דו-שיח עם המקרא במזמורים ובתפילות מקומראן

This article is offered as a contribution to the theoretical and empirical study of the dialogue with Scripture in hymns and prayers from Qumran. It examines the use of the Bible as a key to the meaning and purpose of three apocryphal psalms, and explores the implications for the nature of the three collections in which they are found: 4Q381's Non-Canonical Psalms, the Cave 11 Psalms Scroll (11QPsa), and 4QNarrative and Poetic Compositiona–c (4Q371–373). The focal point of the discussion is the question: how much of the biblical context does a biblical allusion import into the new work and under what conditions? Based on the case studies, the article proposes four criteria for gauging when and to what extent the biblical context is being accessed. These are: (1) a clearly identifiable quotation or allusion to a specific biblical passage, (2) an additional marker that flags the specific passage and makes it virtually impossible for the biblically acquainted reader/listener to ignore, (3) the totality of the intertextual allusions, and (4) the degree of continuity between the new work and its biblical source. The three case studies demonstrate similarity (the psalm of the Man of God in 4Q381 Non-Canonical Psalms), dissonance (the Joseph psalm in 4QNarrative and Poetic Compositiona–c), and discontinuity (the Hymn to the Creator in the Cave 11 Psalms Scroll). The theoretical issue and the methodology set forth in this article may be applied not only to ancient religious poetry but also to all works of all genres and all ages that look to Scripture as a source of inspiration.