The psalms of the Hodayot tradition (the Thanksgiving Psalms from Qumran) have been customarily divided into two categories: the “Teacher Hymns” written by a leader of the sect at Qumran, and the “Community Hymns” associated with the ordinary members of the sect. These categories are considered problematic because of well-recognized problems pertaining to authorship and to the poor fit of many of the psalms in the categories. I propose a new set of categories for the Hodayot that classify the psalms on the basis of genre. It is my contention that genre offers a better frame of reference because it defines the psalms against the backdrop of the genres of early Jewish psalms and not solely in terms of the sectarian community. To propose new generic categories, I employ John Swales’s rhetorical moves analysis to classify the psalms on the basis of how their formal structures (what he calls “rhetorical moves”) work together to achieve common rhetorical objectives. Swales defines a composition’s genre primarily by its rhetorical objectives rather than a definitional checklist of features. I use rhetorical moves analysis to describe where the Hodayot psalms fall along the spectrum of descriptive and declarative praise in Claus Westermann’s schema for the genres of the biblical psalms. I conclude that there are two interlocking generic categories in the Hodayot: eschatological psalms of thanksgiving and psalms of hymnic confession. These generic categories have overlapping rhetorical strategies consisting of rhetorical moves that work closely together to achieve the primary communicative purpose of praising God descriptively and declaratively. In this respect, they serve the Maskil’s secondary rhetorical objective of instructing the audience in the sectarian discourses of praise and supplication, making the Hodayot tradition a part of the Maskil’s programme of instructing sectarians and evaluating their insight into the divine plan. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / In this thesis I study the Thanksgiving Psalms from Qumran (1QHodayot a ), a collection of Jewish psalms from the Dead Sea Scrolls. The collection is typically divided into two categories: the “Teacher Hymns” written by a leader of a sect, and the “Community Hymns” that are associated with his followers. Scholars agree that these categories are inadequate, but no alternatives have been offered. I propose to use a more flexible approach that can classify all of the psalms by genre. The psalms are classified on a spectrum between two modes of praise by their objectives and strategies of persuasion. I argue that the psalms participate in two interlocking genres (the eschatological psalms of thanksgiving and the psalms of hymnic confession) and that all the psalms enable the speaker (the Maskil/Instructor) to achieve the two objectives of praising God and instructing his audience how to do the same.

<p>This study presents an investigation into and reassessment of the theological frameworks within which traditions of anthropogony, or the origin of humankind, are best comprehended in the Qumran Hodayot and the letters of Paul. The dominant framework in which such traditions are usually comprehended is that of the creation, fall, and restoration of humankind. The argument put forward is that this framework does not adequately account for the manner that both the Hodayot and the apostle Paul severely problematize created human nature and anticipate a transformation of human ontology as determined by its initial creation by God.</p> <p>The study of anthropogonic traditions in the Hodayot demonstrates that the creation of Adam from dust presents an obstacle to the fulfillment of “all the glory of Adam/<em>adam.</em>” Through a deconstruction of the <em>adam</em>-of-dust motif that is inspired by the book of Job and assisted by the equation of creation from the earth and gestation in the womb, the Hodayot severely problematize the moral integrity and innate impurity of the human condition as represented by the creation of Adam. In this way, the creation of humankind from Gen 2:6-7 is put into tension with the accounts of creation in Gen 1:26-29 and Psalm 8, which stand behind exalted depictions of humankind in the Hodayot. This is shown to be an adaptation of the theodicy contained in the Treatise on the Two Spirits.</p> <p>The study of anthropogonic traditions in the apostle Paul is undertaken in two parts. In the first, which deals with letters outside Romans, Paul is found to be preoccupied largely with the category of the “image of God.” It is argued that Paul assumes the continuing operation of Adam’s creation in the “image of God” in his descendants and that conformation to the heavenly image of Christ is, therefore, modeled not on fall-restoration but the duality of heaven and earth, reflected in the creation of humankind after a heavenly prototype.</p> <p>In the second part, which deals with Romans, Paul is found to be preoccupied with Adam’s relationship to creation and his proven inability to carry forward God’s ordering work of creation, a perspective Paul introduced in 1 Cor 15:20-28. Here it is argued that the framework that comprehends Adam’s initial state is not that of a supernatural condition of grace or glory, but of initial innocence and immaturity and yet also innate corruptibility, not only materially but morally. Consequently, it is only in assimilation to the heavenly image of Christ that “Adam” can exercise dominion over creation.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The following thesis comprises a systematic, synchronic study of the term בְּרִית (berîṯ, covenant) in the book of Daniel, the Damascus Document, the Community Rule (Serekhha- Yaḥad), the Hymn Scroll (Hodayot) and the War Scroll (Milḥamah). The basic text used for Daniel is the BHS, and for the Dead Sea Scrolls the Dead Sea Scrolls Electronic Library, supplemented by other editions. Apart from an introduction (chapter 1), the work is divided into two sections. The second chapter begins with a discussion of some introductory matters, such as the dating and purpose of the book of Daniel. The remainder of the chapter comprises two subsections, consisting firstly of an exegesis of Daniel 9 and secondly an exposition of Daniel 10-12 with particular reference to covenant terminology. The prayer in Daniel 9 is given much space since it is replete with covenant language, though the word בְּרִית only occurs at Daniel 9:4. The main focus of the second subsection is the vision report in Daniel 11, with particular emphasis on Daniel 11:20-45 where the word בְּרִית occurs. The third chapter contains four subsections, each giving an exegesis of those parts of the Damascus Document, Community Rule, Hymn Scroll and War Scroll where the term בְּרִית occurs. Each subsection is preceded by a brief introduction to the scroll concerned, looking at such issues as the provenance and dating of the scroll without going into too much detail, and followed by a conclusion, summarising the findings in each section. While such issues as the nature of the community represented by each scroll are mentioned where appropriate, they do not form a major emphasis in this study. Throughout, particular prominence is given to specific terminology used in order to determine the authors’ theological emphases. A few terms that are related to ,בְּרִית ‘covenant’, such as חֶסֶד (ḥeseḏ ‘mercy, lovingkindness’), אָהָב (’āhāḇ; [covenant] love), אָלָה (’ālāh; ‘curse, oath’), are also included in this study at the relevant places. The conclusion (chapter 4) draws together the findings of all sections and seeks to compare the terminology used in Daniel with that of the Dead Sea Scrolls. / Old Testament & Ancient Near Eastern Studies / D. Th. (Old Testament)

The following thesis comprises a systematic, synchronic study of the term בְּרִית (berîṯ, covenant) in the book of Daniel, the Damascus Document, the Community Rule (Serekhha- Yaḥad), the Hymn Scroll (Hodayot) and the War Scroll (Milḥamah). The basic text used for Daniel is the BHS, and for the Dead Sea Scrolls the Dead Sea Scrolls Electronic Library, supplemented by other editions. Apart from an introduction (chapter 1), the work is divided into two sections. The second chapter begins with a discussion of some introductory matters, such as the dating and purpose of the book of Daniel. The remainder of the chapter comprises two subsections, consisting firstly of an exegesis of Daniel 9 and secondly an exposition of Daniel 10-12 with particular reference to covenant terminology. The prayer in Daniel 9 is given much space since it is replete with covenant language, though the word בְּרִית only occurs at Daniel 9:4. The main focus of the second subsection is the vision report in Daniel 11, with particular emphasis on Daniel 11:20-45 where the word בְּרִית occurs. The third chapter contains four subsections, each giving an exegesis of those parts of the Damascus Document, Community Rule, Hymn Scroll and War Scroll where the term בְּרִית occurs. Each subsection is preceded by a brief introduction to the scroll concerned, looking at such issues as the provenance and dating of the scroll without going into too much detail, and followed by a conclusion, summarising the findings in each section. While such issues as the nature of the community represented by each scroll are mentioned where appropriate, they do not form a major emphasis in this study. Throughout, particular prominence is given to specific terminology used in order to determine the authors’ theological emphases. A few terms that are related to ,בְּרִית ‘covenant’, such as חֶסֶד (ḥeseḏ ‘mercy, lovingkindness’), אָהָב (’āhāḇ; [covenant] love), אָלָה (’ālāh; ‘curse, oath’), are also included in this study at the relevant places. The conclusion (chapter 4) draws together the findings of all sections and seeks to compare the terminology used in Daniel with that of the Dead Sea Scrolls. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / D. Th. (Old Testament)