4Q521, or the Messianic Apocalypse, is a fragmentary Hebrew text that consists of two fragments, each with multiple columns.Albert L. A. Hogeterp, Expectations of the end: A Comparative Traditio-Historical Study of Eschatological, Apocalyptic and Messianic Ideas in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament, Leiden: Brill, 2009, p. 277, 4Q521 (4QMessianic Apocalypse). The composition 4Q521, generally designated as 'Messianic Apocalypse', comprises two larger fragments (frgs. 2 ii + 4 and frgs. 71–8 + 5 ii7–16) 113 with evidence relevant for the discussion of resurrection. It was found in Cave 4 at Qumran and is included among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Text This translation was done by Gaye Strathearn in 2011.
Column II, Fragment II
Column III, Fragment II
Analysis of the Second Fragment
Topic and content This fragment is primarily eschatologicalRodrigo J. Morales, The Spirit and the Restoration of Israel: New Exodus and New Creation Motifs in Galatians, Ph.D. thesis, Duke University 2007, p. 55 "4Q521: The Messiah, the Spirit, and the Eternal Kingdom – Though also fragmentary in nature, the so-called Messianic Apocalypse (4Q521) presents a fascinating conjunction of eschatological themes and serves as a fitting transition to the ... and concerns the ministry of an Anointed.Eric Eve, The Jewish context of Jesus' miracles, New York: Sheffield Academic Press, 2002, p. 189, "The Messianic Apocalypse (4Q521) Several fragments of the text of the Messianic Apocalypse survive, but the one that has ... 7 1 -73, for a more recent attempt to make a close connexion between 4Q521 and Jesus' healing ministry. 47. It is similar to other apocalyptic texts such as 4QSecond Ezekiel and 4QApocryphon of Daniel,Andrew Chester, Messiah and exaltation: Jewish messianic and visionary traditions and New Testament Christology, Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2007, p. 151, "4QSecond Ezekiel (= 4Q385-388) and 4Q521. Both are fragmentary, and their meaning is correspondingly fragile and uncertain; equally, neither may have been produced by the Qumran sect, although that point is certainly debatable."Årstein Justnes, The Time of Salvation: An Analysis of 4QApocryphon of Daniel ar (4Q246), 4QMessianic Apocalypse (4Q521 2), and 4QTime of Righteousness (4Q215a), Bern: Peter Lang, 2009, p. 188, "On the basis of this detailed treatment of the three texts, the images they present of the time of salvation are compared in a synthetic presentation." though its references to all things obeying the Messiah are not paralleled in any other text in the context of Second Temple Judaism; such references have led to speculation concerning some kind of heavenly status of the Messiah in this text. Some see them as an allusion to Isaiah 1:2, which reads: "Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth, for the Lᴏʀᴅ has spoken..." However, the heavens and the earth are also commanded to listen to Moses in the Song of Moses, which may preclude any conclusions about a heavenly status of the Messiah.Novakovic, Lidija, "4Q521: The Works of the Messiah or the Signs of Messianic Times?" in Davis, Michael Thomas, and Brent A. Strawn, eds. Qumran studies: new approaches, new questions. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2007, pg. 221 esp. fn. 10.Grabbe, Lester L., Gabriele Boccaccini, and Jason M. Zurawski, eds. The Seleucid and Hasmonean Periods and the Apocalyptic Worldview. Vol. 88. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016, 180. In the Deuterocanon, Elijah commanding the heavens by the power of Yahweh can be identified as a partial parallel: "By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens and also three times brought down fire" (Sirach 48:3).
There is also some dispute among scholars as to whether "anointed ones" as a defective plural should be rendered as opposed to translating "anointed one." This would form a parallelism with "holy ones" in Line 1 and would imply that the entire line is referring to angelic figures broadly rather than a Messiah specifically.Cook, Edward M. Solving the Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls: New Light on the Bible. Harper Collins, 1994, 166.Novakovic, Lidija. Messiah, the Healer of the Sick: A Study of Jesus as the Son of David in the Gospel of Matthew. Vol. 170. Mohr Siebeck, 2003, pg. 171 n. 194. Otherwise, if the singular reading is accepted, this figure is understood to be prophetic rather than a Davidic messiah-king. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, prophets such as Elijah are regularly referred to as "anointed ones"; proclamation (Line 12) is also more characteristic of a messenger or prophet.
Similarity with Luke This manuscript has been studied in relation to Song of Mary and Song of Zechariah in the Gospel of Luke. There is a striking similarity between Luke 7:22 and Line 12 of this fragment, particularly concerning the good news being brought to the poor and the resurrection of the dead.Florentino García Martínez (ed.), Echoes from the Caves: Qumran and the New Testament, Leiden: Brill, 2009, p. 119, Stephen Hultgren "4Q521 and Luke's Magnificat and Benedictus", The purpose of this paper is to compare the fascinating text in 4Q521 2 II 1–15 with Luke's Magnificat and Benedictus in order to ....
Reference to Malachi The third column seems to reference Malachi 4:6 when it says "the fathers toward the sons", though it may be too fragmentary to know with any certainty and scholars are divided on its interpretation.
References
External links
Comparison between 4Q521 and early Gospel tradition by James Tabor