not to their liking and, worse still, from around 31-30 BCE onward, two lambs were sacrificed every day by the Temple priests for the well-being of the Roman emperor and the Roman Empire. This animal sacrifice was an anathema to many Jewish groups, and especially to the Qumran-Essenes. No wonder they interpreted the earthquake of 31 BCE, which caused widespread destruction in the area of the Judean Desert and severe damage to their own settlement, as a portent that they were right and that their belief in an imminent apocalypse was justified.Although they put immense store in traditional Hebrew teachings, they followed an apparently alternate form of Judaism, which yearned for and echoed the early days of Mosaic Sinai, and which, I maintain, dates back even further to the ancient monotheism of Akhenaten and Jacob.It is evident from the Dead Sea Scrolls that the Essenes of Qumran considered themselves an elite messianic group; they had retreated from the fray of the Temple and the priesthood and sought refuge in the wilderness to protect their piety. The opening verses of Isaiah, chapter 40, aptly describe their role:A voice cries out: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.As we go through a brief description of their unique teachings and behavior patterns it will be evident that many were transferred to Christianity. Successive right teachers had the role of ensuring that the community adhered to the true interpretation of the Torah, while they waited for a prophet similar to Moses and an unprecedented two messiahs.This waiting was to be accompanied by immersion in the Holy Scriptures and by following an ascetic, celibate way of life. Each year a cumulative total of 120 nights was to be spent in prayer and study. Personal possessions and income were to be given to the yahad, the community, and in turn the community looked after the individuals needs. Living and eating was communal, and garments were plain and purely functional. There are many similarities in this unselfish way of life to the modern ashrams of America and the kibbutzim of modern Israel.Within the community, at least at the outset, there was a strong hierarchical structure. At the top sat the right teacher. Priests, aided by Levites (individuals of priestly descent), dictated the doctrine of the group. All full members could vote in an assembly on nondoctrinal matters, while general day-to-day administration was in the hands of a triumvirate of three priests and twelve helpers. Each member had a specific place in the hierarchy in relation to level of learning and holiness, as determined by their peers. Throughout the sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls that describe the feelings and activities of the Essenes, there are repeated themes and motifs that endow these works with a sense of collective purpose: of sons of light fighting sons of darkness, messianic portents, battles with evil, the fruits of righteousness. Their fundamental themes embody persons who are:RighteousZaddikimPiousHassidimHolyKedushimMeekAnavimEndowed with Gods SpiritRuachimFaithfulEmunim The first three are recognizably strongly Jewish; the latter three carry noticeable overtones