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Which biblical figures narrate parts of the Genesis Apocryphon?
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Dead Sea Scrolls
Chapter 49 of the Isaiah Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls; in the Shrine of the Book, D. Samuel and Jeane H. Gottesman Centre for Biblical Manuscripts, the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
The Genesis Apocryphon, a pseudepigraphal work found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, is not a single narrative told by one voice. Instead, it is a collection of apocryphal stories centered on key figures from the book of Genesis.
The text is organized into four major sections, some of which are written in the first person, featuring the following biblical figures as narrators or primary subjects:
- Lamech: The first section (columns 1β5) focuses on his story.
- Noah: The second section (columns 6β15) details his narrative.
- Abraham: The final section (columns 18β22) recounts his story.
Additionally, the scroll contains a section regarding the "Table of the Peoples" (columns 16β17). While early researchers mistakenly identified the work as the "Apocalypse of Lamech," it is now understood as a broader collection of embellishments on these patriarchs, serving as an important example of Essene biblical exegesis.1