Otherworldly and Eschatological Priesthood in the Dead Sea Scrolls (Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah)

departing From Scholarship Dedicated To The Socio-historical Realities Of Priesthood At Qumran, This Book Explores Images Of Otherworldly And Messianic/eschatological Priesthood In The Dead Sea Scrolls As A Reflection Of The Religious Worldview Of The Qumran Community And Related Groups. Acknowledgements 9 Abbreviations 11 Chapter One. Introduction 15 The State of Research: Priesthood and Qumran Origins 16 Rationale and Method of the Present Study 28 The Plan of the Present Study 32 Part One Otherworldly Priesthood in the Dead Sea Scrolls 35 Chapter Two. Otherworldly Priesthood in Non-Sectarian Writings 37 The Book of the Watchers 40 Jubilees 50 Aramaic Levi Document 60 4QVisions of Amram ar (4Q543–548) 67 Hebrew Ben Sira 70 4QInstructiond (4Q418) Frg. 81+81a 75 4QApocryphon of Levib? ar (4Q541) 91 Conclusion 95 Chapter Three. Otherworldly Priesthood in the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice: Imago Templi and Liturgical Time at Qumran 97 Prefatory Remarks 97 The Provenance of the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice 99 Otherworldly Priesthood in the Angelic Liturgy 101 The Relationship of Heaven and Earth in SSS 111 Conclusion 119 Chapter Four. Otherworldly Priesthood in Sectarian Writings 121 The Rule of Benedictions (1QSb) 121 4QSongs of the Sage (4Q510–511) 137 The Self-Glorification Hymn 146 11QMelchizedek (11Q13) 160 Conclusion 179 Part Two Eschatological Priesthood in the Dead Sea Scrolls 183 Chapter Five. The Image of Eschatological Priesthood in the Dead Sea Scrolls 185 Methodological Concerns 185 The Messiah of Aaron 190 The Messiah of Aaron as Teacher 194 The Function of Atonement 209 Martial Responsibilities 210 The Eschatological Priesthood of 1QSa 216 Priestly Leadership in the Temple Scroll 217 Summary and Conclusion 219 Chapter Six.The Historical Roots of the Eschatological Priesthood 223 Political-Historical Roots: The Shiftto Priestly and Scribal Authority 224 Religious-Historical Roots: Criticism of the Temple and Its Priesthood 226 Sectarian Attitudes toward the Temple 250 Priestly Imagination and the Practice of Ritual Purity at Qumran 256 Summary and Conclusion 267 Chapter Seven.The Traditional Roots of the Eschatological Priesthood 271 The Magnetic Quality of Priesthood in Second Temple Literature 272 Levi and Levites in the Dead Sea Scrolls 292 Conclusion 307 Chapter Eight. Summary and Conclusions 311 Summary 311 Conclusions 319 Bibliography 325 Index of Modern Authors 365 Index of Ancient Sources 371 Departing from scholarship dedicated to the socio-historical realities of priesthood at Qumran, this book explores, in two parts, the most pervasive literary representations of priesthood in the Dead Sea Scrolls as a reflection of the religious worldview of the Qumran community and broader segments of Second Temple society. Part one compares depictions of otherworldly priesthood in non-sectarian and sectarian documents. Part two examines the historical and traditional roots of portrayals of messianic/eschatological priesthood. The study reveals a fresh understanding of the integral role of priestly imagery in the tension-filled eschatological identity of the Qumran community. It concludes with a consideration of the relationship of the evidence treated to the phenomenon of democratization of priestly holinesses in rabbinic Judaism and Christianity. --From publisher's description