Jesus, Q, and the Dead Sea Scrolls: A Judaic Approach to Q

281 Pages·2012·3.79 MB·English

by  Simon J Joseph

Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen
zum Neuen Testament · 2.Reihe
Herausgeber / Editor
Jörg Frey (Zürich)
Mitherausgeber / Associate Editors
Friedrich Avemarie (Marburg)
Markus Bockmuehl (Oxford)
James A. Kelhoffer (Uppsala)
Hans-Josef Klauck (Chicago, IL)
333

Simon J. Joseph
Jesus, Q, and the
Dead Sea Scrolls
A Judaic Approach to Q
Mohr Siebeck
Simon J. Joseph, born 1966; 2000 BA; 2003 MA Religious Studies, New York University;
2010 PhD, New Testament, Claremont Graduate University; currently Adjunct Profes-
sor, Dept. of Religion, California Lutheran University.
e-ISBN 978-3-16-152288-8
ISBN 978-3-16-152120-1
ISSN 0340-9570 (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, 2.Reihe)
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbiblio-
graphie; detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de.
© 2012 by Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, Germany. www.mohr.de
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that permitted
by copyright law) without the publisher’s written permission. This applies particularly to
reproductions, translations, microfilms and storage and processing in electronic systems.
The book was printed by Laupp & Göbel in Nehren on non-aging paper and bound by
Buchbinderei Nädele in Nehren.
Printed in Germany.
For Jennifer

Preface
This monograph is a thorough revision of my Ph. D. dissertation, “Q, the
Essenes, and the Dead Sea Scrolls: A Study in Christian Origins,” submitted
to the School of Religion at Claremont Graduate University in April, 2010.
Special thanks are due to James M. Robinson, who directed my Q studies at
Claremont. Dr. Robinson kindly supported and encouraged my work for the
International Q Project and the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity on the
Q 12:22b–31 database for the Documenta Q series and graciously described
my dissertation project as reaching “a new stage in the academic study of
first-century Judaism and Christianity.” Special thanks are also due to Vincent
L. Wimbush, whose support and encouragement were instrumental in my
pursuit of doctoral research while I was completing a Master’s degree in
Religious Studies at New York University. Dr. Wimbush served as the second
reader for my Master’s thesis on Asceticism and the Jesus Tradition in Q, and
encouraged my engagement with the political and ideological implications of
contemporary biblical scholarship. I am also grateful to Kristin de Troyer,
whose ability to navigate Q Studies, Second Temple Judaism, and postmodern
critical theory with wit and grace was inspiring. Her careful readings and
comments were invaluable. Thanks also go to Karen L. Torjesen for her
assistance throughout my coursework and qualifying exams and for serving as
the third member of my committee.
Special thanks also go to John S. Kloppenborg, who discussed this project
with me in its earliest stages and provided extensive notes and constructive
criticism on an early draft of my dissertation. I would also like to thank Dr.
Jörg Frey for recommending this manuscript for publication in Mohr
Siebeck’s Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2 series.
Dr. Frey’s comparative work on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament
is a model of methodological clarity and precision. Thanks also go to Dr.
Henning Ziebritzki, for his assistance in swiftly bringing this project to
publication, and to Tanja Idler, for her careful and professional attention to
detail. I would be remiss here not to thank Frank E. Peters for first directing
my studies in Q and the New Testament at New York University, and
Lawrence H. Schiffman, for assisting my research on Second Temple Judaism
and the Dead Sea Scrolls. I would like to thank Bruce D. Chilton for reading
VIII Preface
the manuscript and for his encouraging comments; Dale C. Allison, Jr., for a
memorable conversation in Boston during the annual Society of Biblical
Literature meeting in November, 2008; and Dennis R. MacDonald, for having
the New Testament Graeca Seminar translate Josephus’ account of the
Essenes. James Robinson, Dennis MacDonald, Bradley Root, Arthur Droge,
and Steve Mason were kind enough to provide access to their forthcoming
publications. Claremont Graduate University awarded this project a CGU
Dissertation Grant for the 2008–2009 academic year. This book is dedicated
to my wife, Jennifer, whose love and support made it possible.

July, 2012 Simon J. Joseph
Table of Contents
Preface.......................................................................................................VII
Chapter 1. Introduction and Methodology...........................................1
1.1 Introduction.............................................................................................1
1.2 On the Comparative Method....................................................................5
1.3 Q, the Essenes, and the Dead Sea Scrolls...............................................22
1.4 Conclusion.............................................................................................32
Chapter 2. Reconstructing Q.................................................................33
2.1 Introduction...........................................................................................33
2.2 The Existence of Q.................................................................................34
2.3 A History of Research on Q...................................................................38
2.4 The Ethnicity of Q.................................................................................45
2.5 The Aramaic Substratum of Q................................................................51
2.6 The Composition of Q............................................................................64
2.7 The Community of Q.............................................................................70
2.8 The Provenance of Q..............................................................................74
2.9 The Social Structure(s) of Q...................................................................87
2.10 Conclusion...........................................................................................93