Law and Order: Priests, Commandments, and Cosmic Mysteries in the Qumran Composition Instruction

Abstract

In this essay I investigate the place of agricultural commandments, the significance of priestly authorities, and the concept of cosmic-historical order in the Qumran composition Instruction (a.k.a. Musar LaMebin) based on new reconstructions and improved readings of two agricultural passages. In the first part of the article, I present the passages and examine their connections with broader sapiential and exegetical traditions. Next I investigate the theme of priesthood and demonstrate the priests’ social authority and conceptual significance for the author of Instruction. Lastly I reconsider the relationship between Torah commandments and raz nihyeh, “the mystery of that which comes into existence,” and show how Instruction develops “Qumranic” ideas concerning the mysteries of both God’s predetermined cosmic-historical plan and God’s Law in a manner reminiscent of popular Hellenistic speculations concerning the Law of Nature.