A Paradigm for Identifying the Use of Scriptural Allusion in Lemma-Based Exegesis Within the Qumran Library Using 4QpPsa (4Q171) as an Example

The imperative of determining the use of scriptural allusion in Qumran texts for aiding in reconstructing, clarifying, and understanding words, concepts, and relationships has been frequently noted. Nowhere is this more important than in pesher and lemma-based exegesis. Yet, heretofore no comprehensive methodology for identifying such allusions has been proffered. Systems for detecting scriptural allusion in this genre of texts are particularly complicated by the subjectivity of the endeavor, the extremely terse interpretive sections, and their dependence on specific lexemes required for creating the gloss. Therefore, in order to aid in the identification of these scriptural allusions this study presents a “layered-cumulative” approach as a paradigm and foundation for further discussion. It is based on (1) identifying markers, (2) substantiating the transfer of context between hypotext and hypertext, and (3) making use of other verifying factors. We use 4QpPsa (4Q171) as an example of this methodology.