The thunderbolts and lightning's to their duty,Īnd the perfect treasuries (of snow and hail) Thou hast spread the heavens for Thy glory Thou art long-suffering in Thy judgementsīy Thy wisdom eternity,Īnd before creating them Thou knew their worksĪnd nothing is known unless Thou desire it. Indeed, the relative poverty of principal themes may be due to the fact that all this poetry was intended for a special occasion and its inspirational scope thereby limited. Hymn 21 expressly refers to the oath of the Covenant, and Hymn 22 appears to be a poetic commentary on the liturgy of the entry into the Community. Similarly, it is probable that the psalms of this Scroll were recited by the Guardian and newly initiated members at the Feast of the Renewal of the Covenant. He reports that when the President of the meeting had ended his commentary on the Scriptures, he rose and chanted a hymn, either one of his own making or an old one, and after him each of his brethren did likewise (The Contemplative Life, § 80). Philo's account of the banquet celebrated by the contemplative Essenes, or Therapeutae, on the Feast of Pentecost may indicate the use to which the Hymns were put. The most we can say is that the collection as such probably attained its final shape during the last century of the sect's history. Nor are we in a position to date any particular composition. But although this hypothesis is not improbable, no sure conclusion can yet be reached. Several scholars tend to ascribe the authorship of these to the Teacher of Righteousness, and even consider that he may be responsible for all the Hymns. 1,2, and 7-11, appear to refer to the experiences of a teacher abandoned by his friends and persecuted by his enemies. Whereas some of the Hymns give expression to thoughts and sentiments common to all the members of the sect, others, particularly nos. He, a 'creature of clay', has been singled out by his Maker to receive favours of which he feels himself unworthy and he alludes again and again to his frailty and total dependence on God. The sectary thanks God continually for having been saved from the ' lot' of the wicked, and for his gift of insight into the divine mysteries. But the two fundamental themes running through the whole collection are those of salvation and knowledge. They are all hymns of thanksgiving, individual prayers as opposed to those intended for communal worship, expressing a rich variety of spiritual and doctrinal detail. I have counted twenty-five compositions similar to the biblical Psalms. It has suffered a good deal of deterioration and the translator has difficulty, not only in making sense of the poems, but also in determining where one ends and the other begins.
Sukenik in 1954-5 (The Dead Sea Scrolls of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem).
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