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Compare 4Q174 1-3 ii 1 and Revelation 2:10

Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Interpretation · New Testament

Summary

The Dead Sea Scroll 4Q174 interprets Isaiah, Ezekiel, and the psalms as predicting a time of trial in the last days, when the faithful will be tested and a remnant preserved. Revelation follows this, warning of suffering and encouraging endurance.

Passages

4Q174 1-3 ii 1

Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Interpretation · 4QFlorilegium

1 That is the time of refining that is [coming …] Judah, to complete […] 2 Belial. And there will remain … […] … lot. And they will do all the Torah […] 3 Moses. That is the … [… as] it is written in the book of Daniel the prophet, “The wicked will act [wickedly …] 4 the righteous [… will be made] white and refined, and a people who know God will hold firm.” They … […] … […] after the … […] which to them … […]

160–60 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 4Q174

Revelation 2:10

New Testament

8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write the following: “This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who is the first and the last, the one who was dead, but came to life: 9 ‘I know the distress you are suffering and your poverty (but you are rich). I also know the slander against you by those who call themselves Jews and really are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. The devil is about to have some of you thrown into prison so you may be tested, and you will experience suffering for ten days. Remain faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown that is life itself. 11 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will in no way be harmed by the second death.’

92–96 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Revelation

References

"... A final example reveals still more of the community’s self-understanding. In an interpretation of Psalm 1, 4Q174 indicates that those who turn from the “way” (דרך) of sinners (Psalm 1:1) are to be identified with the prophet whom God warned not to walk in the “way” of the people (Isaiah 8:11). As becomes clear, both passages are seen as referring to the scribe’s own community, who must endure a time of testing in these latter days, a period referred to in 4Q174 as “the time of refining that is coming” (עת המצרף הבאה) - itself an exegetically derived phrase (Daniel 11:32, 35, compare Psalm 105:19). The expectation of testing, especially in the last days, was a common feature of early Christian belief (e.g., Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:1; Revelation 2:10) ..."

Reed Carlson, “A Structure for the End of the World: 4QFlorilegium and the ‘Latter Days’ in Early Jewish Tradition,” WW 40.3 (2020): 246–254.

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

Fragments 1-3 ii

4Q17423 chapters

Compare 4Q174 1-3 ii 1 and Revelation 2:10

Summary

Passages

4Q174 1-3 ii 1

Revelation 2:10

References

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