Violence, Power, and Society in the Dead Sea Scrolls

By (author) Alex P. Jassen

ISBN13: 9781009609081

Imprint: Cambridge University Press

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Format: Hardback

Published: 31/08/2025

Availability: Not yet available

Description
Violence is one of the key themes in the Dead Sea Scrolls. It captured the imagination of the Sectarians who wrote these scrolls, and who saw themselves as victims of persecution. Their vision for the end of days included fantasies of revenge against their enemies. In this volume, Alex P. Jassen explores the intersection of violence and power in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the ancient sectarian movement which generated and preserved these texts. Bringing a multi-disciplinary approach to this topic, he offers insights into the origins and function of violence for the people behind the Dead Sea Scrolls. He demonstrates how they positioned themselves in a world dominated by more powerful Jews and the overwhelming might of foreign empires. Jassen addresses the complex relationship between violence, power, and social groups by drawing on cross-cultural examples of sectarianism, millennial movements, and disempowered groups, with particular emphasis on New Religious movements such as the Branch Davidians.
1. Introduction; 2. From contextless accounts to holistic portraits of violence; 3. The beginnings of violent conflict; 4. Sectarian identity, intensified conflict, and the turn to violence; 5. Persecution, victimhood, and storytelling in sectarian portraits of present-time violence; 6. Reversal, reciprocity, and revenge in sectarian fantasies of eschatological violence; 7. Violent imaginaries and practical violence in the war scroll; 8. Conclusion; Bibliography.
  • Judaism
  • New Testaments
  • General (US: Trade)
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List Price: £90.00