| 1.3 1Q28b (1QSb) V 20–29 20 Blank Of the Instructor. To bless the prince of the congregation, who [. . .] 21 [. . .] And he will renew the covenant of the Community for him, to establish the kingdom of his people for ever, [to judge the poor with justice] 22 to rebuke the humble of the earth with uprightness, to walk in perfection before him on all his paths [. . .] 23 to establish the [holy] covenant [during] the anguish of those seeking it. May the Lord raise you to an everlasting height, like a fortified tower upon the raised rampart. 24 May [you strike the peoples] with the power of your mouth. With your sceptre may you lay waste Blank the earth. With the breath of your lips 25 may you kill the wicked. [May he send upon you a spirit of] counsel and of everlasting fortitude, a spirit Blank of knowledge and of fear of God. May 26 your justice be the belt of [your loins, and loyalty] the belt of your hips. May he place upon you horns of iron and horseshoes of bronze. You will gore like a bull [. . . you will trample the peo]ples like mud of wheels. For God has established you as a sceptre. 28 Those who rule [. . . all the na]tions will serve you. He will make you strong by his holy Name. 29 He will be like a li[on . . .] the prey from you, with no-one to hunt it. Your steeds will scatter over (DSST, 433).
This lovely blessing of the "Prince of the congregation" forms part of the Collection of blessings included in the same manuscript that originally contained the Rule of the Community and the Rule of the Congregation. 18 The blessing collects together the echoes from a whole series of texts which play an important role in the development of later messianic ideas, such as Numbers 24:17 and Genesis 49:9–10. But there is no doubt that Isaiah 11:1–5 provides the author with most of his ideas and expressions (Isaiah 11:4 in lines 21–22 and 24–25; Isaiah 1:2 in line 25; Isaiah 11:5 in line 26). The long introduction which precedes the blessing proper (lines 20–23) where the figure of the "Prince of the congregation" is described as the instrument chosen by God to "establish the kingdom of his people for ever" shows clearly that he is a traditional Messiah-king, although the technical term is not used. A conclusion which the very content of the blessing confirms in full: the twofold reference to the sceptre underlines its "royal" character and the references to Isaiah 11:1–5 stresses its davidic origin; his military functions are to the fore and stressed by the reference to Micah 4:13 in line 26 and all the nations end by submitting to him. These elements agree with those we have found in the preceding texts. The new contribution of this blessing consists in presenting us with the hoped for "Messiah" in function of the eschatological community. This detail appears in the actual title by which he is called, "Prince of the congregation," a title which places him in direct relationship with the community of the last times. It also appears in the first of the functions assigned to him: to renew the covenant of the community through him.In the preserved text of 1QSb there is no explicit mention of any other messianic figure. However, this could be due to the gaps in the text, so that from this fact no conclusion can be drawn. We possess remains of a blessing clearly intended for blessing "the priests, sons of Zadok" (III 22). It is also certainly possible, as the editor suggests, that the blessing partially preserved in II 1–III 21 was destined for the High Priest of the end of days, the Messiah of Aaron or priestly Messiah. In 1QSb, the identification of the "Prince of the congregation" as the "shoot of David" is implicit. Therefore, it could be disputed. Fortunately, this identification is explicit in the following text, a text still partly unpublished but which has received great publicity recently. It is fragment 5 of 4Q285. The work from which this fragment comes has been preserved in two copies 19 and was known as Berakhot Milúamah. It is quite possible, though, that both copies come from the lost ending to the War Scroll, known through copies from Cave 1 and Cave 4. The general content of the preserved fragments, the reference in both to the destruction of the Kittim, the mention of the archangels Gabriel and Michael and the allusions to the "Prince of the congregation,"20 are so many indications in this direction. Whether or not the two compositions are identical, it is certain that fragment 5 of 4Q285 is of interest for our topic.The fragment was presented by professors R. Eisenman and M. Wise in the press, in November 1991, as containing the death of the Messiah and so providing a perfect parallel to the Christian idea and to the later rabbinic concept of the Messiah, Joseph’s son, who dies in an eschatological battle. A later article by G. Vermes 21 provided the first scholarly analysis of the text, to which J. D. Tabor replied later.22 The text in question can be translated as follows:
1.4 4Q285 frag. 5 1 [. . . as] the Prophet Isaiah [said] (10:34): "[The most massive of the] 2 [forest] shall be cut [with iron and Lebanon, with its magnificence,] will fall. A shoot will emerge from the stump of Jesse [. . .] 3 [. . .] the bud of David will go into battle with [. . .] 4 [. . .] and the Prince of the Congregation will kill him, the sh[oot of David . . .] 5 [. . .] and with wounds. And a priest will command [. . .] 6 [. . .] the destruction of the Kittim [. . .] (DSST, 124).The debate evidently centres on the interpretation of line 4 and is due both to the fragmentary nature of the text and to the very ambiguity of the Hebrew expression used. The hiphil form used can be vocalised as a third person plural (they will kill) or as a third person singular with a suffix (he will kill him). The use of a verb in the plural in line 3 could favour understanding the verb as a plural, assuming continuity between the two. However, the lacuna and the presence in line 5 of a verb in the singular lessen the force of this argument. On the other hand, the absence of the object marker ( <et in Hebrew) before "Prince of the congregation" clearly counsels considering "Prince of the congregation" as the subject of the verb, although this is not a decisive argument either. Ultimately, only the context can assist us in deciding between the two grammatically possible interpretations. However, this context does not leave any doubt at all about the meaning of the clause.In the text from Isaiah which the author quotes exactly, the death of the "shoot of David" is not announced. Rather, that it will be plainly he who will judge and kill the wicked. The Qumran interpretation of this biblical text in 4Q161, which we cited above, is even more important. There, the "Prince of the congregation" is mentioned in column II 15 and his victorious character is also stressed and "Lebanon" and "the most massive of the forest" are interpreted as meaning the Kittim who are placed in his hand (col. III 1–8). We have seen the same victorious exaltation of the "Prince of the congregation" in 1QSb, which also uses the text from Isaiah and it also appears in the other Qumran allusions to that person. In the same way, the reference to the destruction of the Kittim in line 6 places us clearly in the perspective of the War Scroll and of the final victory over the powers of evil. This indicates that the interpretation according to which it is the "Prince of the congregation" who kills his foe is the one which fits best the original biblical text and the other interpretations of this text in the Qumran writings. This best explains all the elements preserved and is supplied with convincing parallels in other related texts. On the other hand, the idea of the death of this "Prince of the congregation" at the hands of his eschatological foe is not documented in any other Qumran text dealing with the davidic "Messiah," or in any other of the Qumran texts mentioning the "Prince of the congregation." The allusion to the death of the "Anointed" in Daniel 9:25–26 or the allusions to the "Suffering Servant" of Isaiah 40–45 play no role. Accordingly, we must conclude that the death of the "Messiah" is contextually alien to the tone of our text. This new text supplies us in a simple and tangible way with the detail that the victory of the "Messiah son of David" will include the destruction of his eschatological foe in the war of the end of times. And the definite proof that in the Qumran texts the messianic figure of the "Prince of the congregation"23 is the same as the "shoot of David," that is, the traditional "Messiah-king." Another text which could refer to the same messianic figure has been published recently by E. Puech.24 It is a fascinating text although its interpretation is not without problems. The manuscript had been described by J. Starcky in 1956: "Un beau texte mentionne le Messie, mais les bienfaits du salut eschatologique, évoqués d’après Is XLss et Psalms CXLVI, sont attribués directement à Adonai" ["A lovely text mentions the Messiah, but the benefits of eschatological salvation evoked, according to Isaiah 40ff. and Psalm 146, are attributed directly to Adonai"].25 The reference to the "Messiah" appears in the best preserved fragment, frag. 2, col. II:
1.5 4Q521 2 II
The first problem which the text presents is that of determining whether the first line refers to one "Messiah" (as we have translated) or to several. The Hebrew text clearly reads leme Áiúo, but as the editor notes, in Qumran Hebrew the form could also be read as a plural (and in fact quite a number of scholars translate lemeÁiúo of CD II 12 "his anointed ones" in the plural without correcting to lemeÁiúy), which is why Pucch translates cautiously "His Messiah(s)." If I have opted conclusively for a translation in the singular, this is due to the presence of the same word in fragment 8,9, but in a form which is obviously plural26 and seems to denote the prophets (or, according to Puech, the priests). Also because the parallel in line 6 "his spirit . . . with his strength" seems to favour clearly the interpretation of the word in the singular with the suffix clearly referring to God.The text, then, deals here with a single "Messiah." It is not easy, though, to determine whether this person is the "Davidic Messiah" or another "messianic" figure, since the only thing the text tells us about him is that "the heavens and the earth will listen to him" and that in his era "all that is in them will not turn away from the precepts of the holy ones." 27 A fragmentary reference to his "sceptre" in the next column (frag. 2 III 6) could point us towards the "royal Messiah." However, partly the reading is uncertain and partly there is no way of proving that this person is the same as the "Messiah" of II 1.28 The only indication I find in the text to identify this "Messiah" with the "Prince of the congregation" is that the horizon of eschatological salvation which the Lord achieves during his age seems to be limited to the eschatological congregation, the assembly of the faithful in the last times. It is certain that nearly all the formulas used are rooted in the bible, but the whole set of promises is certainly limited to those who seek the Lord, hope in him and persevere in his service. In themselves these expressions can of course refer to all the faithful of Israel. However, there is a twofold mention of the "devout" (the úasidim who will be rewarded with the "throne of eternal royalty") which frames the references derived from Psalm 146. And, one of the actions of this messianic age is precisely the elimination of physical obstacles which hinder belonging to the Community. These two factors seem to indicate that the horizon of the eschatological salvation which the Lord achieves in the age of his "Messiah" is limited to the members of the eschatological congregation. This could indicate that in our text the simple title "Messiah" was used as a reference to the "davidic Messiah," the "Prince of the congregation," whom the 1QSb presents in strict relationship to the congregation.The only study of this manuscript which has appeared so far29 considers that our text does in fact speak of the davidic "Messiah." No other argument is adduced except the assertion (clearly false) that in Qumran (with the possible exception of 1QS) only one "Messiah" was hoped for. According to the authors of this study, the person described in 4Q521 would be the direct antecedent to the Christian concept of the "Messiah." Their argument is twofold. The supposition that 4Q521 presents the "Messiah" raising the dead. And the parallel to the expressions in line 12 of Matthew 11:4–5 and Luke 7:22–23, the reply to the Baptist’s embassy, in which are described the signs of the arrival of the "Messiah." This second statement is correct inasmuch as the combination in a single phrase of the resurrection of the dead with the announcement of good news to the >anawim, which comes from Isaiah 6:1, was not previously documented outside the New Testament. But the first supposition, which sees the "Messiah" as an agent of the portentous actions of eschatological salvation, seems completely mistaken and is simply the result of reading the manuscript incorrectly. In line 10 they read "and [in his good]ness [for ever. His] Holy [Messiah] will not delay [in coming]," supporting their reconstruction with the use of this same expression in 1Q30. However, both the readings "and in his goodness" and "Holy" are palaeographically impossible; the strokes purported to be there do not match the traces preserved. Just as false is their reading "his work" in line 11, which besides being syntactically odd, deprives the following verbs of a subject. With the editor, read "he will do." Wise-Tabor feel obliged to accept that the Lord is the agent of the deeds announced in lines 5–9 (among which are found some of the elements that also appear in the New Testament texts, such as the cure of the blind men), but they suppose a change of subject starting from line 10. For that they insert a mention of the "Messiah"30 in the lacuna of line 10. And in line 11 they insert an idea which not only does not appear in the text if read correctly, it is even contrary to the thought of the whole Hebrew Bible: the idea that there are wonderful actions (in the positive sense) which are not the work of the Lord. Wise-Tabor translate the lines in question as follows: "(10) a[nd in His] go[odness forever. His] holy [Messiah] will not be slow [in coming.] (11) And as for the wonders that were not the work of the Lord, when he (i.e. the Messiah) [come]s (12) then he will heal the sick, resurrect the dead, and to the poor announce glad tidings." However all these speculations are unnecessary if the text is read correctly. In it, the Messiah does not raise up the dead, nor are there wonderful deeds which are not the work of God. What the text teaches us is that in the final epoch, in the time of the "Messiah," God will perform wonderful deeds as he has promised and the resurrection of the dead (those who have been faithful, of course31) will be one of the wonderful deeds. These texts are sufficient proof for us that the hope in a future "Messiah," heir to the davidic promises, which was to comprise the core of later rabbinic messianism, was very much present in the thought of the Qumran community. However, unlike later messianism, the messianic hopes of the community were not limited to this figure of the Messiah-King, but at the same time several of the other potentially messianic figures of the Old Testament were developed.
Introduction | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | Section 4 | Section 5 | Section 6 | Section 7 | Section 8 | Chapter Notes |
