Une nouvelle version du sacrifice d’Isaac découverte dans les manuscrits de Qumrân

Abstract

Among the Qumran Library discovered between 1947 and 1967 near the Dead Sea, many manuscripts report the original scene of the sacrifice of Isaac told in Gen. 12. But two scrolls (4Q225, 4Q226) present another version. The story of the sacrifice of Isaac does not seem to be radically changed: Abraham tries to sacrifice his unique son as God wants but he stops the immolation of Isaac. Then God celebrates the faithfulness of Abraham. The change is in the preponderant role of evil during the scene. Why does the community of Qumran keep this new version of the sacrifice of Isaac along the original version? The manuscripts 4Q225 and 4Q226 seem to belong to a book named “Pseudo-Jubilees”. The text is near the book of Jubilees but without being a copy. It may be a thematic pesher, i.e. an actualizing commentary, of Jubilees. The theme may be the explanation of evil in Biblical history. This interpretation may be confirmed by the function of Jubilees in Essenism described in the Damascus Document (CD XV 22-XVI 4). The new version of the sacrifice of Isaac may take place in this context.