The Qumran manuscripts attest to the concept of God’s creation of the universe through an intermediary “link” — “Knowledge” (דעת) — according to the “Thought”/“Design”/“Plan” (מחשבה/מחשבת) of God (see, e.g.: 1QS 3:15–16; 1QM 17:5) contained in His “Intelligence”/“Mind”/“Insight” (שכל בנה). This idea is expressed especially clearly by the Qumran leader, the “Wise Master” (משכיל), in the hymn concluding the Manual of Discipline of the Qumran community: “And by His Knowledge (ובדעתו) everything has occurred (or: “is occurring”. — I. T.); and in His Thought (במחשבתו) He establishes all the being, and without Him nothing is done” (1QS 11:11; cf. also 1QS 11:18–20 = 4QSj 5–7; 1QM 13:2; 1QHa 5:6, 9:19–20, 12:13, 19:7–8, 21(upper):7). Cf. also 1QS 3:15–17: “From God of Knowledge (comes) all that is occurring and shall occur; and before they (people) came into being He established all their designs. And when they become what they were preordained to become according to His glorious Design (כבדו כמחשבת), they will perform their work, and nothing can be changed”. The Biblical origins of the Qumran creationist teaching are clear: see, e.g., Jer. 10:12 = 51:15; Prov. 3:19–20, 8:21–31 (cf. also: Sir. 24:3f.; 11Q Psa Sirach, Sir. 51:13f.). We also see a possible cosmogonic parallel to the Qumran doctrine of the creation of the universe in Anaxagoras, who claimed that “Mind” (νοῦς) “foreknows (γνώμην ἴσχει) absolutely everything” and “knows (ἔγνω) everything”; “and all that is destined to be, and all that was, all that is not now, and all that is now and will be in the future, — all this ordered by the Mind...” (fr. 12; cf.: fr. 14). (On the correlation between knowledge and power cf.: Arist. An. 429a19.)
Translated title of the contributionOn a possible parallel between the Qumran creationist doctrine and the cosmogony of Anaxagoras
Original languageRussian
StatePublished - 2021
EventXXIV научная конференция «Универсум Платоновской мысли»: «Платон и современность» - СПбГУ, Санкт-Петербург, Russian Federation
Duration: 22 Jun 201623 Jun 2016

Conference

ConferenceXXIV научная конференция «Универсум Платоновской мысли»: «Платон и современность»
Country/TerritoryRussian Federation
CityСанкт-Петербург
Period22/06/1623/06/16

    Research areas

  • Qumran theology, Qumran community, Qumran creationist doctrine, cosmogony and cosmology of Anaxagoras

ID: 85378002