The Pesharim and Qumran History: Chaos or Consensus?

by James H. Charlesworth

Book Overview

Since their discovery among the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Pesharim have sparked intense debate. Are these ancient documents biblical commentary, or are they historiographies alluding to figures and events of the time? Charlesworth demonstrates that these 16 books do indeed contain historical allusions and relates these references to a synopsis of Qumran history.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802839886
• ISBN13: 9780802839886
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

FACATED VARIETIES OF PESHARIM GIVE RISE TO MISLEADING INTERPRETATIONS

Charlsworth's burden is to ask what is the "proper means" of obtaining historical information from these interpretive commentaries (pesharim) written at Qumran? and "how and in what ways, if at all, can one obtain reliable historical data from the pesharim?" (x). Gaining reliable historical information from these pesharim has been in fact THE question many have sought to discover. Charlesworth realizes this "chaos" and asks if there is any "consensus" by all of it. The difficulty partly lies in the symbolic nature of these writings. The "Wicked Priest", "Man of Lies","Righteous Teacher" are some sobriquets open to a guessing game of historic identities. Thus very helpful is Charlesworth presentation of six "methods of discerning history" (72-76). He warns however that it is "unwise to devise a set methodology" for ascertaining information. This may lead to "forcing" data and "miss(ing) the context of allusions" as well as forgetting the important fact that we are dealing "with pneumatic interpretations of Scripture." (72). Indeed this is why, in my opinion, we must first understand the genre which shows the Qumranian "stance" and "attitude" towards pesharim which Daniel Patte reminds us in his " Jewish Hermeneutic in Palestine"(299-308) a point Charlesworth does not address (see my review on Patte). Nevertheless we can ascertain history from the pesharim as long as we are not overly concerned with the "degree of reliability" we get from them. (70). Therefore we can approach these interpretations in seeking history by 1) multiple attestation within Qumran literature and 2)non- Qumran literature. Next( 3 & 4) we compare "coherence" within the literature and outside Qumran literature as well as considering (5) "archaeological insights" and finally what I consider most important (6) disallowing historical allusions because of Qumran theology. Here "exaggerations" can be distortions which cause Charlesworth to state that "we may be closer to reliable historical information if we do not discern the concerns of Qumran theology shaping the presentation." (76). An interesting appendixes by Lidija Novakovic concludes the book which lists textual variants in the Pesharim (129-158) and also a list of Biblical quotations in Pesharim (119-128). James A Sanders is quoted on back of book as saying these "are alone worth the price of the book." But finally I'd say this is a well balanced monograph where Charlesworth certainly brings out the hard cold fact which put it a nut shell say that our "sources for reconstructiong Qumran history are literary and archaeological."(19) William S Downer, Chico, CA

A Roadmap Through the Pesharim

In years past scholars created academic chaos by arguing over the proper way to obtain historical information from the pesharim. For the first two decades of Qumran studies, scholars tended to mine the pesharim for their historical data without regard to the fact that they were biblical commentaries. This was followed by a backlash in which scholars warned against using the pesharim for historical information at all. In more recent years a middle course has been found, a roadmap through the pesharim. And this roadmap now has become the consensus of scholars. Following are some of the conclusions of the consensus. The Righteous Teacher did not found the Qumran sect but became an influential leader. He lived during the second century BCE and died by 103 BCE. He did not write the pesharim himself, but taught "fulfillment hermenautics" to his disciples. Even so, some of his own writing may be found in the Thanksgiving Hymns. The Qumranites saw themselves as living in biblical history made sacred by earlier acts of God. They saw the Teacher as the one who would enact the final drama of salvation. However the Teacher was not known as a messiah. Charlesworth's monograph is informative and concise but fair. For example, Robert Eisenman's proposal that the Righteous Teacher is James the Just is listed along with over a dozen others. Each proposal is footnoted for the reader who wants to know more. This book is excellent reading on a controversial subject.