|
|
Article: AFTER 50 YEARS, NEW RAY OF LIGHT ON DEAD SEA SCROLLS.(News/National/International)
- Article from:
- Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
- Article date:
- July 27, 1997
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Rocky Mountain News. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Dialog LLC by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Byline: The New York Times
JERUSALEM -- In about 30 B.C., the Maskil, the leader of a strict and ascetic Jewish sect known as the Essenes, emerged from his desert compound to address the Sons of Dawn. The Sons were disciples who were serving a two-year novitiate before they would be accepted as full-fledged Sons of Light and allowed to enter the community.
The Maskil was taking a risk. He was the bearer of doctrine, the interpreter of God's purpose - and he could not allow his words to fall into the profane hands of the Sons of Darkness outside the compound.
So, when he wrote his speech on a small, traveling scroll, he encrypted it, using a ...