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| Model of Qumran Village |
There were three major Jewish religious groups from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE who resided in the desert on the shores of the Dead Sea. They were the Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes. Scholars believe that Essenes who lived at Khirbet Qumran would have been the possible authors of the manuscript. Early Excavations at Qumran reviled that the Essenes had lived in monasteries and have written the scrolls during the period 100BC to 68AD. Preserving and copying scriptures was important task for the Essenes. They hid the scrolls in the caves around the outbreak of the first Jewish Revolt in 66AD. During the excavations at Qumran archaeologists have discovered two inkwells and tables, on which the scrolls were fist written. Roland de Vaux a Dominican priest one of the original editors of the Dead Sea Scrolls interpreted, these tables as “Scriptorium”.
The name Essenes derives from the Greek word “holiness” and Essenes order is well known for its piety and distinctive beliefs and practices which separated themselves from the rest of society. The population of Essenes were about 4,000 lived in the towns and villages of Judea. They lived supporting themselves by farming and carrying out various other trades. They adhered to a hierarchical organization led by priests, observed rules of initiation for new members, performed daily purification rituals, held all property in common, took meals together, and worked, studied the scriptures, and prayed together. Certain Qumran scrolls particularly the Rule of the community tell us that inhabitants of the desert community lived as Esseness who are very religious and strict observance of ritual laws. Although there are many similarities between descriptions of the Essenes and community described in the Dead Sea Scrolls, some scholars does not agree of Essenes being the authors of the manuscript they believe Sadducees as the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls based on similarities between the Sadducees and of the evidence gathered recently of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
As for the research on the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls I used “The complete world of The Dead Sea Scrolls written by Philip R. Davies, George J. Brooke and Phillip R Callaway. I also searched via Google on the topic and found some interesting sites which gave me information of the writers of the manuscript. Encyclopaedia of Nationmaster.com site gave detail account of the writers, and faith-makeitreal.com site also retrieved similar information of the authors of the manuscript.
Bibliography:
Davis, R Philip, Brooke, J George & Callaway, R Phillip 2002, The complete world of dead sea Scrolls, Thames & Hudson ltd, London.
Discovery 2007, Nation Master, viewed 18 September 2011, <http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Dead-Sea-scrolls#Discovery>
Qumran, Essenes & Dead Sea Scrolls 2007, Faith Make it real, viewed 3 October 2011, < http://www.faith-makeitreal.com/BS/Bextras/qumran-essenes-deadseascrolls.pdf>
Spiritrestoration, Model of Qumran Village, viewed 3 October 2011,
<http://www.spiritrestoration.org/Church/Dead_Sea_Scrolls/The_Dead_Sea_Scrolls_Qumran_Library.htm>
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