Endnote 12 – Who Is the Teacher of Righteousness?

One passage, CD 20:13–15, has been frequently cited as showing that the Teacher was a historical figure. It uses the word haesef, “ingathering,” in connection with the Teacher. This word is usually taken as a euphemism for the Teacher’s death, but it is better understood to mean the ingathering of peoples preceding the End of Days. See Wacholder, “Does Qumran Record the Death of the Moreh?” Revue de Qumran 13 (1988), pp. 323–330. For a contrary opinion, see Joseph Fitzmyer, “The Gathering In of the Community’s Teacher,” Maarav 8 (1992), pp. 223–228.