What was the Book of Moses in 4QMMT?

Journal article

Wearne, Gareth J. (2020). What was the Book of Moses in 4QMMT? Catholic Biblical Quarterly. 82(2), pp. 237-255. https://doi.org/10.1353/cbq.2020.0047
AuthorsWearne, Gareth J
Abstract

Discussions of 4QMMT have often focused on whether the epilogue refers to a tripartite canon comprising the Books of Moses, the prophets, and David. Recent scholarship has tended to doubt the possible reference to a Davidic corpus but has nonetheless persisted in the assumption that the Book of Moses (ספר מושה) refers to the canonical five-book Torah. In this article I reexamine the use of the term ספר מושה in 4QMMT and other Second Temple–period sources and argue that the expression had a narrower scope, specifically denoting the Book of Deuteronomy. By recognizing the restricted nature of the ספר מושה in MMT, we are better able to appreciate early Jewish conceptions of Scripture and the important place of Deuteronomy in the rhetoric of the epilogue.

KeywordsBook of Moses; Deuteronomy; Torah; Dead Sea Scrolls; 4QMMT; canon; Pentateuch
Year2020
JournalCatholic Biblical Quarterly
Journal citation82 (2), pp. 237-255
PublisherCatholic University of America Press
ISSN0008-7912
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1353/cbq.2020.0047
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range237-255
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online02 Apr 2020
Publication process dates
Deposited07 Sep 2021
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