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orion Jack Kilmon & Essene Christians
At 09:51 23/07/97 -0500, Jack Kilmon wrote:
> By the Christian DSS scholars based on the real or perceived parallels
in >practice and vorlage. Read the earliest reports and publications,
>particularly of the 50's. Read Charlesworth. Read Schiffman who titles
his >book "Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls."
MMT has rendered a lot of reports more recent than the 50's obsolete. I
read Charlesworth's Pseudepigrapha back in the mid 1980's. It was
magnificent, due in no small measure to many terrific contributing editors.
Before that I read Charles' edition of of the Pseudepigrapha.
Charlesworth's next book ('J~sus in Judaism') showed a shocking failure to
grasp the rudiments in this area. Have you read Qimron's analysis of MMT
yet? I think you should deal with the issues rather than presuming to
divert me to go read obsolete publications. If you're representing that
Schiffman argues that the Essenes were Christian I'd very much like to
analyze his evidence and reasoning in those sections of his work. Perhaps
you can cite from Schiffman where he supports your assertion that the
Essenes were Christians? From what I've heard Schiffman say I suspect that
he would complain extremely vigorously that your insinuation misrepresents him.
The KKK are Christians who wear white robes and spout their Scriptures too.
Should we assume that, therefore, they're the main trunk of Christianity
tracing back to the Essenes? Parallels serve to suggest a line of
investigation, not substitute assumptions and assertions in place of
gathering evidence and logical reasoning. Demonstrating a connection
between Christianity and the Essenes requires demonstrating the
*distinguishing* characteristics in the Essene practice and/or doctrines--
the sine qua non.
It's my understanding that neither of these authors you cite have addressed
the sine qua non of selective observance, the characteristic delineating
Christianity (and proto-Christianity) from Judaism. Consequently, neither
Charlesworth nor Schiffman, nor anyone else, can defend an Essene-Christian
connection without showing evidence of selective observance among the
Essenes. If they show this, then an Essene-DSS connection is completely
impossible as the Essenes would then have been shown antithetical to the DSS
sect.
>> The sine qua non of Christianity, and proto-Christianity, was selective
>>observance of Torah as contrasted with...
> None of the above has anything to do with my post which addressed
>the *present*state of DSS studies.
Anyone wishing to demonstrate, rather than assume, your claimed Essene-
Christian connection will discover that the sine qua non delineating the two
has absolutely everything to do with it, Charlesworth, Schiffman, or anyone
else notwithstanding.
Yirmiyahu Ben-David
Paqid 16, Qehilat Ha-Netzarim (Nazarene Jews)
www.netzarim.co.il
Ra'anana, Israel