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Dualism in the Dead Sea Scrolls (Part 1): Introduction

posted by Krista | 4/3/2004 9:50:35 PM | Permalink | Stumble It!

Certain scrolls, such as the War Scroll (1QM), found among the Dead Sea Scrolls provide vivid, detailed descriptions of the escalating battle between good and evil, which will eventually climax with good overcoming evil. Such language is rarely found in the Hebrew Bible - with the possible exception being Daniel 10:20-21's description of the struggle between Michael and Gabriel against the princes of Persia and Greece. This language is also absent in most of the Pseudepigrapha - exceptions include the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, Jubilees, and in some earlier rabbinic literature.

How did such traditions of the final battle evolve? This series of essays will look at some of the traditions found in several of the scrolls.

Before I start, though, here are a few definitions.

Apocalypticism
The Greek word, apokalypsis, meaning "revelation" or "uncovering", refers to the belief that the present age is characterized by evil, and that this evil will climax as the end of the age approaches until a catastrophe of cosmic proportions occurs.

Eschatology
The study of what are perceived to be the "last events" in the current world order.

Dualism
I'll be using dualism to refer to two distinct parts that are polar opposites of one another. For example, good vs evil, mind vs body, flesh vs spirit, light vs darkness, etc.

Reference

• Article: Dead Sea Scrolls and Qumran FAQ
• 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.)