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11Q13

The Heavenly Prince Melchizedek

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1 […] … […] 2 […] and as for what it says, “In [this] year of jubilee [each of you shall return to his property,” and about it he said, “And] this 3 [is the manner of the release:] every creditor shall release what he has lent [to his neighbor. He shall not press his neighbor or his brother, for there has been proclaimed] a release 4 for God.” [Its interpretation] for the end of days concerns the captives, who […] and whose 5 teachers have been hidden and kept secret, and from the inheritance of Melchizedek, for […] … and they are the inheritance of Melchizedek, who 6 will bring them back to them. He will proclaim liberty to them,⁠ to release them from [the burden of] all their iniquities.⁠ And [thus] this thing will happen 7 in the first week of the jubilee that follows the nine jubilees.⁠ The Day of Atonement is the end of the tenth jubilee,⁠ 8 to atone on it for all the sons of [light]⁠ and the men of the lot of Melchizedek. […] … upon them … according to all their deeds, for 9 this is the time of the year of favor for Melchizedek⁠ and for his armies, the people of the holy ones of God, for a reign of judgment, as it is written 10 about him in the songs of David, who said, “God stands in the assembly [of El]; in the midst of the gods he judges.”⁠ And about him he said, “And above it 11 return to the heights; God will judge the peoples.”⁠ As for what he said, [“How long] will you judge unjustly and show favor to the wicked? Selah,” 12 its interpretation concerns Belial and the spirits of his lot,⁠ who […] … in their turning away from the statutes of God [to act wickedly]. 13 But Melchizedek will carry out the vengeance of the judgments of God, [and on that day he will] deliver them [from the hand of] Belial⁠ and from the hand of all the spirits [of his lot]. 14 To his aid come all the gods [of righteousness], and he is the one who […] all the sons of God, and the … 15 this … is the day [of peace], of which he spoke [… through] Isaiah the prophet, who said, [“How] lovely 16 on the mountains are the feet of the herald who proclaims peace, the herald [of good news who proclaims salvation], who says to Zion, ‘Your God [is king].’” 17 Its interpretation: the mountains [are] the prophets, they … […] … for all … […] 18 And the herald is the one anointed of the spirit,⁠ as Daniel said [about him, “Until an anointed one, a prince, there are seven weeks.” And the herald of] 19 good news who proclaims [salvation] is the one about whom it is written that […] 20 “to comfort the [mourners.” Its interpretation:] to instruct them in all the ages of the world […] 21 in truth … […] … […] 22 … […] was removed from Belial and will return […] … […] 23 […] by the judgments of God, as it is written about him, [“who says] to Zion, ‘Your God is king.’” Zion is 24 [the congregation of all the sons of righteousness, those] who uphold the covenant, who turn aside from walking in the way of the people. And “your God” is 25 [… Melchizedek, who will] deliver them from the hand of Belial. As for what he said, “You shall sound the horn throughout all the land,”

Texts in conversation

Compare 11Q13 2:6 and Luke 4:18

Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Interpretation · New Testament

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Summary

In 11Q13 from the Dead Sea Scrolls, Isaiah’s release of captives becomes Melchizedek’s deliverance from sin. Luke uses the same prophecy from Isaiah 61 to describe Jesus’ mission, declaring that its promised release is already being fulfilled.

Passages

11Q13 2:6

Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Interpretation · The Heavenly Prince Melchizedek
4 for God.” [Its interpretation] for the end of days concerns the captives, who […] and whose 5 teachers have been hidden and kept secret, and from the inheritance of Melchizedek, for […] … and they are the inheritance of Melchizedek, who 6 will bring them back to them. He will proclaim liberty to them, to release them from [the burden of] all their iniquities. And [thus] this thing will happen 7 in the first week of the jubilee that follows the nine jubilees. The Day of Atonement is the end of the tenth jubilee, 8 to atone on it for all the sons of [light] and the men of the lot of Melchizedek. […] … upon them … according to all their deeds, for 9 this is the time of the year of favor for Melchizedek and for his armies, the people of the holy ones of God, for a reign of judgment, as it is written
100–50 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 11Q13

Luke 4:18

New Testament
17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to tell them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.”
75–85 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Luke

References

“... After Jesus concludes, he tells those in the synagogue: “Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” – the fulfillment of it is “rooted in his person.” Jesus presents himself as the Spirit-anointed figure portrayed in Isaiah 61. [...] But this reading of Isaiah 61 is not original to Luke, or at least he is certainly not the first author to read Isaiah 61 with messianic overtones. In 11QMelchizedek, Isaiah 61:1–2 is used to describe a spiritual Jubilee during which Melchizedek and his armies will release the “captives” [...] from the “debt of all their iniquities” [...] With this much lexical overlap, the influence of Isaiah 61:1–2 seems clear. But how does this passage contribute to the question of the messianic significance of Isaiah 61 in Luke 4? ...”
Madison N. Pierce, “Gospel Reading and Prosopological Exegesis in Luke-Acts,” in Gospel Reading and Reception in Early Christian Literature, ed. Madison N. Pierce, Andrew J. Byers, and Simon Gathercole (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022), 56–57.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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11Q13 2:6 and Luke 4:18

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