Two Conceptions of Justice Social Justice and Eschatology

Two Conceptions of Justice Social Justice and Eschatology in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Background WHAT IS JUSTICE? What do we see in the scrolls? What do we see in research?

Clues in the Scrolls ● Themes of Light and Darkness: eschatology rooted in predestination ● “Injustice” as the opposite of “truth” o (1 QS III: two spirits) Truth abhors injustice/injustice hates ways of truth ● Abundant Charity… “towards the sons of truth” (1 QS IV) ● command: Practice truth, righteousness and justice upon earth ● Shema. Community Possessions ● Exclusion in the Assembly: Aged, Impairment and Impurity ● “Iniquity shall be vanished” - purification from all evil in the end (1 QM) ● Poverty - spiritual or material? ● Sect self-identity: chosen, us/them mentality, elect community ● Moral Principles: do not return evil with evil… defer judgement

Clues in the Scrolls red: eschatology blue: social justice ● Themes of Light and Darkness: eschatology rooted in predestination ● “Injustice” as the opposite of “truth” o (1 QS III: two spirits) Truth abhors injustice/injustice hates ways of truth ● Abundant Charity… “towards the sons of truth” (1 QS IV) ● command: Practice truth, righteousness and justice upon earth ● Shema. Community Possessions ● Exclusion in the Assembly: Aged, Impairment and Impurity ● “Iniquity shall be vanished” - purification from all evil in the end (1 QM) ● Poverty - spiritual or material? ● Sect self-identity: chosen, us/them mentality, elect community ● Moral Principles: do not return evil with evil… defer judgement

Two Categories of Justice Social Justice: Eschatological Justice: here-and-now ● care for others’ wellbeing ● wisdom in actions ● poverty ● community health ● priority of equality ● societal structure then-and-final ● prep for Judgment ● purity ● predestination ● apocalyptic timeline ● victory

Rule of the Community (1 QS)

Rule of the Community (1 QS) ● hold fast to good: practise truth, righteousness and justice upon earth ● community be converted from all evil and cling to all His commandments: “they share truth and humility in common, and justice and uprightness and charity and modesty in all of their ways” ● zeal for just laws… great charity towards all the sons of truth ● God has ordained a time for the end of injustice - the time of the visitation ● The man of lesser rank shall obey in matters of work and money ● Penal: if he has failed to care for his companion - penance for 3 months ● “I will pay to no man the reward of evil; I will pursue him with goodness for judgment of all the living is with God…” ● “from the source of His righteousness is my justification” ● Everlasting hatred in a spirit of secrecy for men of perdition! Day of Revenge

The War Scroll (1 QM)

The War Scroll (1 QM) ● There shall be a time of salvation for the people of God, an age of dominion for all the members of His company and everlasting destruction for all the company of Belial… Iniquity shall be vanquished ● When they march out to battle, write on their standards “truth of God, justice of God, glory of God, judgment of God” ● No man who is lame, or blind or crippled, or afflicted with a lasting bodily blemish, or smitten with a bodily impurity, none of these shall march out… ● Thou hast decreed for us a destiny of Light according to Thy truth. ● Thou hast appointed the day of battle from ancient times to come to the air of truth and to destroy iniquity… ● He taught war to hand of the feeble, among the poor in spirit there is power. ● High Priest shall rise and he shall recite aloud Prayer (Book of Rule) concerning this time.

Research piecing it together Non-Retaliation, Eschatological nature of community, Wisdom and Wealth Moral Behavior & Ethics (social justice) Collins and Perdue Renunciation of Revenge: Deference of Justice (eschatological) Zerbe Present is Mirroring the Future (both) Schiffman

Compared Conceptions Social Justice Combination Judgment Eschatology “So that the fear of God might be instilled in his heart: a spirit of humility, patience, abundant charity, unending goodness, understanding and intelligence… great charity towards all the sons of truth… These are the counsels of the spirit to the sons of truth in this world” (1 Qs IV) “chilling juxtaposition between war and God’s peace - shalom” (Nitdich) vows not to harm (Lev 9: 18) in contrast with militaristic war strategies Predestination: Sons of Light as the eternal planting. “DDS community saw itself as that which fostered the birth of the eschatological community of the faithful. ” (Swarup, Self Understanding of DDS Community) Exclusion from Assembly: impure, aged, impaired (also excluded from eschatological council of the community) (Shiffman) “Apocalyptic wisdom” = examine and teach moral life AND project theological worldview (Perdue) “God loves the weak and controls the War” “Thy mighty hand is with the poor” (1 QM) “Give not our inheritance to strangers. . . we are the forsaken” - If one is poor it is not to stop them from studying Torah. Importance of piety (shema) Defer justice until the day of judgement (holy hatred) (Zerbe) Ethos shaped by study of ancestors - “proscribed moral behavior” -sages lead the righteous in the path of the moral life “Zeal for just laws” 1 QS(Perdue) MIRROR FUTURE: “Sect looks forward to an era of absolute purity and perfection”- when they will be able to fulfill utopian dreams and aspirations - unable to fulfill before (schiffman) “sharp line” between “us and them”, between clean and unclean, between those worthy of salvation and those deserving elimination. The enemy is thus not a mere human, an offering, necessary to win the assistance of God, but a monster, unclean and diseased. ” (Niditch)

“Conclusions” The Qumran perspective of justice seems to be a more future focused perspective, the social norms and commands are best understood through the eschatological framework. Social justice is FOR the Sons of Light and IN ORDER to mirror the coming judgement and redemption. The scrolls and the body of research points to a community much more interested in the “vanquishing of all evil” through a final judgement than through charity, alleviation of suffering or focusing on individuals’ well being. Much more can be done on this topic. Conclusions and Questions