Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

And regardless of the references to the different opinions of the schools of Hillel and Shammai being like two Torahs, the Pharisees still believed in the concept of two Torahs, oral and written, and the Sadducees didn't. When the former say "the Torah" they mean oral and written, while th...

This is an inexact analogy, because in this case the school of Shammai were still regarded as Pharisees and their rulings are preserved in Rabbinic writings, unlike the Liar and his followers, who did not believe in the Covenant of God (along with the Torah, however this is understood), which brough...

Williamson's translation of Hegesippus' statement that details of James' life were "in accordance with what the prophets declare concerning him" (and note the plural: prophets) has a footnote that says, interestingly, "Reference unknown." Whatever it may refer to, this statement ...

I noticed that the Habakkuk Pesher and Damascus Document don't say anything about whatever interpretations of the Torah the Teacher of Righteousness may have had. 1QpHab says that "those who were unfaithful together with the Liar ... [did] not [listen to the word received by] the Teacher of Rig...

Stephan, Well, I can't argue against your general impression of the people and events described in the Habakkuk Pesher and Damascus Document. And I don't disagree with you that the DSS sect (like all sects) had their own interpretations of the Torah. But only the Pharisees were said to have two Tora...

Stephan, Look, I'm not John T and I don't know who he is or anything about him other than what he has posted on this forum. And I'm not sure I understand his take on Eisenman or knowledge of the details of the DSS and Jewish history so far, but it seems harmless enough if we both like to talk about ...

I have to make a few corrections. The reference to the "books of the Torah" is in CD 7:15 and not in col. 8, and it's sifrei ha-torah, not sifrei torah (but this doesn't effect my argument). It's hard for me to see the column numbers in Vermes' translation and I thought it said col. 8, and...

Stephan, I understand that all sects have their particular interpretations of the Torah. That's just the nature of things. 1QS col. 5 even says that outright: "Whoever approaches the Council of the Community shall enter the Covenant of God in the presence of all who have freely pledged themselv...

Stephan, You wrote: "Umm, but these were hysterical dogmatists, rabid zealots who argued that THEIR INTERPRETATION of written text was the ONLY INTERPRETATION. To stray from their beliefs was to apostate from the Law. Come on, you can't be this dense. You've never met people like this? Just loo...

The Damascus Document also says that the Liar led his followers into "a wilderness without way" (CD 1:15), and "the way" is defined in 1QS col. 8 as "the study of the Law which He commanded by the hand of Moses, that they may do according to all that has been revealed from a...