Quote:John the Baptist was quite possibly an Essene.
Really? We have one decent description of what the Essenes were from Josephus in The Jewish War (Book II 8).
What part of the JtheB persona matches up with Josephus portrayal? The Essenes are a communal sect, living in the towns. In the briefer discussion in Antiquities of the Jews he describes them primarily as agricultural workers. But there is nothing to suggest that they live lone-wolf style in the countryside. For another, there is nothing to suggest that they sat around copying books, either.
The whole "Essenes copied the DSS" stuff is under heavy attack. Israeli archaeologists Magen and Peleg concluded extensive excavations at the site and determined that it had been pottery factory when finally overrun by the Romans in 68, and pointing out in the process that the site was far too small for the "monastery" that Roland De Vaux pulled from his Dominican memory and foisted on the world.
Here is Magen and Peleg's initial report.
http://www.antiquities.org.il/images/sho..._color.pdf
Quote:In any case, the main activity at the site was the production of
pottery, a fact that we find is hardly consistent with the identification of Qumran as a communal center for the Judean Desert sect.
We are fully aware that it may not be easy for readers to accept our conclusions. Certainly it has not been easy for us to express them aloud, let alone put them in writing. But after ten years of excavations, these conclusions are inescapable
I'll get back to your other points later in the day as time permits.
