The Apostle Paul and the Dead Sea Scrolls

Abstract

by Tim Rochester

(Tim Rochester is a third-year undergraduate in the M.Theol. honours programme at the University of
St. Andrews.--JRD)

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has provided us with much new material for comparing and
contrasting with the theology of the Pauline and Deutero-Pauline corpus.

The idea of justification by divine grace, apparent in the Old Testament, is also illustrated in the
sectarian texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls, particularly in the significance of the Habakkuk Pesher's
commentary on Habakkuk 2:4 in 8:1-3. This commentary, when read alongside the Hodayoth (1QHa),
reveals the Teacher of Righteousness as achieving God's grace and righteousness through experiencing
God's justice and mercy (1QHa 12:29-37). The Qumran community strives to achieve justification by
grace through observance of the works of the Torah along with the Teacher of Righteousness (1QS 11:9-
15).

For Paul, justification by grace in Galatians chapter 3-4 and Romans 3-5, is through faith in Jesus Christ
alone (Romans 3:23-24). Observance of the Torah is not needed for justification, since Paul's stringent
following of the Law as a 'Pharisee' (Philippians 3:5) allowed him to sin against God and Jesus Christ, in
whom salvation and therefore justification by grace is found.

Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 6:14-7:1 is thought to be a Qumran extract christianised by Paul
or a later editor. The terminological and theological affinity of 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 to the Community
Rule (1QS 1:2-11) and the Damascus Document reveals parallels in concepts such as: light and darkness,
virtue and crime, Christ and Beliar, and the separation of the community as the Temple of God from
those who are impure.
The Deutero-Pauline Letter to the Ephesians illustrates that the mysteries of God's creation and
eschatological time-table--revealed to the Teacher of Righteousness in the Dead Sea Scrolls (1QHa
12:27)--reside in the risen Christ alone (Ephesians 3:3ff).

The similarities between the Pauline corpus and the Dead Sea Scrolls are indirect parallels which do not
affect the Christian message that Paul strives to impart to his vast Christian community. The significance
of this Christian message is that it is based entirely upon Paul's experience with Christ in the Damascus
incident, an incident which shapes his theology in ways different to that of the Qumran community's.

(c) 2001

Reproduction beyond fair use only on permission of the author.