The Messiah’s Secret – Early Christians and the Essenes.

This blog is based on the study of Carsten Peter Theide’s book “The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Jewish origins of Christianity” Carsten was one of the world’s leading papyrologists on the history and texts of the first century. He was Professor of early Christian history at STH Basel Switzerland and a board member of the History Department at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer- Sheva Israel.

The Dead Sea Scrolls were found contained in Jars, they were following Jeremiah’s words; ”Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take the deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware vessel, that they may last for a long time.” Jeremiah 32: 14. 

The Scrolls help us understand Judaism and its development during the centuries between the Hebrew Bible and the origins of Christianity.

Long before the Dead Sea Scrolls were re-discovered in caves in 1947 by three Bedouins the Ta’amireh tribe  A Jewish group called ‘Essenes’ settled near the Dead Sea. The settlement's ancient name is thought to be Secacah, situated on the ancient road which links Jericho with Mazda, En Gedi, Sodom and Eilat. It was not an isolated settlement; there was an oasis near bye. The modern Arabic name Qumran was given to it as late as 1953-56, during the Jordanian occupation of the region.

Pliny the elder documented the existence of the Essenes and he wrote about them after the destruction of Qumran in AD68.  

Pliny the Roman statesman and natural historian documented the region with its settlements mentioning the Essenes. He died during the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. 

Philo the Jewish philosopher and diplomat died in AD 50. He knew some of the Essenes’ teachings and knew of more than one settlement.   

Josephus a former Pharisee and priest, a Jewish general in the revolt against the Romans and finally an advisor and historian at the court of the Roman Emperor Vespasian, he knew the Essenes personally and their teachings. Josephus having spent time living with the Essenes, he records that there were 4,000 male Essenes dwelling in places all over the country. They had links with other communities; a fragment 4Q159 refers to the Essene link with the Therapeute movement active mainly in Egypt. 

Questions frequently asked:  

a) How much did the first Christians know about the Essene movement and visa versa how much did the Essenes know about Jesus and his disciples? 

b) Was John the Baptist an Essene? 

c) Was the first Christian Community based on the Essene model?  

Archaeological Evidence of the First Century.  

Josephus recorded a Jerusalem city gate named ‘Gate of the Essenes’ it was situated on the south- west hill. The disciples and Jesus would know of it and about the Essenes. In the late 1990’s a team of Archaeologists excavated near the gate and found Essene purifying baths and nearby latrines. Josephus having spent time living with them gave details of the rules that had to be observed by the Essene community. 

James and the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem, like so many other Jews, knew about the writings and teachings of the Essenes, as they also knew about other groups of the time. And they not only knew the teachings, they probably knew the people themselves. They could have met them almost anywhere.  The Christians closer to the Pharisees than to the Essenes.  

Two Isaiah Scrolls were found in Cave 1 with varying style and vocabulary without interfering with the content of the Hebrew originals.
Cave 4. Carsten Theide writes that finding fragments of the Greek Bible (translation of the Hebrew Bible) the Septuagint at Qumran was a breakthrough. Greek the common language all over the Roman Empire and beyond, at least since the first century BC. Page 126/7 
The Greek Bible, which was the one almost exclusively used by the Christian Jews outside the Holy Land in New Testament times  -  and by the authors of the New Testament themselves.

Christian Hippolytus of the third century AD wrote of the Essene belief in the resurrection: “The doctrine of the resurrection has also derived support among them, for they acknowledge both that the flesh will rise again, and that it will be immortal, in the same manner as the soul is already imperishable. They maintain that when the soul has been separated from the body, it is now borne into one place, which is well ventilated and full of light, and there it rests until judgement.” 

Hippolytus was the first Christian to regard them explicitly as kindred spirits at least in some of the central areas of the Jewish heritage which Christians and Essenes had in common. Qumran fragment found in Cave 4 and numbered 4Q 521does deal with the question of the bodily resurrection, proving Hippolytus to be a trustworthy late classical source. It was one of those fascinating cases where similarities between Essene theology and the teaching of Jesus are visible, going back to the same Old Testament passages, against the tenets of the priestly Sadducees who rejected it. Mark 12: 18-27. 

Since the editing of these New Testament fragments in 1962 there has been great debate as to the likelihood of Christian scrolls being found at Qumran. In Cave 7 fragments 7Q5 and 7Q4: 1 Timothy 3: 16- 4: 1,3.  and Mark 6: 52, 53   

Carsten Theide writes, ”Between the first public proclamation of the Christian message at Shavuot/Pentecost in AD 30, and the ‘closure’ of Qumran in AD 68, some thirty eight years or almost one and a half generations went by. It goes without saying that the Qumran Essenes heard about the new, personified messianic message during those decades. After all, they even had an outpost in Jerusalem, on the south-west hill which today is called Mount Zion, not far from the local community centre of the followers of Jesus. To put it bluntly, if there is any place where we must expect to find the first writings of these Jesus people, it is the study library of that other vibrant messianic and eschatological movement, the Essenes.” Page 149   

The Essenes Scrolls reveal that they believed in two or even three Messiahs, a Messiah from the line of David and another from the priestly line of Aaron who was regarded in the Damascus Document as the eschatological one, “He will teach righteousness at the end of the days’ (Dead Sea Scrolls scholars are not unanimous) If a third Messiah can be identified, he is the so-called ‘Prophet.’ The Community Rule mentions him once. And specifies that he will come together with the Messiah Aaron. The Davidic Messiah was triumphant, he was victorious. He was the Messiah of Isaiah 11, of 4Q 161, 4Q 285, and perhaps even of the famous War Scroll 1QM. 

Carsten Theide does not mention that any of the fragments that have been looked at indicate of the second Messiah raising the first Messiah from the dead. (See blog Isaiah 53) 

b) Was John the Baptist an Essene?  

Carsten Theide is of the opinion that John the Baptist cannot be directly associated with the Qumran, his desert abode was five miles west of Hebron at a place called Ain el-Ma’ mudiyyeh (Spring of Baptism) John’s baptism a complete purification through an immersion by another person and does not bear resemblance to the Essene daily practice the ritual of self-purification. 1QS 3:9. CD 10: 11) The only connection was the use of water in its cleansing effect.  John was the first person in Jewish history that immersed fellow Jews in an act of repentance and purification. 

Also the Baptism formula proclaimed by Peter at Pentecost was quite unprecedented. “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2: 38.

c) Was the first Christian Community based on the Essene model?  

 In AD 937 The Karaite historian Qirqisanic wrote: a certain David Merwan, had written about the sect the ‘cavemen’, so called because their writings were found in caves. The ‘cavemen’ and their texts are mentioned after the Sadducees and before Jesus and his followers – that new Jewish movement of the first century. 

The New Testament Gospels and letters that were written in the early stages of Christianity were circulated from one congregation to another.   

The disciples believed in the resurrection after they had witnessed seeing Jesus crucified and die on the cross and there were those who witnessed him being embalmed and sealed in the tomb. Within three days they saw Jesus in his risen body and had conversation with him in the house at Jerusalem where they touched his resurrected body and watched him eat the same food as they were eating. Afterwards he left them without going through a door or window; he disappeared in a moment from where he had been with them in the house. Paul records in his letter to the Corinthian Church that over 500 people witnessed to seeing Jesus risen from the dead.  

The Essene belief in two or three Messiah’s is contrary to the beliefs of Jesus and his disciples. Jesus taught and demonstrated that he was the Messiah fulfilling the Hebrew prophesies in his suffering and death, resurrection and ascension. He spoke of his return with the angels of God and that there were some standing listening to him say this would see the kingdom come in power. Mark 8:38 9:1.   

The Messiah’s Secret proves that the disciples fulfilled scripture in observing the requirements of Jewish law to form a community. 

The disciples and the followers of Jesus were Jews and they shared the same Hebrew Bible and it’s prophesies with the Essenes and other Jewish groups, the Pharisees, the Zealots and the Sadducees. 

The formation of a Jewish Christian community in Jerusalem has a similarity with the Essene community, but under the rules of the Mishnah in order to set up a community the number of officers required was twelve, one tenth of the whole community.  At that time there were eleven disciples, and there were one hundred and twenty gathered at the house in Jerusalem. Therefore they brought their number up to twelve to comply with the rules. More importantly, it was in response to the fulfillment of scripture, ‘His office let another take,’ Matthias became the twelfth disciple.   Acts 1: 15, 20, 23. Peakes Commentary page 778 Cf. Mishnah (Sanh.1 with a small six)

The disciples expected Jesus to return soon after Pentecost. Acts 3: 17 end. 
Jesus himself hoped to return within their life time. Mark 8 : 38. 9: 1. John 21: 21. Acts 1: 11.                                                          

The disciples were to be about their master’s until he returned. Mark 13: 32-37.  

Essenes and Christians were called sects by the Jewish authorities. The high priest and Jews at the trial of Paul before Felix referred to Paul as a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. Paul's response, "But this I admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers."   Acts 24: 5, 14. 28: 22.

The Jewish Christian Community proclaimed Jesus to the members of the Jewish ruling council that Jesus was the nation’s Messiah and he that would return. Acts 3: 17 end. 4: 8-12. 5: 29-32. 
The disciples and followers broke bread in their homes whilst the temple sacrifices continued. The baptism spoken of by Peter continued and the Holy Spirit was received by thousands of people. The healing ministry of the disciples and followers continued as all still continues today.  

The delay in Jesus’ return 

The prophet Daniel prophesied that “And after sixty two weeks (of years) ‘the anointed one’ (the Messiah) would be cut off, and shall have nothing; and the people and the prince who is to come shall come and destroy the city.” Daniel 9: 26 
Jesus hoped to return soon after his ascension, but the response from Israel's leaders after Pentecost did not allow this to happen. But Jesus also knew that only God his Father knew of the day and of the hour of his return. Mark 13: 32  

Discovered in the 3^rd Century   

Origen in his writings mentioned that he used a scroll that came from a jar in a cave near Jericho. 
Ninth century a Nestrum bishop referred to such scrolls as a matter of course. This evidence of the existence of ancient scrolls was never acted upon by Archaeologists. 

Carsten Theide wrote that someday in the future some of the fragments found will be looked at again and the hundreds that had still to be analyzed will reveal their secrets.   

Answered Prayer
After the sermon/blog 'Isaiah 53' I asked the Lord to know more about the Essene period. On Thursday 2nd May my prayer was answered, my husband and I we visited Howarth (Bronte Sisters home town in Yorkshire) We go once every year and I like to look in the secondhand bookshops. There is one in particular that has a good Christian selection and  I was delighted when I found and bought Carsten Theides book. I humbly thank you, Lord.