4QInstruction: Divisions and Hierarchies (original) (raw)

2018

In 4QInstruction: Divisions and Hierarchies, Benjamin Wold addresses several different relationships in 4QInstruction, those of: speaker/sage to addressee/understanding one (Chapter 1), spirit and flesh (Chapter 2), and the "mystery of existence" (רז נהיה) to the Mosaic Torah (Chapter 3). These three chapters taken together help to assess this composition within the broader context of late Second Temple Jewish sapiential discourse and the development of wisdom in the period. One goal of this monograph is to argue against a prevailing view that sees 4QInstruction as as dualistic and deterministic composition. Instead, 4QInstruction sees people as having moral agency and they are expected to seek knowledge of good and evil as found in creation, which is expressed in part with the רז נהיה. The relationship of the "mystery of existence," which is conveyed with a tripartite division of time including the totality of creation from beginning to end, raises questions about the place of Sinai and Mosaic Torah in 4QInstruction. The final chapter turns to debates about Torah in this composition concluding that the reason Torah is never thematized nor mentioned is that the "mystery of existence" (equated with "truth") is given precedent over Sinai. Review Quotes: "This very important work is to be shelved next to the major commentaries, translations, and text editions of Instruction. No study of Instruction is complete without treating both its proposed readings and its hypotheses." Jonathan Kampen, Dead Sea Discoveries, 2021. "Wold is to be commended for a meticulous and careful analysis of 4QInstruction. This is a significant contribution to Qumran studies that is both thought‐provoking and replete with fresh insights." The Journal of Theological Studies, Seulgi L. Byun, 2020. "With a close textual reading and some comparative contexts in Second Temple and early Christian texts, Wold questions a reading of 4QInstruction as deterministic, (consistently) dualistic, apocalyptic and elitist. In fact, 4QInstruction proclaims the universal challenge of actualizing and maintaining wisdom in life.…Wold yields findings significant for both early Jewish and Christian studies." Lindsey A. Askin, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 2019. "Wold hat eine erfrischende, anregende und dabei sehr sorgfältig argumentierte Studie vorgelegt, deren Thesen man eine entsprechende Verbreitung wünscht... In jedem Falle illustriert das Werk gewinnbringend die große Bedeutung der Weisheit für das Verständnis der Schriften und den theologischen Ort der Qumrangemeinschaft." Peter Porzig, Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, 2019. "Di proficua lettura per chi desideri approfondire l’antropologia dell’antico Israele, la ridefinizione di «Israele» tra le nazioni, o si interessi alla prima recezione di taluni scritti della Bibbia ebraica." Marco Settembrini, Gregorianum, 2019.