Bible Society of South Africa

Essenes and Qumran

The Jewish writers Flavius Josephus and Philo of Alexandria in particular wrote about the Essenes. And the Roman governor Pliny the Elder wrote that the Essenes lived north of Engedi on the shores of the Dead Sea. This was precisely the place where a treasure of ancient Hebrew writings was found around 1947. The writings were located in caves near an ancient settlement which is now called Khirbet Qumran.

Qumran, an Essene Centre?

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