Ethics in the Qumran Community: An Interdisciplinary InvestigationMarcus Tso uses an interdisciplinary methodology to reexamine a long-neglected subject. Rather than the contents of ethics, the author focuses on the bases of ethics in the Qumran community, using the texts it collected as the primary evidence. He begins by comparing the ethical language of the Scrolls with other related literatures, then places the discussion in a historical framework based on recent findings. With the central chapters of the thesis, he explores four interrelated bases of Qumran ethics: e.g., how scriptural tradition(s) supported sectarian moral cosmology and halakhah; how identity formation informed both moral obligations and virtues; how cultural/political contexts may explain foreign ethical influences at Qumran, or their changing stance on violence; and how eschatology served as moral motivation. Furthermore, Marcus Tso confirms but qualifies some fundamental principles of Qumran ethics noted by earlier scholars, such as theonomy, naturalism, dualism, determinism, and rigorism. |
Contents
General Introduction | 3 |
Literature Review | 11 |
Qumran Ethics in the Flourishing Phase of Qumran Research | 24 |
Conclusion | 31 |
B GrecoRoman Ethical Language in Second Temple Judaism | 38 |
Modern Ethicists Language | 48 |
F Conclusion | 57 |
B Locating the Key Texts in Their Historical Contexts | 64 |
Egyptian Parthian and Nabatean | 133 |
E The Roman Period 63 B C E 70 C E | 141 |
Eschatology | 147 |
Realizing Eschatology and Its Ethical Significance | 160 |
Conclusion | 167 |
Principles behind Practices | 173 |
4QBerakhot 4Q286290 | 188 |
E Conclusion | 202 |
Scriptural Tradition | 75 |
Deuteronomy | 83 |
Psalms | 92 |
SelfIdentity | 98 |
Cultural and Political Contexts | 107 |
A Hellenistic Cultural Influences | 123 |
The Penal Code In 1QS VI 24VII 25 | 210 |
Bibliography | 221 |
Index of Ancient Sources | 251 |
263 | |
Common terms and phrases
1QHª 1QpHab 4QInstruction 4QMMT aspects Bible biblical Brill Brooke Chapter Christian cited context covenant cultural Damascus Document Dead Sea Scrolls Deuteronomy divine dualism early Edited EDSS eschatological Essenes ethics at Qumran example exegesis Frankena García Martínez God's Greek halakhah halakhic Hasmonean Hellenism Hellenistic Hempel Hengel Hodayot holiness influence Interpretation Isaiah Israel Jacob Neusner Jewish ethics Jews Jokiranta Jubilees Judaism judgment Kister Kittim Lawrence H Leiden Lemma Metso Mishnah moral motivation munity nature Neusner Newsom norms penal code perspective Pesharim pesher units Philo political pre-Qumran present priestly probably Psalms purity quatrains Qumran community Qumran ethics Qumran Studies Qumran texts Qumranites rabbinic literature realizing eschatology redactional refer reflects religious righteous Romans Sapiential Schiffman scholars scriptural traditions Second Temple sect sect's sectarian sectarian texts self-identity self-understanding STDJ Testament texts from Qumran Theology tion Torah University Press VanderKam virtues wicked wisdom texts worldview פשרו