4Q246

Based on the text provided by Martin G. Abegg Jr., James E. Bowley, and Edward M. Cook (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Containing the notable ‘Son of God fragment’, 4Q246, with its intriguing phrases ‘son of God’ and ‘son of the Most High‘, recalling Luke 1:32-35, has been in the centre of academic speculation. On palaeographical grounds the script is dated to the final decades of the first century BCE. The overall message of the fragment recalls the apocalyptic section of the Book of Daniel. A Daniel-like person, referred to in column 1, is to explain to a king seated on a throne a vision or dream alluding to wars involving Assyria and Egypt, and the arrival of a final ruler, served by all, and called by them, or designating himself, ‘son of God’.

Column 1

1 […] settled upon him; he fell before the throne. 2 […] O king, anger is coming upon the world, and your years 3 […] … your vision, and all of it is coming, forever. 4 […] great ones. Distress will come upon the earth. 5 […] and a great slaughter in the provinces 6 […] the king of Assyria [and] Egypt 7 […] he will be great over the earth 8 […] they will do, and all will serve 9 […] he will be called great, and by his name he will be known.

Column 2

1 ^[1]He will be called the son of God, and they will call him the son of the Most High. Like the shooting stars 2 of the vision, so will their kingdom be. For years they will reign over 3 the earth and trample everything. ^[2]People will trample people, and province will trample province, 4 until the people of God arises and all have rest from the sword. 5 ^[3]His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and all his paths are in truth. He will judge 6 the earth in truth, and all will make peace. The sword will cease from the earth, 7 and all the provinces will bow down to him. The great God is his strength; 8 ^[4]he himself will wage war for him. He will give peoples into his hand, and all of them 9 he will cast down before him. His dominion is an eternal dominion, and all the depths of […]

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