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Re: Josephus & DSS (& John the Essene)
Ian Hutchesson:
> >If you look at Josephus' comments on the various sects, he comes down in
> >both analyses in favour of the Essenes as he knows them. Though some people
> >read his Life to imply he was a Pharisee, he spends more time dealing with
> >the Essenes and in a more positive light. He plainly rejects the Sadducees
> >and the followers of Judas the Galilean. So why give his seal of approval to
> >the Essenes if he didn't know anything about them and was so unreliable?
> >
Jim West:
> Because they were the only group which did not participate in the War
> against Rome in 68!
For the Essenes as a group you may be correct, but what about John the
Essene, who along with Josephus was given a province to defend? (War
2.567). Josephus describes him among those who were of "first rate
prowess and ability" (War 3.11). This Essene is the sort one could
imagine being called up according to the rules of the War Scroll -- and
perhaps he was.
In any case, what are your sources for Jthe position that Essenes did not
fight in the war? Josephus?
Leo Sandgren
Dept. of Religious Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill