Dr. Gary Gromacki
Associate Professor of Bible and
Homiletics
Baptist Bible Seminary
Clarks Summit,
Pennsylvania
<ggromacki> at <bbc> dot <edu>
The origin and history of the Qumran community is part of the Jewish history of the Second Temple Period. It is difficult to put together the pieces of the puzzle of the history of the Qumran community. The writers of the DSS did mention some names, but in many places they gave descriptions of individuals and left them unnamed (i.e. the Teacher of Righteousness, the Wicked Priest, the Man of Belial). The following historical survey traces the chronological sequence of events of Second Temple Judaism and attempts to place the Qumran community in its historical context.
HISTORY OF THE SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD
Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians invaded Judah and took Jews into captivity in 605, 597, and 586 B.C. The first deportation of Jews included Daniel (cf. Daniel 1:1-6). The second deportation included King Jehoiachin and other military consultants, soldiers and craftsmen (cf. 2 Kings 24:6-16; 2 Chron.36:8-10). Ezekiel was also taken into captivity at this time (Ezekiel 1:2). Nebuchadnezzar placed Jehoiachin's uncle, Mattaniah, on the throne and changed his name to Zedekiah (2 Kings 24:17-20). Against the advice of Jeremiah, Zedekiah aligned himself with Egypt in an attempt to overthrow the Babylonians. In 586 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians invaded Judah for a third time and destroyed Jerusalem and Solomon's temple (2 Kings 25:1-21).
The seventy years of exile (605-535 B.C.) gave birth to orthodox Judaism. Since the temple and the sacrificial system was destroyed, the Jews gathered in assemblies or synagogues for the worship of God, fellowship and the study of the Old Testament. The Babylonian captivity led to the rise of the scribe. The scribes engaged in the serious study of the Old Testament and were involved in copying the Old Testament scriptures. Many scholars believe that the members of the Qumran community that came into existence years later were scribes who spent time copying the Old Testament scriptures.
The Lord promised the prophet Jeremiah that He would bring the captive Jews back to their homeland. "This is what the Lord says, 'When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:10-11). Ezra 1:1 records the fulfillment of God's promise in history. "In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken to Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus, king of Persia, to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing." The decree of Cyrus in 539 B.C. permitted the Jews to return to Judah. The book of Ezra records two of the three returns of the Jews. The first return occurred in 538 B.C. and was led by Zerubbabel. Under the leadership of Zerubbabel, 42, 360 Jews and 7337 servants returned (Ezra 2:64-65).
The Jews began to rebuild the second temple during the reign of Cyrus of Persia (Ezra 1-6). An altar was set up in Jerusalem and there was the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles in 537 B.C. (Ezra 3:1-7). In 536 B.C. the foundation of the second temple was laid in Jerusalem (Ezra 3:8-13). From 536-530 B.C. the Samaritans hindered the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 4:1-5). From 530-520 B.C. the work on the temple reconstruction ceased (Ezra 4:24). The temple construction resumed as a result of the ministry of post-exilic prophets Haggai and Zechariah (520-516 B.C.). When the provincial governors questioned their actions, the Jews appealed to Dariius to honor the decree of Cyrus. When Darius discovered the decree in the court records, he not only granted permission to the Jews but authorized that the work on the temple be subsidized with government funds (Ezra 6:7-12). The second temple was completed in 516 B.C. It would later be renovated during the reign of King Herod the Great (cf. John 2:20).
The second return of the Jews from captivity occurred in 458 B.C. Ezra led some Jews back during the reign of Artaxerxes of Persia (Ezra 7-10). The third return of the Jews from captivity occurred in 445 B.C. and was led by Nehemiah. Nehemiah was the cupbearer of Artaxerxes. He became a leader in Judah and helped the Jews rebuild the wall of Jerusalem in 52 days. (Nehemiah 1-13). The return of the Jews and the rebuilding of the second temple began the period of time known as Second Temple Judaism. The post-exilic books (Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi) give us the historical details regarding the return of the Jews from exile in Babylon to Judah to rebuild the temple and reestablish the worship of YHWH in Jerusalem. Under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, a revival broke out among the returning Jews (Neh.8-10). With his work completed, Nehemiah returned to Persia. When he came back to Israel, he discovered that the people had broken their covenant with the Lord. Under his leadership, the offenders were disciplined (Neh.13). At this point, the recorded history of the Old Testament ends. The next four hundred years are sometimes referred to as the "silent years" because no revelation was given to Israel by God. But historical events continued. Among those events was the beginning of the Qumran community.
Among the Jews who returned to their homeland, two groups became evident. One group became separatists and followed the leadership of Zerubbabel, Ezra, Nehemiah and the prophets Haggai and Zechariah and rebuilt the temple and worshipped the LORD. Another group succumbed to the pressures of Hellenization and compromised. They broke the covenant with the LORD and were guilty of intermarriage with foreigners (Ezra 9:1-4), Sabbath breaking (Nehemiah 13:16), spiritual apathy, divorce, and a neglect of paying the tithe (see Malachi's charges against Judah). Although a renewal of the covenant took place after the exiles returned (Ezra 3:10; Nehemiah 9:38), that renewal was only for a remnant of the post-exilic community.
Philip II of Macedon united the Greek city states under a single ruler. He defeated Athens in 338 B.C. He was the father of Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great was born in 356 B.C. and was taught by Aristotle and inspired by Achilles (the warrior in the Iliad). In thirteen years (336-323) he conquered the Persian empire. His rule extended from Greece to India. After defeating the Persians at the Granicus River he defeated Darius at the battle of Issus in 333 B.C. He then took Phoenecia, Israel and Egypt. Alexander did not destroy Jerusalem because Jehuda the priest went out to him and read the prophecy from Daniel 8 which predicts that the goat (Greece) would defeat the ram (Persia) (cf. Josephus, Antiquities 11.8.4-5).The main contribution of Alexander the Great was the introduction of Greek language and culture to the world. Koine Greek became the language of the common man from 300 B.C. to A.D. 300.
The Ptolemies were Greek rulers who ruled from Egypt and were friendly to the Jews and allowed them to maintain their religious and racial identity. They fought the Seleucidae for control of the land of Israel (275, 245, 240, 219, 217, 202-198 B.C.). Their key city was Alexandria. The Ptolemaic rulers who controlled Israel were: (1) Ptolemy I Soter (323-285 B.C. Josephus, Antiquities 12.1), (2) Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 B.C.; Josephus, Antiquities 12.2), (3) Ptolemy III Euergetes (246-222 B.C.), (4) Ptolemy IV Philopator (222-203 B.C.), and (5) Ptolemy V Epiphanes (203-181 B.C.)
The Seleucidae were Greek rulers who ruled from Syria and who were hostile to the Jews and persecuted them for their rejection of Greek customs. Their key city was Antioch. Antiochus III (223-187 B.C.) was defeated by the Romans at the battle of Magnesia, where he lost 53,000 men while Rome lost only 400. His son Antiochus Epiphanes was taken to Rome as a hostage for twelve years. In 198 B.C. Antiochus III defeated the Ptolemies at the battle of Panion and gained control of the land of Israel. The next Seleucid ruler was Seleucus IV Philopator (187-175 B.C.). The most famous Seleucid ruler was Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 B.C.). He defeated the Ptolemies in 170 B.C. (Daniel 11:25-27). But he was forced to withdraw from Egypt by the Romans. Roman general Popilliuslaneus forced him out of Egypt (cf. Dan.11:28-30 where the ships of Kittim refer to the Roman navy). The word "Kittim" is used in the DSS to refer to the Romans. Antiochus IV Ephiphanes returned to Jerusalem and persecuted the Jews in anger. He committed the abomination of desolation as he offered a pig on the altar in the temple (Dan. 8:8-14; 11:31-32; 1 Maccabees 1:41-64; 2 Maccabees 6). He looted Jerusalem, set parts of the city on fire, and slaughtered many Jews on the Sabbath. He turned the temple into a shrine to worship Zeus, prohibited circumcision and Sabbath observance, banned and burned copies of the Torah, and ordered sacrifices to pagan gods.
Second Temple Judaism was not a monolithic religion. It was made up of many sects and groups. The Pharisees and Sadducees are the most well known. The Qumran community was another Jewish sect. Scholars are divided over the identity of this group. Many DSS scholars identify the Qumran community with the Essenes.. The Essenes broke away from the Hasmonean priests who ruled over Israel. They withdrew from Jerusalem and started a settlement at Qumran. The Qumranites called themselves "the Community of the Renewed Covenant." The community members thought of themselves as a faithful Jewish remnant living in the end times. They brought with them some biblical and nonbiblical scrolls which they copied and preserved. They also wrote their own writings (the sectarian writings). Together the scrolls found in eleven caves near Qumran are called the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS).
The Damascus Document (CD) gives us some insights on the beginning of the Qumran community.
In the era of wrath--three hundred and ninety years at the time He handed them over the power of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon--He took care of them and caused to grow from Israel and from Aaron a root of planting to inherit His land and to grow fat on the good produce of His soil. They considered their iniquity and they knew that they were guilty men, and had been like the blind and like those groping for the way twenty years. But God considered their deeds, that they had sought Him with a whole heart. So He raised up for them a teacher of righteousness to guide them in the way of His heart (CD 1:5-11).
The number 390 probably comes from Ezekiel 4:4-5 where the Lord commanded Ezekiel to give a dramatic sign to Israel by laying on his left side 390 days before a clay tablet with a picture of Jerusalem on it. The 390 days were to correspond to 390 years of their iniquity as a nation. "Lie also on your left side and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. for I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days, so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel." (Ezekiel 4:4-5).
There has been much discussion regarding this prophecy. The writer of the Damascus Document took the number 390 years to be referring to the time from the destruction of Solomon's temple in 586 B.C. The result: In 196 B.C. some Hasidic Jews of the Zadokite priestly line believed that the time of Israel's redemption from the Gentiles was near. They based their belief on their pesher interpretation of Ezekiel's prophecy. For twenty years (from 196 B.C. to 176 B.C.) the group like blind men groped for the way.
In 166 B.C. after twenty years of searching for answers about the delay in the fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy, an enlightened "Teacher of Righteousness" came to a position of influence and interpreted the prophetic text. He organized the movement into a sect which moved into Qumran to wait out the 40 years of exile according to the Teacher of Righteousness' interpretation of Ezekiel 4:6. At the conclusion of this period of time, the Sect expected to begin the 40 year war that would bring in the age of redemption.
Philip Davies writes, "When the non-Zadokite Maccabean family assumed the high priestly office, a dispute arose between them and the Zadokites. Each party was represented by a priest, the "Teacher of Righteousness" on the one hand and the "Wicked Priest" of the Habakkuk pesher on the other. Defeated, the Zadokites either withdrew (as Cross concludes), or were forced (Vermes) to leave Jerusalem. The "Wicked Priest" is either Jonathan (Milik, Vermes) or Simon (Cross). Why exactly the dispute occurred is not agreed: Cross simply mentions rivalry between priestly houses, whereas Milik suggests that more factors may have been at play, including Hellenising traits, priestly behavior, halakic divergences and a calendrical difference...the archaeological and palaeolographical evidence concurred in setting a period of occupation of Qumran beginning in about 140 B.C." (Philip Davies, Behind the Essenes [Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press, 1987], 16-17).
The Hasmoneans are the family of priests who led the Jewish rebellion against the Seleucid Empire. This uprising led to an independent Jewish state. Josephus states that "Asamonaios" was the great grandfather of Mattathias (Jewish Antiquities 12:265). The Hasmonean chapter in Jewish history can be divided into two time periods: (1) the revolt beginning with Mattathias and culminating with the removal of the Seleucid political control in Judah (142 B.C.), and (2) the emergence of the Jewish state ruled by the Hasmoneans. The independent Jewish state was conquered by the Roman general Pompey in 63 B.C. However, a vassal Jewish state, ruled by Hyrcanus II extended Hasmonean control of Judea until 40 B.C.
Mattathias (166 B.C.)
Mattathias was a priest of the prominent family of Joarib (1 Chron.24:7) who settled in the village of Modin, on the border of Judea and Samaria (1 Mac.2:1; Josephus, Antiquities 12.6.1-4). He refused to offer a sacrifice on the altar at Modin, killed the apostate Jew who did, destroyed the altar and fled to the mountains. His act sparked the Maccabean revolt.
Judas (166-160 B.C.)
Judas Maccabeus led a Jewish revolt against the Seleucidae and recovered Jerusalem. (Josephus, Antiquities, 12.7-11). The Jews led by Judas Maccabeus continued to win victories and by the 25th of Chislev in 164 B.C. the Jews regained control of the temple in Jerusalem and cleansed it. Hannukah or the Festival of Lights commemorates this event (1 Macc.4:28-29).
Jonathan (160-142 B.C.)
Jonathan became the next ruling high priest in Judea (Josephus, Antiquities 13.1, 6). He was the son of Mattathias and younger brother of Judas.
Hanan Eshel writes, "Among scholars of the Qumran scrolls, there has been a lengthy controversy regarding the identity of the Wicked Priest who is mentioned five times in the Pesher Habakkuk (1QpHab) and an additional two times in two pesharim from Qumran Cave 4 (4Q171 and 4Q163). The majority of scholars have accepted the suggestions of Geza Vermes and Jozef Milik in identifying the high priest as Jonathan son of Mattathias. The following details about the Wicked Priest are elucidated in the pesharim: Pesher Habakkuk says that the evil priest was originally considered legitimate at the beginning of his service, and only when he ruled over Israel did he abandon the Lord and begin to betray the statutes for wealth (1QpHab 8:3-13). Likewise, it is noted that the Wicked Priest committed abominations in Jerusalem, defiled the Temple, and robbed the riches of orphans (1QpHab 12:7-10). The attempt of the Wicked Priest to kill the Teacher of Righteousness is mentioned twice. In Pesher Habakkuk it is said that the Wicked Priest attacked the Teacher of Righteousness on Yom Kippur, while the Teacher of Righteousness fasted in his place of exile (1QpHab 11:2-8). From this description it seems that one of the arguments between the Teacher of Righteousness and the Wicked Priest was the question of the calendar, since the Wicked Priest, who was probably the high priest, could not leave the Temple on the Day of Atonement. Therefore, it seems that the Wicked Priest attacked the Teacher of Righteousness on his Yom Kippur, which was not Yom Kippur for the Wicked Priest. In Pesher Psalms it was noted that the Wicked Priest tried to kill the Teacher of Righteousness on account of the statute and the law which the Teacher of Righteousness sent to the Wicked Priest (4Q171 4.7-9). In Pesher Habakkuk it is said that the Lord took vengeance upon the Wicked Priest because he attempted to hurt the people of the sect (1QpHab 12:2-6). Likewise, there are two descriptions in his pesher which note that the Wicked Priest's enemies caught him, tortured him, and took revenge upon his corpse (1QpHab 7:13-9:2; 9:9-12). The mention of the Wicked Priest in Pesher Isaiah c is fragmented and nothing can be learned from it (4Q163 30.3). The widespread opinion that the treaties Miqtsat Maasei ha-Torah was sent by the Teacher of Righteousness to the Wicked Priest also explains why the author of Pesher Habakkuk took the trouble to differentiate between the beginning of the Wicked Priest's life in which he was a positive leader and the end of his life in which he betrayed the statutes for wealth." (Hanan Eshel, "Jonathan (Hasmonean)" in Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Ed. by Lawrence Schiffman and James VanderKam. Vol.1. [New York: Oxford University Press, 2000], 422).
VanderKam writes, "If Jonathan was the Wicked Priest, the Teacher was active during his term as high priest (152-142 BCE). It is worth adding that 1Enoch 90:6-10; 93:10 and Jubilees 23:26 also allude to a reform or penitential movement apparently just before or around Maccabean times. No scrolls' passage associates these early years of the movement with Qumran. The Commentary on Habakkuk 11:6 refers to the place of exile for the Teacher and his band, but does not identify it by name. We should recall also that the Damascus Document speaks several times about going to Damascus and about a new covenant there. Whether the Teacher and his followers actually went to Damascus we do not know." (VanderKam and Flint, The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls [San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2002), 290).
In 146 B.C. the Teacher of Righteousness died after ministering in Qumran for 20 years. He was opposed by the priestly leaders of the Jews in Jerusalem. The Qumran community continued to wait for the 40 year long war, but no longer attempted to find precise dates for its beginning. The Qumran community entered a period of self examination, believing that the postponement of the redemption was a result of their own impiety or inaction.
Simon (142-135 B.C.)
Simon signed a treaty with Rome in 139 B.C. which guaranteed that the high priests would have political power in Israel (Josephus, Antiquities 13.7; 1 Macabees 14:25-49).
John Hyrcanus was the Hasmonean ruler of Israel from 135-104 B.C. (Josephus, Antiquities 13.8-12). During the reign of John Hyrcans, two religious-political parties emerged. The Hasidim represented the conservative wing who resisted the Hellenization of the Jews. This separatistic group was the forerunner of the Pharisees. The Hellenizers were more accepting of the Greek culture . This group became the Sadducees. Before his death, John Hyrcanus repudiated his Pharisaic affiliation and declared himself to be a Sadducee.
John Hyrcanus may be the "man of Belial" mentioned in the DSS Testimonia (4Q175). The text offers an interpretation of Joshua's curse on Jericho--that the rebuilder would lay its foundation at the cost of his firstborn son and its gates at the cost of his youngest son (Joshua 6:26).
When Joshua had finished offering praise and thanksgiving, he said: Cursed be the man who rebuilds this city. May he lay its foundation on his first-born, and set its gate upon his youngest son. Behold, an accursed man, a man of Belial, has risen to become a fowler's net to his people, and a cause of destruction to all his neighbors. And [his brother] arose [and ruled in li]es, both being instruments of violence. They have rebuilt [this city and have set up for it] a wall and towers to make of it a stronghold of ungodliness in Israel, and a horror in Ephraim and in Judah... They have committed an abomination in the land, and a great blasphemy among the children [of Jacob. They have shed blood] like water upon the ramparts of the daughter of Zion and within the precincts of Jerusalem. (4Q175 21-30)
In fulfillment of Joshua's prophecy, Hyrcanus lost both of his sons as a result of rebuilding the city of Jericho. Josephus describes Hyrcanus as "the son of Alexander, the high-priest and ethnarch of the Jews" (Antiquities 13:299). Since Testimonia contains scriptural texts promising an ideal prophet, ruler and priest, it could be that the writer of the Testimonia has included this section on the "man of Belial" to counter the possible view among some Jews that Hyrcanus was the One anticipated by the prophecies.
From 125 B.C. to year A.D. 1 the buildings in the main block of the Qumran community were enlarged to accommodate additional members (Period Ib)
(Josephus, Antiquities 13.10.1-3)
Alexander Jannaeus was the ruling high priest of Judea from 103 to 76 B.C. (Josephus, Antiquities 13.12-16; Jewish War 1.4,5). Some believe that he was the first Hasmonean to give himself the title king. Some coins reveal that his Hebrew name was Jonathan. The coins were inscribed with King Alexander in Greek on one side and Jonathan High Priest on the other. During his brother Aristobulus' reign, Jannaeus was imprisoned. After the death of his brother, he was released from prison by his brother's wife Shelamzion Alexandra. She possibly became Alexander Jannaeus' wife following levirate marriage customs.
Josephus divides the rule of Alexander Jannaeus into three period. During the first period (103-95 BC), Alexander Jannaeus conquered the coast of Israel from Mt. Carmel to the border of Egypt (excluding Ashkelon). The second period (95-83 BC) of his life involved conflicts with the Pharisees, Nabateans in the east and Demetrius III in the north. Alexander Jannaeus was defeated by the Nabateans and gave up territories to them. In the third period (83-76 BC), Alexander Jannaeus fought wars to obtain the cities of the Decapolis, but he became sick during the siege of Ragaba and died.
In 88 B.C. the enemies of Alexander Jannaeus (including the Pharisees) summoned Demetrius of Syria to invade Judea and they promised him aid. Demetrius invaded Judah and defeated Alexander Jannaeus in battle. Alexander Jannaeus in retaliation caught eight hundred of the Jewish leaders who rebelled against him and crucified them in Jerusalem. These 800 Jewish leaders were probably Pharisees. The Qumran community referred to these Pharisees as "those who seek smooth things" in the Commentary on Nahum.:
[And chokes prey for its lionesses; and it fills] its caves [with prey] and its dens with victims (Nahum 2:12a-b). Interpreted, this concerns the furious young lion [who executes revenge] on those who seek smooth things and hangs men alive...formerly in Israel. Because of a man hanged alive on [the] tree, He proclaims, 'Behold, I am against [you, says the Lord of Hosts']. (4Q169 1:6-7).
Josephus referred to this event in The Wars of the Jews 1.4.6
However the rest of the Jewish multitude did not lay aside their quarrels with him, when the foreign auxiliaries were gone; but they had a perpetual war with Alexander, until he had slain the greatest part of them, and driven the rest into the city Bemeselis; and when he had demolished that city, he carried the captives to Jerusalem. Nay, his rage was grown so extravagant, that his barbarity proceeded to a degree of impiety; for when he had ordered eight hundred to be hung upon crosses in the midst of the city, he had the throats of their wives and children cut before their eyes; and these executions he saw as he was drinking and lying down with his concubines.
This event is significant from a New Testament perspective because it shows that crucifixion (hanging men alive on crosses) was practiced in Jerusalem prior to the crucifixion of Jesus on a cross (Mt.27:32-35; Acts 2:22-23).
Salome Alexandra favored the Pharisees and many Sadducees were put to death in acts of revenge. After her death a power struggle ensued between her sons Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus (Josephus, Antiquities 13.14.1, 5,6). Hyrcanus II was the older son who was supported by his mother. He was defeated though by his younger and more ambitious brother. Hyrcanus II was a Pharisee who ruled for a short time before the Sadducees forced him out. He fled to Aretas, king of the Nabatean Arabs on the advice of Antipater II. (Josephus, Antiquities 14.1-4, 8)
Aristobulus II became the Hasmonean ruler after his brother. He was a Sadducee. (Josephus, Antiquities 13.14-16. 1, 3, 6,7)
Hyrcanus II and Antipater II (63-40 B.C.)
When Roman general Pompey came to Palestine he sided with Hyrcanus II (Josephus, Antiquities 14.4.4). He also reinstated Hyrcanus II as the high priest. Julius Caesar became Roman emperor in 49 B.C. He made war against Pompey. Antipater II helped Caesar (Josephus, Antiquities 14.8:1-3). Julius Caesar defeated Pompey in Egypt. He then made Hyrcanus ethnarch of the Jews and Antipater II a Roman citizen and governor of Judea. Antipater II appointed his oldest son Phasael as governor of Jerusalem in 47 B.C. and then made Herod his second son governor of Galilee.
ROMAN RULERS
Antigonus (40-37 B.C.)
Antigonus was the son of Aristobolus II. He enlisted the aid of foreign power Parthia to take the priesthood. From 42-40 B.C. a power struggle ensued between Herod and Antigonus. From 40-37 Antigonus gained the upper hand, but by 37 B.C. Herod had finally triumphed. Herod ruled over Israel from the next 33 years. The high priesthood was a separate institution and its occupants were Roman appointees.
King Herod the Great (37-4 B.C.)
Herod the Great was the son of Antipater and an Idumean (from Edom). He governed Galilee from 47 to 40 B.C. He went to Rome and befriended Octavian when the Parthians attacked and captured Jerusalem. He then led Roman troops back to Judea and defeated the Parthians to gain control of the land. Herod was installed as King of Judea by the decree of Caesar Augustus (Josephus, War 1.20). Herod the Great renovated the second temple. He rebuilt the capital city of Samaria and renamed it Sebaste. He was disturbed over the search of the wise man for the Messiah and ordered the slaughter of some innocent boy babies in the Bethlehem region (Matthew 2:1-18). After changing his will several times, Herod the Great finally left his kingdom to three of his surviving sons: Archelaus, Antipas and Philip.
In 31 B.C. the Qumran community was temporarily abandoned due to an earthquake and/or possible battle with foreign foes. Around 4 B.C. the community center was restored at Qumran (Period II).
Archelaus (4 B.C.- A.D. 6)
Archelaus was the son of Herod the Great and Malthace. He ruled Judea, Samaria and Idumea. He was an evil ruler (Mt.2:22). He was banished to France by the Roman emperor and his territory was reduced to a Roman province to be ruled by Roman procurators.
The following Roman procurators ruled Judea from A.D. 6-70 and would have had political authority over Qumran. King Herod Agrippa I ruled over Judea from A.D. 41-44 and was not a Roman procurator.
Coponius (A.D. 6-10)
2. M. Ambivius (A.D. 10-13)
3. Annius Rufus (A.D. 13-15)
4. Valerius Gratus (A.D. 15-26)
5. Pontius Pilate (A.D. 26-36)
6. Marcellus (A.D. 36-38)
7. Maryllus (A.D. 38-41)
King Herod Agrippa I ruled over Judea from A.D. 41-44.
8. Cuspius Fadus (A.D. 44-46)
9. Tiberius Alexander (A.D. 46-48)
10. Ventidius Cumanus (A.D. 48-52)
11. M. Antonius Felix (A.D. 52-59)- Acts 23-24
12. Porcius Festus (A.D. 59-61)- Acts 24:27
13. Albinus (A.D. 61-65)
14. Gessius Florus (A.D. 65-70)
Around A.D. 68, the Roman assault on Jerusalem extended to Jews fleeing to the desert and settlements like Qumran. Qumran was destroyed by the Romans. Sometime before this, the members of the community hid the scrolls in the caves, and the treasure of the Copper Scroll in secret locations throughout the desert and Jerusalem.
From A.D.70-90 the Roman army established a military outpost on the ruins of Qumran.
In A.D. 73 some members of the Qumran community joined the Jewish zealots at Masada. Their presence at Masada is attested to from scroll fragments and pottery remains (made in the kilns at Qumran).
From A.D.74-94 the Jewish historian Josephus, writing for a Roman audience, gives three separate accounts of the Essenes, with whom he professed to have lived for a time: History of the Jewish War 2.8.2-13; Antiquities of the Jews 13.5.9 and 18.1.5.
In A.D. 75 the Roman historian Pliny gives a description of the Essenes in the fifth book of his Natural History.
From A.D. 132-135 Qumran is occupied during the second Jewish revolt (Bar Kokhba rebellion).
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LINKS TO OTHER DSS WEB PAGES BY DR. GARY GROMACKI
The Identity of the Qumran Community
Doctrine of God Doctrine of the Bible Doctrine of Man and Sin
Doctrine of Salvation Doctrine of the Community Doctrine of the Messiah
Doctrine of Eschatology Archaeology of Qumran Bibliography on the DSS
Web Sites on the DSS DSS Table of Contents