Who Were the Inhabitants of Qumran?
The center of debate today regarding the Qumran texts is, “who lived at Qumran?” This question is stirring tremendous debate among scrolls scholars; to such an extent that sides have been taken and hostilities have broken out! (On paper, of course). On one side are those who believe that the inhabitants of Qumran were the Essenes. In support of this view they cite Pliny the Elder, a Roman writer who lived from 23 to 79 A.D. In his book, “Natural History”, Pliny speaks of a group of people who lived near the Dead Sea, known as Essenes. Since Pliny was a contemporary of the sect his identification of the group as Essene carries great weight for some. Another reason that many suggest that the Essenes were the authors of the Qumran scrolls is that what we know of their theology from other sources is very similar to the theology reflected in the Dead Sea Scrolls. For instance, the Essenes believed in divine determinism of every action; and the scrolls are filled with the idea. The Essenes b
