FINAL WARNING: Setting the Stage for Destruction
Qumran, a military installation, during the first Jewish revolt to keep
them safe. The vital link for this belief comes from the Copper scroll,
which lists 64 locations of hidden Temple treasure. This seems to
indicate that perhaps the Qumran settlement was a retreat for the early
Christians. But wait, ‘Christians’ before Christ? This is one of the
controversial developments that have emerged from the discovery of
the Dead Sea Scrolls.The New Testament was written in Greek, and Jesus spoke in Aramaic.
The Qumran texts are written in Hebrew and sometimes Aramaic, and
has been shown to contain information that is echoed in the New
Testament. Prior to the discovery of the Scrolls, the teachings of Jesus
had been considered as original, though influenced by Old Testament
teaching. However, the Qumran documents now indicate the existence
of a basis for His message. The Community Rule, which was
discovered in Cave 1, has proven to be one of the most important
discoveries in Qumran. It is a record of the rules and regulations of the
Qumran community, where all must make a “Covenant before God to
obey all his commandments.” One of the basic tenets of Christianity,
the baptism of purification, is discussed. It says that the convert “shall
be cleansed from all his sins by the spirit of holiness uniting him to its
truth ... And when his flesh is sprinkled with purifying water and
sanctified by cleansing water, it shall be made clean by the humble
submission of his soul to all the precepts of God.” This has led to the
theory that John the Baptist had lived at Qumran until he was called by
God to be the forerunner of Jesus. Author Charles Francis Potter, in
his book The Lost Years of Jesus, attempted to explain the “eighteen
silent years” of Jesus, between the ages of 12 and 30, as being spent
at Qumran.In the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:44-46), it says: “And all that
believed were together, and had all things in common; And sold their
possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had
need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple...” This
shows that common ownership was part of the early Christian
philosophy. The Community Rule stated: “All ... shall bring all their
knowledge, powers and possessions into the Community...”; “They
shall eat in common and pray in common...” and “...his property shall
be merged and he shall offer his counsel and judgment to the
Community.”