H. Francis

Abstract: "The Use of Purity as a Strategy for Group-Definition in 1QS and the Mishnah"

Helenann Francis

For both the rabbis and the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, purity was an essential aspect of their daily lives. The inhabitants of Qumran who followed the Community Rule used purity regulations to build a tight symbolic wall around the community, a literal fencing off from the outside world. The authors of the Mishnah similarly used purity strategies but in their case, their separation was, I would argue, more of a mental one. It is the case with the Mishnah, that many of the rules and regulations are so detailed that it is doubtful whether they were applied in a practical sense. So whilst one may draw parallels between the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the authors of the Mishnah in terms of their both using purity strategies, those parallels also serve to point out differences between two separate groups within Judaism. Both groups developed strategies to isolate themselves from situations - the Qumranites from their disagreement with the Jerusalem Temple, the rabbis in response to their exclusion from Jerusalem post 135 CE - but the way those strategies worked themselves out were quite different.

(c) 2001
Reproduction beyond fair use only on permission of the author.