Morphological and Philological Observations: Preparing the Critical Text and Translation of the Serek Ha-Yahad

Abstract

As experts on the Dead Sea Scrolls have known for some time, the Princeton Theological Seminary Dead Sea Scrolls Project was launched in 1985. The need for a comprehensive edition of the Dead Sea Scrolls was stressed by Professor Elisha Qimron and published by Professor Lawrence Schiffman in 1990. Both of these distinguished scholars, and many others in this symposium, are heavily involved in the Project. Meetings of the subeditors have been held during the SBL annual meetings. The subeditors are from the United States, Israel, Canada, Great Britain, and Germany. The Board of Editorial Advisors is made up of Professors Frank Cross, Noel Freedman, James Sanders, and Shemaryahu Tdmon. The first publication was The Dead Sea Smalls: Gnzphic Gmc&nce, which appeared in 1991. Now, the first two volumes of texts, translations, introductions, and notes have been sent to J.C.B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck) in Tiibingen for publication. After seven years of work, the critical text of lQS, with an apnztus criticus, and the critical texts of all Cave IV fragments of the Rale of the Community, have been prepared, corrected, printed out, and shipped to the publisher. Professor Qimron submitted to the editorial team not only the critically revised and improved text of 1QS but also the transcriptions of the 4Q h p e n t s of the Ruk ofthe Community. Thanks to improved photographs of all the data, and improved understandings of the morphology and philology of Qumran Hebrew, many readings have been improved. The revised methodology for presenting the text, which was developed in dialogue with others, especially Professor Qimron, intends to present more Fdithhlly what the scribe, and the correcting scribes, left on the leather. Sections of 1QS once considered unclear have been discerned and comprehended. Sigla and signa have been developed for the preparation of texts on the IBYCUS Computer System. Professor Richard E. Whitaker, one of the most distinguished experts in the field of Semitics and computer technology, de-