Scrolls from the Dead Sea; Parallels and contrasts

It's grown from the Dead Sea. When they solemnly meet at the table of communion or drink the wine. And the communion table is arranged and the wine is mixed for drinking. One shall not stretch out his hand on the first portion of the bread or of the wine before the Messiah prays. For he shall bless the first portion of the bread and the wine and shall stretch out his hand on the bread first of all. This is a description of the sacramental of the sect of the Dead Sea Scrolls. We're not positive who they were but it is probable that one day

in the fateful spring of 68 as the Roman legions swept these people their precious parchments in earthenware jar and hid them in caves along the shores of the Dead Sea. In 1947 these scrolls were found by an Arab shepherd boy searching for a lost goat. Parallels and contrasts program 10 knob scrolls from the Dead Sea. A radio exploration of the most significant archaeological find of the 20th century. These programs are produced by radio station WAGA of the University of Wisconsin under a grant from the Educational Television and Radio Center in cooperation with the National Association of educational broadcasters who are the people of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

What were they like these people who lead quiet pious lives in the wilderness on the dead sea shores. These questions of interested scholars and theologians ever since the first Dead Sea Scrolls were found recently Dr. Menachem Mansoor chairman of the department of Hebrew and Semitic Studies at the University of Wisconsin interviewed over 25 leading scholars on these and other questions relating to the Dead Sea Scrolls. He tape recorded the materials for these programs in Europe Israel and America. Now back at the University of Wisconsin professor Mansoor has planned and written this series of programs exploring the meaning and content of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Professor Mansour. In my last talk I discussed one of the most important and controversial of all the scrolls the manual of discipline which contains the rules and regulations by which the sect of the scrolls was governed and disciplined. This work must have been very important to the

sect for a few copies of it have been found small copies like pocket editions no more than a few inches high. Now our question is Who are these people who are governed by the manual of discipline. So many years ago of the numerous sects suggested only three have received much attention the Kara it's the Ebionites and the sea. But this whole question of identification is linked with the problem of the dating of the scrolls. So let us examine this question in terms of the dating. The famous scholar from Philadelphia Professor Solomon Zeitlin insisted that the Dead Sea Scrolls are medieval and the sect represented in these texts. It's a medieval Jewish sect which believed in the Old Testament and not in post biblical rabbinical Judaism. But we have already noted in our program

on the dating that the overwhelming majority of scholars accept the pre-Christian date of these documents. Another scholar from Cambridge England Dr J. Believes that the sect is identical with the Jewish Christian sect known as the Ebionites. This was a Christian sect whose members consider Jesus as their master and Messiah but at the same time believed in strict adherence to the laws of the Old Testament. They lived during the first four centuries A.D. which shall refer to this sect in detail in one of our future programs. When we discuss the identity of the Teacher of Righteousness at this point I shall only say that doctor has hardly any followers. His arguments are far from convincing. This brings us to the third sector which scholars have identified with the community. The two or three centuries before the Christian era

and the Jewish sect known as the teens lived in communities on the northwestern side of the day. They are believed to have anticipated many Christian tenets and practices because of the geographical of the ruins and the caves where the scrolls were found. Many scholars strongly believe that the scrolls and the monastery. Now what do we know of the Assyrians. While our knowledge of this comes chiefly from three writers who lived in the first century A.D. the Jewish historian Josephus the Jewish philosopher and the Roman soldier writer Pliny this writer say that the chief settlement was on the shores of the Dead Sea above where the scrolls were found.

Is the settlement on the shores of the Dead Sea between Jericho. Now why have scholars identified with scenes. Well for one thing we know that this is a communal organization quite similar to the one outlined in the manual of discipline. Both the scenes and the sect lived in the wilderness of Judea held all things in common and ate in common. Both groups laid considerable emphasis on baptism and purification by water both according to rank at meetings and had to speak in turn. Both believed in the sovereignty of God as the source of all being. As Professor Miller Barrows of has pointed out the most highly prized virtues of both groups where humility patience simplicity honesty and obedience fidelity and purity.

The first advocate of the theory was Professor deep on some of this though it has been endorsed by a large number of scholars working on the scrolls. Later on Professor Rowley of Manchester one of the leading Bible scholars of our time has written extensively on the sect. I asked him whether he would equate as described by Sect. Here is his answer to that question. As I tape recorded it in his office in Manchester. No I would not equate them. There are relations between the ideas of the and the ideas of the sect. But there are also differences and I think we should be very cautious about assuming an exact equation. The Qumran sect appears to be more closely connected with some of the zealot

groups of what we read in the New Testament and whose activities we know of course at the time of the fall of Jerusalem and it may very well be that the destruction of the command center in about 80 68 was due to the fact that they were closely affiliated with the zealot groups who were fighting the Romans of that time for Rollie therefore the ransacked was not a branch of the sea in general movement. Another expert on this question is Professor Frank M. Krause Jr. of McCormick Theological Seminary. Dr Krause has worked on the text of this course themselves in Jordan. Here is his recorded answer to the question of whether there is any positive confirmation of the fact that the Qumran sake is seen. I think we can say now where reasonable certainty perhaps with certainty that

sect was in fact. Yes seems we cannot however point to one explicit proof of this identification. We can say that a sect of the scroll lived in the community and watched the scenes where according to classical sources supposed they live there during the same era and which are ancient sources say the scenes live there. They were both writing and studying and reading a literature which almost certainly must be ascribed to the Essene. Now then I would draw the conclusion from this data that they are in fact the same as but they are not called such in their documents and therefore I cannot comment on one passage. Now let us sum up on this question. The majority of scholars who have written or been interviewed believe that the Qumran community was

seen or at least and seen like a group. We already know that there were various Jewish groups all more or less akin to one another in existence two or three centuries before the Christian era. Each emphasize its own special beliefs and practices but form part of the background of Christianity. The newly founded it is grown probably a supplement and that's been rich our knowledge of one of these groups these scenes. Now the manual of discipline tells us something of the organized life of the sect and their authority of the leader of each group. These leaders have been compared by some to the Christian bishops. The common enemy of the sect has been likened to the Last Supper. Many comparisons have been drawn between the Fourth Gospel and the scrolls. Is there any relationship between between sects and

some of the events and teachings recorded in the New Testament. A few Bible scholars have long thought they point out that John the Baptist quote grew and became strong in spirit and he was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation. Here they say he prepared himself for the great mission. In view of the fact that Iran where the sect lived is only a few miles from familiar places in the life of Jesus such as Jericho Bethlehem Jerusalem some bolder and more imaginative writers including the well-known literary critic Edmund Wilson have suggested the possibility that the unknown years in the life of Jesus from the age of 12 until about 30 were spent as a member of the Essene community. It is a daring and exciting theory but there is as yet nothing in the scrolls themselves to support this

theory. It is a fascinating possibility though because instead of leaving a gap of about 20 years in the short life of Christ this would provide an almost hour by hour knowledge of how he spent his religious apprenticeship. The trouble with this theory however in the eyes of the vast majority of scholars is that it almost certainly is not true. Some scholars do concede that John the Baptist might have influenced Christianity. The French historian of the Sorbonne Paris demonstrated in his books on the basis of the text of the scrolls and of those of the New Testament. How clearly early Christianity derived from. If so let us examine the similarities and the differences between the literature and the New Testament writings. As I said before it is generally admitted that

contact between John the Baptist and come around is possible perhaps even probable. We know that at that time the monastery of Iran was occupied by this according to the New Testament. John the Baptist lived beyond the Jordan River in a place only 10 to 12 miles from the monastery. It is therefore inconceivable that John was unaware of the existence of their great library and monastery. Both John and I had in common ascetic our monastic ideals as well as the use of the Rite of baptism. It is generally admitted that the Fourth Gospel of John contains phrases and expressions found in the dates the scrolls. Hence the link between the Qumran writings and the background of Christianity. But let us not forget for a moment that this theory is based on so many assumptions. It

can only remain an interesting hypothesis for the present. Not a conclusion. Indeed there are striking similarities but there are also profound differences. Let us take the principle of dualism in both groups of writings for instance and the New Testament in regard to creation both come around and John recognized that without God nothing was made. Ron especially stressed that God created the spirits of light and darkness in Qur'an writings. All men are under one or the other spirit. How do they come under these spirits. If their lives are good they hate evil if evil they hate good for John to love darkness because their deeds are evil. But Christ tries to persuade men to come to the light. While it is in the world those who refuse have no fellowship with Jesus. Again Khun Ron phrases it's dualism in two terms. There are two spirits

truth and perversity which form two ways in which men walk the people of the community are witnesses of truth. They practice truth. John also has this dualism. The Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error. Christ calls himself the truth. In the New Testament John the Baptist and Christ witnessed the true man walk in truth. They practice truth one more illustration to show a pattern and yet a fundamental contrast. Let us take the question of brotherly love whom Ron tells us to hate the sons of darkness. But the New Testament rejects this whereas Qumran stresses the love of Brethren within the community. In the New Testament John's special mission is love of all fellow man. Thus we see that the dualism is closed to John in ideology and terminology much closer than any other source we

have. Until recently most Bible scholars more or less agree that the Gospel of John must have been written late and not in Palestine. New information gathered from the scrolls shows that quite possibly but not definitely it was written early and more probably than anywhere else. Professor of the University of getting Germany was an expert on New Testament studies and who worked in Jordan on the original texts. See what immediately strikes us about the Koran scrolls is the important bearing which all this has on the New Testament. The similarities with the teachings of Jesus are numerous and significant but the profound relationship with the Gospel of St. John seems to be even more important. The whole manner of thinking and the literary style of John are strikingly like what we find in the texts. Many scholars share this

view including Professor Miller Barrows of Yale who remarked that more than any other part of the New Testament contacts with the dates the scrolls had been noted by many scholars in the Gospel of John. But there is at least one equally eminent scholar recognized the world over who does not seem to share this view. This professor G.R. driver head of the department of Semitics and professor of divinity at maudlin College Oxford I interviewed him at his office in Oxford. I asked him to give us his views on the relation between the writings and the Gospel of John. I cannot see that the scrolls show any material light on the date or place of composition of St. John's gospel even though they have many ideas in common and which has the priority can hardly be said in the present state of knowledge

especially if both merely go back to a common origin. And for how many centuries. Where these common ideas are current. I personally feel that the resemblance is exaggerated especially when the claim is made that the whole manner of thinking and the literary style of Saint John are striking it like what we find in the text from calm down they defiled toto kalo in my opinion. Several scholars like Professor Dr R believe that the similarities are over emphasized whereas the differences are treated lightly referring to the question of similarities between the writings in the New Testament in general. Professor Dr made this statement. There is no need to suppose that the early church borrowed material from the community which wrote or posed

the texts found at Qumran. Both groups of writings those from Koran and the books of the New Testament reflect ideas current at the time and for some time before that the bearing of the SCO grows upon Christianity in direct rather than direct. They reflect a common background. But in my opinion they do not derive from the same. So of course amongst the common ideas current in Judaism at that time was a baptism and the promise of a sapa and similar customs. And these are reflected in both groups of documents. Well there has been quite a stir among scholars throughout the world on this question. They have debated and discussed the similarities in scholarly journals. You have already heard the views of Professor Dr. Oxford and professor

of Manchester. Now let me present to the views of other competent scholars and theologians who interviewed first. Here is Professor William Reed of the College of the Bible in Lexington Kentucky who served as director of the American school of archaeology in Jerusalem in 1952. Here is Professor Reed on the basis of what we now know about this material. We can say that it is a further illustration of the Jewish background of Christianity a background which of course New Testament scholars already knew in considerable detail. It is clearly evident that the best scenes and the early Christian Christians had similar views concerning the importance of the book of Isaiah and other canonical writings in Hebrew as some recent studies have shown there are also some very great differences between Essien beliefs

and those of the early Christians. And there is no proof thus far of any possibility that John the Baptist Jesus or Paul were ever members of the Essene community or influenced by their thought any more than they were influenced by the other sects of Judaism. The Reverend Brown a professor of religion a Duke University was actually in Jerusalem when the scrolls were first brought to the American School of Oriental research. He and Dr Trevor were the first American scholars to examine the scrolls. Moreover Dr. Brownlee was the first person to translate the manual of discipline. I have therefore asked him to tell us what he thought of the similarities. Dr. Brown. That question so early the rat a big order. So I might answer it by suggesting types of similarity. First of all the beliefs and practices of John the Baptist are in some ways strikingly

similar to those of the and I think it reasonable to believe that John may have been associated with the scene before beginning his own ministry then in both the New Testament and the Qumran literature. We are concerned with a great teacher or prophet who introduced the new covenant the new covenant of the Qumran master however is legal in character consisting of rules and regulations but that of Jesus is the redemption of mankind from seeing through his sacrifice on the cross. New Testament writers were rather the heirs of a dream of religious thought which they believed to be fulfilled in Jesus. Accordingly there are similar messianic motifs in both bodies of literature as the earth sings contemplating the coming mess and they expect the Great. It's got a logical

figures a prophet a priest and a cool in the New Testament Jesus appears as one who builds All three year olds know that a prophet best characterizes his ministry. Now a slightly different view comes from Professor Charles Fritsch of the Princeton Theological Seminary Professor Fritsch has written extensively on the scrolls. Here is his tape recorded opinion on the patios between writings and the New Testament. This is a rather long question but I think that as we know that some of the many parallels between the Qumran community and the early church their importance for the understanding of the New Testament and Christian Origins will become apparent. It is estimated that there are over 500 verbal parallels between the Qumran scrolls and the New Testament. We shall mention just a few of these. When the members of the Qumran community went out into the desert to build their monastery

and wait for the coming of the Messiah they believed that they were fulfilling the words of Isaiah 40 verse 3 which reads in the wilderness clear the way of the Lord. Make level in the desert a highway for our God. The very same words as you remember which are used of John the Baptist when he set out to preach repentance and proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. The Johannah and writings of the New Testament are filled with terminology which comes right out of the sectarian documents from Qum around children of light and children of darkness familiar expressions in the Joe Heinlein writings are paralleled many times in the manual of discipline and especially in the scroll entitled The war between the Children of Light and the children of darkness. The rites of baptism and the communion meal which place so important a part in the life of the Qumran community are of course essential

elements in the life of the early church as well. These close parallels and many others show that the organization of the early church was influenced by Jewish sects like the one at Coombe rock. Now one final view on this question. Professor Miller Barrows of Yale University was asked whether he thought there was a common theological view between Christianity. Here is his tape recorded reply. Well both the early church and the Koran community believed that they were living in the last days of the world and each believe that it was the community of the elect. Both groups believe that Old Testament prophecy was being fulfilled and its own history both believed that man is a sinner and can be saved only by the grace of God. These seem to me the most noteworthy points. Of course there were many other ideas that both groups shared with other forms of

Judaism. And immediate conclusion is the following. It is true there are innumerable links of ideas and practices between the sect of the scrolls and the early church and it is becoming clear that Christianity took up ideas and practices already current but it is by now certain that this sect of the scrolls was a far less dynamic group than the Church of the New Testament. The six expressions and ideas may have been taken up but they have been invested with a new and deeper meaning and contents. The paramount importance of the scrolls to New Testament studies is that they add to our knowledge and understanding of this era and give us more precise insight into the life and faith of one of the groups of Jewish Christian brotherhood of the time New Testament scholars are realizing more and more that the scrolls are of primary importance to them. In our next program we shall discuss

another controversy the identity of the mysterious leader of the sacred known as the Teacher of Righteousness and the burying of the scrolls upon the background of Christianity scrolls from the Dead Sea program to end in a radio exploration of the most significant archaeological find of the century. These programmes are produced by radio station WAGA of the University of Wisconsin under a grant from the Educational Television and Radio Center. Professor Mina Hammond sword chairman of the department of Hebrew and Semitic Studies at the University of Wisconsin was the author already and narrator for the series. These programs are distributed by the National Association of educational broadcasters. This is the NEA ABC Radio Network.