Mary's post about the similarities between the Jews and Jehover's Witnesses reminded me of a History Channel show I saw just last night about the Essenes. These are the people who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls
They saw themselves as the true people of God and other Jews, including the temple establishment in Jerusalem as the Enemies. Out in the desert they waited for the coming of the Messiah: the priestly messiah of Aaron and the royal Messiah of Israel, and the great final battle between the sons of light and the Sons of Darkness, when God would vindicate their faithful witness and restore the true sanctuary
-- Zondervan 1999, p.530
Here is the article in its entirety:
http://www.meaning.ca/articles/miller_community.htm
| The Community Rule of the Dead Sea Scrolls |
Tara D. Miller
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
How do a group of individuals become a harmonious and coherent community? Looking at our present fragmented society, it is hard to know how to create and maintain positive and productive communities. Perhaps, we can learn some lessons from the societies of the past. The Community Rule (IQS) of the Qumran community provides an interesting object lesson.
Around 165 AD the Essenes moved to the welds of the Dead Sea to live. In the dry heat of this area they devoted themselves entirely to understanding the Torah, and God, or YHWH (Zondervan, 1999). They were accountable to YHWH in their faith, and felt called to love one another and hate everyone outside of their camp (Zondervan, 1999). The Essenes at Qumran were described as an ascetic, apocalyptic type of Judaism, which was a real alternative to the better known Pharisees and Sadducees of their day (Zondervan, 1999).
The Qumran people were solitary people, extraordinary by the fact that no women lived in their community. They renounced all sexual desire, and they had no money (Collins 1992).
They saw themselves as the true people of God and other Jews, including the temple establishment in Jerusalem as the Enemies. Out in the desert they waited for the coming of the Messiah: the priestly messiah of Aaron and the royal Messiah of Israel, and the great final battle between the sons of light and the Sons of Darkness, when God would vindicate their faithful witness and restore the true sanctuary (Zondervan 1999, p.530).
IQS is broken down into four stages by most scholars who have studied this text:
Stage one: the foundation of the Essene community at Qumran (Freedman, 1992). This rule stated that there were to be twelve men and three priests who live the law perfectly, these men would be known as the community counsel (Free, 1992). "They will be separate from the midst of the habitation of ungodly men in order to go into the desert (8:13, 9:20)." There in Qumran they will constitute a spiritual temple (8:5) and offer up sacrifices for the sins of the land (8:6, 10).
Stage two: the community contemplates the problems of conventional life:
And there will be no iniquity. When two years have been established in the foundation of the Community for two full years /in/ perfect behavior /they will be segregated/ (like) holy ones in the midst of the council of the men of the community. And every matter hidden from Israel but which has been founded out by the Interpreter, he should not keep hidden from them for fear of a Spirit of desertion (8: 10b-12a).
Even though the Essenes hated the men outside of their community, they were still accountable to relay all that they had learnt to those outside of their community. They also lived with fervor for the Torah, or Old Testament (OT) (Zondervan, 1999). This is why their most severe punishments were handed down to those who disrespected the Law of Moses (8:16b - 9:2). The Qumran believed that if each person was not set apart from all wickedness, then the entire community would not be completely pure, and to the Qumran this would endanger their position in the sight of YHWH.
Stage Three: categorizes the life situations of the larger community (Freedman, 1992). 5:1-13a, calls the men of Qumran to keep apart from the men of sin. Membership in the Qumran community was a very serious commitment, parallel to their covenant with YHWH. "Whoever enters the council of the Community enters the covenant of God in the presence of all who freely volunteer (10:7b-8a)."
Their strong commitment to the community laid the foundation for their ranking system. The priests, the examiner, the community council, the instructor and the rest of the men of the community (6:8b- 7:25):
"?All the people shall sit down in order of rank. And following the same system they shall be questioned with regard to the judgement, the counsel and any matter referred to the Many, so that each can impart his wisdom to the council of the community (8:9, 10)."
The Qumran respected each other based on the ranking system.
Stage Four: incorporates many independent elements. The theme here is geared for the "revitalization of the fervor of the community, and the intention to infuse a new 'Spirit' in to the 'letter' of the Community Rule" (Freedman, 1992).
As noted above, a great concern of the Essenes was the lure and destruction of sin. Section 1:1- 4:26 gives a broad view of the Community. In this passage there is communication of the 'two Spirits':
[God] created man to rule the world and placed within him two Spirits so that he would walk with them until the moment of his visitation: they are the Spirits of truth and deceit. In the hand of the Prince of Lights in the dominion over all the sons of justice; they walk on paths of darkness. Due to the Angels of Darkness all the sons of justice stray, and all their sins, their iniquities, their failings and their mutinous deeds are under his dominion in compliance with the mysteries of God, until his moment; and all their punishments and their periods of grief are caused by dominion of his enmity; and all the spirits of their lot cause the sons of light to fall. However, the God of Israel and the angel of His truth assist all the sons of light. He created the spirits of light and of the darkness and on them established all his deeds [on their paths all his labors (3: 18b-26].
There is a battle between the spirit of light and the spirit of darkness. The Qumran were waiting for this battle to occur, at the same time, they were aware that there was an internal battle going one within each one of their own hearts; a battle between good and evil; a battle of sin and righteousness. This is why they set ridged rules for themselves. They realized that it would be better to live in complete devotion to the Law, than it would be to live in the evil world. It was better to live with strict guidelines, then to live closely with the temptation of sin.
"The Spirit of truth and deceit struggle in the heart of man? according to his share in truth and righteousness, this man hates deceit, according to his assignments in Godliness (Collins, 1992).
This basic over view allows understanding of the rigid law that this community lived by, as well, they lived fearing the sinfulness of those who did not live in their order, as well as the mistakes of their fellow Essenes. This fear forced them to set up rules against sharing with those outside their camp. The 1QS rule bans gifts or loans from outsiders (Baumgarten, 1983).
Although the Essenes lived in fear of the wicked world, they lived in harmony with each other, and were eager to learn from each other, and in some sense they felt accountable to share what they had learnt within the community, with all of Israel.
The community's burden to share their knowledge is confusing. The Qumran did not have toleration for anyone outside their camp, and yet, they felt responsible to proclaim truth to all of Israel. It appears that the Qumran people would not have gone out of their way to confront a person from the 'outside world', but it does seem that the Qumran felt pressured to be examples of true religion and to offer this truth to anyone earnestly seeking.
This particular example rings true for modern day struggles even in Canada. Religious people nurturing their own souls, judging the world outside their church's doors, and yet offering nothing, or very little, to the hurt and trials of society.
The Qumran showed community was strengthened by their desire to learn from each other, and their desire to study the Torah. There are many examples of the Essene's devotion to the Torah. One example is the Qumran's deep knowledge of the scriptures. Their quest for wisdom echoes the Proverbs (1QS 3: 13). Their desire to educated and incorporate others into their religion can be run parallel to Psalm 145, which speaks of commending God's good works from one generation to the next (3:14b). A final example of Biblical themes can be found in a portion of the Instructor's blessing:
Shaped from dust has he been,
Maggots' food shall be his dwelling;
He is spat saliva,
Molded clay,
And for dust his longing.
What will the clay reply
And the one shaped by hand? (11:22a).
They were a community that meditated deeply on the word of YHWH, and their writings mirror this devotion.
The example of the Qumran community teaches many things. The principles of the Qumran community were set out for noble purposes. They lived pious lives only to reject those who did not submit to their life styles. They secluded themselves so completely that they disappeared from history almost completely. The Community Rule was developed to protect the Qumran community; the Rule, which shielded them from the outside world, also doomed them to extinction. They were guarded by their fear, and this fear killed their community. To me, the take-home message is that any exclusive, closed community will fail. The challenge is how to maintain an intimate, purposeful community and at the same time stay connected with the larger society.
References:
Baumgarten, Joseph M. (1983). The 'Sons of Dawn' in CDC 13:14-15 and the Ban on Commerce among the Esenes. Israel Exploration Journal vol.33: pg.81-85.
Burgland, Lane A. (1997). Eschatological Tension and Existential angst: "Now" and "Not Yet" in Romans 7:14-25 and 1QS 11 (Community Rule, Manual of Discipline). Concordia Theological Quarterly vol. 61: number 3(July): 163 - 176.
Buttrick, George Arthur (ed.) (1962). The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
Callaway, Phillip R. (1988). The History of the Qumran Community. Sheffield, Eng: Sheffield Academic Press.
Collins, John J. (1992). The Apocalyptic Imagination. New York, NY: Crossroad Pub. Company.
Evans, Craig A. (ed.) (2000). Dictionary of New Testament Background. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press.
Freedman, David Noes (1992). The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York, NY: Doubleday Dell Pub. Group.
Kedourie, Elie (ed.) (1979). The Jewish World. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams Inc. Pub.
MacDonald, William (1995). Believer's Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Nelson Pub.
Marshall, I. Howard (ed.) (1999). New Bible Dictionary. Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.
Martinez, Florentino Garcia (1993). The Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition Vol. One 1Q1-4Q273. Grand Rapids, Mich: William Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Martinez, Florentino Garcia (1996). The Dead Sea Scrolls. Translated: The Qumran Texts in English. 2nd edition. Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans.
Sanders, E.P. (1992). Judaism: Practice & Belief 63BCE-66CE. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International.
Zondervan Handbook to the Bible (1999). Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan Publishing house.