Otherworldly and eschatological priesthood in the Dead Sea scrolls /

: Departing from scholarship dedicated to the socio-historical realities of priesthood at Qumran, this book explores, in two parts, the most pervasive literary representations of priesthood in the Dead Sea Scrolls as a reflection of the religious worldview of the Qumran community and broader segments of Second Temple society. Part one compares depictions of otherworldly priesthood in non-sectarian and sectarian documents. Part two examines the historical and traditional roots of portrayals of messianic/eschatological priesthood. The study reveals a fresh understanding of the integral role of priestly imagery in the tension-filled eschatological identity of the Qumran community. It concludes with a consideration of the relationship of the evidence treated to the phenomenon of democratization of priestly holinesses in rabbinic Judaism and Christianity.
: Revised version of author's thesis (Ph. D.)--New York University, 2008. : 1 online resource. : Includes bibliographical references (p. [311]-350) and indexes. : 9789004181465 : 0169-9962 ; : Available to subscribing member institutions only.