The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) grant us a window into the 3rd century BC–1st century AD
messianic understanding of a particular segment of “Palestinian” Jewry, helping us appreciate how specific Jews interpreted particular [O]ld [T]estament texts which they regarded as prophecies which pointed to the coming of the Messiah.
OT references such as 2 Samuel 7:10-14, Psalm 2:1, Isaiah 11:1-2, Jeremiah 23:5, Daniel 7:14, 27, Amos 9:11 and a few others are all explained in regards to the Messianic Ruler who is to come from David’s line.
What makes the Scrolls rather interesting is that they envision the coming of not one, but two Messiahs, a Royal Davidic Messiah and a Priestly Messiah from the line of Aaron, with the former being subject to the authority of the latter! The Scrolls also speak of a Prophet like Moses to arise in line with the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:18-19.
One Scroll goes as far as to state that the heavens and earth will all be subject to the Messiah.
Even more remarkable is the Aramaic Scroll 4Q246, which mentions a figure that will arise who will be proclaimed the Son of God and shall be called the Son of the Most High. Some scholars have argued that this must be understood as a Messianic scroll as well, one in which the Messiah is identified as the Son of God and the Son of Man of Daniel 7:13-14.
They base this primarily on the fact that these very titles for the Messiah are ascribed to Jesus in Luke’s Gospel in which the author records the annunciation of the birth of Christ by the angel Gabriel to his blessed Mother:
“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.’” Luke 1:26-35 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
It seems untenable that Luke would have adopted these names for Jesus if these were the same titles which Jews were ascribing to an antichrist figure, a wicked pagan tyrant whom God would soon destroy by the hands of his holy ones.
In this post I will be quoting Geza Vermes’ English rendering of the DSS since this late Jewish scholar provides brief explanatory notes to aid the readers in understanding the Messianic views of the Jewish community which produced these texts.
4Q285.fr. 7
The Messiah, Branch of David
[As it is written in the book of] Isaiah the Prophet, [The thickets of the forest] will be cut [down with an axe and Lebanon by a majestic one will f] all. And there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse […] the Branch of David and they will enter into judgement with […] and the Prince of the Congregation, the Br[anch of David] will kill him [ … by strok]es and by wounds. And a Priest [of renown(?)] will command [ … the s]lai[n] of the Kitti[m … ]
4Q285, fr.8
[Answering, he shall say] to the sons of [I]srael: May you be blessed in the name of the Most High [God] … and may His holy name be blessed for ever and ever. [May all His holy angels be blessed. May] the M[ost High] God [bless] you. [May He shine His face towards you and open for you His] good [treasure] which is in heaven [to bring down on your land] showers of blessing, dew, rain, [early rain] and late rain in His/its time, and to give [you the fruit of the produce of corn, wine and o]il plentiful. And may the land [prod]uce for [you fruits of delight. And you shall eat and grow fa]t. And there shall be no miscarriage [in yo]ur [la]n[d] and no [sickness, blight or mildew] shall be seen in [its] produ[ce. And there shall be no loss of children n]or stumbling in [your] congrega[tion, and wild beasts shall withdraw] from your land and there shall be no pestil[ence in your land.] For God is wi[th you and His holy angels stand in your congregation, and His] holy [name] shall be invoked upon you … in your midst…
11Q14
And he shall bless them in the name [of the God] of Israel. Answering he shall say, … to the sons of Israel: May [yo]u be blessed for ever and ever and may His … be blessed … and may His holy angels be blessed. May the Most High God bless you. May He shine His face towards you and open to you His good treasure which is in heaven to bring down on your land showers of blessing, dew, rain, early rain and late rain in His/its time to give you the fruit of the produce of corn, wine and oil plentiful. May the land produce for you fruits of delight. And you shall eat and grow fat. And there shall be no miscarriage in your land and no sickness, blight or mildew shall be seen in its produce. There shall be no loss of children, nor stumbling in your congregation and the wild beasts shall withdraw from [your land.] The sword shall not pass through your land. For God is with you and His holy angels shall be present in your congregation, and His holy name shall be invoked upon you. (Geza Vermes, The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English [Penguin Books, Revised Edition 2004], pp. 230-232)
Commentaries on Isaiah (4Q 11611-5, 3Q4)
Translatable fragments of four commentaries on Isaiah were discovered in Cave 4 (4QpIsaa—d = 4Q161—4). A fifth (4QpIsa e = 4QI65) is too mutilated to be rendered into English. The first document alludes to the defeat of the Kittim and expounds the renowned messianic prophecy of Isa. xi. It is related to 4Q285 (cf. p. 188). The second and the third deal with the Jewish opponents of the sect. The fourth, relying on Isa. liv, identifies the Community as the New Jerusalem. They may all be assigned to the first century BCE. A small fragment from Cave 3 (3Q4) represents a commentary on Isa. i, I, but with no continuous text.
For the editio princeps, see J. M. Allegro and A. A. Anderson, DJD, V, 11—30.
Frs. 8-10
… [and the tallest tre]es [shall be cut down and] the lofty [shall be felled] with the axe, and Lebanon through a powerful one shall fall (x, 33—4).
[Its interpretation concerns the Kit]tim who shall crush the house of Israel and the humble … all the nations and the valiant shall be dismayed and [their] he[arts] shall melt. [And that which he said, The tallest] trees shall be cut down, these are the valiant of the Kit[tim] … [And that which he sa]id. The heart of the forest shall be felled with the axe, th[ey] … for the war of the Kittim. And Lebanon through a po[werful one shall fall (x, 34). Its interpretation concerns the] Kittim who will be given into the hand of his great one … when he flees from be[fore Is]rael … vacat
[And there shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse and a Branch shall grow out of its roots. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or pass sentence by what his ears hear; he shall judge the poor righteously and shall pass sentence justly on the humble of the earth] (xi, 1—3).
[Interpreted, this concerns the Branch] of David who shall arise at the end [of days] … God will uphold him with [the spirit of might, and will give him] a throne of glory and a crown of [holiness] and many-coloured garments … [He will put a sceptre] in his hand and he shall rule over all the [nations]. And Magog … and his sword shall judge [all] the peoples. And as for that which he said, He shall not [judge by what his eyes see] or pass sentence by what his ears hear: interpreted, this means that … [the Priests] … As they teach him, so will he judge; and as they order, [so will he pass sentence]. One of the Priests of renown shall go out, and garments of… shall be in his hands … (Ibid, pp. 551-552)
(4Q174)
This collection of texts assembled from 2 Samuel and the Psalter, and combined with other scriptural passages, serves to present the sectarian doctrine identifying the Community with the Temple, and to announce the coming of the two Messiahs, the ‘Branch of David’ and the ‘Interpreter of the Law’. Originating from Cave 4 (4Q174) and known also as ‘Florilegium’, it probably belongs to the late first century BCE.
For the editio princeps, see J. M. Allegro and A. A. Anderson, DJD, V, 53-7.
I … [I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them that they may dwell there and be troubled no more by their] enemies. No son of iniquity [shall afflict them again] as formerly, from the day that [I set judges] over my people Israel (2 Sam. vii, 10).
This is the House which [He will build for them in the] last days, as it is written in the book of Moses, In the sanctuary which Thy hands have established, O Lord, the Lord shall reign for ever and ever (Exod. xv, 17-18). This is the House into which [the unclean shall] never [enter, nor the uncircumcised,] nor the Ammonite, nor the Moabite, nor the half-breed, nor the foreigner, nor the stranger, ever; for there shall My Holy Ones be. [Its glory shall endure] for ever; it shall appear above it perpetually And strangers shall lay it waste no more, as they formerly laid waste the Sanctuary of Israel because of its sin. He has commanded that a Sanctuary of men be built for Himself, that there they may send up, like the smoke of incense, the works of the Law.
And concerning His words to David, And I [will give] you [rest] from all your enemies (2 Sam. vii, 11), this means that He will give them rest from all the children of Belial who cause them to stumble so that they may be destroyed [by their errors,] just as they came with a [devilish] plan to cause the [sons] of light to stumble and to devise against them a wicked plot, that [they might become subject] to Belial in their [wicked] straying.
The Lord declares to you that He will build you a House (2 Sam. vii, 11c).1 I will raise up your seed after you (2 Sam. vii, 12). I will establish the throne of his kingdom [for ever] (2 Sam. vii, 13). [I will be] his father and he shall be my son (2 Sam. vii, 14). He is the Branch of David who shall arise with the Interpreter of the Law [to rule] in Zion [at the end] of time. As it is written, I will raise up the tent of David that is fallen (Amos ix, 11). That is to say, the fallen tent of David is he who shall arise to save Israel.
Explanation of How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked (Ps. i, 1). Interpreted, this saying [concerns] those who turn aside from the way [of the people] as it is written in the book of Isaiah the Prophet concerning the last days, It came to pass that [the Lord turned me aside, as with a mighty hand, from walking in the way of] this people (Isa. viii, 11). They are those of whom it is written in the book of Ezekiel the Prophet, The Levites [strayed far from me, following] their idols (Ezek. xliv, Prophet, are the sons of Zadok who [seek their own] counsel and follow 10). They are the sons of Zadok who [seek their own] counsel and follow [their own inclination] apart from the Council of the Community.
[Why] do the nations [rage] and the peoples meditate [vanity? Why do the kings of the earth] rise up, [and the] princes take counsel together against the Lord and against [His Messiah]? (Ps. ii, 1). Interpreted, this saying concerns [the kings of the nations] who shall [rage against] the elect of Israel in the last days.11 This shall be the time of the trial to co[me concerning the house of J]udah so as to perfect … Belial, and a remnant of the people shall be left according to the lot (assigned to them), and they shall practise the whole Law… Moses. This is the time of which it is written in the book of Daniel the Prophet: But the wicked shall do wickedly and shall not understand, but the righteous shall purify themselves and make themselves white (Dan. xii, 10). The people who know God shall be strong. They are the masters who understand…
Testimonia or Messianic Anthology (4Q175)
This short document from Cave 4 (4Q175), dating to the early first century BCE and similar in literary style to the Christian Testimonia or collections of messianic proof-texts, includes five quotations arranged in four groups. Only the last of them is followed by an interpretation.
The first group consists of two texts from Deuteronomy referring to the prophet similar to Moses; the second is an extract from a prophecy of Balaam about the Royal Messiah; the third is a blessing of the Levites and, implicitly, of the Priest-Messiah.
The last group opens with a verse from Joshua, which is then expounded by means of a quotation from the sectarian Psalms of Joshua (cf. 4Q379 below, p. 547). Most experts hold that the commentator, bearing in mind the biblical passage, is alluding to three characters: a father (‘an accursed man’) and his two sons. However, the verb ‘arose’ in the second sentence is in the singular, and it would seem correct to interpret this text as referring to the two brothers only.
For the editio princeps, see J. M. Allegro and A. A. Anderson, DJD, V, 57-60.
The Lord spoke to Moses saying:
You have heard the words which this people have spoken to you; all they have said is right. O that their heart were always like this, to fear me and to keep my commandments always, that it might be well with them and their children for ever! (Deut. v, 28-9). I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren. I will put my words into his mouth and he shall tell them all that I command him. And I will require a reckoning of whoever will not listen to the words which the Prophet shall speak in my Name (Deut. xviii, 18-19).
He took up his discourse and said:
Oracle of Balaam son of Beor. Oracle of the man whose eye is penetrating. Oracle of him who has heard the words of God, who knows the wisdom of the Most High and sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls and his eyes are opened. I see him but not now. I behold him but not near. A star shall come out of Jacob and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel; he shall crush the temples of Moab and destroy all the children of Sheth (Num. xxiv, 15-17).
And of Levi he said:
Give Thy Tummim to Levi, and Thy Urim to Thy pious one whom Thou didst test at Massah, and with whom Thou didst quarrel at the waters of Meribah; who said to his father and mother, ‘I know you not’, and who did not acknowledge his brother, or know his sons. For they observed Thy word and kept Thy Covenant. They shall cause Thy precepts to shine before Jacob and Thy Law before Israel. They shall send up incense towards Thy nostrils and place a burnt-offering upon Thine altar. Bless his power, O Lord, and delight in the work of his hands. Smite the loins of his adversaries and let his enemies rise no more (Deut. xxxiii, 8-11).
When Joshua had finished offering praise and thanksgiving, he said:
Cursed be the man who rebuilds this city! May he lay its foundation on his first-born, and set its gate upon his youngest son (Josh. vi, 26). Behold, an accursed man, a man of Belial, has risen to become a fowler’s net to his people, and a cause of destruction to all his neighbours. And [his brother] arose [and ruled in li]es, both being instruments of violence. They have rebuilt [this city and have set up for it] a wall and towers to make of it a stronghold of ungodliness in Israel, and a horror in Ephraim and in Judah … They have committed an abomination in the land, and a great blasphemy among the children [of Jacob. They have shed blood] like water upon the ramparts of the daughter of Zion and within the precincts of Jerusalem. (Ibid., pp. 577-581)
For the edition princeps, see E. Puech, DJD, XXII, 165-84.
I … [the spirit of God] dwelt on him, he fell down before the throne … O [K]ing, you are angry for ever and your years … your vision and all. For ever you … [the gre]at ones. An oppression will come to the earth … a great massacre in the provinces … the king of Assyria [and E]gypt … he will be great on earth … will make and all will serve … he will be called (or: call himself) [gran]d … and by his name he will be designated (or: designate himself). II The son of God he will be proclaimed (or: proclaim himself) and the son of the Most High they will call him. Like the sparks of the vision, so will be their kingdom. They will reign for years on the earth and they will trample all. People will trample people (cf. Dan. vii, 23) and one province another province vacat until the people of God will arise and all will rest from the sword. Their (the people of God’s) kingdom will be an eternal kingdom (cf. Dan. vii, 27) and all their path will be in truth. They will jud[ge] the earth in truth and all will make peace. The sword will cease from the earth, and all the provinces will pay homage to them. The Great God (cf. Dan. ii, 45) is their helper. He will wage war for them. He will give peoples into their hands and all of them (the peoples) He will cast before them (the people of God). Their dominion will be an eternal dominion (Dan. vii, 14) and all the boundaries of… (Ibid., 4Q246. An Aramaic Scroll, p. 673)
A Messianic Apocalypse
(4Q521)
Commonly referred to as the ‘Resurrection fragment’, this writing consists of sixteen fragments. The script is dated to the beginning of the first century BCE. Whether the designation ‘apocalypse’ is fully justified is a moot point: the writing comes across as a composition in verse akin to the poetry of the late biblical period. The surviving fragments do not appear to include anything patently sectarian. The term ‘Messiah’, probably in the singular, is used without the addition of Aaron or Israel, and the noun ‘hasidim’, absent from the big scrolls and little attested elsewhere, figures in lines 5 and 7. The divine name ‘Lord’ represents, not the Tetragram, but Adonai (four times). The poem incorporates Ps. cxlvi, 6-7 and Isa. lxi, 1, the latter cited also in the New Testament (Lk. iv, 18). As in the Gospels, healing and resurrection are linked to the idea of the Kingdom of God. Line 12 furnishes the most explicit evidence concerning the raising of the dead. Fragment 7, line 6, repeats the same idea, referring to God as ‘He who will raise the dead of His people’.
For the editio princeps, see E. Puech, DJD, XXV, 1—38; cf. G. Vermes, ‘Qumran Forum Miscellanea I’, JJS 43 (1992), 303-4.
Fr. 2
II … [the hea]vens and the earth will listen to His Messiah, and none therein will stray from the commandments of the holy ones.
Seekers of the Lord, strengthen yourselves in His service!
All you hopeful in (your) heart, will you not find the Lord in this?
For the Lord will consider the pious (hasidim) and call the righteous by name.
Over the poor His spirit will hover and will renew the faithful with His power.
And He will glorify the pious on the throne of the eternal Kingdom. He who liberates the captives, restores sight to the blind, straightens the b[ent] (Ps. cxlvi, 7-8).
And f[or] ever I will clea[ve to the h]opeful and in His mercy …
And the fr[uit … ] will not be delayed for anyone And the Lord will accomplish glorious things which have never been as [He … ] For He will heal the wounded, and revive the dead and bring good news to the poor (Isa. lxi, 1).
… He will lead the uprooted and make the hungry rich …
Fr. 7
… [the ear]th and all that is on it; and the sea [and all that is in it] and all the ponds of water and rivers who are doing good before the Lor[d] … … like those who curse and are (destined) for death [when] the Lifegiver will raise the dead of His people.
And we will thank and proclaim to you the righteousness of the Lord, who … (Ibid., pp. 471-472)
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