Ritual and Change in the Qumran Movement and Judaean Society

The Qumran texts (part of the Dead Sea Scrolls) contain an enormous amount of crucial first-hand evidence from the late Second Temple period (c. 200 BCE–70CE) on ancient Jewish ritual practices. The proposed plan will address both individual rituals and their role in the Qumran movement as well as the wider question of how the ritual life of the movement is reflective of and impacted on the changes during this period. It is innovative in its introduction of new tools from the cognitive science of religion, which seeks cross cultural patterns in religious thought, experience, and practice. Special focus is placed on the study of the covenant renewal ritual in the Qumran movement, in which members re-enacted the covenant relationship with God and their membership and ranking in the Qumran movement. It includes various ritual elements (curses and blessings, confession, purification). Material reconstruction is needed to have a sound basis of relevant manuscripts.