THE ESSENE'S AND THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS

[tanakh]

The Essene's were a mysterious group of people who appear to have been active for up to two hundred years BC. Before the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered little was known about them. Josephus mentions them and I believe some of their writings were in circulation prior to the Dead Sea discoveries.

The strange thing about them from a Christian point of view is that some of their beliefs are very similar to Christianity.
They believed that they were the heirs to the New Covenant as Prophesied by Jeremiah. That the Temple and Priesthood were corrupt. They were led by a group of twelve and practiced a form of Baptism. They also refer to someone they call The teacher of righteousness who was killed by 'a wicked Priest'.

One of their main beliefs was the division of people into two groups called The Sons of Light and the Sons of darkness.
No guessing who the Sons of LIght were. They believed in the last days and that they were in them.

I wonder how much influence if any they had on the early Church and why they are not mentioned in any of the New Testament writings. What are your thoughts?

 

[yoninah]

I wonder how much influence if any they had on the early Church and why they are not mentioned in any of the New Testament writings.

Some background on the DSS and Qumran.

It's not certain that the community/village discovered at Qumran was an Essene Community - neither that the DSS should be associated with that Community.

The scrolls were some two miles and more away from the settlement (some were further) and may have been a deposition of writings regarded important that were removed from Jerusalem prior to its Fall in 70AD but which were never recovered.

Josephus' mention of the sect speaks about two types of Essenes and that they had large colonies/communities with an appointment of an individual in the towns where they lived, charged with the welfare of strangers, an inference that they lived amongst men and not apart from them.

The scriptorium suggested as located at Qumran could well have been a secular administrative area for the dealing with of documents. And, amongst the fragments found at Qumran, 7Q5 is reputed to be the earliest example of the Gospels which, if correct, would point to the caves not being the exclusive use of any particular group of people (even if it was ever like that). The Copper Scroll (3Q15) is usually not regarded as Essene, either.

In short, Josephus' description of the Essenes in the Jewish War isn't conclusive to identify the buildings at Qumran - or the writings located miles away - with the Essenes. Any association of the DSS with the Essenes is generally the mainstream view but not totally certain - while the association of Qumran with the scrolls is tentative.

 

[tanakh]

Some background on the DSS and Qumran.

It's not certain that the community/village discovered at Qumran was an Essene Community - neither that the DSS should be associated with that Community.

The scrolls were some two miles and more away from the settlement (some were further) and may have been a deposition of writings regarded important that were removed from Jerusalem prior to its Fall in 70AD but which were never recovered.

Josephus' mention of the sect speaks about two types of Essenes and that they had large colonies/communities with an appointment of an individual in the towns where they lived, charged with the welfare of strangers, an inference that they lived amongst men and not apart from them.

The scriptorium suggested as located at Qumran could well have been a secular administrative area for the dealing with of documents. And, amongst the fragments found at Qumran, 7Q5 is reputed to be the earliest example of the Gospels which, if correct, would point to the caves not being the exclusive use of any particular group of people (even if it was ever like that). The Copper Scroll (3Q15) is usually not regarded as Essene, either.

In short, Josephus' description of the Essenes in the Jewish War isn't conclusive to identify the buildings at Qumran - or the writings located miles away - with the Essenes. Any association of the DSS with the Essenes is generally the mainstream view but not totally certain - while the association of Qumran with the scrolls is tentative.

An interesting reply. I have heard that there is a dispute regarding the Qumran site. There is also some debate as to whether the Marcan fragment was actually found there. Another story I saw recently is that a complete Aramaic version of the book of Enoch was found there and is in the hands of a private collector. This would be a valuable find because it would solve the question as to whether a section of the book was pre Christian or not.

 

[yoninah]

An interesting reply. I have heard that there is a dispute regarding the Qumran site. There is also some debate as to whether the Marcan fragment was actually found there. Another story I saw recently is that a complete Aramaic version of the book of Enoch was found there and is in the hands of a private collector. This would be a valuable find because it would solve the question as to whether a section of the book was pre Christian or not.

Problem with that is that you have to assume that *all* the manuscripts are associated together and they are 'miles apart'. It isn't certain that different aged manuscripts all belong to one and the same owner(s).

Carsten Thiede, a Catholic Scholar, is the main proponent of the 7Q5 identification. Or he was when I read up on the subject. I also was never happy about DSS = Qumran and read a decent book by an author I can't remember that I've put away in a place I can't find.

The easiest - and most reliable - thing to do, imo, is to try and assess the DSS as documents 'without context'. That is, without trying to colour them as belonging to Qumran or to a particular sect, Essenes or otherwise - and see where that leads.

But the OT is nearly all there (if I recall rightly) along with the 'specials'. But, if we discovered a christian's library in two thousand years, would we find eight translations of the Bible and some paperbacks by other authors? Totally different culture, I know, but not enough for us to say that person is from a particular sect.

Personally, I take the DSS to be *mainly* a deposition of manuscripts secluded there when the Romans advanced on Jerusalem in 70AD and Qumran I can't positively identify with the originators of the scrolls. The Essenes I find hard to use as a label for either the DSS or Qumran.

 

[JimmieD]

The Essene's were a mysterious group of people who appear to have been active for up to two hundred years BC. Before the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered little was known about them. Josephus mentions them and I believe some of their writings were in circulation prior to the Dead Sea discoveries.

The strange thing about them from a Christian point of view is that some of their beliefs are very similar to Christianity.
They believed that they were the heirs to the New Covenant as Prophesied by Jeremiah. That the Temple and Priesthood were corrupt. They were led by a group of twelve and practiced a form of Baptism. They also refer to someone they call The teacher of righteousness who was killed by 'a wicked Priest'.

One of their main beliefs was the division of people into two groups called The Sons of Light and the Sons of darkness.
No guessing who the Sons of LIght were. They believed in the last days and that they were in them.

I wonder how much influence if any they had on the early Church and why they are not mentioned in any of the New Testament writings. What are your thoughts?

Their views look similar to early Christianity because both groups were apocalyptic Jewish sects. But the Qumran group believed they were the elect who would join God's side in the last great battle and rebuild the temple and worship properly. The views look similar because both groups use similar themes and concepts that are familiar across the 2nd Temple Jewish worldview.

 

[didymos]

The Essene's were a mysterious group of people who appear to have been active for up to two hundred years BC. Before the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered little was known about them. Josephus mentions them and I believe some of their writings were in circulation prior to the Dead Sea discoveries.

The strange thing about them from a Christian point of view is that some of their beliefs are very similar to Christianity...

FYI: presumably a fragment of the Gospel of Mark (7Q5) was found among the scrolls.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7Q5