QUMRAN

A. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Qumran is situated to the north-west of the Dead Sea, 1,292 feet below sea level.  Although the site had been known for more than a century, little attention was paid to it until Father de Vauz’s excavations in 1958.  The city itself appears not to be settled continuously throughout the Old Testament era.  The earliest settlement of this area seems to be dated to the 12th century B.C., precisely when the Philistines settled into Israel.  This settlement consisted at first of inhabited caves.  Three successive villages were then built on top of each other.

After Israelite inhabitation of the site following King David’s rule, this fortified city was destroyed by the Assyrians at the end of the 8th century B.C.  With the exception of the brief effort to rebuild the old fortifications in the 7th century B.C., the site remained unoccupied until Hellenistic times.  The latest construction of the site dates to the Roman/Byzantine Period.

Qumran is most famously known for the location of the significant discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls.   It is believed that during the Hasmonaean Period (at the time of John Hyrcanus, 135-104 B.C.), the Essenes settled here.  The Essenes were believed to be a small colony of religious Jews who separated themselves from the daily affairs of life.  “With only palm trees for company,” writes the Roman historian Pliny (23-79 A.D.), the Essenes lived at a settlement “below” which was the town of Engedi.  Josephus, the Jewish historian tell us that the Essene colonies were scattered throughout Palestine.  This “Dead Sea Sect” lived here in apparent isolation for the purpose of keeping themselves “pure” while writing down on scrolls of parchment the Old Testament Scriptures.

This Hasmonaean settlement took on a second phase of inhabitation but was destroyed by a fire and an earthquake.  This earthquake, the excavators believe, is the one that occurred in 31 B.C. and referred to by Josephus (Antiq., XV, 121-47; War, I, 370-80).  In about 4 B.C. (or the time of Christ’s birth!) during the reign of Archelaus, the place was rebuilt to approximately the same plan as that of the previous period.  In the summer of 68 A.D. (at the time of the First Jewish Revolt), the settlement was destroyed by the Romans (Josephus, War, IV, 449 ff). 

The site was then occupied by a Roman garrison until about 90 A.D.  During the Bar-Kochba Revolt (132 A.D.), fugitives found shelter here as is indicated by the coins of the Second Revolt that have been found on the site.

B. BIBLICAL REFERENCES

Although there are no direct “references” to Qumran in the Scriptures, this was a place where the Old Testament was copied extensively.  Sitting in scriptoriums, the scribes diligently and meticulously copied the Law and the Prophets” down on pieces of parchment.  Every book of the Old Testament with the exception of Esther has been found in the caves above the city, preserved in clay jars.  Other “extra-biblical texts” have also been found, including the Genesis Apocraphon, the Scroll of Lemelech, the Manual of Discipline, the Manual of War, the Habakkuk Commentary, the Book of Thanksgiving, and the Temple Scroll to name a few.

1.  Josh. 15:62   Some Biblical historians identify Qumran as perhaps being the “city of salt” mentioned by Joshua.

2.  II Chr. 26:10   Again speculating, some commentators believe the erection of the fortification walls and other structures can be attributed to the building projects of King Uzziah, who“built towers in the desert and digged many wells.”

C. ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS OF INTEREST

1. IRON AGE II:  The earliest archaeological remains date to this time in Old Testament history.  Pervious to this, the settlement was not an organized city.  Because of this, the archaeological evidence is sparse.   However, some pottery finds date to this period.  Among the Old Testament remains there exists a building which was 250 feet square.

2.  HELLENISTIC II (HASMONAEAN):  This period marks the next noticeable level of inhabitation.  Believing that the community was re-established by the Essenes, the site is full with houses, public rooms, and scriptoriums.   It is from this period that the earliest of the Dead Sea Scrolls date, found in the caves above the city.

3.  ROMAN I:   Most of the houses and public buildings that can be seen date to this period.  Most impressive was the room excavated in this community that contained 708 bowls, 210 plates, 75 beakers, 38 dishes, and 21 small jars.  This clearly suggests that great crowds one dined in the neighboring dining room.

This suggests that the semi-monastic community did not own their own individual property.   Rather, they lived together with simple shared resources.   More Dead Sea Scrolls were copied during this time.

4.  ROMAN II & III, BYZANTINE:   After the 2nd Jewish Revolt, fugitives found refuge here for several decades.  They rebuilt some of the earlier houses and walls.  Eventually, the copying of the scrolls ceased.