What Is the Damascus Document?
The Damascus Document is one of the most significant sectarian texts found among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran. The document, which takes its name from a reference to “those who entered the new covenant in the land of Damascus,” includes an admonition calling for members of the sect to separate from the rest of Israel and a legal section covering a range of halakhic (legal) issues. Prior to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the mid-twentieth century, this text was known from two medieval manuscripts found in the Cairo Geniza. The Geniza manuscripts (labeled CD) remain the best-preserved versions of the document, but the ten copies found at Qumran include significant additional material.
Related Primary Sources
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The Damascus Document
Damascus Document 1–14 (selections)
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Torah at Qumran
Damascus Document 5:2–6|Rule of the Community 5:7–10
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Zadokite Priests as the Chosen of Israel
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The Priest at the Head of the Community
Damascus Document 14:3–8
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Qumran Daily Blessings
Daily Prayers
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Defilement of the Temple
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The Damascus Document on Separation from Non-Jews
Damascus Document 11:14–15; 12:6–11
Related Guide
What Are the Dead Sea Scrolls?
Found in caves in the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea Scrolls preserve the writings of an ancient Jewish sect.