THE TWO WAYS

THE TWO WAYS

(Taken from the Dead Sea Scrolls)

1QS Columns 3 to 4; The Bentitudes 4Q525

“EVERYTHING IS FORESEEN, BUT FREEDOM OF ACTION IS GIVEN” 

States the Talmud, the ancient commentary on Biblical law.

Both the T12P and the sectarian texts use light and darkness as symbols for good and evil, make use of the dualistic doctrine of the two spirits and the two ways, and refer to the spirit of truth and the spirit of error, and the spirit of falsehood. But these terms are not actually spirits but principles in human nature.

dualistic beliefs are set forth

Chapter 1

Light and Darkness

1) Listen now all you who know righteousness, and consider the works of God, for He has a dispute with all flesh and will condemn all who despise Him.
2) You must gain understanding of the sons of light and the nature of all the children of men according to the kind of spirit that they possess with their distinctive characters and their works you can identify them during their lifetime.
3) From Yahweh the God of Knowledge (Gnosis) comes all that is and shall be.
4) Before ever they existed, He established their whole design, and when, as ordained for them, they come into being, it is in accord with His glorious design that they accomplish their task without change.
5) The laws of all things are in His hand and He provides them with all their needs.
6) Yahweh has created man to govern the world, and has appointed for him two spirits in which to walk until the time of His visitation: the spirits of truth and injustice.
7) Those born of truth spring from a fountain of light, but those born of injustice spring from a source of darkness.
8) All the children of righteousness are ruled by the Prince of Light and walk in the ways of light, but all the children of injustice are ruled by the Angel of Darkness and walk in the ways of darkness.
9) The Angel of Darkness leads all the children of righteousness astray, and until his end, all their
Sin, iniquities, wickedness, and all their unlawful deeds are caused by his dominion in accordance with the mysteries of God.
10) Every one of their chastisements, and every one of the seasons of their distress, shall be brought about by the rule of his persecution, for all his allotted spirits seek the over row of the sons of light.
11) But Jehovah the God of Israel and His Angel of Truth will succour all the sons of light.
12) For it is He who created the spirits of Light and Darkness and founded every action upon them and established every deed upon their ways.
13) And He loves the one everlastingly and delights in its works forever; but the counsel of the other He loathes and forever hates its ways.
14) These are their ways in the world for the enlightenment of the heart of man, and so that all the paths of true righteousness may be made straight before him, and so that the fear of the laws of God may be instilled in his heart.
15) A spirit of humility, patience, abundant charity, unending goodness, understanding, and intelligence; a spirit of mighty wisdom which trusts in all the deeds of God and leans on His great loving-kindness a spirit of discernment in every purpose.
16) Of zeal for just laws, of holy intent with steadfastness of heart, of great charity towards all the sons of truth of admirable purity, which detests all unclean idols, of humble conduct, sprung from an understanding of all things, and of faithful concealment of the mysteries of truth.
17) These are the counsels of the spirit to the sons of truth in this world.
18) And as for the visitation of all who walk in this spirit, it shall be healing, great peace in a long life, and fruitfulness, together with every everlasting blessing and eternal joy in life without end, a crown of glory and a garment of majesty in unending light.
19) But the ways of the spirit of falsehood are these: greed, and slackness in the search for righteousness, wickedness and lies, haughtiness and pride, falseness and deceit, cruelty and abundant evil, ill-temper and much folly.
20) And brazen insolence, abominable deeds committed in a spirit of lust, and ways of lewdness in the service of uncleanness, a blaspheming tongue, blindness of eye and dullness of ear, stiffness of neck and heaviness of heart, so that man walks in all the ways of darkness and guile.
21) And the visitation of all who walk in this spirit shall be a multitude of plagues by the hand of all the destroying angels, everlasting damnation by the avenging wrath of the fury of God, eternal torment and endless disgrace together with shameful extinction in the fire of the dark regions.
22) The times of all their generations shall be spent in sorrowful mourning and in bitter misery and in calamities of darkness until they are destroyed without remnant or survivor.
23) The nature of all the children of men is ruled by these two spirits, and during their life, all the armies of men have a portion of their division; and walk in both their ways.
24) And the whole reward for their deeds shall be, for everlasting ages, according to whether each man's portion in their two divisions is great or small.
25) For Jehovah has established the spirits in equal measure until the final age, and has set everlasting hatred between their divisions.
26) Truth abhors the works of injustice, and injustice hates all the ways of truth.
27) And their struggle is fierce in all their arguments for they do not walk together.
28) But in the mysteries of His understanding and in his glorious wisdom, God has ordained an end for injustice, and at the time of the visitation, He will destroy it forever.
29) Then truth, which has wallowed in the ways of wickedness during the dominion of injustice until the appointed time of judgment, shall arise in the world forever.
30) God will then purify every deed of man with His truth; He will refine for Himself the human frame by rooting out a spirit of injustice from the bounds of his flesh.
31) He will cleanse him of all wicked deeds with the spirit of holiness; like purifying waters, He will shed upon him the spirit of truth to cleanse him of all abomination and injustice.
32) And he shall be plunged into the spirit of purification, that he may instruct the upright in the knowledge of the Most High and teach the wisdom of the sons of heaven to the perfect of way.
33) For God has chosen them for an everlasting Covenant and all the glory of Adam shall be theirs.
34) There shall be no more lies and all the works of injustice shall be put to shame.
35) Until now the spirits of truth and injustice 'struggle in the hearts of men and they walk in both wisdom and folly.
36) According to his portion of truth so does a man hate injustice, and according to his inheritance in the realm of injustice so is he wicked and so hates truth.
37) For Jehovah has established the two spirits in equal measure until the determined end, and until the Renewal, and He knows the reward of their deeds from all eternity.
38) He has allotted them to the children of men that they may know good and evil, and that the destiny of all the living may be according to the spirit within them at the time of the visitation.

Chapter 2

The Beatitudes

1) God has placed before you two way one which is good and one which is evil. If you choose the good way, He will bless you But if you walk in the evil way he will curse you.
2) Blessed are the ones faultless in their way the ones walking in the law of Jehovah.
3) Blessed are those observing his reminders with all there heart they keep searching for him.
4) Blessed is the man that has not walked in the counsel of the wicked ones, and in the way of sinners has not stood and in the seat of ridiculers has not sat.
5) For evildoers they themselves will be cut off but those hoping in Jehovah are the ones that will possess the earth.
6) Watch the blameless one and keep the upright one in sight for the future of that man will be peaceful.
7) Blessed is the man in fear of Jehovah in whose commandments he has taken very much delight.
8) Blessed are the people knowing the joyful shouting of Jehovah in the light of your face they keep walking.
9) Blessed is the one who looks for God for his help whose hope is in Jehovah his God.
10) Happy is he that is trusting in Jehovah.
11) Happy will the ones be that walk in the good way for on the Day of Judgment they will be blesses
12) Blessed is the man with a pure heart and does not slander with his tongue.
13) Blessed are those who hold to her (Wisdom's) precepts and do not hold to the ways of error.
14) Blessed are those who rejoice in her, and do not burst forth in ways of folly.
15) Blessed are those who seek her with pure hands, and do not pursue her with a treacherous heart. 16) Blessed is the man who has attained Wisdom, and walks in the Law of the Most High.
17) He directs his heart towards her ways, and restrains himself by her corrections, and always takes delight in her chastisements.
18) For he does not forsake her when he sees distress, nor abandon her in time of strain.
19) He will not forget her on the day of fear, and will not despise her when his soul is afflicted.
20) For always he will meditate on her, and in his distress, he will consider her?
21) For he that has it as gain is better than having silver as gain and having it as produce than gold itself.
22) She is the prime thing acquire wisdom and all so with all that you acquire, acquire understanding.
23) Blessed is the man that has found wisdom and he that gets discernment.
24) He will place her before his eyes, so as not to walk in the ways of folly, for a wise man will listen and take in more knowledge and understanding is for the one who acquires skill full direction.
25) Do not forsake your inheritance to the nations nor your portion to strangers for Jehovah will not forsake his people nor will he leave his own inheritance
26) For the wise God will instruct with sweetness.
27) Those who fear God observe her ways and walk in all her precepts and do not reject her corrections.
28) The intelligent will bring out sayings of praise to the Most High and all those who walk in perfection will turn aside injustice, but they will not reject her admonitions and will carry her with him all the days of there lives.
29) The sensible will recognize her ways and meditate on her depths.
30) Those who love God will withdraw to Wisdom and keep God’s Laws, let the fear and love for Jehovah direct your feet with the steps you take in life.
31) Blessed is he who opens his lips blessing and praising God.
32) Cursed every man who opens his lips for the bringing into contempt and calumny of his neighbour, because he brings God into contempt.
33) Blessed is he who blesses all Jehovah’s works.
34) Cursed is he who brings Jehovah’s creation into contempt.
35) Blessed is he who looks down and raises the fallen.
36) Cursed is he who looks to and is eager for the destruction of what is not his.
37) Blessed is he who keeps the foundations of his fathers made firm from the beginning.
38) Cursed is he who perverts the decrees of his forefathers.
39) Blessed is he who imparts peace and love.
40) Cursed is he who disturbs those that love their neighbours.
41) Blessed is he who speaks with humble tongue and heart to all.
42) Cursed is he who speaks peace with his tongue, while in his heart there is no peace but a sword.
43) Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.
44) Blessed are they who have kept the flesh pure for they shall become a temple of God.
45) Blessed are the continent, for to them will God speak.
46) Blessed are they who have renounced this world for they shall be well pleasing to God.
47) Blessed are they who have fear of God for they shall become sons of God.
48) Blessed are they who tremble at the word of God for they shall be comforted.
49) Blessed are they who will receive the wisdom of the Messiah for they shall be called sons of the Most High.
50) Blessed are they who have laid hold upon the understanding of the Messiah for they shall be in light.
51) Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy and shall not see bitterness when the Day of Judgment comes.
52) For all these things will be laid bare in the weighing-scales and in the books, on the day of the great judgment.