Between Text and Artifact: Integrating Archaeology in Biblical Studies Teaching (Archaeology and Biblical Studies)

TEXT ANDARTIFACT:

THEDEADSEA SCROLLSAND QUMRAN

DallielFalk

U/l;versiZYofOregon

QumranancltheDeadSC:l Scrollspresent:1classiccaseintheprob-
lemofrelatingtextandartifact,bothinresearchandteaching. Herewe
havea significantbodyoftexts(thescrollsfromCaves I-II)andsignifi-
cantartifacts (thesite ofQumr.m, material rinds,skeletons) in close
temporalandgeographicproximitythatarguablyshouldhelp interpret
each other. Furthermore, there are external lexIS about a particular
Jewishgroup-theEssenes-thatarguablyrebte(0boththeDeadSea
Scrolls(bydescribingthesamedistinctivepracticesandbeliefs)andthe
sileofQumran(Pliny,bydescribingEsseneslivinginlhesamevicinity).
Fromearlyall,theselinkswere foundationalto theunderstandingof
QumranandtheDeadSeaScrolls,leadingtoacompellinganddominant
viewthatQumranwasa sec(;.trian Essenesettlementwhosecommunal
lifeisalsoreflectedinsOmeoftheirwritingsamongthescrollsfoundin
thene~lrbycaves. In recent years, agrowingnumberofscholarshave
questionedeachlinkofthistriangulmmodel,andtherehavebeenstri-
dentcriticismsof(heprocessofscholarshipbywhichthismodelcameto
dominate.Thesecriticismshaveoftenbeenunf~lirandhavesofarfailed
tooffera moreconvincingalternative.Still, (herearelessonsto learn
fromthefascinatingandattimesrancorousconversationamongscholars
overtheinterpretationofQumran.Thisessaysurveystheimplications-
bothnegativeandpositivc-ofthetriangularmodel,particularlyforthe
problemofhowonerelatestextandartifactintheprocessofrese~lf(.'h
andinstruction.

TilEVICIOUSTRtA"'GLE

ToplHthingsin perspective,il ishelpfultorecalllhesituationabolH

half~lcenturybeforethediscoveryoftheDeadSe~lScrolls.Themysterious

Essenesmentionedbyvariousancientauthorswefea subjectofscholarly

andpopularfascination,andthefewefeattemptstorelatevariousnewly

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