Jesper Høgenhaven

The opening of the psalter: A study in Jewish Theology

A number of Jewish and Christian sources from Antiquity into the Middle Ages testify to a tradition which counts Psalms 1 and 2 as one unit or views them as belonging closely together. A few modern scholars have emphasized elements (of language and content) that connect Psalms 1 and 2, but the scholarly majority has understood these two psalms as having very different backgrounds. This article does not address the historical question of whether Psalms 1 and 2 are originally independent units. Rather, an attempt is made to bring out the thematic relationship between the texts, and to interpret Psalms 1 and 2 as forming a redactional introduction to the Psalter. The theological implications and the subtle interplay between different levels of time in both texts are explored, and a tentative dating within the Maccabean period is suggested. Psalms 1 and 2 may be understood as representing the zeal for the Mosaic tora and the eschatological Messianic expectations as two themes of major importance for understanding the Psalter.

Something Borrowed, Something New? Reflections on Apocalypticism and Prophecy in the Old Testament

ABSTRACT This article approaches the ongoing scholarly debate as to what constitutes apocalypticism in ancient Judaism, and, in particular, if and how apocalyptic texts stand out as different from prophetic texts in the Old Testament. Some examples from the history of scholarship illustrate how the dichotomy between prophecy and apocalypticism has been perceived, and the underlying presuppositions are discussed critically. A case is made for assuming a fundamental continuity between so-called prophetic and apocalyptic writings as developments of the same literary tradition. Against this background is discussed how differences and nuances between texts within this continuity can be fruitfully acknowledged. Three tendencies that appear to be reinforced in so-called apocalyptic texts in the Old Testament are pointed out: The extensive use of literary loans from older texts, the development of visually suggestive, yet elusive imagery, and the combination of different literary forms and genres. Finally, some selected texts from Old Testament prophetic books (Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, and Isaiah) serve as test cases for the first of these aspects.

The Book of Zechariah at Qumran

ABSTRACT Messianic expectations and ideas in the Qumran texts have been a much debated issue. Many scholars hold the view that there was in the Qumran community a normative belief in two messianic figures, a royal and a priestly Messiah, to be expected at the end of days. This Messianic diarchy (which seems also to be attested in Jewish sources outside the Qumran li-brary) has been explained as ultimately derived from the imagery and world of thought found in Old Testament texts, in particular the Book of Zechariah. This assumption has been challenged by scholars who point to the relatively sparse attestation of the Book of Zechariah among the biblical manuscripts found at Qumran, and to the lack of explicit evidence for a Qumran interpre-tation of Zechariah lying behind the dual messianism found in some Qumran texts. This article carries out a closer examination of the actual reception and use of the Book of Zechariah in Qumran texts with regard to messianic con-cepts. Key texts mentioning two messianic figures are analyzed with focus on possible demonstrable connections (with respect to language, expressions, imagery or conceptual world) to the Book of Zechariah. The extant docu-ments witnessing to reading and interpretation of Zechariah at Qumran is in-vestigated and scrutinized for evidence supporting the thesis that these texts could have played a decisive role in the formation of messianic ideas and im-agery in Qumran texts.

Geography And Ideology In The Copper Scroll (3q15) From Qumran

The Copper Scroll (3Q15) from Khirbet Qumran was discovered in 1952 by a team of archaeologists lead by Roland de Vaux. The purpose of this chapter is to approach the questions of literary genre and historical setting, taking as a point of departure the geographical perspective exhibited in the text. The geographical outlook of the Copper Scroll seems to focus primarily on the area in and near Jerusalem on locations close to Wadi Qumran and the Dead Sea and in the vicinity of Jericho. Several scholars have pointed to the similarities between the Copper Scroll text and a list or a catalogue, and to the lack of any narrative framework in the document. A noticeable feature of the Copper Scroll is the frequency of references to hiding places which are in one way or the other associated with notions of impurity. Keywords: Copper Scroll (3Q15) text; Jerusalem; Khirbet Qumran; literary genre