Abstract

The popularity that the Book of Genesis enjoyed among the members
of the Qumran community (28 or more copies) undoubtedly accounted for
the great number of the works inspired by its content that functioned as the
paraphrase of the biblical material. Hence, in the scrolls interpreting the
narrative of Gen 12–50 there were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls there are
relatively many references and allusions to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob. Unfortunately, most of the texts – apart from the Genesis Apocryphon
(1QapGen) – survived in a very fragmentary state only, therefore
their interpretation meets serious difficulties and any conclusions should be
drawn with the extreme cautiousness. Nevertheless, it can be acknowledged
that, in many cases, the authors of the Qumran texts paraphrasing Gen
12–50, on the one hand enriched the biblical material with new elements
by extending and supplementing it and, on the other hand, as in the biblical
narratives of Gen, portray the patriarchs in a standard sequence listing their
names (i.e. Abraham – Isaac – Jacob) in the context of the covenant and of
the divine promises, and present them as the models of obedience, loyalty
and faithfulness to God.