Jassen, Scripture and Law in the Dead Sea Scrolls

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Scripture and Law in the Dead Sea Scrolls

AUTHOR: Alex P. Jassen, New York University
DATE PUBLISHED: August 2018
AVAILABILITY: Available
FORMAT: Paperback
ISBN: 9781108469036

This book is the first work of its kind to examine legal exegesis in the Dead Sea Scrolls from the perspective of both the history of Jewish law and early Jewish scriptural interpretation. It shows how the Dead Sea Scrolls transform the meaning and application of biblical law to meet the needs of new historical and cultural settings. The Dead Sea Scrolls legal texts are examined through the comparative lens of law and legal interpretation in Second Temple Judaism and rabbinic Judaism. The creative interpretation of scriptural texts in the Dead Sea Scrolls responds to the tension between seemingly rigid authoritative scripture and the need for law and scripture to be perpetually evolving entities. The ongoing legal interpretation of scriptural texts frames the development of Jewish law at the same time as it shapes the nature of the biblical canon.

• The first study of its kind to examine legal exegesis in the Dead Sea Scrolls from the perspective of both the history of Jewish law and early Jewish scriptural interpretation
• Situates the study of Jewish law in the Dead Sea Scrolls in the broader setting of Second Temple Judaism and rabbinic Judaism
• Explores the contribution of law and legal exegesis in the Dead Sea Scrolls to the formation of the text and canon of the Hebrew Bible

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