The Dead Sea Scrolls, in Ten Easy Steps


1) Khirbet Qumran, meaning ‘ruin of’ Qumran, sits on a plateau at the top of


an irregular border of limestone cliffs beside the Dead Sea. Many of these


cliffs contain caves which, given their location, are accessible only with


difficulty. To the West lies the Judean Desert, and to the North is a


mountain that houses the Qumran caves numbered 1, 2, 3, and 11.


2) Khirbet Qumran was occupied until 68 CE by the Essene Jews, one of the


major schools of Jewish philosophy at that time. The complex was


destroyed in 68 CE. Ashes from the burned reed-rooftops and Roman


arrowheads found at the site suggest a battle. The simple fact that nobody


returned to recover the scrolls suggests a massacre. The timing fits,


because the Jewish rebellion against the Roman Empire put the two at war


from 66 to 73 CE.


3) Cut to recent history. In 1947, a Bedouin shepherd discovered seven


scrolls in what is now known as Cave 1. After that, the race was


on. Archaeologists tried to excavate the caves scientifically, while


Bedouins plundered them for whatever they could sell. In 1952, a French


Dominican named Roland de Vaux located Cave 4. That cave contained


over 15,000 fragments of over 800 manuscripts. A year later, an


international team of eight scholars was assembled, with De Vaux as


project director. Thirteen years after that, in 1966, De Vaux’s team was


publicly accused of obstructing release of the scrolls because the content is


contrary to Trinitarian Christianity.


4) After the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel expanded its border to the Jordan


River. The Qumran complex was in that territory, so became property of


Israel. And so did the scrolls. In 1972, a Spanish scholar named José


O’Callaghan claimed that papyrus fragments from Cave 7 represent some


of the New Testament books. Other scholars disagreed, and claimed the


fragments from Cave 7 are too small to know what they represent. But


O’Callaghan’s assertion excited a lot of imaginations. Here’s why: The


Essenes occupied the Qumran complex for over thirty years following


Jesus’ ministry, and their complex was less than a day’s walk from


Jerusalem. Yet none of the Qumran Scrolls (i.e., the Dead Sea Scrolls)


was New Testament material. They represent all of the Old Testament


books except Esther, but to date, nothing has been found that’s provably


New Testament.


5) So questions arose. Did the Essenes store New Testament scrolls in a


separate place? And if so, why? They were, after all, orthodox


Jews. Unless, of course, some of them were closet Christians.


6) In 1984, one of the Scrolls’ scholars suggested that the ‘Teacher of


Righteousness’ described in the Dead Sea scrolls refers to either Jesus or


James, and his opponent, ‘the Man of the Lie,’ a.k.a. ‘the Wicked Priest’


is . . . drumroll, please . . . Paul! This implies that the Dead Sea scrolls


both validate Jesus as a prophet and expose Paul as a corrupter of his


teachings.


7) The first concept threatens Judaism, and the second, Trinitarian


Christianity. Why? Because a Jewish gospel that confirms the


prophethood of Jesus would threaten Judaism, and therefore Israel’s


national identity. Similarly, a gospel that exposes Paul as a corrupter of


the teachings of Jesus could shake Trinitarian Christianity: Catholic,


Orthodox and Protestant churches alike. Again, why? Because, contrary to


what many believe, Paul wasn’t Jesus’ ‘second-in-command.’ In fact, they


never even met, yet after he was gone, Paul claimed to speak in Jesus’


name, and the people in power took what he said and canonized it. But


that doesn’t make it true. Every tenet of Trinitarian Christianity is based


on the teachings of Paul, even though Jesus never said he was God, partner


with God, or even God’s son. Nowhere did Jesus teach the doctrines of the


Trinity, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Atonement. All of these tenets


came from Paul, or from the Pauline theologians who followed in


lockstep. The teachings of Paul, in fact, contradict the teachings of Jesus,


much in the same way that the New Testament informs us of Paul’s


conflict with James, Peter and Barnabas.


8) For example, Jesus taught Old Testament Law. Paul negated it. Jesus


declared himself the ‘son of man.’ Eighty-eight times. Pauline theologians


labeled him the ‘son of God.’ Jesus taught the oneness of God, and prayer


to him alone. Paul suggested the Trinity and elevated Jesus to the level of


intercessor. Jesus said he was "not sent but to the lost sheep of the house


of Israel." Paul proclaimed him a universal prophet. And the list goes on.


9) Hence the excitement over the Dead Sea Scrolls. These scrolls describe a


Wicked Priest who opposes the Teacher of Righteousness. Many scholars


believe this "Wicked Priest" was Paul, and the "Teacher of Righteousness"


was either Jesus Christ or his brother and disciple, James. In fact, some


scholars believe the Dead Sea Scrolls document Paul’s excommunication


from the early Christian church.


10) So this was the excitement over the Dead Sea Scrolls: If the Gospel of the


"Teacher" validated Jesus Christ’s prophethood, it could destroy


Judaism. At the same time, Trinitarian Christianity and all concerned


interests would be threatened, because Trinitarian Christianity is based


more on the teachings of Paul than of Jesus. A gospel that differentiates


between the two and condemns Paul in the process would upset Trinitarian


canon. Israel, the Vatican, the Anglican Church, and even the American


government would be shaken to the roots, since Trinitarian Christianity is


the majority religion and a dominant political force. This makes us


wonder: To what lengths would these great world powers go in order to


conceal the truths that are not to their liking? Only history, and an honest


appraisal of the Dead Sea Scrolls, can answer this question.