Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice

A number of texts from the Qumran scrolls demonstrate the community's interest in heavenly ascent and in communion with angels. This article lays out a pattern observable in some of the poetic/liturgical texts (for example, the Hodayot and other noncanonical psalms) in which the leader of the community is taken up into the divine council of God to be taught the heavenly mysteries, is appointed a teacher of those mysteries, and is then commissioned to share the teachings with his followers. Upon learning the mysteries, the followers are enabled to likewise ascend to heaven to praise God with the angels. In some texts, the human worshippers appear to undergo a transfiguration so that they become like the heavenly beings. This article further illustrates how these elements can be found together in a liturgical text known as the  Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice ; their collective presence suggests that all were part of a ritual sequence. Finally, the article argues that these same el...

Scripture assigns to Melchizedek the distinguished title of royal priest (Gen. 14:18).  Apart from this ascription and a few details related to his encounter with Abraham, the only two references to Melchizedek included in the Hebrew Bible (Gen. 14:18-20; Ps. 110) eventually furnished the source for a wide range of speculation about the mysterious priest-king. 

From the Dead Sea Scrolls through the development of rabbinic midrashim, the relative silence of the Hebrew Bible about Melchizedek gave rise to an array of Melchizedekian roles and images ranging from that of a celestial-eschatological liberator-judge to a would-be priest whose failure to properly honor the most high God resulted in his dismissal from his unique post.  The literary depiction of Melchizedek is unequivocally held in high regard prior to the rabbinic period.  The combined king-priest office as witnessed during the Hasmonean period may account for the decline in respect shown toward Melchizedek.  Further, the endorsement of Christ within the Epistle to the Hebrews as a priest after the pre-Aaronic order of Melchizedek conceivably introduced a challenge to rabbinic religious hegemony. 

This thesis provides a concise review of all extant Jewish works of the Second Temple period (e.g. Genesis Apocryphon; Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice; 11Q13 [11QMelch]; Philo; Josephus; 2 Enoch; also the Pentateuchal Targums [recorded later]), early Christian writings (e.g. the Epistle to the Hebrews; Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho; Origen, Commentary to the Gospel of John), and rabbinic sources (b. Ned. 32b; Gen. Rab. 43.6; Lev. Rab. 25.6; Num. Rab. 4.8).  The notion that Melchizedek lost his priestly role is first witnessed among rabbinic works.  The decline in respect for Melchizedek’s priesthood appears to exhibit a response to the measure of dignity attributed to the priest-king in the Epistle to the Hebrews as well as the works of later Patristic writers (e.g. Justin; Origen). 

According to Hebrews, Melchizedek’s seniority as a priest sustains preeminence over Levitical obligations which were crucial to the maintenance of halakhic obligations.  The universality of an uncircumcised Canaanite priest most likely presented further challenges to rabbinic interests. 

An additional point of contention between the two communities may be attested in the embrace of distinct scriptural renderings of Ps. 110:3.  The vocalization of the Masoretic Text suggests a different reading of the verse than construals recorded in the earlier versions of both the Septuagint and the Syriac Peshitta.  Additional rabbinic works (e.g. y. Berakhot 5; Gen. Rab. 59.9) and an excerpt from Justin’s Dialogue are considered in support of the theory.  Thus, the marginalizing of Melchizedek appears to comprise a rabbinic response, perhaps initiated by R. Ishmael, to claims of a Christological priesthood linked to the Melchizedekian order (Ps. 110:4).

The collocation kohănê qórɛḇ appears several times in the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, and seems to constitute an essential item of the unique and typical phraseology of this comprehensive liturgical work. Nevertheless, its exact meaning has eluded scholarship thus far, and its second member, in particular, is devoid of semantic transparency. The purpose of the present paper is to elucidate all linguistic aspects of this recurring phrase and to explore some of its theological implications. It is suggested that morphological analysis suggests that qórɛḇ is a verbal noun. Furthermore, the lexical components of the collocation are borrowed from a specific formula that is peculiar to the law code of Ezekiel, but the phrase as a whole was not directly borrowed from the biblical text, but was rather mediated by exegesis and rephrasing of the relevant passages from Ezekiel. The exegetical aspect, in its turn, reveals something about the historical circumstances and sociolinguistic background of the Songs.

At the heart of the Teachings of Jesus of Nazareth are His Sermon on the mount, and His most profound showing of HOW to live in God's grace. At the heart of Medieval and modern Christianity are the Dogma of the Holy Trinity & the Christian Creeds.

Jesus loved His Father in Heaven and He loved common people. Bible stories tell about Him being amongst them. He listened to them, comforted them, and taught them by telling everything in parabels.

Medieval and modern Christianity love God and Christ, but also doctrines. And those doctrines can feel too narrow at some times. Want to read more ? Open the paper.

One of the most significant additions to the Book of Genesis in Joseph Smith's inspired translation of the Bible is to the story of the prophet Enoch, who the biblical record briefly implies was taken up into heaven alive. In Joseph Smith's rendering of the story, however, not only Enoch, as an individual, ascends into heaven, but also his entire community. This article explores the notion of communal ascent in ancient Jewish and Christian literature and seeks to find affinities with the story of Enoch's Zion found in the LDS Book of Moses. Ancient narratives such as The History of the Rechabites provide some interesting parallels, however the idea of a group ascending into heaven is more strikingly presented in texts that are arguably designed for ritual purposes, as we see with the biblical Epistle to the Hebrews and the Hodayot and Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice texts from among the Dead Sea Scrolls. We can see in these texts a pattern that entails an individual being taken up into heaven and taught the celestial mysteries, then being appointed to return and teach others so that they can also, as a group, ascend into the heavenly realm.

The article investigates, by way of close reading, the literary unit that opens the seventh among the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice. The study begins with a text-critical analysis of the poem based on its extant witnesses, including the many corrections contained in its best preserved copy (4Q403 1i 31–40). It then advances a new proposal concerning the poetic structure of the text, relying on linguistic and stylistic evidence.
The literary delineation allows one to discern the generic characteristics of the poem, which place it within the tradition of scriptural hymns. These form-critical insights form the basis for a renewed and nuanced appreciation of the theological message of the hymn.

The Cycle of Praises is one of the poetic units that comprise the sixth of the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice (Mas ii || 4Q403 1i 1-9 || 4Q404 1 || 4Q405 3i). The paper investigates the literary structure of the poem, combined with a linguistic and text-critical analysis of variant readings (witnessed by the various manuscripts) that have implications for the proper understanding of several aspects of the poetic text: its literary delineation, discursive structuring, liturgical performance, and thematic contents. Based on this analysis, it is suggested that the poem depicts a liturgical performance of an antiphonal nature. The intricate relations between its constituents are revealed to follow a musical-like logic, namely, they constitute a poetic construction of sevenfold variations on a single theme, whose structure culminates in an underscoring of God’s holiness.

Published in Tarbiz 87.1 (2020), 5–35 .The study focuses on an enigmatic passage from the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, a liturgical composition discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Although previous commentators found the passage almost unintelligible, detailed investigation of its text, language and literary structure makes it possible to shed some light on it. This passage includes a well-structured poetic unit, whose internal logic is exegetical in nature: the author harmonizes the details of various scriptural passages that describe – from his point of view – the same architectural element, namely, the dais of the divine throne, located at the inner sanctum of the heavenly temple, emphasizing repeatedly that its figurative ornaments are living entities. In reworking the various proof-texts and integrating them with one another, the poem relies on exegetical traditions attested in the ancient versions (including primarily the Septuagint and the Targums), and it draws upon certain mythological and cultic traditions rooted in ancient Near Eastern literature and iconography, especially those of the Levant. This analysis allows us to extract the passage from its isolation and set it against a broader cultural background that explains some of its seemingly exceptional features.

A number of texts from the scrolls found at Qumran demonstrate the community’s interest in communion with angels and heavenly ascent. This article lays out a pattern observable in some of the poetic/liturgical texts (e.g., the Hodayot and other non-canonical psalms) that involves the leader of the community being taken up into the divine council of God to be taught the heavenly mysteries, being appointed as a teacher of those mysteries, and then sharing the teachings with his followers. Upon learning the mysteries, the followers are enabled to likewise ascend to heaven to praise God with the angels. In some texts, the human worshippers appear to undergo a transfiguration so that they become like the heavenly beings. This article further illustrates how these diverse elements can be found together in a liturgical text known as the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, suggesting that all were to be (or could be) part of a ritual sequence. Finally, the article argues that these same elements, or traditions related to them, can be found in passages from the Old Testament.

This project explores the role of singing and music within the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, as part of a wider thesis concerned with singing and textual transmission in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The overarching aim is to explore the role that singing as a performative medium may have played within processes of textual production and transmission in the late Second Temple Period, and The Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice constitute a major case study within thIS remit. Attention will be given to questions surrounding the liturgical performance of the Songs, close linguistic analysis of key terms associated with music and singing, and consideration of material characteristics that may offer hints as to function. These issues will be considered within the context of the self-understanding of communities associated with the Scrolls, and in particular concepts of angelic communion, revelation, and transcendent experience. These liturgical experiences are presented as influential factors within scribal culture, which may play a role in shaping the composition, interpretation and variation of texts.

Gewisse frühjüdische und neutestamentliche Texte beschreiben eine Verbindung der himmlischen und irdischen Gemeinde im Gottesdienst oder setzen diese voraus. Exegetisch erlangte das Thema insbesondere durch die Textfunde von Qumran Aufmerksamkeit. Die Thematik ist aber auch relevant für das ökumenische Gespräch mit den östlich-orthodoxen Kirchen, in deren Liturgien gerade die Teilnahme der himmlischen Welt am irdischen Gottesdienst eine herausragende Rolle spielt. Systematisch spielte die Fragestellung zudem im Werk des katholischen Theologen Erik Peterson und seiner Diskussion mit Karl Barth eine Rolle.
Der vorliegende Sammelband dokumentiert die Beiträge einer Tagung an der Theologische Fakultät der Universität Zürich zur Beziehung von Gottesdienst und Engeln in antik-jüdischer, rabbinischer, neutestamentlicher, frühchristlicher, liturgiegeschichtlicher und systematischer Perspektive.

Articles in German and English

In this article I revisit the argument for a new reading of the DSS liturgy the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice that I made in my book All the Glory of Adam (2002). I review various arguments against my interpretation and explain why I remain convinced of the essential points made in All the Glory. I also offer fresh observations on the likely relationship between the Sabbath Songs, Ben Sira 50 and the later Synagogue liturgy, especially the Yom Kippur Avodah.

See further:  https://jesusmonotheism.com/on-angels-men-an…ublished-article/

Revelation extensively employs the number seven not only as a symbolic figure, but also as a structural principle for constructing sevenfold literary units, and yet some specific aspects of this literary hallmark remain obscure. Among other things, no satisfactory rationale has been found, so far, for the series of proclamations to seven churches of Asia Minor that comprise the literary unit of Rev. 2–3. This mystery, however, can be illuminated (at least to some degree) by reading Revelation against the background of poetic traditions of the Second Temple period. Analysis of a poem included in the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice – a liturgical composition whose fragmentary copies were discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls – prompts a new solution to the questions posed by Rev. 2–3. At the same time, the comparison also sheds light on some literary peculiarities of the Songs.

This paper analyzes some aspects of the theology reflected in the liturgical work of the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, found in some ten copies among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Special attention is paid to the names and epithets of God and the angels, which reveal a complex relationship between the divine and angelic realms.