Who was the author of the War Scroll? Were there multiple authors? The answer to these questions are not easily figured out and some would question if the answer will ever be known. There are theories that attempt to explain who the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls were and many of these theories are inconclusive. This section will discuss the “best” theories about who wrote the scrolls and who wrote the War Scroll.
First, the Qumran-Essene theory is the most accepted theory by scholars today. Originally produced by Roland de Vaux in 1950s, the Qumran-Essene theory still shows a lot of promise today. There are three main reasons why the Essenes could have been the group that wrote the War Scroll; apocalyptic visions, dualism, and the writings of ancient authors. The War Scroll represents the Essene’s apocalyptic
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vision of what the final war between the “Sons or Light” and the “Sons of Darkness” was going to be like.
During this time period apocalyptic thought was not uncommon but for a sect, like the Essenes, who were essentially outcasts from their own people, apocalyptic thought could have potentially been much greater than normal. The sections of dualism in the scroll also point to a possibility that the Essenes wrote it. Dualism was not extremely popular during the time period, especially with Judaism, but the Essenes differed in views from that of mainstream Judaism so it possible that they were dualistic. Finally, there are writings of ancient authors that describe the Essenes and compare them to other groups. Josephus is one author, in particular, who sheds great light on the Essenes. Josephus describes the Essenes as a people who believe in angels, fate, divine reward and punishment, immortality of the soul. He also says they have prophetic abilities. The War Scroll includes almost all of these aspects.
There are angels mentioned in the scroll as they help the “Sons of Light”. A divine reward is given to those who are on the side of the “Sons of Light” and a punishment given to those on the side of the “Sons of Darkness”. Finally, the great battle talked about in the War Scroll is none other than a prophecy of what will happen in the future. With this information it is very possible that the Essenes wrote the War Scroll. Second, the Zealot theory. This theory does not have much to it because not much is known about the Zealots. From what is known about them, however, it is clear that they were conflict-ridden. The Zealots invited conflict and it would make sense that they understood Greco-Roman treatises. They could have easily written this scroll while they were preparing for the battle against the Romans who had taken over much of the area. The scrolls features an extensive amount of actual military knowledge. Third, the Christian-origin theory. This is a theory that came about in the 1960s because it was believed that 7QS preserves a portion of text from New Testament Gospel of Mark. This theory has no more evidence other than that and that is not even solid evidence. This theory carries no basis for any other scroll and is only included so that all the theories (that I know of) should be mentioned. Fourth, Jerusalem origins. This theory holds that scrolls themselves come from somewhere in Jerusalem and were put in the caves by fleeing Jews. The scrolls were written by multiple Jewish writers and stored either in the Jewish Temple Library or just multiple libraries in the city. The thought that the War Scroll was written by a Jew in Jerusalem is not entirely subject, but the fact they the scrolls wound up in caves near a settlement and had no connection to that settlement is unlikely. I would definitely agree that the scroll is written by a Jew, but no farther than that do I agree with this theory. Finally, the Qumran-Sadducean theory. This theory holds that the works are that of the Sadducees. This stems from 4QMMT which cites purity laws identical to that of this ancient sect. A festive calendar that follows Sadducean principles for the dating of their certain festive days. The Sadducees do not fit some of the characteristics found in the scrolls that Josephus has applied to the Essenes. It is unlikely that the Sadducees were the authors behind the War Scroll. The conclusion is that the War Scroll was probably composed by one person, that was also a Jew (Davies, 2000). The basic writings in the scroll match that of what a Jewish person of that time period would be writing about (i.e. apocalypticism). That being said, the text could be a combination of texts. The text could have been written by Essenes and the Zealots. If the Essenes had a treatise in their library that had been composed by the Zealots, they could have easily added to it and taken stuff out of it as they copied to make it better reflect their beliefs. There have been works similar to that of the War Scroll, but they are said to be unconnected. This adds to the possibility that the War Scroll could be a combination of Essene and Zealot beliefs. Summary of Significance The War Scroll does have some important significance when it comes to understanding ancient Judaism and early Christianity. Firstly, the War Scroll reflects the apocalyptic tone that most Jews wrote in during that period. Christianity also takes on that apocalyptic viewpoint as it tears away from Judaism. There are parallels between the War Scroll and some of the books in the Old Testament. Daniel, chapters 10-12, and 1 Enoch books, 91-107, both speak of a battle between good and evil and a pending apocalypse (Jr, 2015). Interestingly enough, these works were all written around the same time period. This shows Jewish thought of the time period is reflected in the scrolls. The War Scroll is inspired by other works in the New Testament such as Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Genesis. The War Scroll reflects on Jewish texts such as these and then sets the stage for the beliefs to be change going forward. The biggest change from ancient Judaism to what is in the texts is the notion of dualism. The theory of dualism was not present in Judaism for the most part. This text comes along and presents an idea that is not widespread at the time. Books such as 1 Enoch have a slight dualistic tone but it is not much to go on and these texts were composed about the same time. Dualism spread into Christianity, though, as there signs of it in second century Christian groups. The War Scroll held to some primarily Jewish thoughts of the time period but also branched out and including ideas from an up-and-coming group, the Christians.
His text offers philosophical and cultural meaning that is completely original. Certain beliefs are threaded through out the content of the
Until we can learn from our mistakes we are doomed to repeat history. Many historians feel that without knowledge of the past can prevent future conflicts and events from taking the same course of events. This statement is true for the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War occurred before in the form of the American Revolution. In order to understand the validity of that statement one must understand the French and foreign influences, the might of the British and United States, how the wars were fought, geography, and politics used in both wars. By understanding these one can come up with a working definition of revolution and the similarities between the two conflicts which span over 150 years between the two.
Huggins, Jason. “Purity Among the Essenes and the Nephelides.” Wabash. Wabash College, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014
Ancient world literature and early civilization stories are mostly centered on human’s relationship with higher beings. Ancient civilizations were extremely religious, holding the belief that their very lives were in the hands of their almighty god or goddess. This holds true for both the people of biblical times as well as those of the epic era. However, their stories have some differences according to cultural variation but the main structure, ideas, and themes are generally found correlative. It is hard to believe that one work did not affect the others. The first great heroic epic poem of Gilgamesh and the Old Testament are parts of two cultures that are hundreds of years apart. Whereas Gilgamesh is a myth and the book of Genesis is the basis of many religions, they both have notably similar accounts of symbols, motifs, meaningful events according to the relationship between the divine and humans in literature.
Among Jewish peasantry at the time of Jesus were two distinct types of prophets: the action prophets, who "led sizable movements of peasants from the villages of Judea in anticipation of God's new, eschatological act of liberation," and the oracular prophets, who delivered oracles of either judgment or deliverance (185). The former, as illustrated by the case of Theudas, appea...
Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Qumran caves, the lives of a now deceased society has been placed under the microscope. With the amount of work archaeologists and manuscript scholars have committed themselves to accomplish, more information on these Qumranites has been learned. Scholars have been able to determine that they were a Jewish sect, while also learning that they were a Jewish sect and obtaining their Biblical canon. The majority of scholars have associated the sect of Qumran with the Essenes due to their similarities. Though much was not found at the beginning of the excavations concerning women, it has become a matter in which many scholars are seeking more to know. Further archaeological findings have led to knowing more information about the Qumranite women.
...n. For years they had been subject to the wrath of the Egyptians. Now that the Hebrew people were no longer secondary in society, they produced writing in which they were the focus of attention instead of some other being or beings.
Roth, Cecil. (1965). The Dead Sea Scrolls. A New Historical Approach. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
... Print. The. 2003 Hartman, Louis F. & Lella, Alexander A. The Anchor Bible, The Book Of Daniel. New Haven & London: Yale University Press. Print, 1978 Cook, Stephen L. Apocalyptic Literature.
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has been hailed by people of many religious and cultural backgrounds as the greatest discovery of manuscripts to be made available to modern scholars in our time and has dramatically altered our understanding of the origins of Christianity. Perhaps the most fundamental reexamination brought about by the Scrolls is that of the Gospel of John. The Fourth Gospel originally accepted as a product of second century Hellenistic composition is now widely accepted as a later first century Jewish writing that may even contain some of the oldest traditions of the Gospels . The discovery of the scrolls has led to the discussion of undeniable and distinct parallels between the ideas of the society at Qumran and those present in the Gospel of John.
The questions about the existence of life and the creation of the world are always mind-boggling and fascinating, however, the real answer to these questions may never surface. All there is to rely on are the myths, stories and legends passed on from generation to generation by ancestors and the clues they have left. This essay will try to uncover the ancient Mesopotamian and Hebrew views on existence and creation by looking at sources like the Genesis and other ancient Mesopotamian texts and poems. Mesopotamians and Hebrews had contrasting views on how they explained the events in their lives, and through analysis of ancient sources, those differences will be outlined. In such populated and booming areas, human conflict was inevitable and some of the law codes that were placed in effect to establish order within the society will be examined. Throughout it all, god and religion played a central role in these ancient civilizations.
It is true and held by most reputable scholars and historians the New Testament is the best proven book in ancient history, both in terms of the number of manuscripts and the nearness o...
Vermès, Géza. The complete Dead Sea scrolls in English . New York, N.Y., U.S.A.: Allen Lane/Penguin Press, 1997.
The scrolls are a collection of biblical and non-biblical documents comprising of the Hebrew Bible, (every book except Esther); the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha; rules for community life; biblical commentaries; a Testimonia, (a collection of verses from the Bible about the Messiah); a War Scroll; Temple Scroll; poetic and liturgical pieces; Thanksgiving Hymns; wisdom instructions; legal rulings; horoscopes and even a treasure map.1
Documentary hypothesis says that there were several authors who wrote first five books of the Bible. In my essay I will try to discuss J, P, and E - authors of Genesis, Exodus and Numbers. I must admit that all these authors had lived after the division of the kingdom.