Scripture at Qumran
The Qumran community treated the Torah and Prophets as authoritative and used many other sacred writings in worship, teaching, and interpretation.
Full Account
Commentaries at Qumran introduce biblical passages as divine revelation and apply prophetic words to the community's circumstances. The frequency of manuscripts is uneven: Psalms, Deuteronomy, and Isaiah are especially prominent.
The presence of a book in the caves does not by itself prove canonical status, since the collection also contains community rules and other literature. Conversely, the absence of Esther from the surviving fragments does not prove its rejection. Qumran supplies evidence of use and authority but no complete inspired-books table.
Historical Significance
The scrolls show that authoritative Scripture was central to Jewish belief before the time of Jesus while warning against simplistic claims about a fixed library list at Qumran.
People, Places and Sources
- Key people: Teachers and scribes of the Qumran community
- Key places: Qumran; Judean Desert
- Languages: Hebrew, Aramaic
- Scripture:
Habakkuk 1-2
Isaiah 40