as interpreted by the community. Jews who refused to repent, as well as covenanters who subsequently rejected the restrictions of the law, were judged according to the law. Repentance was not possible for the Gentiles; they were judged in consonance with their evil deeds. There does not appear to be any variation in any of the scrolls concerning this basic pattern. As Sanders writes: “The place of obedience [to the law] in the overall scheme is always the same: it is the consequence of being in the
Page 66