Exploring the Mysteries of Qumran: The Dead Sea Sect and Their Ancient Scrolls

1. A Day At Qmran The Dead Sea Sect and it’s Scrolls

4. Introduction • 2000-year-old scrolls discovered in 1947 • Near Dead Sea at Qumran • Jewish Sect lived there • Many scholars think they were Essenes

6. Jewish SocietySecond Temple Period167 BCE – 70 CE • Many Judaisms • Pharisees • Saducees • Essenes • Early Christians • Other sects

7. How do we know?Sources: • Flavius Josephus –Jewish Historian • Philo of Alexandria • Information from Scrolls themselves • Archaeological data

8. Sectarians Way of Life • Concept of Separation – they lived apart • Disapproved of Temple Priesthood • “The body is corruptible and its constituent matter impermanent, but the soul is immortal and imperishable

9. Why did they separate? • Disapproved of Temple priesthood • Maccabees (Jonathan) usurped priesthood from Zadoc priestly family • Jewish rulers kings as well as high priests • Protesters eliminated – sometimes crucified

10. New Sects in Protest • New sects sprang up • Thought they were the true worshipers of God • Prayed for Messiah who would restore purity to temple • Essenes were such a sect

11. Concept of Time • Believed God revealed calendar to them • We know this from the scrolls, sundial • Solar Calendar – 364 day year • Other Jews – till today use the Lunar Calendar • Celebrated festivals on different days from other Jews • Festivals always fell on same day of week

12. Solar Sundial

13. Beliefs that differed • Predestination rather than choice • Dualism • Sons of Light and Sons of Darkness

14. Shelter • Main building at Qmran not a dwelling • Center of activities during day • Inhabitants slept nearby in caves, tents, huts • Combs, mezuzot, oil lamps, pottery found • Network of paths • Nails from sandals on path between caves and main building

15. Shelter • Lived in desert • Desert a symbol of Purity • Cut off from rest of world • Believed the End of Days was near • They would then go to Jerusalem and get the Temple back from the Wicked Priest

17. Morning Prayer • Rise, wash, dress in linen – go to main center • Observe together mitzvah of daily prayer • Wore tefillin – oldest were found on site • Similar to today’s though some content different – e.g. Ten Commandments added

20. Livelihood • Weekdays all members work • Functioned as a self-sufficient unit • Most members young unmarried men • Used areas natural resources to live

21. Farming and Animal Husbandry • Ran a farm near Ain Feshka - 1mile away • Ain Feshka an abundant source of water • Grew date palms • Farming implements found • Grew grain – mainly barley • Hunted gazelle possibly bred fish and kept herds

23. Handicrafts • Crafts and industries • Probably prepared own parchment • Made pottery – workshop and kiln, pots found • Evidence of textiles and weaving • Some products sold in markets nearby

25. First Kibbutz? • Communal property and labor • Hoard of silver coins found • Money given to bursar by sects new members? • Ostracon found –a deed of gift • Transfer of ownership of new member’s property to sect

27. Purity • Before noon stopped work for purification • Ritual immersion necessary before communal meal • Elaborate water system – 3 cisterns, mikvaot • Mikvaot created near refectory • Not uncommon then but sect had different rules

28. Ritual Immersion • Only permitted to members of the sect to immerse • Just like priests immersed before serving in sanctuary at Temple in Jerusalem • Sect replaced temple rituals of sacrifice • Sign of repentance and spiritual purity – like John the Baptist

29. Communal Meal • Ate communal meal in large refectory • More than 1000 utensils found most intact • Ate on mats • Diet – bread, dates, honey, olives, pomegranites, dairy products, some meat

31. Refectory

32. Community replaced Temple • Daily communal meals spiritual substitute for sacrifices • Would explain mikvah before each meal • Only full members of sect participated • Women, children not allowed into Qmran

33. Study • Returned to tasks after meal • Some studied sacred texts – Torah and Prophets • New members brought scrolls with them • Some were copied in the “scriptorium” or written by sectarians themselves

34. Scriptorium and Library • Scriptorium perhaps on upper floor • Inkwells found • Mainly written on parchment – a few papyrus • Reading room (benches along walls) • Perhaps library also upstairs

35. Writing • Scrolls – parchment sheaths sewn together • Scribe would mark columns and lines with sharp instrument • Wrote with sharpened reeds or metal • Used black ink – soot, resin, oil, water • Pottery shards to practice writing

36. Scrolls • About 900 scrolls found • Mostly written in Hebrew • Some in Aramaic – a very few in Greek • Some written in cryptographic script – not all decoded yet

37. Evenings • Purification repeated in evening after chores • Another communal meal • Nights used for • Rest • Study • Judgement of members • Communal Prayer

38. Shabat • Devoted entirely to worship study and prayer • Very strict • People punished if they yawned or spat • Thought their shabat songs were also sung by angels while they sang

39. Pottery Jars

40. Gazelle found near Ein Gedi

41. Resources • Websites on the Dead Sea Scrolls • http://www.abc.net.au/religion/features/scrolls/more.htm • http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9707/26/dead.sea.scrolls/Good overview article with some excellent related sites • http://orion.mscc.huji.ac.il/index.htmlExcellent site of the Orion Centre for the Study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature, at Hebrew University, replete with cave tour. Excellent links to latest research. • http://www.judaica.org/deadsea/index.htmlProject Judaica Foundation together with the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Library of Congress - a description of the issues involved in exhibiting the Scrolls at the Library. • http://www.judaica.org/deadsea/index.htmlDiscussion board about the scholarly disagreements and alignments in Scrolls research. • http://home.flash.net/~hoselton/deadsea/profile.htmSome thumbnail descriptions of principal figures (historical and otherwise) who come up in DeadSeaScroll research. Not complete.