by Geza Vermes
Fr. 6
II ... Remember, pray, that we are Thy people and that Thou hast carried us marvellously [on the wings of] eagles and hast brought us towards Thee. And like an eagle which rouses its nestlings and hovers over [its young], spreads out its wings, takes one and carries it on [its pinions], so we dwell apart and are not reckoned among the nations and ... Thou art in our midst in the pillar of fire and the cloud [of] Thy [holi]ness walking before us, and as it were Thy glory in our mid[st] ...
Fr. 8 recto
II ... [Rememb]er, O Lo[r]d that... Thou hast fashioned A[dam], our [f]ather, in the likeness of [Thy] glory; Thou didst breathe [a breath of life] into his nostrils and, with understanding, knowledge [Thou didst give him] ... Thou didst make [him] to rule [over the Gar]den of Eden which Thou didst plant... and to walk in the land of glory... he guarded. And Thou didst enjoin him not to st[ray ...]... he is flesh and to dust [he will return (?)] ... And Thou, Thou knowest... for everlasting generations ... a living God and Thy hand ... man in the ways of... [to fill the] earth with [vi]olence and to shed [innocent blood] ...
Liturgical Prayer
(1Q 34 and 34 bis)
The following fragments, published by J. T. Milik (DJD, I, 152-5), belong to a collection of prayers for Jewish festivals. The title of the present section is lost, but reference to the renewal of the Covenant seems to indicate that we have here another part of the sect’s Pentecostal liturgy.
I ... Thou wilt cause the wicked to be our ransom and the unfaithful to be our redemption. [Thou wilt] blot out all our oppressors and we shall praise Thy Name for ever [and ever]. For this hast Thou created us and [to say to Thee] this: Blessed art Thou ...
II ... the Great Light (of heaven) for the [day]time, [and the Little Light (of heaven) for the night] ... without transgressing their laws, ... and their dominion is over all the world.
But the seed of man did not understand all that Thou caused them to inherit; they did not discern Thee in all Thy words and wickedly turned aside from every one. They heeded not Thy great power and therefore Thou didst reject them. For wickedness pleases Thee not, and the ungodly shall not be established before Thee.
But in the time of Thy goodwill Thou didst choose for Thyself a people. Thou didst remember Thy Covenant and [granted] that they should be set apart for Thyself from among all the peoples as a holy thing. And Thou didst renew for them Thy Covenant (founded) on a glorious vision and the words of Thy Holy [Spirit], on the works of Thy hands and the writing of Thy Right Hand, that they might know the foundations of glory and the steps towards eternity... [Thou didst raise up] for them a faithful shepherd ...
Prayers for Festivals
(4Q 507-9)
Three badly worn manuscripts from Cave 4 (4Q507-9) partly correspond to the foregoing fragments from Cave 1 (1Q34 and 34 bis). They have preserved prayers for festivals, two of which are explicitly associated with the Day of Atonement and the Day of Firstfruits. The editor, M. Baillet (DJD, VII, 175-215), dates them to the beginning of the first century CE.
4Q507, fr. 1
We are (encompassed) by iniquity since the womb, and since the breast by guilt. While we live, we walk in iniquity...
4Q508, fr. 1 (cf. 1Q34 bis)
[And the righteous... to grow fat thanks to the clouds of heaven and the produce of the land, to distingui]sh the righteous from the wicked. And Thou shalt make of the wicked our expiation, and by the upright Thou shalt destroy all our oppressors. And we will praise Thy na[m]e for ever and ever. For [Thou hast created us for this] and we answer Thee with this: Blessed be ...
Fr. 2 (cf. 1Q34 bis)
... Prayer for the Day of Atonement. Remember O Lord, the feast of mercies and the time of return (?)... Thou hast established it for us as a feast of fasting, and an everlas[ting] precept ... Thou knowest the hidden things and the things reveal[ed] ...
Fr. 3
... Thou didst establish [Thy Covenant] with Noah ...
4Q509, fr. 3 (cf. 1Q34 bis)
For Thou hast caused us to rejoice, removing our grief, and hast assembled our banished ones for a feast of... Thou shalt gather our dispersed women for the season of ... Thy [me]rcies on our congregation like ra[in-drops on the earth in the season of sowing... and like showers on the gr]ass in the seasons of sprouting and... We shall recount Thy marvels from generation to generation. Blessed be the Lord who has caused us to rejoice...
Fr. 132
II [Prayer for the Day of] Firstfruits. Remember, O Lord, the feast of ... and the pleasing free-will offerings which Thou hast commanded... [to br]ing before Thee the firstfruits of [Thy] works ...
Daily Prayers
(4Q 503)
A manuscript from Cave 4 (4Q503) consisting of 225 papyrus fragments, edited by M. Baillet (DJD, VII, 105-36), lists evening and morning benedictions for each day of the month. The calendar followed appears to be lunar since evening precedes morning. The editor places the writing in the first quarter of the first century BCE.
III And when the sun rises... the firmament of heaven, they shall bless. Answer[ing they shall say:] Blessed be the Go[d of Israel ... ] Today... in the fourt[h of the gates of light... ] On the fifth [of the month in the eve]ning, they shall bless. Answering, they shall say: Blessed be the God [of Israel] who hides... before him in every division of his glory... today the fourte[enth] ... light of the day. Peace be on you, Israel ... [When the sun] rise[s] to illumine the earth, they shall bless, and again the numbe[r shall be] ele[ven days] to the feasts of joy and the appointed times of g[lory,] for [this d]ay is in the fifteenth of the gate[s of light] ... [Peace be on you,] Israel. On the sixth of the month in the evening, they shall bless. Answering, they shall [say]: Bles[sed be the God] of Israel ... And when [the sun rises to illumine the earth, they shall bless. Answering, they shall say]
Frs. 7-9
IV ... Peace [be on you, Israel] ... On the seventh of [the month in the evening, they shall bless. Answering, they shall say:] Blessed be the God of Is[rael] ...
Fr. 11
[On the t]welfth of the month in the evening [they shall bless] ... (This probably continues up to the 26th of the month.)
Prayer or Hymn Celebrating the Morning and the Evening
(4Q 408)
One medium sized and fifteen or sixteen small fragments represent a collection of liturgical prayers of which only one can be partly translated. The document is akin to 4Q375 and 376 as well as to 1Q29. Palaeographically the document is placed in the late second century BCE.
For the editio princeps, see Annette Steudel, DJD, XXXVI, 298-319.
Fr. I
... [B1]essed art Thou, O Lord, who art righteous in all Thy ways. Be mighty in strength ... [in Thy judge]ments. Thou who art faithful ... Thou art understanding [with all in]telligence ... might. Thou who art ... to bring out ... who hast created the morning as a sign to reveal the dominion of the light as the boundary of the daytime ... for their work. To bless Thy holy name Thou hast created them. For the light is good ... [Thou art ... ] who hast created the evening as a sign to reveal the dominion [of darkness] ... from labour. Thou hast [c]reated them to bless Thy holy name] when they see that the light is good and when ... Thou hast created the evening as a sign (to mark) the appearance of the dominion of [darkness] ...
Blessings
(1QSb=1Q28b)
These fragments from a collection of blessings were originally attached to the Scroll containing the Community Rule and the Messianic Rule. They have been skilfully pieced together by J. T. Milik (DJD, I, 118-29), who dates them to around 100 BCE.
The Blessings were to be recited by the Master or Guardian, and were, as it seems, intended for the messianic age, and perhaps for the ceremony of the institution of the new Community. It is, however, possible that they were actually used during the course of some liturgy anticipating and symbolizing the coming of the messianic era. All the members of the Covenant are blessed first, followed by someone who seems to be the priestly head of the Community, the Messiah of Aaron. Th
e next blessing is addressed to the sons of Zadok, the Priests (and Levites?), and finally the Prince of the Congregation, the Messiah of Israel, is blessed. The rest of the document is lost.
For an additional fragment, see G. J. Brooke and J. M. Robinson, ‘A Further Fragment of iQSb: The Schøyen Collection MS 1909’, JJS 46 (1995), 120-33.
The Blessing of the Faithful
I Words of blessing. The Master shall bless them that fear [God and do] His will, that keep His commandments, and hold fast to His holy [Covenant], and walk perfectly [in all the ways of] His [truth], whom He has chosen for an eternal Covenant which shall endure for ever.
May the [Lord bless you from the Abode of His holiness]; may He open for you from heaven an eternal fountain which [shall not fail]!
May He [favour] you with every [heavenly] blessing; [may He teach you] the knowledge of the Holy Ones!
[May He unlock for you the] everlasting [fountain; may He not withhold the waters of life from] them that thirst!
The Blessing of the High Priest
II...
III May the Lord lift His countenance towards you; [may He delight in the] sweet odour [of your sacrifices]!
May He choose [all] them that sit in your pries[tly college]; may He store up all your sacred offerings, and in the [season of] ... all your seed!
May He [lift] His countenance towards all your congregation!
May He place upon your head [a diadem] ... in [everlasting] glory; may He sanctify your seed in glory without end!
May He grant you everlasting [peace] ...
May He fight [at the head of] your Thousands [until the generation of falsehood is ended] ... [to bend] many peoples before you ... all the riches of the world ...
For God has established all the foundations of ... may He lay the foundation of your peace for ever!
The Blessing of the Priests
Words of blessing. The M[aster shall bless] the sons of Zadok the Priests, whom God has chosen to confirm His Covenant for [ever, and to inquire] into all His precepts in the midst of His people, and to instruct them as He commanded; who have established [His Covenant] on truth and watched over all His laws with righteousness and walked according to the way of His choice.
May the Lord bless you from His holy [Abode]; may He set you as a splendid jewel in the midst of the congregation of the saints!
May He [renew] for you the Covenant of the [everlasting] priesthood; may He sanctify you [for the House] of Holiness!
May He [judge all] the leaders by your works, and all [the princes] of the peoples by the words from out of your lips!
May He give you as your portion the firstfruits of [all delectable things]; may He bless by your hand the counsel of all flesh!
IV ... may everlasting blessings be the crown upon your head!
... [For] He has chosen you [to] ... and to number the saints and to [bless] your people ... the men of the Council of God by your hand, and not by the hand of a prince ...
... May you be as an Angel of the Presence in the Abode of Holiness to the glory of the God of [hosts] ...
May you attend upon the service in the Temple of the Kingdom and decree destiny in company with the Angels of the Presence, in common council [with the Holy Ones] for everlasting ages and time without end; for [all] His judgements are [truth]!
May He make you holy among His people, and an [eternal] light [to illumine] the world with knowledge and to enlighten the face of the Congregation [with wisdom]! [May He] consecrate you to the Holy of Holies! For [you are made] holy for Him and you shall glorify His Name and His holiness ...
V...
The Blessing of the Prince of the Congregation
The Master shall bless the Prince of the Congregation ... and shall renew for him the Covenant of the Community that he may establish the kingdom of His people for ever, [that he may judge the poor with righteousness and] dispense justice with {equity to the oppressed} (Schøyen) of the land, and that he may walk perfectly before Him in all the ways [of truth], and that he may establish His holy Covenant at the time of the affliction of those who seek God.
May the Lord raise you up to everlasting heights, and as a fortified tower upon a high wall!
[May you smite the peoples] with the might of your hand and ravage the earth with your sceptre; may you bring death to the ungodly with the breath of your lips!
[May He shed upon you the spirit of counsel] and everlasting might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of God; may righteousness be the girdle [of your loins] and may your reins be girdled [with faithfulness]!
May He make your horns of iron and your hooves of bronze; may you toss like a young bull [and trample the peoples] like the mire of the streets!
For God has established you as the sceptre. The rulers ... [and all the kings of the] nations shall serve you. He shall strengthen you with His holy Name and you shall be as a [lion; and you shall not lie down until you have devoured the] prey which naught shall deliver ...
Benedictions
(4Q 280, 286-90)
Five fragmentary copies of a text containing liturgical blessings and curses, each unit ending with ‘Amen, amen’, have survived in Cave 4. Of these 4QBerakhota (4Q286), preserved on three photographic plates (PAM 43-311-13), provides continuous passages. They parallel Community Rule II and War Rule XIII, and the style of 4Q286 I also recalls the Songs of the Holocaust for the Sabbath (4Q400-407). I agree with Bilhah Nitzan that 4QBerakhot is probably an independent version of part of the ceremony of the renewal of the covenant included in 1QS 11, 3-17. 4Q280 depends mainly on Community Rule ii, but reveals Satan’s specific name, Melkiresha’ (My king is wickedness), the counterpart of Melchizedek (My king is justice), chief of the Army of Light (cf. below, pp. 532, 571).
For the editio princeps, see B. Nitzan, DJD, XI, 1-74 (4Q286-90), and DJD, XXIX, 1-8 (4Q280).
4Q286=4QBerakhota
Blessings
Fr. 1a ii
II The seat of Thy splendour and the footstool of Thy glory in the [h]eights of Thy standing and Thy holy stepping-place. And Thy glorious chariots, their cherubim and their wheels and all [their] companies; foundations of fire and flames of brightness and shinings of majesty and str[eam]s of fire and wonderful luminaries; [majes]ty and splendour and glorious height, holy foundation and sou[rce of] majesty and height of glory, ma[rvel of than]ksgivings and reservoir of might, splendour of praises and great in wonderful things and healing[s] and miraculous deeds, foundation of wisdom and pattern of knowledge and source of understanding, source of prudence and holy counsel and true foundation, treasure-house of intelligence, building of righteousness and place of upright[ness, great] in loving-kindness and in meekness and true loving-kindness and everlasting mercies and mysteries of mar[vels] in [the]ir reve[lations] and holy weeks in their appointed time and squads of months ... [... of ye]ars in their circuits and glorious festive seasons in [their] ... fixed moments ... and the sabbatical years of the land in [their] divi[sions, ap]pointed times for libe[rty ... eternity ... [l]ight and dar[kness ... ]
Fr. 2
... [thei]r ... in the strength of their majesty and all the [sp]irits of those who bring to the Sanctua[ry] ... in [their] comp[anies and in] their [do]minions, the mighty of the ‘gods’ with power. vacat ... zeal for judgement with strength. vacat ... [they shall] all [bless in com]munity Thy holy name.... [Ho]ly of Holies [they] will curse ... knowledge of understanding ... vacat ... joyous cry ...
Fr. 3
... ru[ling] angels ... in (a]ll their services ... [sp]arks and lightnings ... the angels of rain cl[oud]s, and heavy clouds and thick [clouds] and dew-drops ... and all the spirits of dominations ... when they were created ... [suc]ceed one another ...
Fr. 5
... the earth and everything [on it,
and the world and all its] inhabitants.
The ground and all its devices;
[the earth and al]l that exist on it.
[The mountains and al]l the hills;
the
valleys and all the ravines;
the dry lan[d ...] its [ce]dars;
the low-lying woods and all the deserts of desolation
... and its voids;
and the foundations of its structure.
The jackals and ...
... the tall trees, their fruit
and all the cedars of Leban[on] ...
[Grain, win]e and oil and all the produce.
... and all the wave-offerings of the world
in tw[elve] months ...
... Thy words. Amen, amen.
Fr. 7a i
I ... and all their elect ... ... and all who know the song of ... and the blessings of truth in the fe[stive] times ... and the kingdom shall be lifted up among the p[eople]s ... the assembly of the pure ‘gods’ and all who possess everlasting knowledge to prai[se and to bl]ess Thy glorious name in all the [everlasting ages]. Amen, amen.
Frs. 20+13+4Q288
[Every one should rebuke his fellow in truth, and virtuous humility and with] righteous [intenti]on [in the Community of God. And whoever] has erred when returning [to the truth], they shall rebuke him [according to] their [commandments]. They shall rebuke him and have mercy [on him if he transgr]esses. Let no [man] bear gru[dge against his fellow from one day] to [ano]ther. [Let him] not hate him in his heart [so as n]o[t to bear guilt because of him. And whatever is revealed to the men] of the Community let him instruct [him with] his mer[ciful love] and with the spirit [of humility he shall distance him from the deeds of] deceitfulness. The [Guardian of the Congregation shall ad]monish him regarding all [the regulations] perfecting his deeds from all [sin through re]buking him before wi[tnesses. Let no man take revenge] on his own behalf in any matter for he will be punished [for six months/one year (?)] ... Let no one take the law [in his own hand, disobeying the order of his fellow. Let him not speak to him] in anger or out of envy prompted by the spirit of wickedness, disregarding the dignity of his colleague with [heated] anger, standing up against him without [justification].