DEAD SEA SCROLLS SIR,—Mr. Hugh Montefiore, in his warmly appreciative
review of Mr. J. M. Allegro's 'Pelican' on the Dead Sea Scrolls, pays de- served tribute to its imaginative quality. He remarks that the dust-cover might well have been printed green for mystery and detection. blue for scholarship, and orange for the qual- ity just mentioned. All who have enjoyed Mr. Allegro's fascinating book will agree. They must also agree that 'the author is not by pro- fession a sleuth.' But is there anything in the case-book of Sherlock Holmes to match Mr. Allegro's detective virtuosity?
I have particularly in mind his depiction (p. 100) of the scene at Qumran immediately before the (alleged) crucifixion of the 'Teacher of Righteousness' by order of the High Priest, Alexander Jannaeus. There is, I believe, no explicit record in the Scrolls of any encounter between the Teacher and Jannaeus, nor of the Teacher's crucifixion, but Mr. Allegro makes his case.
He tells us that a number of cooking-pots were unearthed near the ruins of the Qumran community-house ('monastery'). These pots contained remnants of a meal. The meal may have been sacred. If it was, there was probably a 'temporary sanctuary' at Qumran, and if a sanctuary, then an altar of sacrifice. If the Teacher of Righteousness was connected with the local community, he may have officiated as priest. If he did, it is possible that he assumed the title of 'High Priest of Israel.' But if he assumed that title, it must have appeared to the existing High Priest as an act of political rebellion. And the existing High Priest .was, arguably, Alexander Jannaeus (and not Aristo- bulus II). But if it was Jannaeus, then it must be remembered that he had the habit of cruci- fying his adversaries. Therefore he would prob- ably put the Teacher on his list. If he did so, he may have made the journey in person to Qumran to seize him. If he made the journey, he could have been the 'Wicked Priest' who confronted the Teacher (as the Habakkuk Commentary mentions) on the Day of Atone-
ment. if he did, then the Teacher may have been officiating at the altar when the High Priest arrived—and so on, to Mr. Allegro's graphic account of the final encounter, cul- minating in the crucifixion. And all produced from the cooking-pots of Qumran.
But is all this really taken from the Scrolls? Scholars like Mr. Allegro, who have had access to them on the spot, naturally write with authority and with responsibility. Ordinary laymen like myself, whose intelligence may sometimes be baffled even by a 'who-doneit?' thriller, may in this matter be intellectually colour-blind. We cannot accurately distinguish between 'green for mystery and detection, blue for scholarship, and orange for imaginative writing.'—Yours faithfully,
Birmingham
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