THE CONCEPT OF עיר AND המקדש עיר IN THE TEMPLE SCROLL

: A SPATIAL EXAMINATION OF COLUMNS 45-47

Abstract

The Temple Scroll of Cave 11 (11Q19) bears intriguing features which have not yet received any scholarly attention. The most striking is the repeated iteration of the Hebrew word עיר , our nearest translation to which is ‘city’. Indeed, the use of this repetition, mainly in columns 45-47, would indicate a level of concern by the scroll’s author about עיר and its concepts. This concern is reinforced by the punning near-homograph עור , translated as both ‘blind’ and ‘animal hide’. Its presence is of significance because both are cited as impurities, forbidden in המקדש עיר , ‘temple city’. Up to now, scholarly opinion on the understanding of עיר has restricted itself to the relationship of עיר to המקדש and מקדשי . This has generated differing and inconclusive opinions on the understanding of עיר in the Temple Scroll. The heart of this study takes a more holistic approach to resolve this problem by the application of Critical Spatial Theory, proposed by Henri Lefebvre and subsequently developed by Edward Soja. When applied to עיר and its related spaces, it sheds fresh light on this relationship. A challenge is raised against the prevailing scholarly assumption that עיר relates directly to Jerusalem. The absence of the word 'Jerusalem' in the extant scroll raises the possibility that the divine presence, envisaged in the text, need not necessarily require Jerusalem as its centre. These inconclusive issues open up a research investigation as to the alternative ideas of עיר in the scroll; that is to say, the idea of עיר as a spatial concept, with or without boundaries and its associations with purity practices. This study offers a resolution to the hitherto inconclusive understanding of המקדש עיר in that it is a complete Thirdspace entity rather than separate Firstspace entities.

Date of Award	1 Apr 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	King's College London
Supervisor	Paul Joyce (Supervisor) & Joan Taylor (Supervisor)