Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Ian Hutchesson <mc2499 AT mclink.it>]

At 16.07 28/12/99 -0500, peter_kirk AT sil.org wrote:
>You conveniently fail to point out that there also appeared abundantly 
>at Qumran various books which have never been counted by anyone as on 
>a par with scripture, 

You conveniently fail to point out that there was not enough time for
certain literature to gain a user-base before the contemporary mainstream
was changed through the eclipse of the Sadducees with Pompey's siege of the
temple. You conveniently fail to point out that some of the DSS material
was not written for a wider public. You conveniently fail to point out that
I was not talking about all the literature from Qumran, but that which
survived in later traditions.

>including some which are undoubtedly sectarian 
>in character and were certainly not generally accepted. 

I have seen no evidence of sectarian character in the DSS materials. I have
read a lot of specious commentaries claiming sectarian content, but that's
all.

>So this means 
>that abundant appearance at Qumran does not imply any sort of general 
>acceptance as scripture among mainstream Judaism.

In the context of that literature making it into later religious traditions
based on Judaism as scripture, it is rather strong.


Cheers,


Ian