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After reading the primary sources pertaining to the first-century Jewish groups, I agree with Derek Dodson and Katherine Smith’s assertion that it is misleading to suggest that first-century Judaism promoted a legalistic perspective of religion. It appears that the primary sources generally support the conclusion of Dodson and Smith. The topic at hand has led to tens of thousands of scholarly pages. Thus, attempting to address the issue in less than one thousand words is certainly an impossible task. However, the following brief analysis will engage only one small topic pertaining to the Dead Sea Scrolls from sources written by two scholars. First, it would be difficult to discuss the topic without engaging E. P. Sanders’s Paul and Palestinian Judaism. Sanders’s masterpiece is a work that exploded onto the scholarly scene almost half a century ago and set the stage for many of the arguments. Second, one of the staunchest critics of Sanders is the evangelical perspectives of D. A. Carson, as documented in the two-volume tome entitled Justification and Variegated Nomism, which he, along with Peter O’Brien and Mark Seifrid, edited. Finally, the following will focus specifically on how these two perspectives deal with 1QS from the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Sanders begins his assessment of 1QS by pointing out a dichotomy. He first explains that the members of the Qumran community are expected to walk perfectly (1QS ix 19; 1QS viii 18) and, until confirmed in the perfection, the individual cannot enter the covenant (1QS viii 10).[1] However, Sanders continues, the Qumran hymns stress that righteousness is not within the grasp of man and quotes, “Righteousness, I know, is not of man, nor is perfection of way of the son of man” (1QH iv 30).[2] The content of 1QS also supports the assertion that perfection is not in man’s grasp and is only possible with God because “in His hand is the perfection of my behavior” (1QS xi 2) and “from His hand is the perfection of the path” (1QS xi 11).

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Exploring Biblical Backgrounds: A Reader in Historical and Literary Contexts

Accordingly, Sanders asserts that the context of the statements makes it clear that perfection of man only comes by God’s grace, not by man’s works.[3] What Sanders observes in 1QS is what appears to be a significant difference between the legalistic language of 1QS i-ix and the language of salvation by grace in 1QS x-xi.[4] In other words, the excerpt of 1QS xi 2-17 documented by Dodson and Smith certainly supports their assertion that labeling first-century Judaism as legalistic is misleading, but Sanders recognizes that column xi does not tell the whole story.[5] The themes of legalistic righteousness and perfection are certainly found in the Qumran documents (cf. 1QH), but frequently the cause is God’s mercy and grace (1QS i 21-23; 1QS xi 10). Ultimately, Sanders does not perceive a dichotomy between works and grace, but instead, he synthesizes the concepts in an attempt to explain the strict legalistic sayings that exist alongside the profound affirmations of grace. Sanders concludes that “Obedience to the commandments was not thought of as earning salvation, which came rather by God’s grace, but was nevertheless required as a condition of remaining in the covenant; and not obeying the commandments would damn.”[6]

Evangelical scholars have robustly responded to Sanders’s efforts. The editors of Justification and Variegated Nomism tap Markus Bockmuehl to address 1QS and the topic of salvation at Qumran. Bockmuehl agrees with Sanders’s basic assumption that salvation is not based on human merit because God has “caused them to inherit the lot of the Holy Ones” (1QS xi 7-8).[7] In other words, it is God’s righteousness that constitutes salvation that allows forgiveness. Bockmuehl also highlights the forensic nature of the language, which hearkens back to the Reformers, by quoting 1QS ix. 10, “Man cannot establish his own steps, for to God belong judgment and perfection of way…no one is righteous in your judgement, or innocent at your trial” (1QHa xvii 14).[8] So far, Bockmuehl really does not part in any significant way from Sanders. However, a major point of disagreement lies in Bockmuehl’s assertion that the theological diversity of the Qumran community occurred due to textual developments over a long period of time.[9] Thus, per Bockmuehl, the Qumran religion is much less coherent than Sanders perceives. Covenant nomism may have been an underlying belief during certain times of Judaist thought, but that does not preclude the possibility of other patterns of development that could have emphasized the legalistic aspects of Judaism. Accordingly, Bockmuehl concludes that proper redactional analysis points to the possibility of a legalism that Paul reacts against in his epistles.[10] Regardless of the nuances placed upon the analysis, which may or may not attempt to justify certain theological presuppositions of the Pauline epistles, concluding that Judaism was solely a legalistic religion is not supported by the primary sources at Qumran, specifically 1QS. More likely, Judaism had a diverse set of beliefs that not only developed over time but also were nuanced between different groups of Jews.

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[1] E. P. Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism: A Comparison of Patterns of Religion (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1977), 288.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid., 290.

[4] Ibid., 291.

[5] Derek S. Dodson and Katherine E. Smith, eds., Exploring Biblical Backgrounds: A Reader in Historical and Literary Contexts (Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press, 2018), 179–180.

[6] Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism, 320.

[7] Markus Bockmuehl, “1QS and Salvation at Qumran,” in Justification And Variegated Nomism: The Complexities of Second Temple Judaism, ed. D. A. Carson, Peter T. O’Brien, and Mark A. Seifrid, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001), 397.

[8] Ibid., 398.

[9] Ibid., 412–413.

[10] Ibid., 414.

 

Bibliography

  • Bockmuehl, Markus. “1QS and Salvation at Qumran.” In Justification And Variegated Nomism: The Complexities of Second Temple Judaism, edited by D. A. Carson, Peter T. O’Brien, and Mark A. Seifrid. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001.
  • Dodson, Derek S., and Katherine E. Smith, eds. Exploring Biblical Backgrounds: A Reader in Historical and Literary Contexts. Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press, 2018.
  • Sanders, E. P. Paul and Palestinian Judaism: A Comparison of Patterns of Religion. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1977.
Wilder - Jewish Religious Thought
Derek Wilder Executive Director
DEREK WILDER, PhD, is the Executive Director of Lives Transforming Group, Inc., a Christian counseling ministry focused on personal transformation, and the author of FREEDOM and Minds on Fire. Wilder has a Master of Theological Studies, an MDiv in Pastoral Counseling, and a PhD in Biblical Exposition. Wilder's scholarly focus lies in Pauline studies, with his doctoral dissertation specifically examining the ontological implications present in the eighth chapter of Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Wilder, an adjunct professor, founded Convergence Therapy, integrating cognitive therapy and grace-based theology into the accredited college course: “Thought Life & Spirit Growth.”