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Jewish Studies 170: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Early Judaism
Winter 2004
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30-10:45 AM, Rolfe 3135

Topic: The Dead Sea Scrolls
Instructor: William Schniedewind
E-mail: williams@humnet.ucla.edu
Office:  392 Kinsey Hall.

Purpose:
To introduce the Dead Sea Scrolls and their relationship with early Jewish movements.  This will include extensive reading of the Scrolls in English translation, an examination of the archaeology of the site of Qumran, and a survey of the broader sociopolitical context of Second Temple Judaism (586 BCE - 135 CE) out of which the Qumran community emerged.

Requirements:
1) Mid-Term (25%) [Feb 10th] and Final Exam (35%)
2) Research paper (35%) [due at the Final].  Research papers may be any topic concerning the Dead Sea Scrolls or Early Judaism (about 6-8 pages).  All papers should include footnotes and bibliography.  Topics should be chosen with approval of instructor.
3) Class participation and Attendance

Textbooks:

Buy Geza Vermes, The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English. (Penguin, 1997).
Buy James VanderKam, . An Introduction to Early Judaism (Eerdmans, 2001).

Grading Scale:
A >93.5; A- 93.4-90; B+ 89.9-87; B 86.9-83; B- 82.9-80; C+ 79.9-75; C 74.9-70; C- 69.9-65; D+ 64.9-60; D 59.9-50; F <50

General Outline of Class Topics:

Weeks 1-3  
Topic: Introduction to the Site of Qumran and the Literature and History of the Sect
Reading: G. Vermes, DSSE, pp. 1-25.
M. Broshi, "A Day in the Life" [.pdf]
   
Topic: Early Judaism: The Historical Context
Reading: J. VanderKam, An Introduction to Early Judaism, pp. 1-52, 175-218.
G. Vermes, DSSE, pp. 26-90.
ABD Article - Pharisees [.pdf]
ABD Article - Sadducees [.pdf]
ABD Article - Essenes [.pdf]
   
Topic: The Archaeology of Khirbet Qumran
Reading: J. Murphy-O'Connor, "Kh. Qumran," from the Anchor Bible Dictionary [.pdf]
J. Magness, The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls [Buy]
Artist's reconstruction of the Qumran site [.jpg]
Artist's reconstruction of the scriptorium [.jpg]
BAR article on Essenes [.pdf]
Cook, Edwards E. "What Was Qumran? A Ritual Purification Center," BAR 22, 6 (1996): 39, 48-51, 73. [.pdf]
Crown, Alan D., and Cansdale, Lena, "Qumran: Was It An Essene Settlement?" BAR 20, 5 (1994): 25-35, 73. [.pdf]
Goranson, Stephen, "Qumran: A Hub of Scribal Activity?" BAR 20, 5 (1994): 37-39. [.pdf]
Hidiroglou, Patricia, "Aqueducts, Basins, and Cisterns: The Water Systems at Qumran," NEA 63, 3 (2000): 138-39. [.pdf]
Magnes, Jodi, "What Was Qumran? Not A Country Villa," BAR 22, 6 (1996): 38, 40-47, 72. [.pdf]
   
Topic: The History of the Sect
Reading: Selections from Josephus, Philo, Pliny.
G. Vermes, DSSE, [Damascus Document, column 1, 4Q448 'Psalm of Jonathon,' Commentary of Habakkuk], pp. 125-146, 478-485.
The Essenes in Non-Qumranic Literature [.pdf]
Schiffman, Lawrence, "The Dead Sea Scrolls and the History of Judaism," NEA 63, 3 (2000): 155-59. [.pdf]
  Questions to think about: What were the main historical events that shaped the 2nd Temple period? Who were the main Jewish groups? Who did they represent? What were the main issues that were being debated by Jews in the formative period?
Week 4  
Topic: Class Discussion / Debate: Who Were the Qumranites? What was Qumran?
Reading: Josephus, War, 2.119-66.
Belis, Mireille, "In Search of the Qumran Library," NEA 63, 3 (2000): 120-23. [.pdf]
Broshi, Magen, and Eshel, Hanan, "Daily Life at Qumran." NEA 63, 3 (2000): 136-37. [.pdf]
Garcia-Martinez, Florentino, "The Great Battles over Qumran," NEA 63, 3 (2000): 124-30. [.pdf]
Humbert, Jean-Baptiste, "Interpreting the Qumran Site," NEA 63, 3 (2000): 140-43. [.pdf]
Mebarki, Farah, "The Qumran Library," NEA 63, 3 (2000): 144-49. [.pdf]
Mebarki, Farah, "The Convictions of a Scholar: Interview with Emile Puech," NEA 63, 3 (2000): 160-63. [.pdf]
Questions to think about: What are the sources? How do we interpret sources?
   
FEB 10th MID-TERM EXAMINATION - Study Guide [.pdf]
   
Week 5  
Topic: The “Bible” at Qumran
Reading:

Abegg, Flint and Ulrich, The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible [on reserve]
Jubilees [.pdf]
Mishnah Avot [.pdf]
Week 6  
Topic:

Torah in the Sect and Early Judaism
Reading: Vermes, DSSE, pp. 97-124, 190-219, 220-28 [Community Rule, pp. 97-124, MMT, pp. 220-228, The Temple Scroll, pp. 190-219];
Mishnah Aboth, chapter 1
Book of Jubilees, chapter 1 [.pdf]
Week 7  
Topic: Qumran, Biblical Studies, & Biblical Interpretation, Canon
Reading:

VanderKam, pp. 121-201;
Vermes, DSSE, pp. 429-582 [especially 11QPsalmsa, Commentary on Habakkuk, Commentaries on Isaiah, Genesis Commentaries/Apocryphon, Reworked Pentateuch, Jubilees, Temple Scroll]
Garcia-Martinez, Florentino, "The Temple Scrolls," NEA 63, 3 (2000): 172-74. [.pdf]
Week 8  
Topic: The Liturgy of the Sect
Reading:

Vermes, DSSE, pp. 243-386 [especially Thanksgiving Hymns 1, 2, 7-11, Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, Blessings]
VanderKam, James, "Calendars in the Dead Sea Scrolls," NEA 63, 3 (2000):164-67. [.pdf]
Week 9  
Topic: Messianism
Reading:

Vermes, DSSE, [Messianic Apocalypse, Florilegium on the Last Days, Messianic Anthology or Testimonia, Heavenly Prince Melchizedek (11QMelch), An Aramaic Apocalypse, The War Scroll], pp. 391-393, 493-494, 500-502, 576-77.
Week 10  
Topic: Qumran and Early Christianity
Reading: DSSE, [4Q525 ‘Beatitudes’, 11Q13 ‘Melchizedek’, The New Jerusalem,  4Q246 ‘An Aramaic Apocalypse’, 4Q521 ‘Messianic Apocalypse’, 4Q285 ‘Pierced Messiah’]
Larson, Erik, "Are the Dead Sea Scrolls Christian?" NEA 63, 3 (2000): 168-71. [.pdf]
 

 
MAR ?? FINAL EXAMINATION AND PAPER DUE

Select Bibliography

Official Series

 

Discoveries in the Judaean Desert. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1955-.

Transcriptions, Translations, Reproductions, and Reconstructions

  The Dead Sea Scrolls on Microfiche: A Comprehensive Facsimile Edition of the Texts from the Judaean Desert. Edited by E. Tov. Printed catalog by S. Reed. Israel Antiquities Authority. Leiden: E. J. Brill, forthcoming.
  A Facsimile Edition of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Prepared with an introduction and index by R. Eisenman and J. Robinson. 2 vols. Washington, D.C.: Biblical Archaeology Society, 1991. Introduction in English. Facsimiles primarily in Hebrew and Aramaic.
  The Scroll of the War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness. Edited by Y. Yadin. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1962.
  Scrolls from Qumran Cave I: The Great Isaiah Scroll, the Order of the Community, the Pesher to Habakkuk. Photographs by J. Trever. Jerusalem: Albright Institute of Archaeological Research and the Shrine of the Book, 1972.
  The Temple Scroll. Edited by Y. Yadin. 3 vols. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1977-83. Translation of Megilat-ha-mikdash. Contents: v. 1. Introduction -- v. 2. Text and commentary -- v. 3. Plates and text; supplementary plates (2 v.).
  F. García Martínez, The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated (Brill/Eerdmans, 1996).
Buy G. Vermes, The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (Penguin, 1997).
  M. Wise, M. Abegg, and E. Cook, The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation (HarperCollins, 1999).

General Studies

  Abegg, M. and P. Flint, The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible (Harper & Row, 1999).
  Baumgarten, J. Studies in Qumran Law. Studies in Judaism in Late Antiquity, vol. 24. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1977.
  Campbell, J. Dead Sea Scrolls:  The Complete Story; (Published in United Kingdom by Fontana Press as Deciphering the Dead Sea Scrolls ed; (Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press, 1998).
  Cook, Edward M.  Solving the Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls : new light on the Bible (Grand Rapids:  Eerdmans, 1994).
  Cross, F. The Ancient Library of Qumran and Modern Biblical Studies.  Revised edition. 1995.
  De Vaux, R. Archaeology and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1973. English translation from the French.
  Fitzmyer, J. The Dead Sea Scrolls: Major Publications and Tools for Study. Society of Biblical Literature Resources for Biblical Study, no. 20. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1990.
  García Martínez, F. and J. Trebolle Barrera, The People of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Their Writings, Beliefs and Practices (Brill, 1995).
  Golb, N. Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls? : the search for the secret of Qumran.  New York, 1995.
Buy Magness, J. The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Grand Rapids, 2002.
  Schiffman, L. Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls: the history of Judaism, the background of Christianity, the lost library of Qumran.  Philadelphia, 1994.
  Schiffman, L. H. and J. C. VanderKam, eds. Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls; New York: Oxford University Press, 2000).
  Shanks, H. (ed.)  Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls: A Reader from the Biblical Archaeology Review. New York: Random House, 1992.
  Tov, E. and E. Herbert. The Bible as Book: The Hebrew Bible and the Judaean Desert Discoveries (Oak Knoll, 2002).
  Talmon, S. The World of Qumran from Within: Collected Studies. Jerusalem: Magnes Press; Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1989.
  Ulrich, E. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Origins of the Bible; (Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature (Grand Rapids/Leiden: Eerdmans/Brill, 1999).
  VanderKam, J. C. The Dead Sea Scrolls Today; (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994).
  Vermes, G. The Dead Sea Scrolls: Qumran in Perspective. Rev. ed. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1977.
Buy Vermes, G. The Dead Sea Scrolls in English. 4th ed. London: Penguin, 1995.
  Yadin, Y. The Temple Scroll: The Hidden Law of the Dead Sea Sect. New York: Random House, 1985.

Second Temple Period History and Religion: General Studies

  Boccaccini, Gabriele. Middle Judaism:  Jewish Thought, 300 B.C.E to 200 C.E. (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991).
  Boccaccini, Gabriele. Beyond the Essene Hypothesis:  the Parting of Ways between Qumran and Enochian Judaism; (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998).
  Cohen, Shaye J. From the Maccabees to the Mishnah (Philadephia: Westminister, 1987).
  Flusser, D. Judaism and the Origins of Christianity. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1988.
  Grabbe, Lester L.  Judaism from Cyrus to Hadrian (Minneapolis/London:  Fortress/SCM, 1992).
  Gruen, E. S. Heritage and Hellenism: The Reinvention of the Jewish Tradition (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998).
  Jaffee, M. S. Torah in the Mouth: Writing and Oral Tradition in Palestinian Judaism, 200 BCE-400 CE; (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001).
  Mendels, Doron. The Rise and Fall of Jewish Nationalism (2nd ed.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992).
  Russell, D. S. The Jews from Alexander to Herod (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1967).
  Saldarini, Anthony J. Pharisees, Scribes and Sadducees in Palestinian Society:  A Sociological Approach (Wilmington, DE: Glazier, 1988).
  Sanders, E. P. Judaism:  Practice and Belief, 63 BCE - 55 CE (London/Philadephia: SCM/Trinity, 1992).
  Schürer, Emil. The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ (175 B.C.-A.D. 135) (Revised and Edited by Geza Vermes and Fergus Millar; Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1973).
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