What holds a society together, what makes it dissolve, and how is a society in crisis restored? These are the questions explored in this study, which brings the Serek ha-Yahad (IQS) into dialogue with mimetic theory. It thus aims to shed light on the forms of life and thought in the yahad, as well as on their underlying reason and purpose.
From the analysis emerges an image of a community that not only has a strong awareness of the mechanisms of violence, but also of its cure. Its hierarchical organization and strict regulations are motivated by a perceived dissolution of contemporary society. By subordinating personal desire to community discipline and by establishing a system of differentiation, the yahad seeks to provide a model of how a society ought to be functioning.
Kamilla Skarström Hinojosa Ph.D. 2016, is Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of Gothenburg. Her research interests are Second Temple Judaism and contemporary theory. She is also part of the team translating the Dead Sea Scrolls into Swedish.
2 The Imperative of the Ritual (I, 1âIII, 12)
â1âIntroduction
â2âThe Internal Organization of the Section
â3âThe Bond Restraining Acquisitive Mimesis (I, 1â20)
â4âExpelling Scapegoat Mechanisms (I, 21âII, 10)
â5ââWoe to the One by Whom Scandal Comes!â (II, 11â18)
â6âRestoring Differences (II, 19âIII, 12)
â7âConclusions: Becoming the Surrogate Victim
3 Myth Subverted (III, 13âIV, 26)
â1âIntroduction
â2âThe Internal Organization of the Section
â3âThe Prince of This World (III, 13âIV, 1)
â4âThe Two Ways (IV, 2â8, IV, 9â14)
â5âChanging the Matrix of Society (IV, 15â26)
â6âConclusions: The Birth of a Movement
4 The Imperative of the Prohibition (V, 1âVII, 25)
â1âIntroduction
â2âThe Internal Organization of the Section
â3âEstablishing a Differential System (V, 1âVI, 8a)
â4âRules of Speech and Rules of Admission (V, 8bâVI, 23)
â5âForbidden Behaviors (VI, 24âVII, 25)
â6âConclusion: The Hidden Truth
5 A Foundation for Truth (VIII, 1âIX, 11)
â1âIntroduction
â2âThe Internal Organization of the Section
â3âA Voice in the Wilderness (VIII, 1â19)
â4âTransgressions of the Torah (VIII, 20âIX, 2)
â5âA Foundation of Holy Spirit (IX, 3â11)
â6âConclusion: The Stone That Rebuilds Society
6 The Innocent Victim Revealed (IX, 12âXI, 22)
â1âIntroduction
â2âThe Internal Organization of the Section
â3âThe Knowledge of the MaÅkîl (IX, 12â21a)
â4âThis World and the World to Come (IX, 21bâX, 5)
â5âText Analysis
â6âEstablishing Boundaries (X, 6â17a)
â7âTo Pursue Humanity with Goodness (X, 17bâXI, 15a)
â8âThe Knowledge of the Victim (XI, 15bâ22)
â9âConclusion: The Suffering Servant Identified
General Conclusions: A New Social Contract Bibliography Index