Qumran

Call For Papers: In 2023, the unit organizes four sessions. (1) The first is a Joint session with Hellenistic Judaism unit, partly open, partly invited: “The Qumran Finds as Part of Hellenistic-Roman Judaism”. The scrolls are part of the social and intellectual environment of Judaism at the time. Their authors confront the same dilemmas with regard to the reception of contemporary Hellenistic ideas like other contemporary Jews, whether in the Land of Israel, in Egypt, or Rome. The harsh polemic in the scrolls against anything foreign cannot be taken at face value, since the authors are by definition a product of their times. They take part in the intellectual, social and political world of not only the Hellenistic east but also the provinces of early imperial Rome. The session will address various aspects of this cultural encounter: political history, concepts of scripture and canon, interpretation, wisdom and philosophy, etc., according to the suggested papers. Two papers are by invitation; three papers are open for submissions. (2) A thematic workshop on Reading the Scrolls: selected scholars from a variety of backgrounds are invited to read a passage of their choosing, translate it, and present their close reading. The purpose is to disclose the interpretative processes that often remain implicit, to reveal the choices scholars do in their translations, and invite discussion and interaction on the modes of indulging the scrolls. (3?4) We invite paper proposals to two open-call sessions that will address any aspect of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Qumran. We commit ourselves to balance senior and junior voices. In order to maximize opportunities for presenters, scholars should not present more than two years in succession. This restriction does not apply to invited papers.

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