sea Scrolls (8246948498)” by Lux Moundi is licensed under CC-BY-SA-2.0.
In the March/April 2015 issue of BAR, James C. VanderKam, the John A. O’Brien Professor of Hebrew Scriptures in the theology department at the University of Notre Dame, examines the overlap between these two bodies of texts in his article “The Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament.” Dr. VanderKam was a member of the committee that prepared the scrolls for publication.
FREE ebook: The Dead Sea Scrolls: Discovery and Meaning. What the Dead Sea Scrolls teach about Judaism and Christianity.
In his BAR article, James C. VanderKam explains, “The earliest followers of Jesus and the literature they produced were thoroughly Jewish in nature. As a result, the more one knows about Judaism during the time of Christian origins, the stronger basis we have for understanding the New Testament. And the scrolls are the most significant body of Hebrew/Aramaic literature related to a Jewish group or groups from roughly this time and thus are potentially invaluable for shedding light on the meaning of New Testament texts.”
What do the Dead Sea Scrolls say about Jesus? Nothing. However, they shed some light on the world in which Jesus lived. This scroll, the Messianic Apocalypse (4Q521), has a list of miracles very similar to Luke 7:21–22, even though it was written approximately 150 years before Luke’s Gospel.Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority, Jerusalem.
There is no reason to suggest that the New Testament authors knew any of the sectarian works discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Further, it is quite possible that the two groups never interacted with each other. VanderKam points out that there is no overlap between the cast of characters in the scrolls and the New Testament (except for figures from the Hebrew Bible). He notes that “not even John the Baptist, who for a time lived in the wilderness and around the Jordan, not too far from the Dead Sea Scroll caves (see Luke 1:80; 3:3)” appears in the scrolls—let alone Jesus, much of whose ministry happened in Galilee.
The worldviews of early Christians and the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls were also starkly different. VanderKam explains, “A group that set a goal of spreading its religious message to all peoples to the ends of the earth had a very different understanding of God’s plan than ones who seem to have done no proselytizing and had no interest in bringing the nations into the fold.”
Nevertheless, there are some similarities between the two groups and their writings, which make for interesting comparisons. For example, a list of miracles appears in both Luke 7:21–22 of the New Testament and the Dead Sea Scroll known as the Messianic Apocalypse (4Q521). In Luke 7, Jesus gives these miracles to the disciples of John the Baptist as proof that he is the messiah. In the Messianic Apocalypse, which was written approximately 150 years before Luke’s Gospel, the Lord is the one who will perform these miracles. The source for both of these lists is Isaiah chapters 35 and 61. While not all of the same miracles appear in Luke 7 and the Messianic Apocalypse, the miracles that do appear in both are listed in the same order (see chart).
Parallels between Luke 7:21–22 and 4Q521 and the parts of Isaiah from which they come.
The curious thing is that not all of these miracles, such as “raising the dead,” appear in the passages from Isaiah, which were the source material for the lists—the prophecies being fulfilled. Yet the miracle of “raising the dead” appears in both Luke 7 and the Messianic Apocalypse right before bringing “good news to the poor.” Rather than suggesting that the writer of Luke 7 copied from—or was even aware of—the Messianic Apocalypse, this similarity suggests that both groups shared certain “interpretive and theological traditions on which writers in both communities drew.”
Visit the Dead Sea Scrolls study page in Bible History Daily for more on this priceless collection of ancient manuscripts.
For VanderKam’s full analysis of this text and to learn more about the similarities and differences between the scrolls uncovered at Qumran and the New Testament, read his full article “The Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament” in the March/April 2015 issue of BAR.
BAS Library Members: Read the full article “The Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament,” by James C. VanderKam in the March/April 2015 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.
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This Bible History Daily feature was originally published on February 16, 2015.
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The article above states: “There is no reason to suggest that the New Testament authors knew any of the sectarian works discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls.” First Enoch is part of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery. Fragments of most sections of it were found: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/scrolls/images/enoch-b.jpg The author of the Book of Jude quoted First Enoch in his New Testament epistle (letter). 1 Enoch (1 En 1:9) is quoted in the New Testament (Letter of Jude 1:14-15), and is there attributed to “Enoch the Seventh from Adam” (1 En 60:8). For more examples of the influence of the Book of First Enoch on early Christian writings, in and outside of, the New Testament, see: “The Book of Enoch”, by R. H. Charles, published decades ago.
The Dead Sea Scrolls say a lot about Jesus/Yeshu AND the Early Christians if you look.
Jesus is the Teacher of Righteousness to the Qumran Community and Jesus ha Notzri to the Pharisees.
See the Jewish Literature,
http://jewishchristianlit.com/Topics/JewishJesus/
http://jewishchristianlit.com/Topics/JewishJesus/b_san43a.html
Jesus was born in 100 BCE, he was killed by the Pharisees in 67 BCE under Queen Salome..
The Dead Sea Scrolls is History, the Bible is Not…The period 76-67 BCE is the history of Jesus leadership as the Teacher of Righteousness.
The Qumran Community was Conservative Judaism and became Christianity under Paul and Rome.. Pharisaism became today’s Judaism, under Queen Salome and Shimon ben Shetah.
.
Nothing about Jesus? 7Q5?
From Wilbur N. Pickering, ThM PhD; The Identity of The New Testament II
The identification of papyrus fragment 5 from Qumran cave 7 with Mark 6:52-53 by Jesuit scholar Jose O’Callaghan in early 1972 produced a flurry of reaction. The implications of such an identification are such that I suppose it was inevitable that much of the reaction should be partisan. But the lack of objectivity and restraint on the part of some scholars can only be construed as bad manners, at best. O’Callaghan is an experienced papyrologist, a careful scholar, and is entitled to a respectful hearing.
To my mind, the lack of restraint and objectivity in M. Baillet’s response borders on the
reprehensible. Unfortunately Baillet’s article has been widely quoted and seems to have influenced many people, including K. Aland. Having myself done a little work with papyri from the Ptolemaic period (third century B.C.) I should like to comment upon Baillet’s response to O’Callaghan’s transcription of 7Q5.
Once 7Q5 is firmly identified with Mark 6:52-53 then the probability that 7Q4 is to be identified with 1 Tim. 3:16, 4:1,3 and 7Q8 with James 1:23-24 becomes very strong. The remaining fragments are so small that dogmatism is untenable—O’Callaghan’s identifications are possible, but cannot be insisted upon. It seems to me that 7Q5, 4, and 8 may be viewed as relevant to the thesis of this book in the following sense.That someone should have such a collection of New Testament writings at such an early date may suggest their early recognition as Scripture and even imply an early notion of a New Testament canon.
I have the print version of this article and it’s dazzling how many similarities there were between the Christians as they evolved within the framework of Judaism and apparently adopted an Essene covenant ritual on the festival of Shevuot, otherwise known as the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1). The synagogue reading for this day is about the revelation at Mount Sinai in Exodus chapter 19 as well as the revelation to the Babylonian captivity in Ezekiel chapter 1. As commentator James noted, the book of Enoch is referenced in the book of Jude and of course this mystical tradition is found in Revelation chapter 4 that is a work produced at a certain stage of the evolution of what was a distinctly Jewish form of gnosticism, as Gershom Scholem explains:
“As a matter of fact there exists indubitable proof that among certain groups of Jewish Gnostics who tried to stay within the religious community of rabbinical Judaism, Gnostic speculation and related semi-mythical thought was kept alive. Traces of such ideas in Aggadic literature are few but they exist. Thus for instance there is the well-known saying of the Babylonian teacher Rav in the third centuryu A.D.: ‘Ten are the qualities with which the world has been created: wisdom, insight, knowledge, force, appeal, power, justice, right, love and compassion.’ Or the following reference to seven hypostases of similar general ideas of the kind so often found in the names of Gnostical aeons: Seven middoth serve before the throne of glory: wisdom, right and justice, love and mercy, truth and peace.’ What the aeons and the archons are to the Gnostics, the middoth are to this form of seculation, i.e. the hypostatized attributes of God” (“Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism” p.74).
Before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls which contained a hymn (4Q286-287) of a Heavenly “Chariot” or “Throne” vision and we have the account in Josephus’ writings of the Essene oath to “preserve the books belonging to their sect, and the means of the angels” (“War” 2.8.7) and here’s a link to Josephus on the Essenes:
http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/dead-sea-scrolls/josephus-on-the-essenes/
Some have claimed that Christianity had its beginnings at Qumran. Nevertheless, many striking differences can be noted between the religious views of the Qumran sect and the early Christians. The Qumran writings reveal ultrastrict Sabbath regulations and an almost obsessive preoccupation with ceremonial purity. (Matthew 15:1-20; Luke 6:1-11) Much the same could be said regarding the Essenes’ seclusion from society, their belief in fate and the immortality of the soul, and their emphasis on celibacy and mystical ideas about participating with the angels in their worship. This shows them to be at variance with Jesus’ teachings and those of early Christians.—Matthew 5:14-16; John 11:23, 24; Colossians 2:18; 1 Timothy 4:1-3.
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/pc/r1/lp-e/1200271584/3/0
Does the Bible Quote From the Book of Enoch?
The Book of Enoch is an apocryphal and pseudepigraphic text. It is falsely ascribed to Enoch. Produced probably sometime during the second and first centuries B.C.E., it is a collection of extravagant and unhistorical Jewish myths, evidently the product of exegetical elaborations on the brief Genesis reference to Enoch. This alone is sufficient for lovers of God’s inspired Word to dismiss it.
In the Bible, only the book of Jude contains Enoch’s prophetic words: “Look! Jehovah came with his holy myriads, to execute judgment against all, and to convict all the ungodly concerning all their ungodly deeds that they did in an ungodly way, and concerning all the shocking things that ungodly sinners spoke against him.” (Jude 14, 15) Many scholars contend that Enoch’s prophecy against his ungodly contemporaries is quoted directly from the Book of Enoch. Is it possible that Jude used an unreliable apocryphal book as his source?
How Jude knew of Enoch’s prophecy is not revealed in the Scriptures. He may simply have quoted a common source, a reliable tradition handed down from remote antiquity. Paul evidently did something similar when he named Jannes and Jambres as the otherwise anonymous magicians of Pharaoh’s court who opposed Moses. If the writer of the Book of Enoch had access to an ancient source of this kind, why should we deny it to Jude?*—Exodus 7:11, 22; 2 Timothy 3:8.
How Jude received the information about Enoch’s message to the ungodly is a minor matter. Its reliability is attested to by the fact that Jude wrote under divine inspiration. (2 Timothy 3:16) God’s holy spirit guarded him from stating anything that was not true.
[Footnote]
The disciple Stephen also provided information found nowhere in the Hebrew Scriptures. It concerned Moses’ Egyptian education, his being 40 years old when he fled Egypt, the 40-year duration of his stay in Midian, and the angelic role in transmitting the Mosaic Law.—Acts 7:22, 23, 30, 38.
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2001688?q=book%20of%20enoch&p=par
Jude was part of the real and original form of Christianity that existed during the first century. What books he thought were quote-worthy is rather revealing and compelling. Devotees of other religious systems or theologies far removed from the scene thousands of years later who disagree with Jude makes me even more curious about Jude and that original, untainted Jesus Movement.
Commentator Gene R. made a point about Stephen’s version of Hebrew history as being different since the Samaritans possessed a gnosis that differed from the mainstream of Judaism, in particular the part about Moses being instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and who was mighty in words and deeds (Acts 7:22).
“The phrase ‘mighty in words’ probably means that, like the goddess Isis, he was ‘strong of tongue’ and uttered the words of power which he knew with correct pronunciation, and halted not in his speech, and was perfect both in giving the command and in saying the word” (“Egyptian Magic” by E.A. Wallis Budge, p.5).
Apparently this wisdom that Moses possessed was the ancient Egyptian term known as “hekau” and is related to the Hebrew word “hokmah,” or wisdom … effectively rendering Moses as “the maker of rules dealing with fools” from the song “Eye in the Sky” by the Alan Parsons Project.
http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/artifacts-and-the-bible/word-play/
Were the Qumran Residents Essenes?
If these scrolls were Qumran’s library, who were its residents? Professor Eleazar Sukenik, who obtained three scrolls for the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1947, was the first to propose that these scrolls had belonged to a community of Essenes.
The Essenes were a Jewish sect mentioned by first-century writers Josephus, Philo of Alexandria, and Pliny the Elder. The exact origin of the Essenes is a matter of speculation, but they seem to have arisen during the period of turmoil following the Maccabean revolt in the second century B.C.E. Josephus reported on their existence during that period as he detailed how their religious views differed from those of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Pliny mentioned the location of a community of Essenes by the Dead Sea between Jericho and En-gedi.
Professor James VanderKam, a Dead Sea Scroll scholar, proposes that “the Essenes who lived at Qumran were just a small part of the larger Essene movement,” which Josephus numbered at about four thousand. Although not perfectly fitting all descriptions, the picture that emerges from the Qumran texts seems to match the Essenes better than any other known Jewish group of that period.
Some have claimed that Christianity had its beginnings at Qumran. Nevertheless, many striking differences can be noted between the religious views of the Qumran sect and the early Christians. The Qumran writings reveal ultrastrict Sabbath regulations (se: Must Christians Keep the Sabbath?) http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/christian-sabbath/
and an almost obsessive preoccupation with ceremonial purity. (Matthew 15:1-20; Luke 6:1-11) Much the same could be said regarding the Essenes’ seclusion from society, their belief in fate and the immortality of the soul, and their emphasis on celibacy and mystical ideas about participating with the angels in their worship. This shows them to be at variance with Jesus’ teachings and those of early Christians.—Matthew 5:14-16; John 11:23, 24; Colossians 2:18; 1 Timothy 4:1-3.
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200271584
Kurt, Christianity is defined by belief in Jesus “Christ” , not the Bible.
The Essenes did arise during the Maccabean Revolt, they were the Hassidim, the pious Jews who did not support the Hasmonean Priests. They were Doers of the Torah. They were the Early “Christians”. in the sense of their leader was The Teacher of Righteousness aka Jesus ha Notzri aka Jesus ben Panther, to the Pharisees.
Early Christians were led by Jesus aka Teacher of Righteousness and followed the Torah and the Essene Calendar..
Christian religious views evolved when Paul made Jesus the savior and Messiah and discounted the Torah Law as binding for Christians. The Christian Bible was dictated by Emperor Constantine at the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE, changing Christian views again…