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113-585: In the ancient Copper Scroll this valley is called in Hebrew the Outer Valley (3Q15 col.8, line 4). The name used by Josephus, των τυροποιων ( tōn tyropoiōn ), possibly arose as an ancient mistranslation from Hebrew to the Greek of Josephus's book; Semitic languages use the same root for outer and congeal . The Tyropoeon, filled over the centuries with a vast accumulation of debris, and almost

226-592: A cistern. [4] "In the mound at Kuḥlith there are [empty] libation vessels, [contained] within a [larger] jar and new vessels (variant rendering: covered with ashes), all of which being libation vessels [for which a doubtful case had occurred], as well as the Seventh-Year store [of produce], and the Second Tithe , lying upon the mouth of the heap, the entrance of which is at the end of the conduit towards its north, [there being] six cubits till [one reaches]

339-498: A commitment to practice piety to God and righteousness toward humanity; maintain a pure lifestyle; abstain from criminal and immoral activities; transmit their rules uncorrupted; and preserve the books of the Essenes and the names of the angels. Their theology included belief in the immortality of the soul and that they would receive their souls back after death. Part of their activities included purification by water rituals which

452-697: A depth of seven cubits, there are concealed twenty-two talents." The ancient site of Dok is generally accepted to be the fortress Dok or Duq, mentioned in the First Book of Maccabees , and which same name appears as Dagon in Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews (xiii, viii, 1), and in his book The Jewish War (i, ii, 3). Today, the site is more commonly known by its Arabic name, Jabal al-Quruntul, located about 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) west of Jericho and rising to an elevation of 366 metres (1,201 ft) above

565-508: A large antechamber, which is divided further on between two primary passageways. The leftmost passageway when entering the cave is the entranceway that faces "north" and which opens into a small recess. The identification here remains highly speculative, as Conder and Kitchener in their SWP also mention another place bearing the name Mŭghâret Umm el 'Amûd (Cave of the Pillars), along the south bank of Wadi Far'ah . The Hebrew word for "jar"

678-458: A legitimate high priest. Embracing a conservative approach to Jewish law, they observed a strict hierarchy favoring priests (the Sons of Zadok ) over laypeople, emphasized ritual purity, and held a dualistic worldview . According to Jewish writers Josephus and Philo , the Essenes numbered around four thousand, and resided in various settlements throughout Judaea . Conversely, Roman writer Pliny

791-473: A plain, was spanned by bridges, the most noted of which was Zion Bridge, which was probably the ordinary means of communication between the royal palace on Zion and the temple . The western wall of the Temple Mount rose up from the bottom of this valley to the height of 84 feet, where it was on a level with the area, and above this, and as a continuance of it, the wall of Solomon 's cloister rose to

904-596: A queen ( מלכה ), rather than a king ( מלך ). It is uncertain which queen is here intended, but the most notable of queens amongst the Jewish people during the late Second Temple period, and who had a palace built in Jerusalem, in the middle of the residential area known as Acra , was Queen Helena of Adiabene . The historian Josephus mentions this queen and her palace, "the palace of queen Helena," in his work The Jewish War (6.6.3.). The Hebrew word used here for "palace"

1017-666: A regular practice instead of a one time event. The Haran Gawaita uses the name Nasoraeans for the Mandaeans arriving from Jerusalem, meaning guardians or possessors of secret rites and knowledge. Scholars such as Kurt Rudolph , Rudolf Macúch , Mark Lidzbarski and Ethel S. Drower connect the Mandaeans with the Nasaraeans described by Epiphanius , a group within the Essenes according to Joseph Lightfoot . Epiphanius (29:6) says that they existed before Jesus. That

1130-429: A result of communal ownership, did not engage in trading . Josephus and Philo provide lengthy accounts of their communal meetings, meals, and religious celebrations. This communal living has led some scholars to view the Essenes as a group practicing social and material egalitarianism. Despite their prohibition on swearing oaths, after a three-year probationary period, new members would take an oath that included

1243-677: A result of the discovery of an extensive group of religious documents known as the Dead Sea Scrolls , which are commonly believed to be the Essenes' library. The scrolls were found at Qumran , an archaeological site situated along the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea , believed to have been the dwelling place of an Essene community. These documents preserve multiple copies of parts of the Hebrew Bible along with deuterocanonical and sectarian manuscripts, including writings such as

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1356-561: A ruin that is described by Conder and Kitchener in ' ' SWP (vol. 3), a place situated to the south of Beit Fajjar and north of Siaîr , almost in their middle. A natural spring called 'Ain Kûeizîba is located nearby on the north-east side of the ruin. [35] "Within the heap of stones at the mouth of the ravine of the Kidron [brook] there are buried seven talents [at a depth of] three cubits." The Kidron valley extends from Jerusalem to

1469-486: Is mishkan ( משכן ), literally meaning "dwelling place". Allegro incorrectly interpreted the word to mean "tomb," thinking it to be the queen's burial place. As for the precise number of talents, Allegro, in his revised edition, reads there 7½, instead of 27, because of the unusual shape of the last numerical character. [32] "In Dok, beneath the corner of the eastern-most levelled platform [used for spreading things out to dry] (variant reading: guard-post), dig down to

1582-560: Is bhiria zidqa , meaning 'elect of righteousness' or 'the chosen righteous', a term found in the Book of Enoch and Genesis Apocryphon II, 4. As Nasoraeans, Mandaeans believe that they constitute the true congregation of bnia nhura , meaning 'Sons of Light', a term used by the Essenes. Mandaean scripture affirms that the Mandaeans descend directly from John the Baptist 's original Nasoraean Mandaean disciples in Jerusalem. Similar to

1695-476: Is קלל ( qallal ), and which Hai Gaon explains as meaning: "like unto a cask or jar that is wide [at its brim]." Such jars were, most-likely, made of stone, since they were also used to contain the ashes of the Red Heifer and which vessels could not contract uncleanness. [27] "In the queen's palace on its western side, dig down twelve cubits [and] there are twenty-seven talents." Line 27 speaks about

1808-512: Is 1) general location, 2) specific location, often with distance to dig, and 3) what to find. 1:1 In the ruin that is in the valley of Acor , under 1:2 the steps, with the entrance at the East, 1:3 a distance of forty cubits: a strongbox of silver and its vessels 1:4 with a weight of seventeen talents . KεN There is a minority view that the Cave of Letters might have contained one of

1921-513: Is called here the "Cave of the Column", being a column that was well-known. The Hebrew word for "column" עמוד ( 'amūd ) has not changed over the years, and is the same word used to describe a Gate of Jerusalem's Old City which stood in Roman times, although a newer Gate is now built above it with the same Arabic name, Bāb al-'Amoud ( Damascus Gate ), and which, according to Arabic legend/tradition,

2034-914: Is described as biniana rba ḏ-šrara ("the Great building of Truth") and bit tušlima ("house of Perfection") in Mandaean texts such as the Qulasta , Ginza Rabba , and the Mandaean Book of John . The only known literary parallels are in Essene texts from Qumran such as the Community Rule , which has similar phrases such as the "house of Perfection and Truth in Israel" ( Community Rule 1QS VIII 9) and "house of Truth in Israel." The Magharians or Magarites ( Arabic : Al-Maghariyyah , 'people of

2147-454: Is gaining acceptance among scholars. It is recognized as the etymology of the form Ossaioi (and note that Philo also offered an O spelling) and Essaioi and Esseni spelling variations have been discussed by VanderKam, Goranson, and others. In medieval Hebrew (e.g., Sefer Yosippon ) Hassidim "the Pious" replaces "Essenes". While this Hebrew name is not the etymology of Essaioi / Esseni ,

2260-534: Is located roughly 2 km (1.2 mi) north of Jericho. [33] "At the source of the fountain head belonging to the Kuzeiba, (variant reading: Ḥaboba) dig down [to a depth of] three cubits unto the bedrock (variant reading: toward the overflow tank), [there are laid up] eighty [silver] talents [and] two golden talents." The location of the Kuzeiba has yet to be positively identified, although there exists an ancient site by its name, now known as Khŭrbet Kûeizîba,

2373-607: Is meant "gold in its rawest form; an unshaped mass." [9] "In the cistern opposite the Eastern Gate, at a distance of nineteen cubits , therein are vessels and in the channel thereof are ten talents ." The "Eastern Gate" may be referring to what is now called the Golden Gate , a gate leading into the Temple Mount enclosure (cf. Mishnah, Middot 1:3), or it may be referring to the Eastern Gate, also known as

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2486-633: Is now called Bir er-rummâneh ( Arabic : بئر الرمان , "the Pomegranate well"), being a large cistern situated on the southeast platform (nave) of the Dome of the Rock , measuring 55 by 4.5 metres (180 ft × 15 ft) and having a depth of 16 metres (52 ft), based on its proximity to the place where the Inner Court and its Eastern Gate once stood. The cistern, one of many in the Temple Mount,

2599-475: Is one of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in Cave 3 near Khirbet Qumran , but differs significantly from the others. Whereas the other scrolls are written on parchment or papyrus , this scroll is written on metal : copper mixed with about 1 percent tin , although no metallic copper remained in the strips; the action of the centuries had been to convert the metal into brittle oxide. The so-called 'scrolls' of copper were, in reality, two separated sections of what

2712-708: Is questioned by some, but others accept the pre-Christian origin of the Nasaraeans. Early religious concepts and terminologies recur in the Dead Sea Scrolls , and Yardena (Jordan) has been the name of every baptismal water in Mandaeism . Mara ḏ-Rabuta ( Mandaic for 'Lord of Greatness', which is One of the names for the Mandaean God Hayyi Rabbi ) is found in the Genesis Apocryphon II, 4. Another early self-appellation

2825-488: Is still used today for storing water, and which Claude R. Conder and Conrad Schick connected with the "Water Gate" of the Inner Court mentioned in Mishnah Middot 1:4. Entrance to the cistern is from its far eastern side, where there is a flight of stairs descending in a southerly direction. By "channel" ( מזקא ) is meant the conduit that directs water into the cistern. Both Charles Warren and Conder noted

2938-755: Is to be sought after around Jericho and Naaran , north of Jabal Kuruntul . It is to be noted that the old Aramaic Targum on Judges 20:33 translates Baal-tamar as "the plains of Jericho". The Hebrew word פלע has been translated here as "labourer," based on the cognate Hebrew-Aramaic-Arabic languages and the Hebrew linguistic tradition of sometimes interchanging ḥet ( ח ) with 'ayin ( ע ), as in ויחתר and ויעתר in BT , Sanhedrin 103a (see Minchat Shai on 2 Chronicles 33:13; Leviticus Rabba , sec. 30; Jerusalem Talmud , Sanhedrin 10:2). The word felaḥ ( פלח ) in Aramaic/Syriac has

3051-613: Is to be sought after in the Desert of Samaria. For other scholarly identifications of Kuḥlith, see Joshua Efron, "Studies on the Hasmonean Period" ( SJLA 39; Leiden: Brill, 1987), p. 178. Libation vessels, ( כלי דמע , kelei dema' , has the connotation of empty libation vessels that were once used to contain either vintage wine or olive oil, and given either to the priests or used in the Temple service, but which same produce

3164-466: Is unusual, the script having features resulting from being written on copper with hammer and chisel. There is also the anomaly that seven of the location names are followed by a group of two or three Greek letters , thought by some to represent numerical values . Also, the "clauses" within the scroll mark intriguing parallels to that of Greek inventories, from the Greek temple of Apollo. This similarity to

3277-642: Is used in Mishnah Shabbat 20:2, Ohelot 5:5, Parah 10:2, Tevul Yom 4:4, et al . As for the word אפורין , it has been suggested that the word is a corruption of אנפורין , meaning "new vessels," just as it appears in Mishnah Baba Metzia 2:1, and explained in BT Baba Metzia 24a. If so, it is a loanword derived from the Greek έμπορία . The word may variantly be explained as "covered with ash." Others read

3390-660: The Community Rule , the Damascus Document , and the War Scroll , which provide valuable insights into the communal life, ideology and theology of the Essenes. According to the conventional view, the Essenes disappeared after the First Jewish–Roman War , which also witnessed the destruction of the settlement at Qumran. Scholars have noted the absence of direct sources supporting this claim, raising

3503-496: The Qumran community. It was proposed before the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered that the name came into several Greek spellings from a Hebrew self-designation later found in some Dead Sea Scrolls, ʻosey haTorah , "'doers' or 'makers' of Torah ". Although dozens of etymology suggestions have been published, this is the only etymology published before 1947 that was confirmed by Qumran text self-designation references, and it

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3616-476: The priests of Aaron's lineage , while consecrated things given to the Temple's upkeep ( בדק הבית ) are not the property of the priests. [44] "In the dovecote that is at the fortress of Nābaḥ which ... south, on the second storey as one descends from above, [there are] nine talents." In the Land of Israel, dovecotes (columbariums) were usually constructed in wide, underground pits or caves with an air opening at

3729-472: The "Valley of Achor", Eusebius' view is rejected by most historical geographers, who place the "Valley of Achor" to the south of Jericho, either at the modern el-Buqei'ah, or at Wâdi en-Nu'eimeh . Elsewhere, Eusebius places Emekachor (the Valley of Achor) near Galgal . The "ruin in the valley of Achor" could be one of a number of sites: the ancient Beth-ḥagla , or what is also known as the "threshing floor of

3842-636: The "houses". The word that is used for "pots" ( דודין , dūdīn ) is the same word used in the Aramaic Targum for 'pots'. [21] "At the head of the aqueduct [that leads down to] Sekhakha, on its north side, be[neath a] large [stone], dig down [to a depth of [thr]ee cubits [and there are] seven silver talents." A description of the ancient aqueducts near Jericho is brought down in Conder's and Herbert Kitchener 's Survey of Western Palestine ( SWP , vol. 3, pp. 206–207). According to them,

3955-556: The 'Dell of the Labourer' (variant reading: as one leaves the small dale) are [stored-away items] from the Temple Treasury made-up of things consecrated." The sense of "mouth of the ravine" ( פי הצוק ) is generally understood to be the edge of a ravine. Beth-tamar has yet to be identified; although, in the days of Eusebius and Jerome , there was still a place by the name of Beththamar in the vicinity of Gaba , and which name

4068-571: The 1st century CE. The Essene movement likely originated as a distinct group among Jews during Jonathan Apphus ' time, driven by disputes over Jewish law and the belief that Jonathan's high priesthood was illegitimate. Most scholars think the Essenes seceded from the Zadokite priests. They attributed their interpretation of the Torah to their early leader, the Teacher of Righteousness , possibly

4181-587: The Aramaic equivalent Hesi'im known from Eastern Aramaic texts has been suggested. Others suggest that Essene is a transliteration of the Hebrew word ḥiṣonim ( ḥiṣon "outside"), which the Mishnah (e.g., Megillah 4:8 ) uses to describe various sectarian groups. Another theory is that the name was borrowed from a cult of devotees to Artemis in Anatolia , whose demeanor and dress somewhat resembled those of

4294-571: The Aṭad", the most famous of all the ruins associated with the nation of Israel and being about two miles from the Jordan River, or else the ancient Beth Arabah, and which John Marco Allegro proposed to be identified with 'Ain Gharabah, while Robertson Smith proposed that it be identified with the modern 'Ain al-Feshkha , or else Khirbet es-Sŭmrah, or Khirbet Qumrân . Another ruin at that time

4407-586: The Copper Scroll was discovered by an archaeologist. The scroll, on two rolls of copper, was found on March 14, 1952 at the back of Cave 3 at Qumran. It was the last of 15 scrolls discovered in the cave, and is thus referred to as 3Q15. The corroded metal could not be unrolled by conventional means and so the Jordanian government sent it to Manchester University's College of Technology in England on

4520-455: The Dead Sea, and its banks become more precipitous, in some places, as it progresses. The Hebrew word designating "heap of stones" is יגר (singular) and happens to be same word used by Jonathan ben Uzziel in his Aramaic Targum of Jeremiah 51:37, יגרין (plural). [43] "In the subterranean shaft that is on the north side of the mouth of the ravine belonging to Beth-tamar, as one leaves

4633-624: The Elder positioned them somewhere above Ein Gedi , on the west side of the Dead Sea. Pliny relates in a few lines that the Essenes possess no money, had existed for thousands of generations, and that their priestly class ("contemplatives") did not marry . Josephus gave a detailed account of the Essenes in The Jewish War ( c.  75 CE ), with a shorter description in Antiquities of

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4746-665: The Essene groups appear to have been celibate , but Josephus speaks also of another " order of Essenes" that observed the practice of being engaged for three years and then becoming married. According to Josephus, they had customs and observances such as collective ownership, electing a leader to attend to the interests of the group, and obedience to the orders from their leader. Also, they were forbidden from swearing oaths and from sacrificing animals . They controlled their tempers and served as channels of peace, carrying weapons only for protection against robbers. The Essenes chose not to possess slaves but served each other and, as

4859-456: The Essenes ritually immersed in water every morning (a practice similar to the use of the mikveh for daily immersion found among some contemporary Hasidim ), ate together after prayer, devoted themselves to charity and benevolence, forbade the expression of anger, studied the books of the elders, preserved secrets, and were very mindful of the names of the angels kept in their sacred writings. The Essenes have gained fame in modern times as

4972-616: The Essenes and Christians were eschatological communities, where judgement on the world would come at any time. The New Testament also possibly quotes writings used by the Qumran community. Luke 1:31-35 states " And now you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the Most High...the son of God" which seems to echo 4Q 246 , stating: "He will be called great and he will be called Son of God, and they will call him Son of

5085-459: The Essenes had an idea of a pierced Messiah based on 4Q285 ; however, the interpretation of the text is ambiguous. Some scholars interpreted it as the Messiah being killed himself, while modern scholars mostly interpret it as the Messiah executing the enemies of Israel in an eschatological war. Both the Essenes and Christians practiced a ritual of immersion by water, however the Essenes had it as

5198-470: The Essenes had settled "not in one city" but "in large numbers in every town". Philo speaks of "more than four thousand" Essaioi living in "Palestine and Syria ", more precisely, "in many cities of Judaea and in many villages and grouped in great societies of many members". Pliny locates them "on the west side of the Dead Sea, away from the coast... [above] the town of Engeda ". Some modern scholars and archeologists have argued that Essenes inhabited

5311-530: The Essenes in detail. Most scholars believe that the community at Qumran that most likely produced the Dead Sea Scrolls was an offshoot of the Essenes. However, this theory has been disputed by some; for example, Norman Golb argues that the primary research on the Qumran documents and ruins (by Father Roland de Vaux , from the École Biblique et Archéologique de Jérusalem ) lacked scientific method, and drew wrong conclusions that comfortably entered

5424-472: The Essenes in honour"; "a certain Essene named Manaemus"; "to hold all Essenes in honor"; "the Essenes"). In several places, however, Josephus has Essaios , which is usually assumed to mean Essene ("Judas of the Essaios race"; "Simon of the Essaios race"; "John the Essaios "; "those who are called by us Essaioi "; "Simon a man of the Essaios race"). Josephus identified the Essenes as one of

5537-471: The Essenes suggests that the movement was founded by a Jewish high priest, dubbed by the Essenes the Teacher of Righteousness , whose office had been usurped by Jonathan (of priestly but not of Zadokite lineage), labeled the "man of lies" or "false priest". Others follow this line and a few argue that the Teacher of Righteousness was not only the leader of the Essenes at Qumran, but was also identical to

5650-746: The Essenes that they would refrain from defecation on the Sabbath. According to Joseph Lightfoot , the Church Father Epiphanius (writing in the 4th century CE) seems to make a distinction between two main groups within the Essenes: "Of those that came before his [Elxai, an Ossaean prophet] time and during it, the Ossaeans and the Nasaraeans ." Part 18 Epiphanius describes each group as following: The Nasaraean—they were Jews by nationality—originally from Gileaditis, Bashanitis and

5763-435: The Essenes, it is forbidden for a Mandaean to reveal the names of the angels to a gentile. Essene graves are oriented north–south and a Mandaean's grave must also be in the north–south direction so that if the dead Mandaean were stood upright, they would face north. Mandaeans have an oral tradition that some were originally vegetarian and also similar to the Essenes, they are pacifists . The bit manda ( beth manda )

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5876-416: The Greek inventories, would suggest that scroll is in fact an authentic "temple inventory." Some scholars believe that the difficulty in deciphering the text is perhaps due to it having been copied from another original document by an illiterate scribe who did not speak the language in which the scroll was written, or at least was not well familiar. As Milik puts it, the scribe "uses the forms and ligature of

5989-557: The Jews ( c.  94 CE ) and The Life of Flavius Josephus ( c.  97 CE ). Claiming firsthand knowledge, he lists the Essenoi as one of the three sects of Jewish philosophy alongside the Pharisees and Sadducees . He relates the same information concerning piety , celibacy; the absence of personal property and of money; the belief in communality ; and commitment to a strict observance of Sabbath . He further adds that

6102-466: The Jordan valley north of Jericho, and the other termed Ḳanât Far'ûn ("Pharaoh's canal"). Though inconclusive, the town of Sekhahka is thought by some scholars to be Khirbet Qumrân, which, too, had an aqueduct. [24] "In the tomb that is in the riverine gulch of Ha-Kafa, as one goes from Jericho towards Sekhakha, there are buried talents [at a depth of] seven cubits." The riverine gulch ( נחל ) that

6215-406: The King's Mountain, meaning, from the mountainous regions of Judea and Samaria. Essenes The Essenes ( / ˈ ɛ s iː n z , ɛ ˈ s iː n z / ; Hebrew : אִסִּיִים ‎, ʾĪssīyīm ; Greek : Ἐσσηνοί, Ἐσσαῖοι, or Ὀσσαῖοι, Essenoi, Essaioi, Ossaioi ) or Essenians were a mystic Jewish sect during the Second Temple period that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to

6328-429: The Most High...He will judge the earth in righteousness...and every nation will bow down to him". Other similarities include high devotion to the faith even to the point of martyrdom, communal prayer, self denial and a belief in a captivity in a sinful world. John the Baptist has also been argued to have been an Essene, as there are numerous parallels between John's mission and the Essenes, which suggests he perhaps

6441-418: The Nicanor Gate (and which some scholars hold to be the same as the "Corinthian gate" described by Josephus, and alluded to in his Antiquities of the Jews ), in the Inner Court of the Temple precincts (cf. Mishnah, Berakhot 9:5). In either case, the cistern was located on the Temple Mount , at a distance of 19 cubits from the gate (approximately 10 meters). The cistern may have been in disuse and

6554-461: The Romans decades earlier. The style of writing is unusual, different from the other scrolls. It is written in a style similar to Mishnaic Hebrew . While Hebrew is a well-known language, the majority of ancient Hebrew text in which the language is studied is generally biblical in nature, which the Copper Scroll is not. As a result, "most of the vocabulary is simply not found in the Bible or anything else we have from ancient times." The orthography

6667-406: The Transjordan... They acknowledged Moses and believed that he had received laws—not this law, however, but some other. And so, they were Jews who kept all the Jewish observances, but they would not offer sacrifice or eat meat. They considered it unlawful to eat meat or make sacrifices with it. They claim that these Books are fictions, and that none of these customs were instituted by the fathers. This

6780-425: The Valley of Achor, in their very midst, buried to a depth of three cubits, there are two pots full of silver." The term "the two houses" used here is unclear; it can be surmised that it may have meant an exact place between the two most famous towns that begin with the name "Beit", Beit Arabah and Beit-ḥagla . Both ancient places are in the Valley of Achor. Alternatively, Bethabara may have been intended as one of

6893-572: The [burial] monument, on the third course of stones there are one-hundred golden ingots" There were several monuments of renown during the waning years of the Second Temple : that of Queen Helena , that of Yoḥanan the High Priest , both of which were in Jerusalem, or else outside the walls of the ancient Old City, etc. The Hebrew word used for " burial monument " is nefesh ( נפש ), which same word appears in Mishnah Sheqalim 2:5; Ohelot 7:1, and Eruvin 5:1, and which Talmudic exegete Hai Gaon explained as meaning "the building built over

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7006-415: The academic canon. For Golb, the number of documents is too extensive and includes many different writing styles and calligraphies; the ruins seem to have been a fortress, used as a military base for a very long period of time—including the 1st century—so they therefore could not have been inhabited by the Essenes; and the large graveyard excavated in 1870, just 50 metres (160 ft) east of the Qumran ruins,

7119-488: The beginning of the aqueduct, which former takes its source from 'Ain Farah , 'Ain Qelt and 'Ain Fawâr and their surroundings, between Jerusalem and Jericho. Conversely, the reference may have been to one of two other aqueducts built during the Second Temple period (and subsequently refurbished) and which take their beginnings from a water source at 'Ain el Aûjah ("the crooked spring"), the one termed Ḳanât el Manîl ("the canal of el Manil") which bears east towards an outlet in

7232-448: The biblical Sekhakha. [26] "[In the ca]ve of the Column, which out of the two entranceways as one faces east, [at] the northern entrance, dig down three cubits, there is a [stone] jar in which is laid up one Book [of the Law], beneath which are forty-two talents." Although the text is partially defaced, scholars have reconstructed it. The Hebrew word מערה ( ma'arah , most likely used here in its most common sense, lit. "cave")

7345-431: The books of Moses like the Nasaraean. We do not know much about the canon of the Essenes, and what their attitude was towards the apocryphal writings, however the Essenes perhaps did not esteem the book of Esther highly as manuscripts of Esther are completely absent in Qumran, likely because of their opposition to mixed marriages and the use of different calendars. The Essenes were unique for their time for being against

7458-418: The cavern used for immersion XAG" The place-name Kuḥlith is mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud Kiddushin 66a, being one of the towns in "the wilderness" that was conquered by Alexander Jannaeus (Yannai), whose military exploits are mentioned by Josephus in his Antiquities of the Jews (13.13.3–13.15.5). Its identification remains unknown, although Israeli archaeologist Boaz Zissu suggests that it

7571-414: The city Aelia Capitolina . Nevertheless, the same cave is also known to have pillars (columns) that project from some of the rock to support a ceiling. Today, Zedekiah's Cave lies between Damascus Gate and Herod's Gate , or precisely, some 152 metres (499 ft) to the left of Damascus Gate as one enters the Old City. The cave descends to a depth of 9.1 metres (30 ft) below the Old City, opening into

7684-416: The connotation of "a worker; a labourer; an artisan; a husbandman; a vine-dresser; a soldier." Lurie understood the same word as meaning "small", as in "the small dale". The word for "things consecrated" is חרם and has the general connotation of things dedicated to the Temple, for which there is a penalty of death for one who committed sacrilege on these objects. An unspecified consecrated object belongs to

7797-497: The courtyard of the peristyle , along the far-side of the ground, there are sealed-up within the hole [of the cistern's slab] (variant reading: within the sand), opposite its upper opening, nine-hundred talents." The Hebrew word פרסטלון is taken from the Greek word περιστύλιον , meaning, "peristyle," a row of columns surrounding a space within a building. The word variantly read as ḥala ( Imperial Aramaic : חלא , meaning "sand") or ḥūliyya ( חליא , meaning "small hole in

7910-483: The cursive script along with formal letters, and often confuses graphically several letters of the formal hand." As a result, it has made translation and understanding of the text difficult. The text is an inventory of 64 locations; 63 of which are treasures of gold and silver, which have been estimated in the tons. For example, one single location described on the copper scroll describes 900 talents (868,000 troy ounces) of buried gold. Tithing vessels are also listed among

8023-402: The desert from the Roman invasions. Other scholars refute these arguments—particularly since Josephus describes some Essenes as allowing marriage. Another issue is the relationship between the Essaioi and Philo's Therapeutae and Therapeutrides . He regarded the Therapeutae as a contemplative branch of the Essaioi who, he said, pursued an active life. One theory on the formation of

8136-418: The entries, along with other vessels, and three locations featured scrolls. One entry apparently mentions priestly vestments. The final listing points to a duplicate document with additional details. That other document has not been found. The following English translation of the opening lines of the first column of the Copper Scroll shows the basic structure of each of the entries in the scroll. The structure

8249-529: The grave; the same marker being a nefesh ." The Hebrew word for "ingots" is 'ashatot ( עשתות ), its only equivalent found in Mishnah Keilim 11:3, and in Ezekiel 27:19, and which has the general meaning of "gold in its rawest form; an unshaped mass." Since no location is mentioned, most scholars think that this is a continuation of the previous section. [3] "In the great cistern within

8362-671: The group in Judea . Flavius Josephus in Chapter 8 of " The Jewish War " states: 2.(119)For there are three philosophical sects among the Jews. The followers of the first of which are the Pharisees; of the second, the Sadducees ; and the third sect, which pretends to a severer discipline , are called Essenes. These last are Jews by birth, and seem to have a greater affection for each other than other sects have. According to Josephus ,

8475-464: The height of about 50 feet, "so that this section of the wall would originally present to view a stupendous mass of masonry scarcely to be surpassed by any mural masonry in the world." 31°46′37.01″N 35°14′3.26″E  /  31.7769472°N 35.2342389°E  / 31.7769472; 35.2342389 This geography of Israel article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Copper Scroll The Copper Scroll ( 3Q15 )

8588-564: The latest of the other Qumran manuscripts). Since 2013, the Copper Scroll has been on display at the newly opened Jordan Museum in Amman after being moved from its previous home, the Jordan Archaeological Museum on Amman's Citadel Hill. A new facsimile of the Copper Scroll by Facsimile Editions of London was announced as being in production in 2014. While most of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found by Bedouins ,

8701-409: The level of the plain east of it. The site has been built and destroyed several times. In the year 340 CE, a Byzantine monastery named Duqa was built on the ruins of the old site, but it too was destroyed and has remained in ruins ever since. According to Lurie, a town by the same name has existed at the foothills of the mountain, built alongside a natural spring. Today, the site is known as Duyuk and

8814-413: The listed treasures, and, if so, artifacts from this location may have been recovered. Although the scroll was made of alloyed copper in order to last, the locations are written as if the reader would have an intimate knowledge of obscure references. For example, consider column two, verses 1–3, "In the salt pit that is under the steps: forty-one talents of silver. In the cave of the old washer's chamber, on

8927-410: The natives knew of no such aqueducts south of Rujm el-Mogheifir. According to Lurie, the largest riverine gulch near Jericho with an aqueduct was Wadi Qelt (Wadi el Kelt), and which ran in an eastward direction, passing near Khirbet Kâkûn, whence it went down southwards about 4 km (2.5 mi) towards the end of Wadi Sŭweid. Since the "head of the aqueduct" is mentioned, the sense here could imply

9040-419: The north-west side of the city. Although inconclusive, the cave that is referenced here may have actually been Zedekiah's Cave (a misnomer, being merely a meleke limestone quarry thought to have been used by Herod the Great ), and may have been called such because of its proximity to the black marble column. Others, however, date the erection of this black marble column in that gate to Hadrian , when he named

9153-550: The old [burial] cave of Beit Ḥemdah (variant reading: Beit Hamara), on the third stratum, [there are] sixty-five golden ingots." In old Jewish parlance, as late as the Geonic period, the Hebrew word מערה ( ma'arah , lit. "cave") signified a burial cave. Its linguistic use here, which is written in the construct state , i.e. "burial cave of…", points to that of a known place, Beit Ḥemdah (variant reading: Beit Hamara). The burial cave has yet to be identified. By "golden ingots"

9266-579: The original Messianic figure about 150 years before the time of the Gospels . Fred Gladstone Bratton notes that The Teacher of Righteousness of the Scrolls would seem to be a prototype of Jesus , for both spoke of the New Covenant ; they preached a similar gospel; each was regarded as a Savior or Redeemer; and each was condemned and put to death by reactionary factions... We do not know whether Jesus

9379-477: The period of 25–75 CE on palaeographical grounds, while William F. Albright suggested 70–135 CE. Manfred Lehmann put forward a similar date range to Albright, arguing that the treasure was principally the money accumulated between the First Jewish–Roman War and the Bar Kokhba revolt , while the temple lay in ruins. P. Kyle McCarter Jr. , Albert M. Wolters , David Wilmot and Judah Lefkovits all agree that

9492-432: The possibility of their endurance or the survival of related groups in the following centuries. Some researchers suggest that Essene teachings could have influenced other religious traditions, such as Early Christianity and Mandaeism . Josephus uses the name Essenes in his two main accounts, The Jewish War 2.119, 158, 160 and Antiquities of the Jews , 13.171–2, but some manuscripts read here Essaion ("holding

9605-457: The practice of slave-ownership, and slavery, which they regarded as unjust and ungodly, regarding all men as having been born equal. At the outset of the First Jewish–Roman War in 66 CE, as Roman advances were anticipated, command over parts of western Judea was assigned to John the Essene (or Essaean), who was placed in charge of the toparchy of Thamna . This region encompassed Lydda , Joppa , and Emmaus . Josephus and Philo discuss

9718-511: The presence of a channel 5 ft (1.5 m) below the present surface layer of the Temple Mount, and which leads to the cistern now known as Bir el Warakah, situated beneath the Al-Aqsa mosque , and which discovery suggests that the channel in question has been covered over by the current pavement. The end of the entry is marked by two Greek letters, ΔΙ ( DI . [17] "Between the two houses (variant reading: two olive presses) that are in

9831-459: The recommendation of English archaeologist and Dead Sea Scrolls scholar John Marco Allegro for it to be cut into sections, allowing the text to be read. He arranged for the university's Professor H. Wright Baker to cut the sheets into 23 strips in 1955 and 1956. It then became clear that the rolls were part of the same document. Allegro, who had supervised the opening of the scroll, transcribed its contents immediately. The first editor assigned for

9944-586: The same text as a corruption of אפודם , "ephods". Though inconclusive, the idea of covering over such vessels with ashes was perhaps to distinguish these vessels from the others, so that the priests will not inadvertently eat of such produce, similar to the marking of a Fourth-year vineyard with clods of earth during the Seventh Year , so as not to cause unsuspecting people to transgress by eating forbidden produce when, normally, during that same year, all fruits that are grown become ownerless property. [7] "In

10057-410: The scroll originated around 70 CE. Contrarily, Emile Puech argues that the Copper Scroll could not have been deposited behind 40 jars after they were already in place, so the scroll "predates 68 CE." Józef Milik proposed that the scroll was written around 100 CE. If this dating is correct, it would mean that the scroll did not come from the Qumran community because the settlement had been destroyed by

10170-527: The scroll. He now believes that the scroll was separate from the community, although it was found at Qumran in Cave 3, it was found further back in the cave, away from the other scrolls. As a result, he suggested the Copper Scroll was a separate deposit, separated by a "lapse in time." Although the text was assigned to Milik, in 1957 the Jordanian Director of Antiquities approached Allegro to publish

10283-539: The settlement at Qumran , a plateau in the Judean Desert along the Dead Sea, citing Pliny the Elder in support and giving credence that the Dead Sea Scrolls are the product of the Essenes. This theory, though not yet conclusively proven, has come to dominate the scholarly discussion and public perception of the Essenes. The accounts by Josephus and Philo show that the Essenes led a strictly communal life—often compared to later Christian monasticism . Many of

10396-564: The slab of stone that is laid over the mouth of a cistern"), is - in the latter case - a word found in BT Berakhot 3b and Sanhedrin 16a. The Hebrew word, as explained by Maimonides in his Judeo-Arabic Commentary of the Mishnah ( Shabbat 11:2), connotes in Arabic, ḫarazat al-be'er – meaning, the round stone slab laid upon the cistern's mouth with a hole in the middle of

10509-407: The stone. Since no specific location is mentioned, this section is thought to be a continuation of the previous two sections. Allegro surmised that this place may have been Khirbet Qumrân, where archaeologists have uncovered a watchtower, a water aqueduct, a conduit, and a very noticeable earthquake fissure which runs right through a large reservoir, besides also two courtyards, one of which containing

10622-460: The text. After a second approach by a new director of Jordanian Antiquities, Allegro, who had waited for signs of Milik of moving to publish, took up the second request and published an edition with translation and hand-drawn transcriptions from the original copper segments in 1960. Milik published his official edition in 1962, also with hand-drawn transcriptions, though the accompanying black-and-white photographs were "virtually illegible". The scroll

10735-526: The third terrace: sixty-five ingots of gold." As noted above, the listed treasure has been estimated in the tons. There are those who understand the text to be enumerating the vast treasure that was 'stashed,' where the Romans could not find it. Others still suggest that the listed treasure is that which Bar Kokhba hid during the Second Revolt. Although it is difficult to estimate the exact amount, "it

10848-417: The three major Jewish sects of that period. Philo's usage is Essaioi , although he admits this Greek form of the original name , that according to his etymology signifies "holiness", to be inexact. Pliny's Latin text has Esseni . Gabriele Boccaccini implies that a convincing etymology for the name Essene has not been found, but that the term applies to a larger group within Judea that also included

10961-507: The top, with geometric compartments for nesting pigeons built into the inner-walls and plastered over with lime. These were almost always built at a distance outside the city, in this case near the walled citadel or fort of Nabaḥ, a place that has yet to be identified. In Tosefta ( Menachot 9:3), it is mentioned that, during the Second Temple period, fledglings of pigeons (presumably raised in dovecotes) were principally brought from

11074-500: The transcribed text was Józef Milik . He initially believed that the scroll was a product of the Essenes but noted that it was likely not an official work of theirs. At first, he believed that it was not an actual historical account; he believed it was that of folklore. Later however, Milik's view changed. Since there was no indication that the scroll was a product of the Essenes from the Qumran community, he changed his identification of

11187-631: The word maneh , a unit of weight that exceeds all others, divided equally into 100 parts. According to Epiphanius of Salamis , the centenarius ( קנטינרא ), a Latin loanword used in Hebrew classical sources for the biblical talent ( kikkar ), is said to have been a weight corresponding to 100 Roman librae . The Hebrew word used for "chest" is שדה , a word found in Mishnah Keilim 15:1, ibid. 18:1, Mikva'ot 6:5, and explained by Hai Gaon in Mishnah Keilim 22:8 as meaning "an [ornamental] chest or trunk." [2] "In

11300-417: Was an Essene, but some scholars feel that he was at least influenced by them. Lawrence Schiffman has argued that the Qumran community may be called Sadducean , and not Essene, since their legal positions retain a link with Sadducean tradition. Rituals of the Essenes and Christianity have much in common; the Dead Sea Scrolls describe a meal of bread and wine that will be instituted by the messiah , both

11413-410: Was called such in reference to a 14-metre (46 ft) high black marble column, which was allegedly placed in the inner courtyard of the door in the Roman and Byzantine period. The 6th-century Madaba Map depicts in it artistic vignettes, showing what appears to be a black column directly within the one northern gate of the walled city. Both the old Roman Gate at Damascus Gate and Zedekiah's Cave are on

11526-432: Was estimated in 1960 that the total would top $ 1,000,000 U.S." [1] "In the ruin in the Valley of Achor, beneath the staircase that ascends towards the east [at a distance of] forty brick tiles there is a silver chest and its vessels, weighing seventeen talents" According to Eusebius ' Onomasticon , "Achor" – perhaps being a reference to an ancient town - is located to the north of Jericho . However, in relation to

11639-450: Was inadvertently mixed with common produce, and which rendered the whole unfit for the priests' consumption. The vessels themselves, however, remained in a state of ritual cleanness (Cf. Maimonides, Commentary on the Mishnah , Terumah 3:2; Hagigah 3:4). The word lagin ( לגין ) is a Greek loanword that found its way into the Hebrew language, derived from the Greek λάγηνος , and meaning simply an earthenware jar with handles. It

11752-456: Was made of over 1200 tombs that included many women and children; Pliny clearly wrote that the Essenes who lived near the Dead Sea "had not one woman, had renounced all pleasure... and no one was born in their race". Golb's book presents observations about de Vaux's premature conclusions and their uncontroverted acceptance by the general academic community. He states that the documents probably stemmed from various libraries in Jerusalem, kept safe in

11865-530: Was most-likely filled-in with stones and sealed. At present, there is no cistern shown at that distance from the Golden Gate on the maps listing the cisterns of the Temple Mount, which suggests that the cistern may have been concealed from view by filling it in with earth and stones. In contrast, if the sense is to the Nicanor Gate (which has since been destroyed), the cistern would have been that which

11978-563: Was once called Ha-Kafa has yet to be identified with complete certainty. The town Sekhakha, mentioned first in Joshua 15:61 and belonging to the tribe of Judah , also remains unidentified, although the Israeli Government Naming Committee has named a watercourse that rises from Khirbet es-Sumra and connects with Wadi Qumrân after its namesake. Scholars have suggested that Khirbet Qumrân is to be identified with

12091-520: Was originally a single scroll about 2.4 metres (7.9 ft) in length. Unlike the others, it is not a literary work, but a list of 64 places where various items of gold and silver were buried or hidden. It differs from the other scrolls in its Hebrew (closer to the language of the Mishnah than to the literary Hebrew of the other scrolls, though 4QMMT shares some language characteristics), its orthography , palaeography (forms of letters) and date ( c.  50–100 CE , possibly overlapping with

12204-410: Was originally associated with Baal-tamar of Judges 20:33. To this present day, towards the east of Gaba, there are still precipitous cliffs and a number of ancient sites (now ruins), one of which may have once borne the name Beth-tamar. Félix-Marie Abel thought to place Beth-tamar at Râs eṭ-Ṭawîl (grid position 172/137 PAL ), a summit to the northeast of Tell el-Ful . Others suggest that Beth-tamar

12317-409: Was re-photographed in 1988 with greater precision. From 1994 to 1996, extensive conservation efforts by Electricité de France (EDF) included evaluation of corrosion, photography, x-rays, cleaning, making a facsimile and a drawing of the letters. Emile Puech's edition had the benefit of these results. Scholarly estimates of the probable date range of the Copper Scroll vary. Frank Moore Cross proposed

12430-428: Was supported by rainwater catchment and storage. According to the Community Rule , repentance was a prerequisite to water purification. Ritual purification was a common practice among the peoples of Judea during this period and was thus not specific to the Essenes. A ritual bath or mikveh was found near many synagogues of the period continuing into modern times. Purity and cleanliness was considered so important to

12543-543: Was the difference between the Nasaraean and the others... After this Nasaraean sect in turn comes another closely connected with them, called the Ossaeans. These are Jews like the former... originally came from Nabataea, Ituraea, Moabitis, and Arielis, the lands beyond the basin of what sacred scripture called the Salt Sea... Though it is different from the other six of these seven sects, it causes schism only by forbidding

12656-481: Was the fortress Hyrcania , which had been destroyed some years earlier. The Hebrew word אריח , translated here as "brick tiles", is used also in the Babylonian Talmud ( BT ) Megillah 16b and Baba Bathra 3b. The Hebrew word for "talents" is kikkarīn ( ככרין ). The weight of a talent varied with time and place. Amongst Jews in the early 2nd century CE, the kikkar was synonymous with

12769-525: Was trained by the Essene community. In the early church a book called the Odes of Solomon was written. The writer was likely a very early convert from the Essene community into Christianity. The book reflects a mixture of mystical ideas of the Essene community with Christian concepts. Both the Essenes and Christians practiced voluntary celibacy and prohibited divorce. Both also used concepts of "light" and "darkness" for good and evil. A few have argued that

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