Not Greeks but Romans: Changing Expectations for the Eschatological War in the War Texts from Qumran

Abstract

The primary historical sources that speak most directly to the causes and events of the Jewish revolt against Romans at the end of the first century c.e. are those of Flavius Josephus. Among such sources are the Dead Sea Scrolls, of which the pesharim and the War Texts are undoubtedly the most relevant. The War Texts are a collection of manuscripts, all of which bear intimate relationship to the Cave 1 composition, known as the War Scroll. Since the War Scroll is both the longest and best preserved, it provides us with the most data for understanding how the sectarians at Qumran understood an impending eschatological war. This chapter identifies those elements which are at the core of the War Texts' vision of a conflict that would rid Judea of its foreign oppressors, so that we can be sensitive to them as we investigate other sources pertaining to the revolt. Keywords:Dead Sea Scrolls; Eschatological War; Jewish; Judea; Qumran; Romans; War Scroll; War Texts