Hello. This is my final article concerning the provenance of the Habakkuk
Pesher, and deals with the leader of the Community, the Teacher of Righteousness
or Righteous Teacher [Moreh HaTzedek] and his antagonist the Spouter
of Lies. As in the preceding article, the first passage introduces the
Teacher of Righteousness and needs no further comment.

Habakkuk} ["For the wicked man hems in] the righteous man" (1:4b).

Pesher} [The "wicked man" refers to the Wicked Priest, and "the righteous
man"] is the Teacher of Righteousness.

H} ["Look, traitors, and see,] [and be shocked -amazed- for the Lord
is doing something in your time that you would not believe it if] told"
(1:5).

P} [This passage refers to] the traitors with the Man of Lying, because
they have not [obeyed the words of] the Teacher of Righteousness from
the mouth of God. It also refers to the trai[tors to the] New [Covenant]
because they did not believe in God's Covenant [and desecrated] His holy
name; and finally, it refers [to the trai]tors in the Last Days. They
are the cru[el Israel]ites who will not believe when they hear everything
that [is to come upon] the latter generation that will be spoken by the
Priest in whose [heart] God has put [the ability] to explain all the
words of His servants the prophets, through [whom] God has foretold
everything that is to come upon His people and [His land].


As we have seen in the preceding articles, the imagery of this pesher
bears a extraordinary resemblance to the events of the first century
CE described by the Jewish historian Josephus, more so than for any other
Roman era, and the presence here of the idea of a New Covenant should
lay to rest attempts to place the writing of the pesharim to any other
time when close analysis of their language is given precedence over any
other dating tool.

In this passage we are first informed of the "ish ha-kazav" or Man of
Lying, elsewhere referred to as the "matif ha-kazav" or Spouter of Lying,
who was the ideological adversary of the Teacher of Righteousness. An
acceptance of a first century CE milieu --as opposed to the inevitable
murkiness which ensues when believed to be any other era-- makes it comparatively
clear and easy to see who is being discussed here in the
pesher, when one considers what we know of the relationship between Ya'akov
HaTzadik and his adversary Paul of Tarsus from the non-Hebrew sources.

Above we are told that the problem of the "traitors to the New Covenant"
with the Man of Lying was that they did "not believe in the Covenant
of God," a clear parallel with the problem Ya'akov's Community had with
those who followed Paul, that is, they did not believe in the validity
of Mosaic Law, as expressed vividly by Paul in his letter to the Galatians:

"But when Peter came to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because
he was to be blamed. For, BEFORE CERTAIN MEN CAME FROM JAMES, he used
to eat with the gentiles; BUT WHEN THEY CAME, he withdrew and separated
himself, fearing THE CIRCUMCISSION PARTY. AND THE OTHER JEWS LIKEWISE
DISEMBLED WITH HIM, insomuch that EVEN BARNABAS was carried away with
their DISIMULATION ... But ... knowing that a man is NOT JUSTIFIED BY
WORKS OF THE LAW, BUT BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, WE HAVE BELIEVED in Jesus
Christ, THAT WE MIGHT BE JUSTIFIED BY THE FAITH OF CHRIST, AND NOT BY
WORKS OF THE LAW, FOR BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED"
(2:11-16). He goes so far as to say "Christ has redeemed us from  the
CURSE of the Law" in 3:13. This emphasis Paul places on "belief" and
his rejection of works of the Law is ridiculed in the passage above which
speaks of the traitors of the New Covenant with the Man of Lying "WHO
DID NOT BELIEVE in God's Covenant."

This separating from Paul also has its parallels in the Community Rule
of Qumran, which advises members of the Community concerning such Torah-breakers
to not "cooperate with him in his work or his purse, lest he contract
his guilty sinfulness. Rather HE SHOULD DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM HIM IN
EVERYTHING, as it is written: "Keep away from all things that are lying"
[Ex 23:7]. Therefore no man among the men of the Community shall ACQUIESCE
TO THEIR AUTHORITY IN ANY (MATTER OF) TORAH or judgement. HE SHALL NOT
EAT ANYTHING BY (MEANS OF) THEIR PURSE, OR DRINK OR TAKE ANYTHING FROM
THEIR HANDS WHATSOEVER...SINCE ONE SHOULD SEPARATE FROM ALL THOSE NOT
RECKONED IN HIS COVENANT" (5.14-18).

This ability of the Teacher of Righteousness "to explain all the words
of His servants the prophets," which was not obeyed by the Man of Lying
and the traitors to the New Covenant who followed him, is paralleled
by the account of Ya'akov in the Recognitions of Clement --however late
its final composition-- who similarly was able to "show that whatsoever
things the prophets say they have taken from the Law, and what they have
spoken is in accordance with the Law.
He also made statements respecting the books of the Kings, in what way,
and when, and by whom they were written, and how they ought to be used.
And...he had discussed most fully concerning the Law, and had, by a most
clear exposition, brought into light whatever things are in it" (1.69).

As we see by his own admission, Paul --whether rightly or wrongly is
not being argued here--
had no use for the teachings of Ya'akov --so similar to Qumran's-- and
told people instead, "I
beseech you, be ye followers of me" (1 Cor 4:16, 11:1).


H} "How can you look on silently, you traitors, when the wicked destroys
one more righteous than he? (1:13b).

P} This refers to the family of Absalom and the members of their party,
who kept quiet when the Teacher of Righteousness was rebuked, and they
did not help him against the Man of Lie, who had rejected the Law in
the presence of their entire [company].


Immediately after referring to Ya'akov's superior exegesis of the prophets,
the Recognitions tell us of someone named Saul, who entered the Temple
with a band of thugs and "began to drive all into confusion with shouting,
and undo what had been arranged with much labor, and at the same time
to reproach the priests, and to enrage them with revilings and abuse,
and, like a madman, to excite everyone to murder," inspiring a riot "in
the midst of which that enemy attacked James, and threw him headlong
from the top of the [Temple] steps" (1.70).

I submit this is the "family of Absalom" --an apt metaphor for traitors--
the "ones who kept quiet when the Teacher of Righteousness was rebuked
and did not aid him against the Man of Lying." This type of violence
is substantiated by the account of a mysterious Saul in the time of Ya'akov
in Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews, "who did [get] together a band
of wicked wretches...[and] used violence against the people, and were
ready to plunder those weaker than themselves. And from that time it
mainly came to pass that our city was greatly disordered" (20.9.4), IMMEDIATELY
FOLLOWING HIS DISCUSSION OF THE EXECUTION OF YA'AKOV (by the Wicked Priest
Ananus in my previous article).  

This type of behaviour is only alluded to by Paul himself, who admits
he had "persecuted the Assembly of God violently and tried to destroy
it" (Gal 1:13).


H} "So I will stand on watch and station myself
on my watchtower and wait for what He will say to me, and [what I will
reply to] His rebuke. Then the Lord answered me [and said, Write down
the vision plainly] on tablets, so that with ease [someone can read it"
(2:1-2).]

P} [This refers to ... ...] then God told Habakkuk to write down what
is going to happen to the generation to come; but when that period would
be complete He did not make known to him. When it says, "so that with
ease someone can read it," this refers to the Teacher of Righteousness
to whom God made known all the mysterious revelations of his servants
the prophets.


Ya'akov seems to have known what was in store for "the generation to
come" in the last chapter of the letter in his name which predicts: "Come
now, you rich, weep, howl over the miseries THAT ARE TO COME on you.
Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold
and silver is cankered, and the rust of them SHALL BE a witness against
you, AND SHALL eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure
together FOR THE LAST DAYS [cf. the second pesher above]. Behold, the
hire of the laborers who have reaped your fields, which you kept back
by fraud, cries out, and the cries of them which have reaped have reached
the ears of the Lord. You have lived in pleasure on the earth, and have
been wanton; you have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
You have condemned and killed the just one [Heb: 'HaTzadik'], and he
does not resist you. BE PATIENT, therefore, my brothers, unto THE COMING
OF THE LORD" (5:1-7). This patience counseled here regarding the Last
Days is wise when it is understood that in this passage, "when that period
would be complete," God "did not make known" to Habakkuk.


H} ["As for the righteous man, by loyalty to him one may find life" (2:4b).]

P} This refers to all those who obey the Law [better: "Doers of Torah";
osei ha-torah] among Jews whom God will rescue from among those doomed
to judgement, beause of their suffering [better: "suffering works"; 'amal]
and their loyalty ["faith"; emudah] to the Teacher of Righteousness.


Here not only is there clear justification for the faith and works ideology
of Ya'akov's letter, WHICH WAS REJECTED BY PAUL, but the expression of
"doer of the Law" --THE VERY ONES WHO WERE TO BE SAVED FROM GOD'S JUDGEMENT
IN THE LAST DAYS IN THE PESHER--  is ALSO in his letter, which castigates
one who would judge the Law, saying, "but if you judge the Law, YOU ARE
NOT A DOER OF THE LAW, but a judge" (4:11).  

I believe it is clear what's going on in the pesher here --and really
ALL the pesharim. What these are are the previously unknown HEBREW writings
of the Community of Ya'akov, the Teacher of Righteousness.



For more information on the deep connection between the Community of
Ya'akov and the Dead Sea Scrolls, I have dealt with the subject in a
previous article: