1QS 8

Community Rule
Dead Sea Scrolls

1 In the Council of the Community there shall be twelve men and three Priests, perfectly versed in all that is revealed of the Law, whose works shall be truth, righteousness, justice, loving-kindness and humility. They shall preserve the faith in the Land with steadfastness and meekness and shall atone for sin by the practice of justice and by suffering the sorrows of affliction. They shall walk with all men according to the standard of truth and the rule of the time. When these are in Israel, the Council of the Community shall be established in truth. It shall be an Everlasting Plantation, a House of Holiness for Israel, an Assembly of Supreme Holiness for Aaron. 2 They shall be witnesses to the truth at the Judgement, and shall be the elect of Goodwill who shall atone for the Land and pay to the wicked their reward. It shall be that tried wall, that precious corner-stone, whose foundations shall neither rock nor sway in their place. It shall be a Most Holy Dwelling for Aaron, with everlasting knowledge of the Covenant of justice, and shall offer up sweet fragrance. It shall be a House of Perfection and Truth in Israel that they may establish a Covenant according to the everlasting precepts.

1 Corinthians 3:16

New Testament

16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 17 If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, which is what you are. 18 Guard against self-deception, each of you. If someone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish so that he can become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this age is foolishness with God. As it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness.” 20 And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” 21 So then, no more boasting about mere mortals! For everything belongs to you, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future. Everything belongs to you, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

 Notes and References

"... Though not directly related to the purity issue like the ritual washing and the community meal, the following three passages (A: 1QS 8:1-4a; B: 1QS 8:4b-7; C: IQS 9:3-6) suggest seeing the community as a Temple by indirectly raising the purity issue. First of all, it is required to decide whether 'the Community council' in A) indicates an 'inner council' within the community or whether it alludes to 'the community as a whole'. There are two texts (1QS 3:2; 1QSa 1:26-28) which demonstrate the preceding two different views, respectively. The above two texts show that the phrase, 'Community council' indicates either the inner group or the whole Community 68 in the Qumran scrolls.69 It is not easy to determine which one is right. However, the most important clue to solve this problem can be given in 4QIsaiah Pesher which is parallel to 1 QS 8:4-7 in that the Community council is described as 'foundations' (line 5) of the Temple in both texts. 4QIsaiah 54:11-12 Pesher expresses the Community council as a foundation of Temple which is an inner group which consists of priests and some valuable lay people like a sapphire in the midst of stones. From this, it may be possible to conclude that the Community council in 1 QS 8 also indicates the inner group ..."

Lee, Pilchan The New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation: A Study of Revelation 21-22 in the Light of Its Background in Jewish Tradition (pp. 230-238) Mohr Siebeck, 2001

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