(4Q510 4Q511) שירי שבח מקומראן 'לפחד ולבהל' רוחות רשע

In hymns from Qumran Cave 4 (4Q, 510; 4Q, 511), published by M. Baillet in 1982 (DJD, VII, Oxford 1982), one finds a phenomenon heretofore unknown in Qumran literature; recitations of hymns to ward off evil spirits. A righteous man from Qumran recites these hymns in order to frighten and drive away ('לפחד ולב[הל]') demonic ghosts (such as (מלאכי חבל ורוחות ממזרים, שדאים, לילית, אחים ו[ציים], which cause the Sons of Light to err, resulting in their punishment by evil diseases. These hymns may therefore be considered to be a magic practice. It is interesting to note that such a phenomenon of human action against super natural forces has parallels in Jewish literature. The article compares the Qumran hymns with examples from various Jewish traditions, such as Sefer ha'Razim and The Heḳaloth tracts. Most of these sources are of the mishnaic and Talmudic period. The literary character of the hymns from Qumran differs from parallel hymns in Sefer ha'Razim and the Heḳaloth literature; The hymns from Qumran praise the Mighty God and speak of God's last judgement. The influence of the style and literary structure of Biblical hymns is still recognizeable. In later hymns of this type, the content, style, and literary structure have undergone numerous changes.