The People of the Dead Sea Scrolls: Their Writings, Beliefs and Practices

This work attempts to provide answers to some important questions that have emerged in media reports on the Dead Sea Scrolls, such as: have certain manuscripts been suppressed?; do the manuscripts question substantial aspects of the Jewish and Christian traditions?; and do the roots of early Christianity derive from the Essene movement? It presents information on the literary heritage, the social organization and the religious beliefs of the Qumran community and its links with early Christianity. The text aims to provide the reader with an opportunity to look behind the scenes of the research of the Dead Sea texts and the ongoing scholarly debate on the origins of the Essene movement and the Qumran sect.