Christian

Beginnings

and the

Dead Sea

Scrolls

Edited by

John J. Collins

and Craig A. Evans

©2006 by John J. Collins and Craig A. Evans

Published by Baker Academic

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakeracademic.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Christian beginnings and the Dead Sea scrolls / edited by John J. Collins

and Craig A. Evans.

p. cm. — (Acadia studies in Bible and theology)

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN 10: 0-8010-2837-X (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-8010-2837-3 (pbk.)

1. Christianity—Origin. 2. Dead Sea scrolls. 3. Church history—Primitive and early church, ca. 30–600. 4. Judaism (Christian theology)—
History. I. Collins, John Joseph, 1946– II. Evans, Craig A. III. Series.
BR129.C42 2006
270.1—dc22 2006013321

Contents

Contributors

Preface

1. A Messiah before Jesus?

John J. Collins

2. An Essene Messiah? Comments on Israel Knohl, The Messiah before Jesus

John J. Collins

3. Jesus, John, and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Assessing Typologies of Restoration

Craig A. Evans

4. Paul and James on the Law in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Martin G. Abegg Jr.

5. “Spirit of Holiness” as Eschatological Principle of Obedience

Barry D. Smith

6. Guided by God: Divine Aid in Interpretation in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament

R. Glenn Wooden

7. The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christian Theology

Jonathan R. Wilson

8. Apocalyptic Theology and the Dead Sea Scrolls: A Response to Jonathan Wilson

John J. Collins

Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Writings

Index of Subjects and Names

Contributors

Martin G. Abegg Jr. (Ph.D., Hebrew Union College) is Ben Zion Wacholder Professor of Dead Sea Scrolls Studies at Trinity Western University in British Columbia. He is also director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute and author and translator of a number of books.

John J. Collins (Ph.D., Harvard University) is Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale Divinity School. He has served as editor of the Journal of Biblical Literature and has authored many books, including The Scepter and the Star (Doubleday) and Daniel in the acclaimed Hermeneia Commentary (Fortress).

Craig A. Evans (Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University) is Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity College in Nova Scotia. He has served as editor of the Bulletin for Biblical Research and has authored many books, including Jesus and His Contemporaries (Brill) and Mark in the Word Biblical Commentary (Nelson).

Barry D. Smith (Ph.D., McMaster University) is associate professor of philosophy and religious studies at Atlantic Baptist University in New Brunswick. He has authored ...

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About Christian Beginnings and the Dead Sea Scrolls

The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered more than half a century ago, have proved to be the most important modern discovery related to biblical literature, Judaism of late antiquity, and nascent Christianity. The scrolls have made an important contribution to our understanding of the development of the text and canon of Scripture, including such issues as textual preservation and transmission. They have also contributed to our knowledge of doctrine, especially pertaining to law and eschatological expectations.

In this volume, six leading scholars—John Collins, Craig Evans, Martin Abegg, R. Glenn Wooden, Barry Smith, and Jonathan Wilson—examine some of the major issues that the Dead Sea Scrolls have raised for the study of early Christianity. Were first-century Jews expecting a messiah? Were other messiahs mentioned in the scrolls? Were key early Christian symbols also found in the Judaism of Qumran? Did the Jews of Jesus’ day believe in salvation by works? In the Holy Spirit? How did the New Testament authors think about inspired interpretation? These cutting-edge articles explore the impact of the Scrolls on Christianity, delving deeper than most surveys on the Dead Sea Scrolls.

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