The Two Spirits and the Origin of Evil
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John J. Collins
Abstract
The Treatise on the Two Spirits in 1QS 3-4 is notable for its lack of explicit reference to Torah, covenant or community structures such as the yahad. For this reason it is unlikely to have been composed for its present context, Serek ha-Yahad, where these terms are definitive. It should rather be seen as a wisdom composition, comparable to 4QInstruction. The authors of these texts were certainly familiar with the Jewish scriptures, especially Genesis, but they do not explicitly appeal to Torah as authoritative. Their enterprise is intellectual rather than polemical, even if the view of the world they developed later proved congenial to the sectarians. The dualism of light and darkness is clearly indebted to Zoroastrianism, although the Jewish author adapted it for his purpose. Implicit in many objections to foreign influence in the Dead Sea Scrolls is the idea that the sectarian community was hermetically sealed and lived in an intellectual world defined entirely by Jewish scriptures. But as Eibert Tigchelaar has argued, there is little evidence of cultural isolation in this literature.
Abstract
The Treatise on the Two Spirits in 1QS 3-4 is notable for its lack of explicit reference to Torah, covenant or community structures such as the yahad. For this reason it is unlikely to have been composed for its present context, Serek ha-Yahad, where these terms are definitive. It should rather be seen as a wisdom composition, comparable to 4QInstruction. The authors of these texts were certainly familiar with the Jewish scriptures, especially Genesis, but they do not explicitly appeal to Torah as authoritative. Their enterprise is intellectual rather than polemical, even if the view of the world they developed later proved congenial to the sectarians. The dualism of light and darkness is clearly indebted to Zoroastrianism, although the Jewish author adapted it for his purpose. Implicit in many objections to foreign influence in the Dead Sea Scrolls is the idea that the sectarian community was hermetically sealed and lived in an intellectual world defined entirely by Jewish scriptures. But as Eibert Tigchelaar has argued, there is little evidence of cultural isolation in this literature.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Preface: In memoriam Géza G. Xeravits (1971–2019) VII
- Contents IX
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Part 1: Old Testament and Early Judaism
- “From the Heavens, From the Earth” 1
- Different Texts and Different Interpretations of “Exile” 29
- Effaced and Naturalized Modes of Jewish Reading: The Judah and Tamar Story (Genesis 38), the Book of Jubilees, and Robert Alter 45
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Part 2: Qumran
- The Two Spirits and the Origin of Evil 63
- Reading Instruction as a Sectarian Composition 75
- Thoughts on the Way towards “Prolegomena” to an Introduction to the Writings of the Dead Sea Scrolls 93
- Levi, Levites and Worship in Qumran 107
- Children Confined in the House of Darkness 119
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Part 3: Deuterocanonica
- “Narrate omnia mirabilia eius” (Tob 12:20 Vg) 153
- The Rhetorical Function of Burying the Dead in the Book of Tobit 161
- Das Wortfeld „Sterben“ im 2. Makkabäerbuch 177
- The Topic of Intercession in Second Temple Judaism 189
- What’s in a Name? 207
- Des Menschen Wohltat und Gottes Wohlwollen 223
- “Better”–Proverbs in the Book of Ben Sira 241
- “When the Lord created his works from the beginning” (Sir 16:26a) 255
- “Pillars of Gold on Plinths of Silver. . .” (Sir 26:18) 265
- Ben Sira 36:18–37:15: the Art of Choosing 283
- The Enigma of the Judges in Ben Sira 46: 11–12 315
- Bethesda in Sirach 50 revised 335
- Is Wisdom in Baruch 3:9–4:4 Combined with Torah? 351
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Part 4: Cognate Literature
- Good and Bad Angels in the Vitae Prophetarum 371
- “All Is Vanity, Saith the Preacher” 389
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Part 5: Antique Synagogue
- An Evolutionary Perspective on Temple, Synagogue, and Ekklēsia with Special Focus on Paul 401
- Bibliography of Géza G. Xeravits 433
- List of Contributors 441
- Index of Modern Authors 443
- Index of Sources 451
- Index of Subjects 477
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Preface: In memoriam Géza G. Xeravits (1971–2019) VII
- Contents IX
-
Part 1: Old Testament and Early Judaism
- “From the Heavens, From the Earth” 1
- Different Texts and Different Interpretations of “Exile” 29
- Effaced and Naturalized Modes of Jewish Reading: The Judah and Tamar Story (Genesis 38), the Book of Jubilees, and Robert Alter 45
-
Part 2: Qumran
- The Two Spirits and the Origin of Evil 63
- Reading Instruction as a Sectarian Composition 75
- Thoughts on the Way towards “Prolegomena” to an Introduction to the Writings of the Dead Sea Scrolls 93
- Levi, Levites and Worship in Qumran 107
- Children Confined in the House of Darkness 119
-
Part 3: Deuterocanonica
- “Narrate omnia mirabilia eius” (Tob 12:20 Vg) 153
- The Rhetorical Function of Burying the Dead in the Book of Tobit 161
- Das Wortfeld „Sterben“ im 2. Makkabäerbuch 177
- The Topic of Intercession in Second Temple Judaism 189
- What’s in a Name? 207
- Des Menschen Wohltat und Gottes Wohlwollen 223
- “Better”–Proverbs in the Book of Ben Sira 241
- “When the Lord created his works from the beginning” (Sir 16:26a) 255
- “Pillars of Gold on Plinths of Silver. . .” (Sir 26:18) 265
- Ben Sira 36:18–37:15: the Art of Choosing 283
- The Enigma of the Judges in Ben Sira 46: 11–12 315
- Bethesda in Sirach 50 revised 335
- Is Wisdom in Baruch 3:9–4:4 Combined with Torah? 351
-
Part 4: Cognate Literature
- Good and Bad Angels in the Vitae Prophetarum 371
- “All Is Vanity, Saith the Preacher” 389
-
Part 5: Antique Synagogue
- An Evolutionary Perspective on Temple, Synagogue, and Ekklēsia with Special Focus on Paul 401
- Bibliography of Géza G. Xeravits 433
- List of Contributors 441
- Index of Modern Authors 443
- Index of Sources 451
- Index of Subjects 477
