Early Judaism- A Comprehensive Overview

another, to explain, allude to, or expand upon things found in biblical

books. Indeed, the rules governing the daily life of the community that

lived at Qumran specify that the study of Scripture is to be a steady, ongo-

ing activity: “Anywhere where there are ten people, let there not be lacking

a man expounding the Torah day and night, continuously, concerning the

right conduct of a man with his fellow. And let the [Assembly of the] Many

see to it that in the community a third of every night of the year [is spent]

in reading the Book and expounding the Law and offering blessings to-

gether” (1QS 6:6-8).

In short, Scripture was on nearly everyone’s mind. The words of Ps.

119:97 — “How I love your Torah; I speak of it all day long” — might have

served as the motto ofallthe different Jewish communities and sects in

Second Temple times. Now when one stops to consider this state of affairs

in its larger context, it should appear more than a little strange. After all,

religious piety elsewhere in the ancient Near East consisted principally of

the offering of animal sacrifices at one or another sanctuary, participation

in mass religious revels with singing and dancing, or solemn rites to ward

off evil and demonic forces. None of these elements was absent from Sec-

ond Temple Judaism, but along with them, and ultimately displacing them,

was the oddest sort of act: reading words written centuries earlier and act-

ing as if they had the highest significance for people in the present age.

How did this come about?

The Rise of the Bible

The idea of a specific set of writings called the Bible did not exist before

the end of the Second Temple period. Before that, there existed a some-

what inchoate group of books considered sacred by one or more of the

various religious communities that flourished during this period. The

heart of Scripture, all communities agreed, was the Torah or Pentateuch,

that is, the biblical books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and

Deuteronomy. These books were attributed to the authorship of Moses,

and from an early time their laws in particular were looked to for guidance

in matters of daily life. Along with them were other works — historical

writings covering the period from the death of Moses to later times; pro-

phetic books and visions associated with various figures from the past;

psalms, hymns, and similar works, many attributed to King David; wise

sayings and other wisdom writings, some attributed to King Solomon; and

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james l. kugel

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