דיני טהרה, נוכחות האל והעריכה הכיתתית של מגילת המקדש

This article reexamines the sectarian character of the Temple Scroll (11Q19) in light of its laws of purity and impurity, particularly as they relate to its conception of the divine presence. The framing of this discussion is based on the emerging consensus that these sections represent the ideology of the latest or one of the latest editorial layers of the scroll. Building on recent developments in the definition of ‘sectarianism’ as it relates to Second Temple Period Judaisms, the article examines these laws in relation to a gradated scale of ‘sectarianism’, employing both a sociological definition focusing on isolationism and a historical definition focusing on the Yaḥad from Qumran. The former is assessed in relation to pragmatic aspects of the laws and polemic style in their formulation. The latter is tested by reevaluating the similarities and supposed contradictions between the purity laws of the Temple Scroll and those found in other writings from Qumran, using additional documents from the period as a control. The results of this study suggest additional consideration for assessing sectarianism which have implications for the study of the Qumran documents in general.