The Rolling Corpus: Materiality and Pluriformity at Qumran, with Special Consideration of the Serekh ha-Yaḥad

Drawing on insights from the field of Book History, the article draws out connections between the material aspects of the Qumran corpus on the one hand and textual pluriformity on the other, paying particular attention to the Serekh ha-Yaḥad. The article suggests that the large-scale pluriformity exhibited by texts such as the Serekh is best understood in light of certain material features particular to skin scrolls, and that opisthographs ought to be integrated into discussions of textual pluriformity. The article concludes by offering more general comments about the effects of the scroll on writing and reading practices in early Judaism.