Saturday, February 10, 2018

Quotation from 1QM 17.4-8 (Qumran War Scroll)

(4) But, as for you, take courage and do not fear them [... for] their end is emptine and their desire is for the void. Their support is without st[rength] and they do not [know that from the God] of
(5) Israel is all that is and that will be. He [...] in all which exists for eternity. Today is His appointed time to subdue and to humiliate the prince of the realm
(6) of wickedness. He will send eternal support to the company of His redeemed by the power of the majestic angel of the authority of Michael. By eternal light
(7) He shall joyfully light up the covenant of Israel peace and blessing for the lot of God, to exalt the authority of Michael among the gods and the dominion
(8) of Israel among all flesh.

See https://www.qumran.org/js/qumran/hss/1qm

See also http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/war

6 comments:

Duncan said...

"power of the majestic angel *Of* the authority of Michael."

https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Dead_Sea_scrolls/4Q285

Duncan said...

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qKtXVU9EQTIC&pg=PA65&lpg=PA65&dq=1qm+17+michael&source=bl&ots=GFpuvhQ45j&sig=2fU5WqRKkfFRkouqWcD5HXDkV5g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjkisDt4Z3ZAhVmKcAKHdldCHAQ6AEwA3oECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=Four%20archangels&f=false

Edgar Foster said...

Paul Rainbow also notes that the archangels are four in number; Michael is not the only archangel mentioned in Jewish literature although the Bible itself only mentions one archangel. But these documents still testify that Michael was viewed as an archangel in Judaism's distant history.

On how we might interpret this part of the War Scroll, see https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qKtXVU9EQTIC&pg=PA65&lpg=PA65&dq=1qm+17+michael&source=bl&ots=GFpuvhQ45j&sig=2fU5WqRKkfFRkouqWcD5HXDkV5g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjkisDt4Z3ZAhVmKcAKHdldCHAQ6AEwA3oECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=Four%20archangels&f=false

"And He shall send eternal help to the lot of His [red]emption by the might of an angel. He made magnificent the dominion of Michael in eternal light,"

"This passage anticipates a conflict between the forces of good and evil in which God is to establish the dominion of Michael over the prince of the rule of wickedness, apparently the same figure as Belial (whose name, perhaps, should be reconstructed in line 5)."

Duncan said...

Where does the idea of four come from. Ezekiel?

Edgar Foster said...

That is a good possibility. But some traditions say there are 7 archangels.

Duncan said...

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qKtXVU9EQTIC&pg=PA65&lpg=PA65&dq=1qm+17+michael&source=bl&ots=GFpuvhQ45j&sig=2fU5WqRKkfFRkouqWcD5HXDkV5g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjkisDt4Z3ZAhVmKcAKHdldCHAQ6AEwA3oECAcQAQ#v=snippet&q=Four%20archangels%20expanded%20basis%20early&f=false