YESHUA & THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS
By Dr. Don Meecha
Light of Messiah
Ministries, Int’l
THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS (DSS) - A group of writings found at Qumran, written on leather parchment, papyrus and copper discovered by a shepherd boy in 1948. The complete Book of Isaiah was discovered along with portions and/or fragments from every Biblical account except Esther along with various other writings. These other scrolls probably raises more questions than they answer.
The DSS revealed other valuable documents as well; letters, personal papers, deeds and a series of writing by a group known by a variety of names, mainly known as the Essenes. These writings give us great insight into the 1st century way of life.
They had the so-called Manual of Discipline - A set of community precepts based on Biblical and holy living. Each member was to abide by the Word of God and this manual for the purpose of Holy Living.
We are going to peer into the DSS and the Qumranic Community to make the similarities they have with our faith today. The Qumranic Community claim to have been seen out of the Temple precincts by “the Holy Spirit” to the Shores of the Dead Sea to “await the Messiah”.
More than any other group, those who made up “Qumran” seem to have more in common with the likes of John the Baptist & Yeshua than the Pharisees and Sadducees. The purpose of this study is to reveal the connection between Qumran and Yeshua.
The Essenes, commonly associated with a religious group who held their headquarters on the shores of the Dead Sea in a village called Qumran. This group flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE. They moved to Qumran at the insistence of a deposed High Priest around the time of the Hasmonean reign from 163 BCE until Roman occupation. The leadership claimed succession from the Zadok family of priests. Fewer in number than the Sadducees and Pharisees, they lived in various cities and congregated in communal life dedicated to asceticism, poverty, abstinence from worldly pleasures and daily mikvahim.
How do we know these things? From outside sources which attest to the fact that Yeshua existed and they also mention a Group called Essenes.
Titus Flavius Josephus - Born Yosef Ben Maetityahu, after he became a Roman citizen this 1st century recorded the destruction of Jerusalem.
Josephus claims to “intimately” know of a group called the Essenes:
· The Jewish War
1.) 1 of 3 major sects
2.) Higher piety
3.) Poverty
4.) White Garments
5.) No certain city
6.) Mikveh
7.) Prophesy
8.) Communal meals
The earliest mention of the Essenes is by the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria. He mentions there were over 4,000 Essenes living in villages throughout Judea. They were known for their love of God, piety, honesty,
equality, freedom, did not marry/celibate life, communal living, poverty and they observed the Sabbath.
They shall not depart from none of the counsels of the Torah to walk in the stubbornness of their hearts, but shall be ruled by the ancient precepts which the men of the community were first instructed until there shall come the Prophet and the Messiah of Aaron and Israel. (The Manual of Discipline 9: 9-11) Shaul (Saul) states the same to the first believers of Yeshua at Corinth: Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you. (I Cor. 11:2).
Are DSS and the Community at Qumran important to our study as disciples?
1. The Temple
2. Temple Court
3. Passover
4. Phraseology
5. Eschatology
6. Community Structure
So if they waiting for Messiah to come, what would He say and/or do when he came to get their attention? Would He be born in their community?
Would the Messiah come to them some other way? Would He approach them and say something> Or, do something to get their attention?
The Qumranic community like any other had their “catch phrases”. What were some of them?
1.The many (Mat. 26:28)
2. Poor in Spirit (Mat. 5:3)
3. Avoid oaths (Mat. 5: 33-37)
4. The other cheek (Mat. 5:38-39)
5. You know we think, but it says (Mat. 5: 27)
6. Walk as sons of light (John 8:12/Eph. 5: 15-21)
The DSS also contain a very interesting Book called The War Scroll. It is in this book where we find the account of a wicked High Priest who kills the Messiah/Teacher of Righteousness and finally is overcome by God’s Warrior Messiah.
This short series is designed for you to be introduced to the DSS in a manner which sparks your interest, intellect and spiritual nature that you may be able to have a clearer picture of our Biblical roots.
Please join us for the whole series: Yeshua and the Dead Sea Scrolls, The Background of the Dead Sea Scrolls and The Dead Sea Scrolls and the First Believers.