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7Q21: What is it? Where is it?
INTRODUCTION
The building depicted above is the Rockefeller
Museum, which is located in Jerusalem. In addition to the Shrine of the Book, many of the
Dead Sea manuscripts and artifacts are kept here. Much of the early work on the scrolls
was done in this facility, which was then known as the Palestine Archaeological Museum.
This work entailed cataloging, analyzing and photographing the myriad manuscript
fragments, pottery, and other artifacts that were found in the Dead Sea region. This
result of this effort served as the basis for the official series on the Dead Sea scrolls.
This series, which is still being compiled, has in turn provided scholars from around the
world with a suitable means for studying the scroll material.
The primary source for information on the contents of Qumran cave
7 is the editio princeps, which is entitled: "Discoveries in the Judaean
Desert of Jordan III, Les Petits Grottes de Qumran". This publication, which
appeared in 1962, is often referred to as "DJD III" and is the third volume in
the official series on the Dead Sea scrolls. It provides a record of the discovery and
excavation of the minor caves, including cave 7. It also describes the contents of each
cave, such as: manuscripts, pottery, and other artifacts. The analysis of the contents of
cave 7 includes photographs and drawings of the pottery fragments found within this cave;
along with infrared photographs, transcriptions, and notes regarding the papyrus fragments
found there as well. The account of the discovery of the cave, along with the description
of the pottery fragments, was provided by Fr. Roland deVaux, O.P. The papyrus manuscript
fragments were published by Fr. Maurice Baillet, who acknowledged his reliance on the
assistance rendered by Fr. Pierre Benoit and Fr. Marie-Emile Boismard, O.P. (page 47).
OBSERVATIONS
In addition to his contribution to DJD III,
Fr. deVaux also referred to cave 7 in earlier publications. This should come as no
surprise, since cave 7 was discovered in 1955, seven years before the publication of DJD
III. Furthermore, Fr. deVaux was certainly qualified to write about cave 7, as he was one
of the leaders of the excavations of the Qumran area. In addition to his work as an
archaeologist and as director of the Ecole Biblique, he also assembled the first team of
scholars in order to edit and publish the scroll material.
In 1959 he delivered a series of lectures to the British Academy
where he recounted the archaeological work done in the Dead Sea area up to that time.
These lectures were published in 1961 in a book entitled "L'Archeologie et les
Manuscrits de la Mer Morte". In the foreword Godfrey R. Driver mentions the fact
the deVaux has been involved in the Qumran excavations since 1947 and that "he has
presented reports, which are models of accurate scholarship, of the progress of the work
carried out by himself and his team of colleagues at regular intervals." On page 43
deVaux briefly mentions the excavations that took place during February and March of 1955;
which resulted in the discovery of caves 7 through 10. In a footnote, he directs the
reader to more detailed accounts of this excavation. These supplementary sources included
DJD III and pages 572-3 of the 1956 issue of Revue Biblique, the prestigious
journal published by the Ecole Biblique.
On pages 572-3 of the 1956 issue of Revue Biblique, one
finds a partial listing of the contents of Qumran caves 7 through 10. Cave 7 is described
in a single paragraph which is found near the bottom of page 572. This paragraph, written
in French by Fr. deVaux, is as follows:
7Q. - A l'extremite de
l'esplanade qui s'etend au sud du Khirbet et dominant le Wady Qumran. La poterie se
rattache a la periode I b; une jarre porte deux fois le nom 
peint en noir. Sur les marches de
l'escalier d'acces, on a recueilli quelques fragments grecs de l'Exode et de la Lettre
de Jeremie sur papyrus et un petit fragment hebreu sur peau.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
7Q. - (Is) at the edge of the esplanade which extends southward from the ruins and overlooks the Qumran valley. The pottery belongs to period I b. A jar has the name "roma" painted on it twice in black. At the entrance steps we have retrieved some Greek fragments of Exodus and the Letter of Jeremiah on papyrus along with a small Hebrew fragment on parchment.
IMPLICATIONS
The last few words merit special attention. These are: "...et un petit fragment hebreu sur peau."; which in English means: "...and a small Hebrew fragment on parchment." These few words from a respected author in a prestigious journal indicate that not all of the fragments found in Qumran cave 7 were written in Greek and on papyrus. One was written in Hebrew and on parchment. This obviously leads to the following questions:
QUESTIONS
1. Where is this Hebrew parchment fragment?
2. Can anything else be known about it?
3. Why wasn't it published in DJD III?
4. Is there really a 7Q21?
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8-14-99 / 1-22-2000