A Catalog of Biblical Passages in the Dead Sea Scrolls (review)

Abstract

Hebrew Studies 46 (2005) 442 Reviews Part 2. Calendar, Cultic Festivals, and Other Concepts of Thought. Matthias Albani, “Zur Rekonstruktion eines verdrängten Konzepts: Der 364Tage -Kalendar in der gegenwärtigen Forschung,” Uwe Glessmer, “Explizite Aussagen über kalendarische Konflikte im Jubiläenbuch: Jub 6,22–32.33–38,” Werner Eiss, “Das Wochenfest im Jubiläenbuch und in antiken Judentum,” Lutz Doering, “The Concept of the Sabbath in the Book of Jubilees,” Beate Ego, “Heilige Zeit—heiliger Raum—heiliger Mensch. Beobachtungen zur Struktur des Gesetzebegründung in der Schöpfungs- und Paradiesgeschchte des Jubiläenbuchs,” Christfried Böttrich, “Gottesprädikatione im Jubiläenbuch,” Flortentino García Martínez, “The Heavenly Tablets in the Book of Jubilees,” Jörg Frey, “Zum Weltbild im Jubiläenbuch.” Part 3. Reception. James M. Scott, “The Division of the Earth in Jubilees 8:11–9:15 and Early Christian Chronography.” The volume also contains numerous useful indices. David B. Kudan Harvard University Cambridge, MA rabbidavidkudan@kudan.net A CATALOG OF BIBLICAL PASSAGES IN THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS. By David L. Washburn. SBL Text-Critical Studies. Pp. ix + 161. Atlanta, Ga.: Society of Biblical Literature, 2002. Paper, $29.95. This volume catalogs biblical passages from the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered at Nahal Hever, Wadi Murabbafiat, Khirbet Qumran, and other sites in the Judean Desert. The catalog’s coverage claims to be “comprehensive ,” embracing all texts published at press time (2002), with the exception of apocryphal and deuterocanonical compositions. The author also excludes purported references to New Testament passages owing to their nonacceptance by most scroll scholars. The catalog includes texts published in the Discoveries in the Judaean Desert (DJD) series 1–35, as well as texts published elsewhere (see below). Unfortunately, the 4QSama,b,c volume (DJD 17) was not available to Washburn when his catalog went to press, a fact noted by the author (p. 1). The opening statement of the book summarizes the author’s aims: “The material contained in this volume is intended to be a comprehensive listing of biblical passages contained in all the Dead Sea Scrolls that have been published to date. This list is accompanied by an identification of the scroll containing the passage, publication information on the scroll in question (with references to plates where possible), and a brief description and/or textual Hebrew Studies 46 (2005) 443 Reviews analysis” (p. 1). Washburn’s intended audience includes scholars, teachers, commentators, and students (p. 4). Washburn presents the following front matter: a preface (p. ix), an introduction (pp. 1–4), a directory of terms used in the catalog (pp. 5–6), and a list of abbreviations (pp. 7–9). The actual catalog of biblical passages makes up the majority of the volume (pp. 11–156) with a selected bibliography terminating it (pp. 157–161). The catalog itself comprises four columns, designated Reference, Scroll, Location, and Comments. The Reference column presents the biblical book’s name, chapter, and verse, for example, Gen 1:1–11; Gen 1:1–25; Gen 1:8–10; Gen 1:9; Gen 1:13–22; Gen 1:14–16 and so on through to references in Malachi. This column also indicates passages that are incomplete and contain only a few characters. For example, the reference to Exod 32:2–9 reads “Exod 32:2–9 (3 letters v 5),” indicating that only three Hebrew characters belonging to verse five remain on the scroll fragment. The scriptural books and references are ordered after the Protestant canon rather than the Hebrew Bible. The second column (Scroll) features the names of the scrolls together with the Qumran cave and manuscript number, for example, 4QGeng (4Q7), 4QGenb (4Q2), 4QGenhl (4Q8), 4QGenk (4Q10) and so on through to the final entry in the catalog, which is 4QCommentary on Malachi (4Q253a). On occasion the author omits naming the composition and presents only the Qumran cave and manuscript number. See, for example, the first entry in column 2 on page 12 (4Q483) and four entries in the same column on page 13 (8Q1 [twice], 2Q1, 4Q365). In this column Washburn cites both biblical (i.e., 2QExodb , 4QExodb , 4QExodc , 4QpaleoExodm , MurExod) and nonbiblical (i.e., 1QApGen, 2Q19, 4Q216, 4Q252, 4Q254) compositions that present biblical passages...