Time and Torah at Qumran

Devorah Dimant

Halakah, biblical interpretation and apocalyptic speculations are usually treated as separate issues within the thought of the Qumranic community. The paper will attempt to show that one fundamental concept underlies the community's approach to these iss ues, that of viewing time as a sequence of preordained periods. This concept thus relativizes the sense and meaning of scriptures and their interpretation.