The Dead Sea Scrolls

[Tony Hyman]

I was reading up on the Essens and how they came to be "Finally in 94 B.C.., the people rebelled ,led by the Pharisees .After six years of indecisive civil war , the Pharisees made an incredible mistake.They called on the Syrians to intervene.The people ,stunned at seeing the successors of the Hasideans in league with the ... Syrians, withdrew their support and went over to Janneus in time to repel the Syrian invasion.

Once reinstated in Jerusalem, Janneus has 800 leading Pharisees crucified and their wives and children killed in front of them...Janneus and his concubines held a Greek-style drinking party and watched the bloody spectacle.One of the Dead Sea Scrolls comments on this event: ' He hanged living men on wood...'

As in the days of the revolt against Antiochus,many fled to the hills and desert.The Wilderness of Judea once again became the refuge of those zealous for the law.Some set up monastic communities there, and among them were the Essens."(G.Ernest Wright, et el .Great People of The Bible and How They Lived.295)Of further interest is that there is a strong possibility that John the Baptist was associated with this sect."Some Biblical scholars now think that John the Baptist was an Essene."(G.Ernest Wright, et el...341)According to this source the Essens were huge on submerged baptism so maybe this could give us a another perspective of understanding baptism as described in the Bible especially the Disciples of John the Baptist Acts 19:3-7.

 

[turnorburn]

Another cult that believed in reincarnation.. That leaves John out of it..

 

[dianegcook]

I find the book of Enoch very interesting.
Confirms my belief in Gen.6: and chapter 7 and 8 of the book of Enoch....

 

[Particular Baptist]

The Dead Sea Scrolls are a MESS.

 

[jaybird]

I been reading on the DSS and Essenes for several years now. What I have learned is John the baptist was one or heavily influenced by them. It is thought they are never mentioned in the NT but when you read their theology writings you see many teachings of Jesus that can be found no where else. The ESV uses the DSS for a source text. They believed in pre existence. They believed their founder was Enoch, which would be why they have more Enoch scrolls than any other as well as many theology writings based on Enoch. They were connected to Egypt. Pharaoh Akhenaten is thought to have been one of their teachers of righteousness which would explain them leaving Egypt.

 

[daninthelionsden]

Life Magazine just put out a special edition dedicated solely to the Dead Sea Scrolls.

 

[Anto9us]

I'm new here and I like Dead Sea Scrolls stuff.

The Isaiah scroll was significantly older than any previous known copy of Isaiah - I mean by CENTURIES - and there wasn't much difference; disappointing scholars who thought Ah Hah ! Now we'll see how much has changed!

The commentary on Habakkuk only covered what we have as ch 1& 2 of Habakkuk -- ch 3 was not addressed (ch 3 is a Psalm in form, whereas ch 1&2 are oracles)

 

[reba]

Welcome Anto9us

 

[Eugene]

.
Welcome Anto9us to these Christian forums of fellowship in Jesus' name.

 

[Anto9us]

Thank you, Reba and Eugene!

 

[reba]

need help getting around just holler

 

[Anto9us]

I am managing to get around so far, reba!

I have THE DEAD SEA SCRIPTURES by Gaster, and THE SCROLLS FROM THE DEAD SEA by Wilson
I think they were older books before the idea that the Essenes wrote 'em started to be challenged

Essenes aren't mentioned in the Bible, but I saw a TV show about John the Baptist as an Essene --
eating locusts and wild honey
The show said there were several species that could be called 'locusts' -- some kosher, some not
So there was John the Baptist up on the screen in a camel-hair tunic --
picking up one locust he would cast aside after looking at it and makin' a face,
then another he picked up and put in his sack...

I'll take the 'wild honey' but not the locusts

 

[reba]

Me too

 

[reba]

great movie... sorry i went off topic

 

[Anto9us]

hey reba -- that's John the disciple who wrote Revelation, not John the Baptist...

see, I said I was OLD AS DIRT -- I knew both Johns


(me and Habakkuk used ta have some good discussions, too)

 

[Anto9us]

I used to talk to Enoch also -- then one day -- in mid-sentence, I turned around and noticed he just WASN'T THERE!!

 

[reba]

Dean Jones does a short bit about John eating the grasshoppers ... IT is a one man movie well worth the time..

 

[Anto9us]

I'll have to check it out...

It was gehenna gettin' all of those locusts into the Ark, Reba --
seven pairs of the kosher ones, 2 pairs of the unclean ones...

Me and Noah thought it might start rainin' before we got all those grasshoppers into their respective areas

but we actually had more room on board than was planned...
dinosaurs missed the boat

 

[jaybird]

I am managing to get around so far, reba!

I have THE DEAD SEA SCRIPTURES by Gaster, and THE SCROLLS FROM THE DEAD SEA by Wilson
I think they were older books before the idea that the Essenes wrote 'em started to be challenged

Essenes aren't mentioned in the Bible, but I saw a TV show about John the Baptist as an Essene --
eating locusts and wild honey
The show said there were several species that could be called 'locusts' -- some kosher, some not
So there was John the Baptist up on the screen in a camel-hair tunic --
picking up one locust he would cast aside after looking at it and makin' a face,
then another he picked up and put in his sack...

I'll take the 'wild honey' but not the locusts

the Essenes may not be mentioned by name in our bibles of today but there are many connections between John, Jesus and the Essenes.
when John was in prison and sent word to Jesus, Jesus replied:
Matthew 11:4-6.
4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see:5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them."
it was always understood Jesus was referencing Isiah 61 1 and Isiah 35 5-6 where messianic credentials are listed:
Is 61 1
poor
Is 35 5-6
the blind
the deaf
in the the Essene works of Qumran you have the scroll 4Q521, Messianic Apocalypse, more interesting is its not one of their Isiah scrolls but their own theology writing speaking of the coming Christ. again they give a list of works credentials:
the blind
the lame
the sick
the dead
the poor
its interesting that Isiah makes no mention of the dead being raised yet Jesus and the Essenes both mention this. they also both mention the dead just before the poor being preached to. I believe John was an Essene and Jesus was referring him to a work he would have been familiar with.
there are many more connections, this is just one.

 

[Anto9us]

I like that, jaybird, that Jesus referred to a work John would be familiar with...

Obviously, in prison John the Baptist had a MOMENT OF DOUBT
even though he had seen the Holy Spirit descend like a dove on Jesus at baptism
and had heard the voice from heaven say "this is my beloved son"
and KNEW that this was the Messiah

now in prison he has doubts -- "are you really the One?"