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Whatever happened to the Dead Sea Scrolls?
*** Whatever Happened to the Dead Sea Scrolls? ***
By Martin A. Larson, Ph.D.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Dr. Martin A. Larson is the author of 25 books dealing with religious
history, church-state issues and taxation, and is also a financial
columnist. This text is taken from Dr. Larson's lecture at the 1981
International Revisionist Conference, in Los Angeles. Dr. Larson gave an
update on the Scrolls at the 1987 Revisionist Conference. There has been no
change in the situation as described in this pamphlet by Dr. Larson.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Let us first summarize some of the known facts concerning the Dead Sea
Scrolls and their authors, the religious organization known as the Essenes,
which existed in Judaea and the nearby desert from about 192 B.C. to the
date of their extinction and destruction in 69 or 70 A.D., when the Roman
armies marched through Palestine and finally destroyed Jerusalem.
Throughout its existence, the Essene sect was opposed to the Jewish
authorities. Although it accepted the Scriptures which constitute the Old
Testament, it revised, rewrote, or completely reinterpreted them. Also,
what is even more significant and important, the Essenes gradually absorbed
various elements from other sources, such as Zoroastrianism and
Pythagoreanism. As a result, they prepared an entire corpus of original
scripture which was not only a definite departure from official Judaism,
but in basic contradiction to, and a repudiation of, this system of doctrine
and ritual.
By 143 B.C., as we learn from Josephus, three distinct groups had been
fully developed in the Jewish population: they were the Essenes, the
Pharisees, and the Sadducees, of whom the last represented the wealthy,
upper-class Jews, who had embraced Epicureanism as their philosophy.
Original Cultic Scriptures
During the period from 192 to 60 B.C., the Essenes produced a great
corpus of literature under the inspiration of leaders known from generation
to generation as The Teacher of Righteousness. He was also called the Holy
Great One, and was given other titles signifying revelatory powers as direct
conduits of messages from the Supreme God of the Universe, who, by the way,
was something quite different from Jehovah, the tribal god of the Jews.
Extremely interesting is the fact that two very important documents - _The
Book of Enoch_ and _The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs _ were well
known among the early Christians and accepted by them as sacred literature
of their own. Scholars had no suspicion that these, although widely used in
later periods, were produced by the Essenes until the Scrolls were discovered
near the Dead Sea in 1947. Since hundreds of fragments of these documents
were found in the caves, it became obvious that they were among the very
important scriptures composed and used by the Essenes themselves.
Persecution and Separation
Whatever else we may consider as firmly established, it is certain that
under the reign of Hyrcanus, who was affiliated with the Pharisees previous
to 104 B.C., there was persistent persecution of the Essenes, partly because
of doctrinal deviations but perhaps even more because of their condemnations
of the Jewish authorities, who frequently invaded neighboring territories
and forced people there to accept Judaism and circumcision on pain of
persecution and even death. Thus it was that about 104 B.C., as we learn
from Josephus, the Essenes became an esoteric mystery-cult with its own
communes, its own code of laws, discipline, and organization, which
included a total withdrawal and separation from all public activity. As a
result, it became the depository of total religious comitment, living in
expectation of the day, not very far in the future, when an all-powerful
divine personage would appear, send all of their Jewish persecutors into
everlasting torture in hellish dungeons under the surface of the earth, and
establish the kingdom of the saints, (the Sons of Light) with its capital
in Jerusalem.
Under Alexander Jannaeus, who ruled from 103-78 B.C., this hostility
and persecution intensified. The Essene documents written during this period
are filled with the fiercest denunciations of the Jewish priests and
authorities, who not only raided the communes of the Holy Ones and decimated
their membership, but were also guilty of constant acts of aggression
against their innocent and unoffending neighbors. The documents in our
posession which contain this material are _The Habakkuk Commentary_, Parts
IV and V of the _Book of Enoch_, and various statements found in _The
Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs_, the original portions of which were
composed while Hyrcanus was king.
The Essenes became a secret brotherhood in 104 in order to avoid total
extermination; in spite of this, however, their persecution continued; with
their members under solemn vows of secrecy, their organization survived and,
in time, grew, especially under the comparatively mild regimen which
followed the conquest of Judaea by Pompey in 64.
The Execution and Deification of the Teacher
The climactic event in Essene history occurred in 70 or 69 B.C. At
that time, the Teacher of Righteousness - that is, the Essene leader - went
boldy into Jerusalem and there, in the very temple itself, he proclaimed
and condemned the lawless corruption and aggressions of the priests and
authorities who ruled in Israel. He was therefore seized and executed, by
what means is not certain, but some scholars believe that he was crucified.
Shortly thereafter, the persuasion developed among his followers -
until it became actual dogma - that he was the Most High God of the Universe
Himself who had appeared for a time as a man among men; that he died a
sacrifical death for the redemption of sinners; that he had risen from the
grave on the third day; that he had returned to his throne in heaven; and
that, before the end of the then existing generation, he would send a
representative to the earth.
The Essene Revelations Completed
Except for a few original documents written after 69 B.C., and the
final interpolations added to _The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs_ at
the same time, the cult seems at this point to have considered its corpus of
literature and revelation complete. The members studied their scriptures in
the various communes scattered about Palestine.
The Secret Esoteric Order
Between 60 B.C. and 69 A.D., the communes, which increased to 4,000
male members, continued with little alteration, while awaiting the coming
of the Redeemer. However, as the Romans subjugated Galilee on their
southward march toward Jerusalem, they came across various Essene communes
and, suspecting the cultists of being a secret and conspiratorial society
planning the overthrow of Roman rule, tortured members under interrogation
to reveal their secret doctrines. However, as Josephus tells us, they died,
smiling, rather than violate their sacred oaths to never, no never, reveal
their beliefs to anyone, no matter what the provocation might be.
Secreting the Scrolls
Then an extraordinary event occurred. As the Romans approached the
Dead Sea headquarters at Qumran, the Essenes placed their sacred writings
in hundreds of earthen jars, sealed them carefully, and secreted them in
various caves located in the rugged terrain. We believe that they expected
to return in the not-too-distant future to resume their long-practiced way
of life. But, of course, they never did.
Was Jesus an Essene?
The existence of the Essene cult has long been known from the extensive
references to, and descriptions of, them in Josephus, Pliny, and Philo
Judaeus. Interestingly enough, Thomas De Quincey, a famous English essayist,
declared about 1825 that there never was a separate Essene organization;
that the so-called Essenes were simply Christians gone underground; that
otherwise we would have to accept the blasphemous conclusion that there
were two independent, yet almost identical, revelations at the same time
and in the same place.
There are scholars who believe that Jesus had been a full-fledged
member of the Order; that he was persuaded that He was the personage
foretold in their scriptures who would be empowered to establish the
Kingdom of Righteousness, and that, therefore, he broke his vow of secrecy
and preached the doctrines of the Order in the highways and byways of
Galilee. Some scholars are also convinced that not only John the Baptist
but also the original core of men who established Christianity had been
m
embers of the Order. Some believe in addition that when their communes and
headquarters were destroyed by the Romans, many of the Essenes became an
integral and decisive element in the formation of the Christian movement.
There was, in particular, one segment known as the Ebionites, or the Poor
Men, who recreated in detail in their own literature, the doctrines,
teachings, and discipline of the Essene communities. Actually, the three
Synoptic Gospels, and especially Luke, are studded with statements in
complete harmony with the cultic teachings, as is the so-called Sermon on
the Mount, found in Mathew. The more we study the Dead Sea Scrolls and the
early canonical Christian Scriptures, the more striking are the parallels
which become evident. We have alredy noted that two important Essene
documents were widely accepted by the early Christian converts as genuine
scriptures of their own. Perhaps these converts had previously been Essenes.
The Great Discovery
In 1947, an event of world-shaking significance occured. An Arab
shepherd-boy, following a stray goat, entered an aperture on the side of
a cliff and stumbled into a cave where the Essenes had secreted a number of
jars containing Scrolls. However, few of these were intact; most had been
broken, and their contents scattered about the floor, much of the material
torn into shreds. Obviously, the caves had been invaded, perhaps several
times, with damage which cannot easily be assessed. After the Arabs had
recovered two virtually complete manuscripts of _Isaiah_, a copy of the
_Manual of Discipline_, _The Thanksgiving Psalms_, _The Habakkuk
Commentary_, the _Damascus Document_, and the _War_ Scroll, they sold
these to a group in New York; and, in a short time, they were made
available to the world in translations by Millar Burrows, Dupont-Sommer,
Gaza Vermes, and Theodore Gaster.
Many More Scrolls Discovered
Then began an archeological search without parallel in religious
history. One expedition after another went to the Dead Sea area in search
of more Scrolls. One team was headed by Millar Burrows, who states in his
_Dead Sea Scrolls_ that material sufficient to fill three large volumes was
found in a single cave, cave four, in which two-thirds was original Essene
scripture and the remainder consisted of Jewish canonical books. After
these were placed in the Jordanian Museum in Jerusalem, an international
team of eight scholars was selected to collect, piece together, and prepare
for publication this incomparable treasure of source material; of these,
four were Roman Catholics; three had Protestant affiliations; and only
one, John Marco Allegro, was without personal religious commitment. Without
much delay, Allegro translated and published everything committed to him,
including the delicate _Copper Scroll_, which listed precious metals and
jewels worth millions of dollars secreted somewhere in the desert - where
they still remain. However, after he declared in an interview that the
Teacher of Righteousness may have been crucified in 70 or 69 B.C., by the
Jewish authorities, he was thereafter denied all access to the Scrolls and
was not even permitted to visit the Jordanian Museum in which they were
kept. He complained bitterly that after years of delay not one line of the
Scrolls, in addition to his, were translated and published; and this in
spite of the fact that no less than 400 separate documents had been pieced
together by 1965 and could just as easily have been given to the world, as
were the four or five published shortly after the original discovery.
_The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs_ contained a great many
passages which had always been considered of Christian origin because they
depict a personage in many respects similar to, or almost identical with,
the character and mission attri
buted to Jesus in the New Testament. However, with the discovery of the
Dead Sea Scrolls, this theory became untenable as fragments of the
_Testaments_ written nearly a century before the emergence of Christianity
were found scattered about the caves which contained the very statements
which had always been believed to be Christian interpolations.
The Fate of the Scrolls
Over the years, until his death, I corresponded with Millar Burrows,
who had written a sympathetic review of my book, _The Essene Heritage_,
published in 1967. He refused to admit that there was any attempt to delay
or prevent the publication of the Scrolls. Once he even declared that the
Oxford Press was on the verge of releasing a large volume of this material;
but the publishers stated to me in a letter that they had no such project
under consideration.
Thus, year after year, I kept prodding Burrows on the subject, and his
replies became more and more evasive until they ceased altogether.
One question continued to occupy my interest; what had become of the
Scrolls? Why were none of them published for so many years? Sometimes I
wondered whether they would survive or ever be made available to the
public. However, we should note that even in the custody of the Jordanians,
they were held in the strictest secrecy - and why? I could only surmise
that extreme pressure has been exerted by both Christian and Jewish
sources: from the former, because it would not be beneficial to them
should it be established that this faith grew out of a Jewish cult and was, therefore, not an originlation; nor would the Israelis wish the Scrolls released, since they were filled with fierce
denunciation of Jewish religious leaders and civil
authorities.
It is my considered opinion and my sad conclusion that the Dead Sea
Scrolls will never be given to the world unless basic changes occur: first,
they must be removed from the custody of the Israeli government and,
second, we must establish an intellectual climate in the western world in
which scholars and ministers can discuss religious subjects without fear or
reprisals, in the form of lost prestige, removal from lucrative positions,
loss of salaries or other sanctions which can be enforced against anyone
who dares interfere with the emoluments or the powers of those who are most
powerful and influential in society.
I think it is as simple as that. And at the back of my mind lingers a
gnawing fear that instead of being translated and published, the leather or
parchment on which the Scrolls are inscribed may be physically destroyed or
become undecipherable before anything is done to release them. And it is
highly significant that for several years there has been little or no
discussion anywhere concerning the Scrolls. It seems that by ignoring the
whole subject, its significance will die in the public consciousness.
The Future of the Scrolls
I can think of no possible valid reason why the Scrolls have been
withheld now for nearly thirty years. If they could not be prepared for
publication in that length of time, would a century or two centuries be
enough? It seems to me that unless we can rescue them from their present
custody and also achieve a new and different intellectual world climate,
there is little hope that anyone now living will ever see any translation
of these Scrolls.
I consider what has happened and is continuing to occur in the matter
of the Scrolls the greatest cover-up of important historical material that
has occurred in modern history.
___________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Conclusion |
| |
| 1. We know from the Scrolls, as well as from many passages in the New |
| Testament, that both the Essenes and Jesus were bitterly opposed to the |
| Jewish authorities, especially the religious. There can be little doubt |
| that the Scrolls now crumbling into dust include many passages in which |
| the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Scribes are excoriated in the most |
| bitter terms and that the tyranny exercised by them over the dissident |
| Essenes is described in full detail. |
| |
| 2. John Allegro, mentioned earlier, states that the Scrolls: "pose |
| questions too hot for the scholars' liking - that has been the trouble |
| with the Scrolls; they impinge so much on Judaism and on Christianity... |
| they became a political football when the Israelis marched in and seized |
| Jerusalem from the Jordanians in the war of 1967. They are now in Israeli|
| custody and are still, so far as I am aware, locked up in cabinets in the|
| basements of the museum in Jerusalem, where one bomb could destroy them |
| anytime." |
| |
| 3. There is a general conspiracy to conceal the contents of the |
| remaining Scrolls, and, if possible, to hasten their destruction. |
|___________________________________________________________________________|
The IHR has people available for lectures, debates, and radio and TV
interviews who can come to your area. Write to the director at the address
below for more information.
10 copies: $2.00
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THE INSTITUTE FOR HISTORICAL REVIEW
1822 1/2 Newport Blvd., Suite 191
Costa Mesa, California 92627
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