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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.

The sigla "4QMMT" designates a reconstructed text from manuscripts found in Cave 4 at Qumran. The document was provisionally designated "4QMishnique" (Mishnah) by Józef Milik.^[1] The designation at final publication was "4QMMT" (Miqsat Ma’ase ha-Torah, Hebrew for "Some Precepts of the Torah" or "Some Rulings Pertaining to the Torah"). This title can also be translated as "Works of the Law". Some New Testament scholars identified the connections of this document with the ideas reflected in Pauline theology.^[2]

The two primary scholars who identified, reconstructed, and published 4QMMT are John Strugnell and Elisha Qimron, the official editors of these manuscripts.

Manuscripts of 4QMMT

Reconstructed composite text

4QMMT is a reconstructed composite text from fragments of six separate manuscripts discovered in Cave 4 of Qumran. The six fragmented manuscripts are designated 4Q394, 4Q395, 4Q396, 4Q397, 4Q398, and 4Q399. Five of the manuscripts were written and preserved on parchment (4Q394, 4Q395, 4Q396, 4Q397, and 4Q399); and one was written on papyri (4Q398). All six manuscripts are also fragmented (e.g., 4Q397, the most fragmented of these scrolls consists of 68 small fragments).

These manuscripts are also separately designated as 4QMMT^a-f with 4QMMT^a designating manuscript 4Q394, and continuing in series concluding with 4QMMT^f designating manuscript 4Q399.

Dating the original composition

Strugnell and Qimron date the original composition of 4QMMT at c.150 BCE. This early date is proposed based on an evaluation of its content. The congenial tone of the letter from the author to the recipients suggests a composition of the text to a time either before or contemporaneous with the earliest organizational stages of the Qumran community.^[3] From other texts discovered at Qumran and associated with the Qumran community, scholars believe the Yahad (the Qumran community) had a more hostile attitude to the religious leaders at the Jerusalem Temple and that they were prohibited from corresponding with the Jerusalem leaders.

Lawrence Schiffman dates 4QMMT to c.152 BCE when the Hasmonean dynasty took over the high priesthood and began to follow temple practices identified as pharisaic by later sources.^[4] This text is a challenge to the leaders of the Jerusalem Temple regarding their understanding of these purity regulations identified as those of the Pharisees.

Hanan Eshel dates the composition of 4QMMT to c.152 BCE, the beginning of the rise to power of Jonathan Apphus.^[5]

Dating

Palaeographic analysis dates the six copies of 4QMMT to between 75 BCE and 50 CE (Kampen and Bernstein^[6]). However, linguistic analysis, which shows traces of early Second Temple period language and usage, suggests that the six copies provenance an older original, perhaps as early as 150 BCE. Although the original composition of the text is about 150 BCE, estimates of the dates of the copying of these particular six manuscripts range from 75 BCE to 50 CE.^[7]

Palaeographic analysis of the manuscripts of 4QMMT was performed by Strugnell and Qimron, with Ada Yardeni, who analyzed manuscripts 4Q397 and 4Q398. They dated the manuscripts palaeographically to the early or mid-Herodian period.^[8] Frank Moore Cross had given one of the 4QMMT manuscripts a late Hasmonean date.^[9] These dates place the texts between the early 1st century BCE and the late 1st century CE.

Publication

In 1959, John Strugnell was assigned the task of publishing the manuscripts that make up the text of 4QMMT. In 1979, Hebrew scholar Elisha Qimron joined him to assist in the publication of 4QMMT.^[10]

The text was officially published in 1994, in the series Discoveries in the Judean Desert.^[11] In the series, Discoveries in the Judean Desert, photographs of all the fragments were published for the first time with transcriptions of the manuscripts and a composite text based on all of the available manuscripts.

The first public knowledge of the manuscripts of 4QMMT came in 1984 at the International Congress on Biblical Archaeology, a conference held in Jerusalem. Qimron informed the conference that he and Strugnell possessed and would publish what is now 4QMMT.

The text was the subject of a legal dispute in the early 1990s when Qimron successfully sued Hershel Shanks of the Biblical Archaeology Society and others for a claim of copyright after they published his reconstruction of 4QMMT out of 70 fragments, without his permission.^[12]

Content

Authors and recipients

The text appears to be sent from the leader of the Qumran community to the leaders of the priestly establishment in Jerusalem. When the general substance of this manuscript was first announced to the public, this text was understood to be a letter written by the founder of the Qumran community, the Teacher of Righteousness, to his opponent the Wicked Priest, in order to explain the reasons for the Qumran community's existence. The purpose of the letter was to spell out the differences between the two parties, the Qumran community and the authorities at the Jerusalem Temple, and to summon the leadership of the Jerusalem Temple to a stricter interpretation and application of certain laws. This announcement by Qimron was recognized as significant because it showed that important information about the Qumran community had not yet been published.

Genre

The genre of the text was initially identified by Strugnell and Qimron as a personal letter. The editors described the text as a letter by the leader of the Qumran community, possibly even by the Teacher of Righteousness, to the leader of its opponents, a high priest in Jerusalem.^[13] Both later rejected this view.^{[citation needed]}

Structure

4QMMT is structured in three sections. Section A is the introduction or incipit, section B is the main body of the letter that contains a series of interpretations of Jewish law (Halakhah), and section C is the conclusion.

4QMMT A commences with a discussion of how to calculate the Jewish calendar

4QMMT B is the main body of the text with a discussion of Jewish laws.

4QMMT C is the conclusion of the letter.

Content

4QMMT A - Introduction

The content of section A includes a discussion of the Jewish calendar describing a 364-day solar calendar that would replace the lunar calendar used by Temple priests. The lunar calendar caused certain Jewish festivals requiring harvests and sacrifices to fall on the Sabbath. The reconstructed text includes a discussion of how to calculate the calendar, but not all agree this is a proper part of the text. A significant point of contention between various Jewish groups at the time concerned the proper way to establish a calendar. The calendar was a central matter of dispute because it changed the date on which the major Jewish holidays would be celebrated.

4QMMT B - Halakhah

The manuscript identifies twenty-two laws (Halakhah) that concern sacrificial laws, priestly gifts, ritual purity, and other matters. The text is a polemical argument setting forth the views of the Qumran leadership and calling on their opponents to accept their views. It presents twenty-two points of the Halakhah, the Jewish law, on which the Qumran community differs from the religious leaders of the Jerusalem Temple. These points of Halakhah generally oppose Pharisaic views and coincide with Sadducean positions. This led scholars to the conclusion that the community at Qumran were the Essenes who had withdrawn from Jerusalem about 150 BCE, following disagreements with the Sadducean Jewish authorities concerning religious practices and their understanding of the Halakhah.

4QMMT C - Conclusion

4QMMT C is the conclusion in which the author of the text, the leader of the Qumran community, encourages his addressees to modify their understanding Halakhah to conform to his view. The title of the document, MMT, comes from line C26 which uses the words, Miqsat Ma’ase ha-Torah, Hebrew for "Some Precepts of the Torah."

Interpretation

The majority view is that the Qumran community is to be identified with the Essenes. If this is correct, then 4QMMT helps scholars understand the issues that may have caused the Essene community to separate themselves from the Jerusalem Temple and move to Qumran.

While part of 4QMMT seems to be addressed to priests at the Temple in Jerusalem, the third section is addressed to a respected individual, whose honesty and integrity are acknowledged by the author, encouraging him to study carefully 'the book of Moses and the books of the Prophets and David.' He also refers to the blessings and curses on the Israelite kings and asks the recipient to remember their actions, giving the impression that the recipient may himself be a Judaean monarch. Almost certainly a Hasmonean ruler is being addressed. There is no formal breach between the two, only disagreement, giving rise to the suspicion that 4QMMT may have been written at a time of dispute between the Qumran community and the Judaean political and religious establishment in Jerusalem, concerning Halakhah. Some scholars believe that this section is a letter from the Teacher of Righteousness to the Wicked Priest, believed by many to be Jonathan Apphus or his brother Simon.

Other scholars have seen in 4QMMT evidence of having been written solely by the Sadducees, one of the major religious factions in Judea at that time.

Since its publication in 1994, there has been much debate about whether 4QMMT really is a letter, and if so, from whom to whom; whether it is actually a Sadducean manuscript; and even whether the document has been properly reconstructed. Hanne von Weissenberg's book, 4QMMT: Reevaluating the Text, the Function, and the Meaning of the Epilogue, maintains that Qimron and Strugnell define the genre of 4QMMT as a letter, yet they want to clarify that this is perhaps more than just a letter, but perhaps a public letter or treaty with another community.^[14] According to Strugnell, the Halakhic Letter is neither a letter nor a treatise. He argues that the introduction to the letter does not resemble a letter at all, but suggests the introduction is a possible collection of laws, sent to a particular person.

John Kampen and Moshe Bernstein support the idea of 4QMMT being a letter in their analysis of the document in their introduction of Reading 4QMMT. They maintain that Strugnell's argument that the document is a collection of laws is false, due to the argumentative tone it gives off. Instead they believe 4QMMT to be a text which deals with legal disputes among two parties. Furthermore, they advocate the idea that the document's epilogue and final sections blur the interpretations of the classification of 4QMMT's genre.

Pauline theology

The title of this document can also be translated as 'Works of the Torah', or 'Works of the Law'. This expression aroused particular interest on the part of the New Testament scholars because the parallel Greek concept 'ἔργα νομοῦ' (erga nomou), is central to Pauline theology.

For example, Martin Abegg (2012) writes that Paul, using the same terminology, is actually rebutting the theology of documents such as MMT.

"MMT is couched in the exact language of what Paul was rebutting in his letter to the Galatians. MMT claims that adherence to the works of the law “will be accounted to you as righteousness”; Paul’s answer is that “No human being is justified by works of the law but only through faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:16)"^[15]

References

^ Heichelheim, F. M.; Benoit, P.; Milik, J. T.; de Vaux, R. (1962). "Discoveries in the Judaean Desert II: Les Grottes de Murabbaat". Phoenix. 16 (3): 211. doi:10.2307/1086820. ISSN 0031-8299. JSTOR 1086820.
^ Martin Abegg (2012), Paul, “Works of the Law” and MMT. in Paul: Jewish Law and Early Christianity. Biblical Archaeology Society. p. 28
^ Elisha Qimron, John Strugnell, et al., Qumran Cave 4.V: Miqṣat Maʿaśeh Ha-Torah, DJD 10 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994), 121.
^ Schiffman, Lawrence H. (1994). "Pharisaic and Sadducean Halakhah in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls". Dead Sea Discoveries. 1 (3): 285–299. doi:10.1163/156851794x00121. ISSN 0929-0761.
^ Eshel, “4QMMT and the History of the Hasmonean Period,” 64.
^ Bernstein, Moshe J. (1996). "The Employment and Interpretation of Scripture in 4QMMT: Preliminary Observations". Reading 4QMMT: New Perspectives on Qumran Law and History. Atlanta: Scholars Press. pp. 29–51. ISBN 978-0788502224.
^ Tov, Emanuel, ed. (1955–2002). Discoveries in the Judaean Desert X. Clarendon Press. ISBN 0199566666. OCLC 871634909.^{[clarification needed]}
^ DJD X, 3-6; 14; 16-18; 21-25; 29-34; 38-39.
^ Pope, Marvin H.; Wright, G. Ernest (1961). "The Bible and the Ancient near East: Essays in Honor of William Foxwell Albright". Journal of Biblical Literature. 80 (3): 272. doi:10.2307/3264786. ISSN 0021-9231. JSTOR 3264786.
^ "Codex Resources for Biblical Studies". Archived from the original on 2007-08-20. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
^ Talshir, David (1995). "Qumran Cave 4 V: Miqsat MaaŚe Ha-Torah, by Elisha Qimron and John Strugnell, in consultation with Y. Sussmann and with contributions by Y. Sussmann and A. Yardeni. DJD X; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994. xiv + 237; 8 plates. £ 40.00. ISBN 0-19-826344-9". Dead Sea Discoveries. 2 (3): 365–377. doi:10.1163/156851795x00102. ISSN 0929-0761.
^ 'Israeli Court Upholds Scholar's Rights to Dead Sea Scrolls Work', The New York Times, 31 August 2000
^ Elisha Qimron and John Strugnell, “An Unpublished Halakhic Letter from Qumran,” in Biblical Archaeology Today: Proceedings of the International Congress on Biblical Archaeology, Jerusalem, April 1984 (Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1985), 400–7.
^ Von Weissenberg, Hanne (2009). 4QMMT: Reevaluating the Text, the Function, and the Meaning of the Epilogue. Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 82. Leiden and Boston: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-17379-8.
^ Martin Abegg (2012), Paul, “Works of the Law” and MMT. in Paul: Jewish Law and Early Christianity. Biblical Archaeology Society. p. 28

External links

[1] Heichelheim, F. M.; Benoit, P.; Milik, J. T.; de Vaux, R. (1962). "Discoveries in the Judaean Desert II: Les Grottes de Murabbaat". Phoenix. 16 (3): 211. doi:10.2307/1086820. ISSN 0031-8299. JSTOR 1086820.

[2] Martin Abegg (2012), Paul, “Works of the Law” and MMT. in Paul: Jewish Law and Early Christianity. Biblical Archaeology Society. p. 28

[3] Elisha Qimron, John Strugnell, et al., Qumran Cave 4.V: Miqṣat Maʿaśeh Ha-Torah, DJD 10 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994), 121.

[4] Schiffman, Lawrence H. (1994). "Pharisaic and Sadducean Halakhah in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls". Dead Sea Discoveries. 1 (3): 285–299. doi:10.1163/156851794x00121. ISSN 0929-0761.

[5] Eshel, “4QMMT and the History of the Hasmonean Period,” 64.

[6] Bernstein, Moshe J. (1996). "The Employment and Interpretation of Scripture in 4QMMT: Preliminary Observations". Reading 4QMMT: New Perspectives on Qumran Law and History. Atlanta: Scholars Press. pp. 29–51. ISBN 978-0788502224.

[7] Tov, Emanuel, ed. (1955–2002). Discoveries in the Judaean Desert X. Clarendon Press. ISBN 0199566666. OCLC 871634909.^{[clarification needed]}

[8] DJD X, 3-6; 14; 16-18; 21-25; 29-34; 38-39.

[9] Pope, Marvin H.; Wright, G. Ernest (1961). "The Bible and the Ancient near East: Essays in Honor of William Foxwell Albright". Journal of Biblical Literature. 80 (3): 272. doi:10.2307/3264786. ISSN 0021-9231. JSTOR 3264786.

[10] "Codex Resources for Biblical Studies". Archived from the original on 2007-08-20. Retrieved 2007-06-18.

[11] Talshir, David (1995). "Qumran Cave 4 V: Miqsat MaaŚe Ha-Torah, by Elisha Qimron and John Strugnell, in consultation with Y. Sussmann and with contributions by Y. Sussmann and A. Yardeni. DJD X; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994. xiv + 237; 8 plates. £ 40.00. ISBN 0-19-826344-9". Dead Sea Discoveries. 2 (3): 365–377. doi:10.1163/156851795x00102. ISSN 0929-0761.

[12] 'Israeli Court Upholds Scholar's Rights to Dead Sea Scrolls Work', The New York Times, 31 August 2000

[13] Elisha Qimron and John Strugnell, “An Unpublished Halakhic Letter from Qumran,” in Biblical Archaeology Today: Proceedings of the International Congress on Biblical Archaeology, Jerusalem, April 1984 (Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1985), 400–7.

[14] Von Weissenberg, Hanne (2009). 4QMMT: Reevaluating the Text, the Function, and the Meaning of the Epilogue. Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 82. Leiden and Boston: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-17379-8.

[15] Martin Abegg (2012), Paul, “Works of the Law” and MMT. in Paul: Jewish Law and Early Christianity. Biblical Archaeology Society. p. 28

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-[[Image:4QMMT.jpg|thumb|right|<center>4QMMT</center>]]
+[[File:4QMMT.jpg|thumb|right|{{center|4QMMT}}]]
-'''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 manuscripts that were used to reconstruct 4QMMT were found in [[List of manuscripts from Qumran Cave 4|Cave 4]] at Qumran between the years 1953 and 1959. They were kept at the Palestinian Archaeological Museum, now known as the [[Rockefeller Museum]] in [[Jerusalem]].
+'''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 [[List of manuscripts from Qumran Cave 4|Cave 4]] at Qumran in 1953-1959, and kept at the Palestinian Archaeological Museum, now known as the [[Rockefeller Museum]] in [[Jerusalem]].
-The sigla "4QMMT" designates manuscripts found in [[Qumran Caves|Cave 4]] at [[Qumran]], so the manuscripts are designated "4Qxxx" The "MMT" is the title of the document as provided by its editors. The document was provisionally designated "4QMishnique" (Mishnah) by J. T. Milik.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Heichelheim|first=F. M.|last2=Benoit|first2=P.|last3=Milik|first3=J. T.|last4=de Vaux|first4=R.|date=1962|title=Discoveries in the Judaean Desert II: Les Grottes de Murabbaat|journal=Phoenix|volume=16|issue=3|pages=211|doi=10.2307/1086820|issn=0031-8299|jstor=1086820}}</ref> The designation at final publication was "4QMMT" (Miqsat Ma’ase ha-Torah, Hebrew for "S''ome Precepts of the Torah"'' or "''Some Rulings Pertaining to the Torah"'').
+The sigla "4QMMT" designates a reconstructed text from manuscripts found in [[Qumran Caves|Cave 4]] at [[Qumran]]. The document was provisionally designated "4QMishnique" (Mishnah) by [[Józef Milik]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Heichelheim|first1=F. M.|last2=Benoit|first2=P.|last3=Milik|first3=J. T.|last4=de Vaux|first4=R.|date=1962|title=Discoveries in the Judaean Desert II: Les Grottes de Murabbaat|journal=Phoenix|volume=16|issue=3|pages=211|doi=10.2307/1086820|issn=0031-8299|jstor=1086820}}</ref> The designation at final publication was "4QMMT" ('''M'''iqsat '''M'''a’ase ha-'''T'''orah, Hebrew for "S''ome Precepts of the Torah"'' or "''Some Rulings Pertaining to the Torah"''). This title can also be translated as ''"Works of the Law"''. Some New Testament scholars identified the connections of this document with the ideas reflected in [[Pauline Christianity|Pauline theology]].<ref>Martin Abegg (2012), [https://www.academia.edu/35625881/ Paul, “Works of the Law” and MMT.] in Paul: Jewish Law and Early Christianity. Biblical Archaeology Society. p. 28</ref>
 The two primary scholars who identified, reconstructed, and published 4QMMT are [[John Strugnell]] and [[Elisha Qimron]], the official editors of these manuscripts.
-== The Manuscripts of 4QMMT ==
+== Manuscripts of 4QMMT ==
-=== The Reconstructed Composite Text ===
+=== Reconstructed composite text ===
-QMMT is a reconstructed composite text from fragments of six separate manuscripts discovered in Cave 4 of Qumran. The six fragmented manuscripts are designated 4Q394, 4Q395, 4Q396, 4Q397, 4Q398, and 4Q399. Five of the manuscripts were written and preserved on [[parchment]] (4Q394, 4Q395, 4Q396, 4Q397, and 4Q399); and one was written on [[Papyrus|papyri]] (4Q398). All of these six manuscripts are also fragmented (e.g., 4Q397, the most fragmented of these scrolls has 68 smaller fragments).
+QMMT is a reconstructed composite text from fragments of six separate manuscripts discovered in Cave 4 of Qumran. The six fragmented manuscripts are designated 4Q394, 4Q395, 4Q396, 4Q397, 4Q398, and 4Q399. Five of the manuscripts were written and preserved on [[parchment]] (4Q394, 4Q395, 4Q396, 4Q397, and 4Q399); and one was written on [[Papyrus|papyri]] (4Q398). All six manuscripts are also fragmented (e.g., 4Q397, the most fragmented of these scrolls consists of 68 small fragments).
-These manuscripts are also separately designated as 4QMMT<sup>a-f</sup> with 4QMMT<sup>a</sup> designating manuscript 4Q394,  and continuing in series concluding with 4QMMT<sup>f</sup> designating manuscript 4Q399.
+These manuscripts are also separately designated as 4QMMT<sup>a-f</sup> with 4QMMT<sup>a</sup> designating manuscript 4Q394, and continuing in series concluding with 4QMMT<sup>f</sup> designating manuscript 4Q399.
-=== Dating the Original Composition ===
+=== Dating the original composition ===
-Qimron and Strugnell date the original composition of 4QMMT at c.150 BCE. This early date is proposed based on an evaluation of its content. The congenial tone of the letter suggests a composition of the text to a time either before or contemporaneous with the earliest organizational stages of the Qumran community.<ref>Elisha Qimron, John Strugnell, et al., Qumran Cave 4.V: Miqṣat Maʿaśeh Ha-Torah, DJD 10 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994), 121.</ref> From other texts discovered at Qumran and associated with the Qumran community, scholars believe the Yahad had a more hostile attitude to the religious leaders at the Jerusalem Temple and that they were prohibited from corresponding with the Jerusalem leaders.
+Strugnell and Qimron date the original composition of 4QMMT at c.150 BCE. This early date is proposed based on an evaluation of its content. The congenial tone of the letter from the author to the recipients suggests a composition of the text to a time either before or contemporaneous with the earliest organizational stages of the Qumran community.<ref>Elisha Qimron, John Strugnell, et al., Qumran Cave 4.V: Miqṣat Maʿaśeh Ha-Torah, DJD 10 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994), 121.</ref> From other texts discovered at Qumran and associated with the Qumran community, scholars believe the Yahad (the Qumran community) had a more hostile attitude to the religious leaders at the Jerusalem Temple and that they were prohibited from corresponding with the Jerusalem leaders.
-[[Lawrence Schiffman]] dates 4QMMT to c.152 BCE when the Hasmoneans took over the high priesthood and began to follow temple practices identified as pharisaic by later sources.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Schiffman|first=Lawrence H.|date=1994|title=Pharisaic and Sadducean Halakhah in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls|journal=Dead Sea Discoveries|volume=1|issue=3|pages=285–299|doi=10.1163/156851794x00121|issn=0929-0761}}</ref> This text is a challenge to the leaders of the Jerusalem Temple regarding their understanding of these purity regulations identified as those of the [[Pharisees]].
+[[Lawrence Schiffman]] dates 4QMMT to c.152 BCE when the [[Hasmonean dynasty]] took over the [[High Priest of Israel|high priesthood]] and began to follow temple practices identified as [[Pharisees|pharisaic]] by later sources.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Schiffman|first=Lawrence H.|date=1994|title=Pharisaic and Sadducean Halakhah in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls|journal=Dead Sea Discoveries|volume=1|issue=3|pages=285–299|doi=10.1163/156851794x00121|issn=0929-0761}}</ref> This text is a challenge to the leaders of the Jerusalem Temple regarding their understanding of these purity regulations identified as those of the [[Pharisees]].
-[[Hanan Eshel]] dates the composition of 4QMMT to c.152 BCE, the beginning of [[Jonathan Maccabaeus]]’s rise to power.<ref>Eshel, “4QMMT and the History of the Hasmonean Period,” 64.</ref>
+[[Hanan Eshel]] dates the composition of 4QMMT to c.152 BCE, the beginning of the rise to power of [[Jonathan Apphus]].<ref>Eshel, “4QMMT and the History of the Hasmonean Period,” 64.</ref>
-=== Dating the Manuscripts ===
+=== Dating ===
+[[Palaeography|Palaeographic]] analysis dates the six copies of 4QMMT to between 75 BCE and 50 CE (Kampen and Bernstein<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bernstein |first=Moshe J. |title=Reading 4QMMT: New Perspectives on Qumran Law and History |publisher=Scholars Press |year=1996 |isbn=978-0788502224 |location=Atlanta |pages=29–51 |language=English |chapter=The Employment and Interpretation of Scripture in 4QMMT: Preliminary Observations}}</ref>). However, linguistic analysis, which shows traces of early Second Temple period language and usage, suggests that the six copies provenance an older original, perhaps as early as 150 BCE.
-Although the original composition of the text is about 150 BCE, estimates of the dates of the copying of these particular six manuscripts range from 75 BCE to 50 CE.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Discoveries in the Judaean desert|last=Tov, Emanuel, editor-in-chief ...|date=1955–2002|publisher=Clarendon Press|isbn=0199566666|oclc=871634909}}</ref>
+Although the original composition of the text is about 150 BCE, estimates of the dates of the copying of these particular six manuscripts range from 75 BCE to 50 CE.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Discoveries in the Judaean Desert X |date=1955–2002 |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=0199566666 |editor=Tov, Emanuel |oclc=871634909}}{{clarify|reason=this is a 40vol set; which vol? insource locations?|date=February 2020}}</ref>
-[[Palaeography|Palaeographic]] analysis of the manuscripts of 4QMMT was performed by Strugnell and Qimron, with Ada Yardeni, who analyzed manuscripts 4Q397 and 4Q398. They dated the manuscripts palaeographically to the early or mid-[[Herodian dynasty|Herodian]] period.<ref>DJD X, 3-6; 14; 16-18; 21-25; 29-34; 38-39.</ref> Frank Moore Cross had given one of the 4QMMT manuscripts a late [[Hasmonean dynasty|Hasmonean]] date.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pope|first=Marvin H.|last2=Wright|first2=G. Ernest|date=1961|title=The Bible and the Ancient near East: Essays in Honor of William Foxwell Albright|journal=Journal of Biblical Literature|volume=80|issue=3|pages=272|doi=10.2307/3264786|issn=0021-9231|jstor=3264786}}</ref> These dates place the texts between the early 1st century BCE and the late 1st century CE.
+Palaeographic analysis of the manuscripts of 4QMMT was performed by Strugnell and Qimron, with Ada Yardeni, who analyzed manuscripts 4Q397 and 4Q398. They dated the manuscripts palaeographically to the early or mid-[[Herodian dynasty|Herodian]] period.<ref>DJD X, 3-6; 14; 16-18; 21-25; 29-34; 38-39.</ref> Frank Moore Cross had given one of the 4QMMT manuscripts a late [[Hasmonean dynasty|Hasmonean]] date.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Pope|first1=Marvin H.|last2=Wright|first2=G. Ernest|date=1961|title=The Bible and the Ancient near East: Essays in Honor of William Foxwell Albright|journal=Journal of Biblical Literature|volume=80|issue=3|pages=272|doi=10.2307/3264786|issn=0021-9231|jstor=3264786}}</ref> These dates place the texts between the early 1st century BCE and the late 1st century CE.
-== The Publication of 4QMMT ==
+== Publication ==
-In 1959, John Strugnell was assigned the task of publishing the manuscripts that make up the text of 4QMMT. In 1979, Hebrew scholar Elisha Qimron joined him to assist in the publication of 4QMMT.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://biblical-studies.ca/dss/introductions/4QMMT.html |title=Codex Resources for Biblical Studies |access-date=2007-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820002426/http://biblical-studies.ca/dss/introductions/4QMMT.html |archive-date=2007-08-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The text was officially published in 1994, in the series [[Discoveries in the Judaean Desert|Discoveries in the Judean Desert]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Talshir|first=David|date=1995|title=Qumran Cave 4 V: Miqsat MaaŚe Ha-Torah, by Elisha Qimron and John Strugnell, in consultation with Y. Sussmann and with contributions by Y. Sussmann and A. Yardeni. DJD X; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994. xiv + 237; 8 plates. £ 40.00. ISBN 0-19-826344-9|journal=Dead Sea Discoveries|volume=2|issue=3|pages=365–377|doi=10.1163/156851795x00102|issn=0929-0761}}</ref>
+In 1959, John Strugnell was assigned the task of publishing the manuscripts that make up the text of 4QMMT. In 1979, Hebrew scholar Elisha Qimron joined him to assist in the publication of 4QMMT.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://biblical-studies.ca/dss/introductions/4QMMT.html |title=Codex Resources for Biblical Studies |access-date=2007-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820002426/http://biblical-studies.ca/dss/introductions/4QMMT.html |archive-date=2007-08-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
+The text was officially published in 1994, in the series [[Discoveries in the Judaean Desert|Discoveries in the Judean Desert]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Talshir|first=David|date=1995|title=Qumran Cave 4 V: Miqsat MaaŚe Ha-Torah, by Elisha Qimron and John Strugnell, in consultation with Y. Sussmann and with contributions by Y. Sussmann and A. Yardeni. DJD X; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994. xiv + 237; 8 plates. £ 40.00. ISBN 0-19-826344-9|journal=Dead Sea Discoveries|volume=2|issue=3|pages=365–377|doi=10.1163/156851795x00102|issn=0929-0761}}</ref> In the series, Discoveries in the Judean Desert, photographs of all the fragments were published for the first time with transcriptions of the manuscripts and a composite text based on all of the available manuscripts.
 The first public knowledge of the manuscripts of 4QMMT came in 1984 at the International Congress on Biblical Archaeology, a conference held in [[Jerusalem]]. Qimron informed the conference that he and Strugnell possessed and would publish what is now 4QMMT.
@@ Line 34: / Line 37: @@
 == Content ==
-=== Authors and Recipients ===
+=== Authors and recipients ===
-The text appears to be sent from the leader of the Qumran community to the leaders of the priestly establishment in Jerusalem. When first announced, this text was understood to be a letter written by the founder of the Qumran community, the so-called [[Teacher of Righteousness]], to his opponent the [[Wicked Priest]], in order to explain the reasons for the Qumran community's existence. The purpose of the letter was to spell out the differences between the two parties, the Qumran community and the authorities at the Jerusalem Temple, and to summon the leadership of the Jerusalem Temple to a stricter interpretation and application of certain laws. This announcement by Qimron was recognized as significant because it showed that important information about the Qumran community had not yet been published.
+The text appears to be sent from the leader of the Qumran community to the leaders of the priestly establishment in Jerusalem. When the general substance of this manuscript was first announced to the public, this text was understood to be a letter written by the founder of the Qumran community, the [[Teacher of Righteousness]], to his opponent the [[Wicked Priest]], in order to explain the reasons for the Qumran community's existence. The purpose of the letter was to spell out the differences between the two parties, the Qumran community and the authorities at the Jerusalem Temple, and to summon the leadership of the Jerusalem Temple to a stricter interpretation and application of certain laws. This announcement by Qimron was recognized as significant because it showed that important information about the Qumran community had not yet been published.
 === Genre ===
-The genre of the text was initially identified by Strugnell and Qimron as a personal letter. The editors described the text as a letter by the leader of the Qumran community, possibly even by the Teacher of Righteousness, to the leader of its opponents, a high priest in Jerusalem.<ref>Elisha Qimron and John Strugnell, “An Unpublished Halakhic Letter from Qumran,” in Biblical Archaeology Today: Proceedings of the International Congress on Biblical Archaeology, Jerusalem, April 1984 (Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1985), 400–7.</ref>  But both later rejected this view.
+The genre of the text was initially identified by Strugnell and Qimron as a personal letter. The editors described the text as a letter by the leader of the Qumran community, possibly even by the Teacher of Righteousness, to the leader of its opponents, a high priest in Jerusalem.<ref>Elisha Qimron and John Strugnell, “An Unpublished Halakhic Letter from Qumran,” in Biblical Archaeology Today: Proceedings of the International Congress on Biblical Archaeology, Jerusalem, April 1984 (Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1985), 400–7.</ref> Both later rejected this view.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}
-=== Structure of 4QMMT ===
+=== Structure ===
 QMMT is structured in three sections. Section A is the introduction or incipit, section B is the main body of the letter that contains a series of interpretations of Jewish law ([[Halakha]]h), and section C is the conclusion.
@@ Line 49: / Line 52: @@
 QMMT C is the conclusion of the letter.
-=== Content of the Letter ===
+=== Content ===
 ==== 4QMMT A - Introduction ====
-The content of section A includes a discussion of the Jewish calendar and advocates for a [[Hebrew calendar#The Qumran calendar|364-day solar calendar]]. The reconstructed text includes a discussion of how to calculate the calendar, but not all agree this is a proper part of the text. A significant point of contention between various Jewish groups at the time concerned the proper way to establish a calendar. The calendar was a central matter of dispute because it changed the date on which the major Jewish holidays would be celebrated.
+The content of section A includes a discussion of the Jewish calendar describing a 364-day solar calendar that would replace the lunar calendar used by Temple priests. The lunar calendar caused certain Jewish festivals requiring harvests and sacrifices to fall on the Sabbath. The reconstructed text includes a discussion of how to calculate the calendar, but not all agree this is a proper part of the text. A significant point of contention between various Jewish groups at the time concerned the proper way to establish a calendar. The calendar was a central matter of dispute because it changed the date on which the major Jewish holidays would be celebrated.
 ==== 4QMMT B - Halakhah ====
@@ Line 62: / Line 65: @@
 == Interpretation ==
-The majority view is that the Qumran community is to be identified with the [[Essenes]]. If this is correct, then 4QMMT helps scholars understand the issues that may have caused the separation of the Essene community who separated themselves from the Jerusalem Temple to Qumran.
+The majority view is that the Qumran community is to be identified with the [[Essenes]]. If this is correct, then 4QMMT helps scholars understand the issues that may have caused the Essene community to separate themselves from the Jerusalem Temple and move to Qumran.
 While part of 4QMMT seems to be addressed to priests at the [[Jerusalem Temple|Temple in Jerusalem]], the third section is addressed to a respected individual, whose honesty and integrity are acknowledged by the author, encouraging him to study carefully 'the book of [[Moses]] and the books of the [[Nevi'im|Prophets]] and [[David]].' He also refers to the blessings and curses on the [[Israelite]] kings and asks the recipient to remember their actions, giving the impression that the recipient may himself be a [[Judea|Judaean]] monarch. Almost certainly a [[Hasmonean]] ruler is being addressed. There is no formal breach between the two, only disagreement, giving rise to the suspicion that 4QMMT may have been written at a time of dispute between the Qumran community and the Judaean political and religious establishment in [[Jerusalem]], concerning Halakhah. Some scholars believe that this section is a letter from the [[Teacher of Righteousness]] to the [[Wicked Priest]], believed by many to be [[Jonathan Apphus]] or his brother [[Simon Thassi|Simon]].
-Other scholars have seen in 4QMMT evidence of having been written solely by the [[Sadduccees]], one of the major religious factions in [[Judea]] at that time.
+Other scholars have seen in 4QMMT evidence of having been written solely by the [[Sadducees]], one of the major religious factions in [[Judea]] at that time.
-Since its publication in 1994, there has been much debate about whether 4QMMT really is a letter, and if so, from whom to whom; whether it is actually a [[Sadducean]] manuscript; and even whether the document has been properly reconstructed. Hanne von Weissenberg's book, 4QMMT: Reevaluating the text, the function, and the meaning of the epilogue, maintains that Qimron and Strugnell define the genre of 4QMMT as a letter, yet they want to clarify that this is perhaps more than just a letter, but perhaps a public letter or treaty with another community. According to Strugnell, the Halakhic Letter is neither a letter nor a treatise. He argues that the introduction to the letter does not resemble a letter at all, but suggests the introduction is a possible collection of laws, sent to a particular person.
+Since its publication in 1994, there has been much debate about whether 4QMMT really is a letter, and if so, from whom to whom; whether it is actually a [[Sadducean]] manuscript; and even whether the document has been properly reconstructed. Hanne von Weissenberg's book, ''4QMMT: Reevaluating the Text, the Function, and the Meaning of the Epilogue'', maintains that Qimron and Strugnell define the genre of 4QMMT as a letter, yet they want to clarify that this is perhaps more than just a letter, but perhaps a public letter or treaty with another community.<ref>{{cite book |last=Von Weissenberg |first=Hanne  |author-link= |date=2009 |title=4QMMT: Reevaluating the Text, the Function, and the Meaning of the Epilogue |url= |location=Leiden and Boston |publisher=Brill |series=Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 82 |page= |isbn=978-90-04-17379-8}}</ref> According to Strugnell, the Halakhic Letter is neither a letter nor a treatise. He argues that the introduction to the letter does not resemble a letter at all, but suggests the introduction is a possible collection of laws, sent to a particular person.
-John Kampen and Moshe Bernstein support the idea of 4QMMT being a letter in their analysis of the document in their introduction of Reading 4QMMT.  They maintain that Strugnell's argument that the document is a collection of laws is false, due to the argumentative tone it gives off. Instead they believe 4QMMT to be a text which deals with legal disputes among two parties. Furthermore, they advocate the idea that the document's epilogue and final sections blur the interpretations of the classification of 4QMMT's genre.
+John Kampen and Moshe Bernstein support the idea of 4QMMT being a letter in their analysis of the document in their introduction of Reading 4QMMT. They maintain that Strugnell's argument that the document is a collection of laws is false, due to the argumentative tone it gives off. Instead they believe 4QMMT to be a text which deals with legal disputes among two parties. Furthermore, they advocate the idea that the document's epilogue and final sections blur the interpretations of the classification of 4QMMT's genre.
-== See also ==
+=== Pauline theology ===
+The title of this document can also be translated as 'Works of the Torah', or 'Works of the Law'. This expression aroused particular interest on the part of the New Testament scholars because the parallel Greek concept 'ἔργα νομοῦ' (erga nomou), is central to Pauline theology.
+For example, Martin Abegg (2012) writes that Paul, using the same terminology, is actually rebutting the theology of documents such as MMT.
-*[[Tanakh at Qumran]]
-*[[Pesher]]
+: "MMT is couched in the exact language of what Paul was rebutting in his letter to the Galatians. MMT claims that adherence to the works of the law “will be accounted to you as righteousness”; Paul’s answer is that “No human being is justified by works of the law but only through faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:16)"<ref>Martin Abegg (2012), [https://www.academia.edu/35625881/ Paul, “Works of the Law” and MMT.] in Paul: Jewish Law and Early Christianity. Biblical Archaeology Society. p. 28</ref>
-==References==
+== See also ==
+* [[Pesher]]
+* [[Tanakh at Qumran]]
+== References ==
 {{Reflist}}
 == External links ==
+* [https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q394-1 4QMMT - (4Q394)]
-*[https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q394-1 4QMMT - (4Q394)]
+* [https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q395-1 4QMMT - (4Q395)]
-*[https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q395-1 4QMMT - (4Q395)]
+* [https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q396-1 4QMMT - (4Q396)]
-*[https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q396-1 4QMMT - (4Q396)]
+* [https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q397-1 4QMMT - (4Q397)]
-*[https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q397-1 4QMMT - (4Q397)]
+* [https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q398-1 4QMMT - (4Q398)]
-*[https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q398-1 4QMMT - (4Q398)]
+* [https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q399-1 4QMMT - (4Q399)]
+* [http://qumranica.blogspot.com/2005/03/4qmmt-abstract.html 4QMMT Abstract on Qumranica.com]
-*[https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q399-1 4QMMT - (4Q399)]
+* [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rs/rak/courses/225/texts/4QMMT.htm Fragments of 4QMMT]
-*[http://qumranica.blogspot.com/2005/03/4qmmt-abstract.html 4QMMT Abstract on Qumranica.com]
+* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070820002426/http://biblical-studies.ca/dss/introductions/4QMMT.html 4QMMT on the Biblical Studies website]
-*[http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rs/rak/courses/225/texts/4QMMT.htm Fragments of 4QMMT]
-*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070820002426/http://biblical-studies.ca/dss/introductions/4QMMT.html  4QMMT on the Biblical Studies website]
 {{Dead Sea Scrolls}}
+{{Authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:4QMMT}}

v t e Dead Sea Scrolls
Texts	4Q106 4Q107 4Q108 4Q119 4Q120 4Q121 4Q122 4Q126 4Q127 4Q166 4Q175 4Q240 4Q246 4Q252 4Q448 4Q521 4Q542 4QDeuteronomyⁿ (4Q41) 4QInstruction (4Q415–418, 4Q418a, 4Q423, 1Q26) 4QMMT (4Q394–399) 6Q6 7Q1 7Q5 11Q5 The Great Psalms Scroll 11QpaleoLev 11Q13 Melchizedek 11Q18 New Jerusalem Barkhi Nafshi (4Q434–438) The Book of Giants The Book of Mysteries (1Q27 and 4Q299–301) Community Rule (1QS, 4QS, 5Q11, 5Q13) Copper Scroll (3Q15) Damascus Document (CD) Genesis Apocryphon (1QapGen ar) Genesis Commentary Greek Minor Prophets Scroll from Nahal Hever Habakkuk Commentary (1QpHab) Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa^a ,1QIsa^b) Nahum Commentary (4QpNah/4Q169) New Jerusalem Scroll Paleo-Hebrew Leviticus scroll (11QpaleoLev) Physiognomies/Horoscopes (4Q186) Pseudo-Ezekiel Rule of the Blessing (1QSb) Rule of the Congregation (1QSa) Samuel Scroll The Seekers After Smooth Things Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice (4Q400–407) Songs of the Sage (4Q510–511) Temple Scroll (11Q19) Thanksgiving Hymns (1QH) The War of the Messiah/The Pierced Messiah Text (4Q285/11Q14) War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness (1QM)
Places	Qumran Qumran Caves cave 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Qumran cemetery Ein Feshkha Kohlit Secacah Wadi Murabba'at
Issues	Essenes Sadducees Carbon dating Yahad Ostracon Pesher Dual messiahs Teacher of Righteousness Wicked Priest Calendrical texts
Scholars	Martin G. Abegg John Marco Allegro Joseph M. Baumgarten John J. Collins Sidnie White Crawford Frank Moore Cross André Dupont-Sommer Robert Eisenman Hanan Eshel Joseph Fitzmyer Peter W. Flint David Noel Freedman Jean-Baptiste Humbert Florentino García Martínez Norman Golb Gerald Lankester Harding Yizhar Hirschfeld Ernest-Marie Laperrousaz Jodi Magness Józef Milik Elisha Qimron James A. Sanders Lawrence Schiffman Hershel Shanks Patrick W. Skehan Solomon H. Steckoll Hartmut Stegemann John Strugnell Eleazar Sukenik Carsten Peter Thiede Emanuel Tov John C. Trever Eugene Ulrich Roland de Vaux Géza Vermes Yigael Yadin José O'Callaghan Martínez
Other	AIAR/ASOR Aramaic Enoch Scroll Shrine of the Book Orion Center École Biblique Discoveries in the Judaean Desert Mar Samuel Muhammed edh-Dhib Najib Albina

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	United States Israel