Sometimes it is the story behind the story that may be the most compelling. Today, most people have heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls but do not understand their significance. Some even wrongly believe the scrolls are the original Bible. Their discovery in 1946 is one of the most important finds in modern times as they confirm in multiple examples that the Bible was accurately translated over the passage of time. However, there is a marvelous backdrop to this story that remains overlooked.
Who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls? Where were they found? How many were discovered?
Over 2,200 years ago there was a community of Jews in Israel that were very expectant of the Messiah and they had separated themselves from the rest of Judaism. They took copies of the Bible (Old Testament) with them to the wilderness along with sectarian texts and ancient Jewish writings settling in the mountainous area along the coastline of the Dead Sea, known as the Judean Wilderness. This priestly sect of Jews was known as the Essenes. They stored their ancient manuscripts in clay jars in the mountain caves surrounding their settlements for preservation. The majority of these 1,000+ manuscripts and fragments were discovered between 1946-1956 in eleven caves near Qumran on the northwestern corner of the Dead Sea. A twelfth cave was discovered and excavated in 2017. The Dead Sea near Qumran is the lowest area on earth at 1,350 feet below sea level and is very arid, conditions that were ideal to preserve these writings over two thousand years.
Why did the Essenes separate? Why did they go to the Judean Wilderness?
There was a split between two Jewish factions that became known as Sadducees and Pharisees during the Hasmonean Dynasty and civil war broke out between them from 90-80 BC. They fought primarily over whether the kings should combine both the duties of priests and kings under their authority. The Sadducees agreed with whatever the kings decreed, the Pharisees were emphatic that combining the duties was illegal and not aligned with the Law. “Parisee” in Hebrew means “to separate” and they became known as the Pharisees. Afterwards, the Pharisees invented a new form of teaching known as the “oral Law” and they rejected the teachings of the Patriarchs handed down over the ages. This is where rabbinic Judaism departed from Biblical Judaism. The “Essenes” broke off from the Pharisees over this matter as they astutely upheld the teachings and prophetic writings of the Patriarchs. Today a Christian would interpret the Old Testament by the New Testament. Jews today would interpret the OT by the oral Torah or Talmud. The Essenes would interpret the Old Testament through the writings of the Patriarchs which they had recorded and saved over the generations. After the split occurred, the Essenes state in their sectarian writings that the Spirit of God told them to separate from both the Pharisees and Sadducees completely and have nothing to do with their corrupt priesthood. Moreover, they wrote that God told them to move to the Judean Wilderness and fulfill the Isaiah 40:3 prophecy, “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’” Thus, the Essenes moved to the harsh wilderness out of obedience to prepare for the coming of Messiah, Jesus Christ. There are many Bible scholars that cannot help but note that the theology of John the Baptist was very similar to that of the Essenes and he baptized in the Jordan River just northeast of Qumran. There is no evidence however to substantiate that he was an Essene.
Were the Dead Sea Scrolls scientifically dated?
Using both radiocarbon and paleographic testing, the majority of the Dead Sea Scrolls are dated between 150-100 BC, with some fragments dating to 225 BC. What is significant about this? All these writings are BEFORE the birth of Christ and therefore CANNOT BE early Christian writings. These writings reveal a Jewish sect contemporaneous with Christianity whose approach to Scripture and prophecy mirrors that of the New Testament and the early Church.
What were the writings of the Essenes? What is the “story behind the story?”
These are examples of the sectarian writings of the Essenes dated from 150-100 BC:
“Messiah will be the son of God” and “son of the Most High.” (4Q246)
“(Through) Messiah will…”the resurrection of the dead.” (4Q246)
“He (Messiah) is the ‘Branch of David.’ YHWH declares He will bring about the Davidic Covenant. “I will be a father to him, he will be a son to me. David’s dynasty is eclipsed. “Yeshua” “he will save from sins.” (4Q174;1-12)
Messiah is called “the Suffering Servant.” (4Q541frg:11)
“all judgement is given to Messiah.” (4Q491c,frg.1)
“Messiah will be put to death with woundings, and the high priest will command it….the slain of the Kittim (Romans)” (4Q285)
“He will atone for his children but in that day He will be despised and rejected.” (4Q451.9)
Finally, the Essenes wrote that Messiah will come in the Schemittah (Sabbatical year) after the 9th Jubilee Year which according to their tables was 32AD and today there is strong consensus that our Savior was crucified in April, 32 AD, in line with their estimations (1:1 Melchizedek, Column 2).
One of the amazing attributes of their writings is that the Essenes believed that Messiah would be God incarnate, which is a distinct departure from the rest of Judaism which saw Messiah only as a man. They also wrote that the High Priest would be responsible for the death of Messiah and that He would die at the hands of the Romans (Kittim). It is amazing!
What happened to the Essenes?
The Essenes disappeared because they became Christians soon after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. They believed because He had fulfilled all the Messianic prophecies that they had studied having been handed down from the Patriarchs. They quickly became part of the early Church and left Qumran to go and serve Messiah. There are Biblical and other texts that confirm Pharisees becoming Christians. There is no known evidence of a Sadducee ever converting to Christianity. Both the Biblical Archaeological Review and The National Geographic have written articles that the Essenes mysteriously disappeared from history without a trace. Qumran was later destroyed by the Romans in 68 AD two years after the siege of Jerusalem had begun but the caves were left untouched.
Sources: Dr. Randall Price, Professor at Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA and Dr. Ken Johnson, Lenexa, KS. Dr. Price was Director of Excavations for Dead Sea Caves under the Israel Antiquities Authority from 2002-2012 and led the 2017 excavation team at Cave 12. Dr. Johnson is an author of 28 books on ancient Biblical writings and renowned worldwide for his ability to identify fake reproductions of ancient texts from the 2nd Temple and early Church period.