Ezra's Legacy and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Law and Narratives of Exclusion

Beginning with the loss of the First Temple in 587 BCE and for centuries thereafter Jewish law and debates about its correct interpretation and implementation played a defining role in the emergence of Judaism. Disagreements about the extent to which requirements of the Jewish law such as circumcision was obligatory for non-Jewish converts to Christianity was also an important factor that emerging early Christian communities grappled with in defining their own boundaries (Acts 15). Finally, the central place of the Law and its correct interpretation in a changing world continues to define the identities of different strands of the Jewish community across the globe today.

This project explores the evidence of two crucial witnesses along this journey: Ezra-Nehemiah and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Ezra-Nehemiah offers an account of a programme of reform inspired by the mission of the fifth century BCE priest-scribe Ezra to return the law from the Babylonian exile to Jerusalem and promulgate its correct interpretation among the people. The Dead Sea Scrolls have revealed a substantial number of previously unknown Jewish legal texts. Since the full publication of the Scrolls scholars have begun to integrate this new material into what we know of the history of Jewish law from the Pentateuch to the emergence of classical Jewish texts like Mishnah and Talmud that were codified several centuries later. The nature and place of Jewish law in Ezra-Nehemiah and the full corpus of the Dead Sea Scrolls offers a rich and largely unexplored field of enquiry.

Until now the lack of explicit engagement with the figure of Ezra in the Dead Sea Scrolls has often been taken to suggest that both literatures emanate from circles that were at odds with each other. At the same time scholars have increasingly challenged accounts of the seminal impact of extraordinary individuals in favour of recognizing that significant changes are more credibly perceived as the culmination of sustained periods of complex developments within larger communities. By shifting attention away from the portrayal of the single-handed achievements of individuals such a Ezra or the Teacher of Righteousness mentioned in a small number of Dead Sea Scrolls this project will expose a series of contact points between the circles behind both literatures that have hitherto been overlooked. Close attention will also be paid to narratives of exclusion, i.e. traces in our sources of voices that have been side-lined such as members of the movements whose vision and practice departs from the dominant agenda promoted in the literature we have at our disposal.

Communities in the West Midlands and Beyond will benefit from a public panel discussion on Ezra, the Dead Sea Scrolls and Beyond. After almost a decade of co-hosting public lectures and education in Jewish Studies in Birmingham we attract a substantial audience from outside academia. We regularly seek feedback on our programme, and the Panel format is appreciated because it allows for a two-way conversation between panellists and members of the audience. The opportunity for further informal questioning and discussion with speakers over refreshments at the end of such events is important.

National Communities: An interactive workshop on Ezra's Legacy in the 21st Century will be hosted at the 2018 Limmud Festival, an annual celebration of Jewish learning and culture. The workshop will explore current perceptions of Ezra's legacy followed by presenting some of the findings that emerge from the project research, especially Ezra's absence from several important ancient sources. While the direction of the discussion cannot be pre-empted in any detail, it is expected that insights shared from the project research will inevitably result in a richer understanding of the portrayal of Ezra in our earliest sources among the wider public attending the Festival.

International Communities: By speaking at the major Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibition at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in 2018 I will offer an historical compass against which to conceptualize the significance of the manuscripts and artefacts on display. The 2019 Cristol Lecture in Fort Worth, Texas, hosted in the city's Beth El Synagogue, offers an opportunity to address an inter-confessional audience. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan area is home to the fourth largest Jewish community in the US as well as a large Christian population right in the middle of the Bible Belt. The diverse audience includes students from Brite Divinity School and nearby Southwestern Baptist Seminary and non-academics with a shared interest in the origins of Judaism and Christianity. After each lecture the audience will be given opportunities for questions and discussion. The lectures will result in an enhanced understanding of Ezra and the Dead Sea Scrolls for the shared history of Jews and Christians on the part of those attending.

Media: By contributing to Marginalia Review of Books as well as Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR) I will be able to reach a non-academic international readership with a keen interest in archaeological discoveries and research on the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. A column in BAR will probe the absence of Ezra from the Scrolls. A Forum on Ezra and the Dead Sea Scrolls scheduled to appear in Marginalia will offer accessible reflections on their findings by key contributors to the Project Conference.

The diverse publics above share variously motivated interests in the history of the Judeo-Christian tradition and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The results of this research are likely to be challenging to some and stimulating to others. Summative feedback will be sought for the Panel Discussion, the Limmud Workshop and the lectures in the US. Face to face access points for learning and opportunities for discussion will be complemented by a dedicated Twitter account @Ezra2DSS as well as opportunities for comment on the online platforms of BAR and Marginalia.