Pesher
Pesher (/ˈpɛʃər/ ⓘ; Hebrew: פשר, pl. pesharim), from the Hebrew root meaning "interpretation," is a group of interpretive commentaries on scripture. The pesharim commentaries became known from the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The pesharim give a theory of scriptural interpretation of a number of biblical texts from the Hebrew Bible, such as Habakkuk and Psalms.
The authors of pesharim believe that scripture is written in two levels; the surface level for ordinary readers with limited knowledge, and the concealed level for specialists with higher knowledge. This is most clearly spelled out in the
Types
There are two types of pesharim found in the dead sea scrolls: "Continuous pesharim" and "Thematic pesharim."
Continuous
The first type of pesharim, continuous pesharim, go through specific biblical books and quote the book phrase by phrase; after each quotation, an interpretation of the verse is added. There are 15 continuous pesharim that have been found and dated, including: five on Isaiah (4Q161, 4Q162, 4Q163, 4Q164, 4Q165); three on the Psalms (1Q16, 4Q171, 4Q173); and seven on books of the
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"Behold the nations and see, marvel and be astonished; for I accomplish a deed in your days, but you will not believe it when told" [Hab 1.5].
[Interpreted, this concerns] those who were unfaithful together with the Liar, in that they [did] not [listen to the word received by] the teacher of Righteousness from the mouth of God. And it concerns the unfaithful of the New [Covenant] in that they have not believed in the Covenant of God [and have profaned] his holy name."[3]
Thematic
The other type of pesharim, Thematic pesharim, are similar to continuous pesharim in that they comment on and cite from biblical verses, but thematic pesharim focus on a particular theme (eg. "the end of days") and pull from multiple biblical books as opposed to commenting on books verse by verse.
Historic individuals
The Pesharim (plural) contain references to a number of individuals and groups throughout their interpretation of the texts. As the Pesharim refer to specific events and make mention of these specific individuals, the Pesharim are important in understanding Qumran's history and culture during the times that their authors lived.[6] Below are the most prominent individuals and groups cited.
Teacher of Righteousness: The Teacher of Righteousness is spoken of, referred to, and cited in many of the Pesharim, including the Damascus Document, the Habakkuk Commentary, the Commentary on the Psalms, and many others. The Teacher of Righteousness is the main spiritual leader of the Essenes at Qumran, and his exact identity is unknown.[7] The Teacher of Righteousness is believed by many scholars to have been the author of some of the texts found at Qumran, such as the Teacher Hymns.[8] Throughout the Pesharim, the 'interpreter' who writes the Pesher can be seen identifying biblical individuals as if they are actually The Teacher of Righteousness, such as the passage found in the Psalms 37 portion of the Commentaries on Psalms which states;
"I have been young, and now I am old, but I have not seen a righteous man abandoned and his children begging food
All the time he is lending generously, and [his] chil[dren] are blessed (37:25–26)
[This] refers to the Teacher of [Righteousness . . ]" (4Q171 Col.3)[9]
Man of Mockery: The Teacher of Righteousness also had opponents with regard to interpretation of scripture and the law who grew out of the Qumran community's own ranks. The Man of Mockery is one such individual who rejected the Teacher of Righteousness's claims, withdrew himself from the group, and took some followers with him. These were then referred to as the Men of Mockery.[14]
The Man of Lie: The Teacher of Righteousness's opponent was also called the Man of Lie. According to the Pesher on Psalms, this individual is prophesied in scripture and was indeed successful in leading people astray.[15]
Themes
Within the pesharim found at Qumran, different themes occur within separate texts.
Salvation
The Pesher on Psalms has the theme of salvation, focusing on those who are wrongdoers in the eyes of God and how those who do good will see the rewards of life. For instance, 4Q171 Fragment 1 insists that as a devoted believer you shall respect the Law, and those who don't will not be saved. "Renounce your anger and abandon your resentment, don't yearn to do evil, because evildoers will be wiped out" (37:8–9a).[17] Such interpretations of the psalms assign them a deeper meaning and connect them to all human beings, splitting those who are good from those who are not.
Apocalyptic
Apocalyptic themes also exist within the Pesharim. Several interpretations with apocalyptic themes are found in these commentaries from Qumran. These include Pesher Isaiah and Pesher Habakkuk, which talk about the fate of Israel's enemies and several other apocalyptic events. Topics of particular interest for modern scholars interpreting the Dead Sea Scrolls include the origin of belief in an apocalyptic war near the end of time, and identification of the enemy in such a war.[18]
Several scholars have investigated similarities between beliefs found in early Christian communities and those expressed by the Qumran community. For example, Stephen Goranson compares the Dead Sea Scrolls with the
Pesharim found at Qumran
- Continuous Pesharim
- 1QpHab: (Habakkuk Pesher)
- 1Q14 (Pesher Micah)
- 4Q161–165: 4QpIsa a–e (Isaiah Pesher)
- 4Q166–167: 4QpHos a–b (Hosea Pesher)
- 4Q169: 4QpNah (Nahum Pesher)
- 4Q170: 4QpZeph (Zephaniah Pesher)
- 4Q171 & 173: 4QpPs a–b (Psalms Pesher)
- 4Q172 (Unidentified Pesher)
- 4Q247–4Q (Pesher on the Apocalypse of the Weeks)
- Thematic Pesharim
- 4Q252 (Genesis Pesher)
- 4Q174: 4Qflor (Eschatological Commentary A/Florilegium)
- 4Q177 (Eschatological Commentary B)
- 11Q13: 11QMelch (the Melchizedek Midrash)
References
- ^ a b "Pesher". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
- ^ "Pesharim". The Orion Virtual Qumran Tour. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
- ^ Dennis, Todd. "Jewish Apocalyptic Writings". The Preterist Archive.
- ^ "Pesharim". The Orion Virtual Qumran Tour. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
- ^ Smith, Mahlon H. "Qumran: Florilegium". Virtual Religion.
- ^ Flint, 2013. The Dead Sea Scrolls. p. 112
- ^ Flint, p. 158
- ^ Flint, p. 159
- ^ Wise, Abegg, Cook. A New Translation: The Dead Sea Scrolls. p. 251.
- ^ Flint, Peter. The Dead Sea Scrolls. p. 158
- ^ The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation, 85–86.
- ^ Flint, The Dead Sea Scrolls. p. 157
- ^ Flint, The Dead Sea Scrolls. p. 158.
- ^ Flint, p. 154
- ^ Flint, p. 154
- ^ "Kittim - Livius". www.livius.org. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
- ^ Todd Denis, 2006 https://www.preteristarchive.com/BibleStudies/DeadSeaScrolls/4Q171_pesher_psalms.html
- ^ Alexander Bolotnikov, 2005 https://www.andrews.edu/library/car/cardigital/Periodicals/AUSS/2005-2/2005-2-03.pdf
- ^ Alexander Bolotnikov, 2005 https://www.andrews.edu/library/car/cardigital/Periodicals/AUSS/2005-2/2005-2-03.pdf
Further reading
- Allegro, John M. (ed.), Qumran Cave 4, I (4Q 158 – 4Q 186), Discoveries in the Judean Desert (DJD), 5 (Oxford: Clarendon, 1968)
- Brownlee, William H., The Midrash Pesher of Habakkuk, Society of Biblical Literature Monograph Series, 24 (Scholars Press, 1979)
- Charlesworth, James H., The Pesharim and Qumran History: Chaos or Consensus? (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2006)
- Doudna, Gregory L., 4Q Pesher Nahum: A Critical Edition, Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha Supplement (Sheffield: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2002)
- Greidanus, Sidney, Preaching Christ from the Old Testament: A Contemporary Hermeneutical Method (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999)
- Horgan, Maurya P., Pesharim: Qumran Interpretations of Biblical Books, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series, 8 (Washington: The Catholic Biblical Association of America, 1979
- Lim, Timothy H., Pesharim, (Sheffield Academic Press, 2002)
- Eisenman, Robert The New Testament Code: The Cup of the Lord, the Damascus Covenant, and the Blood of Christ (Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., Oct 28, 2006)
- Thiering, Barbara, Jesus the Man: Decoding the Real Story of Jesus and Mary Magdalene (Simon & Schulster: Atria Books, 2006)9)
- Van Gemeren, Willem A., Interpreting the Prophetic Word (Zondervan; New Ed edition, 1996)
- Wood, Marcus E. M., History and Prophecy in the Qumran Pesharim: an examination of the key figures and groups in the Dead Sea Scrolls by way of their prophetic designations (PhD, University of Durham, 2001)
External links
- Pesher and the Dead Sea Sectarians An Overview of the Pesher Technique in the Dead Sea Documents.
- The Pesher to Habakkuk – A discussion of Peshar commentary in the Dead Sea Scrolls—particularly to the transcription of Habakkuk.
- The pesher on Habakkuk (1QpHab) Barbara Thiering's interpretation of this pesher and its historical context.
- The Pesher Technique – Analysis of Dr. Thiering's rules of pesher.