«A third of all nights»: Qumran laws on the night-time sacred texts studies

Abstract

The article analyses a small fragment of the Community Rule (1QS VI: 7) which postulates the need to devote part of the night time to the study of the Law. Usually this fragment is attended to as an illustration of ascetical trends in the Qumran community. However, it seems that 1QS VI: 7 can be understood not as evidence of sleep deprivation during the hole night, but rather as a prescription concerning the regulation of one’s activity during the nocturnal wakefulness that was common for all people (not only for the members of the community) in the Second temple period. Reviewing 1QS VI: 7 in the light of modern concepts of sleeping practices in preindustrial era can give a new perspective on the Qumran laws concerning night-time behavior.