New Research Sheds Light on Practices of Dead Sea Scroll Sect

The Judean Desert site where the Dead Sea scrolls were found was a place of assembly for the Essenes, a mystic Jewish sect that held an annual confirmation of their covenant with God there, a new interpretation of the ancient finds says.

The conclusion by Ben-Gurion University researcher Daniel Vainstub seeks to explain why there have been no signs of permanent living by dozens of people at the Qumran site in the present-day West Bank. Researchers have known that the Essenes, who are believed to have written the scrolls, got together once a year. But no serious thought had been given to where a presumed two-day event may have taken place, Vainstub said by phone.