Divine presence in the yahad.: The identity of the Qumran community in relation to god according to IQS and IQH as revealed in their interpretation of biblical texts.

Abstract

This dissertation presents a study of the idea of Divine presence as represented in two of the Dead Sea Scrolls, IQS and IQH. It will attempt to demonstrate that it is a particular and distinctive idea of that presence that provides the Yahad's identity. To show how this might be so, the thesis will examine words and phrases used in IQS/H to describe God's presence in comparison with those same words and phrases in the Hebrew Bible. At times, it will be necessary to adduce collaborating evidence, drawn from other Qumran documents (IQSa, IQM), the LXX, the Vulgate, and Rabbinic literature. The thesis will note how scholarly literature on the Qumran documents studied here display a comparative neglect of the fundamental theme of Divine presence. After setting out the problem, the aim, and the method of this thesis in the introduction, I outline in what way the question of Divine presence influences our understanding of the identity of the Qumran Community by reviewing scholarly literature on this question. The study falls into four parts. In the first part, I analyse how IQS and IQH describe the nature and dwelling place of God. This part forms the basis for the following investigations. In the second part, I ask the question whether or not IQS and IQH describe a way in which the Yahad can experience God. In the third part, I investigate the relationship between God and the Qumran Community as described by IQS/H in two ways. First, I analyse how IQS/H picture God as the one who approaches the Commimity; secondly, I identify the means by which God approaches the Yahad as the principles on which the special relationship between the Community and God - a unique understanding of Divine presence - rests. In the fourth part of this thesis, I investigate how IQS/H picture life in the Community that is based on these principles. I focus on aspects of life in the Yahad that describe the special relationship between God and the Yahad most clearly. Finally, before concluding, I analyse the significance of the 4QS-Fragments asking the question whether the recently published fragments alter the idea of Divine presence as described IQS.