Early Judaism- A Comprehensive Overview

But regarding the Former Prophets and the remainder of the Writings, it

can only be claimed that the literature was known to the Qumran

covenanters; it may or may not have been considered Scripture, though the

presence of four copies of Canticles presumably indicates that it was read

at least as spiritual allegory.

Shifts in the Process toward Canon

While the terminology regarding the canonical process may be clarified,

and the evidence from Qumran may witness to certain Scriptures but no

canon yet, the waters remain largely uncharted for the more important

and intriguing issue of the socio-political struggles and theological debates

that formed the path to the eventual canon. A few turns in the path, how-

ever, can be seen.

First, there was a shift from national literature to sacred Scripture, de-

scribed above. Some works of Israel’s literature became recognized as hav-

ing divine origin and thus were regarded as sacred Scripture.

Second, there was a shift in the understanding of revelation. Whereas

revelation had been seen as dynamic and a continuing possibility, gradu-

ally it was viewed as verbal and recorded in the distant past. This gets ex-

pressed in the ancient (and a lingering modern) conviction regarding the

cessation of prophecy.

Third, there was a shift from a religion centered primarily on the Tem-

ple and its rituals to a religion centered on its texts. This was a result of the

destruction of the Temple and the ability of shared texts to function as a

unifying force even for a people spread throughout Diaspora communities.

Fourth, vague consciousness had to give way to clear decisions regard-

ing the scriptural status of books toward the periphery. The new focus on

sacred texts as Judaism’s centripetal force required new questions, scrutiny,

debate, and decisions about the relative status of various texts. While all

Jews recognized the sanctity of the Torah and most recognized divine reve-

lation in a collection of prophetic books, now decisions had to be made

concerning which books belonged in the “Prophets” collection and

whether extra books might also deserve to be accorded supreme authority.

Fifth, a dramatic shift replaced textual pluriformity with uniformity.

Throughout the Second Temple period, the texts were characterized by

fluidity, pluriformity, and creativeness in composition. But the shocks of

the two revolts and the increased importance of the texts precluded fur-

147

The Jewish Scriptures: Texts, Versions, Canons

EERDMANS -- Early Judaism (Collins and Harlow) final text
Tuesday, October 09, 2012 12:03:59 PM