Religion in the Dead Sea Scrolls

The present study is intended as a synthesis of the current state of research on religion in the Qumran community as articulated in the Dead Sea Scrolls. We treat here religion both in thought and in practice. The former refers to the theological belief system of the Qumran community: God, dualism and predestination and eschatology, messianism, and resurrection; the latter indicates the way that the religious ideals of the Qumran community were actualized in daily life: formation of Jewish law, temple, sacrifice, and prayer, and ritual and purity. Our intention is to present the critical issues (and texts) as they relate to each of these subjects and the various scholarly models associated with their study.