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Dualism in the Dead Sea Scrolls (Part 6): God and Spirit in 1QS

posted by | 4/3/2004 10:44:17 PM | Permalink | Stumble It!

God as Sole Creator
The belief of an absolute determinism is related to the ethical dimension of the text. 1QS 3:15 states that God is the sole creator of all things, and that before they came into existence, He had 'made all their plans,' while 1QS 3:16 asserts that once things come into being, they will 'execute all their works in compliance with his instructions...without altering anything.' 1QS 4:24 states that men walk in the ways of truth or injustice, respectively, 'in agreement with man's birthright.' These passages emphasize a strong belief in predestination with the implication that the 'sons of light' did not choose their way of life, but had been appointed by God at their creation. The righteous are righteous only because they have been chosen by God. Therefore, free will does not factor into whether or not an individual falls into the lot of the righteous or the wicked.

1QS 4:23-24, which states that 'the spirits of truth and of injustice feud in the heart of man and they walk in wisdom or in folly,' has been a focal point of contention for scholars concerning the doctrine of predestination versus free will. It is argued that the psychological dimension "is linked with the hope for eschatological purification of the elect." This argument hopes to show that 4:20-21 contains content similar to 4Q186, which states that there are nine parts to each individual, and each is distributed either to the 'house of light' or the 'house of darkness.' Each person is assigned to a 'house' in accordance with whichever 'house' has the majority of the parts. This distribution of parts is related to the position of the signs of the zodiac at the moment of birth and to physiological aspects of the individual. While 1QS 3:13-4:26 does not agree with 4Q186 on how each person is assigned to one spirit or another, it is similar in the way human beings can be under the influence of both spirits. One scholar explains that "no sin, however, can separate a son of light from the good lot, because the quantity of good spirits remains predominant in his or her heart."

Interpretations of the Hebrew Word for 'Spirit'
A study of the Hebrew word for 'spirit' in DSS literature shows that the word for 'spirit' has five different interpretations, three of which are presented in this passage. The first is that it can mean 'wind' or 'breath,' though he mentions this usage is not present in 1QS. However, it is used in 1QH 1:10,28-29,7:23 and 1QM 6:12.

Secondly, it can be used 'to refer to a human being or the vital force in a person.' This is referred to in 1QS 2:14 which states that the spirit can be destroyed. There is also mention of this usage in 1QH 1:21-22; 8:29.

The third interpretation of 'spirit' is one of a psychological nature, which compares the psychological nature of 1QS 4:2-14 (such as the arrangements of humility, patience, and compassion in relation to the spirit of light while greed, pride, and lust are associated with the spirit of deceit) with other representations of the psychological spirit such as 1QS 8:3 (broken spirit), 1QS 11:1 (spirit that has gone astray), 1QH 2:15 (zealous spirit), 1QH 8:29 (perverse spirit) and 1QH 3:22-23 (spirit of knowledge).

The fourth way can be interpreted is in relation to the spirit of holiness. Davidson says that this spirit "is from God, and represents God's creative and purifying power in peoples' lives." It will be this spirit who will purify the righteous at the time of the visitation (1QS 4:18-19,21). This spirit is also the source of prophecy (1QS 8:16). Finally Davidson argues that 'spirit' is used for supernatural beings contrary to M. Treves' opinion that lack of supernatural references in the OT should influence the interpretation of Qumran literature. Davidson argues that there are references to supernatural beings in both 1 Kgs 22:21 and Job 4:15, and then draws parallels between 1QS 3:13-4:26 and other supernatural beings in Qumran literature, specifically, 1QM.

Other Dualistic Passages
Other passages in 1QS seem to presuppose a dualistic world view. For example, in 1QS 1:1-3:12, reference is made to 'all the days of Belial's dominion,' and the text speaks of curses directed against 'all the men of the lot of Belial.' The mention of the 'lot of Belial' implies that humanity is divided in a similar manner to the Instruction, however, this passage does not use the light/darkness terminology nor does it refer to creation as mentioned in the Instruction.

Reference

• PDF (92KB): Paper with Footnotes - This essay is adapted from an old undergrad paper for a Dead Sea Scrolls Class I wrote a few years ago. (Yes, it could use editing.)