Rhetoric and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Purity, Covenant, and Strategy at Qumran by Bruce McComiskey (review).

This book provides a detailed rhetorical analysis of six sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran, emphasizing the concept of "rhetorical ecology," which considers the evolving material, discursive, and historical contexts of the Qumran community. It examines key texts such as 4QMMT ("Some Precepts of the Torah"), the Rule of the Community (1QS), the Damascus Document (CD), purity-related texts (4QTohorot and 11QT), and the Habakkuk Pesher (1QpHab), applying diverse rhetorical strategies to explore themes of identity, purity, and scriptural interpretation. The author argues for integrating hermeneutics and rhetoric into a unified approach termed "hermeneutic/rhetoric" and situates these texts within the social and political dynamics of the Essene community. While the study focuses on rhetorical analysis rather than historical reconstruction, it offers valuable insights for both rhetorical scholars and religious historians interested in Second Temple Jewish literature.