Discoveries in the Judaean Desert: Volume XI. Qumran Cave 4: VI : Poetical and Liturgical Texts, Part 1 (Discoveries in the Judaean Desert)

This volume contains a collection of prayers, hymns, psalms, and liturgies from Cave 4 at Qumran. Among them, 4QShirot Olat HaShabbat ('Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice') was preserved also in a copy from Cave 11. The other compositions include 4QNon-Canonical Psalms, 4QBerakhot ('Blessings'), 4QApocryphal Psalm, and 4QPrayer for King Jonathan. This collection of texts greatly enhances our understanding of intertestamental poetry, adding a rich continuation to the biblical tradition of praise and worship of God in poetry. Among other things, these compositions reveal more fully the Qumran community's understanding of the link between heavenly and earthly worship and the interaction of men and angels in the praise and service of God.