Priesthood, Cult, and Temple in the Aramaic Scrolls from Qumran

Robert E. Jones, Ph.D. (2020), McMaster University, is a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies at Pennsylvania State University. His published work has focused on literary representations of the priesthood in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Contents


Acknowledgements


List of Tables


Abbreviations





1 Introduction


 1 Introducing the Book


 2 Introducing the Material


 3 Overview of the Book


 4 Defining the “Aramaic Scrolls”


 5 Defining the Adjective “Priestly”


 6 Situating the Aramaic Scrolls in a Socio-Historical Context


 7 Polemic or Persuasion?





2 The Aramaic Dead Scrolls in Scholarly Context


 1 Introduction


 2 Earlier Treatments of the Aramaic Scrolls


 3 Classifying the Aramaic Scrolls


 4 The Aramaic Scrolls and the Hebrew Scriptures


 5 The Aramaic Scrolls and Apocalyptic Literature/Apocalypticism


 6 The Aramaic Scrolls and Foreign Culture


 7 The Aramaic Scrolls and the Qumran Sectarian Compositions


 8 Conclusion





3 From Enoch to Abraham


 1 Introduction


 2 The Book of Watchers


Excursus: Criticism of the Jerusalem Priesthood in the Book of Watchers?


 3 The Animal Apocalypse (1 En. 85–90)


 4 The Apocalypse of Weeks (1 En. 93:1–10; 91:11–17)


 5 Genesis Apocryphon (1Q20)





4 From Isaac to Aaron


 1 Introduction


 2 Testament of Jacob? (4Q537)


 3 New Jerusalem (1Q32, 2Q24, 4Q554–555, 5Q15, 11Q18)


 4 Aramaic Levi Document (1Q21; 4Q213–214b)


 5 Apocryphon of Levib? (4Q541)


 6 Testament of Qahat (4Q542)


 7 Visions of Amram (4Q543–547)





5 Miscellaneous Compositions


 1 Introduction


 2 Tobit (4Q196–199)


 3 Pseudo-Danielc (4Q245)


 4 Unidentified Text A (4Q562)


 5 Biblical Chronology (4Q559)





6 Synthesis


 1 Introduction


 2 The Priesthood


 3 The Cult


 4 Jerusalem and the Temple(s)


 5 Conclusion





7 Situating the Aramaic Scrolls: A Preliminary Suggestion


 1 The Aramaic Scrolls in Context


 2 Levites, Aaronides, and Zadokites


 3 Priests and Scribes


 4 Conclusion



Bibliography

Index of Modern Authors

Index of Ancient Sources