The Rule of the Association and Related Texts

The Rule of the Association and Related Texts

Role

John J. Collins (Author)

James Nati (Author)

Description

This book provides text, translation, and commentary on 1QS (Serekh ha-Yahad), 1QSa (Rule of the Congregation), 1QSb (Scroll of Blessings), and related fragmentary texts: 1Q29a, 4QSa–j, 5Q11, and 11Q29. It also provides introductions to 1QS, 1QSa, 1QSb, and to the related fragments from Caves 1, 4, 5, and 11. Each of the fragmentary manuscripts is presented in full and analyzed in its own right, and not treated simply as variants of 1QS. The entity for which the Rule was written (the yahad) is called an “association” rather than a “community,” because it assumes that members have multiple settlements, not just one at Qumran. The commentary recognizes, however, that a special group is set aside within the association, to go into the desert to pursue a higher degree of holiness. The introduction to 1QS attempts to locate this association in the context of ancient Judaism, and also pays attention to the broader cultural context, by noting the phenomenon of voluntary associations in the Hellenistic world and the influence of Zoroastrian dualism on the doctrine of two spirits of light and darkness in 1QS 3–4. The commentary engages the full range of scholarship on the Rule and provides a comprehensive bibliography.

ISBN

9780191880926

Publication Date

6-20-2024

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Keywords

association, community, rule, yaḥad, Qumran, voluntary association, desert, dualism

Disciplines

History of Religion | Jewish Studies

The Rule of the Association and Related Texts

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