Scholar Shocker: Dead Sea Scrolls 'Authors' Never Existed

Time Magazine ^ | March 16, 2009 | Tim McGirk

[Zakeet]

Biblical scholars have long argued that the Dead Sea Scrolls were the work of an ascetic and celibate Jewish community known as the Essenes, which flourished in the 1st century A.D. in the scorching desert canyons near the Dead Sea. Now, a prominent Israeli scholar, Rachel Elior, disputes that the Essenes ever existed at all - a claim that has shaken the bedrock of Biblical scholarship.

Elior, who teaches Jewish mysticism at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, claims that the Essenes were a fabrication by the 1st century A.D. Jewish-Roman historian, Josephus Flavius, and that his faulty reporting was passed on as fact through the centuries. As Elior explains, the Essenes make no mention of themselves in the 900 scrolls found by a Bedouin shepherd in 1947 in the caves of Qumran, near the Dead Sea. "Sixty years of research have been wasted trying to find the Essenes in the scrolls," Elior tells TIME. "But they didn't exist. This is legend on a legend."

Eior contends that Josephus, a former Jewish priest who wrote his history while a captive in Rome, "wanted to explain to the Romans that the Jews weren't all losers and traitors, that there were many exceptional Jews of religious devotion and heroism."

[Snip]

James Charlesworth, director of the Dead Sea Scrolls project at Princeton Theological Seminary and an expert on Josephus, says that it is not unusual that the word "Essenes" does not appear in the scrolls. "It's a foreign label," he tells TIME. "When they refer to themselves, it's as 'men of holiness' or 'sons of light.'" Charlesworth contends that at least eight scholars in antiquity refer to the Essenes. One proof of Essene authorship of the Dead Sea Scrolls, he says, was the large number of inkpots found by archeologists at Qumran.

[RobbyS]

Through recruitment.

[topcat54]

Where do they think Yohanan the Immerser (John the Baptizer) came from? He would have been under the same death sentence as Yesuha.

We know where John came from. He was the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth, both from the tribe of Levi. He was called by God to fulfill the Elijah prophecy, a life of singular dedication,

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.' " 4 And John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. (Matt. 3)

There is no indication that John was part of any desert community, Essene or otherwise. Most we can say is that he had a few disciples for awhile. Anything beyond that is pure speculation.

[TC Rider]

There may come a time when scholars agree that the editors of Time Magazine never existed.

[greyfoxx39]

ping

[Elsie]

... a claim that has shaken the bedrock of Biblical scholarship.

So it just takes a 'claim' to shake BEDROCK?

Yeah... sure...

[Elsie]

Doh!

[Elsie]

How does a celibate sect flourish?

Maybe they just DO things WITH a flourish!

[airborne]

So it just takes a 'claim' to shake BEDROCK?

Apparently, that's all it takes to convince the TIME Tabloid.

And from a woman who teaches Jewish mysticism, no less.

A blind man could see their agenda.

[Yollopoliuhqui]

So why the sam heck did it take 60+ years for this momentous discovery to see the light of day in its entirety?! Why the suppression and by whom?!

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Thanks The Spirit Of Allegiance. Note: this topic is dated March 16, 2009. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.