The Essene Hypothesis: Insights from Religion 101
Files
Accepted manuscript
Date
2016-03-31
Authors
Klawans, Jonathan
Version
Embargo Date
2999-01-02
OA Version
Citation
Jonathan Klawans. 2016. "The Essene Hypothesis: Insights from Religion 101." Dead Sea Discoveries, Volume 23, Issue 1, pp. 51 - 78. Available online: 10.1163/15685179-12341373
Abstract
General insights from the discipline of religious studies may contribute to a better
understanding of the Essene Hypothesis. In its “softer” form, the Essene hypothesis
posits a sub-group relationship between the Qumran community and a larger Essene
movement as described, above all, by Josephus. This effort to accommodate differences
between accounts of the Essenes and the Scrolls can be better understood when
contextualized in light of the so-called “insider/outsider” problem. Josephus’s use of
the term “Essene” can be productively compared to generalized labels for groups of
sub-groups, like “Quaker,” “Mormon,” “Hasidic” and “Gnostic”—terms used more often
by outsiders, and frequently by writers of introductory religion textbooks. The Essene
Hypothesis makes a greater deal of sense when seen in light of the ways generalized
labels are used in a variety of descriptions of religious groups, both ancient and
modern.