4Q376 חוקי יציאה למלחמת רשות במגילה

Contra Strugnell's opinion, 4Q376 (Apocryphal Moses b ) constitutesa reworking of the biblical laws concerning permitted wars rather than a continuation of the laws regarding the prophet dealt with in 4Q375 (Apocryphal Moses a ). It consists of a single fragment with three columns, each of which contains three extant lines. The original text does not appear to have been significantly longer, since the subject matter runs consecutively through the three columns. The first and second columns describe the rules and ceremonies to be observed prior to going to war; the third sets out the rules for the conduct of the war itself. The scroll harmonizes the requirement to consult the Urim andTummim before setting out to war (Num. 27:21) with the rules of war laid down in Deut. 20:1-20, 23:10-15. A similar association occurs in 11QT (Temple Scroll) 58-62. These two texts thus appear to present a similarunderstanding; namely, that the military-political commander must accept the answer given to the priestly inquiry of the Urim before he departs for war. This conception raises the significant historical questionof whether the Urim and Tummim were understood to be in active use at the time of the scroll's composition. Although the biblical text does not detail the manner in which the divine answer is made to the inquiry, 4Q376 maintains that the response is given publicly, in the presence of all the people, apparently reflectingan exegetical tradition regarding the shining of the onyx stones set into the High Priest's breastplate (Josephus, Ant. 3.215-18). It also contains a unique interpretation concerning tongues of fire issuing fromthe high priest's ephod. This interpretation appears to represent a further tradition, known from other scrolls (4Q164 [pIsa d ] 1 5 and 4Q175[Test] 17), according to which the divine response took the form of light.