The Prophet of the Dead Sea Scrolls

by Dr. Upton Clary Ewing

The author shows how the first New Testament was an Essene text, which the temptations of power and ambition corrupted in the following generations. Inevitable, perhaps, once the decision had been made to create a mass movement, and then a state religion.

The name Essene is a Greek spelling of Hasidim, the mystics of Judaism. They were – or are? – also known as the Meek, the Poor, the Worthy, the People of the Way, Gnostics or Knowers, Nazarenes, the Sons of Peace, and by many other names. “Peace be upon you” was their greeting.

The Essenes, like the Apostle James or King Solomon, emphasized deeds and understanding. The Church replaced this with the recipe of blind faith because it can be mass produced, wisdom can’t. It worked – today the Christian faith is a billion strong. But it can never be at the forefront of human thought, like the Essenes were. Instead, Christians too often fight a rear-guard battle against the spread of knowledge.

The Essenes would never have said, “Jesus died for our sins.” The ethical standards He set for us did not require a superhuman sacrifice. Right living was merely the minimum that every Essene was expected to strive for, and achieve – as a basis for spiritual development.

The great practical value this book offers today is a touchstone to rediscover real Christianity, and help distinguish the truth or essence of every teaching.

About the Author. Dr. Upton Clary Ewing was a theologian of wide vistas of thought and freedom

of expression, an award-winning architect, sculptor, painter, prolific inventor, and lecturer on many subjects. Dr. Albert Schweitzer called him, “The Renaissance of Leonardo da Vinci.”

The Prophet of the Dead Sea Scrolls is an eye-opener for anyone who considers him or herself a Christian. It shows how the early Church sprang not from a supernatural miracle, but from the sect Jesus was raised in, the Essenes, who had prepared for generations for His coming. As St. Augustine wrote, “what is now called the Christian religion existed even from the beginning of the human race until Christ came.”

As a Christian one has to feel a pang of conscience to read how this unique Essene community was morally and spiritually so far ahead of us, even before Christ’s mission. Indeed, their way of life would be the perfect prescription for today. Its exemplary humanity, non-violence, sharing of wealth, love of freedom, respect for womankind, kindness to animals, and the modesty of their demands on ecology and society, puts modern thinking in an atavistic shade by comparison.

Yet, these idealists were able to maintain a large community for centuries, while surrounded by a world of warfare and slavery.

The author’s unorthodox findings are carefully buttressed by solid research from the Dead Sea Scrolls, classical authors like Pliny and Philo, and early Church writers. He also cites from chapters of the Bible with an Essene perspective, such as the books of Isaiah and of James, brother of Jesus.

As the “Jews of conscience” of their times – like Jeremiah, who had cried out against “the false pen of the scribes” – the Essenes condemned the inhumane parts of the Old Testament. They had kept the true law, passed down by a chain of “Teachers of Righteousness,” culminating in the mission of Jesus.