Physical The scroll is roughly from end to end, with thirteen
columns of Herodian script written on two pieces of
leather, sewn together with
linen thread. Most of the columns are missing their lowest lines; the first column is nearly completely lost, and there is a hole through the center of the second column.
The third chapter of Habakkuk is missing entirely from the
pesher, but it was left out intentionally, not destroyed by aging (most of the last column of the scroll is blank, clearly showing that the text of the pesher was complete). Regardless, the scroll is still largely readable, and editors have filled the
lacunae with reasonable confidence. The Teacher has not yet been successfully identified with any historical figure, though
Robert Eisenman argued its identification as
James the Just in his 1997 book with that title. Among the Teacher’s opponents were the
Wicked Priest and the Man of the Lie. The Wicked Priest is portrayed as a false religious leader who was at one point trusted by the Teacher. Towards the end of the pesher, the Wicked Priest is reported to have been captured and tortured by his enemies. The Man of the Lie is accused by the author of attempting to discredit the Teacher, as well as the Torah. Also mentioned in passing by the author is a House of Absalom, which is accused of standing idle while the Man of the Lie worked against the Teacher. Unlike the others, this name is attributed only to a couple of historical figures, the most likely candidate being a supposedly
Sadducean relative to
Aristobulus II, named Absalom. The author of the pesher reaches a similar solution to his difficult situation as the prophet Habakkuk had centuries before: perseverance through faith. He affirms that his community will not die at the hands of the wicked Judah. In turn, the power to retaliate against and judge the Kittim will be granted by God to the faithful. ==Comparison with the Masoretic Text==