4QInstruction (1Q26, 4Q415-18, 423) is the largest wisdom text of the Dead Sea Scrolls. (1) There has been relatively little examination of this composition in relation to the Synoptic Gospels. (2) Two dominant issues in the study of Q are its relationship to the wisdom tradition and the extent to which Q itself can be understood as sapiential. In his book The Formation of Q, John Kloppenborg discusses approximately ninety ancient collections of sayings, including material from Egypt, Mesopotamia, Israel, and Greece, situating Q in a broad international sapiential context. (3) This book was published in (1987), when 4QInstruction was not available. (4) In this article I will argue that 4QInstruction does not represent the redaction of distinct sapiential and apocalyptic layers. The document incorporates ideas that are alien to traditional wisdom, such as heavenly revelation, elect status, theophanic judgment, and an interest in the angelic world. 4QInstruction is a sapiential text with an apocalyptic worldview. The issue of wisdom in relation to apocalypticism in 4QInstruction has implications for the study of Q. There have been numerous studies on the relationship between these two traditions in the sayings gospel. (5) Some scholars have emphasized its sapiential character. (6) Others have downplayed the characterization of Q as apocalyptic, and classifying the work as sapiential has also been questioned. (7) 4QInstruction lends support to the opinion that Q contains sapiential material with perspectives not found in traditional wisdom. These ideas include rewards and punishments after death and an expectation of imminent punishment. 4QInstruction bolsters the view that it is not necessary to separate sapiential and apocalyptic material in Q. The sayings source can be understood as developing trends in Jewish wisdom that are found in 4QInstruction. This Qumran wisdom text should be taken into consideration when assessing the sapiential background of Q. (8)
