Dead Sea Scrolls
Religious Studies 303
Saint Martin's College
Spring 2003
Fort Lewis Extension
Take-home Midterm Exam

RLS 307:  Dead Sea Scrolls
Take-home Midterm Exam
Fort Lewis Extension
Spring, 2003

Instructions:  Respond to any TWO of the following five questions with an essay of one and a half to two pages for each question you choose.  The test is open book and open note.  You may discuss the questions in advance with anyone, but do not discuss the test with anyone while you are taking it.  In answering the questions, reflect as much as you can of the material we have been reading and discussing this term, but do not answer the question simply by paraphrasing that material (tell me what you think and support it by citing and referring to the class material).  Use some simple means (parenthetical notes, for example) to give credit for quotations and ideas derived from others.  It is due at the beginning of class, Wednesday, April 16.

1. Compare the rules in the Damascus Document and the Community Rule.  What kinds of communities would they create?  What sorts of things are they concerned with?  What would lead someone to want to live in one or the other of these communities?
2. Discuss the two stories in the Damascus Document and the Community Rule that deal with the origin of evil (fallen angels/two spirits).  What do we learn from these two stories about how the people telling them viewed life and the world around them?
3. From what you discovered so far about the ruins at Qumran, what would you conclude about the people who lived there?
4. Discuss the image and role of women and marriage in the scrolls as you have discovered them so far.
5. Does the War Scroll seem to be more of a military plan or more of a religious book to you?

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