Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1245033
John Bergsma has unlocked the important background of the Essenes for us in Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity (Image, 2019). Bergsma convincingly demonstrates, by using the scrolls, how many things scholars have attributed to later Christian developments grew more organically out of the Jewish context of the time. Topics, such as messianic expectation of a new covenant, the mission of John the Baptist and the gathering of the Church take on new light by looking at the Essene background. Bergsma explains how "the Essenes were not the 'parent' movement of Christianity, but rather the Qumranites and the early Christians were 'siblings,' both born from the faith of ancient Israel, both communities formed to await the coming Messiah(s). In structure, liturgy, and theology, the Essenes and early Christians were remarkably similar, but they diverged sharply on a few very important matters" (226-27). Jesus and his disciples seem to be in agreement with the Essenes on the following points: • The central role of Baptism as a transformational experience. • Criticism of the leadership of Sadducees and Pharisees, including their control of the Temple. • Holding a meal of thanksgiving with bread and wine that demon- strates membership in the community. • The indissolubility of marriage and the importance of celibacy. • Celebration of the Passover by an older solar calendar, versus the lunar calendar followed by the Temple leadership (which explains the apparent discrepancy in dating the Last Supper in the Gospels). They were in disagreement on these points: • The predominate focus on men in Qumran's membership. • The need for complex ritual purity and the extreme importance of this purity in Essene life. • The inclusion of Gentiles into the covenant brought by Jesus. • The identity of the Messiah (as both priest and king in the line of Melchizedek) as found in Jesus, the Son of God. Bergsma's book is eye opening, showing how Jesus both fulfilled the expectations of many Jews of his day and also transcended their hopes by giving his divine life for our salvation. 20 DENVER CATHOLIC | MAY 9-22, 2020