Ancient text said to solve mystery of why Dead Sea Scrolls were placed in Qumran
Be mindful of the click-baity title. The document in question is not a newly-discovered one, or even newly-pieced together. It's the Damascus Covenant document, one of the most famous finds of the Cairo Genizah. All it is is a new theory: That a certain passage in the text may explain why the DSS were left in Qumran. From the article:
This is a cool theory in my opinion. I'm far from an expert, though, so I can't say how plausible this is, although considering the wide range of opinions on the DS sect and whether or not they may be identified with the Essenes (plus: Who were the Essenes?), I suppose just about any theory can go if it's got some textual basis...
Be mindful of the click-baity title. The document in question is not a newly-discovered one, or even newly-pieced together. It's the Damascus Covenant document, one of the most famous finds of the Cairo Genizah. All it is is a new theory: That a certain passage in the text may explain why the DSS were left in Qumran. From the article:
"Scholars have long associated the Dead Sea Scrolls with the Essenes. [...]
“I argue that the Damascus Document contains the bylaw or rule that regulates the annual gathering,” Vainstub told Live Science on Monday. “No one noticed this before me.”
“According to the new theory,” Live Science noted, “many of the Dead Sea Scrolls themselves could have been written by Essene communities throughout the country and brought to Qumran at the time of the annual festival to study and be stored there.”
The relevant passage in the Damascus Document reads as follows: “And all [the inhabitants] of the camps shall assemble in the third month and curse anyone who deviates either to the right [or to the left from the] Torah.”
Vainstub argues that the Qumran area’s unusual structure makes it the best candidate for the site of such a gathering. “The site of Qumran, with its facilities, caves and surfaces, accords with the evidence for the annual gathering that emerges from the scrolls,” he writes in the study published in Religions.
He adds that “some dozens of permanent residents of Qumran… had to host many hundreds of people at the site once a year in ever-increasing numbers.”"
“I argue that the Damascus Document contains the bylaw or rule that regulates the annual gathering,” Vainstub told Live Science on Monday. “No one noticed this before me.”
“According to the new theory,” Live Science noted, “many of the Dead Sea Scrolls themselves could have been written by Essene communities throughout the country and brought to Qumran at the time of the annual festival to study and be stored there.”
The relevant passage in the Damascus Document reads as follows: “And all [the inhabitants] of the camps shall assemble in the third month and curse anyone who deviates either to the right [or to the left from the] Torah.”
Vainstub argues that the Qumran area’s unusual structure makes it the best candidate for the site of such a gathering. “The site of Qumran, with its facilities, caves and surfaces, accords with the evidence for the annual gathering that emerges from the scrolls,” he writes in the study published in Religions.
He adds that “some dozens of permanent residents of Qumran… had to host many hundreds of people at the site once a year in ever-increasing numbers.”"
This is a cool theory in my opinion. I'm far from an expert, though, so I can't say how plausible this is, although considering the wide range of opinions on the DS sect and whether or not they may be identified with the Essenes (plus: Who were the Essenes?), I suppose just about any theory can go if it's got some textual basis...
