Texts in Conversation
Isaiah announces a year of God’s favor and release for captives. In 11Q13 from the Dead Sea Scrolls, it becomes the year of Melchizedek’s favor, assigning him a role in the promised deliverance and judgment.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Isaiah 61:1-3
Hebrew Bible
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has chosen me. He has commissioned me to encourage the poor, to help the brokenhearted, to decree the release of captives and the freeing of prisoners, 2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor, the day when our God will seek vengeance, to console all who mourn, 3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion by giving them a turban, instead of ashes, oil symbolizing joy, instead of mourning, a garment symbolizing praise, instead of discouragement. They will be called oaks of righteousness, trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor.
11Q13 2:6-13
The Heavenly Prince Melchizedek
Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Interpretation
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].
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Notes and References
“... It turns out that Melchizedek in nQMelchizedek has much to do with
the scriptural verses about him. In Genesis 14 two topics of interest in the
context of the Melchizedek pericope are the release of captives taken by the
invading kings (Lot was one of those captured) and the restoration of
property to its rightful owners. According to scriptural legislation, both of
these actions were to happen in the Year of the Jubilee; in addition, Deuter
onomy 15 (quoted in the text) stipulates that in the seventh year debts were
to be remitted and Hebrew slaves released (15:12-15). Another scriptural
passage relating to this topic is also quoted in nQMelchizedek: Isa 61:1-2
calls for release of the captives in the year of the Lord's favor (notice that
the Qumran text amazingly speaks of the year of Melchizedek's favor
rather than of the Lord's favor). So the topics mentioned in Genesis 14 are
in fact ones taken up in the text from cave 11, but they are transposed to an
eschatological key. ...”
VanderKam, James C.
The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible
(p. 46) William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2012
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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