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Before the Church · c. 100 BC

The Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice

4QShirShabb

Anonymous

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What it is

Thirteen songs for the first thirteen sabbaths of the year, describing the worship of the angelic priesthood in a heavenly sanctuary — seven chief princes, seven blessings, and the bricks of the wall and the chariot-throne itself joining in the praise.

Why it lasted

The earliest evidence of a liturgy designed to join the worshipper to the angels, which is the assumption behind the Sanctus in every Christian eucharistic prayer since. It also stands at the head of the Jewish chariot mysticism that runs on for a thousand years.

Scripture it works from

Where to read it

Public domain and free to read in full, though not held here. The archives below have it.

These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.

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