The Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit
Our Messianic Assembly had the distinct opportunity to visit the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit presented at the Public Museum of Grand Rapids, Michigan during 2003. Our understanding of the life and times of the Messiah, Yeshua, was enhanced, and we share here the highlights of our learning during that visit. The Dead Sea Scrolls from the Qumran Community are the oldest original Biblical manuscripts in existence today, and are a thousand years older than the Alepo and st. Petersburg texts. These documents are almost identical. The Dead Sea Scrolls include three types of documents: Halakh (Old Testament) Scriptures including every book of the Hebrew Bible except Esther, Apocryphal books including Tobit, Sirach, and the Letter of Jeremiah, and Pseudepigrapha including Enoch, Jubilee, and the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs. Over 900 texts were fond in 11 caves, 80% written on parchment and 20% on papyrus. In the 1950's, Father DeVaux and a team of 8 scholars worked on organizing and translating the texts, which were in thousands of pieces and had to be restored like a giant jigsaw puzzle.
One of our goals in visiting the exhibit was to examine the validity and integrity of the documents and learn more about them. Two of our members who visited are students of modern and Paleo-Hebrew. Upon inspection of the style, character, and accuracy of the scrolls, their verdict was that these are indeed genuine copies according to knowledge. Their investigation was also for the purpose of determining the significance of this exhibit for the common believer. The exhibit stirred up not only questions but many answers, as well.
The Qumran Community were Essenes. The ancient writer Pliny the Elder (23-79 A.D.) referred to them in his "Natural History" as a "solitary tribe" living on the west coast of the Dead Sea. Flavius Josephus (37-100 A.D.) in his "Jewish War" described Essene life minutely including ritual meals and even toilet habits. They referred to themselves simply as the Yahad (Community) and 'edah (Assembly). Some of their differences with the Pharisees and Sadducees of the day included interpretations of the Temple, worship, purity, and calendar disagreements.
Surprising similarities were found with the New Testament church. Both
teach that the faithful are in a "New Covenant" with Yah. The
Essenes emphasized the importance they placed on "miqva'ot" or
ritual baths, which they performed several times each day. These have
their counterpart in the Christian sacrament of baptism. The important
communal ritual meal, which could only include the faithful, finds its
counterpart in the New Testament Last Supper similarly referred to as "Communion."
The Essenes practiced prayer as a substitute for sacrifice (a New Testament
theme as well), and the study of Sacred texts consumed one-third of every
night. A solar calendar of 364 days was used (similar to us today) instead
of the lunar-based calendar of the Saducees and Pharisees. White robes
were their only outer clothing, a theme found in the New Testament as
the clothing of the resurrected saints. Similar to the Apostle Paul's
epistles (Romans 5, etc.), the Essenes used the term "the many" for
the entire faithful community. Predestinatin was taught, similar to the
Newe Testament, which states that Yah predestinates all things by the
council of His Will. Community of property was practiced, similar to
the New Testament ideal, which was put into force for a time during the
New Testament church. A belief in the "end times" was also
central to Essenes as well as Christians.
Both Essenes and Christians are waiting for a coming Messiah. The Essenes, in fact, believed that there were TWO MESSIAHS coming, one in the spirit of Joseph and one in the spirit of Judah. The New Testament presents these as TWO COMINGS of the one Messiah. The Patriarch Joseph had been accosted and left in a pit to die while his brethren tore his clothes and smeared the garments with blood; this is perfect symbolism for Messiah's forst coming and sacrifice at the hands of His own people. The patriarch Judah, symbolized as a lion (Num. 1 & 2) is a perfect symbol of Messiah's victorious Second Coming as a conquering Savior putting His enemies under His feet. (I Cor. 15)
This also points up the importance of the symbolism of the TWO HOUSES of Israel, ten-tribe Ephraim and two-tribe Judah. Ephraim, son of Joseph, was depicted as an ox, a symbol of sacrifice. Judah was depicted as a lion, the king of the forest. When ancient Israel divided into two separate nations and kingdoms after the time of Solomon, this was Yah's doing, for He was showing in Old Testament typology the work that the coming Messiah would perform.
The nation of ten-tribe Ephraim was conquered by Assyria in 832-676 B.C. in four invasions, and scattered to other lands, becomig the "lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matt. 10:5-6; 15:24) We believe that theirdescendants have joined with other peoples to become the Christian nations of the world today. The nation of Judah, comprising the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, was taken into Babylonian captivity for 70 years before returning to Canaan.
