PAUL AND THE DSS; CULTURE AND CHRISTIANITY CLASHING
Paul and the DSS; Culture and Christianity Clashing – The Apostle Paul wrote more than anyone else of the NT. We know a lot about Paul’s background, but there’s much more we don’t know. The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) have a lot in common with Paul’s writings. I’ll briefly discuss how the Apostle Paul’s writings reflected the background that influenced the contents of the DSS and analyze a couple of Paul’s more challenging texts.
BIRD’S EYE-VIEW OF PAUL’S WRITINGS COMPARED TO DSS
The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) help interpreters of Paul at many points, including his stance on “works of the law” and justification by faith. Also, Paul and the DSS share much ecclesiastical and theological terminology…. This does not mean that Paul had been a member of the Essene sect or that he borrowed doctrines and themes from them, but it does show that much of the language was not distinctive to the Christian Church. The commonalities and shared language…were the joint property of all pious Jews who took their faith and their sacred Scriptures seriously.
From The Dead Sea Scrolls
Certain words and phrases repeatedly crop up…the “righteousness of God,” “grace of God,” “works of the law,” “church of God,” “new covenant,” the “sons of light,” offering oneself as a sacrifice, and the dichotomy between “flesh” and “spirit.”
ECCLESIASTICAL TERMINOLOGY AND ORDER IN PAUL AND THE SCROLLS
In 2 Corinthians 2:6
Paul speaks about punishment and restoration in the community of believers…as “punishment by the majority….” We find the same language in the DSS….
A few NT writers, including Paul, used the word “bishop” …meaning is “overseer”…. In Paul’s letters…3 times…more than 40 times in the DSS.
In both Paul and the DSS, we find…regulations concerning order and decorum when the church is assembled…. Paul tells the Christians of Corinth…. Let all things be done for building up…decently and in order…
From The Dead Sea Scrolls
The last text was found in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 40, which is similar to the Rule of the Community:
None should interrupt the words of his comrade…. During the session…no man should say anything except by permission of the general membership, or more particularly, of the man who is the Overseer….
From The Dead Sea Scrolls
STUMBLING STONE OR CORNERSTONE
One thing about Israel that hasn’t changed from 2,000 years ago is all the stone and rocks. They’re still used for building houses, since they’re cheaper and easier material to access.
In Romans 9:33 Paul quotes Isaiah 28:16, which says, “Therefore the Lord God said: ‘Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will be unshakable'” …We find…the stone of Isaiah 28:16…in another passage from Qumran’s Rule of the Community:
“When such men as these come to be in Israel, then shall the Council of the Yahad truly be established…true witnesses to justice chosen by God’s will to atone for the land…. They will be ‘the tested wall, the precious cornerstone’ [Isaiah 28:16] whose foundations shall neither be shaken or swayed, a fortress….”
Paul’s use of Isaiah 28:16 is influenced by Isaiah 8:14, which speaks of a stumbling-stone.
From The Dead Sea Scrolls
HEAD COVERINGS FOR WOMEN AND ABOUT THE ANGELS
Regarding 1 Corinthians 11:10
he says, “This is why a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head: because of the angels.” What can this mean? Two Qumran scrolls may provide the answer…angels are present during holy war and during the assembly of the community. The implication seems to be that every aspect of human appearance and conduct must be holy during worship or service of God, for the angels are present to watch all that transpires.
Since in the Near Eastern culture at large the uncovered female head was viewed as inappropriate decorum, Paul meant for women to adorn themselves with modesty due to the sanctity of worship.
From The Dead Sea Scrolls
There’s a lot more I could write about the Jewish common beliefs in angels and demons during the first century, but that’s for another blog (or series).
WOMEN KEEPING SILENT IN CHURCH (1 CORINTHIANS 14:34)
Josephus wrote:
These Essenes reject pleasures as an evil, but esteem continence, and the conquest over our passions, to be virtue. They neglect marriage, but choose out other persons’ children, while they are pliable, and fit for learning; and esteem them to be of their kindred…. They do not absolutely deny the fitness of marriage…but they guard against the lascivious behavior of women and are persuaded that none of them preserve their fidelity to one man.
From The Dead Sea Scrolls
In our western culture, this mentality about women is so foreign we take offense and/or can hardly imagine all the implications involved. The Essenes were among the more conscientious of the first-century Jews. So what were the less conscientious like? And when Jesus came, he taught love and respect toward women unlike anyone else did. But human nature, being what it is, makes me suspect the women at the Corinthian church went to another extreme. Freedom from oppression likely unleashed women’s rights too far. I suspect women were disruptive and drawing attention to themselves too much. Paul was likely concerned about winning other Jews and Gentiles to Christ. Their testimony likely rendered this as unlikely.
What do you think? Check also my blog about women in the Bible.
The above pictures were scanned from women in the middle east, a woman abused, a scarred woman, a stone home, stone home construction; from The Dead Sea Scrolls, a smiling woman and cornerstone.
