You Are a Priest Forever': Second Temple Jewish Messianism and the Priestly Christology of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah, Vol.74)

244 Pages·2008·25.88 MB·English

by  Eric F. Mason

'You Are a Priest Forever'
Studies on the Texts of the
Desert of Judah
Edit'd""
Florentino Garda Martinez
Atf(J(inle tditors
Peter 'vV Flint
EibertJ C. Tigchdaar
VOLUME 74
'You Are a Priest Forever'
Second Templej ewish Messianism
and the Priestly Christology
of the Epistle to the Hebrews
lty
Eric F. l'vla.~on
BRILL
• BOS1DN
LElDEJ~
200R
Uhrary of Gongrf'lls Cat:.loging-in-P••hlir..a1ion O;u::.
t>.'l:t$.->n, Eric J:an·d .
\hu arc a priest fOI't'\~·r: Scoond 'J}mplc:J<:Wi$h mcssb.nism and dl<: prlc>:Miy
chri.~1ology of 1hc EpiMII'> 10 1lw HchrC\\'$ I hy F.1i<: F. ?o.bson.
j).f'll\. - (Swdic:s (10th<; t~XL~ of' !he o~.!iol'fl ().fj urlah, ISSN 0169-9962 ; \~ H)
lnch.dcs hihliographiral rc:fc:n:ncr~.~ ancl indt-~x.
JSllN 978-90-0·l--149Ai-R fharrlhac:k : :llk. papNj I. Pric:sdu)od- Uihliral t<·<lching.
2. J.-.sus Chri~l-Pc·ic-sthoorl. :t Jrsus Clu-i.~r-~lrs:<iahship. ·1. 8ihJ.-._ )J.1: l·lc•hreh>s
Ccilicism, imrqwc•l:uion, rtc:. :l. ~fcossiah-Judaism-Hiswry of dor1rinc:;. 6 .
.J•crl::lism- J.IislOry- PosHxilic pr·ciod, !>86 U.C.-210 A.D. 7. J(·st~ Chri~t-Hisi(Jry of
doruinc.,..- Early <'hnrch, r:~. ~)-MO. I. Ti1lc·. rl. S<·ri~!i.
HS2i75.6.PG~li\f:li 2000
227'.8706- do22
IS.S!': 0 16~J-~J962
ISBN 978 9U 0~ I ~9818
Copyright :!OO::t h)' Kr..uinklijke llriU. :\'\~ U·irlc·n, Th~ Nc:th<:rlands
Ktminl.:l~jkr Drill !'\V inMl'p(Jrnlr.s th<· imprims Dcill, Hcm·i Publishing,
I DC Publi~hc:rs, Maninu.~ 1\ijholf l\1hlish.-.rs anrl VSP.
All righL<o r<:~rvc::rl. Nl) pan of 1his puhlkation lll:l)' lw J'<;prociu<'<;d, •ranJtlar<:d,
sto«'d in a n·ui<'\'al !i)'S•.cm, (If tr.Jit.<\miuc-rl in any form or hy an~· mc:ans, el~c:1roni<',
lll<'<;hanical, phOh)OOp)'ing. r<:001'fiing Or OI)Wrwis.·, Wilh(llll p1i0r WTiUI'Il p<•rmit-.~ion
from Lhc puhti..~hrJ:
AuchorizaLion 10 Jlhotorop~· iu:m$ lOr imc:m:c.J (,r l')('r!•<mal u.'.OC' is gnuuOO h~·
Konink1ijke Urill !'\V prO\.)dNIIh:u t1w appmpriacc• fc~-s aN· pai<l rlil'<'c:d~· 10
T1l<: Co1~•riglu ClraranCf' ~n1c·r, '1'12 Rosc,~·ood Oriw, Snilc ~110,
Oanwrs, ~tA 01923, USA.
fc~:s aJ'(' suhjc-<:t to ch:mgr:.
FOR
MY WIFE JACQUELINE
AND OUR DAUGHTER ANASTASIA
A• D FOR MY PARENTS
DILLARD AND STELLA

CONTENTS
Acl:no'"ledge.nlents ..................................................................................................... ix
Abbreviations .............................................................................................................. x.i
I ntrod uct ion ..................................................................................................................
Chapter One Hc.brews· Presentalion of Jesus as High Priest ..................................... S
I. Jesus us 'Pionc<r' or 'Forc.runner' ...................................................................... 10
2. Je-sus as ·son· and 'Son of God' ........................................................................ 12
3. Jesus as 'Priest' and 'High Prie-st· ...................................................................... 13
3.1. Hc.brews J:l-14 ........................................................................................... 14
3.2. Hebrews 2:5-18 ........................................................................................... 19
3.3. Hebrews4:J4-5:10. ..................................................................................... 23
3.4. Hcbre-.ws 7 ................................................................................................... 25
3.5. Hebre-ws 8 10 .............................................................................................. 35
4
4. Su1nmary ............................................................................................................ 38
Chapter Two Pn:vious Theorie-s or t~-Buekground of the Motif ........................... 40
I. l.argdy Original to the Author of Hebrews. ....................................................... 40
2. [)r(.pendent on l!arly Christian Thc:.ology and Excgcsis ...................................... 43
3. [)c.pc-nde-nt on Gnostic .\·lythology ..................................................................... 49
4. lXpc:-nde-nt on the 11lought of Philo of Akxnndria ............................................. 57
Chapter Three !\'lessianic:. Priest Traditions in Se-eond Temple-Judaism .................. 64
I. Messianic Expcctntions nt Qumran .................................................................... 70
1.1. Jdc-ntifkntion or 'Mess ionic' figures nt Qumran ......................................... 71
1.2. Evolutionary Developme-nt of Messianic Conc:c:-ptions at Qumran .............. 76
2. The !\'lc-ssianic Pricst in the Qumnm Tcxts ......................................................... 83
2. J. Rule oft lte Catmmmity nnd D<m•asnu· /Xx:umem....................................... 83
2.2. Rule oft he Co11gregatio11 ............................................................................ 93
2.3. Rtdi'aftlte BlessiiJgs ................................................................................... 95
2.4. \Var Scroll ................................................................................................... 99
2.5. f"lm'ilegitmt (4Q 174) and Catend' (4QJ77)............................................... I 03
2.6. Test;,tlollill (4QI75) .................................................................................. 105
2.7. Other Po.ssible Rc.fcreoces to a Me.ssiank Prkst....................................... I 09
3. Antccedcnt.s to the. Qumran l'!.'\peclations of a Messianic Prie.s-1....................... I II
3.J.Arlltturic l.el'i Dm·•uru•ut ............................................................................ I J6
3.2. Jubilee.~..................................................................................................... 124
3.3. 1"estaurcul of i.f'l'i ...................................................................................... 127
3.4. Signifkanc:c.ofthc Levi Prie;stlyTmdition ................................................ 131
4. A.ngelomorphic Christology ............................................................................. 133
viii
CONTENTS
Chapter Four ~<tclchi'zeckk TrudiHons in Second Temple Jud:.i.sm ...................... . 13S
I. Mekhi:t.cdck in the. Hc:.brew Scriptures ond lhe Septuagint ............................. . 138
1.1. Gene-sis 14: 18-20. .................................................................................... .. 139
1.2. Psaln1 110:4 ............................................................................................. .. 143
2. Mc:.khizcdd• in Non biblical Second Temple Jewish Liternture ..................... .. 146
2.1. Genesis Apot:t)7Jhon ................................................................................. . 147
2.2. Jubilee.v ................................................................................................... .. 149
2.3. Pseudo-Eupolennt.S ................................................................................... . 151
2.4. Josephus .................................................................................................. .. 154
2.5. Philo of Alexandria .................................................................................. . 158
3. Mc:.khizcdck in the Texts of lhe Qumron Community ................................... .. 164
3. J. Stmgs of the SlthiNllh Sauifia ................................................................. . 164
v· . .r
3·-? · 1.\'UUIS 0 Anrran1 .................................................................................... .. 167
3.3. 11Qt\.1elc.hi;a-dck ...................................................................................... . 168
Chapter five 111e Pricslly Christo logy of Hebrews und Qumran Trnditions ........ . 191
I. A Narrnl.ive ·rheology of Hebrews .................................................................. . 193
2. Comparison with Qumran Tradition.!> .............................................................. . 196
2.1. Hcbrc:.ws and lhe Prie-stly il.k-ssianism of Qumran ................................... .. 196
2.2. Hebrews and the Mc:khi~edd: Tmdilions of Qumran .............................. . 199
3. Conclusion ..................................................................................................... .. 203
Bibliography ................................... ....... .................................................................. 205
Index of Authors ...................................................................................................... 225
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This monogmph is a revised version of my doctoral dissertation,
submiucd to the Department of Theology at the University of Notre
Dame in 2005. I wish to express my enduring gratitude to the
univen;ity, the department, and the Pew Younger Scholars Progrttm for
their generous financial support that made this possible.
Though I certainly am responsible for any dclicicncics in this
present volume, the influence..:; of numerous mentors from Notre Dame
arc evident on the following pages. It would be impossible to mention
everyone to whom I am indebted, but I wish to d1ank the following
friends in particular. My scholarly interest in Hebrews has its roots in a
seminar paper written for Eugene Ulrkh on Hebrews' usc of biblical
citations. My studies with Harold Anridgc during the period we both
were at Notre Dame unfortunately did not include a seminar on
Hebrews. yet no work has been more influential on my own approach
to the book than his masterful commentary. I am deeply grnteful to the
members of my dissertation commiucc- Grcgory Sterling, Jerome
Ncyrcy, and John Mcicr~oth for their insightful critiques as I wrote
the dissertation and their respective publications on Hebrews from
which I have learned so much. Finally, I am especially indebted to my
dissc.rtation dirccLor, James VanderKam. Jim is equally acclaimed for
his rigorous, careful scholarship and his gracious, gentle manner. Both
have lefl their indelible marks on me in a multitude of ways.
This project began at Notre Dame but was completed- both as a
dissertation and now as a monogr.iph- from Judson University in
Elgin, Ill. One could scarcely imagine colleagues in biblical and
theological studies as supportive and engaging as those with whom I
am fortunate to serve. In particular, I wish to thank Laurie Braaten~ he
has been a constant source of wisdom and encouragement to me since
my arrival at Juds<m. Also, I am indebted t<) provost Dale Simmons for
his suppt)rt in multiple ways, including funds from the Homer and
Margaret Surbcck Summer Research Program ft)r the present work.