Testament of Qahat

Last updated
Cave four Cave four.jpg
Cave four

The Testament of Qahat is a text found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.The manuscript has been dated on palaeographic grounds to 125-10 BCE, and the composition of this manuscript even earlier. It was written as a continuation to the Words of Levi, followed by the Visions of Amram.

Contents

Qahat (Kehath or Kohath), a righteous man, was the second son of Levi, and lived to be 133 years old. He was the father of the Kohathites and was appointed to carry the Ark of the Covenant along with sacred utensils of the tabernacle during the Israelites' journey through the desert. The Testament of Qahat is addressed to his son Amram, regarding the sacredness of the texts and laws that have been passed down from previous fathers all the way to Noah. Qahat speaks specifically about the inheritance being passed down, which is believed to be the books and laws given from God, passed down generationally from Noah to Shem, Abraham to Isaac, Isaac to Jacob, Jacob to Levi and then to Qahat.

Testament of Qahat Scroll Fragment Testament of Qahat.gif
Testament of Qahat Scroll Fragment

Discovery and state of document

4Q542 was found in Cave 4, also commonly known as the mother lode of manuscript fragments. Cave 4 was found in August 1952 by Bedouin treasure hunters exploring under the noses of the archaeologists excavating Qumran. [1] "The most legendary of all caves, Cave 4 revealed ample treasures: thousands of fragments from hundreds of manuscripts, comprising 75% of all material from the Qumran caves, including parts of biblical and apocryphal books, biblical commentaries, works on Jewish law, prayers, sectarian texts, tefillin and mezuzot." [2] Many fragments in this Cave are often difficult to decipher and translate due to the poor preservation of manuscripts. [2]

Composition

These fragments were found in Cave 4, written on parchment dating back to the Hasmonean period. [3] 4Q542 is one of the best preserved Qumran pieces found. This 100 BCE Aramaic manuscript was found in three separate fragments. [3] Fragment 1 consists of one large piece of fragment enlarged by a material which is joined with a smaller piece as well as two other smaller fragments. The large piece of fragment one contains almost two complete columns; one complete column of 13 lines and half of another column fully intact. The smaller fragments, however, present no contexts to aid in any interpretation. "Fragment two alludes to darkness and light and fragment three mentions precious stones extant in large numbers apparently on account of forication." [4] [ failed verification ]

Testaments usually end with a narrative of the speaker's death as is the case in 4Q542; The Testament of Qahat was written on Qahat's death bed as a farewell. The two small fragments appear to continue with the admonition, so the length of the actual whole scroll is uncertain. The transmission of the priestly teachings is highly significant to this manuscript and a high-priestly line plays an important role in these three fragments.

Authorship

The setting of the text is a typical example of ‘death bed’ literature similar to the testaments of the twelve patriarchs but characterized like the testaments of Levi and Amram by its priestly perspective. The farewell address is from Kohath, the son of Levi, to his sons – presumably Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, but it specifically mentions Amram, [5] on the privileges and responsibilities of the priesthood. [6] The speaker clearly mentions ‘Amram my son’ (frag 1 ii 11) and ‘Levi my father’ (frag 1 ii 9) indicating that he, in fact, is Qahat. The manuscript has been dated on palaeographic grounds to 125-10 BCE and the composition of this manuscript even earlier. [6] The first part of this manuscript stresses the transition of teachings passed down from Abraham through Issac, Levi, Qahat and finally to Amram. The manuscript addresses the inheritance received from their fathers which are intended to be passed down to future generations. The genealogy written highly stresses the importance of passing down the values and teaching of the priestly traditions, keeping the priesthood and its duties and prerogatives pure.

Testament of Qahat Translated Qahat.png
Testament of Qahat Translated

Content

The three fragments contain the farewell exhortation of Qahat to his sons and in particular to his firstborn Amran, Moses’ father, [6] for the priestly family of Aaron to keep the eternal covenant. In the style well known from the Testament of Enoch and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs , Qahat urges his sons to be just, pure and truthful. Qahat does not specify precisely the topics disclosed, at least not in the fragments that are available, however, the overall priestly tone of the inheritance of knowledge passed down from Levi to Qahat and then the knowledge would be passed down to Amram in this manuscript. The most prominent issue for Qahat appears to be the concern of the purity of the priestly line. While there are debates whether this was the question of the Gentile influence on the priestly line, or the concern relates to the fact that gentile rulers had been appointing the high priests from non-traditional lineages beginning with Onias or even intermarriage with strangers or those outside the pure priesthood line. Also the importance of keeping the lineage and priesthood pure by restrictions on priestly marriages with gentiles. The warnings directed to his children in these manuscripts were to protect their heritage from mingling (frag 1 column i ) with 'half-breeds and strangers'. [7] [8] These qualities are attributed to Qahat's ancestors Abraham, Issac, Jacob and levi. The detailed instruction Isaac provides for his grandson Levi concerning the ‘law of the priesthood’ is a core component. This geology of instruction is composed of “both proper moral conduct and correct knowledge of cultic/sacerdotal processes, elements, vestments, and ablutions.” [9] Like Qahat or Levi who learned correct sacrificial processes from their grandparents, similar findings with Tobit were found as he was instructed in the finer points of bringing appropriate offerings by his grandparent. The two motifs complement one another and underscore a chain of tradition. Qahat also passes on to his sons the books of his forefathers. One line mentions the priesthood which obviously was of major concern to the descendants of Levi. Also mentions eternal blessings bestowed on Qahat's sons. This appears to allude to the eternal priestly covenant made. priesthood and its duties and prerogatives pure. Although the text does not mention any specific historical figures that may have been around while this manuscript was being made, a possible "Sitz im Leben for this testament is the religious crisis ignited by the accession of Menelaus to the high-priestly office in 171 B.C.E." [10] If so, the testament and its congeners from Qumran, the Testament of Levi and the Vision of Amram, may have formed some of the earliest literature of the 'Asideans' (I Macc. 2:42).

Interpretation and influence

The major influence of the testament Qahat is it is another textual documentation that reveals information of the priestly lines, specifically Levi and his son Qahat, and his son Amran. This lineage is mentioned in Exodus 6:16-20. This testament wanted the children of Qahat to be blessed and asks that God makes his name known to his children along with his power and goodness (frag 1 i 1–4). The most emphasized teachings in this testament is the importance of preserving these writings through the Priesthood, as well as refraining from mingling with outsiders causing interbreeding. [11]

The significance of Testament of Qahat is its evidential support of the importance of passing down Priestly teachings through the Priesthood bloodline. It was very important that the inheritance, which are the priestly teachings be passed down from father to son. In the testament the author speaks about Amran his son and Levi, his father, proving the author to be Qahat. There is evidence to this in the book of Jubilee where Abraham writes that he is passing down the books of his forefather from Enoch and Noah, and passing them down to Isaac (Jubilee 7:38-39,10:14). It also closely resembles writings in the Aramaic Levi Document. There is no other trace of the Testament of Qahat anywhere else other than what was found at Cave 4. The parts of the document that were found stress the importance of teachings being passed down in the priestly line from Abraham and originally as found in the ALD, from Noah. In the Aramaic Levi Document when Levi is robed and anointed he is taught by Isaac he writes, "When he learned that I was priest of the Most High God, of the Lord of Heaven, he began to instruct and to teach me the law of priesthood" (5:8). This is the same idea found in the Testament of Qahat, as it is speaking about the same priestly line. Levi's lessons in the ALD are lengthy and deal with the preparation of sacrifices, detailing the preparation of the wood of the altar and the elements in the sacrifice. [12]

Related Research Articles

In the Book of Exodus, Amram is the husband of Jochebed and father of Aaron, Moses and Miriam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead Sea Scrolls</span> Ancient Jewish manuscripts

The Dead Sea Scrolls, also called the Qumran Caves Scrolls, are a set of ancient Jewish manuscripts from the Second Temple period. They were discovered over a period of 10 years, between 1946 and 1956, at the Qumran Caves near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the northern shore of the Dead Sea. Dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE, the Dead Sea Scrolls include the oldest surviving manuscripts of entire books later included in the biblical canons, along with extra-biblical and deuterocanonical manuscripts from late Second Temple Judaism. At the same time, they cast new light on the emergence of Christianity and of Rabbinic Judaism. Almost all of the 15,000 scrolls and scroll fragments are held in the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum, located in the city of Jerusalem. The Israeli government's custody of the Dead Sea Scrolls is disputed by Jordan and the Palestinian Authority on territorial, legal, and humanitarian grounds—they were mostly discovered following the Jordanian annexation of the West Bank and were acquired by Israel after Jordan lost the 1967 Arab–Israeli War—whilst Israel's claims are primarily based on historical and religious grounds, given their significance in Jewish history and in the heritage of Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Book of Jubilees</span> Ancient Jewish religious work of 50 chapters

The Book of Jubilees, sometimes called Lesser Genesis or Leptogenesis, is an ancient Jewish apocryphal text of 50 chapters, considered canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as well as Beta Israel, where it is known as the Book of Division. Jubilees is considered one of the pseudepigrapha by the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant churches. Apart from the Beta Israel community, the book is not considered canonical within any of the denominations of Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Levi</span> Biblical figure and son of Jacob and Leah

Levi was, according to the Book of Genesis, the third of the six sons of Jacob and Leah, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Levi and the great-grandfather of Aaron, Moses and Miriam. Certain religious and political functions were reserved for the Levites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jochebed</span> Mother of Aaron, Miriam, and Moses in the Bible

According to the Bible, Jochebed was a daughter of Levi and mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. She was the wife of Amram, as well as his aunt. No details are given concerning her life. According to Jewish legend, she is buried in the Tomb of the Matriarchs, in Tiberias. In the New Testament, she is praised for her faith in God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Book of Enoch</span> Hebrew religious text ascribed to Enoch

The Book of Enoch is an ancient Hebrew apocalyptic religious text, ascribed by tradition to the patriarch Enoch who was the father of Methuselah and the great-grandfather of Noah. The Book of Enoch contains unique material on the origins of demons and Nephilim, why some angels fell from heaven, an explanation of why the Genesis flood was morally necessary, and a prophetic exposition of the thousand-year reign of the Messiah. Three books are traditionally attributed to Enoch, including the distinct works 2 Enoch and 3 Enoch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs</span> Apocryphal scripture connected with the Bible

The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs is a constituent of the apocryphal scriptures connected with the Bible. It is believed to be a pseudepigraphical work of the dying commands of the twelve sons of Jacob. It is part of the Oskan Armenian Orthodox Bible of 1666. Fragments of similar writings were found at Qumran, but opinions are divided as to whether these are the same texts. It is generally considered apocalyptic literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kehath</span> Biblical character

According to the Torah, Kehath or Kohath was the second of the sons of Levi and the patriarchal founder of the Kehathites, one of the four main divisions of the Levites in biblical times. In some apocryphal texts, such as the Testament of Levi and the Book of Jubilees, Levi's wife, Kehath's mother, is Milkah, a daughter of Aram.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Priesthood of Melchizedek</span> Priest-king role in Abrahamic religions

The priesthood of Melchizedek is a role in Abrahamic religions, modelled on Melchizedek, combining the dual position of king and priest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Józef Milik</span> Polish priest and Biblical scholar (1922–2006)

Józef Tadeusz Milik was a Polish biblical scholar and a Catholic priest, researcher of the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) through the deserts of Judea/Jordan, and translator and editor of the Book of Enoch in Aramaic (fragments).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4QMMT</span>

4QMMT, also known as MMT, or the Halakhic Letter, is a reconstructed text from manuscripts that were part of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered at Qumran in the Judean desert. The manuscript fragments used to reconstruct 4QMMT were found in Cave 4 at Qumran in 1953-1959, and kept at the Palestinian Archaeological Museum, now known as the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4Q175</span>

4Q175, also known as The Testimonia, is one of the Dead Sea Scrolls and was found in Cave 4 at Qumran in the West Bank. Only one sheet long, 4Q175 is a collection of scriptural quotations seemingly connected to a messianic figure. The manuscript was written in Hasmonean script of the early 1st century BCE and was edited by John Marco Allegro.

Discoveries in the Judaean Desert (DJD) is the official 40-volume publication that serves as the editio princeps for the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is published by Oxford University Press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genesis Apocryphon</span> One of the original seven Dead Sea Scrolls

The Genesis Apocryphon (1Q20), also called the Tales of the Patriarchs or the Apocalypse of Lamech and labeled 1QapGen, is one of the original seven Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1946 by Bedouin shepherds in Cave 1 near Qumran, a small settlement in the northwest corner of the Dead Sea. Composed in Aramaic, it consists of four sheets of leather. Furthermore, it is the least well-preserved document of the original seven. The document records a pseudepigraphal conversation between the biblical figure Lamech, son of Methuselah, and his son, Noah, as well as first and third person narratives associated with Abraham. It is one of the nonbiblical texts found at Qumran. A range of compositional dates for the work have been suggested from the 3rd century BC to 1st century AD. Palaeography and Carbon-14 dating were used to identify the age of the documents. It is 13 inches in length and 2.75 inches in width at its widest point in the middle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4Q246</span> One of the Dead Sea Scrolls

4Q246, also known as the Son of God Text or the Aramaic Apocalypse, is one of the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran which is notable for an early messianic mention of a son of God. The text is an Aramaic language fragment first acquired in 1958 from cave 4 at Qumran, and the major debate on this fragment has been on the identity of this "son of God" figure.

According to Judaism, the priestly covenant is the biblical covenant that God gave to Aaron and his descendants, the kohanim. This covenant consisted of their exclusive right to serve in the Temple, and to consume sacrificial offerings and receive other priestly gifts.

In rabbinic Jewish eschatology, the Righteous Priest or Priest of Righteousness is a figure identified with one of the Four Craftsmen in a vision mentioned in the Book of Zechariah. He is found in the Talmud and Midrash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4Q120</span> Biblical manuscript dating to the first century BCE

The manuscript 4Q120 is a Septuagint manuscript (LXX) of the biblical Book of Leviticus written on papyrus, found at Qumran. The Rahlfs-No. is 802. Paleographically it dates from the first century BCE. Currently the manuscript is housed in the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Jerusalem Dead Sea Scroll</span>

Discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls near Qumran, Israel, were fragments of a scroll which describes New Jerusalem in minute detail. The New Jerusalem Scroll appears to contain an apocalyptic vision, an eschatological vision of the city and the temple, although, being fragmented, it is hard to categorize. Written in Aramaic, the text describes a vast city, rectangular in shape, with twelve gates and encircled by a long wall. Similar descriptions appear in Revelation 21–22 and comparison to the Temple Scroll shows many similarities despite no direct literary links between the two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visions of Amram</span> Aramaic texts found in Qumran cave 4

Visions of Amram, also referred to as 4Q543-549, is a collection of five extremely fragmented copies found in Qumran cave 4. In 1972, Jozef T. Milik published a significant fragment of the Visions of Amram. Since then, controversy has surrounded this document at every turn. In this testament, Amram gathers his sons, Moses and Aaron, to his deathbed and relates stories of his life, providing wisdom and commanding understanding. This document is named for a vision shared during this time.

References

  1. ↑ Drawnel, Henryk. “Some Notes on Scribal Craft and the Origins of the Enochic Literature, Henoch 31/1 (2009) 66-72.a
  2. 1 2 Testament of Qahat. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2016, from http://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/learn-about-the-scrolls/discovery-sites Archived 2021-04-26 at the Wayback Machine
  3. 1 2 Dimant, D. (2003). Dead Sea Discoveries, 10(2), 292-304. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/419 Archived 2016-10-27 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Nichols, Andrew. (2003).The Complete Fragments of Ctesias of Cnidus: Translation and Commentary with an Introduction. Retrieved from http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/UFE0022521/nichols_a.pdf Archived 2017-06-23 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ "Cf. 1 Chronicles 6". Archived from the original on 2016-10-27. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  6. 1 2 3 Stuckenbruck, L. T. (2011). Pseudepigraphy and First Person Discourse in the Dead Sea Documents: From the Aramaic Texts to Writings of the Yaḥad. In The Dead Sea Scrolls and Contemporary Culture (pp. 295-326). Brill.
  7. ↑ Hannah Harrington, ‘Intermarriage in Qumran Texts: The Legacy of Ezra-Nehemiah’, in Christian Frevel (ed.), Mixed Marriages: Intermarriage and Group Identity in the Second Temple Period (LHB/OTS, 547; London: T & T Clark, 2011), pp. 251–79.
  8. ↑ Henryk Drawnel, ‘The Literary Form and Didactic Content of the Admonitions (Testament) of Qahat’, in F. García Martínez, A. Steudel, and E. Tigchelaar (eds.), From 4QMMT to Resurrection: M langes qumraniens en hommage mile Puech (STDJ, 61; Leiden: Brill, 2006), pp. 55–73.
  9. ↑ [Remarks on the Testament of Kohath E. (n.d.). pdf. Cincinnati, Ohio: Hebrew Union College.]
  10. ↑ [ Remarks on the Testament of Kohath E. (n.d.). pdf. Cincinnati, Ohio: Hebrew Union College.]
  11. ↑ Penner, Ken. "Testament of Qahat." Academia. https://www.academia.edu/13420399/Testament_of_Qahat Archived 2022-12-10 at the Wayback Machine .
  12. ↑ Stone, Michael E. Ancient Judaism, New Visions and Views. Grand Rapids, Michigan/ Cambridge, U.K: William B.Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.