Dear ciao,
Qumran (full name: Khirbet Qumran) is located on a plateau near the
north-western shore of the Dead Sea, Israel, ca. 13 miles (21 km) east
of Jerusalem. The exact geographic location is 31° 44' 00" N, 35° 27'
00" E.
Historians assume that the Qumran settlement was the center of the
Essenes, a Jewish sect existing between the 2nd century BC and the 3rd
century AD. They were living in small settlements under strict rules
in a largely monkish community, a kind of religious order. In their
community, property was shared and rigorous asceticism was a basic
principle. They considered slavery a sin, and it is said that they
bought slaves from slaveholders, only to give them freedom. The
Essenes regarded themselves priests, with a variant of Jewish religion
fundamentally different from the one of the officiating Jerusalem
priesthood; they even had their own calendar of religious
celebrations. In Qumran and the other Essene villages in the
surrounding area, the members of the order were, apart from their
religious duties, existing as farmers and artisans. They were no
pacifists, as the discoveries of weapons proved; and it is highly
probable that at least some of them joined the resistance movement
against Roman rule, which might be a reason why their center
settlement Qumran was destroyed by the Romans during the 1st Jewish
War (66-70 AD). The exact reason why the Essenes chose the Qumran area
for their central settlement is not known yet; but it is very likely
that they selected the place because of the remote location. Here,
they were able to follow their strict rules without distraction, and
simultanously they were less in danger of getting into trouble with
the Jerusalem priesthood or other Jewish groups.
According to the Scrolls of the Dead Sea, discovered in 1947, the
Essenes saw their order as a role model for a House of Israel,
preparing itself for the coming Realm of God and Judgment Day. The
members had to go through a probation period of two to three years and
were then classified pursuant to their grade of pureness.
The most important religious offices were held by three priests,
assisted by twelve laymen as aiding priests. The administration of the
various local congregations was in the hands of an attendant, roughly
comparable to a bishop. This attendant again was responsible to a
higher-ranking priest, a kind of archbishop presiding over the entire
order.
Studying the Jewish Law (Thora) and the first section of the Hebrew
bible was mandatory for all members of the order. The correct
interpretation of the bible was, by a number of religious supervisors,
called "the True Explicators" or "the Teachers of the Right", passed
from generation to generation.
The Essenes believed that the end of their order would also mark the
arrival of a new Explicator and prophet. One of the Dead Sea scrolls
also mentiones a final war between the "Sons of Light" and the "Sons
of Darkness".
The Qumran settlement was, according to archaeological conclusions,
populated between 200 BC and 68 AD. It is believed that Roman soldiers
plundered and destroyed Qumram during the 1st Jewish War; after that,
the settlement was not rebuilt.
Sources:
Das Zeitalter der Bibel, by Roberta L. Harris. Published by
Bechtermünz Verlag, 1995. ISBN: 3-8289-0662-1
Religionswissenschaft: Die Essener, by A.S., 1997 (in German)
http://mypage.bluewindow.ch/Ahmet/bildung/esse.htm
Hope this answers your questions.
Regards,
Scriptor |
