Lunar Calendars, Solar Calendars, and Some Mysterious Phenomena in 4Q321 (4QCalendarical Document/4QMishmarot B)

Since its publication, the calendrical scroll 4Q321 (4QMishmarot B) has aroused particular interest among scholars; indeed, its features are crucial for understanding the calendrical system in Qumran. This manuscript, which embeds lunar astronomical phenomena, heads of months, and festivals within a 364-day calendar framework, constitutes the focus of this article. We examine the formation of this particular scroll and the editorial process it underwent, analyzing the diverse types of data it records. In so doing, we aim to uncover the motivations behind the creation of the scroll and, by extension, reassess the broader corpus of calendrical texts from Qumran. Our discussion focuses on resolving the ambiguity of the monthly phenomena mentioned in this scroll—identified as X and dwqh—which we argue represent non-interdependent calendrical and astronomical dates. The analysis is further enriched by comparing these phenomena with the festival list also present in the scroll, thus shedding light on the rationale behind the specific compilation of 4Q321.