A recent article on the Time website “Scholar Claims Dead Sea Scrolls ‘Authors’ Never Existed” details the claim by scholar Rachel Elior that the Essenes, who have loge been believed to be the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, never existed. Elior contends that the Jewish historian Josephus invented the Essenes as a way to prove to the Romans that there were exceptional Jews worthy of respect. Needless to say, this theory has drawn criticism from other scholars.
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Ancient History Ramblings 