A Baptismal Liturgy 4Q414

The present work was evidently intended to govern a ritual of baptism or ablutions. A sectarian text by virtue of its mention of the Yahad, this liturgy may have operated during the ritual washings that are discussed in the Charter (see text 5, 3:4-9; 4:21; 5:13b-14). The Liturgy's distinctive formula' "and He shall say in response,'Blessed are You . . . " (1. 1 of frag. 2, col. 1), establishes a clear relationship between this work and other purlfication texts among the scrolls, such as the Lawsfor Purfication (text 52) and A Purification Ritual (text 107).

Frag. 2 Col. l 1[ . . . And he shall] say [in response,] "Blessed 2[are You, . . . ] The unclean for the festivals of 3[ . . . ] Your [ . . . ] and to make atonement for us 4[ . . . to be] pure before you 3[ . . . ] in every matter 6[ . . . ] to purify oneself prior to 7[ . . . ]. You made us [ . . . ]

Frags. 2 + 3 Col. 2 1And you shal1 clean[se him for Your holy statutes . . . ] 2for the first, [the third and the sixth . . . ] 3in the truth of Your covenant [ . . . ] 4to cleanse oneself from uncleanness [ . . . ] 5and then he shal1 enter the water [ . . . ] 6And he shall say in response, "Blessed are Y[ou . . . ] 7for from what comes out of your mouth [ . . . ] 8men of impurity [ . . . ]

Frag. 10 1s[ou]l [ . . . ] 2 he is [ . . . ] 3 to Yourself as a pu[re] people [ . . . ] 4 And I also [ . . . ] 5 the day which [ . . . ] 6 in the times of purity [ . . . ] 7 the Yahad.
[ . . . ] 8 in Israel's pure food [ . . . ] 9 [and] they shall dwell [ . . . ] 10 And it will happen on [shag day [ . . . ] 11 a female and she will give thanks [ . . . ]

Frag. 12 1 For You made me [ . . . ] 2 Your will is that we cleanse ourselves befo[re . . . ] 3 and he established for himself a statute of atonement [ . . . ] 4 and to be in rig[hteous] purity Sand he shall ba[t]he in water and sprinkle up[on . . . ] 6 [ . . . ] And then they return from the w[ater . . . ] 7 cleansing His people in the waters of bathing [ . . . ] 8 second time upon his station. And he shall [say] in re[sponse, "Blessed are You, . . . ] 9 [ . . . ] Your purlfication in Your glory [ . . . ] 10 [ . . . ] eternally. And today [ . . . ]