It is a fascinating study to reconstruct the history of some of the people God has used to preserve His holy writ down through the ages. Even though the people of Qumran had wandered far from the precepts God had laid down for His people, yet they faithfully kept God’s inspired word in the exact form they had received it from their forefathers.
About 175 B.C. the Syrian, Antiochus Ephiphanes, tried to abolish the Jewish religion in Palestine and set up Polytheism in its place. His succession of abominable deeds was crowned by the desecration of the temple in Jerusalem. A Jewish revolt led by Judas Maccabaeus was surprisingly successful. The swift, impassioned thrusts of the Jewish forces caught the Syrians by surprise and gave the followers of Judas many rapid victories. The Jews actually managed to gain complete independence for a brief period.
During this period the Maccabees set themselves up as the chief civil rulers, the military leaders and the high priests. Many of the Jews felt that the Maccabees were overstepping their bounds when they took over the priesthood. The result was the formation of several rival factions. One of these was the Pharisees. Another group, following their leader who called himself the teacher of righteousness, felt that the only way for the true belief to be preserved was for them to isolate themselves from the influences of the people led by the corrupt priests. This group went into the wilderness of Judea and founded the religious community of Qumran on the shores of the Dead Sea.
The city itself was established on a high plateau about a mile from the shore. Water was obtained by diverting the intermittent flow from the nearby Wadi Qumran, through man made channels and collecting it in open cisterns. A flat area a short distance south of the city was fertile enough that it could be farmed. Water was provided by methods similar to those used to supply the city.
The community was founded upon the belief that the nation as a whole was unfit to accomplish God’s purpose. Therefore this group must isolate itself as a faithful remnant. It established itself as a miniature Israel with priests, evites, elders and commoners. The settlement was divided into four separate camps. The priests devoted themselves to a study and practice of the Law of Moses. The people of Qumran felt that they could make an expiation for their fellow Israelites. They thought their devotion to the law, their endurance of suffering and their severe discipline would atone for the sins of the nation. They felt they were collectively fulfilling: the prophecy of the obedient and suffering servant described in Isaiah Chapters 51 and 53. They furthermore felt that they would be used as God’s sword in punishing Israel in the latter days.
Their interpretation of the Messianic prophesies was very interesting. They were looking for three separate persons; one a prophet, one a priest, and one a king. Thus they completely lost the point of focus of the beautiful prophecies concerning the Messiah.
With our understanding of the Scriptures, we can see how this ancient group of people through a very narrow interpretation of the prophecies sought to find fulfillment of God’s plan within their own small group.
The community was composed of both men and women. It was ruled by a supreme council of twelve men. The rite of baptism was practiced often and the city was equipped with many pools devoted to this purpose. True cleansing could only be accomplished when the mind was in the right state, however baptism was done many times during a person’ life and not just at his first acceptance into the community. All property was owned in co mm o n. Communal meals, worship and consultation’s were the general practice. Not all of the inhabitants lived within the city. Many lived in caves in the nearby hills. The people were allowed to have outside occupations other than those in the community or in the adjacent farming area. Their wages, h ow e v e r, were turned over to the community except the small amounts necessary for the necessities of life. The community maintained this isolated, austere existence for over 200 years.
In the year 68 A.D. the Roman General Vespasian led his armies down the Jordan valley as part of his plan to suppress the Jewish revolt that was attempting to break the yoke of the Roman rule. The city of Jericho was stormed and taken. Vespasian returned to Rome to become emperor and Titus took over the command of the Roman armies. Retaining a garrison in Jericho to prevent a rear attack, Titus sent his tenth legion against Jerusalem. Thus began the battle that ended in the terrible destruction of the city in 72 A.D. From Jericho parties were sent out to suppress and conquer any centers of Jewish activity in the area. The Qumran community was one of these Jewish cities conquered by the Roman armies.
As the Roman armies drew close, the inhabitants of Qumran began to hide the one thing they treasured most, their library. They carefully wrapped the scrolls in linen, placed them in jars and carried the jars to caves in the adjoining hills. Their plan was to hide the library so that if they were driven from their city, they could return after the danger had passed and reestablish their community.
When the Roman patrols began probing the area, the danger became much more imminent. The scrolls were dumped into the most convenient cave.
The Roman army descended on the community. No one knows whether the inhabitants were all massacred or merely driven from the area. We do know that all records of the religious community of Qumran cease at this time and excavations indicate that the Roman soldiers inhabited the ruins of the city.
Thus the keepers of the scrolls passed from the historical scene. But God’s word was preserved by His Almighty hand and has come to light in our day some 1900 years later to be, “God with us”, in these closing days of Gentile times.
In the concluding article next month, God willing, we shall deal with the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One