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The first officially authentic Essene scriptures were published shortly after an Arab goatherd, following one of his animals, stumbled into a cave near the Dead Sea, where a treasure-trove of ancient documents was found, several of which were virtually intact. By a strange succession of fortunate incidents, these were quickly published, and thus made available to the world.
This set off one of the most intensive archeological hunts in history; scholars and scientists hastened to the Judaean desert in search of additional Scrolls. In this, they were signally successful: remnants, large and small, of hundreds of Essene scriptures were recovered, all of which had been secreted in sealed jars about 69 A.D. Material was found in at least five caves, of which that in Cave 4 alone constituted a corpus of original Essene scripture sufficient, should it be translated and published, to fill two volumes the size of the King James version of the Bible.
Then, however, strange things began to occur. Up until just a few years ago, no portion of this treasure, deposited in the Jordanian Museum in Jerusalem, has been published, or even made available to scholars. Of the 8 men, appointed to collate, arrange, publish, and translate these documents, 4 were Roman Catholics; and only John Marco Allegro, the English researcher, was without denominational affiliation. When he quickly translated and published the Copper Scroll and the few fragments entrusted to him; and then when he declared that the Essene Teacher of Righteousness, executed by the Jewish priests about 70-68 B.C., may have been crucified, he was denied all further access to the Scroll material.
As year after year passed away without the appearance of any more Essene scripture, although from time to time elaborate promises were made that they would soon be available, many began to question the reasons for the delay and the concealment. Since then, ample time has elapsed for the preparation and publication of all Essene material. But not one line of the hundreds of pages found in the caves has been released until stolen and made public just a couple of years ago.
Although additional Essene scriptures failed to appear, there was a plethora of books and articles dealing with the cult and its Scrolls during the years following 1950. Dozens of books and hundreds of articles, expressing every conceivable point of view, have appeared. It is probable that a complete bibliography of all material printed in this field might comprise somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 titles.
During the Six-Day War of 1967, the Jewish forces overran Jerusalem and captured the Jordanian Museum. To the best of our knowledge, nothing has been published concerning the fate or the whereabouts of the Essene Scrolls up until just a couple of years ago.
Answer for yourself: Why not?
These scrolls are the most precious concentration of ancient literature ever discovered in modern times. No outsider, of course, knew the contents of these documents; but it seems difficult to doubt that there was a constructive conspiracy to conceal them and to prevent their publication forever. All discussion concerning the Scrolls seems to have been silenced up until just a couple of years ago.
The motive for this concealment, we believe, is not far to seek. Although the evidence linking pristine Christianity to the Dead Sea Covenanters is already very substantial, there are still men of stature who deny the existence of such a relationship. However, since these scrolls are available today, the remaining Essene documents establish beyond all doubt that Christianity grew out of Essenism/Qumran cult and their adaptations of Sun-worship and was not a unique expression or revelation from God.
Answer for yourself: Who, then, was so desperately bent on concealing the Essene scriptures?
The vested interests of those religious communities are therefore at stake; they did not for the longest time, allow the publication of authentic materials which reduce their influence and credibility and, more importantly, cause a decline in their wealth and income.
But the day has come when the Essene Scrolls have come to light.
Since most people read only what reinforces the persuasions they have already accepted, we realize that few indeed among those already committed to some creed will be motivated to read about these documents. Edwin Franden Dakin once remarked that the greatest miracle in the world is the capacity of humanity to believe without evidence. Most people are nurtured by their delusions. However, true education or enlightenment cannot exist except among those who follow St. Paul's dictum to try all things and in the end retain the good.
In this study and forthcoming articles, therefore, we seek the truth of Christianity and its composite religious parts by examining each religions assimilated into Christianity and their own sacred scriptures.
Answer for yourself: How can divine infallibility be claimed in Christianity for "revelations" which bear every earmark of forgery or folk-myth which has been handed down from paganism for thousands of years?
That is a tough question, but the answers forthcoming are even harder. It is to these answers we now turn.
Bennoah1@airmail.net