Définir une cible mouvante

Summary

Ancient Judaism as a historical object is the subject of many current debates. In order to circumscribe and define it, it seems to us that highlighting dynamics rather than lists of characteristics or singularities gives a better account of the available sources. The diversity of beliefs and practices resists categorisation by social groups. The conditional comparison between the Qumran texts and the New Testament texts provides an insight into some of the dynamics at work at the turn of the Christian era. The example of the expressions “son of God” and “son of the Most High” read in manuscript 4Q246 and the New Testament illustrates the uses and misuses of comparison for this purpose.