The essenes and the dead sea scrolls
             In 1947 an Arab shepherd had been throwing rocks into the caves in the Judean wilderness and was surprised to hear a jar break. Upon investigation he discovered encapsulated ancient papyrus scrolls which contained many writings some of which contained near complete copies of what we now know as the "Old Testament." Further investigation by others resulted in the discovery of many caves in this same area filled with these scrolls which were to shed light on the beliefs of an ancient people that lived at the time of Christ. A debate has been raging ever since these discoveries as to who the true authors are. Although many theories abound there is one that has withstood the test of time and scrutiny more than any other and that is the theory that these scrolls were written by a sect known as the Essenes. (Gole xi-xii) The culture and beliefs of the Essenes fits well into the theory that they are the true authors of these records.
             The Essenes formed a small extremely religious tight-knit community. There numbers were believed to have peaked around 4,000, and were spread from Palestine to Syria with there headquarters believed to be at Qumran, the site where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. For the most part the sect was comprised of adult males among whom celibacy was encouraged. In general among them pleasure was considered evil. They also despised riches, but slightly less than pleasure. They believed in a monetarily classless society. Upon joining the sect any and all property was owned by the community. They subsisted by pastoral and agricultural activities and handicrafts, and avoided the manufacture of weapons. Ceremonial purity was also extremely important to them. Maintaining that purity involved scrupulous cleanliness, the wearing of only white garments, strict observance of the Sabbath, and ritual immersion in water. They were also very apocalyptic in their belief...