JERDOG

I am completely ignorant on the dead sea scrolls. Why is it that todays Christians do not accept them? Does it in some way support the Gnostic belief that Jesus was not a real person?

Marduk

“I am completely ignorant on the dead sea scrolls. Why is it that todays Christians do not accept them?”

Most of the DSS are various versions of Old Testament stuff and all the intricate laws of the Essene group that wrote them, not much interest to Christians. Though arguments have been made that John the Baptist and possibly Jesus as well, were members of this radical group of ‘End of the World’ extremist Jews. This would not suit them.

“Does it in some way support the Gnostic belief that Jesus was not a real person?”

No, but it may support the view that Jesus was an ordinary preacher with a wife and family who was not related to the creator of the universe.
But this is rather speculative, he is not mentioned by name, but there are references to a Righteous Teacher. Could have been John the B or Jesus or someone else.

It is the Nag Hamundi scrolls (sp?) that support the Gnostic Jesus idea. More old scrolls that surfaced in Egypt around the same time as the DSS popped up in Israel.

Haran

Who says Christians don't accept the DSS??

I do... I'm not sure I know anyone who doesn't...

Did you mean to say something else?

Peter Kirby

What does it mean to "accept" the DSS? To accept that they exist? To accept that they are ancient? To accept that they are accurate? To accept that they are scripture?

best,
Peter Kirby

MrDarwin

Didn't you know? We have it on the excellent authority of Magus55 himself that the Dead Sea Scrolls contain eyewitness accounts by some of Jesus's disciples!

Koyaanisqatsi

Yes, the "Righteous Teacher." A concept almost identical to the Jesus myth that originated some one hundred years prior to the alleged events of the Passion Narrative within the same cult that allegedly bore the original Jesus cult.

The "Dead Sea Scrolls" are uncomfortable for Christians because they chronicle the life and teachings of the "Righeteous One" (or "teacher"); a divine "messiah" whose life and teachings are almost identical to the later incarnation of Jesus.

Many believe that this is where the Jesus myth originated.

Markus is right about the Gnostic scrolls coming from the "Nag Hamundi" (I recall it to be "Hamadhi," but whatever) find. Though what's interesting about them (particularly the Gospel of Thomas) is that it mirrors and is almost a perfect theological extension of the Essene concept of the "Righteous One," where Jesus is teaching, in essence, that no one is needed as a "conduit" to God.

The reason the gThomas was thrown out of the NT canon was precisely because it destroyed the early cult's hierarchical structure in this manner, regardless of the fact that it is supposedly the oldest of the Jesus gospels.

There was also a Song of Mary (along with others) that was thrown out (and found in the Nag Hamadhi discovery), because no woman could know the words of god!

If you're interested, I highly recomment just about any book written by Elaine Pagels on the subject, but most notably: Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas for more detailed deconstruction on the Gnostic side of things.

River

The truth is that the Dead Sea Scrolls support a number of Islamic and Jewish beliefs and customs. Therefore it is not generally endorsed among the Christian community.

Magus55

Except Judaism and Christianity work together as whole of God's word. Hence Judeo-Christianity.

Haran

I don't understand where some of you are coming from... You must be referring to the sectarian documents of the supposed "Essenes".

The DSS OT texts have been used in the critical texts and are therefore reflected also in many newer Christian Bibles (even being mentioned in the footnotes)...

River

Judeo-Christianity is a lost Religion. Islam is actually a reconstruction of Judeo-Christianity. Modern Christianity is Paul's Religion and Jesus disapproved of Paul. As if G-d is impressed by the lack of effort on the part of Christians. Christianity has weakened itself by declaring itself " Faith" based. Jesus and James fought to express Religion as a function of Faith and Works. This is clearly visible in numerous passages of the Bible as well as the Book of Enoch. Originally " Book of Enoch" was placed in "Director's cut Canon NT" but later it was excised and deemed too dangerous. If anyone picks up "Book of Enoch", you will clearly see that Islam was the chosen course.