DEAD SEA SCROLLS 
AND THE BIBLE

 

 

Fall 2002
REL 407/507  4 credits  CRN 14992/14996
4:00-6:50 W 203 CHA. 

Professor: Daniel Falk

Office hrs 814 PLC 1:00-2:00 pm UWH
Tel:  (541) 346-4980; Email: dfalk@oregon.uoregon.edu
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~dfalk

This course will examine the nature of the early development and transmission of the Bible (Old Testament) by focusing on the earliest available evidence, the many biblical manuscripts found at Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls). We will also consider other evidence from early Jewish and Christian writings, including Josephus, Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, the New Testament. 
Questions to be considered include: How did the Bible come to be as we know it? Is it possible to recover an "original text" of the Bible? Did the Bible undergo updating and different "versions"? What were considered sacred writings, and how were these seen to be different from other Jewish writings? What role did different religious communities play in shaping the Bible? What is the relationship between the Bible and Jewish and Christian traditions based on the Bible?

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Required Reading: The textbooks will be available for purchase at the University bookstore. Readings are to be completed before the class for which they are assigned.

Abegg, Flint and Ulrich, The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible (HarperSanFransisco, 1999). =AFU

M. O. Wise, M. G. Abegg, E. M. Cook, The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation. HarperCollins: 1999. =WAC

You will also need a Bible for comparison. Recommended: HarperCollins Study Bible, NRSV, with Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books . 

Recommended Readings on Reserve: 

  • H. Shanks, ed. Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls (1992), p. 126-177 
  • E. Ulrich, The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Origins of the Bible (1999) 
  • C. Peter Flint, ed. The Bible at Qumran: Text, Shape, and Interpretation (2001) 

2. Written work :

(1) Textual variants reports. I will provide a chart for doing the comparison and further instructions. Hint: in doing this exercise, pay attention to the comments in AFU. 

a. Report #1 (15 points). Read Exodus in the Dead Sea Scrolls Bible (AFU, pp. 23-76). Examine the footnotes to find all the references to the manuscript 4QpaleoExodusm (the first reference is on p. 33). Make a list of all the readings of this manuscript mentioned in the footnotes (with brief context), and indicate what other textual traditions it agrees with and/or disagrees with. Write a one-paragraph summary indicating the relationship of 4QpaleoExodusm with the other textual traditions.

b. Report #2 (15 points). Same, but read 1 Samuel (AFU, pp. 213-59), and examine the variants in 4QSamuela. 

(3) Essay and class presentation. Topics will be assigned in class.

3. Examination: There will be a 1-hour final examination in the last class. It will be open book. (10 points)

GRADING

reports: 2 x 15 = 30%
essay: 40%
class presentation: 10%
class participation: 10%
final examination: 10%

 

DATE

 

READINGS/ASSIGNMENTS

10/2

Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Text, Interpretation, Canon

AFU vii-xxii; WAC 3-45

10/9

Torah
Genesis-Exodus
Report #1 due

AFU 3-76; Genesis; Exodus

10/16

Patriarchal Traditions:
Jubilees, Enochic literature, Genesis Apocryphon

AFU 196-8; 
Jubilees (click link)
Pseudo-Jubileesa (4Q225): WAC #36, A Paraphrase of Genesis and Exodus, pp. 261-3.
Pseudo-Jubileesb (4Q226). WAC #37, Israel and the Holy Land, pp. 263-4.
Pseudo-Jubileesc (4Q227). WAC #38, Enoch and the Watchers, pp. 264-5.
Book of Noah (4Q534-536). WAC #112, The Birth of the Chosen One, pp. 427-9.
Material from Book of Noah (1 Enoch 6-11, 106-7, click link)
1 Enoch (click link) 
Book of Giants (1Q23, 2Q26, 4Q203, 4Q530-532, 6Q8). WAC #33, pp. 246-50.
WAC #2, Tales of the Patriarchs, pp. 74-84.

10/23

Patriarchal Traditions:
Reworked Pentateuch; Testaments;
Commentary

Paraphrase of Genesis and Exodus (4Q422). WAC #90, A Commentary on Genesis and Exodus), pp. 391-3.
Commentaries on Genesis (4Q252-254a). WAC #44, pp. 274-78.
Reworked Pentateuch (4Q158, 4Q364-7). WAC #16, A Reworking of Genesis and Exodus, pp. 199-204; WAC #71, An Annotated Law of Moses, pp. 325-8.
Ages of Creation (4Q180-181). WAC #28, pp. 238-9.
A Sermon on the Flood (4Q370). WAC #73, pp. 330-331.
Lives of the Patriarchs (4Q464). WAC #97, pp. 401-2.

Apocryphon of Joseph (4Q371-373, 2Q22). WAC #74, Stories about the Tribes of Israel, pp. 331-35.
Visions of Jacob (4Q537). WAC #113, pp. 429-30.
Aramaic Testament of Judah (4Q538). WAC #114, An Apocryphon of Judah, pp. 430-431.
Aramaic Testament of Joseph (4Q539). WAC #115, The Last Words of Joseph, p. 431.
Aramaic Testament of Levi (1Q21, 4Q213-14, 4Q540-41, Geniza fragments, Mt. Athos Greek text). WAC #34, The Words of Levi, p. 250-60.
Testament of Naphtali (4Q215). WAC #35, The Last Words of Naphtali, pp. 260-1.
Aramaic Testament of Qahat (4Q542). WAC #116, The Last Words of Kohath, pp. 432-433.
The Vision of Amram (4Q543-548). WAC #117, 433-6.

10/30

Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Temple Scroll
Other works attributed to Moses 

AFU 77-195
Temple Scroll (11Q19, 11Q20). WAC #131, pp. 457-92.
Halakhah (4Q251). WAC #43, A Commentary on the Law of Moses, pp. 271-74.

Hur and Miriam (4Q549). WAC #118, pp. 436-7.
Words of Moses (1Q22). WAC #9, pp. 172-4.
Pseudo-Moses (4Q385a, 387a, 388, 388a, 389, 390). WAC #81, pp. 349-56.
Pseudo-Moses Apocalypse
Apocryphon of Moses (2Q21). Not in WAC.
Apocryphon of Moses B (1Q29, 4Q375, 4Q376). WAC #11, Tongues of Fire, pp. 178-9; WAC #76, The Test of a True Prophet, pp. 336-7.
Apocryphon of Moses C (4Q377). WAC #77, A Moses Apocryphon, pp. 337-8.
Discourse on the Exodus and Conquest (4Q374). WAC #75, pp. 335-36.
Florilegium (4Q174). WAC #23, The Last Days, pp. 225-8
Testimonia (4Q175). WAC #24, A Collection of Messianic Proof Texts, pp. 229-231.
Biblical Chronology (4Q559). WAC #121, pp. 441-2

11/6

The Former Prophets
Report #2 due

AFU 201-266
Prophecy of Joshua (4Q522). WAC #109, A Tale of Joshua, pp. 422-3.
Psalms of Joshua (4Q378, 4Q379). WAC #78, pp. 339-42.
Vision of Samuel (4Q160). WAC #18, An Account of the Story of Samuel, pp. 207-9.
Apocryphon of Elijah (4Q382). WAC #80, pp. 347-8.

11/13

The Latter Prophets I

AFU 267-406
Apocryphon of Jeremiah (4Q384, 385b, 389a). WAC #81, pp. 349-56
Pseudo-Ezekiel (4Q385, 385c, 386, 388, 391). WAC#81, pp. 349-56.
Commentary on Isaiah (4Q161-165). WAC #19, pp. 209-14.
Tanhumim (4Q176). WAC #25, A Commentary on Consoling Passages, pp. 231-33.

11/20

The Latter Prophets II

AFU 407-481
Commentary on Hosea (4Q166-167). WAC #20, pp. 214-15.
Micah pesher (1Q14, 4Q168). Not in WAC.
Commentary on Nahum (4Q169). WAC #21, pp. 215-220.
Commentary on Habakkuk (1QpHab). WAC # 4, pp. 114-122 Zephaniah pesher (1Q15, 4Q170). Not in WAC.
Malachi pesher (5Q10). Not in WAC.

11/27

Psalms

AFU 505-89
Apocryphal Psalms (11Q5-6, 4Q88, 4Q448). WAC #15, pp. 198-9; WAC #127, pp. 447-52.
Non-Canonical Psalms (4Q380, 4Q381). WAC #79, A Collection of Royal Psalms, pp. 342-47.
Catena (4Q177). WAC #26, The Last Days, pp. 233-37.

12/4

Other Writings

FINAL EXAM

AFU 482-501; 590-646
Targum of Job (11Q10). WAC #128, An Aramaic Translation of the Book of Job, pp. 452-3.
Commentaries on Psalms (4Q171, 4Q173, 1Q16). WAC #22, pp. 220-225.
Pseudo-Daniel (4Q243-5). WAC #40, The Vision of Daniel, pp. 266-68.
Prayer of Nabonidus (4Q242). WAC #39, The Healing of King Nabonidus, pp. 265-66.
Four Kingdoms (4Q552-553). WAC #120, The Vision of the Four Trees, pp. 439-441.
Proto-Esther (4Q550). WAC #119, The Tale of Bagasraw, pp. 437-39.


 

LINKS

Orion Center for Dead Sea Scrolls . The best on-line resource for research on the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Non-canonical Homepage . Texts of the Old Testament Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha and New Testament Apocrypha (Wesley Center)

Old Testament Pseudepigrapha . Texts of the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (UPenn)

The Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament . Public domain translation by R. H. Charles (from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library )

New Testament Gateway . A fabulous resource for maps, translations, links related to the New Testament

Resource Pages for Biblical Studies . A vast collection of links to texts and resources for the study of the Bible and related literature.

Biblical Studies Resources . A helpful source of links to texts and resources for the study of the Bible.