4Q175 (TESTIMONIA) IN THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS: SCRIBAL MEMORY AND TEXTUAL RECOMPOSITION
Author:
Željko Stanojević
Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature, Belgrade
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0717-6184
Abstract
The Qumran manuscript 4Q175 (Testimonia) represents a structured collection of scriptural passages traditionally interpreted as a compilation of messianic testimonia. This study offers a philological reassessment of the text, arguing that 4Q175 should not be understood as a series of direct biblical quotations but as a recomposed textual unit shaped through processes of scribal memory, interpretive transmission, and textual adaptation.
Through detailed analysis of orthographic, morphological, and syntactic variation in comparison with the Masoretic Text, the study demonstrates that the deviations found in 4Q175 form recurring and systematic patterns inconsistent with mechanical copying. These include non-assimilated consonantal forms, omission of weak consonants, instability in verbal sequencing, shifts in grammatical person, and lexical adaptation. The cumulative effect of these features supports a model of memory-based recomposition rather than textual corruption.
Special attention is given to modern translation practices, particularly the Russian translation by I. D. Amusin, which exhibits a tendency toward normalization. This process, while improving readability, obscures the distinctive linguistic and textual features of the Qumran manuscript. The study therefore proposes a philological-analytical model of translation that preserves variation and explicitly reflects the textual plurality characteristic of the Second Temple period.
By integrating philological analysis with methodological reflection on translation, this study contributes to a broader understanding of textual transmission, scriptural authority, and the dynamics of biblical interpretation in the Qumran corpus. It further situates 4Q175 within the wider scribal environment of the Dead Sea Scrolls, drawing parallels with manuscripts such as the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa), where similar patterns of variation have been documented.
Keywords
Dead Sea Scrolls; 4Q175; Testimonia; Qumran; Scribal Memory; Textual Recomposition; Hebrew Philology; Textual Criticism; Orthographic Variation; Biblical Transmission; Masoretic Text; Second Temple Judaism; Rewritten Scripture; 1QIsaa; Translation Studies
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Zenodo (DOI):
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20015541
Humanities Commons:
https://works.hcommons.org/records/ka46r-7py36
Suggested Citation
Stanojević, Ž. (2026) 4Q175 (TESTIMONIA) IN THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS: SCRIBAL MEMORY AND TEXTUAL RECOMPOSITION.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20015542
Related Works
Stanojević, Ž. (2001) Hebrejsko-srpski rečnik (Hebrew-Serbian Dictionary). Rad; Alfa i Omega.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19522850
Stanojević, Ž. (2009) Kumranski spisi: dokaz verodostojnosti Biblije. Beograd: Metafizika.
Stanojević, Ž. (2012) Kumranski spisi: dokaz verodostojnosti Biblije. Tom 2: Tajna Isaijinog svitka.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19522797
Stanojević, Ž. (2026) TESTIMONIA (4Q175): analiza kumranskog svitka sa posebnim osvrtom na Amusinov prevod na ruski jezik.
https://www.academia.edu/165282758
Stanojević, Ž. (2026) COLUMN 6 – The Great Isaiah Scroll from Qumran (1QIsaa): Orthographic and Scribal Features, Analysis, and Translation.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19557658