The psychology of persuasion in the sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls

Abstract

Persuasion is a universal phenomenon across cultures, times, and regions. The speakers of the Dead Sea Scrolls shaped their reader’s spiritual, moral, and social lives, often responding to external pressures. This study examines how the Damascus Document (CD), the Community Rule (1QS), and “Some of the Precepts of the Torah” (4QMMT) use persuasive strategies with psychological triggers to reinforce sectarian identity, encourage compliance, and legitimize rulings. While some scholars have relied on Greco-Roman rhetorical handbooks to analyze these texts, this research argues that it is unlikely the speakers used such models. Instead, it employs Robert B. Cialdini’s empirically grounded, cross-culturally tested psychology of persuasion model to study the scrolls. This model includes seven principles – authority, liking, unity, reciprocation, scarcity, consistency, and social proof – and four pre-suasive tools: attractors (e.g., fear, sex), magnetizers (e.g., self-relevance, mystery), associations, and ease (e.g., rhythm, rhyme). The findings highlight that authority is predominantly used, but others contribute to the overall rhetorical force of the scrolls in varying degrees. These scrolls reveal that the speakers are skillful persuaders who establish boundaries (e.g., CD), cultivate insider identity (e.g., 1QS), and assert legal opinions (e.g., 4QMMT). Besides these, the scrolls’ persuasiveness is evident in fostering kinship through endearments, appealing to divine reciprocity, and invoking social pressure through rituals and oaths. Scriptural figures are presented as moral exemplars. Fear is used through curses and legal exclusions, balanced by the limited offer of inclusion. Future research applying Cialdini’s model to the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple literature may uncover psychological underpinnings in the rhetorical strategies. This research presents a new approach to studying the persuasive nature of the scrolls, which can be extended to other sectarian scrolls.

Date of Award	3 Dec 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of St Andrews
Supervisor	James Davila (Supervisor)