The Power of the Wisdom Label in Dead Sea Scrolls Research and the Curious Case of 4Q419 (4QInstruction-Like Composition A)

Abstract

This article tells the story of 4Q419, a manuscript that was once associated with a well-known Wisdom text: 4QInstruction. However, following its removal from 4QInstruction and re-categorisation as an “Unclassified Manuscript” in the 1990s (see dssr 6 and djd 39), 4Q419 has been largely overlooked by the scholarly community. There are two core objectives to this article. First, it encourages scholars to re-engage with a neglected manuscript that still has much to contribute to discussions of pluriformity, textual development, and the scribal background of 4QInstruction. Second, this article attempts to shed light on the ramifications of scholarly adherence to the Wisdom label and raises broader concerns about the degree to which our designated labels influence the way we read, understand, and talk about the Scrolls.