Damascus Document
The Damascus Document is an ancient text that provides insight into a Jewish community, likely associated with the Essenes, who traced their lineage to the Zadokite priesthood in Jerusalem. Initially discovered in fragments in a Cairo synagogue in the late 19th century, it was later supplemented by additional fragments found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, dating back to around 100 BCE. The document narrates a historical backdrop of exile, referencing the Babylonian captivity and the subsequent emergence of a leader known as the Teacher of Righteousness, who is portrayed as a guiding figure for the community.
The text is structured around two primary components: admonitions and laws. It emphasizes fidelity to God and adherence to traditional practices, drawing heavily from the Hebrew Bible for its teachings. The document serves as both a spiritual and legal guide, instructing the community on proper conduct and community living within Israel. Overall, the Damascus Document offers a glimpse into the beliefs, practices, and historical context of a group striving to maintain its identity and religious integrity in a tumultuous era.
Damascus Document
Related civilization: Jewish sectarians.
Date: oldest fragments, c. 100 b.c.e.
Locale: Khirbat Qumran, Israel, and Cairo, Egypt
Authorship: unknown
Damascus Document
Originally discovered as two fragments in a Jewish synagogue in Cairo in 1896-1897, the Damascus document was compiled for a community, probably of Essenes, who identified themselves with the old Zadokite priesthood in Jerusalem. Five additional fragments were discovered later among the Dead Sea Scrolls. They dated from about 100 b.c.e. Differences among the fragments suggest that their two major types of materials, admonitions and laws, originally circulated independently.
The document begins with a reference to Judaeans’ going into exile in Damascus (a symbol for Babylon) under Nebuchadnezzar II in 587 or 586 b.c.e. and describes God’s rescue of a group of them 390 years later under their founder, called the Teacher of Righteousness. The rest of the book is cast as the sayings of the Teacher. Roughly one half consists of the citation of and commentary on a selection of passages from the Hebrew Bible designed to warn the Teacher’s community to remain faithful to God and to its traditions. The other half is a collection of laws designed to instruct the community in how to live in the towns of Israel.
Bibliography
Davies, Philip R. The Damascus Covenant: An Interpretation of the Damascus Document. Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1983.
Hempel, Charlotte. The Damascus Texts. Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000.
Schechter, Solomon. Fragments of a Zadokite Work. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1910.